Chapter 12: Ch.12: The Goddess Message
In the domain of Lilith, the goddess sat on her throne, listening to her spirit, who was temporarily filling in the role Lucia had left behind.
"It's been a week since you have found your champion. Are you really not going to let your children know that you have found their savior?"
This spirit had a fishtail bottom, was covered in ombré of blue and white fur, and spoke in the voice of a charming female voice.
Lilith remained silent. She did not want to betray Rhia's trust, but, at the same time, wanted to soothe the unrest of her children. It took some time, but she finally devised a way to satisfy both sides.
Inside the Temple of Darkness, the Cardinal, an older man well past his prime yet still wise with a head of white hair, said nothing as he lay with his back against his bedframe.
The Cardinal's room was the largest room at the temple, but while there were riches, it had a sense of simplicity and warmth which spoke for his character.
"Who do they think they are, blocking me from meeting the king? I tell you, they have no respect for the temple! Do they not realize the might of our power as the only ones who can hear our beloved goddess Lilith's voice?!"
'Speaks the one who has yet to receive a message from her,' the Cardinal thought to himself as he listened to Dark High Priest Anthony rant about the disrespect the royal family had been displaying towards the temple when he was hit with a splitting headache out of the blue.
"C-Cardinal?" The high priest noticed the Cardinal wasn't looking too good, holding a hand to his forehead.
The Cardinal's vision flashed in and out, squinting his eyes as he barely heard the distress of Dark High Priest Anthony calling out to him before yelling for help.
A few seconds later, priests with healing powers and another high priest in the vicinity came rushing into the room in a panic.
"What is happening to the Cardinal? Speak, Dark High Priest Anthony!"
The man demanding answers wore black robes similar to the ones Dark High Priest Anthony wore. Yet this man had a dignified temper, unlike his greedy associate.
The Cardinal was in great distress when a voice he hadn't heard in a long time spoke inside his head.
{My champion has been found, but now is not the time for them to reveal themselves to the world. Until the time is right, they shall remain in the shadows. No harm or distress should befall that child until the right time appears.}
With the message delivered, the pain the Cardinal was experiencing disappeared, but sweat drenched his body. Receiving the goddess's message was no easy feat, looking as if he had aged even more in that short time period.
"Cardinal, are you okay?" asked the concerned voice of the other Dark High Priest, grabbing the man's frail hand, not minding how it was covered in sweat.
"The G-Goddess! The Goddess Lilith has spoken to me!" the Cardinal said in a rush before losing all strength and falling unconscious on his bed as chaos interrupted inside the room.
—
"Welcome to the Forever Night Forest, children! Today we'll be doing some sightseeing~!" the teacher spoke excitedly, hoping to pump the children with joy.
Rhia stood with her hands shoved inside her black graffiti jacket pockets, sucking on a grape flavored lollipop. The school had decided on a short field trip for all fourth-grade students.
"The name really is fitting."
As the name implied, the forest was always nighttime, covered in tall shadowy trees. A patchwork of ferns decorated the silver rock path. Various beastly noises, devil beasts that were no threat to demons, reverberated through the air.
"Look, Rhia! It's a swarm of devil butterflies!"
Naomi pointed to a swarm of butterflies with glowing lavender wings and red eyes. With every flap of their wings, glitter rained down on the ground.
"Rhia, I got you this flower because it matches your eyes."
Rhia's attention was drawn to Alex, who had presented her with a fully bloomed purple flower that matched her eyes.
"Thank you-"
"Hey! Back off and stop trying to steal someone else's love interest!"
Naomi snapped at Alex. Rhia was caught off guard by the cold look the sweet and shy boy directed at Naomi.
"I do not take orders from you, and unlike you, I'm not forcing myself onto Rhia. Too bad the same can not be said for an untrained cat that doesn't understand boundaries."
There was no warmth in Alex's words as Rhia felt she was looking at a different person. Naomi's cat eyes glowed dangerously, highlighting her cat characteristics, nails glinting ominously under the moonlight.
"I want to scratch up that pretty face of yours." Naomi's brows twitched angrily, claws itching to dig themselves into Alex.
Rhia was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
"Alright, you two, calm your jets! I care for the both of you equally!"
Rhia stepped in between them.
"Now, can we please enjoy the rest of our trip in peace?" Rhia grabbed both of their hands. The kids stared down at the hands Rhia was holding and exploded in happiness.
"Whatever my darling wants~!"
"I'll obey, Rhia!"
'How did I get myself in this situation?'
Rhia asked herself but was happy Naomi and Alex reached an agreement so quickly.
The rest of the trip went peacefully as the children were introduced to various devil beasts in the forest, such as a pack of three-eyed devil rams with midnight dark skin covered in purple wool.
Their eyes were red, but despite their menacing appearance, they were very docile as they let the children pat them.
Other species that caught Rhia's attention were the batch of bat-squirrels flying or jumping from tree to tree, hoarding blueberries in their arms.
"They're so cute!" gushed Hinako, desperately trying to catch one of the creatures, only for them to evade her arms.
Hinako was close to grabbing one only to trip and faceplant against the ground. Rhia watched Satsuki run over to the blonde and help her off the ground.
"Didn't I tell you to stop acting recklessly? I'll buy you more stuffed animals, so forget the stupid squirrel!"
Satsuki scolded Hinako, all while wiping the dirt off her and ensuring she was okay.
Rhia smiled at the two girls' warm friendship and was ready to walk away when Hinako opened her mouth.
"You're the best, Satsuki! Believe it!"
The blonde hugged her red faced best friend, but Rhia had other thoughts.
'Why do I feel another lawsuit coming on?'
The children came across a small stream and saw a devil beast ghost tiger resting on a log. The beast got its name due to its camouflage ability and how it liked to sneak up on people.
"Alright, children, before we head home, we'll do a fun scavenger activity!" their homeroom teacher happily announced as she handed out sheets of paper to the students.
"Pair up into groups of threes or twos, and find the three bejeweled eggs listed on the sheet. Those in the top ten will receive a special reward!"
Rhia's group was already formed, and three minutes into the hunt, Naomi and Suzy got into an argument.
"Hey! I saw that egg first!" argued Naomi, glaring at Suzy.
"I don't see your name on it!" Suzy stuck her tongue out at Naomi, whose tail curled around her body.
"Please don't be mad, Naomi! Suzy will give you back the egg if that makes you feel better."
Sofia rushed to interfere, placing herself between the two girls as her interference had drawn the attention of the other kids in the same area.
She used that sweet sugary voice and meek expression that could draw sympathy from the coldest of criminals. Rhia immediately got a bad feeling.
'Not on my watch, white lotus.'
Rhia marched over and grabbed Naomi's hand, dragging her away from the unnecessary drama Sofia was ready to cook up.
"Leave it alone. Let's try out that cave up ahead," Rhia told the other girl.
She didn't like to judge people or assume things about them without knowing them first, unlike Suzy, who could be annoying and a little harsh. Rhia never got a bad feeling from the girl.
The same couldn't be said for her best friend, Sofia. Something about the other girl put her on edge, having suffered enough in her old life to know that there were certain people one should keep at a distance.
'I already got enough on my plate. I'm not about to add unnecessary drama to it.'
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Harem_Queen
Harem_Queen Wonder why Rhia doesn't like Suzy? Also, the cardinal has received Echidna message, but will he be okay? If you want these questions answered, click the next chapter!
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone