As Nyx finally calmed down from her laughter, she straightened her back and folded her hands neatly before her. Her tone softened.
"Anyway." She began. "The real reason I came here wasn't to mock your ears."
"Oh?" Luca tilted his head curiously. "Then what brings you here, O Scary Sister of the Matriarch?"
Nyx smiled faintly at the teasing, then lowered her gaze for a moment before speaking.
"I came to apologize."
"Apologize?"
"Yes." She looked at him sincerely now, her eyes calm but honest. "For my behavior earlier. For threatening you, for saying such awful things without even knowing who you really were. I spoke harshly out of emotion."
"My mother you see, she meant everything to me. Losing her, and then hearing from a stranger about her passing...it overwhelmed me. I let my grief turn into anger, and I took it out on you."
She exhaled softly and bowed her head.
"You didn't deserve that, and I'm sorry."
Luca watched her bow her head slightly, humbled by the gesture. It wasn't something he expected from someone like her—a woman of status, elegance, and authority.
He exhaled softly, then gave her a small grin.
"You know… Luna takes after you quite a lot."
Nyx blinked, caught off guard.
"Hm? What makes you say that?"
"Well." Luca said, reclining back a little as he looked up at her. "When we first met, Luna realized she'd been in the wrong and apologized instantly."
"No hesitation, no excuses, she bowed her head and took responsibility with this almost…humble sincerity."
He chuckled. "Honestly, I didn't expect that from an elf princess. And when I saw you do the same did, I thought—yeah, she definitely takes after you."
Nyx's eyes turned gentle, and a mellow smile appeared.
"That's a relief. I'm glad I raised her right."
But Luca's expression twisted awkwardly.
"…Lulu, on the other hand…"
"Oh? What about Lulu?"
"Well, let's just say she's a little… headstrong."
He gave her a awkward gaze like a teacher telling a parent her child was 'special'.
"She doesn't accept her mistakes very easily. And she's got this way of puffing herself up, like she's always got to prove she's the smartest in the room."
Hearing this, Nyx chuckled softly, the corners of her mouth lifting into a knowing smile.
"That's probably from my sister." She said teasingly. "She's got her mother's arrogance and heartiness running right through her blood."
She chuckled again, shaking her head fondly.
"It's funny, actually. My sister, when she was younger was far more like Lulu than Luna. Mischievous, proud, never one to back down."
That revelation made Luca blink.
"Really? I never would've guessed."
Nyx smiled wistfully, her gaze turning distant, her tone dipping into something nostalgic.
"Oh, you'd be surprised. As a child, she was wild. Always climbing trees, always challenging the elders, always trying to prove she could do anything better than anyone else. She was fierce and reckless."
"A lot like Lulu, really....But it's strange how much time changes people."
Luca watched her quietly, noting how her voice softened when she spoke of her sister's past.
But then Nyx seemed to catch herself, as though she didn't want to linger too long on the memory. She took a small breath and brushed the thought away.
"Anyway." She said, clearing her throat. "I didn't just come here just to talk about old memories or to apologize."
Luca tilted his head. "Oh?"
"Tonight, we'll be sending off my mother, our Grand Matriarch to rest with nature." Her voice trembled with reverence. "It's a sacred ceremony, one we elves hold dear. I wanted to personally invite you to attend."
Luca sat up straighter.
"Me? Are you sure? Won't your sister…object? Isn't it supposed to be an intimate ceremony?"
Nyx shook her head firmly.
"I'll take care of Leona. You are someone Mother personally entrusted her final words to. Whether Leona accepts it or not…Mother recognized you. That's more than enough."
Luca smiled faintly. "Then I'll be there."
"Good." She said. "I'll come fetch you when it's time."
Then, glancing toward the trees where the others were gathering, she sighed.
"I probably shouldn't stay here too long, though. Even though I'm not a child, my sister still scolds me whenever I break her rules. I don't want to get caught sneaking around like Luna and Lulu."
Luca chuckled. "You mean you'll get grounded too?"
"Exactly." Nyx grinned playfully.
She turned to leave, but just as she was about to step away, Luca called out.
"Wait—just a minute."
She paused and turned back to him, curious.
"What is it?"
Luca looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking.
"Your sister…she isn't really as cold and merciless as she seems, is she?"
Nyx blinked, a little surprised by the question.
"I mean, she acts distant, like she doesn't care." He continued slowly, his tone hesitant. "But I've seen her face. When she saw Luna and Lulu safe, there was a moment—just a second—but I saw it."
"Relief. Real relief. She cherishes them, doesn't she? Loves them deeply. She just…doesn't know show it for some reason."
Nyx was silent for a long moment, her eyes studying him carefully. Then, to his surprise, a small, amazed smile spread across her face.
"Well, well." She murmured, impressed. "I didn't expect someone who just arrived in our village to notice something like that so quickly."
Her gaze became gentle, and she crouched slightly, meeting his eyes at level.
"Everyone here believes my sister despises her daughters. Some even think she hates me. The way she acts, it's easy to believe that. But you…"
She tilted her head with a faint, admiring smirk.
"…you saw through it instantly."
Luca scratched his cheek, slightly embarrassed.
"Just a feeling. She reminds me of someone I used to know."
Nyx smiled faintly, the expression carrying a trace of melancholy.
"You're right, though. She does love them. More than she can ever admit. She hides it so well that even her own daughters can't see it. Sometimes, even I start to doubt it myself."
She sighed softly, her eyes turning distant again.
"But I believe, deep down, she cares for them fiercely. She's just…pushing them away for reasons only she knows."
Luca studied her for a moment, then said softly.
