It was unclear when exactly Elena had fallen asleep. Lying on the hard, rocky ground was probably killing her back even more than the trek through the mountains had. Right now, though, her body felt better than ever. The last thing she could remember was the small flower, clinging to the mountainside despite the harsh conditions, and then waking up here. Although waking up was the wrong term entirely.

She was dreaming. It was not a feeling nor an opinion, but simply a fact. As far as Elena knew, she had never been aware of when she was dreaming before. It had been a novel experience… for maybe the first hour or two. The problem was that her dreamscape was pretty unexciting. If all of her dreams played out like this, there was little wonder why she never remembered them afterward.

Out in the real world, it must have been the middle of the night. Elena’s dream, though, took the form of a meadow perpetually illuminated by warm sunlight. Currently, she was lying on one of the many rolling hills that made up the area. Green grass covered everything in sight, only occasionally broken by patches of wildflowers. Out in the distance, a few mountaintops peeked over the horizon. Despite the natural beauty, the illusion wasn’t perfect. There was no wind, no insects crawling around, nor birds singing. It was idyllic at first glance, but upon closer inspection the environment was less peaceful and more just static.

Then there was Malice, the one thing Elena preferred wasn’t in her dream at all. Bathed in the dream sunlight, the blade’s darkness seemed even deeper than normal. Although there was one change about her weapon that Elena preferred to the real world. The corrupted blood that Malice endlessly leaked behaved differently. Whenever a drop of it fell to the ground, the dark fluid left no damage. In fact, it didn’t hit the grass at all. The droplet simply evaporated on its way down. That had been one of the first indications to Elena that this meadow couldn’t have been real.

If this dream had happened on any other day, having some time for herself might have been relaxing. Today, though, the events of the past few hours were all Elena could think about. What she had done to Tela, and what might still be happening to her companion even now. Unfortunately, she didn’t have perfect recall like the elf, so she wasn’t sure what important details she had already forgotten and what clues she might have missed during their first night. When Elena tried to remember now, Tela’s hazy eyes and the small clouds formed by her heavy breathing were all she could see.

Her body wanted to react to the distorted memory. The source of all her recent troubles was already waking up between her legs. Instead of acknowledging it, though, Elena just pulled her skirt down a notch to keep it covered. Since the dream had started, she had kept both her hands and mind away from her nether regions. Just as she should have done from the very beginning.

As her thoughts returned to her companion, though, she also clutched her weapon. Elena should have been more cautious, obviously, but part of her felt like Tela didn’t keep her own curiosity in check either. The elf was more versed in demonology, Malice, and the divine conflict surrounding them than the other party members. She was also the first to deduce Elena’s new anatomy and must have noticed the abnormalities with it. If anything, Tela should take some responsibility for her actions.

The grip on her weapon tightened for a moment too long before the tension left Elena’s body entirely. It was a horrible thought. For all she knew, Tela was the one suffering from whatever Elena had done to her. The way her speech had grown less composed and her behavior was unlike her usually so composed elven companion. Yet all the heroine had just thought about was how it shouldn’t be her fault. Letting her free hand fall to the ground beside her, Elena brushed her fingers against the soft grass. If only this could have been a normal dream.

Elena didn’t even remember where on this meadow she had first woken up. It was probably far away from her current resting place. After she had scouted the area a bit, she had simply picked the nearest hill and laid down on its gentle slope. The hollow warmth of the sun didn’t feel as pleasant as the real deal, but at least it was better than nothing. Only her sword should have destroyed the peaceful image, but in reality, Malice had caused no damage so far.

Although, to be honest, Elena wasn’t entirely convinced that she wanted the moment to end just yet. After the first hour, the ever-repeating sights had become mind-numbingly boring, but once she woke up for real, she feared she might miss it. In the morning, Elena would have to tell her party that… well, probably that there was no more party. It was unclear to her how they might react to her decision.

The twins had been the most recent addition to their group, and they had been more than persistent in their efforts to join in the first place. Every day, Rolan would explain to them that this quest was too dangerous for two teenagers and dismiss them again, and every morning they would already be in their camp, preparing breakfast. Although Elena thought their behavior reckless, she was secretly glad to have some companions closer to her age. If she told them to go home now, would they? For that matter, did they even have somewhere to return to?

