Viridi's arrival was not met with the lavish parades for a foreign dignitary she was hoping for. Instead, she was stopped by a scouting party of woodland elves, outfitted in natural camouflage and rudimentary bows. Walking alone with a glowing bouquet of fluorescent flowers instead of a torch made it difficult for Viridi to explain how she got so far within their territories. None of the memories stolen from the elves told her there would be wood elves in the area, let alone one as cautious as they were to a superior being.
Remembering her mission of peace, Viridi agreed to be escorted to the elven kingdom for further questioning. Night had already colored the sky in a murky purple, with blankets of clouds preventing the moonlight from reaching down to the earth. Viridi could see the occasional wary glance sent her way from the night patrollers from the corner of her eyes, unsure of what to make of their findings.
The ancient elf thought Vy's… lack of height was related to her age and race, but Viridi turned out to be also extremely tall when compared to these New World natives. The tallest male hunter within the scouting party barely reached her shoulder in height. It seems her mother once again gifted the ancient elf with superior genes, despite the deity being in a body half of her height.
As Toreii's self-proclaimed representative, Viridi's first job as an envoy was to begin negotiations and foster a friendly relationship should these elves reveal themselves to be of use to her mother. Although she was not received in a way befitting her stature, she hoped the elves within the kingdom were better mannered than the ones she'd encountered… including her 'apprentice'. Negotiations would become very short indeed if the people she was talking to lacked any expected sophistication.
Walking together under the bioluminescent of Viridi's flowers, the other elves continued along in silence. Besides their brief, curious stares, the small elves dared not talk in front of a being who could have been from the heavens themselves. A sweet aroma continued to permeate the air around them, which they deduced originated from the angelic elf; the sweetness was familiar to a spring orchid right before a full blossom. What perplexed the scouting party the most was the intoxicating beauty the unknown stranger had.
Humans thought of elves as pretty… and they're not wrong. They constantly warned themselves not to be arrogant, but how could one be such if what faced them was the truth? Even more, the wood elves had seen the beauty of the 1st and 2nd Princess, who inherited it from the most beautiful being they had ever laid eyes on, the elven queen ― and they thought women couldn't get any more beautiful… at least until now. Unlike the queen, however, whose beauty stemmed from a natural glamour to the eyes, the angelic elf's beauty was a mystical allure. There was constant hesitation on whether or not a direct look upon such a being would give them divine blessing or divine punishment.
Unfazed by the glances, Viridi's heart instead perked up at her first glance of yellow lanterns in the distance. After recognizing their mellow glow, she soon saw the greyish stone behind them as the scouting party finally made it to the outer perimeter of the elven kingdom. Completely unlike the finely chiseled marble of her home, their kingdom's walls were merely flat hardstone meant to withstand a siege, disregarding beauty in search of function.
'Lowlifes…' she grumbled internally. One should always strive for perfection, just like her mother who would've pursued both avenues.
Coming out of the forest and following a well-used path toward a side entrance, a checkpoint with armored guards on duty were waiting for them. A wooden gate which barely reached the top of Viridi's head could be seen, slightly opened, but ready to be closed any moment should the guards be alarmed.
The layout of the castle was quite different from what Vy's memories told her it would be. Instead of a natural fortress of hardened wood for their outer walls, the kingdom had completely upped their security, upgrading them to hardstone and building them around their entire kingdom, not just sensitive areas. The stone walls were not whole, giant slabs of rock, but tiny smaller ones cemented together into three separate rings. The lower ring was only a couple feet above Viridi's head, and this was where she saw soldiers on overwatch and wide enough for patrolling the outer rim in squads of 4. The middle ring, which was well above her height level, was not open like the lower ring was, but curved instead with tiny slits for archers. At the highest ring level, she spotted siege machines on top, ready to launch heavy rocks or other harmful objects onto an invading army.
All in all, it was nothing like the helpless, pathetic elves Vy had made her people out to be. What Viridi got instead was a nation in the middle of a war and clearly one who knew to fortify their defenses for it. The lackadaisical trip she thought she was going on was nowhere in sight now, as she discarded all of her previous plans and instead decided to observe the developing new situation.
One of the scouts signaled for them to stop before heading to the doors and whispered to the guards on duty. Despite the distance and their low voices, Viridi could hear their conversation just as clearly. It seemed the guards were asking the same questions her escorts were when they first met. Although she could have answered their questions with honesty, the mystery surrounding her was the only ticket she could use to head straight to the crown at this point.
"Send a messenger for the king," were the sweet words Viridi was glad to eavesdrop.
Viridi was getting really sick and tired of seeing Vy's face, or at least her 'copy-and-pasted' versions of it within the 1st and 2nd Princess. Not only did the apples not fall far from the tree, they could honestly be the same apple for all she knew with these elves. She had thought Vy was misremembering how her siblings looked, but looking back now, perhaps their mother's strong genealogy was the leading cause why the sisters all looked exactly the same.
Initially glad she was rushed to the castle, but her hopes were quickly dashed as soon as she was locked in this room with Vy's siblings and not the elf king. Although she heard soft bickering from inside the bed chamber before entering, it was all silence now as both princesses got a look at the urgent matter which could not wait until sunrise.
Peering around what she guessed was one of their bed chambers, it was more modern than the sticks and twigs she thought the elves lived in. The living tree from which a castle was built by hollowing its trunk was no longer there, replaced by a more defensible stone castle. Viridi's feet were chilled by the unheated bricks. Around the room were bookcases and dressers aplenty, with portraits and maids galore ― Viridi knew for certain the prestige of the people assessing her.
3 porcelain tea cups were lightly wafting the air with its hot steamy tea, yet none of the guests it was poured for reached for it. Just like the other elves her mother saved, it seemed Viridi was cast in an aura of admiration by everyone surrounding her ― not that she minded in the slightest. The single maid which brought and poured the tea did so with trembling hands, almost spilling every last drop. However, before a mess could be made, one of the princesses ― 1st or 2nd… Viridi could not tell ― dismissed the sacred server while the other locked the doors.
Wanting to be the polite guest she was, Viridi accepted the tea as a sign she trusted them enough to not poison her, even though her racial skills gave immunity to poison anyways. Before taking the first sip, she gently blew on the murky, light brown brew, giving it a brief smell test as well. Of course, as always, the tea was around par at best — she should have expected as much from these natives —but not only that, some of the leaves were burned when one of the maids poured the hot water too quickly, leaving a bitter aftertaste for its drinker.
'This is the worst tea I have ever had,' she silently noted. As the designated tea grower and brewer in their family, she found solace from their sisterly bickering in the unusual hobby. If there was anything she could be proud of and contend with her mother with, it was her herbology skillset.
"Lovely tea. Thank you very much for showing me with such great hospitality," Viridi cheerfully lied, trying to lift the awkward mood. Sitting across from one of the young princesses, she felt their couch was very cushiony, meant for a soft and easy lifestyle.
"The pleasure is all ours. My name is Ashula Nir Nythymyr, 2nd Princess of the Elven Kingdom of Gallahan," she introduced, holding her hand against her chest. Dressed in a cozy midnight-blue nightie, the heterochromia of her eyes shone the same bright red and purple of her younger sister's.
"And I am Saphira Nir Nythymyr, 1st Princess and 1st daughter of King Bilfir Lyur Nythymyr and Queen Oonya Nir Faeyer. May we be privy to your name, noble angel?" the elf behind Viridi asked, and the one who locked the door.
"My name in your tongue would be 'Viridi'," the ancient elf answered, further surrounding herself in a veil of otherworldly presence. "My mother has caught wind of your war, and I have been sent to be a mediator with the victor."
Quickly absorbing what they just heard, a sisterly link between the two princesses form instantly as they both formulated what to do next and how to work off of each other. Slowly making her way to where her sister sat, the 1st Princess looked directly into the angel's eyes, "Does your presence here mean you expect a victory in our favor?"
"My presence here allows me to directly see who will come out victorious. If this kingdom falls, surely, will I not be where the final battle is?" Viridi answered. Though she was sure her mother would want an elven victory, Viridi was not ready to give handouts so easily.