"The way you're saying that… it's like even you don't really understand why she's acting like this. But you still believe in her."
That made Nyx smile—though this time, her smile carried a hint of cunning mischief.
"You catch on fast." She said, her tone playful again. "But I'm not going to tell you any more than that."
"Why not?" Luca asked, leaning forward slightly.
"Because..." She said, turning halfway toward him. "...even though we've accepted you as our hero, I can't be completely open about our family matters. Not yet."
Her smirk widened slightly.
"We'll see. Impress me, Hero. If you really are as capable as Luna and Lulu keep saying, maybe one day I'll tell you what's really going on in this family."
And with that, she turned gracefully, walking away.
Her every movement was elegant and fluid, her well-rounded ass swaying slightly with each step in a way that was almost hypnotic.
Luca watched her go, shaking his head with a faint chuckle.
"She really knows how to keep a man guessing." He muttered under his breath.
Then, stretching his arms over his head, he let out a long sigh.
"Guess I'll just have to work harder to earn their trust someday."
He leaned back under the tree once more, closing his eyes as the forest around him grew quieter.
The sun began to sink behind the horizon, casting golden streaks through the trees and soon, the night blossomed, a sky full of color and wonder.
Three moons rose together: one glowing a deep crimson, one pale blue, and the last pure white.
Lanterns illuminated the bridges above, fireflies and glowing tree pods shimmered like stars, and the village came alive with quiet, reverent light.
The guards who had been stationed in the trees slowly began to leave, whispering about the Grand Matriarch's send-off ceremony.
They didn't want to miss it and soon, Luca was left completely alone under the great tree.
He yawned, staring up at the glowing canopy, feeling the hum of the forest settle into a peaceful rhythm.
But then—suddenly—a faint shimmer of light appeared beside him.
The air rippled, twisting like water, until a glowing portal formed right next to where he sat.
Luca blinked once, then smirked to himself, standing up.
"I guess it's time." He said softly. "Time to meet the goddess…and finally get some answers."
He stepped into the portal with a very clear plan in mind:
Complain.
Protest.
And absolutely scold the goddess for leaving out vital information.
Because honestly, how could she not tell him that the male and female demi-human races had been separated for centuries?
Or that the male demi-humans couldn't reproduce anymore?
Those were world-shaking details.
"Such unprofessionalism…" He muttered as the portal swallowed him. "This time I'm going to give her a piece of my—"
But the moment he emerged, all his prepared speeches, complaints, outrage, and dramatic hand gestures died in his throat.
Because he was suddenly floating in an endless void—an abyss of shimmering stars and standing on a smooth white platform suspended in nothingness.
And directly in front of him—
The Goddess of Space herself.
Beautiful, radiant, and terrifyingly divine. Her long black hair floated weightlessly behind her, shimmering like strands of the night sky itself.
Her eyes glowed with galaxies, and her robe flowed like liquid starlight, her bare feet hovering inches above the white surface.
Luca opened his mouth, ready to shout his frustrations.
But before he could utter a single word, she was already upon him.
She grabbed the collar of his shirt with both hands and yanked him forward, her expression a mixture of anger, distress, and disbelief.
"How could you?!" She shouted, her voice trembling as if she were on the verge of tears. "How could you do it, Luca?!"
Luca blinked, completely caught off guard. "What—?"
"I told you, didn't I?!" She cried, shaking him furiously. "I told you not to kill so many people! I told you to hold back! But still—still—you just had to do it, didn't you, you reckless mortal?!"
Her voice echoed through the void, each word rippling across the stars.
"Goddammit! Do you have any idea what you've done?!" She shook him again, her eyes wide with a mix of fury and anguish. "How many times have I told you not to take things that far?! And yet—!"
She clenched his collar tighter.
"You still did exactly what I told you not to do!"
Luca stumbled under her grip, blinking in total confusion.
"Wha—wait, wait, wait—what are you talking about?! I—You're supposed to be the one getting yelled at, not me!"
But she didn't listen. She shook him harder, ranting like an angry mother scolding her child.
"Do you have any idea the kind of chaos you've caused?! The heavens are in uproar! The balance of realms is falling apart! Everyone is blaming me for your mess!"
She looked like she was about to cry from sheer frustration.
"D-Do you even know how many complaints I've received this week because of you?! So many! So many that I couldn't even count them all!"
Luca's head was spinning from being rattled like a rag doll. He tried to steady his voice.
"Okay, okay, look—I get it, you're upset about something. But if you keep shaking me like this, I'm going to puke all over your robe!"
Her furious expression twitched slightly.
"So if you actually want me to talk." He said dryly. "Maybe try not strangling me and let me go so we can talk like, you know, reasonable adults."
The goddess froze, glaring at him like she was this close to snapping his neck herself. For a moment, he thought she might actually do it.
But then, after a long exhale, she finally let go of his shirt and crossed her arms, fuming.
"Alright, can we start with what exactly I did that got you this mad?"
He said and immediately the goddess's jaw tightened. Her voice quivered with restrained fury.
"What did you do?" She hissed. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"
She threw her arms up dramatically, pacing in circles like someone who'd lost all patience.
"What DIDN'T you do?!" She snapped.
"You—YOU have thrown the entire human continent into CHAOS! You've completely destroyed the world's balance! Do you have ANY idea the kind of mayhem your massacres caused?!"
Luca blinked.
"…massacres?"
"YES! GENOCIDES!" She shouted. "THE WHOLE HUMAN CONTINENT IS IN PANIC BECAUSE OF YOU!"
Luca stood there, stunned into silence.
This was…
Not the conversation he expected.