Once upon a time, and as it was custom for every year at the same time, every settlement from the more tropical regions of the Ilias Continent to the wastelands of Hellgondo without forgetting the desert of Sabasa were covered by a snowy coat for a day that was remembered as the Day of the Goddesses. It was the day when Ilias and Alipheese were presumed to have parted their gifts upon the world, and everybody was taking the occasion to celebrate a day of happiness in family.
In a large castle hidden between dimensions belonging to a hero and his harem of hundred of beautiful monsters, the preparations for the Day of the Goddesses were getting completed. Colorful garlands were spread around the castle with other ornaments to create a warm, festive ambiance. Monsters, humans and angels alike were busy discussing, socializing, and fraternizing in the hallways and in every room, enjoying this time of peace and tranquility. The tables in the dining room were covered with pantagruelic meals that seemed to make tables bend under their own weight. During this time of the year, all grudges were forgotten and people simply enjoyed the moment for once, without fear of the world being gone tomorrow.
However, not everybody was particularly happy. In a small room tuckered in a dark corner, a yoma clad in black was grumbling incomprehensible curses while she was working during the most holy of days, her expression turned down in a frown as her fellows merrily frolicked. As she examined the papers around her, she uttered those peculiar words…
"White Rabbit? Who are you talking to?"
"Shhhh! You're breaking the illusion!"
"What Illusion? And why are you copying Mephisto's set up?"
Reaper gestures at the furniture around her. Somehow, the White Rabbit had installed a bookcase, a lit fireplace and a comfortable armchair upon which she was wallowed in Hades.
"I mean, the yoma count those tales to young children. Who's your audience?"
"Why, the reason why Luka is here so often, of course!"
"The reason… Oh. I see. Continue then." Reaper stepped behind the bookcase and simply disappeared.
"Where were we again? Oh, yes…"
"This is a nightmare…" Mephisto was muttering the same words repeatedly, gazing at the wish lists in front of her like they were so many obstacles to climb. The inanely long parchments seemed to never end as several of the younger looking monsters were asking for every gift that could come to their mind. After a few minutes of pestering against nobody in particular, her task was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. She prepared a scathing rant for the interloper, until her eyes laid on Sara, Sonya and the Grand Noah queen. She had asked for their support, after all, and turning them away was definitively the last thing she should do.
"Sooo… Wow… I didn't think there would be so many wishes…" Sonya looked dumbfounded at the parchment-covered wall.
"Careful, you're walking on one…" Sonya awkwardly shuffled away. "But don't let it bother you, there are a lot more. I do invite you to take a deeper look at them to get a better grasp on the scope of the issue at hand."
The Grand Noah Queen grabbed one and started reading it aloud.
"A full on fire-proof armor with a breathing apparatus, an island with a forest to play with friends, twenty stones of each element to play… This is quite… endearing indeed. And it comes from… Sylph?! How old is the spirit of the wind?!"
"She's as old as the world itself. Literally. It's not a metaphor. She materialized as soon as some of the Dark Goddess' energy came into contact with wind."
"And she still believes we can offer her all that?"
"Would you be surprised if I say yes?" Mephisto's nostrils dilated themselves in aggravation. "The worst part is that she's not the worst." She pulled out a list that seemed to be painted in blood and was somehow screaming in agony. "Take a guess as to who did that one… You can take it, it won't bite you. Probably."
"…It did bite me, and it is currently trying to slither away." The scroll was scurrying on the ground like a snake as Sonya was tending to Sara's hand. With a few flowing impulses of her wrist, the Grand Noah queen caught the offending parchment with her whip and pinned it back on a wall.
"Good grief… Anyways, she wants everyone to have a complete Earthforged tea set. That would be worthy of praise, if it wasn't for the fact those are only forged by the joint effort of the Earth Spirit and the Queen of kitsunes herself. They're indestructible. She only crafted more than one because she kept losing them. And a single set would cost as much as a small village."
"You really mean someone would be ready to pay that much for a single tea set?"
"You would be surprised… Back on to the matter at hand, does anyone have a good idea to manage all those demands? I had difficulties at best when dealing with my own little rascals and sometimes felt on the edge of oblivion, but today I feel that I did a big step forward…"
"Why don't we organize a festival at the colosseum to satisfy everyone?"
"Because it has already been our go-to solution for the last few months, and it definitively did lose some luster."
"A show in Grandeur?"
"Not that much better… Then again, I don't have any idea."
"Not that I can blame you. We have more than three hundred and fifty souls to satisfy, and some of them would want nothing more than the opportunity to kill each others."
"That's not exactly the spirit of this holiday… Besides, do we have to satisfy everyone?"
Everybody turned toward Sonya after the priestess said those words. The priestess felt like she insulted everyone and tried to pull herself out of that predicament.
"I mean, it's impossible to satisfy that many people, and maybe some even have planned something. So what if we just organize a supreme meal, have a few gifts for the other monsters, organize the usual spectacles and let them do what they want with their evening? Then we take care of the younger monsters with different volunteers and we're pretty much done."
"…"
"…"
"That's... A really good idea actually."
And in the end, everybody happily ate a sumptuous feast in the Pocket Castle before spending their evening happily in small groups. The children were happy with their few gifts offered by their parental figures, and the leaders themselves were happy with how little efforts they had to put in organizing something, showing everyone that sometimes the most simple solution is often the best…
"…"
"What? Don't tell me you expected yet another scrooge Christmas carol or a Grinch one? These stories are overdone already!"
"No. It's just that I was also quite curious as to how they celebrated this day on other worlds. Should we go see there?"
"Why do you ask for permission?" The White Rabbit started nodding slowly with a conspiring smile on her face. "Hoooh, you got it! You got the spirit!"
"…Let's just get started already please."
"Yes, yes, let's take a look at them, sheesh, you impatient frigid mud in the stick."
"(I'm impatient?)"
"Sooooo… The boring one first, and the crazy one afterward?"
"Whatever floats your boat."
On a world that always was under Ilias' watchful but benevolent gazes, every street of every city was currently empty. For the day of the Goddess Ilias, every single soul had the duty to pray at the church to thank the goddess for her protection. Even the few monsters that were still living in Grand Noah weren't left out.
And so everyone was present in towering, gold-covered churches that seemed to shimmer stronger than ever, singing lauds for the name of Ilias with the luckiest ones being guided by one of the Seven Archangels while the other ones were only led by a lesser angel. Still, it didn't change their devotion and they were all praising the Goddess of Light with all their might. In Heaven itself, Ilias was basking in her angel's and her closest chosen's adulation as she was simply showing off on the balcony, blessing them with her presence. Even when she was in her temples hallway, their praises echoed through the whole temple, until she tired of the noise and shut down her door. Even then, the praising didn't die down and knowing that they were still singing her name was enough for her for the moment. She could then get away from her populace's idolatry, and rest from her exhausting duty as the goddess that guided all. She wallowed comfortably on her bed, just appreciating the time of tranquility and the fact that this abominable Dark Goddess wouldn't get to enjoy that day. Everyone was praising her and only her.
The only creatures that were not praising the goddess in the gigantic churches and cathedrals that covered the world were angels that had the explicit duty to round up every ungrateful soul for the goddess in the churches. Such people were extremely rare, as everybody knew that the goddess was always watching… Well, almost everybody.
A few humans and monsters living in the Grand Noah slums were currently hiding in a concealed room in an artificially dug basement. The room itself had been dug out from mud and reinforced with wooden planks. It was large enough to comfortably welcome several people, and was currently welcoming two yomas, a woman and a man. All of them were huddled closely around a small magic crystal that gave out a little light. The most uncomfortable of the lot was the human woman, who jumped at every creaking noise, startled and fearing the idea that some angels might have found them. She jumped again when one of the yoma reassuringly took her hand to reassure her.
"Are you alright Lara?"
