One step at a time...
After spending a few minutes, Alexa finally creates a profile for Caelia on the social network.
"That's it, your official profile. Now your fans can follow you in real time and you will be able to monitor your reputation with them."
Despite trying hard to get the hang of it, the goddess still seemed a little unsured about all of this. It was too much to hope that someone who doesn't know anything about the current society could jump right into social media and start doing things the right way. But Alexa wasn't in a hurry for her to learn, she would be happy if she took it one step at a time. Besides, she was there to help her whenever she needed it.
"But there is still a problem: amid so many fake profiles, they won't immediately know that this is the right one. You will need to publicize it somehow. That's the difficult part. What are you going to want to do, Caelia?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know, the internet opens up countless possibilities for talented people like you. Now, you just need to find something that you enjoy doing and that at the same time is in the public's interest. Honestly, with the fame you already have, anything that you do would work."
Alexa said that, but how could Caelia know what she should do to get attention? She never thought of her abilities as something that would entertain people and herself, after all, she was too busy acting like a goddess.
"Sorry, I still don't know for sure."
"Hmm... can I make a suggestion?"
Without having much choice, Caelia nods.
"You said your motor skills are impeccable. What about your reaction time?"
"Equally."
"As I thought... this is going to be perfect."
Alexa closes the website and opens another application. The screen fades out and after a few seconds a video clip is played, showing several fictional characters making cool and dramatic moves along with an energetic rock music.
"What is this?"
"A fighting game. Let's test your skills!"
When the opening film ends, the title screen opens, revealing the name of the game: Death Trigger VI, a fighting game from a very renowned franchise that is very popular at the moment. It was Alexa's favorite game, and despite not being on a professional level, she considered herself a good player. Before starting the game, she connects joystick to the computer and makes the settings she finds necessary.
"Okay, now we're good to go!"
She chooses the "versus player" option and a different screen opens, showing the various characters of that game.
"What should I do?"
"First, you must choose a character among these. Use the arrows to toggle and press the X button to choose."
"What criteria should I use?"
"I don't know. Choose what you like most visually."
"Hmm..."
After analyzing them one by one, Caelia chooses a half-plant female character who uses a vine whip as a weapon. Alexa wonders why she chose this character, maybe its mature semblance resembled her of herself.
"Rose Mary, huh? So you like that kind of character ..."
"D-Did I do something wrong?"
"No, don't worry. Now I'm going to show you how the game works."
Alexa chooses her favorite character, Drake: a long haired masked man equipped with a huge scythe. After that, the battle scenario is loaded.
"The objective is to defeat the opponent using your character's attacks. These bars at the top of the screen show the life of each player. To win, you need to do damage until the bar is empty. You must use the arrows to move and the buttons on the right to attack."
"This is somewhat complicated."
Caelia starts by pressing a few buttons to see how her character would react. She jumps, crouches, tests different attacks until she gets used to her movements.
"See? You've already learned!"
"I don't know..."
"You'll be fine. Just follow your instincts. I'm going to play with you to help. Don't worry, I'll take it easy."
Alexa restarts the match and this time she tries to use her character as well to see how the goddess performs. Like any beginner, she pushes several buttons at once and keeps moving around unnecessarily, but somehow she was managing to distance herself from Alexa's pressure.
"Yes! You're doing really well! Keep it up!"
Alexa gradually increases her aggression but Caelia is able to block her movements and counterattack. For some reason, she couldn't do enough damage, and whenever Alexa made a mistake, Caelia punished her immediately. Without even noticing, Alexa had lost the match.
"Wha--?! Wow, that's what I call a beginner's luck. But this time I'm not going easy with you. Ready?"
This Alexa started the match with everything she had, but Caelia was also more comfortable taking risks. Eventually she started doing combos and launching special abilities as well.
"Wow, you learn it fast, uh? How did you do... H-Hey! How did you find this out yourself?! Damn!"
It was unbelievable how quickly Caelia got the hang of that game. She was fast and accurate, like a well-developed artificial intelligence. At a certain point, Alexa couldn't do anything against her, she was so frustrated that she forgot even why they were doing it. Soon, the match was over and Alexa, sulking, drops the joystick on the table.
"I don't believe! I lost to someone who has never played in my life!"
"Sorry..."
