A tight embrace brought Vivian back into her own body. She blinked, snapped out of a trance, suddenly finding herself thrusted upon and nearly tackled to the grass. Her balance was maintained only because she was hugged so strictly, a grasp that refused to let her falter out of reach – not again. A head was pressed into her shoulder, her own name repeated into her throat; she felt a body dressed in sleek silk against her bare skin, a pale-pink colored robe lined with gold cuffs that shifted very loosely on the shape of the woman that held her.
It was no stranger, Vivian knew by instinct, but her tongue hesitated to recite the name that made it tremble, afraid it might misuse her sister’s name – afraid to trust she had found her. But the woman that had dashed into her, launched into a skip moments after their eyes met, was much more confident in the discovery. She chanted Vivian’s name like it was the sound of her sobbing, her voice muffled into the neck but still recognizable for its high, chorus-practiced pitch. The touch drew Vivian into another moment, swept into the past where hugs such as that were more common, and regretfully underappreciated.
Vivian’s hands trembled, afflicted by shivering nerves and the lock of arms that bound her own, but they traveled to the woman’s back, remembering where they would rest and steadying there. “Christin… Christin…”
“V-Vivian! Please, please,” her sister sniffled, “don’t… don’t be a dream, Vivian… I-I am terrified t-to even look at your eyes again…!” Vivian, too choked to speak, could only gradually usher for them to part, if only as far as arms-reach. They studied each other, visibly beginning to believe the reality they were granted – a smile bloomed on Christin and her legs buckled with excess energy. “Ahh! It is you, Vivian! My sister!”
“Christin… Y-You…” Vivian shook her head, shivering with adrenaline that outright collided with her exhaustion. She was on the verge of fainting, but the image of their reunion inspired her to stay standing. “You’re here… You’re truly here, i-in this… heaven…”
“Of course I would be here, Vivi! I was chosen by the goddess,” Christin laughed. “For you to be here is truly amazing – you were selected! Sh-She chose you– deemed you worthy, oh, Vivian!” Overjoyed, Christin lunged into another embrace, twisting her sister into a spiral of affection that flung Vivian stumbling out from her stiffness. Contagiously, Vivian felt her own lips wanting to grin, her happiness restored to hear Christin’s voice; “The goddess has reunited us~! Her will has blessed us so generously, so, so– the goddess!”
Like an electric shock, Christin flinched into a different attitude. She stopped where her excitement had danced her to, then pivoted towards where the grass ended – the edge of the floating island, that which Vivian had almost forgotten where she and her sister stood. She dropped to her hands and knees, so quickly that it surely hurt, posed in a bow where her chin was flat with the ground and her rear was posed upright. Her face was angled upwards, and her eyes driven even higher; the embarrassing posture was performed with an absolute lack of shame, even as the silk robe risked slipping completely past her rear. The image disturbed Vivian, rekindling her own awareness that she herself was naked, before her attention shifted to what loomed and breathed over them, that which Christin promptly kneeled to.
“Thank you, Goddess! This kindness is an unforgettable blessing!” Christin bellowed, speaking as loud as her posture permitted. Tears welled in her eyes, though she refused to blink, not while she gazed into divinity, manifested before the Sanctuary in proud, mountainous nudity. She bowed to the goddess, that gigantic woman who Vivian still knew the name of as Shelby, yet her sister referred to her as her title alone – all that was necessary, it seemed, when spurred into worship. “Thank you, Goddess! We are unworthy of these gifts you create! Thank you, Goddess!”
Vivian was in another trance until the vibration of Shelby’s low-toned chuckle buzzed the alien atmosphere. Her amusement from Christin’s pitiful worshiping was all the response she offered in return; otherwise quiet, she stood grand and proud above her subject, towering high even despite how the Sanctuary hovered level with her chest. Vivian shuddered beneath such confidence, how Shelby was poised with an arm under her bosom and a hand held close to her smirk. She willed the scene to play out, certainly entertained by Christin, but not without observing Vivian as well, curious of how her little mind was processing the rules of a new world – a new order.
