Chapter 295: Goddess

The single name was enough to ground Nyra. It went through the haze of her grief like a spear of sunlight through storm clouds.Back in Thanad, the concept of the Goddess was the bedrock of their existence. She was the prayer on their lips for every fortune.

To have the deity of her childhood standing in the living room was a collision of realities that Nyra’s exhausted mind struggled to process.

Instinct took over where logic failed and Nyra slid from the sofa and lowered her head.

"Your Grace, what do I owe your visit?"

Nyra didn’t suspect it was a trick. She couldn’t. The being before her radiated a purity that was impossible to fake. It was the scent of rain on dry earth. It felt like Home.

The Goddess sighed. She moved with fluid grace as she raised Nyra.

"Rise, Nyra. There is no debt between us. In this place, far from our soil, I am but a traveler."

She surprised Nyra by bypassing the formalities entirely. She sat on the edge of the table, folding her glowing hands in her lap. Her expression was filled with a sorrow that mirrored Nyra’s own.

"I did not come to receive worship. I came because... Adrian left something for you. I found out about his fate, it’s the last thing he left behind."

Nyra’s heart raced as her worst fears were all but confirmed.

"The last thing he left? Then... he is..."

"He is not dead," the Goddess said quickly. "But he’s gone."

She reached into the folds of her radiant dress and pulled out a scroll. It wasn’t made of paper or parchment.

It was woven from strands of solidified mana, glowing with a pulsing, rhythmic blue light that Nyra recognized instantly.

She handed the scroll to Nyra and see unfolded it.

....

If you are reading this, then I’ve miscalculated. Or perhaps, I calculated perfectly, and the outcome was simply unavoidable. Either way, I am gone.

This message is for you, and for my family in the Nexus Sector. Please do find them in the Slums had deliver it.

I have been taken by the Arbiters, so do not come looking for me.

But you can still save me.

You have the Factory and my blueprints. My soul is tethered to my creations. Every piece of technology I introduce to this universe, it anchors and feeds me.

So, here is my final command... Spread them. Modify them if you must, improve them if you can, but get them into the hands of as many living beings. From the lower class to the high borns. Flood the galaxy.

If you succeed, my influence will grow. And maybe, just maybe, it will give me the strength to shatter this cage.

Before I forget, be careful with the Void gifts. Grow yourself and they’ll grow with you. Build a home. And when the time is right, I will come back to it.

I believe in you all. I always have.

---

The golden letters hung in the air for a moment longer, burning themselves into Nyra’s memory, before scattering into motes of light and fading away.

The room was silent.

Nyra thought deeply. The message wasn’t a goodbye. It was a mission and the end goal had to be victory.

"He wants us to become merchants. To save him by selling his creations."

"He wants you to build a foundation," the Goddess corrected gently. "He knows that raw strength cannot defeat the enemy he faced. He needs a different kind of power."

Nyra wiped her face, her sadness hardening into resolve. She looked up at the golden woman. "How did you get this? Did you see him?"

"No," the Goddess admitted. "I conjured the letter from the traces he left. We met in the past, and then I had left a resonance of my spirit upon him. It was the only time he used such a connection."

Nyra began to have doubts. "Are you really the Goddess?"

"I suppose you knew me as that," the entity smiled sadly. "So, yes."

"Then why can’t you save him? I mean, if you’re a god, and you’re powerful enough to be here, why was he taken? Why didn’t you stop them?"

The Goddess didn’t take offense. She merely looked down at her glowing hands. "I am sorry, Nyra. Truly. But I am not omnipotent. Among the cosmic powers, I am... small,"

"Adrian is already far stronger than I am. For the Emperor himself to intervene with his Arbiters... this is a matter beyond me. I recently joined a council under the Concordat, but our leaders were not informed of this abduction. The Emperor acted alone. He is handling this personally."

Nyra wasn’t convinced. "Since you found out, can’t your leaders do something about it?"

The goddess shook her head. "The Emperor might be the elected head of the Concordat on paper, but that does not make him any less of a tyrant. His influence is absolute because his strength is absolute. If he decided to act unilaterally, to bypass the Council and use his true power... then no one can go against him. Unless desperate measures are taken. But if he gets access to Adrian’s source of strength... he could become untouchable."

Nyra felt the blood drain from her face. "So we’re alone. Truly alone."

"Politically? Yes," the Goddess said, turning back. "Militarily? We’re outmatched as well."

She stepped closer to Nyra, placing a hand on the woman’s shoulder. "But you have something the Emperor does not account for. You have Adrian’s Factory."

The Goddess’s expression shifted, becoming determined. "I cannot fight the Emperor. But I can help you. I can use my seat on the Council to shield you diplomatically. I can open trade routes for you. I can be your first ally."

"For now," the Goddess vowed, "I will help you to the best of my abilities. The first step is to leave the Slums. You cannot build an empire from the mud. We need to move the Sparkborn to the Heartland, and then... to the stars."

She eventually settled. "First, I’d like to see the Factory for myself."

Nyra nodded, her mind finally shifting gears from grief to planning. But she frowned at the last part. "You’re not a Vassal, so you can’t access the Factory unfortunately."

The Goddess smiled, a mysterious, knowing curve of her lips. She tapped the center of her chest, right over her heart.

"The message he sent bore his imprint. When I checked it out. It resonated with my soul in a way that only... family... should feel."

Nyra’s eyes widened. She sensed it then; the faint, unmistakable presence of Adrian’s energy clinging to the Goddess’s aura. It wasn’t just a trace; it was the bond.

"He made you a Vassal?" Nyra whispered, shocked.

"I believe," the Goddess said, looking amused, "The connection is there. I can feel the Factory calling to us."

Nyra let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Even in his recklessness, Adrian had secured them a divine ally.

"Then you should see what he left us."

Nyra extended her hand and after the goddess accepted the pull, they were gone from the room.

"This," Nyra said waving her hands across the infinite domain, "is the factory."

The Goddess was beyond awed of the sight. They were many constructs, and they all looked real.

But Nyra was yet to show her the best of what was to come. "Follow me, your grace."

After a quick fascinating tour of the Factory, its chambers, and all of its abilities, the goddess was more than convinced they had what it took.

"This place is amazing. Better than anything I can conjure," she exhaled.

"Yes. We have the tech," Nyra said, her voice gaining strength. "We have the divine protection. And now, we have the means."

She turned to the Goddess, her eyes dry and burning with intensity.

"We’re going to buy the galaxy," Nyra declared. "And we’re going to get him back."