"The Spirit King of Water is requesting the organization to infiltrate the mortal realm to find her daughter and report back about her daughter's condition if it's nothing bad," it was this mission that was slapped in her face the moment she returned from her completed mission.
"The Spirit King of Water? Can't she just sneak down there? She's the Spirit King and of water at that. Surely, her authority covered the waters of the mortal realm?" Zion inquired to her superior who's now massaging his forehead.
"This specific mortal realm is part of the list of confidential realms and the Original Pillars had it covered by a protective barrier, which means that sneaking in is as hard as surviving from the wrath of an Original Pillar. Add that to the fact that even if sneaking is possible, higher beings are restricted from their use of divinity and authority, making them no better than mortals. This mission is graded as EX+ by the Leader due to its substance over form," Her superior picked up a document from the messy pile in his desk before pointing out a few words for Zion to see.
"You'll be the vanguard to infiltrate the mortal realm. You're the most proficient in the organization at surviving even without divinity so you're assigned to this task. There would be a few elite teams that would be tasked at trying to open up a path for you to enter. They'll be working on asking for help from a lower Pillar for permission to enter and if that didn't work out, ask the Higher Gods for help. Leaving the mortal realm is quite easy, and the only daunting task is entering it. If possible, stay in the mortal realm as a guard for the Spirit King of Water's daughter until she ascends back here, while sending back reports about her. Remember, this is a very important mission," the superior then gave Zion the most serious gaze of his yet.
"If you complete this well, we might get the favor of this generation's Spirit King of Water, and many of our missions will be as easy as a breeze to complete. After all, that grumpy spirit is the established leader of the Spirits for a reason," the superior's expression is filled with greed as he thought of how easy the missions would be in the future if this Spirit King is satisfied with their services.
After Zion accepted the mission, the organization began to move. They needed a lot of preparations for this one. It's also fortunate that a lower Pillar agreed easily to help them open up a path. Zion can only shake her head at the negotiation skills of her colleagues. She heard that they bribed the lower Pillar with a bunch of things. Though she didn't manage to know what those things are.
After a few weeks of preparation, Zion examined her spatial storage one last time before looking ahead of her. The Leader and the other higher ups of the organization placed a lot of importance in this mission which is why they are present in front of the barrier with the lower Pillar who'll open up a small place for Zion to enter.
"Remember. Do not panic if you can't feel the connection with the higher realm. Do not try to harm the denizens of the mortal realm as much as possible. Do not try to interfere with their fate. Never show negative emotions to the mortals in the realm. Please try to mind your own business down there. Do know that this realm is the favorite of the Original Pillar of Space. Even the Original Pillar of Life and Death and Original Pillar of Fate can't help you if you ever anger the Original Pillar of Space," the lower pillar, one of the most dangerous and powerful beings in the known world, warned.
Zion nodded respectfully. After all, even if this lower Pillar is amicable to them, it's still a lower Pillar at its core. Lower Pillars are indifferent beings that overlook creatures beneath them in the hierarchy and function according to how they were created. And this one in particular is among the many lower Pillars of Space from the Original Pillar of Space. This one is only amicable because it was created after the Original Pillar of Space descended into a mortal vessel, which was part of the off-the-records files in many organizations in the higher realms.
The next thing Zion knew, she's in a luxurious condo wearing a three-piece suit.
[Miss Agent, I slightly tweaked a bit of your profile in the mortal realm so you can do your mission more efficiently. In exchange, I want you to send me some of your reports too~]
Zion did not understand why the lower Pillar said that until someone called her.
"Zion, how's the place?" a woman who looks similar to Zion, wearing a maid's garb, asked.
Zion would be blind if she did not realize that the woman is a relative of some sort of her body in this mortal realm that the lower Pillar arranged.
Twenty-eight years' worth of memories flowed into her mind as she tried to make some sense with the situation.
Her body is called Zion Thrall, a person who came from a long line of nobles in charge of serving the royal family. And she, together with Zelia Thrall, her older twin sister, are currently serving the fourth-in-line to the throne, Her Highness Princess Hestia of the United Kingdom of Igniculus. Zion is serving as the personal guard of the princess while Zelia served as the personal maid. They both started work since they were eighteen, when the princess was twelve.
