Lys turned slowly, heart still hammering in his chest. Water pooled around Mitsu’s feet, and the broken clay jug was scattered across the floor. She stood completely still, eyes wide and fixed on him like she was seeing a stranger for the first time.

Selene’s expression also had shifted. The sharp surprise melted into something tighter, more focused. She ignored the mess on the floor entirely, her dark eyes locked onto Lys now like a blade.

Mitsu finally spoke, with a voice that was barely above a whisper. "A... System? From a goddess?"

Lys raised both hands, trying to keep things calm. "It’s not as crazy as it sounds, okay. Just... don’t freak out, alright?"

Mitsu didn’t freak out.

If anything, she looked strangely steady, her hands slowly lowering to her sides even as water soaked her feet. Selene, on the other hand, stepped forward, completely ignoring Mitsu now.

"What do you mean a goddess sent you to this world?" She demanded. Her voice was low but still intense. "Lys. Explain all of it. Now."

Lys rubbed his face with both hands. There was no easy way out anymore. He let out a long, tired sigh and walked toward the chair beside the kitchen table just in front of them.

"Alright... fine." He glanced between them, then started talking.

The words came out slowly at first, careful, like he was still deciding on how much to share. He told them about waking up in a different body, about the goddess, about the System that appeared the moment he opened his eyes. He explained why the cursed sword didn’t affect him, how it protected him, and how everything that happened to him might be tied back to the mission he was given.

Mitsu listened without interrupting, her expression shifting between quiet shock and something almost like understanding.

Selene, on the other hand, kept pushing with questions, her eyes never leaving his face, demanding details he tried to keep vague.

Lys kept talking, his voice growing quieter as he chose his words. The longer he spoke, the heavier the air in the hallway felt. He still wasn’t sure how much he should really tell them. Not yet.

***

Just a little south of the Beuna village, at the neighboring Viscount estate’s mansion, Liraya sat on the edge of the soft sofa, legs tucked under her. The clean clothes felt strange against her skin, a simple but well-made linen dress in soft cream that actually fit her properly.

These clothes had no tears, no dirt, no makeshift patches. They were clearly expensive by human standards. She ran the thick towel through her golden hair slowly, squeezing water from the strands.

She paused, brought the towel closer to her face, and inhaled once again. Clean linen and a faint hint of flowers filled her. She closed her eyes for a second.

A week ago, she would have laughed at how plain it was. Pantheon standards made everything here feel cheap.

But right now, after four days of smelling nothing but damp earth, rotting leaves, and her own sweat, this towel might as well have been luxury.

She kept drying her hair, but every few strokes she stopped and breathed it in again. She couldn’t help it. It felt humiliating for her and, at the same time, very good. It was a weird mixture of feelings that she never thought existed.

The forest had definitely done something to her.

Not just the scratches on her arms and legs, or the bruises that still ached when she moved. She had seen worse in her divine form. Even though she never felt pain, it wasn’t much for a goddess like her who had millions of years of experience and knowledge.

It was the other part that was bothering her. Four full days of being completely alone, completely powerless. With no divine strength, no one watching her moves constantly made her feel a weird sense of freedom. And with no safety net, just her, the trees, and the very real possibility that she might actually die there like some mortal, made her feel smaller than she knew she was supposed to be.

It had broken something in her.

She still felt furious every time her mind wandered back to it. Kronos. The other gods who let this happen. She cursed them silently in her head with every spare moment she found, the anger burning hot and familiar in her chest.

She wasn’t grateful for any so-called "clarity" this suffering gave her. She wanted her power back. She wanted to make them pay.

But she also couldn’t deny it.

Things felt different now. Sharper. More deeper. The smell of the towel, the warmth of the room, the simple comfort of clean fabric, they hit her harder than they should. She didn’t know what to do with these new feelings yet and wasn’t even sure she wanted them or not.

Then a soft knock sounded at the door.

Liraya lowered the towel into her lap.

"Miss Liraya?" came a gentle voice from outside. A slender maid stepped halfway in when she answered, posture perfect and movements careful.

It was clearly one of Madam Ines’ trained girls. "Madam Ines asked me to check if you’re ready for dinner. She’s waiting in the small dining hall whenever you are."

Liraya nodded once. "Yeah, tell her, I’ll be there soon."

The maid gave a small, polite bow and closed the door quietly behind her.

Liraya sat still for another moment, fingers tracing the edge of the towel. Then she set it aside, stood up, and smoothed the front of her new dress with both hands. The fabric felt soft under her palms.

Then she took one last slow breath, steadying herself, before walking toward the door and opening it.