"No… I'm not. I'm afraid. I'm afraid of those angels, I'm afraid of what they'll do if they find us… I don't want to go back into a church to sing all night long. I can't bear with that noise, that presence I'm sick of all of it… I just want to be happy because I want to for once rather than because I'm told that I have too…"
She quietly started sobbing.
"Shhh… It's okay." The man hugged his wife, while one of the yoma leaned back, stretching herself in the small, uncomfortable space.
"Well, those seals will hold. They won't find us. We just have to wait a few hours, come out at day and everything will be fine."
"…Any idea how we could pass the time?" The other yoma licked her lips as she looked at the man.
"No, please no, I'm loyal to my wife!" The couple huddled closer.
"I was joking. Sorry, that was in poor taste." Said yoma pulled out a small wooden box with cards. "It's a game created by a friend of mine to pass time like that. Each player draws five cards, the one with the highest combination win, we can bet anything."
"…We don't have anything right now indeed."
The yoma started shuffling the cards before distributing them. "I'll teach you the rules first. By the time we're done, the night might even be over."
Another creaking noise echoed through the room. This time, everyone reacted and looked warily at the door. The other yoma gestured for humans to get behind them while they stood in front of the door themselves.
Lara only barely remembered an explosion and angels storming in and killing the yomas, but those fleeting memories seemed to disappear in front of her growing love for Ilias as she was singing with her husband on her side in the church of Grand Noah. What were those strange souvenirs? She preferred to forget them and focused back on praying more strongly. She was happy because she was praising the goddess. Nothing else mattered, and least of all that small voice deep in the back of her mind telling her that everything was so wrong.
She decided she would be happier if she ignored it.
"…"
"Well that was… Something. I don't know what I expected, but I'm still disappointed. Want to spice up things a little?"
"No. Please continue your story."
"Right, so the crazy ones it is."
In her castle, the Dark Goddess Alipheese was massaging her forehead while grimacing in front of the chaos unfolding in front of her. That day was supposed to be one to celebrate her arrival on the world, but the disagreement between her children, while touching at its core, was the source of a growing headache.
"I will be the one bringing mother's gifts! I'm the one closest to her, and I know her tastes in men better than anyone!"
A haughty laugh followed. "P-lease, knowing you, you will barely bring five or six men including a new cuddle toy for you!"
"Oooh, because you certainly wouldn't bring men addicted to your tails and use it as a justification to keep them, would you?"
"This wouldn't be half as funny if it didn't come from the one who reduced last year's gifts to dry fishes…"
"At least there still were bodies to be found…"
"And what's wrong with that? At least, she's trying compared to you."
Of course, it was natural for children to want to please their mother. It even endeared her. The fact that they chose her throne room to fix their different vocally however… She usually enjoyed the place for its tranquility, the sound of crackling fire accompanying her in her thoughts, and the large, carpeted hallway that was even comfortable to lie upon. It wasn't that her children disturbed her. It was more that she was impressed by the fact that, after so many years, the Day of the Goddess was still a source of conflict about who would have the honor to please their mother by bringing in the best men. She eventually decided to intervene.
"Children, please. I appreciate the effort you're trying to do to please me, but you already did agree on a cycle and I do seem to remember that it was Tamamo's turn after Minagi..."
"Yes! Thank you mother! I won't disappoint you!"
The five other ancestors groaned, but relented.
"Now please, if you would kindly finish the preparations for the festival…"
The ancestors bowed and scattered the next second. Right afterward, Tamamo was back in her personal penthouse, flanked by a handmaiden who was holding out a stack of papers including information on men that would make for good offerings. She selected the most promising ones and sorted the work with her servants. She would personally go fetch a few for her mother, and maybe even keep one or two for herself.
She decided to get a few men present in one of the rare village on Ilias Continent. She donned a red dress with white, furred trimming that showed her forms as much as her usual kimono, smiled to herself, and in the blink of an eye she was in the middle of the village, with people scattering around her in fear.
Tamamo No Mae simply used her magic to put her targets into stasis and grabbed them with her numerous tails. She then grabbed herself a few men to keep herself company, and yet a few other more as tribute for her sisters. As she exited the village, she made sure the memories of the men she stole was clear from the mind of all the other villagers. It was only a minor effort for her, and it was better if they remained just afraid than filled with hate for monsterkin.