Taking only a brief second to formulate another retort, this time the 2nd Princess chimed in, "The same could also be said if our great kingdom withstands their last siege. Would our city not also be the first place to celebrate the victory of our long war?"
"Perhaps so from a certain point of view," Viridi smiled with a bubbly giggle.
Both sisters remained rigid despite the warm air the ancient elf tried to exude, as they both gasped when they saw a wild vine grow straight out of the hardstone flooring. The green stem lifted itself through the stone as if it was butter and bloomed a bright yellow flower right next to the mysterious, angelic elf. Sitting back in bewilderment, the princesses watched as each petal slowly fell onto Viridi's waiting hand, but snapped back to attention at her sweet, captivating voice.
"How interesting. So that is the nature of your war," Viridi said suddenly. The yellow petals slowly wilted away into crusty brown mush in her hand before finally crumbling to dust. The plants she sent out had finally completed its survey of the army waiting to topple the elven kingdom, or so she thought. When Vy's memories of the castle and the actual castle did not match up, she had sent another wave of her plants to gather more information about the nation, but to her surprise, she found more than just the forest elves she was expecting.
"Whatever do you mean?" Saphira gingerly asked. The unexpected vine was definitely the angel's magic at work. She was no stranger to forest or woodland elves gaining special affinity with the plants around them, but it would always be in tandem with what the plant was capable of. To suddenly see a vine grow through their stone floor and to somehow give the elven-angel information from mere petals left her in disbelief.
Without breaking their line of sight, Viridi was still all smiles, appearing without ulterior motives. "An alliance among the remaining elven tribes and kingdoms, as well as support from the nearby human kingdoms. No wonder your castle wasn't made of wood and dirt. Perhaps there is worth coming here, after all."
Hearing words they would normally reserve for their serfs, they held back their tongue against the unknown being. Still, their pride and kingdom were just insulted, as if they were nothing more than commoners, so Ashula reprimanded the stranger, "Please forgive my forwardness, as I have forgiven yours, but you currently sit without our kingdom. We barely know your name or your worth, so please reserve your words and show the respect a princess deserves."
Waiting patiently and mercifully for the mortal elf to finish her proud speech, Viridi stood up slowly and faced the single door to the room. Once again, a golden sigil magicked itself to life on the back of her hand with the slits of the wooden glowing in a similar bright gold beam toward them. Behind her, the two royal elves were aware enough to back away from the unknown situation unfolding before them, as they stood several feet away, ready to fire off an offensive spell.
As the golden light died down, the previously locked door slowly crept open. The soft footsteps of flats on stone floors could be heard as the 1st and 2nd Princess watched a maid enter their room. Thinking one of their servants had unknowingly barged in upon eavesdropping this meeting, Saphira stepped forward… only to stop in her tracks when her eyes widened upon getting a clear look at the draconic eyes staring her down.
Respectfully bowing to her master, a second set of footsteps followed closely behind the dragon maid. Sidestepping to be beside Gratia, Vy quickly followed her example, bowing respectfully to the elf-god. Looking at her faithful dragonoid, Viridi softly muttered, "There has been a change in plans. Gratia, would you kindly secure the room?"
"Of course, my lady." Raising from her bow, the frills of her clean, white apron wavered as Gratia made her way to the doors of the balcony. Scanning the entirety of the room with her dragon-eyes, the only thing which would cause any scrutiny would be the pair of elves cautiously watching her. Not wanting to dirty her tail having just washed it up, the narrow and scaly appendage felt the air for anything strange.
"As for you…" Viridi said in a gentle tone. The ex-princess's body stood stiff, head kept low as the young elf clearly recognized where she was. Although the pair behind her were distraught at the sudden appearance of an angelic elf, followed by worry and concern for their kingdom at the entrance of a dragonoid within the heart of their homeland… worst of all, they paled in color at the familiar figure appearing out of nowhere.
"T-That's not possible…" the ancient elf heard behind her, "that's not… not p-possible… father said… he told us… HE TOL-"
- SLAP!
"Remember your position," Saphira enunciated to her wailing sibling.
A sharp, hard clap of skin-on-skin drew Viridi's attention away from the elfling who dared not dismiss her bow. The 2nd Princess was trembling with eyes as wide as she could possibly open. Her cream-colored cheek was covered by her hand, but around it, tender redness began to form around her skin. Saphira looked coldly at her sibling, tenderly holding her hand as if it hurt her just as much to slap some sensibility back to Ashula. Silence followed, with both sisters glaring at one another, each of them unable to concede.
Having wasted so much of her time on the dysfunctional family already, Viridi returned her attention to the main source of her troubles and spoke directly to the third princess, "Vy Nir Nythymyr. Can you confirm the identities of the two other elves in this room for me?"
Given her first set of orders since arriving, a cold shock ran down her spine as the demigod spoke her full name. "They are the first and second princesses of Gallahan, Saphira and Ashula, respectively."
At the very least, she knew for sure she was in the company of the crown. Under her watchful gaze, Viridi noticed the slightest of peaks from her lowly apprentice. Small shifts in her stance showed the agitation welling inside the small child, which further confirmed the sibling's relationship. Turning back to the duo, a swift wave of her hand made Vy obediently follow behind, as the ancient elf slowly sauntered to the pair.
Coming out as a whisper, Ashula looked to the perfectly healthy elven child and asked, "I-Is it really you V-Vy…? It's been almost… 20 years… I… I thought the worst had happened. Father… He… Mot-her a-and y-you…" The same heterochromatic eyes their bloodline shared, red and purple, filled with tears from the second princess as she stumbled forward, completely ignoring Viridi without a second thought.
Caught off guard by her long-lost sister, Vy yelped in surprise when Ashula yanked her closer for a full body embrace. She did not leave on bad terms with her sisters, but in the presence of a demigod, Vy was scared of the lack of respect her elder siblings showed toward Viridi. Seeing first-hand the absolute command Viridi wields over all plant life, she should have gestured for her sisters to bow to the elven god.
"Please, get a hold of yourself, Ashula, this is not a time for tears," Vy begged her sniffling sister.
"By all means, see to the comfort of your sister, Princess Vy. I'm sure your words have more power here than mine," Viridi said with a cheerful beam.
There was sarcasm… and then there was Viridi; alarm bells chimed endlessly every time Vy saw the happy façade, as she knew it veiled the scorn of an almighty god behind it. Gently nudging Ashula from her deathly embrace, she spoke as calmly as she could under the fright of a divine being. "Ashula, Saphira, please excuse my curtness, but if Lady Viridi has business in our kingdom, then we should consider that as our highest priority."
Arms folded on her chest, Saphira stood back unimpressed by the demigod or the sudden appearance of her lost younger sibling. "If it's truly you, Vy, then you have clearly forgotten your place and duty to our kingdom. Any foreign power in our kingdom are guests, and any attempt to undermine the King's rule will be seen as a treacherous crime, including you, Vy."
For once, Viridi felt uncomfortable to be around others, especially now, in the middle of a family argument she was not even a part of. She did not outright hate Vy; the young elfling was more of an annoyance if anything, but it seems there was bad blood from within the royal line itself. Squabbling among siblings was practically a pastime for Viridi and her younger sisters, but never once had they ever gone so far as to threaten each other with implied death. Once or twice, there might have been a threat serious enough to tattle to their mother, but their sisterhood was strong enough to overcome the urge. Sitting among the drama of Vy's family had given the ancient elf new appreciation for her understanding siblings.
Standing tall once more, the second princess took a forefront protective stance as a shield for Vy, quickly situating her younger sister behind. A continued stare down between Ashula and Saphira ensued, with Vy switching off between staring at one sister and another like a ball bouncing back and forth across a court. "I hear your implications, Saphira, but I wish to not misunderstand your intentions. Our youngest sister, which we thought was dead for the last 20 years, has shown herself to be healthy and sound of mind, but your first actions are to remind her of her shackles? Have you not thought about why she disappeared in the first place?" Ashula questioned with all the regal she could muster after wiping her joyful tears.
