After she had finished lunch, Hikari separated herself from Aqua and Azure.
My Lady… When she had prayed to her lady, no response came. It made her resolve crack and barely contain herself while she ate with her new friends.
She dashed through the courtyard and into a quiet corner, devoid of mortal presence.
She dropped on her knees and her hands clasped.
"Lady Lan, grant me your guidance. Your child wishes to commune with you once more." Her prayer was sent to the void, and her eyes shut.
No answer came. A small tear welled up in her eye.
"Why… did I do something to displease my lady?" Her brows furrowed and her fingers trembled. "Please answer, my lady!" She shouted.
Not communing with one's god was a terrible punishment. For someone with a greater blessing, communing was the most sacred of duties.
They were the right hand of their gods. I am your most faithful servant. Please answer me!
Then she felt the familiar warmth take her. Her mind changed from the darkness and into the sunny plains. In the middle of them was a small marble gazebo, seven orbs that resembled the sun circled it.
In it were two chairs and a small table, and on one chair sat her lady.
A beauty who truly deserved the title of the 'Lady of Dawn.'
Hikari wiped her tears and rushed forward.
"My Lady!" She pounced on her goddess and knocked her from the seat. Her hands wrapped around the divine figure, threatening to crush her.
"Hikari, stop pouncing on me every time you see me." Her lady spoke calmly while gently pushing her away.
She patted down her dress and her lips spread into a wide smile before she took her seat. "My beloved daughter. Forgive me for not answering your communion earlier."
"No, do not apologize. I am unworthy of it!" Hikari bowed deeply. "If I had displeased you, then I would take the great punishment."
Lan blinked and, after a moment of silence, chuckled. "You haven't done anything to displease me. However, I could not make a connection with you in the presence of the devourer. It would be far too dangerous for you."
"The Devourer?" Hikari tilted her head and took a seat.
Lan puckered her lips and exhaled. "I suppose you deserve to know, being my most favored child."
Hikari's stance stiffened. "Yes, I am all ears!"
"Recently, a terrifying being appeared in the world. A being capable of devouring gods."
Hikari's eyes widened. "H…how is that possible?"
"Lord Peron had not disclosed much to me, unfortunately. However, I do know who the devourer is."
A sense of dread crept into Hikari's spine. Her lady leaned over and whispered. "The red-haired elf you spoke to. That is the divine devourer."
Hikari merely blinked in response. She closed her eyes and sighed. "How is that even possible… She seemed distrustful, but still just a nice elven girl. I even think we are becoming friends."
"Friends… with an entity of such power." Lan chuckled. "Len would throw such a tantrum if Ilya befriended the enemy of the gods."
Hikari stared, not daring to interrupt her lady's monologue.
"Listen, my dearest daughter. I won't stop you from befriending her… but!" She appeared next to her and grabbed her hand. "Promise me that you will be careful. Do not anger her under any circumstances. Lord Peron warned us, and my heart would shatter if my blessed child died, no if my blessed child was consumed."
Hikari's heart beat faster, and a bead of sweat rolled down her face. My lady is so worried.
"Of course I am worried!" She shouted.
Hikari giggled, "Of course, I will be careful. I promise I won't provoke the devourer."
"Good, now I believe it's a good time to tell you why I needed you to attend a mortal academy."
The words made Hikari tense up and nod. "I am ready to hear your wisdom, my lady!"
"Stop being so tense, you aren't some mere mortal. You are my favored, blessed child." Lan leaned back and crossed her legs. "You are the sunshine, while your sister in faith, Ilya, is the moonlight. You are as important to me as Ilya is to Len. So just relax, okay?"
Hikari nodded and gripped her skirt. "I understand, my lady."
"Good, now on that note. I sent you to the academy to keep an eye on Ilya." With a through two cups of hot tea appeared before two ladies. Lan leaned forward and brought the cup to her lips before sipping it with elegance befitting a goddess.
"Why?" Hikari slowly brought the cup and relaxed in the warming presence of her goddess.
"My dear sister is scouring the land for an artifact called 'The White Hand'." She leaned back and went silent. "You wouldn't know what that is, but us gods know it well… and fear it."
Hikari's eyes widened, and a cold shiver ran down her spine. "Fear it? How can some mere artifact warrant such attention and awe out of you, my lady?"
"It is capable of erasing anything from existence… if it's anything similar to the black hand that is."
"There is more?!"
Lan nodded. "As far as we know, there are three hands since the shattering of the great clock. The black, the red, and the white. The black erases anything it strikes… for a price." Lan shuddered.
Hikari nodded, but decided not to peer deeper. The dealings of gods were far above even a greater blessed child.
"Unfortunately, we do not know what the red and the white do. However, we must not let them get used by anyone. I haven't spoken about this to lord Peron yet, but it's your duty to make sure that Ilya doesn't find it."
"Then…" Hikari rubbed her chin. "Does it mean that it is somewhere in the elven kingdom?"
"Precisely. Even the gods cannot find its location, but a reliable bishop had heard the rumors about it. If Ilya comes asking for your help, as my vision tells me, go with her, but do not let her touch the White Hand, even if you have to chop off her head. "
Lan spoke with a pained voice, yet she held her head high.
Hikari straightened her back and stood up, making an exaggerated salute. "My Lady. I swear on everything the dawn stands for, I will make sure that Ilya doesn't find the white hand!"
"Good…" Lan's gaze wandered off to the sunny horizon of her domain of perpetual dawn.
"Promise me two things."
"What is it, my lady?"
"If the White Hand is found. Do not use it yourself, no matter what." The environment shifted, and both women found themselves in the vast blue sky. Lan lifted Hikari's chin and smiled. "Do you promise not to use it and deliver it to me?"
My lady. Hikari blushed. "I promise, I will deliver the white hand to you instead. I won't let it get used even if it costs me my life!"
"Do try to remain alive…" Lan chuckled. "I still care about you more than some artifact."
She cleared her throat and took a step back. "Second promise… do not let the devourer learn of it. Make sure it does not happen by any means. If someone as powerful as her got her hands on it, it would be a disaster akin to the age of frost."
"I promise." Hikari placed her hand on her breast and bowed. "The White Hand will be safely delivered to your hands."
"Good. That is a relief." Lan placed her hands behind her back and turned her back toward Hikari.
She breathed in the fresh and chill morning air that saturated her domain. "If you fail, I will let lord Peron know, but I promise I won't be angry at you, no matter what happens. Go now, my blessed daughter, make me proud."
With those echoing words, the realm around Hikari fell apart, the world turned to void, and she found herself ejected back into her mortal shell.
I won't fail you, my lady. However, despite gaining clarity that she needed, it did not explain everything she needed to know.
She dusted off her skirt and pushed herself to her feet. The mortal world's time had only ticked twice, giving the illusion that she had gotten on her knees and stood up in the next moment.
"So, Aqua is some dangerous god eater, Ilya will come and try searching for some all-powerful artifact, and I am supposed to not let that artifact fall into anyone's hands, while not dying," Hikari grumbled.
If my Lady says so, then it must be so. She crossed her hands and slowly walked back into the academy building. "Eh, I still want to be friends with her, even if she is dangerous. Lady Len doesn't seem to hate her after all…" She mumbled to herself.
The door closed behind her, and Hikari's pace quickened. The class was about to start.