My Civilian Goddess

Chapter 17: Void

Eli was standing on a floating stone platform. Beyond him was a black void. Here and there some colours and stars could be seen through this endless blackness. Like a beautiful rainbow struggling against an everlasting shadow that was attempting to swallow it.

Around him were more stone platforms like the one he was standing on. Some of them resembled paths and houses, as if this was once a proud and beautiful civilization that was lost to the shadow much like the rainbow was.

Eli tried his best to think about what last happened. As far as he recalled he went to bed after Maria, Kevin, Ellie, and Cassie left. Lilly should have gone to sleep as well. Yet this situation couldn't stop but remind him of when he first met Lilly up in the clouds. Though this had the opposite energy. With Lilly he thought he was being saved. Here it felt like he was being taken. Ironically, this time he only went to sleep instead of getting rammed by a car.

"You've met the servant, I see," a voice spoke from beyond Eli's vision. "Kacey must be a truly terrifying person still, even today."

"Who am I talking to," Eli replied without much care. If there was someone who spoke of Kacey without much fear or contempt they would probably be strong enough to erase or kill Eli whenever they wanted. And Eli was quite tired of being ridiculed by gods and friends alike today.

"You're talking to one that is beyond Kacey. The one she was a servant to."

Eli let out an audible sign of disbelief. "You're beyond Kacey? They dared to talk to me face to face. You're hiding in the eternal shadows in one of my dreams."

The voice stayed silent for a long moment. Eli believed it would stay that way until it spoke up again.

"You should be more grateful. Without me you wouldn't even know of Lilly and Kacey's existence. Without me you wouldn't resist their reality warping."

Eli shook his head. "I still don't like receiving things from disembodied voices in the void. What gives me the right to receive an ability like that over others?"

"There's no need to talk about that," the voice replied. "Just be glad you were lucky enough to receive it. And don't let either of those servants know that I spoke to you. They will kill you."

"Sounds like you're worried there, mister almighty," Eli smirked. "For someone who is beyond Kacey, you seem to be afraid of both them and Lilly. Doesn't seem very mighty to me."

The voice bellowed out. "Speak as proud as you believe to be, boy, but I promise you this. They will try to kill you sooner or later. And I will be the only ally you may rely on then."

Eli crossed his arms and closed his eyes. He tried to think for a moment. Things weren't adding up. At the very least, whatever this voice was, it was indeed strong enough to create this reality inside of his mind or his dreams. Either one would be worrisome, as Lilly or Kacey, as much as they could mess with him, couldn't lay a finger on his brain, thoughts, or memories. This creature clearly could, laying some credence to its claims. Yet it was afraid, and only tried to talk to Eli in secret. If it is, or used to be, as strong as it claims it's clearly a shadow of its former self right now.

"You call Lilly and Kacey servants. Were they servants to you?"

Silence.

"Lilly claimed to be a goddess when I first met her and Kacey laughed when I suggested that classification for them. You call them servants. Lilly has since told me she's not sure what she is. I assume that means with certainty she's not a goddess."

"The gall that she dared to claim to be one of us is beyond me," the voice bellowed in rage. "If I could, she would receive punishment for this insolence!"

The voice screeched on for a bit longer, until it finally calmed down a bit.

"Though time for that will be later. For now I simply need you to stay silent on this."

"And what if I don't," Eli replied with a shaky voice. He wasn't sure if the being realised it, but they referred to themselves as a god indirectly. Was it a scenario like Lilly's? Like Kacey? All the evidence seemed to point that this being might indeed have been something greater than the others at some point.

Why was there a god in Eli's head?!

"If you don't," the voice replied, "We will perish together. Or more likely, you will perish by their hands, and I will move on to the next host."

Eli was frozen. He heard it correctly. It spoke loud and clear. There was no other noise to drown it out. Yet he hoped he misheard it.

Eli opened his eyes. Lilly jumped back, as her face was a mere inch from his. Eli shot back as well, hitting his head against his bedroom wall. He was back home. Awake again.

"You okay?!" Lilly asked worried as she hovered over him laying in the bed.

"I'm okay," Eli stammered. He rubbed the back of his head and set up in bed.

"You were struggling in your dream. At least that's what it felt like."

"Yeah..."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I do," Eli nodded as he dropped his legs over the side of the bed. Lilly sat down next to him, and gave him a curious look as she waited patiently.

To the best of his abilities, Eli tried to explain what he had witnessed. The further he got into the story, the more pale Lilly became. She seemed to be struggling with it as well.

"You're the host to a bodiless god?" she asked.

"I don't know," Eli said honestly. "It's all very confusing to me. But it makes me scared. If it can really alter my mind, it could be extremely dangerous the longer it's inside of me. The stronger it grows. But that's saying that's how that works. I simply don't know."

Eli felt dirty. Gross. Like he went swimming outside in a river in the rain and got stuck in the mud. A mud that wouldn't let go of his legs.

"If there is a way to get rid of it, I want to."

"Oh, there is."

Lilly and Eli's eyes had been locked all this time, neither had noticed Kacey was standing in the corner of the room, leaning against the door. Their yellow eyes were filled with pure disgust and anger.

"Thank you for saying it all out loud, as I couldn't see into that dream and can't get in your mind. But I've heard everything I needed to hear."

Lilly shook her head. "No, Kacey, wait! What's going on?!"

Kacey cracked their knuckles, their gaze locked on Eli. "Sorry, Lilly. I know you like this boy. But I need to kill him now."