She dropped off her own pickings back in her room so that they would be prepared by her servants before she also dropped her few extras to her sisters, their passably sour expression turning happy in front of the altruistic gesture. She then personally brought the remaining dazed men to the throne room of her mother, the Dark Goddess herself.
"Myyyyyy…" Alipheese licked her lips. "You brought in fine gifts… Thank you dear Tamamo. I appreciate your tribute."
"It's only natural, mother." Tamamo bowed. "We owe you all so much, and I can only apologize for our unruly, disturbing behavior earlier."
"It's nothing… Your gift made that small inconvenience worth it…"
"In that case, I will let you appreciate it freely. Have a nice evening!"
Tamamo disappeared and returned to her quarters to see that the first of her partners was waiting on her bed, ready to be played with. She removed her robe and obliged.
After only a minute, it looked like the man's mind had already been fried by her treatments. His head was wobbling, and he was drooling like an idiot. Shame, he didn't have the backbone the kitsune thought he would have. Well, there were still a few men remaining…
In the meantime, in several villages, people awakened with the feeling that something was amiss. A room which use was unclear, equipment that they remembered didn't belong to them, and a feeling of loss, but they couldn't quite nail what happened. By the hand of the day, most people just shrugged it off. What they didn't know didn't harm them after all…
Right?
"Well that was… Rather dark. Don't you have a happier story for our public?"
"Mmmh. Oh! Oh! I know!"
In the middle of a nondescript plain Black Alice and her goons were currently fighting at a disadvantage against two impressively large armies. On one flank, her forces were getting cut down by a large number of monsters led by the Six Ancestors and the Dark Goddess. On the other, the forces of the Goddess of light were devastating her. She was even starting to shaking her head in panic.
"No! No! NO! My dream of destroying the universes! It's falling apart!"
Only a few minutes later, her last forces had been torn to pieces and she was alone to face the goddesses from the two other dimensions. She started throwing a tantrum that only brought her scorn from the two other goddesses.
"This can't be real! You're inferior to me! I will kill you both!"
"You're just a childish upstart and a mistake that has to be erased! Give it up!"
She attacked them both by using tentacles, but even before the fight started, it was obvious that she was at a disadvantage. Her opponents shot down any tentacle that came their way, and each time she tried to use a spell of chaos, the two goddesses combined their power to throw back an assault that was at least twice as powerful. While her last servants were getting pushed back by the joint effort from the Seven Archangels and the Six Ancestors, she was forced to defend herself desperately against her two ennemies.
After a few minutes of back and forth, she had already been brought down to her knees by the combined assault of the goddesses.
"Your time is over. We're going to erase you once and for all."
With an enraged cry, Black Alice threw herself at her opponents and got disintegrated for all her trouble, leaving the two goddesses alone. They silently looked at each other.
"You did a good job."
"Same to you."
"I'm now going to back to my world, attacking each other would just be idiotic and just as threatening for the balance of all the universes as Black Alice was."
"Same."
"Goodbye."
"Farewell."
And so both the Dark and the Light Goddess left this world. Black Alice had been killed by their common effort, and it was now time for a well deserved rest back in their own home dimension.
"The end."
White Rabbit closed the book with an obvious expression of self-satisfaction that raised Reaper's eyebrow.
"Well, as entertaining as it was, I don't think seeing them unite will happen anytime soon."
"I KNOW! IT IS FICTION! A GIRL CAN DREAM! WHY ARE YOU SO CRUEL?!"
The White Rabbit disappeared in her hat accompanied by crying noise. The next instant, a high-power stream of water was pouring out from the headgear. Reaper carefully stepped away while keeping her usual neutral expression as she was avoiding the flood that was covering the floor of he little sanctum before pouring into the void.
