The Petite Dungeon Explorer

A decorative gothic bench was for us, it was covered in a red velvet colored cushion. It was very beautifully done; I felt a chill crawl over my spine. But it quickly vanishes.

"The Ceremony of Five will begin soon, and if you"d like the Young Miss can have her ceremony done privately if you"d like?" Ca.s.sius offers as he looks towards my Mother. He"d brought us through all the lines, and there were still quite a few people here. Yet, he offers this to us.

What were his motives?

Looking at him she raises a manicured eyebrow before she turns her attention back towards the front of the sanctum.

"Your offer is most generous, indeed. Yet I shall have my daughter attend the Ceremony just like all the other children," the hidden edge in my mother words were palpable. The emerald color of her eyes flashes a vibrant red like blood.

Seeming to understand that he"d overstepped his bounds, he quickly bows and scurried off much like a mouse that had been wounded brutally.

A growl of anger leaves her mouth, as she rolls her neck slightly.

"The nerve of this priest, every time I see them, they get bolder and bolder. To think that he has Forsaken our Mother, Muheia, for that G.o.ddess Adoracia," she speaks in a hushed tone.

So, he"d indeed forsaken her and chosen another G.o.d to pledge allegiance to.

"Blood plum, he was just trying to be thoughtful of Hollis," my father says as he rubs a hand down my mother"s cheek lightly. A light smile on his face as he gazes at her with nothing but adoration.

The icy glare that my mother had been sporting, slowly melted away at the touch of my father and his doting. She looks at him and quickly presses her lips to his in a sweet but chaste kiss. The exchange was heart melting, she leans back and lets him hold her hand.

I took a seat next to her and Salem sits down next to me as well. His hand still clasping mine, I felt warm sandwich between my family.

"Indeed, your family is quite beautiful, your mother a devote believer, indeed one of my favorites," a voice whisper again.

It almost made me jump out of my seat, but this time I didn"t move. This had to be a voice in my head, but just who was the voice in my head.

"Who are you?" I barely whisper.

"You can hear me then, this is a first, I"d been speaking to you ever since you were born. It would seem that the G.o.d of Life had played a little trick on me," the voice continues, this time it was even clearer.

It sounds a lot like the voice of a woman, but there was a darker note to it.

"You didn"t answer my question," I state flatly.

"Indeed, you"re right my little darling. I"m the one that gave you that body, I"m like your Great-Great-Great Grandmother, I brought your race into this world. Although, you don"t originate from this world, I"ve accepted you as my kin," the voice chuckles.

It felt like someone was rubbing a hand along my shoulder and curling their arms around my neck. However, instead of feeling disgusted, I felt warmth. An odd warmth but a warmth, nonetheless.

"Great-Great-Great Grandmother?" I mutter softly.

"I"m indeed, however, most refer to me in another way. I"ve been called many a name, the most common name is G.o.ddess of Death Muehia," she laughs in my ear.

I couldn"t open my mouth; I didn"t know what to say to her.

"It"s alright, I know it"s a big deal. But I wanted to have a conversation with you, I thought I might keep you company as a child. But as I"ve stated that d.a.m.n G.o.d of Life has played a trick on me. No matter, as long as you come to a temple, I"ll be able to speak with you.

I have high hopes of you. You who have gained the attention of multiple G.o.ds and G.o.ddess". You"re indeed destined for greatness or maybe your destined to do something unimaginably evil.

Nothing but time shall tell, I do hope that you"ll come and chat with me now and again, if you ever need a helping hand my darling grandchild. You"ll find that I"m but a prayer away, I do believe I must be going, please enjoy my parting gift," her voice was soft like that of child. It was hard to believe she was the G.o.ddess of Death.

With those last remarks, her voice vanishes and so does her presence. It felt as if it had been nothing more than a dream.

But a warmth began to blossom in my chest, it felt like the first rays of sunlight were washing over my body, and the petals began to open to touch those rays. This warmth spread like a liquid through my body, and after a minute or two it vanishes.

I didn"t know what to make of the feeling or my encounter with her. She seems even more enigmatic than the G.o.d of Life. But Life and Death were inexplicable intertwined…

"Doll, are you feeling alright? You"re looking a little flush," the sound of my mother"s voice draws me from my thoughts.

Turning my head slightly, I look at her, and she raises a hand to my face to touch it.

"I"m okay, just a little nervous," I tell her softly.

"There"s nothing to worry about Doll, there is a little speech and then you head up and get your status unlocked and it"s all done. Nothing to fear," she rea.s.sures me as she slides her hand down my face, before patting my head.

