“I am merely a traveler between dimensions, Tannit,” the strange woman said.

  “Unfortunately, I cannot enter Palas, but I can reach you through dreams.”

  “I think I know who you are,” Tania said. “You work for Lel… don’t you?”

  The woman only laughed quietly.

  “What do you want from me?” Tania demanded.

  “As you can see, Tannit… when you abandoned Ibiza and chose to disobey the orders of our father El, you handed your most precious possession to us. And we will not tolerate your insubordination,” the woman said.

  “You’re cowards! How can you kill innocent people over a decision I made? Isn’t intervening in the human world—whatever the reason—a forbidden act in Lel!?” Tania shouted furiously.

  “You can’t intervene. I can,” the mysterious woman said with amusement.

  “And if Father El demands a blood sacrifice from those disgusting creatures, I will gladly provide it.”

  Tania clenched her teeth.

  “But you can save them, Tannit, as I told you,” the woman said.

  “You want my life?” Tania asked.

  “No. Why would Father El want his own daughter dead?” the woman answered with a dismissive shake of her head.

  “However… it’s very simple. He wants you to kill the boy traveling with you. We already know he’s a tannin, and Father El will not tolerate his continued existence. If you kill him, we will spare your life and that of your people—and we will allow you to return to Lel. Isn’t that a wonderful deal?” the mysterious woman said.

  Tania remained silent, breathing deeply.

  “What’s wrong, Tannit? With that boy’s weak level, you can decapitate him easily and drain his ichor in seconds. Bring his head to Lel, and I will personally recommend you to Anat,” the woman added.

  Tania fumed in silence. The offer was dangerously tempting. She could kill Rodrigo easily… but how would she escape Palas afterward?

  Besides, Rodrigo was not like the tannin she had heard stories about. She didn’t want to admit it, but she felt she shouldn’t kill him.

  And yet… her village…

  “Why do you hesitate, Tannit? Do you pity that abomination? Or do you simply not know when to kill him?

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  “Soon, Ares will contact you. Once you are able to leave Palas, kill the boy and I will appear immediately beside you. You see… I can kill anyone in this universe if I wish—even that traitor Athena. But we enjoy watching your pathetic attempts to overthrow us,” the woman said, laughing.

  “If you’re so powerful, why don’t you kill him!?” Tania screamed.

  “Why would I dirty my hands with such a vulgar creature?” the woman replied with disgust.

  Tania clenched her teeth, glaring fiercely at the woman. But she could feel it—an unimaginable power. As if she were nothing more than an insect, and the woman remained a goddess. An insect couldn’t even scratch a god.

  “No answer, Tannit? Don’t worry—you don’t have to give me one now. When you leave Palas, kill the boy, or I will destroy your pathetic little village. And don’t even think about sending someone or telling anyone about this, because I will do it immediately. Do you hear me?” the woman said, her tone menacing.

  “Coward,” Tania spat, enraged.

  “I truly thought you had changed… but you’re still the same genocidal trash as before. You knew those wars between Christians and Muslims would happen, didn’t you? Damn genocidal monsters—” Tania hissed.

  The woman laughed.

  Tania was furious, but her legs trembled. The presence of that goddess was overwhelming.

  Then she saw the woman approach her. Her presence felt like it would tear her apart completely.

  “Tannit, don’t sacrifice your life for those filthy pets that stink of shit,” the woman said as she reached out her hand and touched Tania’s cheek—at that exact moment, a piece of her cheek tore off her face.

  Tania felt like vomiting. Her consciousness began to fade. That injury—inflicted by nothing more than a caress—had nearly killed her. She tried to see the woman’s face but saw only glowing red eyes and a violent, predatory smile.

  “Don’t lose everything. You are very valuable to Father El, and you know it. Imagine his pain if he knew his youngest daughter was betraying him,” the woman said as she floated back toward the dark sky.

  Tania struggled to stay standing, but her body faltered. Her consciousness slipped inside her own dream.

  “You know what you must do. I leave the future of your miserable village in your hands,” the woman said before vanishing.

  At that moment, Tania woke up. Horrified, she realized the wound was still on her face. Quickly, she searched for something to cover it—if anyone noticed, her village would be exterminated. She bandaged the wound and put on a veil, hoping no one would see her.

  The fire-haired goddess returned to bed and lay down. She still felt weak from the ichor she had lost and rushed to the bathroom to vomit. She retched and retched while crying deeply. Fortunately, Ana had already left the bathroom, and Tania collapsed on the floor near the latrine.

  At that moment, she remembered when Rodrigo freed the slaves and how she had given him her gold necklace—her reward for building the Punic civilization and turning it into the mightiest empire of its age. She remembered how Rodrigo buried each corpse from the village of Coimbra—how he cried at his mother’s grave. They were humans, yes, but alive, feeling, emotional beings. No—they had to be protected from those monsters of Lel.

  And Rodrigo, of course, was a tannin… and she had said she would kill him. But she had been bluffing—trying to look strong. The boy had made her feel part of the world again, part of humanity. She was a goddess, yes, but she despised her divine world and wanted to be human. Rodrigo had chipped at her frozen heart and made her want to live again.

  No—she would never hand him over or kill him. But she also wouldn’t sacrifice her village. She didn’t know what to do.

  Tania vomited again and sobbed bitterly.