The Goddess who Defied Fate

Chapter 10

It was a new moon and the sky was dark. After their walk through the sky, Shiro slowly pulled away from Hue as they landed on the balcony in the mansion.
“Shiro.” He didn’t have to say anything else. Shiro already knew from that look on his face. The stars in the sky were blurry to her eyes. “Thank you. No matter how many times I thank you, it’ll never be enough. I’m so grateful to you, Shiro.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t do anything you should thank me for.”
“Yes, you did. Really, thank you.” A gust of wind interrupted the quiet of the moonless night. “I can’t stop thinking about what you told me before. You told me not to say that your life was ‘sacrificed’. I feel like I understand now. You loved humans, so you saved them. It was a sacrificial act… but that’s not all it was by a long shot.” Hue smiled. “If you believed in a future for humans, then I can try and learn from that, too. Please, remember this… Shiro, as long as you can dream of a future, wonderful things will find you.” Cool fingers brushed her bangs to the side. Hue dropped a kiss on her exposed forehead. “Be happy, Shiro. Please, be happier than anyone. I want you to be the happiest girl in the world.” After his unexpected, whispered comment, Hue’s body began to glow faintly.
“You too, Hue. Be happy.”
“Shiro…” The glowing expanded until the dark night was illuminated by its divine light. “You’re the reincarnation of the goddess. No, you are the goddess in human form. I never wanted to meet you. I was scared. But not anymore. I’m glad I met you again, Shiro.” Shiro struggled to keep the smile on her face, her eyes narrowing. “Goodbye, Shiro.” She clenched her fists and bit her trembling lip. The light collapsed, and darkness returned. Shiro reached her hand out despite herself. Don’t go. She knew it would hurt, but she didn’t think it would hurt this much. If this was her fate from the beginning… Why did she have to meet him? Shiro gasped loudly when she realised what she had just thought. She had given Hue such a hard time for saying that, and then she… Alone, she broke down. She sank to her knees and cried, screaming into the sky as raindrops fell onto her cheeks. She would never be able to touch him or feel his warmth again. It hurt. Shiro wished it would rain harder, for the rain to swallow her, and never stop.

Shiro listened to the weather report on TV as she ate breakfast.
“The steady rain we’ve been experiencing is predicted to continue. Experts are concerned the drastic reduction in hours of sunshine could affect…” She switched the TV off before she could hear anything else. Because of the continuous rain, the world outside her window had been dim, damp, and cold for days. She still refused to remove the other gods’ marks. It wasn’t nearly as much about not sympathizing with them as she was making it out to be. She simply knew how she erased Hue’s mark, and it wasn’t something she could possibly do for the others. She’d agreed to help them use their powers to do their jobs, but nothing more.

Scorpio clicked his tongue shortly after Shiro arrived at the mansion. “What is the Earth’s problem lately?”
“So, even Scorpio is depressed by this nonstop rain,” Karno said.
“I wasn’t talking to you, damn it!” Scorpio said before turning to scowl at me. “This is boring. I’m going back to my room.” Shiro frowned at the window.
“Shiro, I made cherry pie. It’s really good. Do you want to eat it with me?” Dui asked.
“I want some! I want some! And I want to feed some to Shiro,” Ichthys beamed.
“Hey, I wasn’t offering it to you, Ichthys,” Dui retorted.
Shiro smiled slightly. “Thank you, Dui. And Ichthys? If you try to feed me anything I’ll throw you out the window myself.”
“Ouch,” Ichthys pouted. Shiro took a seat next to Dui.
“Finally, a smile,” Dui said.
“I know. I’ll make some funny faces. I bet she’ll smile even more then,” Ichthys grinned.
“Taking the bait as soon as it hits the water… Typical goldfish behaviour,” Leon snorted.
“What are you going on about?” she asked.
“The punishment gods are just trying to suck up to you so you’ll erase their marks.”
“Leo, don’t say that. You’ll just confuse her,” Karno said.
“I already knew that. About Ichthys, that is,” Shiro replied.
“Why am I the only one getting blamed?!” Ichthys complained.
“Dui isn’t like you, that’s why,” she said. Leon scoffed and looked out the window.
Ignoring his minister, Karno smiled quietly. “Don’t worry. Listen to your instincts. They never steer you wrong. Dui and Ichthys both want to see you happy, and I do too, of course.”
“I sliced the pie. I don’t want it to go to waste. Eat with us?” Dui asked.
“What?! You just told me I couldn’t have any!” Ichthys exclaimed.
“What’s up? Did somebody say pie?” Teorus smiled when he entered the living room. “Hey, Scorpy! There’s pie!”
“Shut up. Quit calling me in here for every little thing that happens,” Scorpio said, having returned from his bedroom.
“Karno…” Shiro turned to him. “How… is he?”
Karno smiled sadly. “He’s back at work in the heavens. He’s… doing well. But he misses you.”
“I see.” She leaned back against the sofa and smiled wryly.