"No, it's not your fault. This was only more effective than I thought. "
"But this is quite fun."
Caelia gives a subtle smile. Alexa forgets her frustration and smiles back.
"Wanna go again?"
They spent the rest of the night playing, forgetting the real purpose of that activity. But the time they lost was worth it, for Alexa, at least. She couldn't be more happy.
***
One day went by and nothing relevant happened in Asteria. The only busy place now is the Lionheart Castle, which was clogged with meetings about the city's situation, but outside the government affairs the city was somehow peaceful. Because security was tougher, the city was not receiving many visitors, only locals could be seen on the streets and they were not many.
The night came quickly.
A blonde girl with bird wings prostrates herself in front of the remains of what was once a sacred monument. The goddess she had worshiped for so long had awakened as she always wished, and at first it was as if a dream came true, but now her heart is uncertain. Despite all the confusion the goddess caused on the first day, there has been no news from her since. The goddess was gone and her whereabouts are unknown. Rumors and theories have spread all over the internet, the goddess is now a celebrity like never before and the girl didn't know how to feel about it.
"(Where are you, goddess? How long will it take for you to retake your role and reign in this world again? When will you bring us salvation?")
Unable to resolve her feelings, the girl gets up and leaves the sanctuary. After three days in quarantine, the building had finally been released to the public again, but no one had any interest in it except a few isolated reporters who would soon be gone as well. Without the goddess, that place was empty as never before, there was not even a meaning for it to be there. And as its only visitor since everything started, the girl could do nothing but accept.
But a silhouette appears at the entrance to the building, preventing the girl from leaving. The moonlight was not enough to reveal its identity, and it's only when the girl carefully approaches that she can see its appearance. It was a tall and beautiful woman, with exotic clothes reminiscent of those of a divinity. Unfortunately for the girl, that wasn't the goddess she wanted to appear.
"W-Who are you?"
The woman approaches the girl, apparently irritated. The girl is startled and for an instant tries to walk away, but it is too late: the woman was already right in front of her.
"You are an angel? You are the first one I saw around here. Do you angels also live alongside with the humans?"
The girl, not knowing exactly how to respond, cringes like a turtle trying to hide in its shell. The woman doesn't know if her silence is a confirmation of her question or if she was just too scared to answer.
"Whatever... I was told that this was where Caelia was. Is it true?"
Still afraid, the girl waves her head down.
"So it was true. Where is she now?"
The girl looks away to escape the question again. How could she answer it, when the whole world was after that answer?
"Tell me!"
The girl closes her eyes in fright. It seems that her defense mechanism didn't work this time.
"...I don't know."
The woman continues to stare at her with intimidating eyes. Her research hasn't been good since she arrived in this city, as she wanted to avoid humans as much as possible. She needed to make use of everything at her disposal, even if it meant scaring an innocent girl.
"You're not lying, are you?"
"No! Nobody knows where she is, I swear!"
The girl didn't seem to be lying. The woman gives up pressing her and lets out a disappointed sigh.
"Whatever. I can take care of her later."
"...what do you want with the goddess?"
"Huh? I can't hear you."
The girl closes her fists and gathers courage.
"What do you want with the goddess ?! Who are you, anyway?!"
The woman is briefly startled by the girl's sudden behavior, but it doesn't take long before she regains her former composure.
"It's none of your business."
"Then why are you here? Why are you dressed like that? Do you feel like a goddess or something?"
"No... not yet. But soon..."
"Do you think this is a game? You're mocking me, that's why you're here? This is a sacred place, don't you know? That's why I hate humans, they are so disrespectful!"
Without understanding her tantrum, the woman suddenly loses control of the situation. That young girl who looked so innocent and frightened before was now so unexpectedly angry, as if the woman had offended her in some way. She was now looking at her own feet, trying to calm herself.
"I'm not a human."
"Huh?"
"And like you, I also have something against them. That's why I'm here. What about you? What are you doing in this place alone?"
"...nothing."
"So you also have your own reasons."
The woman turns her back on the girl, who does not react.
"Just one more thing: can you tell me who is the leader of this nation and where is he? I have business to deal with him."
The woman looks at the unknown horizon, trying to glimpse the dangerous future that awaited her. She feels a brief discomfort mixed with anxiety in her heart. The time for retaliation had come.
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