"The perimeters are now tightly locked by the Royal Shadows. Not even a mouse can enter," Zion answered in her indifferent and calm tone.
It looks like the lower Pillar wasn't kidding when it told Zion that it altered her profile to make her mission easier. The lower Pillar practically delivered the mission target next to Zion!
"Send a guard to fetch Alison later, Zion. She promised to spend time with me after her tour," the serene voice of the princess can be heard from the bathroom as several servants scurried from Zelia's orders to assist the princess in her bath.
"Understood, Your Highness," Zion replied as she sent the orders to her subordinates.
The target of her mission is undoubtedly the princess, Princess Hestia. Among the higher spirits that are children of the Spirit King of Water, there is only one that took the form of a female, which made it the favorite of the Spirit King.
Zion had to sigh at the blatant favoritism of the supposed to be neutral Spirit King.
And this daughter had a moment of rebelliousness in her long-time of existence, ended up running away from the Spirit Realm, happened to enter the protective zone of this mortal realm, and did not even think of returning home.
Sure enough. This is the daughter of the most ill-tempered and most powerful Spirit King in the Spirit Realm. Like mother like daughter. Even the rebellious phase is alike.
And soon, Zion found out why the Spirit King's daughter stayed for far too long in this mortal realm even if she can choose to leave easily.
"Tia," a mature woman in her late twenties entered the condo under the escort of a guard. After finishing his orders, the guard excused himself.
"Ali," the princess moved from her desk to greet the woman.
The two hugged intimately for a while, ignoring the Zion, Zelia and the other servants in the vicinity.
"Have you finished your tour for the year?" the princess asked in a gentle voice, almost doting.
In her long years of existence, the single dog Zion had been forced to eat dog food. She felt so out of place that if she wasn't afraid of breaking character, she would have gagged.
"Yes. Kit gave me a month-long vacation from showbiz activities," Alison, the blonde 29-year old woman, said as she smiled sweetly to the princess in front of her.
To be honest, their encounter with each other was so coincidental.
When the princess had come of age, she ran away from official duties to play around for a year with the excuse of 'discovering oneself'.
When Zion retrieved this memory from her body, she only had one thought. 'The daughter of the Spirit King of Water that possessed the body of a mortal always has this rebellious streak within her.'
The princess played incognito in the country and even ordered the secret guards to let her experience life without interfering. One night, she ran to play in a bar where she first met the drunk Alison.
Alison is a singer who went famous and signed a famed entertainment company. However, every time the company's other celebrities got scandals; she would be thrown to attract the netizen's attention. Her love life got thrashed and became the gossip of the media. In the end, a big label even refused to let her sing her own songs.
Worn and heartbroken, she tended to her heart in a bar not frequented by her colleagues. She got drunk and spent a night with the hidden princess.
Then, the princess got smitten by her and supported her from the shadows.
The princess who managed her own company at the young age of sixteen used her power to give resources to Alison. It was until her manager Kit slipped up that Alison found out the reason for the vast amount of resources being force-fed on her after that certain night.
That night, the princess might have gotten bent, but the celebrity Alison is a straight woman. Although she enjoyed that night, in her heart, she still preferred men. She even wrote a few songs about her new breakup and ex-boyfriend.
Knowing Alison's determination about her preferences, the princess can only smile gently and hide her possessiveness, silently accompanying the singer to the peak of her career.
Zion clicked her tongue.
If the Spirit King of Water found out that her only daughter got bent and denied a romantic relationship, even becoming a spare tire for the singer who got heartbroken again by a recent breakup with an ex-boyfriend, she might drown this mortal realm in her anger, ignoring all restrictions on her authority.
"Good. How about a week in the beach? Grandma gifted me a nice island a few months back. It's perfect for a beach vacation," the princess offered and led Alison to sit in the sofa in front of her work desk. She then went behind the sofa to massage Alison's shoulders.
The princess is really a good wife material, if she weren't bent and a spare tire. Zion can only hide her thoughts while compiling all the reports she would send later to the upper realm.
