Milsa walked over to the wall on the left side of the room. Passing through it as if it weren’t there at all, widening the eyes of the three. She peeked her head out with a mischievous smile, “Well, coming?”

  The three scrambled after her after recovering from their daze. They got a tour of the place she called home, her room was by far the biggest and fanciest one. She showed them where the small but pristine condition kitchen was, the bathroom, and even the rooms they’d be staying in. Lucy was obviously quite happy with the somewhat small singular bed she and Ardonis were going to have to share.

  Not that Ardonis had anything against it, if he could hold her while lying there with her, that would be bliss. A bit of jealousy from Eradis made itself known in the air about him. However, as long as he didn’t do something stupid, Ardonis and Lucy would continue to ignore him. It wasn’t that hard, once one was used to his entitlement and silent rage, it was fairly easy to ignore him.

  “Now, rest up while you can, because once I have to start doing things, you’ll be alert and listening, got it?” the goddess said.

  “Loud and clear,” the three said in unison.

  “Ardonis, my research tells me you like cooking, so have at it. All of the ingredients are in the fridge and spices are in the cupboard. Just do try not to take all of it, I have already parted with more than I would have liked. So do keep what you use to a minimum. And I will have a free sample of them as they are my ingredients.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Ardonis said, his eyes lighting up at the prospect of having a kitchen all to himself. Even if it was only temporary for a couple of months. “If you will let me, I want to make something for you now as a thank you for this and what you did for us when we arrived,” Ardonis said.

  Milsa shook her head, “No need, it is a kind gesture to be sure, but not one I’m willing to take. It is part of my job after all. So don’t worry about wooing me, unless you are trying to get me into the harem your precious girlfriend wants so badly.”

  Ardonis chuckled, “Not at all, I feel you are far too old and wise for me anyway, no matter how beautiful your body is. Those who only chase after someone for looks are not those who are fit to be the center of a harem, don’t you agree?”

  She giggled, which then turned into full-on laughter, “Oh that is quite an excellent answer indeed. Take notes from him Eradis, he’s the one on the right path to woo even me. Even though that won’t ever happen. In fact, that should be the approach you have toward any woman. Now, I’m going to retire until it is time, I suggest you three do the same.”

  A moment later she was gone and the three were just left there, Lucy grabbed Ardonis’s hand, “Come on, let’s go to our room and snuggle and maybe have some fun. The trash can take itself out in the meantime.” Whatever Eradis said next was lost as the two ignored him and went to their room.

  A few hours later there was a loud and booming thud outside of their room and they quickly left to investigate what it was. “You stupid foolish boy,” they heard from an enraged Milsa. Once they reached her room and walked through the wall, it was easy to guess why. Eradis was slumped on the ground against the wall, directly above him was a large, indented, spiderwebbed crack in the white material. Milsa was in a light white gown, her eyes glowing with power and fury, “Do you have any idea how close you came to dying for trying to lay with me, child? Had I not held back at the last second you would be nothing more than a bloodstain on that wall.”

  “I-”

  “I don’t want to hear whatever excuse you came up with to try and justify this. Get out of my sight, in fact, after this stunt, you won’t be allowed here anymore.”

  She snapped her fingers and Eradis disappeared, She sighed, the glow in her eyes slightly dimming, “I cannot believe there was someone so foolish, in all my time of watching over students, none were so blatantly dumb.”

  She turned to the wide-eyed duo, “Worry not, he isn’t dead, nor will you two share his fate, not unless you try what he did anyway. I simply banished him to the mortal realm that I watch over. And because he has no permission to be in my domain, his power is that of a prodigy mortal but not much more.”

  Ardonis gulped, but his curiosity got the better of him, “That’s something you can do?”

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  She nodded, “Although it would be incorrect to say it was me directly. More so that it is a rule set up by the multiverse, should a god, or world traveler, not gain the permission of the one who rules over a planet, their power will be lessened whilst being there. Since I banished Eradis from my home, he was sent to the planet I watch over, and as he has not obtained my permission to be there…”

  “I see, thank you for the explanation,” Ardonis said.

  “Did he actually try to, you know, um…” Lucy trailed off.

  “Have his way with me?” Milsa added with a raised brow and light chuckle, “No, not even that fool would be brave enough to try something like that. He did however try and sleep next to me. Startled me awake when my alerts went off in my head and he was nearly splattered on the wall.”

