[Realm: Álfheimr]

[Location: The Deathless Fortress]

Ella let out an irritated breath as she descended the spiraling stone stairs, her slippers tapping in a loud rhythm against each step. "Ugh, that damn curse is so annoying…" she muttered, rolling her neck as though the frustration lived in her bones. Robert had peeled away from her earlier, and without him at her side the lingering agitation showed more clearly on her face—though not even annoyance dared to diminish the natural beauty that clung to her like it was part of the air she breathed.

("It's not even all that complex,") she thought, rubbing her temple as she stepped off the final stair, ("but the bastard designed it to leave after-effects even when removed correctly. And not knowing what those side effects are? That's the annoying part.")

The bottom floor greeted her with a lung full of stale breath. A massive underground chamber stretched outward into shadow, lit only by a few weary lanterns suspended from chains overhead. Their dim sway casted a faint light across the stone, just barely carving out definitions—shapes, bodies and movement.

Ella scanned it all with bored crimson eyes.

("The Serpentmother's Covenant…") she thought, jaw tightening. ("What a stupid ass name.")

The cultists moved in sluggish currents around the chamber, each draped in dull emerald outfits with heavy tarps veiling their faces. Some carried butchered animal carcasses, others lugged crates leaking unidentifiable fluids. A couple whispered hurriedly as they tried to drag some mangled creature across the floor. The air reeked—rot, damp fur and stale blood. Ella wrinkled her nose.

"Disgusting," she muttered, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she walked forward without even pretending to care about them.

They parted instantly, their movements abrupt and stiff. She didn't need magic for that—she was simply the kind of presence the eye couldn't ignore and the body refused to test. A few of them froze mid-stride, openly staring. Work faltered. Footsteps stopped. Even covered faces couldn't hide how their posture shifted—fear mixed with a strange, almost pathetic awe.

Ella ignored them.

Her steps brought her to an enormous stone-slab door etched with scenes of monstrous figures—serpents with too many heads, hounds with too many faces, beasts whose shapes the human mind wasn't designed to fully process. Two cultists stood guard, gripping jagged spears that trembled just slightly in their nervous hands.

One of them stepped forward. "Only members of the Serpentmother's Covenant are allowed through," he said, trying to sound official. It came out gruff, but strained.

Ella stared at him dryly. "Ah?" Her crimson gaze sharpened and the man froze. "Do you really want to take that tone with me?"

"Th-this… this is merely our lady's wi—"

SPLAT.

His body ruptured inward, imploding like something crushed him from the inside. Blood burst in a grotesque fountain, spraying bones and shredded organs across the stone and drenching the second guard. Not a single drop touched Ella.

She dusted her sleeve. "Annoying."

The remaining guard made a sound between a whimper and a gasp.

Ella tilted her head. "You want to experience that too? Move."

He scrambled aside so quickly he almost tripped.

Around the chamber, cultists went motionless, fear rippling through them like a contagious sickness. Yet none dared step forward.

"Pussies," Ella muttered, raising a delicate hand. She snapped her fingers, and the massive door groaned as old mechanisms pulled it open.

Inside, torches lined the walls, their emerald flames casting eerie ripples of green light over the cavernous expanse.

And it was a nightmare.

Deseruit Beasts—hundreds of them—spread across the cavern. Bodies of every shape and wrongness filled her vision. Some were small and skittering, others hulking and lumbering. Some resembled animals twisted through sadistic imagination; others seemed birthed from nightmares that shouldn't belong anywhere in creation. A few feasted on corpses—animal or otherwise—ripping flesh in wet crunches. Others clashed with each other, their scuffles shaking the ground.

But all of them stopped.

Their attention snapped to Ella as she walked with absolute calm into their domain.

Not one attacked. Not one even tried. Only a massive hound-shaped Deseruit Beast stepped forward, fur black, eyes glowing red, its bony tail rattling as though preparing to strike.

Ella's gaze turned toward it.

The beast froze mid-motion.

"You wanna go, mutt?" she asked casually.

It whimpered and backed away.

From deeper within the cavern, a silken voice drifted. "I wish you wouldn't be so harsh with my children whenever you visit."

Ella scoffed and made her way toward the voice. "Maybe they should stop trying to test me," she muttered.

It didn't take long to find the source.

A massive form lay coiled among the Deseruit Beasts. Larger ones—truly massive creatures—rested comfortably against her. They looked almost content.

Ella's gaze moved up.

The upper body was that of an impossibly beautiful woman—emerald eyes too soothing, raven hair that draped freely and covered her bare chest, features carved with unnatural perfection. But her scale of size dwarfed any human several times over.

And below the waist, she was serpent—a long, emerald tail curled protectively around the beasts at her feet.

Ella planted her hands on her hips. "And does that statement apply to these uglies," she gestured at the beasts, "or your little cult?"

The serpentine woman smiled softly. "To my dear children, of course." She stroked one of the massive beasts beside her. "My worshippers are amusing, but lately… mm, they've become so terribly dull."

Ella snorted. "And what would they think if they heard their precious Echidna call them boring?"

"They'd keep worshipping me," Echidna replied with a lazy shrug. "Humans are so simple-minded. It's almost adorable."

"Repulsive, you mean," Ella corrected. "Anyway, I'm surprised you're not begging for mana. You usually start whining for a refill the moment I show up."

"Oh, there's no need for that anymore," Echidna said.

Ella's eyes narrowed. "And why's that?"