"Are there other people?" Alison asked, worried about the paparazzi. She's always at the top of the hot search whenever she releases a new song. Although it might not be as much as before due to how the company throws her around so much, Alison still has a lot of haters. Most of them are envious colleagues who can't bear to see a little singer rise to the top like a rocket.
"Other than the servants and island caretakers, there should be none. It's a private island, so other than the family, even officials can't step foot without permission. And besides, the family members are quite busy with their responsibilities as of the moment," the princess immediately assured the singer of the privacy.
Indeed, the royal family of their country is respected by many. They hold power and authority since the country's founding, and Princess Hestia's father the Crown Prince would continue the family's reign when her grandma the Queen passes.
And even if she's fourth-in-line to the throne due to her older brothers, as the doted and beloved only princess in the royal lineage within four generations, she has much more freedom than the average royal. She can even barge impolitely in her grandma's quarters and be consoled with sweets and hugs.
As the two slowly sunk into a world of their own, the servants went forward to serve the tea for the princess and her beloved. Soon, the singer went to her room in the condo unit to rest while the princess resumed her work in her desk.
Silence returned in the office as the princess read the documents on the desk and occasionally wrote a few comments in the proposals and signed a few.
"Pardon this guard for overstepping the boundaries, Your Highness, but may I ask a question?" seeing that the princess is about to finish her work for the day, Zion asked.
"Sure. But, Zion, you do not have to be overly polite to me. You've been serving me for about decade. You ought to not be stiff with our relationship already," the princess graciously allowed as she signed the last piece of paper in her desk.
Zion chose to ignore the permission of the princess because it is against the code of conduct of the guards to be overly familiar with their charge. She might even be accused of treason. But she proceeded with asking her question.
"You Highness, with your position as the most beloved in the Kingdom, the Queen would graciously follow with your requests. Miss Alison Rathe is just a small-time singer that has a lot of black material on the internet. Why would Your Highness just silently stand aside instead of making her your own?" this is the question that had been hidden in the heart of the original body. Now that Zion took over, she has no qualms in quenching this curiosity, add that to the fact that she does not fear the princess and only needs to retain her original body's character setting.
Princess Hestia, fourth-in-line to the throne, is a genius. She managed to finish her royal studies at the age of 10, gained a degree at age 14, helped in royal duties for two years, built her own company at the age of 16 and became the world's youngest billionaire at the age of 19.
Half of the profits her company made are donated to the kingdom, which in turn created a good reputation for the princess as a benevolent royal, loved by many. There's even a separate faction of nobles that are intent on making her ascend the throne, waiting for her to take the helm and support her if she ever so wished. But they mainly remained neutral whenever possible since the princess refrained from intervening in the kingdom's affairs ever since she created her company.
She can even reason that the donations are in some form a bribe so that the faction would behave in her absence.
"Hmm, Zion, you've been single since birth, right?" that! 'Princess, why would you attack me like that? It's unfair!' Zion thought to herself.
"I have never been in a relationship before, Your Highness," Zion kept to her character and replied curtly, even if she received such a fierce attack to the core.
"But you have loved ones that you would protect with all you heart, right, Zion?" the princess asked.
"I have my family and friends to protect, as well as a country and the princess to guard, Your Highness."
"Then I'm sure that you won't be happy if your loved ones get hurt," the princess said, as she rose from her desk and stood by the window, observing the skyscrapers and tall buildings around.
"I am the same. Ali is a precious treasure to me. I have been a fan ever since she became a singer. Before that night, she already captivated my heart with her songs. Whenever I hear her sing, it's as if I'm being surrounded by the warmth of water, gentle and soothing," the princess expressed her affection for water. As the daughter of the Spirit King of Water, she's also a being of water if she did not possess that mortal body.
"That night was a night I would never forget. Before, I would be content listening to her songs, collecting her merchandise, and watching her shows. But that night, I managed to reach her. It was a wonderful evening. Maybe for her, it was a mistake that eats up at her conscience, but for me, it was a heaven-sent gift," melancholy laced the voice of the gentle princess.
"How I would love to just wrap her up tightly, barring others from seeing her. I would love to bound her by my side and feel her presence every moment of the day, ignoring the presence of others. But I know my limits. Ali would hate me if I do that. There's also the issue of both of us being females. With society the way it is, it would affect her career as a singer-songwriter. And even if society can somehow accept that, Ali might be against the idea of being in a romantic relationship with another female. So far, she had only been with males. Bending her would take a lot of time due to how busy she is with her career and the physical distance between the both of us."
"In short, Ali already has a lot of issues and problems. The least I could do is to support her from the shadows and fight against those schemers. I can also be a perch for her whenever she's tired. I can be satisfied with that, even if it sometimes hurt whenever I see her on television with another," the princess turned back to Zion with a sad smile on her lips.
"So, Zion, don't be like me. If you ever fall in love with someone, take them as your own. Don't be a coward like me who can only hide in the shadows."
"I can only respect Ali's decisions. Because I was the one who offered my heart. And in the game of love, the first one to fall in love is loses," the princess returned to her seat to finish the papers after saying something so deep.
Zion stood in a daze from her post as she did not expect the rebellious daughter of the Spirit King of Water to say such philosophical and thoughtful words. Upon realizing that the princess returned to her work, Zion took one last look at the princess before standing up straight once more, her thoughts hidden.
In her heart, she's already composing the report that she will send back.
Time passed by quickly as Zion witnessed how the strong and resilient model princess of the kingdom bend over to please a singer. It was truly pathetic, or maybe Zion is just feeling so full of the dog food being forcefully fed down her throat that she became so bitter about it.
One day, Zion noticed that the princess suddenly became all bright and all smiling recently. Even if some employees made mistakes in the company's accounts, she generously forgave them and even advised them to take good care of their body and rest well. It was weird and alarmed the close servants following and serving by her side. But everyone had some guesses about why the princess became so welcoming to everyone.
Her vacation with the singer just ended and returned to her work in another country. The good news that made her smirk all the time even when handling boring company matters must have come from the time during her vacation.
"What a fair day it is today, right, Your Highness?" Zelia, her twin sister, said while subtly smiling. Even her stiff-faced sister got affected by the gentle princess' mood and became brighter as well.
"Yes, it is. Such a wonderful day," and with that, the princess went to her daydreaming state once more.
Zion almost facepalmed. She glared slightly at her older twin sister who evoked such a state of the princess. Zelia just smirked at her.
After a few years, it did not come to her surprise that the princess pushed for marriage with a certain singer. Her usually obedient faction members turned into aggressive nobles as they chased down and chomped those who opposed the princess' happy ever after with her singer. Even the Queen has to mediate, or the council would crumble with their quarrels. It was a surprising year, with chaos within the kingdom's territory.
In the end, with overwhelming support from the people and the royal family, the princess managed to marry the singer back home. It was breaking news that the singer got proposed to and married the only princess of the United Kingdom of Igniculus. As a result, her every action were scrutinized by the media.
However, with the princess' protection, singer-songwriter Alison Rathe married happily and continued to write songs about their happy married life. Sometimes, the singer would even record songs cursing the princess' shamelessness, which made her fans laugh at her adorable ways of getting back at the princess. But most of the time, she'll sing sweet love songs about the princess' gentleness and care for her. The couple became the role model of a sweet relationship that many single people can only grit their teeth in their handkerchiefs and envy.
Zelia also married before they both turned 30, much to Zion's shock, as her stiff-faced twin sister never showed signs of being in a relationship. Now that's what they call a secret.
Zion remained single and served loyally by the princess' side, even if she has to eat dog food every single minute of it. After all, she did not come to this realm to have a relationship. She only came to finish he mission.
She did not miss every single moment as she reported everything truthfully to her superiors outside the realm. Of course, to her letters to the lower Pillar of Space, she sometimes slips in her complains about the shameless couple who does not know the time of day. Ever since they affirmed their relationship, they have been feeding her dog food without restraint. If she cannot complain about this emotional abuse anywhere, she might go mad before she finishes her mission. The lower Pillar of Space who came to eat gossip can only comfort her wounded heart.