Shelby finally breathed, and in doing so, she wordlessly commanded Christin to cease her mantra. A slight lean closer intensified her intimidating aura. “You’re such a sweet little servant, Chrissy-Chrissy~” the goddess cooed, each word drawn out to belittling effect; she was speaking to a pet. “I’ve decided that you deserve this, as a reward for your obedience. It was my godhood that allowed this to happen, so I expect you to meditate on this blessing.” She approached even closer, casting the sister under a daunting shade; “Your gratitude will be tested later. Pray that you have the will to express it~”
“Thank you, Goddess! Thank you, Goddess!”
“Now then,” Shelby began, ascending to her full height with a roll of her shoulder, “why don’t you take your sister and show her how things are at the Sanctuary? Introduce her to the rest of the collection.” She bit her lip and her hips rocked; “I’m going to get prepared, as should all of my mortals.”
The sky of bedroom features blurred into movement, but it was actually the Sanctuary being taken elsewhere, directed by the goddess’s palm held beneath the land. The device was levitated into a corner window, a divet in the wall that the saucer would stay nicely positioned in. Shelby then pulled away, continuing to cast her smile over her shoulder and to the temple that faced her; though too far and too huge to infer, Vivian was convinced that the goddess was staring at her specifically, ever burdened by that pressure even after she exited the room.
It was only then when the goddess was out of sight that Christin allowed herself to bow no longer. She unfolded uncomfortably, the pose obviously having strained her back just so she could be presented in an adequately miserable fashion. Vivian offered a hand to help her sister, but she was sooner up than expected and sporting a smile that had never left – it was Christin that directed her, clasping her outreached hand into both of her own, and tugging her towards the temple.
“Welcome to your new home, Vivi!” Christin celebrated, giggling the entire way towards the front-facing entrance – a tall, open-air archway that was mirrored on each of the four sides. Breezes would certainly tear through the inside, if there was any wind to speak of in the highly-controlled environment. “The Sanctuary is a home given to us by the goddess,” Christin explained happily, “and we are all so grateful for her benevolence. All that we do here, we do in worship of the goddess~”
Vivian was increasingly becoming concerned about the we she was now a part of; Christin spoke of them as if they were family, but Shelby had referred to them all as the collection. As much was stated in front of Christin, yet that phrasing did not phase her, seemingly accepting of that objectifying title. Were the other sacrifices similar in that regard? Were they content with being servants to an ordinary, powerless woman – her huge scale notwithstanding? Vivian wondered such questions until she saw the eyes of those others waiting for her, peering from around the archway’s corner. Just like Christin, they wore long, loose robes colored separately from one another, reminding Vivian once more that she was the odd one out without any clothes.
The three at the entrance appeared hesitant, but the tallest among them proved bold when she stepped out front to meet Vivian. She stretched her arms invitingly wide, the sleeves of her leaf-green robe spread like wings. “Ah, what a beautiful woman~” she hummed laughingly, revealing a low-toned voice. “Yet another to join us, chosen by the goddess. I hope that you will fastly feel at home here in our Sanctuary.” The light-haired woman motioned to the two behind her, then to Christin as she pulled Vivian to her. “The four of us have developed a special bond together, entirely dedicated to the goddess. You may call me Ant, for that is what the goddess has named me.”
Vivian stumbled when Christin released her wrist, so overwhelmed by everything – and now, everyone – that her faintness had returned. She had heard Ant introduce herself, but was delayed to respond, caught in thought about the woman’s image. She noted her long, curly hair and how it framed her angular facial features; it was strangely familiar, made only more uncanny by the physique revealed by the robe’s silk. Ant, unlike Christin or Vivian herself, had the refined build of an athlete or soldier, made even more impressive by a tallness very unusual for the women back home. That was the clue that opened Vivian’s memory and caused her to fall further silent.
Then, she was grabbed – “Welcome!” Ant said, suddenly embracing Vivian. Yet more surprising was the kiss that followed, so spontaneous of a gesture that Vivian flinched and squirmed in her arms. Ant chuckled and released her back into Christin’s reach, who had watched the intimacy nonchalantly. “I should have considered how much this all is to comprehend at once,” she said apologetically, affixing her posture straight and orderly. “Here in the goddess’s domain, gestures such as these are commonplace. It is the love and compassion that the goddess demands we cultivate. But, it is no excuse for being rude~ Please, forgive me.”
