Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

It was a puzzling day for Athenia. She'd been staring at the looking mirror, and everywhere that she looked, something strange was looking right back at her. It first started last night, when the sun and the moon refused to change their shifts. However, forcing her authority over them, she made them work as intended, and the cycle of night and day continued.

But that was merely the start of the confusion, as nothing seemed wrong in Elenaris and everyone under her blessing was doing something awkward or insane. Jenna–the feared and crazed alchemist, was brewing who knows what kind of potions? Linkle, who was supposed to be supervising her, was wandering away with Aredin and his party.

Helga had decided to settle into an empty house given to her by the iron queen, and Darius Aylin, Reina were bothering each other with their presence. Exactly how? The lovers wanted to make love, but the blacksmith wouldn't get a hint and leave.

The island nations were no different. Mercedes, Hilma, Felix and Astra each had their own thing going on–with the last two still planning to betray the hero eventually. Gallaria was the only one, unbothered by everything, and simply guarded the treasures that lay in Aranuvia.

Needless to say, a bit overwhelmed for the day–the goddess decided to take things into her bath and let her mind melt in warm water along with her body. Bare to her radiant skin, she submerged her body with her long legs resting on the golden tub's edge. Flooding the bath with soapy bubbles, she lathered herself with them.

Leaning back as it was all done, she turned to the news that a familiar of Raguel had brought her secretly.

'The chosen from Gaia are dead, huh? That's certainly one piece of good news.' Unfolding the letter some more with her sharp, wet nails, Athenia read further down to find out more about how it all happened. 'A saint killer? He killed them, but why?'

As she read more and more, she sank deeper and deeper into the water. Allowing herself to melt away, she was relaxed enough not to freak out when she read.

'His hatred for the world drives him forward. Only by returning him to his daughter will he be contained. Do not make any deals with him, do not try to tempt him with power–the chosen tried to and their fate is now known to all of the heavens. Death won't hold him either, if it is hell that he shall traverse to get back home, then he shall. The human holds faith–not in any god but in himself, and that is the bane of all immortals that rely on faith as feed to their power.'

A lot of words to say nothing at all. That's what Athenia felt about the letter at first. Yet as her mind wandered back through memory, she remembered her father's warning the last time she'd met him with the help of Elenaria.

'The only thing father feared was faithless humans. I shouldn't jump to conclusions about this man yet.' Athenia thought to herself, and as her mind wandered, she questioned why Raguel even sent him this letter. 'He doesn't want me to make a deal with him. That means I can't help him get back to Gaia either. And if I can't make a deal and can't help him get home, then why even tell me that he's out there? As a precaution? Can he even be sent back without Razor getting his panties in a twist anyway?'

Pulling her head out of the water, Athenia put the letter away and heaved a heavy sigh.

"Another headache…" And why wouldn't she have one? The title held by this man was enough to garner her curiosity, but the added confusion only made him a further topic of interest and worry.

Pressing a hand to her temples, she sank her head halfway into the water again. Blowing out some bubbles, she tried to soothe her heart, but nothing seemed to work anymore.

'Can he kill the heroes? Raguel's letter sounds like a warning after all. Is that why he sent me a letter to avoid him at all costs?' As her mind kept racing, Athenia didn't stop to consider the simplest conclusion of all.

Raguel was tired of the gods treating their world as a playground, and thus the only man who deserved to live amongst the chosen was helped to escape from that hell that everyone called the heavens. As for the letter? It was neither a warning nor an invitation to befriend the man, for the ambassador of the gods knew that with or without help from anyone, the killer of saints would find a way to get back to his daughter.

And right now, as the angel saw it, there was one person in this world who could help the man achieve just that. But that same person had ill intentions of their own, intentions that would squander all hope and leave nothing but chaos in their tracks.

"WHATEVER!" Standing up with a jolt, Athenia decided not to worry her head about something that she had no control over. After all, not only was she unaware of his whereabouts, but she also had no clue what in the world she was supposed to do with him–if even she was supposed to do anything at all.

In spite of that, the name…It haunted her. Thus, against her better judgment, she connected her mind to Raven and spoke the words.

"I need you or your spies to find a man who goes by Saint Killer or the Killer of Saints. Just don't get too close to him and report back to me as soon as you find that man!" Still in the middle of investigating Elenaris, Raven was surprised to get another request from the goddess. Yet, as he lacked the insight that she had due to her being an overseer of this world, the warlord decided to leave the kingdom under Helga's watch and instead return to Athenia and come up with a plan to find a man with that name.

But waiting for him back wasn't just a heap of work. Another surprise awaited Raven, one about to be presented by high priestess Erika.