"Ali, would you be willing to follow me anywhere?" the princess is now gazing at her wife in her deathbed with worry and care. Their marriage already lasted for three decades, and they remained strong and loyal to each other. However, fate seemed to have other plans for them, because the already old singer had cancer, and it's already in its final stages. There isn't much hope for her to live anymore.
Which is why the princess is willing to reveal the secret she had since her birth. She's willing to divulge this secret to her wife whom she dearly loves and willing to follow. Zion's an exception. She had a feeling that Zion knew about her long ago. After all, Zion was not courageous enough to question her decisions.
"I am more than willing to follow you anywhere, Tia. However, it seems like my body can't do much anymore," the singer can only comfort her sad lover as her thin fingers held the hands of the princess.
"It's alright. Just leave everything to me," the princess then kissed the singer's forehead.
Zion was standing by their side when this happened. Feeling that something big is about to happen, Zion sent her report back to the upper realm. It looks like the Spirit King of Water has to prepare her heart. Her rebellious daughter who ran away years ago would be coming back home with a daughter-in- law for her.
A few weeks later, the famed singer-songwriter wife of the princess died peacefully in her bed. Everyone expected the princess to grieve and cry, but she only took her wife's death calmly and arranged everything, from the company to her royal affairs. Many gossiped that maybe, she already fell out of love long ago.
However, no one expected to hear of her death a week after. She was found dead in her tub, with a bottle of sleeping pills on the floor. It was obvious that the princess died of overdose.
Back in the upper realm, Zion woke up in her room. Attendants crowded over her as she returned after her longest mission ever.
"Rest well for a few days. After you've rested enough, report back to the office. We'll be compiling all your reports about what happened in the mortal realm so far," her superior showed up in her room once to show his face before leaving her in the care of the organization's attendants.
Zion spent a quiet few days of vacation and rest before she decided to report back at headquarters.
There, she found the smiling lower Pillar, drinking tea and being served by the Leader and the other higher ups. Everyone's expressions became subtle as they stared at the newly arrived Zion.
"Welcome back, Zion. It was such a fun mission, wasn't it?" the lower Pillar greeted as it offered Zion a seat. All those years of sending corresponding letter to one another, Zion gradually became acquainted with this dangerous existence who's whole being is filled with the need to feed on gossip about other people's relationships. There's really no trace of dignity a lower Pillar should have. Tsk.
Zion nodded. Except for the dog food, it was a fun mission. There was no need for scheming or any calculations in this mission. All she has to do is to guard the princess everyday while sending reports back to the upper realm every week. If not for that, Zion might even treat this mission as a long vacation.
The lower Pillar smiled like a cat at Zion's quiet response. After all, it knew just how many complains were involved in her letters to it all those years. Really, can't judge the stiff cover of a book.
"Right! Do you want to visit the Spirit Realm with me? I've heard that the Spirit King of Water is having some trouble handling her new daughter-in-law who has control over her daughter," the lower Pillar smiled mischievously which was interpreted by Zion as: "There's gossip in the Spirit Realm. Come with me to eat melon."
It was subtle, that even the Leader and the superiors of Zion did not realize, but Zion's eyes twinkled at the thought before she resumed her cold exterior.
"Sure, Rei," Everyone's eyes widened as they saw how this agent treated the lower Pillar casually, as if they were old friends who met each other again after a few years, which is actually true. They wanted to scold Zion but stopped when the lower Pillar responded cheerfully.
"Yey!" and with that, before they could ask Zion with a report, the lower Pillar shamelessly brought her away.
They can only scratch their heads. Well, if a lower Pillar showed favor to an agent of their organization, surely, their future mission would be easier, right?
With a successful mission, everyone got what they wanted, except for a certain Spirit King who gained an even more rebellious daughter-in-law. Her daughter and the daughter-in-law she brought back home strolled around the Spirit Realm, wreaking havoc and causing trouble everywhere. Her glossy blue hair that is nurtured by her authority slowly became duller at the stress.
And the agent who did not do anything to break up her daughter and that woman back in the mortal realm is currently roaming the Spirit Realm with the lower Pillar, watching the chaos unfolding as they eat snacks and melon every day.
And thus, ends the poor agent's yuri mission.