The three others had been with Elena since her initial training in the Kingdom. The king had hand-selected Rolan. Then Ray had joined them as a mercenary who already had a bit of a reputation, and just before they had set off, Tela had accompanied them as well. Rolan had selected the elf for both her combat magic and her expertise in demonic corruption. Back then, Elena had still been in a stupor from her own divine bestowal and paid little attention to the people she would spend the rest of her life with. Her companions would probably have been willing to stay with her until they reached the heart of darkness. But, in the end, staying close to the heroine herself may be the biggest danger to them.

Elena let her hand shift over the warm grass under her palm. Although they had never felt the actual sun or tasted fresh rainfall, the plants were healthy and their stems a deep green color. For a moment, Elena wondered how they could even survive before she had to suppress a small laugh at the thought. It was an absurd notion, of course. Or it should have been. In that very moment, though, a cloud suddenly blocked the sun from reaching Elena’s face.

Elena paid it no mind until she suddenly realised what it meant. Since waking up, all she had seen was blue sky with the sun fixed in position. The cloud would be the first change to the monotony. Scanning the sky, her eyes quickly honed in on the obstruction just as it moved away again. The sudden brightness of the uncovered sun blinded her, but what really caught Elena’s attention was the noise. A fluttering and shifting of fabric.

Finding the source wasn’t very difficult. In fact, Elena didn’t have to move her head at all, as the band of cloth whipped through the air. It was a white, slightly translucent strip of fabric, moving on a breeze she couldn’t feel. For another second, she truly thought it was a cloud moving across the horizon. Tracing the fabric to its end was impossible, though. The cloth simply grew thinner and thinner until it melded into the blue sky beyond.

The start of the cloth, meanwhile, eluded Elena’s vision for a different reason. The fabric originated somewhere behind her, and, still lying down, she had to crane her neck to finally spot it. What Elena saw made her take a sudden breath. Her muscles already tensed to jump for a potential fight, before she quickly realised that she wasn’t in any danger. In fact, the woman kneeling behind her was tranquility itself, as she enjoyed the sunshine on her skin. Her eyes were closed, but a gentle, unburdened smile graced her face.

The fabric fluttering about came from her dress. Elena wasn’t sure how it stayed in that position, but most of the cloth floated behind the newcomer’s head like a halo before flowing out on either side of the figure. The woman was wearing a light summer dress fashioned from the same see-through fabric. It hung rather loosely on her arms and legs, but in the chest area and at her hips, it hugged her figure. At least it had the decency to be layered more thickly there, hiding her private areas.

Thankfully, Elena didn’t react with immediate arousal. After all, she’d already recognised the woman who now sat behind her. Not from ever seeing her in person, but from the tapestries in the royal palace and the stained glass panels of the Grand Cathedral. There the Goddess had usually been displayed in armor and battledress as she fought and won the War of the Dawn. Despite her change in attire, it was easy to identify her Protector.

The Goddess’ hair was slightly glowing, and the power that had been bestowed upon Elena resonated with pleasant warmth. When she finally opened her eyes, they were shining with an all too familiar light. Elena tried to speak, but her throat had gone tight from the angle. Her craned neck made talking difficult to begin with, but the real reason was her position relative to the Goddess.

With her kneeling in the grass, the Goddess’ thighs were the closest body part to her Chosen, covered only in see-through white fabric. Above them came her equally exposed belly, surrounded by wide hips and breasts. The Goddess of Creation had a… motherly figure, but she was also a protector of that creation, so there were still muscles visible here and there. Not to the same degree as Ray, but so close up, Elena could easily make them out.

The sight caused a fresh wave of activity in Elena’s skirt. A skirt that now seemed scandalously short with the divine being next to her. Her body was just at the cusp of fully reacting to that fact when she finally averted her eyes. The Goddess hopefully didn’t see the crimson in her face. Taking a deep breath, Elena returned the hand to her own hips as she held the cloth down. It was a rather awkward position, but a few uncomfortable seconds should be enough to flush the arousal from her mind.