“Zanitha?” Vivian finally gasped, saying a name that she again had to mold in her mouth. “Zanitha the Steeled? I-I remember you. N-No, your name is not Ant. You were a knight– a town guard, th-the only one the children did not run from… Everyone knew you– they revered you.”
The woman breathed, her smile having melted into a pale, flattened expression. “I remember that… earthly name,” she replied, “but I serve a divine order now. I am of the goddess’s collection, and I am thankful for her naming me Ant.” She sighed, hoping to exhale the discussion to a quiet end.
Ant continued with a grin, “I just as well remember your name, Vivian… You look as vibrant as you did two years ago. Mm, perhaps one of the last faces I saw that day, heh…”
Vivian was gently led forward, but she was dazed by her first introduction. The details flooded her like rapids, the memories of Zanitha at odds with the present reality. She knew Zanitha as a strong, moral knight – a storybook character, a statuesque woman in shining armor. In the Sanctuary, she had been morphed into something else: her military-cut hair was uncharacteristically grown out, and the years had waned away her musculature, as impressive as her physique still was. Most staggeringly different of all, however, was the total abolishment of her pride. Zanitha the Steeled was a responsible hero, and to that extent she willingly offered herself as a sacrificial maiden in the place of another – two years after that decision, she was now just Ant, a pathetic plaything for a perverted woman.
Vivian was brought into the temple proper, but before she could properly meet with the other two servants, she first marveled at her surroundings. The inside was an open chamber with no walls separating the crossway of entrances, a theme that would be followed for the rest of the building; it was a design that encouraged openness between the women. In the center was a spiral staircase that fed into the upper floor and the rooftop, each of which boasted fanciful balconies that overlooked the Sanctuary’s gardens. Paintings and potted plants decorated the walls and corners, though one area was specifically a kitchen with stocks of foodstuffs. Otherwise, there were only various ways to lounge and relax within the chamber: cushions and quilts of all sizes and qualities were strewn about between various couches, seats, and hammocks, with only one table to formally sit down at. Atop that table was a golden harp, and burning beside it was a bowl of incense, the source behind a fruity aroma that Vivian found almost chokingly pungent as soon as she entered.
The moment her glaze of curiosity turned towards the other two women, the pair were upon her proximity, enthused in different manners but equally interested in the naked newcomer. They neared her like dogs presented with something uncommon, neither one immediately speaking up to introduce themselves. Likewise did Vivian shudder wordlessly, examining the two just as they did her; one wore sky-blue robes and had straight black hair that was free to cascade down to her hips, while the other was a freckled, messy brunette, more recognizable for her plump features emphasized by a crimson-colored robe. It was that latter woman to be most forward, slowly developing a sultry smile before engaging.
“Greetings, newcomer~” the woman said as she approached Vivian, who was privy to the smoky scent that followed her. Held lightly in her fingers, afterall, was a long, thin pipe that she presumably had taken a draw from recently – or perhaps it was a constant, as the servant bore half-open eyes dragged lower by heavy bags beneath them, as if eternally exhausted. She neared closer still when Vivian remained silent, but instead of pushing in to kiss, she gently took her palm and massaged it with a thumb, snickering about something. “My name is Lizeth. Your hands, hah, they’re so tender… and your fingers are so skinny, hehe…”
“Err, um… It’s…” Vivian blanked on how to respond or even react. Lizeth’s face was vague and unfamiliar, not like how she found Zanitha’s. She was definitely older than her and Christin, yet slightly shorter than either of them. In trying to remember who this sacrifice had been before, Vivian looked at her remarkable figure, sure that she would recall a bosom so outward or hips so wide.
Her arm was then pulled into Lizeth’s body, consumed into her cleavage as it was exposed by the robe’s opening. Her latch onto Vivian was tight and wanting, and when she had the chance, she caught her hand between her thighs, turning any resistance into its own squeezes of pleasure. Vivian stuttered, but was too surprised to quickly remove herself, taken back by Lizeth’s craving that she fell into her embrace, her nose nestled into her neck.