"Am I to remind you once again, we are in the middle of a war? Impostor or not, anything which will jeopardize our father's power now will unravel all he had built to protect us! Look around! An elf with the wings of an angel and our sister who we thought was dead for 20 years suddenly show up? Your willful ignorance is what led to us needing to help from outsiders!" The eldest shouted with mounting fury in her voice and stance.
From the corner of her eyes, Vy watched as Gratia procured a pink handkerchief from her apron and covered her nose and mouth with it. Just like before, the overly-sweet scent of flowers filled Vy's nose, as she realized the ancient elf had released more sleep toxins into the air. However, unlike before, Vy only suffered from a mild case of fatigue, whereas both her older sisters immediately lost their motor controls, softly falling onto the stone floor and snoring along the way. Whatever Viridi had given Vy, it was enough to lessen the full effects of her chemical warfare. Gratia had moved swiftly into position to catch the first princess, while Vy struggled to slow the second's descent.
"I have promised my mother I would help you, Princess Vy, but I made no such promise about your kingdom or any of the elves here," Viridi proclaimed, sipping on the now-lukewarm tea and wincing honestly at the inferior taste, now that she no longer had to put up any formalities.
Vy immediately understood what her magic teacher was hinting at, but the best she could do was to placate the superior being in charge of her. "Please, Lady Viridi, don't place fault on my sisters. A lot has been shouldered by them ever since my mother disappeared, and also… I am too partly to blame for their distrust of outsiders. They don't understand your might as I have learned to!"
Gratia was silently moving both sleeping bodies onto the large center bed, with a stand carved from likely a large oak. Growing accustomed to her master's special scents, she no longer needed a signal from Viridi as a warning. There was a reason she had bathed the soot-smelling child in unscented soap earlier, as she needed all of her draconic senses to detect the airborne spores before anyone else.
"To think your memories were 20 years out of date…" grumbled Viridi under her breath. By morning, her plants should have scouted the entirety of the kingdom, giving her an accurate headcount. Since the beginning of their trip, several of her other plants have been scouting the orc army, but due to their size, many of her flours and vines were trampled on. Everywhere the orcs went, deforestation followed, causing her more troubles to get an accurate view of what was marching toward them. Still, the most important piece of information had just been delivered, which was enough to get her an audience with the king himself.
"What exactly do you want me to do, Princess Vy? I count at least 10 million orcs marching their way to beat down your doors, and your father stands with humans and dwarves barely at a fighting force of 2 million. My home cannot fit 2 million refugees," Viridi clearly reminded the elfling. Although these were rough numbers being put on the table, she kept it a secret that anyone from Yggdrasil above Level 70 would not even get enough experience points for a level up after clearing said entire army of low-level orcs.
Standing headstrong and eager, Vy looked unwaveringly at her mentor, "Teach me the 7th Tier!"
'You're 20 levels too early to be having this conversation with me,' Viridi silently thought to herself. Having learned to still her tongue, she bottled her frustration at her student who kept wanting to skip ahead. Sending Vy directly into the horde would eventually net more experience for levels, but with such a low mana capacity, the elfling was never going to make the 3-day deadline she set for herself.
Thinking hard and long, Viridi pictured a diagram inside her mind, filling it with reasons on what needed to have precedence. Although she would like to secure a stable relation with the elven kingdom, she ultimately promised her mother to teach Vy magic. Several plans were crossed out in her mind, leading her to ponder on how to best get the elfling as much experience as possible in the quickest amount of time. All of the Noble Sisters were born into their mother's arms at the full Level 100, which meant any knowledge Viridi had for gaining levels was solely from passing conversation with Toreii. Watching from afar, Viridi knew her mother's specialty was finding the most efficient and cost-effective way to solve her problems, or 'min-maxing', as Toreii put it.
Stitching together patches of knowledge she gathered here and there from her mother made it difficult to exactly pinpoint how she was going to level such a weak elfling with no combat spells at her command. Given it only took her mother 6 hours to completely recover an astronomical amount of mana befitting of a perfect god, the short rest Vy had surely allowed her to be back to fighting strength. However, going forward, it would be harder and harder to amass experience points as each level up reduced the amount one can receive. Unless she found bigger and more powerful creatures for Vy to beat on until it died, killing orcs would take years for the elf child to finally reach level 40, let alone perform the 7th Tier.
Seeing as there were at least 10 million bodies to slay, Viridi would have to resort to one of her mother's great treasures given to them for safekeeping. Unfortunately, she was not the current holder of said treasure, as it was her next oldest sibling who was its protector. There were small pains to her current ad-libbed plan; sharing the glory she sought only for herself was the greatest hurdle keeping her from contacting her sister, but also owing a favor to her sister would lead to nothing but blackmail down the line. They were all competitors for their mother's love ― cutthroat, even ― so any advantage was a game of inches for all of them.
Looking back to her waiting apprentice, Viridi could not help but let out a restless sigh of defeat. Despite all the mulling and planning she had done, she was not left with very many choices after. Her foremost priority was to teach Vy magic, which meant she needed experience as fast as possible. Slowly raising her hand to hear ear, she expelled some of her mana for [Message].
"Nanami? Can you do me a favor? Do you mind waking up Eos? Yes, now. I know… I know…"
Day 2
~Thud! ~Thud! ~Thud!
Like her namesake, Eos exited the misty forest just before the break of dawn. The heavy, yet sleek black chromia armor she wore was not even a burden for her strength, but left visible sunken footprints behind her as well as loud footsteps. From head to toe, the shiny black armor covered her entire body, as if she was meant to hide within the darkness if it were not for her lack of stealth skills. The vantablack absorbed any kind of light, making her figure like a walking shadow. At her waist was a black scabbard hiding a curved blade, which seemed particularly small compared to her large and overwhelming warrior stature. Morning dew glistened on her metal armor, as each step sent tremors powerful enough to shake droplets onto the dirt below.
Just as Viridi was designed to be an anti-spellcaster tank, Toreii had designed her second daughter to fulfill the role of a frontline drain tank. Boasting the highest physical defense, second highest magical defense and resistance among her sisters, Eos's only offensive option against other frontline warriors and tanks was her race's special ability once leveled to 50. As a living fragment of one of the outer gods, akin to how Viridi was born from one of Yggdrasil's roots, Eos' birth came about from a [Yidhra].
From her beta testing days, Ai was playing a completely different game which would eventually become Yggdrasil. Instead of the Nordic themes throughout the entire game, the beta was about several dozen gods and cultures vying for dominance over the land. The beta's true purpose was to deduce the most popular gods and background and create a full game around them. With a plethora of different gods to choose from, Toreii was created with a Shinto background, but she did take inspiration from the other gods for her daughters. Along the way, the outer gods were added, but their popularity was minimal due to the hideous nature of some of their gods. Even though Viridi was the eldest among the Noble Sisters, Eos was created almost a decade beforehand, during the time of the closed beta.
The [Yidhra] race had a special passive skill unlocked upon reaching Level 50, which allowed Eos to take 50% reduced damage from the same spell, attack, or skill, making it harder and harder to take her down in a prolonged team fight. Combined with the special job class, [Asura], Eos was a walking titan who dealt more damage the more she took. The downside of all her defensive stats was her lackluster agility, gaining her a reputation of a walking fortress among her sisters. To make up for her lack of mobility, Ai equipped Eos with a special crossover item, [Crissaegrim]. Having sunk a fortune into Yggdrasil's gacha loot pool, Ai almost cried on the spot after gaining such an elusive weapon. The cash items in Yggdrasil were very much pay-to-win, as permanent stat upgrades were among the most expensive items bought. With the silver vampiric sword in hand, [Crissaegrim] made up for Eos' lack of dexterity, as the special ability of the sword created 6 additional strikes for every one the user swung.
Only after coming to Asgard and securing herself a plentiful stock of Uru metal was Ai able to finish the vantablack armor. Dubbed [W.C. Armor Mrk. III], she created a series of armor using the Uru metal, trying her best to recreate the World Champion armor she previously declined. One of the more defensive models was given to Eos as a placeholder until she got around to finishing her NPCs, but Ai was lacking in her memory department by forgetting she never actually gave Eos the finished article.
