Chapter- 7:

Alternates.

Elixin stares at the starry sky as she sighs and turns around, looking back at Ziya.

“Say, are the preparations done-” she gets cut off

A boy who looks like a little kid enters as he bows, smiling.

“Of course they are.“

Elixin flinches, turning around quickly again as she raises an eyebrow, her shoulders easing up a little.

“Oh. It's you, Aion. Why do you keep transforming? It makes it difficult for me to recognize you, y' know?“

Aion smirks, reverting back to his, “original” form. A classic male teen with no cosmoic features whatsoever. 

“Well, my goddess, you're a part of the 'The Twelve True Deities' so I thought you'd be able to recognize me right away.“ He snickers.

Ziya chuckles, and Elixin shakes her head, disappointed. She groans, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Ah, since the preparations are done, are you free right now, Aion?“ She asks.

Aion raises an eyebrow. That tone usually means Elixin has something to ask of him.

“What is it that you need help with, my goddess?“ 

Elixin turns around, looking outside the window out to the cosmoic realm. 

“I want you to…keep an eye on the pink demon we summoned.“

Aion blinks a few times at that request. He thinks for a moment as a light bulb lights in his head.

“Oh! That pink demon, which caused a crash wave in the cosmoic realm? You know I temporarily lost my sight because of that, right?“ He growls, remembering the moment.

Elixin clears her throat, slightly caught off guard by that. 

“Well, yes…but I really need to keep an eye on her, and you're one of the few people I can trust besides Ziya. You will be rewarded with whatever you desire, so will you please do it?“ She asks, desperate. She really doesn't want to let this conversation down.

Aion freezes, stunned. He's never seen Elixin like this before. He grins, a plan forming in his head as he kneels.

“As you wish, my goddess. I'll be keeping watch on that pink demon.“ 

His eyes narrow as he looks up at Elixin, breathing a sigh of relief. His expression darkens, 'You won't feel relieved in the future.' He thinks to himself.

Ziya catches his dark expression directed to Elixin as she tilts her head.

“Aion? Are you okay?“ 

Aion snaps out of his darkened daze as he quickly puts on a smile and stands up suddenly.

“Perfectly fine! I shall head on and do the duty you told me to do, my goddess.“

He quickly leaves, Aion is truly mysterious. A man of wonder who can transform into anyone he wants to be. Who knows, maybe even his current form isn't him.

Elixin then goes into a vast white room and releases her power.

“I, The Ruler of Cosmos, command thee, to show all of one.“

Suddenly, many circles open, each setting into sections as Elixin stumbles. Her power really takes a toll on her. She looks up, seeing the 'Argine Tenaser' section. 

These sections are her power, able to see the original version and then the alternates of the original. Her eyes go down to the beastsmen version on the downright who is chatting away with Erilen and Jessica. These alternates also have different personalities taken from the original. Some can be… greedy. Her eyes drift to the pirate version. Some can be serious. Her eyes drift to the aquatic version. And some… caring. She looks up and sees… the human version.

But always, for some reason, she can never see the version of, 'Argine' herself. And the alternate argine she summoned. She shakes her head and sighs.

“Still the same. I can never see the true her. And… her.“

Her eyes wander the vast room filled with sections, and she could never find Aion's section among them. 

“He… is so mysterious that he can escape my power. I wonder why.“

Ziya interrupts, entering the room. No one can see her power without permission, so for Ziya, it's just a vast white, vast blank room.

“My goddess, it's time for us to depart for the meeting.“

Elixin sighs, looking away from the sections and disabling her power.

“Time to meet them again. It's always so exhausting in those meetings.“ 

Ziya chuckles softly as she leads Elixin out of the room while staring out of the windows.

“But you cannot skip them, my goddess. Let's get you ready for the meeting.“

Elixin nods as she strides outside the room, walking in the hallway.

“Let's see what they have in store for us this time.“

To be continued.