Kuro invited Shiro for tea after work at a café a few days after.
“It’s dinner time. Why did you choose a café?” Shiro asked.
“You forget I don’t actually need to eat, so dinnertime doesn’t apply to me,” Kuro shrugged. Shiro didn’t respond. “So? How are you holding up?”
“How do you think?” she asked, her voice cracking.
Kuro smiled wryly. “I guess that was a dumb question.”
Shiro smiled slightly up at her. “Thanks for checking up on me.”
Kuro sighed and put her fork down. “I wish I could say that was the only reason I came, but… This rain is beginning to be a problem…” Shiro looked up at her sister, her expression blank. “You know this is your doing, don’t you?”
Shiro took a sip of her hot chocolate. “I know. I’ve been trying to fix it on my own, but…” She sighed. “I think I might have to go to the heavens to do that.”
“Should I take you then?”
Shiro paused as she thought. “Meet me tomorrow at the mansion. I’ll go then.”
“I hope you’re right about this. Another calamity is the last thing anyone needs.”
Shiro arched an eyebrow. “Kuro, there’s something you’re not telling me.” She put her glass down and looked intently at her sister.
Kuro sighed. “I don’t know all the details, but safe to say it’s bad.”
“How bad?” Shiro asked. She didn’t like where this was going.
“Bad enough that the gods might intervene. And by intervene, I mean come down and make you do something about it.”
Shiro swallowed. “Why do I get the feeling you know which god it is?”
“Zyglavis. He’s the minister of Punishments. He’s not the kind of god you want to trifle with.”
Shiro sighed. “I know who Zyglavis is.”
“So you’ve met in your past life.” Not a question. Shiro nodded. “Well, either way, he’s getting aggravated. He might come down here.” Kuro furrowed her brows, a deep crease forming between her eyes.
“If he comes down here, it’ll be to kill me.”
“I won’t let that happen,” Kuro’s tone was sharp.
Shiro smiled. “I know.”

