Young Nessia was weeping alone behind a tree in Kishar. 

It was one of the few places where the nymph child felt safe. Far from her schoolmates. Far from their judgmental stares and their fingers pointed at her. 

She didn't know why they kept laughing at her and calling her names she couldn't understand. Halfling. Aberration. She had been shunned by all of the other nymphs. 

Except for one. 

That nymph would come and talk to her each chance she would have. Her warmth was the only thing that kept her going. No one dared to bully her when she was with her. But she had been away for weeks now and the others were quick to pick up on her again. 

Her small face was streaked with tears. Between two sobs, she saw a hand reaching out for her, palm up. 

She looked up and her sorrow vanished. She would recognize these sparkly violet eyes anywhere. 

It was her. It was Beltis. 

Her lips were curled in an affectionate smile.  

“I’m back,” Beltis said, her vibrant jade-green hair fluttering in the afternoon breeze. 

Nessia opened her eyes. 

She was in her residence in Kishar, the one that had been bestowed upon her when she became Number One Nymph. She sat up in her bed and looked around the wide marble room hung with fine tapestries. 

Was this real or was she still that weeping child outcast? Were all of her accomplishments since then just the result of her young imagination? 

Then, the image of Beltis smiling at her flashed in her mind. Her chest tightened. Although it had been years now, she kept having those dreams. Of that time when she still felt whole. 

She heard a soft knock on the silver door. One of her peers spoke from the other side. 

“A messenger from Queen Gidri is expecting you at the shrine,” the voice said with deference. 

Nessia slid out of bed and collected herself. Standing tall, she stepped out of her chambers and thanked the other nymph loftily. 

She morphed into a sparrow and flew off toward Atinama. 

When the royal messenger came to meet her at Teshbi’s shrine later that day, Nessia already knew what it was about. 

She had been keeping an eye on Ash over the past few days. She had seen the queen scheming the trials with her advisors. 

She had facepalmed loudly when the three male tempters had been sent to her chambers. She should’ve informed the queen about the human’s preferences in that area. That would’ve made this trial more relevant. 

The staged assassination did catch her off guard. She was about to intervene when she saw the attacker being improbably knocked out by that mace hanging on the wall. Nessia had to admit that, though that dunderhead couldn't fight, at least she had some luck. 

“I shall inform Teshbi that the Chosen One is ready to meet her,” she said to the messenger. 

As she flew back to Kishar, she thought about her mistress’s words. What did she mean when she said that she and Ash were similar? She was the Number One Nymph of House Teshbi. How could she possibly be compared to this good-for-nothing joke of a human? 

Fortunately, she was about to complete her mission. She was looking forward to adding a new feather to her cap and asserting her prestigious position within her house. 

Soon, it would all be over. 

The sun was already high when Ash was escorted by the royal guards to Teshbi’s shrine. 

She was accompanied by Queen Gidri and Princess Elnys, the three of them all dressed up for the occasion. 

They exited the palace through the north-western gate and walked along the shoreline. She could smell and taste the iodine of the ocean floating in the air as the seagulls were flying high above their party. 

It would have actually been a pleasant stroll had it not been for that very impractical outfit she was wearing. 

Her silver breastplate would clang against the pauldrons at each step. Her long burgundy cape was pulling her backward whenever the wind blew, and the brown fur on her collar would keep getting in her mouth. She felt like an awkward goose in a tin can.  

She glanced at her royal companions. They were walking with frustrating ease despite wearing similar attires. The queen wore a golden cape with gray fur that matched her long curly hair while the fair-headed princess was flashing a coral cloak adorned with white fur. 

Ash could see a high square-shaped marble structure supported by four thick pillars in the distance. The shrine was built right above the cliffs of the far western corner of Atinama. She recognized Teshbi’s market on her right, down the cobblestone street that connected the shrine to the pier. 

She heard a growing chatter as they approached. A crowd of humans and nymphs was amassed in front of the temple. 

Queen Gidri walked up to the front as people respectfully let them through. She gave them warm smiles and nods on the way. She sat on the tallest purple throne chair placed under a lavish canopy. Princess Elnys sat on the shorter chair to her right and Ash was invited to sit on the one to her left. 

A wide wooden stage had been laid out in front of them. Behind the stage was the entrance of the shrine itself. A small army of priestesses and nymphs were busy running back and forth, finishing the preparations. 

A flash of summer blue stood out among them. Ash recognized Nessia’s peculiar hair color amidst the assembly. She waved at the nymph in a friendly manner. Nessia furrowed her brows and turned up her pretty nose before acknowledging her with a curt nod. 

Suddenly, a strong wind blew from the sea, extinguishing the flames in the braziers placed on each side of the stage. The crowd grew silent. 

An exquisite smell of blooming flowers took over followed by a blinding flash of light. Ash and the rest of the attendees covered their eyes.

There, at the center of the stage, Teshbi appeared. 

Her long purple hair was enhanced by a headband made of white, pink, and yellow flowers. A gauzy ample white tunic revealed a perfectly shaped body with smooth skin. A golden girdle was tied around her delicate waist and had light pink roses attached to it. Glowing petals were fluttering around her. 

She was magnificent. 

The braziers lit up again. The crowd blinked and gasped, awestruck by the divine apparition. They all fell on their knees and bowed, their foreheads pressed to the ground. 

“Well, that’s an entrance,” Ash said louder than she had intended to, breaking the deferential silence. 

Murmurs spread through the attendees as they lifted their heads and looked up to see where that had come from. The mysterious hooded woman from the night before was among them. She chuckled. Nessia sighed. 

Ash looked around and saw that everyone was on their knees, including the queen and the princess. She slid off of her seat and gingerly mimicked her hosts. 

Teshbi was taken aback once more by Ash’s spontaneity. She remembered how the earthling turned her down abruptly during their first oniric encounter. She blinked and quickly regained her divine demeanor. 

“Rise up, Joyians,” she said with her ethereal voice. 

Everyone got back on their feet while Ash and the royals sat back on their chairs. 

“I have come here to meet you, Chosen One.” 

Teshbi walked down the stage and glided to Ash. 

The brown-haired woman instinctively stood up and got down on her knees, head bowed low. She had no idea why she did this but it appeared to be the only appropriate thing to do when facing a deity up close. 

The goddess bent down and clasped the woman’s hands, pulling her up gently. 

“We meet at last, Ash.”