She wanted to end it as quickly as possible.

With one wave of her sword, she unleashed a light that throws the sharpness of her weapon. It cuts off the wires that created a big explosion. The other mechanical soldiers rushed inside the airship and try to attack her. But their bullets are not fast enough to catch her. Besides, even if the bullets hit her, it would bounce off, leaving only a scratch. It would feel though as if someone was throwing small pieces of rocks at her.

Deities can still feel physical pain, but it depends not only on the weapon used to attack them. The damage they might receive from a human may not be fatal compared to when other beings directly try to hurt them. But the bullets still hurt, so she avoided them.

The mechanical soldiers kept on attacking her. But she cuts off their weapons and bodies in swift movements. More and more tried to run towards her for they detected her as a threat. But they are nothing more than puppets.

She slashed every part her sword could reached. The soldiers kept firing at her. So the bullets were ruining her old dress that she wore underneath her cloak. She hid in a corner and entered another room with the main engines. She can feel the rapid change in her body. She is becoming stronger. Even quicker. It was as if her power was ignited. Aia let out all her frustrations in a few more slashes. Every part of the room exploded.

When one explosion destroyed a steel wall, Aia escaped by jumping into the hole. She landed back in the village.

Without its power, the mechanical soldiers can no longer survive or move. Once the signal was cut off from the airship, they lay like dolls along with the dead bodies of some villagers. Despite the chaos, Aia still acted like a villager. She must remain unnoticed.

No one should recognize her.

No one should ask about her.

But with her current state, pretending to be human will be impossible. Her face now is hard to ignore.

For there, amid the burning village, stood a beautiful woman. Her skin was fair, and her short straight hair was as white as clouds in the sky. Her curious black eyes are still mesmerizing, even with that faint hint of sadness. The villagers might recognize her damaged dress if they only look at her. If ever they guess her age again, they might say she is a young lady in her twenties. But the villagers never looked at her. Everyone is still busy running for their lives. They only noticed that the attack was over when it started to rain. The fire vanishes as if someone blew them away.

By that time, Aia was already walking back to her home.

She still held her sword in her left hand.

Despite the delay, she still thought about her other plan where she could sleep for eternity. But there was this odd feeling that was telling her that waiting for Cimon to arrive at her home may no longer be possible. The god of sleep may always prefer to slack. But he was always punctual when it comes to meeting other immortals. Something might have happened.

And if Cimon could no longer meet her, she has no other plans.

Aia sighed once more.

Realizations hit her harder this time. Nothing could diminish the power of an immortal. Not using their powers will only hide their presence. By staying in human form for a century, Aia thought it would weaken her. Instead, she remained the same and never got sick despite the lack of food or sleep. Aia felt she fooled herself for so long. But no. Her journey had shown her that she was capable of more, that she could experience things and meet people she never would have crossed paths with if she had remained a goddess.

Again, she admits to herself that curiosity got the best of her when she decided to exterminate the mechanical soldiers and their airship. She could not stand by and let people die. She does not wish for people to be immortals, but Aia hopes they will meet death in a different time and place. The Kingdom of Cyberia became inhuman and nonhuman. And it leads to a question whether it was allowed by a god or a goddess?

“It still hurts to know the truth,” she reminded herself.

It shatters belief and could leave someone astounded.

“This curious nature of mine will get me into trouble again.”

Her quest for disappearance gave her answers that were hard to accept.

But in a way, she thought, it was for the best.

She no longer needs to stay in the Scien Village. People will think that the old woman died and was among the people the survivors will bury. She will disappear again. Only this time, Aia will no longer pretend to be blind.