Not even a day after Kuro’s warning, Vega came to get Shiro. She was supposed to be helping Teorus today. She couldn’t say she was too thrilled about spending the day with him. Vega was still talking about how cheerful he was when she stopped suddenly.
“Lady Shiro, get down!!” Vega shouted. Shiro crouched down and covered her head as she heard a window shatter. There was a light and a crackle of power.
“Shiro, Vega, are you two okay?” Teorus asked, wrapping his arms protectively around Shiro.
“Lord Teorus! That was…!” Vega exclaimed.
“It’s been a long time, Teorus…” That voice. There was no mistaking it.
“Zyglavis…” Teorus muttered, hostility in his voice. Shiro took a deep breath and stood upright. A tall man, about the same height as Hue with dark blue hair tied into a side ponytail, stood in the hall.
“I can see from the way you’re holding that girl that your obsession with humans is still going strong,” Zyglavis said mockingly.
“You haven’t changed either. Your face is just as scary as ever. By the way, you forgot to use the front door,” Teorus retorted. The air crackled with electricity between the two. Shiro could see the distaste between the departments was the same as ever.
“It seems I’ve committed a faux pas. Earth’s filthy air must’ve clouded my mind,” Zyglavis countered. The tension in the air was thick. It put Shiro on edge. Where was Kuro? She was supposed to be here today.
“Are you here to hang out? If you’re looking for Scorpio, he’s…”
“I’m simply here on an errand. Please step back.”
“What are you going to do with Shiro if I do?” Teorus asked.
“I’m sure you’ve already guessed that much. It’s foolish to ask a question you know the answer to. I’m going to kill that human, of course. Hand over the human, Teorus.”
“You’re not the minister of my department. I don’t have to take orders from you.”
“Insolent. Hand her over immediately or you’ll be—”
“Wise decision, Teo.” Leon’s relaxed voice filled the hall. “She’s an important tool for erasing our marks. I will not hand her over to you.”
“Leo!” Teorus exclaimed. Leon strolled confidently towards them. His overwhelming aura felt more powerful and intimidating than usual.
“I thought I sensed the atmosphere on Earth grow just a little gloomier. And now I see why. Ponytail is here.”
“I see you’re enjoying your extended vacation on Earth. How nice for you, Leon.” Zyglavis’s voice was dripping with sarcasm.
“You’re the idle one here, wasting time picking fights with Teo,” Leon retorted. Shiro was growing increasingly annoyed with their squabbles.
“I don’t have time to chat, wild lion. Hand over the human.”
“Didn’t you hear me? I have no intention of giving you this goldfish.”
“And what if I told you the Department of Wishes will lose a god if you refuse? If that human is not destroyed, the heavens will lose Huedhaut.” Shiro gasped at Zyglavis’s words. The storm outside roared, and the rain grew steadily stronger. “This is all your fault, Shiro Dragneel. The power of your goddess self is awakening inside of you. It’s too much for you. As a result, energies on Earth have been thrown considerably out of balance. Just take a look at this rain. How long has it been since you've seen the sun?”
Shiro took a deep breath and stepped out from behind Teorus. “I'm aware of that.”
“I see Kuro defied orders again,” Zyglavis scowled.
“She didn’t have to. Please tell me, what is happening with Hue?” she asked calmly.
“Huedhaut is trying to give his life to save the Earth,” Zyglavis answered.
“He's what?!” Shiro yelled, completely forgetting her composure.
“But he doesn’t have to. This can all be settled by killing just one human.” Power crackled as Zyglavis created a ball of light in his hand. “A weak human girl or a member of the Department of Wishes, the wishes god in the heavens and the ruler of Aquarius? This choice is clear.” Shiro closed her eyes and exhaled before opening them and meeting Zyglavis’s gaze. “His desire to save the Earth and humanity… does not come from pure-hearted benevolence. He’s in all likelihood being motivated by a lingering attachment to the former goddess’s soul. Comical, isn’t it?”
Shiro narrowed her eyes. “The only comical thing in this situation is your lack of understanding.”
“What?” Zyglavis scowled at her.
“Uh… Shiro...?” Teorus’s voice reached her, but she ignored him.
“First of all, even I know that killing me will only make matters worse. And second, you think Hue wants to save the Earth because of his feelings for me? You couldn’t be more wrong.” Zyglavis’s eyes widened considerably. “Hue’s attachment to me was what made him use that forbidden magic, but this is different. Right now, he’s only trying to honour my desire to give humanity a future.” She closed her eyes before snapping them open again, determined. “I cannot allow him to do this.”
“Then you understand—”
Shiro cut him off. “But I can’t allow you to kill me either.”
“Foolishness…” Zyglavis glared at her.
“I’m not a victim of circumstance. I’m not the main character in some tragedy. I won’t be hopeless. I won’t give up!”
“Shiro…” Teorus muttered her name. She could hear the smile in his voice.
Leon laughed. “I’d expect no less of the goddess that stick in the mud fell in love with. You’re fearless.”
Shiro closed her eyes and calmed her mind. There was only one option for her now. To save Hue. To save herself. To save this world. “I won’t let Hue die!” she shouted. Her power shone. A gale-force wind ripped through the air, pushing even the rain away. Zyglavis and Leon’s shocked voices rang through her ears. The wild, powerful wind whipped her hair about.
“Please stop! If you release any more power—” Vega pleaded with het.
“Stop!” Leon shouted at het.
“I am not weak. I am the goddess of fate. I will not let mine be decided for me!” she shouted, and a door opened in front of her.
“That’s… A human opened up a door to a different dimensional zone?!” Zyglavis exclaimed. Shiro didn’t waste a second entering the door.