“Ohh, you barely weigh a thing~” Lizeth cooed. “And your body is so cold~ We need to get you warmer, right…? We should lay down~”
Vivian flinched into refusal, eventually slipping out of Lizeth’s possession – largely because Lizeth was too lazy to try for long. Even when escaped, Vivian still felt the allure of being pulled towards the woman barely in her red robes; it was then, when she heard that longing voice, that she began to remember who Lizeth is – who she was back home. Instead of a name being stuttered on her lips, Vivian struggled to say a title: “... A prostitute…”
Lizeth scowled and turned her shoulder against the comment. When she looked away, her eyes rolled over and she took a draw from her pipe. “You definitely are a priestess’s sister, mm,” she complained as she took to one of the hammocks, lounging into it and letting her robe fly open even wider. Vivian watched every movement, hypnotized by how Lizeth naturally swayed her features. “Besides,” Lizeth chuckled, “we’re all equal here~ in the eyes of the goddess. Haah~! Very, very equal~”
Vivian fretted to respond, wanting to apologize but still processing Lizeth’s personality. The eccentric woman was certainly a category Vivian avoided, one of many sex workers that earned their livelihoods throughout her hometown. She remembered Lizeth calling out to customers of every class, always lingering outside one tavern or another, and she remembered when that voice left the community. Lizeth had a criminal history and debts to repay, and when the annual sacrifice neared, she was made a deal to clear her name, to take the place of another maiden offering – if Lizeth was untaken by the goddess, she would be let free. She confidently accepted, and thus miraculously found herself in heaven, freed from all earthly toils in a realm where carnal pleasures were encouraged.
“I hope you might not be offended by our Lizeth. Her abrasiveness fades in time and you will find her then to be lovely company,” the last of the maidens explained, gently approaching Vivian with both hands peacefully joined at her waist. She held her head steady and high, as if meaning to perfectly balance her long black hair. A warm smile was shared with Vivian after having her attention. “You might remember me as well, Vivian,” she giggled. “It is I, Ebony. You have grown so much since we were just children~”
Vivian sensed a fair, normal radiance from Ebony compared to Lizeth or Ant, but even she encroached close into her personal space. Her shoulders shuddered as Ebony’s hands caressed them; one hand trailed down an arm and into Vivian’s grasp, the other traveled into her hair, exploring her ear and then brushing her cheek with a thumb. These hands discovered Vivian’s shivering shape, just as her eyes scanned her naked form up and down, until an image was fully pressed into mind. Ebony stepped back, smiled, and gently released any touches on Vivian.
It was an eerily different Ebony than the sharp-tongued socialite Vivian remembered. They shared a childhood together, but from very different circumstances. Where Vivian and Christin grew up as orphans serving the church, Ebony was the heiress to a wealthy family, once fated to have wide influence across the kingdom. Whenever her family would visit the church, Ebony would torment the young girls with belittling remarks and by taking away what few things they had. As adults, their lives diverged, until the goddess reunited them: a year after Christin was taken, the goddess returned to the church and claimed her second ever victim. In the years since, Ebony’s edge had evidently softened, her snootiness replaced with sincerity and sympathy – an effect of being a woman’s pet.
“I am sure your presence will brighten up the Sanctuary,” Ebony said. “The goddess has chosen you because you belong here. It will feel very strange initially, but I trust all of us here will welcome you as well as we can into our home~ Ah, in fact…” She turned towards one of the couches, retrieving from its seat an item she meant to give Vivian earlier. It was offered to her then: a set of silk robes to call her own, designated with the color violet. Vivian held the folded square of fabric to her chest, still drawn into Ebony’s eyes. “This should make you feel more comfortable around us, I imagine.”
Pressure came inwards from all four of the women looking to Vivian, expecting her to adorn the robes and join them in uniform. She eventually began fitting the garment onto her body, preferring to be covered but otherwise still skeptical of what it meant to wear the robe. If nothing else, she had to admit that the material was luxurious on her skin, despite how it always wanted to slide off her shoulders or part open – an intentional design to always expose slithers of the women’s bodies. Vivian chose to bind hers with a fist coiling the two halves, preemptively defending herself as she turned back to the others.
“It looks wonderful on you,” Christin complimented, approaching her sister and taking her into another hug, despite how stiff she was. She giggled, “You’ve truly become part of the collection, Vivi. It is as Ebony said: you belong here with all of us. In time, you will discover your own routine and habits here at the Sanctuary, as well will you discover ours~ Each of us have our own routines, our own ways of expressing our dedication to the goddess, but we all also converge and share in our love for the blessings granted us.”