"Well… Happy Goddess Day I guess…"
Fortunately, somewhere in a world that was not yet concerned by the threat of its annihilation at that precise moment, some people were happily celebrating the Goddess Day in a dark castle that didn't look quite as ominous as people made it out to be. A strange couple was sitting close to a large fireplace in a room that was equally large, slowly rocking on wooden chairs as they basked in the warmth of the close flames.
"Hey Alice?"
"What?"
"Do I really have to wear that ugly sweater?"
The lamia made every effort to remain serious as she didn't turn to look at the hero. "…Yes."
"But it's itchy and uncomfortable! When Tamamo told me I'd have to wear one, I'd imagine it would be as soft as her tails and… I don't think its style matches the traditions from Yamatai.
The sweater itself was a black wool cloth with something akin to a large red and brown deer head at its center that looked like it was drawn by a drunkard. It was also a size too large, and the hero was repeatedly shifting uncomfortably in an attempt to make himself slightly more at ease, but it was an uphill struggle as the sweater simply refused to position itself correctly around the hero's small frame.
"Seriously…" Luka scratched himself. "I'll have a word with her after that."
"Do as you want… Just… Not in front of the kids."
Alice was holding in her arms two very young children both a lighter shade of blue than their mother. The boy looked human, but the girl had the lower body of a lamia just like her mother, although it was currently extremely short.
"Awww… Luka doesn't like my gift?" Tamamo arrived with the other Heavenly Knights with plates covered with various hot beverages and decorated biscuits. "Sorry, we had to recook a batch after Sylph decided to help us. Salamander is still explaining her in her fashion how the oven works."
Alma Elma made a beeline in front of Alice and cooed in front of the two children.
"Who are the cute little Monster Lord babies? Who are the cutest?"
As the boy was clinging harder to her mother while looking afraid, the girl was laughing happily and clapping with her small hands.
"Alma, if you would please move back slightly, I think you are scaring him."
"D'awwww…"
"But I wouldn't mind if you take the girl of my arms though, I'm getting a bit tired. Just be careful please."
"Really?" Alma lifted the small laughing lamia. "Come over here then!" She sat herself on a rocking chair, and the girl was already playing with the succubus' tail, apparently fascinated by the inhuman organ.
Luka threw a concerned look at his wife, who smiled reassuringly. It would be fine...
"…Might I take the boy then?" Erubetie asked Alice, and after the Monster Lord nodded, slightly surprised. The slime took the extremely calm boy from his mother's arms before sitting herself on a chair, carefully getting sure that the boy was always safe.
A few minutes later, the Four Spirits arrived, with Sylph suffering from singed hair while her cloths were somehow wet. Salamander released a satisfied sigh.
"So the whole family is here… When was the last time we were all together again?"
"Can't exactly remember. Not that it really matters anyway. Tonight, we relax."
Gnome was already silently munching on a biscuit as she nodded.
"Yup!" Tamamo sat herself on a rocking chair near the fireplace in front of everyone and showed off the large book in her hands. "We've got food, drinks, and nice stories for this evening. So let's enjoy it to its fullest!"
"You'll start with which one?"
"The first."
Alice whined like a disappointed child. "I already heard it more than twice already…"
"Pfah! Ignore her!" Salamander was smirking. "Young'uns should respect the old classic. We'll listen to it once again!"
Alice crossed her arms and conceded. "…Very well. But I get to choose the second story."
"Deal! So, if you would kindly get started Tamamo…"
"Alma? Music please."
The succubus pulled out a small guitar and started playing a slow, soothing rhythm with the small lamia half asleep in a nest made by the coils of Alma Elma's tail.
The kitsune cleared her throat. "Once upon a time, the Dark Goddess was drifting through an endless void…"
Luka was distractedly listening to Tamamo's sotry while occasionally sipping hot cocoa and eating biscuits. He occasionally took a peek at his children who were half asleep or at Alice herself. He felt a certain sense of tranquility for a moment, which made all those months of struggle and conflict worth it. Because as much as he appreciated the thrills of adventures and of a good fight, he also enjoyed the tranquility of a world he saved with people he came to appreciate and even love.
Maybe there would be more trials in the future, but today, he felt like he was the happiest person in the world.