Approaching her blonde 'older' sister, Eos' armor hid the enormous smile she wore at the thought of gaining a favor from the eldest among them. Outside of a bleak grey castle, very contrast to the warm, colorful forest nearby, she saw 5 figures standing by, among them were elves with a draconic maid at the ready. Each heavy step forward made not just the ground tremble, but also the two new elves standing with her sister.
Finally coming to her aid, Viridi counted the last seconds of freedom before her younger sibling held this favor over her head for the next several weeks to come. "Good morning, Eos. I hope waking up this early isn't destroying your nightlife," the eldest Noble Sister greeted.
"Anything for my oldest sister. I didn't believe my ears when I heard you needed my help," Eos happily replied back, relishing the owed favor. The other elves looked in shock at Eos being over a head taller in height than even the tall angelic elf.
"Welcome to Gallahan, home of the Nythymyrs," said Vy, bowing to the black knight, taking a good educated guess all of Viridi's siblings were godkin as well. Behind her, Saphira and Ashula were not as used to Toreii's strange family. A black figure walking out of the forest with thundering steps seemed more like a sign of death to them than a living relative of an angelic elf.
Viridi stood in front of the cowering princesses, not minding them in the slightest. Despite explaining as best she could what her intentions were to them, only Vy seemed unfazed by her sister's appearance. Only getting a couple hours of rest, she missed the peaceful nights of just her and her younger sisters, uninterrupted by noisy, needy elves. "This is my… ahem, apprentice: Princess Vy. Since you never leave your room, I believe this is the first time you two have met."
Completely missing Viridi's tired annoyance, Vy was proud to be called an apprentice to a godly being. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Eos. I can't thank your family enough for what it has done for me. Gallahan will know of your names and the greatness of your prowess," Vy said with practiced elegance.
Saphira glared coldly at the child claiming to be her long-lost sister, wondering how a member of her own family could sweetly talk about giving praise to another house — no, not even well-known elven house, just some random strangers who showed up out of nowhere but looked the part of gods. None of their mannerism bespoke of a heavenly upbringing nor the indifference many of the humans described their gods with. In front of her were nothing but imposters who happen to know a few tricks with magic, that's all. The heavenly wings of Viridi was probably nothing more than for show, as she doubted angels could consummate with mortal beings in the first place.
Right beside her, Ashula had the opposite reaction, as she inched closer and closer to her younger sibling who could so easily talk to beings confident enough to call themselves gods.
"Such kindness, Princess Vy, very much unlike my dear sister here," Eos said in the most cheerful tone she could muster to get the best reaction out of Viridi; they were sisters, after all.
"Ahh… now that's the sister I remember growing up with," Viridi quickly snapped back, finding herself already peeved so early in the day, "First to speak, but last to think. Oh, how I miss our lack of conversation."
"Yet here we are," Eos reminded her sister, swinging her arm to show the entirety of the situation Viridi had gotten herself into with the elves. "Perhaps being the first to think has gotten you into something you can't handle?"
The deathly glare Viridi shot her sister was enough to send a cold shiver down Vy's spine as she bore witness to the ongoing rivalry within Toreii's family. There was a mandated hierarchy she and her siblings followed, as the first born was always given the most respect and dignity. That was not even close to being the case in Toreii's family, as she saw how freely Eos jumped at the chance to personally verbally attack her elder sister. Although she saw tidbits of elegance and respect for command from Viridi, it really was a free-for-fall when it came to these siblings.
Staying calm and collected as she always did, Viridi was already done with the conversation, but unlike the cowering elves behind her, her plants could not be used so easily on a being with as high a resistance as her titan sister. "I'll be sure to tell Mother of your helpful nature when this is all over. For now, please take Vy with you. We don't have much time."
Trying to be as overly flamboyant as she could, Eos faked a respectful bow, answering in the most sarcastic tone she usually reserved only for her older sister, "Your wish is my command."
Vy now firmly believed her own family problems were completely approachable compared to Toreii's.
A/N: Hopefully I didn't make you guys wait too long this time. I'm still exploring the New World and thought Vy's perspective was important in that matter. We'll be back to Toreii soon after.