Echidna gently rubbed her smooth stomach, gaze half-lidded. "The Goddesses body I'm inhabiting no longer resists me. Soon we'll merge completely. I'm almost at full power already."

"Good for you," Ella said dryly.

Echidna giggled. "But surely you didn't come here for small talk. Or"—her eyes gleamed with mischief—"have you finally come to partake in some mating? I've just finished a session, but my children would be thrilled to have you join us."

Ella stared at her, deadpan. "One, they're monsters and I'm not built for any of that freaky shit. Two, aren't these all your kids and you— you know what? You're Greek. Why am I even surprised?"

Echidna's lips curled mischievously. "Mm… but blood ties mean so little to beings like us. And my children are very capable lovers." Her voice dropped into a sultry purr. "Warm bodies, strong limbs, instincts tuned for pleasure rather than patience…"

"Stop," Ella said flatly.

Echidna only grinned wider. "You're stiff today. More than usual. Are you tired? Lonely? Frustrated? I could help with all three… simultaneously."

Ella pinched the bridge of her nose. "I swear, you are the most unbearably horny creature in existence."

"Oh? Only the most? I'm flattered, but I can do better." Echidna shifted, coils gliding over each other in a sensual ripple. "If you sat in my lap right now, I could show you exactly why so many Gods feared my embrace. And why so many mortals begged for it."

Ella pointed a finger at her. "Do not finish that sentence."

Echidna rested her chin on her hand. "You know… you always say no, but you never walk away quickly. That means something, doesn't it?" She leaned forward, voice lowering. "You linger. You always linger. Maybe you're waiting for someone to finally tempt you properly."

Ella slowly raised a hand. "Do you want me to blow up this entire cavern?"

"Mmm… threats only make me want you more," Echidna sighed. "That temper… that fire… Gods, you'd be divine in bed."

Ella spoke through clenched teeth. "Remember the curse? Koschei's? That's why I'm here, not to bed you."

"Ah." Echidna blinked once, then smiled sweetly. "You wanted me to analyze it. It's such a nasty little hex. Unfortunately only the caster can undo it. Even killing him won't solve it."

Ella stared. "…Fantastic. You were useless."

"You wound me," Echidna said with dramatic offense. "And you haven't even touched me yet."

Ella turned away. "I'm leaving. This place stinks."

"Tata~" Echidna sang, waving coyly. "And sweet Ella… if you ever want release—physical, emotional, divine—my door is always open."

Ella kept walking.

"Such a tease," Echidna hummed behind her.

Ella didn't bother responding to Echidna's final teasing remark. She simply walked away briskly across the stone as she made her exit. Her posture was rigid, jaw set, steps quick—every movement practically screaming that she had no interest in lingering a second longer.

("I should've known better than to expect anything helpful out of her,") she thought, irritation threading through her voice even in her own mind. ("She's ancient, powerful, and certifiably insane. That combination never leads to answers—just headaches. So yeah… that one's on me. I got my hopes up like an idiot.")

A hulking Deseruit Beast to her right leaned down as she passed, its drooling maw hovering far too close. Ella didn't even look at it.

"You stare at me like that again and I'll rip your eyes out," she muttered. The creature recoiled instinctively.

She pressed onward.

("Still…") Her thoughts narrowed. ("It nags at me. Why did Koschei even help this cult drag her into existence in the first place? He's not the charitable type. He wouldn't lift a finger unless it served something. And this—bringing her into the world—this feels like a move with layers I'm not seeing.")

She exhaled sharply, frustration curling out.

The cavern warbled with an odd, grating sound—something like metal scraping against the air. Ella's crimson eyes flicked up, then she simply vanished, the space that held her folding in on itself for a fraction of a second.

In the span of a breath, she reappeared atop one of the fortress's many towers. Wind immediately battered her dress, tugging at her hair as she looked up into the heavy gray skies.

For a moment, she was still.

("Koschei said the Retorta Guild had an interest in her…") she recalled, brows furrowing. ("I brushed that off at the time, but what if that wasn't just some throwaway remark?")

She folded her arms tightly, shoulders rising and falling in a slow breath.

("Could the real reason he brought her here have less to do with this cult and more to do with whatever the Guild wants with her? With Echidna specifically?")

Her eyes narrowed at the horizon, as if the clouds were holding answers just out of reach.

("That'd make more sense than believing Koschei did anything for them out of loyalty. He doesn't do loyalty. He barely does self-preservation. The Guild, though… they always seem to have a angle.")

A beat.

Ella's expression hardened.

("But the thing I can't stop thinking about—the thing that almost makes my skin crawl—is what I sensed down there. That presence.")

She tightened her grip around her own arms, almost unconsciously.

("A Goddess. There's no mistaking that kind of spiritual noise. I've seen Gods before, they all feel like that.")

She frowned.

("Bringing a being of that caliber into existence by using a God as a template? A foundation?")

A humorless scoff escaped her.

("This universe has gone straight to shit.")

She stared at the bleak sky for a long moment.

("I swear… every time I think I've seen the bottom of this world's insanity, someone digs it a little deeper.")

The wind howled around her.

But then Ella smiled, as if satisfied with herself, "Guess I'll just get rid of Echidna... or maybe... hm, she's also from another realm so maybe... Yeah, I'll just free the Goddess and take Echidna's soul... I could get my answers that way."

She stated it all too confidently, as if facing such a monster were an easy task.

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