A Real Goddess Would Let Nobody Die

Menelyn repaired all of the damage to the plaza that She could, then turned Her attention to the Trusted Guards when the party reentered the hospital, in a large conference hall off the main lobby. She did not need to be Empathy Herself to know that the kinds of men who joined the Trusted Guard, who not only expressed a desire to serve but also managed to gain the approval of their predecessors, treated the Goddesses as absolutely untouchable, Their inviolability a literally sacred life-defining duty. They were ashamed of this event on two levels.

First, the obvious one: the Red Goddess had been directly assaulted, again, and they hadn't prevented it, again. They felt impotent. The impossibility of the task was irrelevant.

But secondly, this generation had, they thought, failed to uphold the legacy of their predecessors. For nearly eight millennia, the Goddesses' persons had been sacrosanct, and in the last decade, the beloved youngest, the 'most vulnerable,' Love incarnate, had now suffered the indignity of being knocked to the ground twice. Sacrilege, on their watch, twice. Their predecessors would surely be disgusted.

Menelyn walked wordlessly to each of the twenty Guards surrounding Them, everyone in this expedition's detachment, and hugged them from behind, one at a time, for a little under ten seconds each, while running Her mana through them intensively as a 'blessing.' They would all glow and feel like they could jump over buildings for a while. It likely resembled, superficially, a child comforting adults, since She could only reach their lower ribs at best. But this 'child' was the Sun Goddess, a fact obvious from appearance alone to anyone from any world without any context required, and everyone She touched glowed, flooded with Her overflowing Benevolence. The Guards wanted to worship, She could feel it, but they were too hyper-vigilant and unworthy at the moment.

So, when She finished, She assumed Her iconic pose, first used all those millennia ago at Her Island's Pool, and produced a version of the same Light display. This was reserved for major divine pronouncements, and the Guards could resist no longer. They turned toward Her in unison and dropped to both knees. Kenna's parents joined them. She chimed to the Guard in Her most formal ethereal soprano infallible Goddess voice, and the world held its breath.

Sometimes a Goddess was a servant. Sometimes She was a sovereign.

"For 7976 years, the Trusted Guard has enabled Me and My Sisters to sleep soundly at night, every night. Our memory is as infallible as your protection: every night, We have been safe, by your sole efforts. We sleep soundly still, by your sole efforts. Even now, We remain as vulnerable as anyone, when resting in Our Sanctuaries, but We know We are safe, because you are outside. You keep Us safe, when We are in greatest danger. These recent incidents are a product of changing times, but never have We been in real danger. You are, all of you, connected in an unbroken chain to men who kept the world safe on Our behalf, from the greatest malevolence it has ever faced. We remember every member of this chain. We will remember all of you. You are Trustworthy, and you always will be. To doubt that, is to doubt the unimpeachable judgment and devotion of those who came before. No others may Guard Us. Please, continue to keep Our Sanctuaries safe. You are invaluable to Us. You always have been, and you always will be."

Izenakee bowed next to Her, Kenna still clutched to Her chest. Menelyn continued.

"I know you all have recognized that the child held now by My Sister appears to have Our radiance. It is true. Her name is Kennalaria. We do not yet know what her future holds, but she will be under Our personal care. Please, keep her safe, with the same dedication that you have always shown to Us. She is precious, and after today's events, she will be targeted."

The Guards had been emotional but holding it together. They huffed sobs at that last statement. Could it be?! They had the most profound honor of being first witnesses to a Fourth?! Only twice before had any members of the Guard witnessed Goddesses for the first time.

Menelyn Herself did not yet know. She needed to speak with Kenna and her parents now. They had heard what the Sun Goddess had said, and were dumbfounded. Menelyn stopped Her Light show, glided over, and kneeled next to them.

"Kenna is a mage of a color never before seen. The jump through the roof earlier today was her power, and in all likelihood, was the first time such a spell has ever been cast. Unfortunately, her power comes at great cost. The mana is dangerous, it caused her sickness, and only Justice and I together can keep her safe from it. But, it will require Our direct access to her, once at dawn and again at dusk, every day for the rest of her life. And, she will now surely be targeted by those responsible for today's attack."

Menelyn paused for some time to allow Her audience to process, before resuming.

"I can offer two options. First, Kenna can live in Our Sanctuaries with Us, like Izenakee did as a young girl, and accompany Us during Our travels. We will care for her as Our daughter, and put Our full efforts toward uncovering the details of her magic, and teaching her. Of course, you would be able to visit with her when We are in the same city. I would suggest moving to Esto, if you choose this option, but any city with a major Temple would be as good. We would try to spend as much time as possible in whichever city you choose. Izenakee's parents did this, in Rokesha. Alternatively, you can follow Us from city to city and live in the Temples together as normally as possible given the situation, as a family. I am sorry that We cannot permanently remain in one place, but Our duties compel Us to travel."

Kenna spoke up from Izenakee's chest, in disbelief.

"I can live with Love all the time?!"

Menelyn smiled. Izenakee giggled and said, "Yes!"

Kenna's parents were crying silently.

"There's no need to decide immediately," Menelyn finished. "But We must leave for Esto soon, to return to a proper Sanctuary."

She waited. She knew what question would come next. Kenna's mother finally asked it, in a trembling low voice.

"Would she become...would it be like the Red Goddess? Our Kenna?"

Menelyn had already considered Her next words very carefully, from when it became clear that Kenna would need to accompany Them.

"That is possible, if you choose the first option. We made a single exception for Izenakee, for many reasons, some of them personal, but among the most important were that She wanted it, that She had shown both to Us and to the people of the world that She was more dedicated to Our Creed than any other who had or has ever lived, and that Her abilities were uniquely important for helping all who need help. Kenna's abilities may be uniquely important in a similar manner, and there is a possible long-term application. But the path that Izenakee has followed is difficult, and involves many sacrifices, commensurate with the blessings. Among the sacrifices is a degree of detachment from normal relationships. Kenna may not want this life, and We will never force it upon her. She would need to choose it wholeheartedly when she is older, despite knowing the costs, after demonstrating that she is qualified for the responsibility."

Then She added, to emphasize the point, "How many people are You Listening to right now, Izenakee?"

"Four," then She cocked Her head. "Five. Our Helpers assist Me, but I Listen to as many as I can manage, the ones who most need Me and Me alone, and this is around My limit."

She never needed to say much, only exist as the Goddess of Love and Empathy and Forgiveness, a real Goddess willing and able to Listen and accept and comfort and validate as a voice from nowhere. Access to that was enough for most. In some ways it was more like answering mail with form letters than holding conversations. For those She could not afford to spend more attention on, She simply connected and let what little Twilight called 'fuzzies' flow through. Need to feel loved? Pray for it strongly enough, and the Goddess of Love will hear, connect, and oblige, is mostly what She did. She did not say this part aloud, because She knew from experience that Her Sisters would be upset with Her for not giving Herself enough credit.

Menelyn stared into Kenna's parents' eyes.

"She has done that at every waking moment, and Listened for the most urgent calls for help even while sleeping, without interruption for nearly 8000 years, since She was in Her teens. We made Her immortal because She was already a Goddess, and asked to serve permanently. It is not an easy life."

"It is the purpose of My existence."

Despite this caution, Menelyn recognized what She was seeing in Kennalaria's parents. She had seen this very same scene, exactly the same, once before, 7921 years ago, in Rokesha. There were not many things that could convince parents to part with their only daughter, even partially, but an offer, a calling straight from a literal Goddess, Benevolence Herself, was on that very short list.

"Take her," Kenna's mother sobbed. "Take her with You to Esto. We will move there when we can. We cannot stand between our daughter and her calling, such an opportunity. It is obvious that she wants to go."

This was both the answer that Menelyn had hoped for, and the one that She had feared.

"And thank You," Kenna's father added.

Izena broke Her silence now.

"From here, two futures are possible. Either this whole experience will be like a unique boarding school, and your daughter will live as normal a life as possible subject to the limits of her situation, or We will love her first like a daughter and then a Sister, for the remainder of eternity. That is a sacred promise. We do not break Our promises."

"And I promise that you cannot even imagine how true that is," Izenakee added, solemnly. "What you feel radiating from Me, is what I have received from My Sisters, overflowing, and what Kenna will receive from Us, unless she decides she does not want to be part of Our family, because of the costs." She looked down. "She won't, because the benefits are greater. I know better than anyone. I remember My parents as though I spoke with them seconds ago. They would not regret the life that I have lived, the decision that they made."

Kenna finally got down, walked over to her parents, and gave them a tearful hug. She wasn't stupid. She knew what was happening, and why. She knew how sick she had been, and how much better she felt now, and Who was responsible, and what They had been saying.

She was a mage. She could cast spells like mages. Her spell had been weird, but Love had praised her for it. She would learn how to do more of that.

And she'd get a lot of fuzzies and scritches, all the time.