I give a slight nod, and she seems pleased, she turns back towards my father and continues her conversation.

However, my worries don"t stop there.

"Heh~" the sound of laughter drifts into my ears much the same way as the voice of the G.o.ddess of Death.

Who in the world was it now?

"Ah, what an interesting soul we have here, originally the same creature as my creations. However, now you"re of Muheia ilk. How unfortunate, to bad you weren"t still alive when you"d crossed into our world, I"d have welcomed you," an egotistical voice sounds in my head.

"Who now?" I mutter under my breath.

"A s.p.u.n.ky little thing are you not. You know most would drop to the ground and bow, if they could the voice of a G.o.ddess much less if they"d gotten to hear and talk to two G.o.ddess," she snorts.

"Sorry to disappoint," I say rolling my eyes.

"Aren"t you just the little spit fire?" She chuckles and this time the presence that I feel makes my skin crawl like it was being burned.

"Nonetheless, I came to stir up some trouble. I"ll pa.s.s along my gift the same as Muheia, I don"t just give out gift"s w.i.l.l.y nilly either. You should consider yourself very lucky," she gloats and, I feel a burning sensation on the back of my shoulder, right in-between he shoulders blades.

It felt as if someone was boring a whole into my flesh. However, the feeling pa.s.ses quickly, and I suck in a sharp breath.

"We"ll meet again, please enjoy the gift, your still my ilk, even though you"ve been transferred into this body." She sneers slightly as I feel a hard amount of pressure on my shoulders, before that fades as well.

I felt like I could breathe once she left.

That was two G.o.ddess in a short span of time. They were all really interested in me it would seem. Sucking in a deep breath I squeeze Salem"s hand tighter. This was worrisome, I didn"t want anything bad to happen to my family because I"d attracted the interest of all these G.o.ddess and G.o.ds.

Shaking my head slightly, I try to think of which G.o.ddess it would be.

She"d said that we were ilk, meaning that we shared a common ancestry…

I felt sick as I realize who might have been the second visitor I"d gotten today.

It was most likely the War G.o.ddess Lotasia, the mother of the human race in this world. Also, one of the crazier G.o.ddess of this world. Being the incarnation of War was probably a telltale sign though.

My brain felt like it was going a mile a minute, I was so absorbed in my own thoughts that I didn"t notice the change in the sanctum"s atmosphere. It wasn"t until Salem pulled my hand that I noticed the shift.

Almost the whole of the sanctum was filled with people and their children. However, the noise was quite low, it was as if there was an unspoken rule. A rule to not disturb the atmosphere.

Twisting my head around I look and the whole of the sanctum had been filled with people. A great number of people had appeared at this event.

All of the sudden everyone straightened their back; I felt a tug on my hand, and I turn around to look at Salem. He nods his head forward slightly and I look up and find a woman making her way onto the stage.

She was very beautiful. Her hips sway back and forth as she walks to the front of the stone stage at the front of the sanctum. A bright smile is draw on her lips, and she draws the whole attention of the room. She wore black clothes the same as Ca.s.sius, the priest that I had met earlier, but her dress was skin-tight and hugs every curve of her body.

It looks more like a body suit than a dress, it was also rather low cut, dipping down off of her collar bones to around her breast the fabric was being stretched to the max in that area. She didn"t seem to mind that though, around her neck a sprawling tattoo adorned her snow colored skin.

Moving up from her tattoo, I saw that she was wearing an eye patch over her left eye, the tattoo seem to originate from around her eye because it ran up her neck and face to underneath the eyepatch.

Her hair was half black and half white, it reminded me of a yin and yang from my previous life. It fell in waves around her shoulder and down her back, the one eye that was uncovered glows a bright yellow.

A neckless also was draped around her neck, and unlike the tree that Ca.s.sius wore, hers was adorned with the image of a woman"s face that was made out of beautifully twisted black metal. That was the image of the G.o.ddess of Death Muheia, this woman was also a Vampire it seems.

"Welcome everyone, I"m glad to welcome you to this Ceremony of Five!" Her voice rasps outward with a soft but powerful boom to it, it reminded me a lot of a snake. "I am a humble servant of the G.o.ddess of Death Muheia, but let it be known that today no matter which G.o.d or G.o.ddess you hold in your heart, your welcome. It"s your day to join the ranks of our citizens," she spoke out raising a hand towards the crowd.

A soft murmur ran through the crowd; however, it was quickly hushed and quieted.

"I"ll begin the ceremony now," she says softly.