The female chuckled. "I told you before that I am your shadow. You successfully came to this world firstly because your thoughts are intertwined with this world, and secondly because you are not just an ordinary human. Let's not say much more about that; you were chosen to be the Time Goddess, and for that, a test must be carried out. You were given the test, and I used this opportunity to attempt to take over your body while you were trapped in an illusion, but somehow, you passed the test."
"The vision you saw was actually the future. That's what will happen to Liam, but you have mended it already since you became the Time Goddess. Pretty Lily, I will tell you that this is still under your control. Don't think that everything will always be under your control. You changed this disaster once, but I am afraid that from now on, you can only watch the future and be helpless to do anything," she elaborated with a sweet smile on her face.
Lily blinked twice; the more she tried to understand the female's words, the more confused she became. "Can you just please make yourself clearer? What do you mean by Time Goddess? And what do you mean by I am not an ordinary human?" she inquired.
The female took steps back into the dark. "You will face more difficulties from now on. Going back to your world has a high yet slim chance. All I could do is wish you the best!" she declared, and suddenly her figure could no longer be seen; she vanished into the darkness.
"You can't just go while you haven't clarified the mess you're sprouting out! Hey! Hey!" Lily shouted, but all she could hear was the resounding echo of her own voice.
Suddenly, the world around her started shaking, and as if some kind of huge and weighty force hit her forehead, her head tilted back and she fell backward.
.....
The rain intensified, and the thunder struck loudly, frightening even the plants.
In an old-looking cave, a dead antelope was thrown on the ground lifelessly by an unsightly female.
She was dressed all in sackcloth, her eyes were crimson, her long green hair looked soft, and she licked her bloodstained lips with a tongue that resembled a lizard's, a sweet smile spreading across her ugly face. She stood up and walked toward the bowl filled with water, calmly checking her reflection.
"See me! How beautiful I am!" she cackled loudly. "Surely, the blood of others will make me even more beautiful. From now on, I will be the only beauty in this world, haha!"
"Gerilla, don't get too carried away so soon," a feminine voice chimed in, cutting short the unsightly female's joy, who was named Gerilla.
Gerilla looked behind and saw another female who looked even worse in appearance. Her eyes were similarly crimson, her green hair was long but unkempt, and her pale skin appeared to be peeling, easily scaring people away.
Gerilla's brows furrowed slightly. "What do you mean by that, Ziber?" she queried.
Ziber studied Gerilla for a long moment before finding a spot to sit. "You call this appearance of yours beautiful? You're merely dreaming," she retorted.
Gerilla's brows tightened. "Do you mean there's a female with better skin than mine in the tribe?" she demanded.
"Not just better skin—it's treasure skin. She's the real beauty. If the two of you stood together, you would never find a mate unless you forced one," Ziber replied.
Gerilla took a step back in shock. "How is that possible? How can someone with such skin exist here? I have consumed blood from different males and females across various tribes. I should be the most beautiful!" she exclaimed.
Ziber glanced at Gerilla. "Is there really any need to shout? You're making me feel ill," she countered with an annoyed look.
"Who's this female? I want to know her! I want to see her!" Gerilla shouted more, her expression darkening.
"She just arrived at the Peacock Tribe. If I'm not mistaken, she has likely performed some rituals to gain such treasure skin. She still doesn't have any mate yet, so it's clear she's just acquired such beauty," Ziber explained. "All we need now is to capture her and make her reveal how she achieved such skin. But if she refuses to tell us, we can simply kill her and force her memories into our hands," she declared with an evil grin on her lips.
"No," Gerilla replied, smiling. "If she continues to live, others might learn this secret too. I'm sure she must have attracted some attention as well. I want her before anyone else can get to her, and I want her treasure body to be mine!" she chimed, her smile widening.
"Oh," Ziber nodded. "It has been raining continuously without stopping for almost an entire lunar cycle now, and it's not yet time for that season. Don't you find it strange?"
"What's strange about it? The snowy season has also acted strangely. There's no need to make a big deal about it; all our focus should be on the beautiful female. I can't wait to possess her treasure body!" Gerilla laughed loudly.
Ziber looked at Gerilla. "Don't be too happy too early; we need a plan and a backup plan," she retorted.
"Why a backup plan?" Gerilla questioned, her expression filled with confusion.
"There's another female with her; that one is worse in appearance—not beautiful at all—but she has many powerful males around her. All of them are at the last level of strength," Ziber explained.
"What does that have to do with this? It's not like I'm going to provoke them, and you just said she's just bad-looking. I surely won't be anywhere near her," Gerilla replied, a hint of arrogance in her voice.
Ziber shook her head. "Listen, this female and that beautiful female are sisters," she interjected.
"What?" Gerilla exclaimed.
"That's it; we need backup plans in case our original plan fails," Ziber responded calmly.
"That's not normal," Gerilla's brows knitted tightly. "Why is it that the ugly female has many powerful males as her mates, but the beautiful one has none? Did you make a mistake?" she inquired.