Naturally, Elena’s wish to cool down was ignored by the newcomer. The Goddess was watching, the same serene smile still on her lips. To Elena, though, it suddenly felt less like kindness and more like teasing amusement. Especially when her Lady was suddenly closer to her head. Elena hadn’t even heard her move, so she couldn’t react in time as the Goddess suddenly lifted her head up. The movement was gentle, but all Elena could focus on was the warmth rushing into her head.

A part of Elena suddenly pointed out that she was still in a dream. For all she knew, this wasn’t the actual Goddess of Creation, but just an imitation her mind had conjured up. Why it would do something like that, the little voice in her head couldn’t say. What it knew, though, was that Elena had never interacted with her Goddess quite like this. Her Protector had most often answered Elena’s prayers with feelings of sunshine and guidance. Direct answers were rarer, and a face-to-face like this had never happened before.

For a moment, Elena thought about what could have brought about this change now. Maybe it was related to the residual arousal of her second night with Tela. Then her eyes landed on the other side of her body. Even though it was a dream, Malice felt furious in her grasp. The blade wanted to strike out at the Lady of Creation more than anything else. However, to Elena, the texture of that hatred was something new.

When the sword urged her to strike at her companions, it was simply to cause destruction for destruction’s sake. Malice didn’t specifically hate Tela, or the rangers, or any other mortal. With the Goddess, though, there was actual loathing and a desire for revenge simmering in the weapon.

If the Goddess noticed it, she didn’t seem bothered. Instead, she reached out and brushed a few strands of hair out of Elena’s face. Her hand felt warm, of course, like pleasant sunshine during a spring day, but still somewhat subdued. Like the actual sun in the sky, the sensations of the dreamscape felt ever so slightly unreal.

“My Chosen.” The words came out with warmth and comfort that didn’t quite reach the Goddess’ face. The light in her eyes made it hard to read her anyway. “I know you feel doubt. That you fear you have failed somehow.”

Elena couldn’t bring herself to look up. Maybe because of the pit in her stomach when she remembered what she’d done, but probably more so from the low heat between her legs. The Goddess didn’t seem angry or disappointed at her Chosen’s silence, but that only made the feelings worse. As the quiet moment drew on, the Goddess didn’t move away. Elena could have gotten up and distanced herself. Instead, she closed her eyes and sank ever so slightly into the divine flesh. Eventually, she muttered a few words.

“Didn’t I, though? I hurt Tela, and ever since I grew that… ever since that cave, things have been going wrong.”

At her admission, the Goddess let out a small laugh. The noise felt as light as the air itself and as unbothered as the wind. Still, they irked Elena a bit as she finally looked up.

“You think you have to keep secrets from me? My Chosen, I was aware of your penis since the moment it was created.”

Hearing the word coming from divinity itself felt sacrilegious. Like Elena should stop the speaker from muddling the beauty of her Lady with their foul language. The only problem, of course, was that it had been the Goddess who had said the word.

“After all, it used my—”

“Then why?” Interrupting the Goddess was something Elena never thought she would do in her wildest dreams. Now she had done it in her most boring one instead. “Why did you create it?”

Her Protector did not seem angry at the accusation or Elena’s tone. Taking a moment to let the warmth of her hands land on Elena’s scalp, she finally responded in the same compassionate voice.

“I did not. Your penis is of your own design. I merely provided the energy to achieve it.”

For a heartbeat, Elena didn’t know how to react to that revelation. If it hadn’t been her Protector that gave her the new appendage, then it was really all her doing. She had used her power just to indulge her basest desires, and her closest friends had paid the price. The first tears threatened to come out when the Goddess continued, “You think it is a curse, like,” taking a glance at Elena’s side, the Goddess’s warmth briefly turned scolding hot, “that sword.”

Malice tried to rise to the challenge, but Elena simply left it seething on the ground. “Isn’t it? It hurt Tela somehow, and its color, it’s definitely unusual.” She almost wished the monotony of the earlier dream returned. At least it would save her from the embarrassment and hurt of talking to her Goddess about all this.

Still, her Protector did not seem bothered. Instead, she let out another small laugh. “And you think everything dyed black must be evil? What about your beastkin companion then? Is her being a Blackwolf a sign of corruption as well?”

