Princess of the Silver Ocean - Chapter 34

“W-who are you?” she stammered, slowly backing away from the entity.

Although the entity caused her to feel safe, she was on high alert, especially after her encounter with Saxhish. For all she knew, this might be a trap or some magic spell conjured by Saxhish or, worse, the Dark Lord. She quickly scanned her surroundings, but nothing about it was suspicious.

‘No, this entity could provide this kind of surrounding to throw me off, so let’s not get too comfortable. Activate your fight or flight mode and fight like your life depends on it if this entity attempts to harm you, Astoria.’

“Do not be so uneasy, my child,” the entity expressed.

Suddenly, the flock of colourful birds flew to the ground, and, gradually, a curvaceous figure materialised. The figure appeared as shiny as a new pin and as elegant as a swan. It was a woman. She further seemed as innocent as a dove but, at the same time, as dangerous as the foamy race of ocean surges.

She had eyes as dark blue as the deepest and darkest parts of the ocean. When she smiled, good heavens, it was almost blinding! Her smile was was like a sudden beam of sunlight that could illuminate the darkest corners of any room. She clasped her hands together and tilted her head.

“Again, you do not have to be afraid of me or so uneasy, Nexi,” the woman declared.

“After all,” she continued, “I’m the Goddess of the Silver Ocean, Lumina.”

Astoria suddenly came to a realisation that the woman did look familiar. It turned out it was the Goddess she had heard about from Keya. She stared at the Goddess in awe at her beauty and charisma. There was something about her that made Astoria stare in amazement. Perhaps it was the charm and power she was exuding.

The Goddess appeared different from the descriptions and illustrations Astoria had read and seen. This time, Lumina had auburn, straight hair tied in two buns. Shining blue eyes, set seductively within their sockets, watched her in delight.

A tattoo resembling a silver flame was set on her right shoulder blade, leaving a reminder to anything and anyone of her extraordinary power. She wore a rainbow coloured dress that only barely covered her shoulders with two spaghetti straps. She had on a simple yet stylish necklace and several jeweled bracelets.

Since it was a loose-fitting dress, it gave the dress a relaxed yet graceful look. Her arms were covered to just above her elbows. The sleeves broadened towards the bottom and playfully accentuated her skin. The dress waist was broad, but it was a tight fit and not decorated with anything to create the graceful, flowing look she loved.

Below her waist, the dress widens and has a ruffle style towards the bottom. The dress reaches well above her ankles and is the same length all-around. She was wearing black ankle straps. No other shoe would have matched the dress better. To top it all off, she wore stylish flower-styled earrings.

“Don’t mind my new and unfamiliar appearance because I’m trying a new look,” Lumina declared after noticing Astoria staring at her new look.

“That explains why I could not recognise you,” Astoria nodded and said.

Lumina smiled softly and ushered for her to follow behind her. She turned, and they walked towards what looked like an apple tree. As the Goddess approached the tree, a table with two elegantly styled chairs appeared. There were various snacks and desserts on the table, and there were two cups of tea.

“Take a seat, little one,” Lumina said as she sat down, pointing towards the empty chair opposite her.

Astoria sat down and watched as Lumina took a sip of her tea. The cups on the table looked foreign. According to Astoria’s knowledge, the teacups looked like they were made in Japan. However, Japan did not exist in this world, so they were probably made in a similar place. Lumina held the cup with her right hand while supporting it from below with her left. All her fingers on her right hand were placed below the cup’s rim.

“This is a teacup from Stimwedle. One of my favourite cities that is home to elves. It is well-known for its beautiful crockery, especially tea sets. I bought these three years ago, and they still work like a charm.”

Astoria listened to Lumina blabber on and on about crockery. She was unsure why she was even summoned here in the first place.

‘Was I summoned here to listen to her talk about crockery?’

After about five minutes of Astoria patiently waiting for Lumina to get to the point, Lumina paused and shook her head.

“Oh dear,” she gasped, “I’m so sorry. I must be boring you with this conversation. I tend to go off-topic a lot when it comes to crockery.”

“Ah, I see. Please tell me why I’m here,” Astoria stated, her hands clasped together.

“Of course.”

Lumina took another sip of her tea and placed the cup on the table. She clasped her hands together and leaned forward, a lovely yet cold smile on her face.

“I noticed that you somewhat started using the Silver Ocean,” the Goddess said.

A gentle wind blew a few strands of Astoria’s hair. Yes, she had noticed that the power of the Silver Ocean appeared occasionally. Still, it was not as if she was actually using it. It made her body heat up most of the time, and sometimes she would feel nauseous.

“I wouldn’t say I’m somewhat using it,” Astoria said, tucking the loose strands of hair behind her ears, “it feels more like it’s being switched on and off out and at random moments.”

“Yes, I’ve realised that. It’s quite disappointing that you have not fully activated it. Are you frightened? You do realise that you could have used it at that time when you encountered the orcs, right?”

“Oh, is that so?” Astoria asked, alarmed.

“I guess you are unaware,” Lumina merely said and leaned back on her chair after grabbing a rose-pink macaron.

“If you knew that, then why didn’t you help Nexi, I mean me, at that time? You could have helped me activate it or something so that I could prevent the queen and my mother’s deaths.”

The Goddess crossed her hands into an ‘X’ and shook her head in total disagreement with Astoria’s statement.

“In this world, I do not meddle in the affairs of creatures or humans. I believe that you guys are given free will. I bestowed upon you this great power because you are a strong and capable woman. This does not mean that I will help you activate it or interfere with your life.”

Astoria internally growled in frustration. If the Goddess had helped Nexi activate the Silver Ocean, maybe her mother would still be alive. Maybe she would never have had to face such a traumatic experience. Maybe she would not be living such a miserable life.

She understood that the Goddess did not meddle in other people’s affairs, but is her not intervening indeed alright? I mean, she was the one who gave Nexi such a strong power. She found it ludicrous that Lumina had just observed such a horrible event unfold without doing a single thing.

“You must have many thoughts running through your head,” Lumina said after finishing her macaron.

“I’m just that kind of Goddess. What you humans and creatures do has nothing to do with me. However, you not using the power I so graciously gave you is starting to not sit well with me.”

Suddenly the table began to violently shake. Astoria held on to the chair’s arms as the ground started to shake as well. She stared at the auburn-haired Goddess, who had a sudden glint in her blue eyes.

“Do you not want the Silver Ocean, Nexi? Hmm, shall I take it back then?”