  She waved a finger and her clothing changed from a light gown to a formal dress. “It was about time I got to work anyway, follow, I will show you what it is like to be the watcher and guardian of a planet. It isn’t as easy as one may think. Oh and,” she looked back at them with a smirk, “The two of you may want to put on some clothes before we begin.”

  Ardonis quickly snapped his own fingers, making clothes appear on both himself and Lucy. A distant chuckle came from Milsa as the two rushed to catch up with her. Soon they were standing outside on a terrace of sorts looking forward, Ardonis saw space. Swirling blues, red hues, stars, and white mist-like swirls. “Wow,” he heard Lucy gasp as she looked out too.

  “Quite the lovely view isn’t it?” Milsa asked melodiously. “This is one of my favorite parts of the day, looking out at this view before checking on all of the mortals on my planet.”

  She looked downward and the other two doing the same, seeing the planet below them. However, unlike one would expect to seeing the shape of it, they saw all of the lands. Shifting their gazes allowed them to view any part of the planet they wished, almost as if they were looking at a three-dimensional map.

  “Allow me to tell you how to navigate your sight, focus on one particular area you wish to view, whether it be a continent, a country, a city, a person, or even an animal. Of course, the more details you can think of, the faster it will be. The hardest part is keeping track of all the animals, sometimes even the species of mortals on your planet. Especially when you’ve visited a different one. To share this view with others, simply think it.”

  She demonstrated what she said and through no work of their own, their eyes were on a large castle made of stone. A large and bustling city below it. It was strange to Ardonis, to him it felt as if he were actually floating above that specific city, like he could deactivate his flight magic and land on the streets.

  “This is what most of my day consists of, believe it or not, sometimes I answer prayers, and sometimes I grant gifts to priests devoted to me. Even granting wishes on the rare occasion. Young gods tend to think that watching over a planet means living like a king. Whereas they aren’t wrong to a degree, it is also very tiring. As a goddess, there are very few things I can interfere with directly. Even indirectly at times has harmed me.”

  She sighed, “Looking over a planet is not a job for just anyone. You will see many events you can do nothing about. Murder, wars, rape, such things happening to children… and at the end of it all, you are the one blamed for it all. Prayers and pleas for help that can’t be answered, curses for allowing such things, even wars against me and my believers. It is all so hard to manage at times.”

  She looked over at the two, “You wonder why some gods become bitter, why they become recluses, why many choose not to create or watch over planets, why some even go mad? Look no further than this. Honestly, it’s a miracle in of itself that I haven’t been broken yet. Maybe I have and just haven’t realized it yet.”

  After that, all three were silent for several minutes, neither Ardonis nor Lucy knowing what to say. They couldn’t even imagine the possible horrors that Milsa has witnessed. “Anyway,” she finally said, “this world is special to me, I, along with a few other gods created it and the life on it with Lady Gaia’s blessing. However, they all abandoned this world many thousands of years ago. I could have gone with them, but how could I abandon them? This planet and all of the life on it, it simply wouldn’t be fair to them.”

  She turned to the two of them, “This is also why I am assigning the two of you to personally watch over that classmate of yours. He may be weakened down to that of a genius of the world, but he is still dangerous and could cause a lot of damage.”

  “Understood ma’am,” Lucy said. Ardonis had already located the man through magic and observing the world. The man seemed to be distraught, lost, and confused, but above all, there was a look of hatred in his eyes. With or without the order, Ardonis would make sure to keep an eye on him.

  “So what’s next?” Ardonis asked.

  Milsa smirked, “I think It’s about time I test your combat skills. Part of being a guardian to a planet, or even being a god in general, is handling most threats of the multiverse. I say most simply because there are some beings that only the Supreme Gods and others on that level can handle. On this three thousand plus year journey, you will run into many different types of beings. And yes, some will want to kill you. So I hope the two of you do more than merely study magic. That boy down there certainly has, and will use it to his advantage.”

  “Of course, we were trained in combat,” Lucy said, “Kind of comes with knowing my boyfriend’s parents. One is a goddess of health and the other is a god of war.”

  “I suppose that explains your physique then Ardonis, anyway,” Milsa snapped her fingers, and suddenly they were in an arena-like area, in her hands was a large sword almost the size of her. “This is our training ground, for today I want to both come at me at the same time.”