Belladonna’s mind raced with all sorts of possibilities, but thankfully this time they did not appear before her to torment her. Perhaps it was because Sylvi was controlling the realm to make sure it didn’t happen, or perhaps it was just happening in a way that she could not understand, which was entirely possible with this impossible dream-like realm.

"W-what are you going to do with us?" Belladonna asked, her voice shaking not from the pain in her mind, but from the terror gripping her heart. Even if she was in the body of Belladonna, she did not feel safe in the slightest.

She had no idea the capabilities of these Gods, the reach of their knowledge. For once, she was completely blind, and even worse, it hurt to even attempt to look.

"What am I going to do with you..." Sylvi muttered contemplatively, as a deafening silence spread across the illusionary cafe.

All at once, the hushed and romantic conversations died out in an instance. All of the individuals populating the cafe slowly turned their heads, staring silently at Belladonna. Their eyes wide and unblinking, as they sat in complete and utter silence. Not even breathing, as they waited from the word of their Goddess to pounce.

Sylvi slowly rose from her seat, her eyes hidden beneath her hoods shadow as her smile twisted from mischievous, to truly devilish. An aura of bloodlust and absolute destruction emanating from her and filling the room.

She slowly raised her hand, pressing two fingers against each other and snapped her fingers.

Belladonna gasped as she suddenly fell, and smacked her butt against the ground, as the chair beneath her disappeared, as did the rest of the cafe and everyone that was inside of it. Leaving her with just the standing Goddess, who had returned to her classic cloaked appearance, as they once again stood in the fog filled void. Although she could swear that she saw movement in the corner of her eye.

"I’m going to let you go." Sylvi said with a wicked laugh, before a door rose from the fog behind Belladonna and creaked lowly as it slowly swung open.

Belladonna glanced over her shoulder at the door, and the dark void within its opening, before looking back at Sylvi with a mixture of confusion, terror and betrayal.

"What?" Sylvi said with a smile. "I’m the Goddess of Trickery. I was only having a little fun with you. Besides, if we killed all of you, then where would the fun be? You’re entertaining to watch, plus you have your uses.

Speaking of, I know that one of your little friends is a disciple of mine, and she seems to be on the right path. Give her this, it is the tale of the black sun. It should be educational."

She gestured to Belladonna’s lap, where a leather bound book now sat. It’s cover was red like rusted iron, and it had no title. Only the image of a pure black sun that radiated white light. Of course, it was not so simple as that.

Naturally the image of the sun was moving, the white lines representing its light shifted and waved, as if the light was actually being radiated out from it. Although when Belladonna ran her hands tentatively over the cover, she could not feel a single hint of this movement.

That added to the pain in her mind even more.

If Sylvi had ended it there, it would have been fine. A bit disorientating, perhaps. But not mind bending, not to a breaking point. But of course, the Goddess Sylvi could not help but add a little more, as she leaned down with a smile.

"Don’t worry though, this isn’t a trick. Or maybe it is, or maybe putting that suggestion into your mind is actually all part of the trick to make you doubt yourself. After all, a good trick needs the truth every now and then, but is this one of those times, or am I just saying that to add to the trick?"

She cackled as Belladonna’s eyes darted back and forth trying to make sense of the logic that she had been fed, leading her round and round in circles of doubt and second guessing. However when she looked up again, she was no longer in the white void.

Belladonna sat in the Grimshawl Chiefs throne room, facing the throne itself, with the stone carved door closed behind her. The leather bound book with the shifting cover still sat in her lap, and her head throbbed.

However, when she shifted herself to quickly shove the book in her bag, so that it stopped making her head hurt from its strange, divine nature, her foot bumped against a glass bottle that had not been there when she entered the door.

Putting the book away, Belladonna picked up the bottle and clambered to her feet. The bottle was simple, styled like a classic beer bottle, but instead of a product label, it simply had a note stuck to it that said ’Drink me’.

"I thought this was supposed to come after I fell down the rabbit hole... Although, I guess I do fit in with the madness now." Belladonna muttered to herself with a sigh, before lifting the bottle to her lips and following its instructions.

Once again, the flavour of her perfect cup of coffee exploded across her taste buds. It tasted exactly the same as it did in Sylvi’s realm, but drinking it here Belladonna could also feel her headache was receding.

That alone was all she needed to gulp down the entire bottle in one go, not taking the time to appreciate the literally divine taste of it, as her headache was reduced down to a dull throb, which was much more manageable. However that was not the only benefit.

As soon as she lowered the bottle, the crystal on her hand flashed as the system displayed a notification before her eyes.

[You have tasted a piece of the Divine.]

[Effects:- Upon tasting-]

And that was as far as the notification got, before it suddenly glitched and changed. After the glitching stopped, it now read,

[Effects:- Why should I tell you? That spoils all of my fun. Oh and by the way~ The answer to your question is the passage of time.

Now run along, and go make more fun for me while you find the question~]

Belladonna could not help but sigh as she read that notification. Even if there was no signature, she could easily tell that it was a message from Sylvi. Great... that was just what she needed.

Glancing at the bottle, she let out another sigh, before tossing it to the side and strutting out of the room.