A hacking cough clashed with the tender moment; Lizeth giggled with smoke escaping her lips. “It’s all love and harmony here~” she sang. “Relax, and breathe in… It helps, hah-hah~ It helps a lot…”
Vivian watched Lizeth as she inhaled deeply, curling her head backwards to emphasize the breath she took. The smoke in the air swirled around her as she swayed idly in her hammock, enthralled with more than just her pipe. Vivian’s nostrils twitched as she became particularly aware about that aroma wafting throughout the Sanctuary, a scent like fruits and peppers that initially pulled at her hunger, but gradually developed a different appetite. When she exhaled after holding her breath for a beat, she felt notably looser and warmer, instilled with a want to breathe more and fill herself – inflicted, she perceived, with a desire that was not genuinely her own. Vivian groaned as her head swirled, feeling a gravitational pull towards Lizeth then, an attraction towards her luscious body that was dreamily displayed–
“Vivi? Vivian…?” Christin spoke to her, having to touch her shoulder to distract her from Lizeth’s image. Lizeth, for her part, had enjoyed the staring with an expecting grin, but Christin disapproved – “The incense,” she explained, “i-it might be strong for someone new…”
“I-Incense…” Vivian mumbled, resting her forehead into a palm for steadiness. With one eye, she glanced at the table and the wick that was burning over a plate of many ashes. She had her explanation, but the dizziness had already claimed her – when she wanted to look away to Christin and lean on her, she still felt that pull towards Lizeth. “I-Is that what this is…?”
Lizeth giggled teasingly, twisting in the hammock to lay on her front. “The incense opens our hearts,” she hummed. “It invites us to follow the goddess’s way~ Unchains us from earthly limits~” She turned a coy expression behind her, kicking her feet up in a playful pattern of swings. “Mhm, come to me, Vivian~ Sit down with me, and I’ll give you a much better tour of our little world…”
“Perhaps there is too much burning at the moment,” Ebony suggested, casting looks elsewhere around the Sanctuary. On windowsills and shelves were other incense candles, perpetuating the cloudy atmosphere around the lowest floor. She looked worriedly to Vivian, whose daze brought her more into Christin’s support. Ebony fidgeted nervously with her robe, “We may be acclimated to the effects, but for someone new, this amount must be suffocating…”
“Ah, I-I didn’t even consider…” Christin fretted, keeping her sister close and stable. “In all my excitement, I forgot entirely…”
Ant’s fingers grazed Christin’s shoulders, spelling a calming effect as she passed by the siblings with a reassuring smile. “You should get her some air, Chrstin,” the older woman said, continuing towards Ebony; to ease Ebony’s nerves, she went beyond a mere touch, electing to engage with Ebony with a spirited kiss on the lips that shed the worry away. “You two should enjoy the gardens, and in the meantime, we will put away the incense – Lizeth really does prepare too much these days.”
“It’s the goddess’s way~” Lizeth laughed, lost in another puff of smoke.
Christin nodded and moved to one of the exits, guiding Vivian under her arm. “Bless you, Ant. We’ll return soon,” she said gratefully. Then, to Ebony and Lizeth, she added on her way out, “Please, reserve your strength for the celebration tonight! We mustn’t exert ourselves before honoring her!”
The personalities of the three maidens continued to bounce in Vivian’s head, even as she was led outside in her sister’s protection. Out or in, her dizziness persisted; beyond the thick incense in her system, she was overwhelmed by a long list of factors, troubled by questions she was unsure if any answer would truly remedy. Her mind ached with thoughts about Ant, Lizeth, and Ebony; about Shelby and her larger world; about Christin and the ordeals she had faced. If it were not for her sister’s shoulder, Vivian would have collapsed from stress, only able to walk with her head pointed down to the floor.