“N-No, that, that’s — obviously Ray is fine. But this is different. It… I did something to Tela.” Elena finally removed herself from the Goddess and sat up opposite to her. Her Lady didn’t stop her, but she didn’t move away from her spot either. Her smile remained filled with pure compassion.

“You did something, yes, but not what you fear you did. Creation can’t be used to destroy. That is the one thing my power is incapable of.” It was hard to discern what exactly the eyes of the Goddess were looking at, but for a moment, they seemed to return to Malice. “You didn’t hurt Tela, you couldn’t have.”

Elena wanted to believe her Goddess. She wanted to believe she had done nothing wrong. “But what did I do then?”

“Exactly what you created your penis for.” Elena shook her head to deny it, but the Goddess didn’t let her speak. “You shared a piece of yourself with the ones closest to you. Tela was not harmed by it, but… overwhelmed might be a better term.” A light chuckle suddenly escaped her Lady. “You two should probably have taken a few days for her to grow more accustomed to your unique gift and its effects.”

Even though she strongly argued it was justified, a spark of hope began to burn through Elena’s guilt. “You mean I… it wasn’t my fault?”

“No one is at fault, as there was no wrongdoing in the first place.”

Still, some part of Elena found this turn of events almost too convenient. “But the way she behaved. It seemed so different from her usual self.”

A slightly lopsided smirk graced the Goddess’ lips. “And you have seen her engaged in sexual acts often enough to gauge her usual reaction then?”

For a moment, Elena didn’t even comprehend what her Protector had just said. Then she sputtered out a few attempts to respond, but her cheeks were growing warmer with every heartbeat. “What?! N-No, of course not, I would never—”

“Why not?” Much to Elena’s embarrassment, the Goddess was actually serious. “Procreation is the most natural form of creation. Why should my Chosen abstain from it?”

As her Goddess grew slightly irritated, Malice stirred again. The sword seemed to pick up on the divine being’s subdued anger just as well as its wielder’s. Probably because it was a shared dream.

“Because the — the priestesses back in the capital and, and… It should only be for having children, not for simple pleasure.” Elena finally wanted this specific topic to be over, but her dream-guest had other plans.

“Again, why not? Should you only smell flowers if you want to pollinate them, or pluck fruit from a tree if you intend to spread its seeds?” At that specific phrase, Elena had to drive out the image of Tela again, but the Goddess must have interpreted her slight headshake as denial.

“If things aren’t supposed to feel good, then they wouldn’t have been created that way. And you, my Chosen, should finally stop holding back.”

“But what actually happened to Tela then?!” Elena was suddenly gripping her sword tightly in her hand as she jumped up. Malice wanted her to strike out, but she knew how foolish that would have been. “Even if I didn’t hurt her, I don’t like whatever I did to her.”

“We both know that isn’t completely true,” her Lady’s voice did not rise alongside Elena’s. “All I’m telling you is to embrace your change. If you don’t want to inadvertently hurt your companions, you shouldn’t suppress it, but learn to control it instead.”

Elena had to swallow a bit at the implication. “Are you saying I should… use it again?”

“Yes, or are you going to lie and say you don’t want to? Or that Tela didn’t seem to enjoy herself as well? If so, then come tomorrow, it will all be back to normal. Tela will be as fit as ever, you continue your quest, and will have wasted the gift you created for yourself.”

Elena didn’t know how to answer. This divine message was everything she had wanted to hear, and yet part of her didn’t want to believe it, as blasphemous as that thought was. In the end, her body responded for her. The skirt had completely slipped her mind. Now, with the kneeling Goddess before her, though, she was already pitching a small tent just from the topic of their discussion.

“Embrace it. Study it. Share it. Do whatever you want with your creation. Just don’t waste it.”

That was the last said between the two. Elena hadn’t even realised that the warmth of the sun behind her had vanished at some point. The blue sky, mountains had already vanished alongside it. In their place, the meadow was now surrounded by a swirl of colors that seemed to come closer whenever Elena looked away. She wanted to speak more with her Lady, but by the time she turned back, the Goddess was already gone. For a moment, all she could make out clearly were her own body and Malice in her hand.