The Goddess' Champion

After long enough, Aurelianne's counterpart left and the silver-haired goddess found herself alone in her now replenished private realm.

"..." She looked sideways and there was all beauty, but also... all loneliness.

'Son...' She held her chest, pained.

The Realm of the Gods was too big, with countless realms where gods cohabitated, were she not Nova's avatar, at any given time could her realm be invaded by other gods,

thankfully the space goddess had already left countermeasures against that.

'I have to be ready for when he dies... I'm going to be his... goddess...'

There were several matters she was worried about, first... he would become her champion and not any of his other goddess wives who would surely fight themselves for that spot.

She thought it was selfish, but nevertheless, wanted Constantine to be her champion.

She touched her tree, Vita. It was a tree of life the original Aurelianne planted in Sandoria, during her time there thousands of years ago, she struggled against her sisters and also, the goddess of the elves, eventually being rendered to a low end, getting murdered by her sister, Sandra.

Aurelianne, using Nova's spatial prowess, opened a portal towards Dragoncrest, her original world.

It had been mere months since she perished and the image she received was the worst that she could possibly see.

Her son was in his house in the Town of Duck, slumped on her bed, decrepit, bags under his eyes but there was the brightest smile on his face even as he sobbed.

Because he was moving his finger back and forth while a small hand grasped it, it was their child's small hand.

Aurelianne sobbed, walking forward.

"S-Son, don't be like this..." However, her words didn't reach.

Constantine and her son remained the same, they didn't see her.

'You hold no faith in this world, Aurelianne, moreover this is a mortal realm. You will be unable to communicate with him.' Hearing Nova's words in her head, Aurelianne sighed in relief.

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"L-Look at him, Nova! What can I do!?" She tried to touch him but couldn't, it was as if her image was a mere illusion.

"He will be okay. What you can do is prepare for the moment he dies... that's when the trial is due to begin. My endeavour is to protect him from Toki, yours is to guide him towards us."

"... T-There is really... nothing..." She sobbed disconsolately, she wanted to tell him so much that she was not dead, that she was alive and would come back to then, but that was impossible, she couldn't.

'Rest assured... isn't this what we desired? To finally be free from the 'mother' status...? Once he becomes your champion... we will be free.'

"it is hard..."

...

Someone knocked on the door before entering, it was a raven-haired beauty with pristine purple eyes and a purple dress.

Phoebe, the Goddess of Dreams.

She approached the bed and caressed the boy's cheeks smiling before proceeding to pick him up.

"Dear, it is time to eat."

"..."

Upon hearing his silence, the other ladies that had been standing on the edge of the door sighed before Caroline entered and nodded toward Phoebe.

The latter took the kid and departed the room, leaving Caroline and another lady, an auburn-haired beauty with blue eyes and a rather brash demeanour.

Lucille, the Goddess of Rot.

"Until when do you pretend to remain there, Constantine."

"Lucille, don't be brash!" Caroline yelled back, outraged, perhaps only she knew the truth behind all this and how much this impacted Constantine.

Aside from her none of his wives knew of their relationship, not about her mother or the concubines... only she knew all his secrets.

He hadn't just lost his mother, he had lost his soulmate.

"This is not the man I fell in love with!" Lucille ignored Caroline and yelled, hoping to at least summon Constantine's anger, but all she got was this indifference as if this man didn't want to live anymore.

"..."

She released his collar and sobbed, "Do all of us not matter to you? Look! Caroline is going to have a child too! Phoebe is pregnant! We all love you!"

"..." This time Constantine's eyes shivered but once again he didn't say anything for a long time.

"Just leave alone for a while... I will be better... I'll do better... promise... just let me mourn her."

"Lucille please leave us alone..." Caroline requested, and after giving a brief glare, Lucille could only do that.

The Empress knelt down before her Emperor, caressing his hand.

Constantine awaited a scolding, yet someone else requested strength out of his limp body, but that wasn't what happened.

Because no one in this world knew better than her, how he felt.

She kissed the back of her husband's palm, sobbing.

"I love you, dear, please... take your time."

!!!

Ironically... those words did it, not only him... but Aurelianne who had been seeing everything broke into tears.

Time.

Constantine hugged his wife and cried, time was scarce one day he would die just like his mother did... would he have regrets then? Is this what she desired?

The answer was no.

But he did need time to surpass this, it was a gut-clenching constant feeling to know that she wasn't here and wouldn't be anymore, no more flowers, no more spoiling, no more nothing, no more homemade stew in the mornings, or selling flowers together, or painting together.

It wasn't that he didn't love his wives, it only was... that they all had a piece of his heart and those were pieces that would never be recovered.

His mother, Stella, Penelope, Swan... those women that made him what he is.

"Thank you..." After giving her a deep kiss, he lay down once again, he only needed that, time. And at least one person in this house understood.

And just like that for several months, Constantine lay down while his generals took care of everything, accompanied only by his child and Aurelianne's shadow, he thrived.

Little by little he recovered his routine and realised that he wouldn't commit that mistake, he wouldn't give up his child in adoption... he decided to just be his 'older brother'. As wonderful as it would have been to call him son, everybody knew this child was Isabella's child. He was tied to her death.

One day he recovered and that was the day the Empire began its relentless expansion, something had to fill that gap, and he knew exactly what would.

Aurelianne watched everything, she'd make periodical journeys between Dragoncrest and Sandoria, even fighting some Gods to become acquainted with her powers, she quickly came to know that she had no faith in Sandoria and as her champion, he would have it difficult. The elves had taken over Vita, they made their city around the tree and claimed it as theirs but they didn't worship her instead, kept worshipping that dead goddess of elves.

Sandoria was a lost case, but she realised it would be the best place for him to begin anyway compared to other worlds in the God Realm.

Years passed until her son literally became the Emperor of the world, The Castile Dynasty had become the biggest Monarchy in Dragoncrest, his conquest only stopped once his wives begged him to stop.

Caroline had three children.

Phoebe had two.

Lucille had four.

Melina, one of his most recent wives from the East was pregnant as well.

Meanwhile, Sandra had two and was pregnant, his earliest wife had been one of the most prolific.

Constantine had too many children to be focusing on wars, not only that but he also paid extra attention to his children with Isabella, even if he only looked from a distance. He also ended up having a child with his sister Alisha Lionheart who had become his greatest general.

Aurelianne sighed at all this, but then... Sandra... She had found feelings towards this Sandra because compared to what Nova had told her, this Goddess of Death wasn't as cruel, but she's undoubtedly the Goddess of Death.

One by one as their love became deeper she could see how these goddesses gave out blessings inadvertently, she didn't know what to think about it, Nova merely said that those blessings would be a huge advantage for him once he entered Sandoria.

A few years later it would come the time in which Constantine was to abdicate, early, in fact, Constantine was going to abdicate as an Emperor within forty-five years, no one could believe it.

The reason is Brandon De Castile.

His son with Caroline was exceptionally capable... smart, audacious, proactive, a great knight and also shrewd... sadly, he was also a womaniser like his father, but that wasn't something that ashamed Constantine.

The Emperor who was looking for reasons to abdicate had found the perfect person to leave his empire to.

It was set that Brandon would become an Emperor after graduating from the knight academy and conquering his first territory as a general.

But around those days, there was yet another event that caught Constantine and Aurelianne's attention.

His daughter with Isabella, Katherine Parcival, would marry an Empire's Noble Count with great talent... and the week before she presented herself in the imperial castle with her two brothers.

Apprehension filled the Emperor and Goddess at that moment, why would the three of them come at the same time?!