Escaped from the incense, a softer aroma surrounded Vivian, enriching her with the clarity to perk her head up and realize the setting she had been taken to. Christin smiled as she watched the awe paint itself on her sister’s face; Vivian’s eyes reflected the sparkles of a fantastical view, that which was far away from the Sanctuary and its floating island – far, far away from Shelby’s starglider, but so huge that it appeared deceptively in reach. She marveled at the planet she had once lived upon, a slow-turning orb that carried the existence of everything she had known. The oceans were wide stretches of blue and countries were dashes of brown and green. Sprawling clouds drifted over countless communities and hundreds of miles of land. Mountains and rivers and canyons alike had no depth to them, everything seeming flat from the height at which Vivian scanned it all. She struggled, not to comprehend what she saw, but to believe that humanity was as small as it seemed: a circle of life, adrift in an infinite ink with only distant stars as its company.
That celestial observation overtook any chance the garden had to shine, though the array of flowers still earned Christin’s admiration. She brought a palm beneath a purple blossom, caring for it while her sister gazed out into space. Though their home was far away, the gardens flourished with life from their earth, a reminder of what they had left behind. It was why Christin tended to the flowers so often before, immersing herself around their beautiful colors, daydreaming about the past. For years, she wished to know that her sister was safe without her, but the goddess granted her a better wish, reuniting them in her realm – when she looked to the faraway earth, she no longer felt any tether of regret, now that she had everything.
The sisters took seats beside each other on a brick ledge that looked over rose bushes. Under the tranquil sky of space, they were able to reconnect across the time they had been away from one another. It was insisted by Christin to learn about the happenings of their home world, as she noticed how it eased Vivian to speak about her earthly life; Vivian recalled the growth of their fellow orphans and priestesses, the movements of townspeople and their politics, the few events that occurred in their daily life between those yearly sacrifices to the goddess. When it was Vivian asking the questions, Christin was quizzed on what to expect as a newcomer, asked about how to act and how to live. Though Christin had some answers, gradually teaching Vivian the ways of their world, she was never able to relieve all of her sister’s worries. There was always another chilling concern, another fear, and while Christin provided as much comfort as she could with her experience, she was eventually stalled by Vivian’s darkest inquiry.
“... There’s… only four of you,” Vivian began, her fingers curling around the fabric that was still fresh to feel on her skin. She stared into the red flowers, but when she glanced at Christin, she found her sister to have fallen pale about the topic. “I-I was the sixth sacrifice, so… there’s another, isn’t there?”
Christin opened her mouth, but had to pause and start again, chuckling nervously. “There’s only us five now,” she said meekly. “Ant, Lizeth, and Ebony are the only other women in the collection.”
Vivian was almost able to swallow that response and accept the fact as what it was, but the implied truth was terrifying to keep unspoken. “Before me… it was Sasha,” she pressed. “The bookkeeper – you should remember her, Christin. D-Don’t you?” But Christin was stiff, her unwavering eyes suggesting that she knew nothing of a Sasha. Vivian glared at her, “Wh-What happened to her? She was the fifth, I-I remember last year so clearly.”
“Maybe you’re mistaken, Vivian,” Christin said, unusually impatient and shaken. She stroked her sister’s shoulder, hoping she could touch the topic away. “How about we return to the others? Th-The incense has likely thinned, and–”
“You remember her, Christin!” Vivian argued. She huffed, “I remember her. I remember how violent she was on the day she was taken.”
“Vivi…” Christin sighed, but was defeated to keep resisting.
“She never wanted to go. When the church chose her, sh-she clawed and kicked at them. All the way, to the final moment we saw her… she yelled and begged for us to help. No one expected her to be chosen, a-acting so wildly, but… the goddess took her. The fifth.” Vivian looked back at the Sanctuary, then scanned the field around it, as if checking for a mirage. She focused on Christin with an intense look, and she asked hushedly, “... What was done to her? Wh-What did she do?”
Christin bit her lip, failing to find an excuse to avoid the question. “Th-The goddess does not like us… discussing her,” she said, even quieter than she was before. She hunched lower, and so did Vivian to hear her whisper. Christin took her sister’s hand as her eyes stared still and far into nothing. “But… you are my sister. I will tell you, but it musn’t be mentioned – not around the collection, and certainly not to her. It is a forbidden topic.
“Sasha… did not belong with us. How you described her just now was how she was here in the goddess’s domain. She was restless, furious, and always spoke her mind. More than anything, she wanted to return home – she despised the goddess for taking her. For only a short time, she submitted to the goddess and kept quiet… but she would express her anger to me and the others, once we were alone. She did not paint or sing or tend to the gardens… and she certainly did not love us in the collection, not as the goddess wished. She fought with us and resisted our ways – she refused to be owned by the goddess.
“And so… when the goddess took me alone one day… she asked about Sasha.” Christin’s fingers slowed to a still, no longer petting her sister’s hand for comfort. “I told the goddess the truth about her. Th-There was no other choice, I-I couldn’t lie to her. I prayed to the goddess that she might be merciful with Sasha, I-I hoped she might forgive Sasha… but when the goddess next took us away for a ritual…
“... she executed justice.” Christin was especially cold when she explained as much, a chill that spread to Vivian. “Sasha was foulmouthed about an order– the goddess had been singling her out, and demeaning her, for hours… The goddess broke into a rage so quickly. She flipped the table that we were on,” Christin shuddered, “a-and we fell to the floor of her domain… where we’d never been. We were all so scared, e-even Zanitha… The goddess found Sasha on the floor, a-and… brought her foot down. So quickly, s-so hard… like a bolt of lightning. A-All of us were there. I remember… blinking, and when I opened my eyes, r-red was everywhere. On me and everyone… the goddess’s toes… sh-she kept pressing down on that spot… stomping again, and again… shouting so loudly about how no one listens to her…
“The goddess made us… cl-cleanse her foot afterwards,” Christin sighed. “She was disgusted to have any remains of Sasha stuck to her, and so she threatened to k-kill another if we disappointed her. Never before had the goddess exposed us to such violence, or threatened us so terribly… We were told to never mention Sasha again, but also not to forget her – never forget what happens to disobedience…”
Vivian’s expression soured with each detail she was told. Beyond just reacting to Shelby’s gigantic tantrum, she was horrified by Christin’s involvement. She pitied her sister for what trauma she suffered, but simultaneously scrutinized her for her part in Sasha’s demise – revealing that damning truth to the so-called goddess. The complexities of the situation, however, were not above Vivian’s sympathy; what sickened her was the entirety of their circumstance, that they were playthings to an ordinary woman, at risk of being crushed to death if they resisted. Words failed her, but when she looked into Christin's eyes, the message could be read in her glare: This is no heaven, Vivian asserted, this is hell!
Silent as that thought was, Christin nonetheless inferred the emotion. She broke from her stillness shaking her head and regrasping Vivian’s hand. “No, Vivi, no,” she said, “you cannot be darkened by this! Pl-Please, understand that this story was a warning of consequences. This life we have here i-is paradise! You will see,” she assured her, “you will soon witness it yourself! Th-The goddess is never like that– but you must also be careful. Vivi, you must– I-I can’t bear to be separated from you again, and not like Sasha. Please, b-be patient, Vivi.”
Vivian withdrew her hand from Christin. She stood up, shivering in pulses while processing everything that had been said. Christin rose after her, approaching her sister even when she shied away. Worry swirled in Vivian’s stomach as she tried to comprehend the lowly position her and the others were in, and regretful glances up at the planet outside only tore her further into despair. Her mind was lost as it returned to that world she knew, before being shaken back into reality – the rumble of the goddess’s approach towards the hovering Sanctuary.
“Oh, girls~” Shelby’s voice rang like the bell of a church tower, and appropriately did it earn the attention of her collection; Christin was quietly tickled into a smile to sense that divine presence, but her sister was closed and tepid. A string of Shelby’s giggles continued, “Are we all ready for a little fun? All warmed up for tonight’s ritual…? Hehe, I’ve got everything ready for us~”
“Ah, she’s ready so soon,” Christin commented anxiously. “She must be… eager to begin. Ah, Vivi…?” She maintained a smile, hiding her unnerverdness as she gently angled Vivian by her shoulders to face her. “W-We musn’t keep the goddess waiting, of course.”
Vivian weakly nodded, unenthused to be in sincere agreement with her sister. Indeed, she was a slave to Shelby’s whims, just as any other in the collection; if she were to break Shelby’s patience, what punishment would be bestowed upon them all? In a shiver of that imagination, Vivian flinched into movement ahead of Christin, headed into the Sanctuary to group with the others. Ant and Ebony remarked to her, but she did not understand their words, everything becoming a blur around her as she was guided outside, to where that monumental woman was waiting.