“Inanna….”

The mention of her name hung ringing in the air, and deafening silence came soon after.

But it wasn’t the only thing that happened.

Tanya, or rather, the entity possessing her at the moment, lunged at him, a frost spear in hand. The very next moment, blinding light erupted out of Lukas, lashing out furiously at everything in his vicinity. It hit Tanya like a garbage truck, and flung her a good fifteen feet back across the room, and slammed against the wall.

It stopped her for a fraction of a second at best.

Tanya arose like a specter, wind, and fog billowing behind her, and shot towards him, both of her arms covered in hoarfrost. Acting out of instinct, Lukas raised both arms, focussed his will, and screamed—

“BURST!”

The thing about lifeforce was that even it could not escape a lot of fundamental physics. That was especially true when it came to forcing projection. Newton’s third law at work. Throw force at something and it pushes you back with an equal and opposite reaction. Lukas had used a lot of force, slamming every bit of juice in him at Tanya and the enormous momentum she was carrying with her, courtesy of Ezzeron. The impact hit him like an obdurate wall, and—

Did nothing.

His body stayed where it was, not even pushed back by a fraction of an inch.

Instead, the cold, crimson light softly exuding out of him painted his body in a wild shade. Lukas wasn’t sure what was happening but the edges of his own body were feeling blurry as if the crimson radiance was refracting the light itself.

That is when he felt it.

A warm breeze touched his face, as an ethereal hand grasped his own. A warmth surged within him, a feeling similar to being on a lifeforce high, only a hundred times hotter and more intense. He could hear the thunder of clouds, flashes of lightning, and chirping of birds— all very disconnected in their own way and yet forming a musical melody that soothed the spirit, like an after-tone of some vast gong, or a summer afternoon shower.

And just like that, he knew what it was. Or rather, who.

She stepped up, right next to him. Clad in the heavenly attire that befitted the Supreme Queen, she stood, grabbing a familiar ax in her right arm. Motes of light kept falling out of her as more motes of similar energy kept rising from within, making it appear like her entire form was an ever-constant waterfall.

Lukas opened his mouth to speak, but words failed him. Instead, he watched, dumbfounded, caught in a strange dichotomy of surprise, awe, and happiness.

“...Inanna…” He breathed. “Is this— Are you—?”

The goddess turned towards him, her expression softening slightly. “I am… not Her, mortal. A shade of a shade. A reflection of a reflection. The lingering Presence of the One that holds your faith. And yet, I am Her.”

She paused and cocked her head to the right as if studying him. “You did not bow down when she offered you tutelage. You did not bow down when she offered you powers beyond your wildest imagination. You did not bow down at your weakest and even courted death to allow her the chance to seek what she wanted. And yet, you’d hold her vigil when she is reduced to a mere flicker in the greater Reality?”

Lukas shrugged, giving her a lopsided grin. “I gave her my word.”

That brought a smile to her face. The kind of smile that made flowers bloom and bards create songs. “That you did.”

Her left hand touched Lukas’s cheek. “She chose well.”

“Not as well as you think. I still have no way of getting her back.”

Her lips twisted downward by a bit. “I am not surprised. Especially how you limit yourself. Open your mind, mortal, and the answer you seek will be yours. You have grown since She met you last, but you still have much to grow. However,” she let out a harsh breath, “There are things I need to settle first. Rest assured, we will continue. Afterwards.”

And then she turned to face Tanya, who was staring at her, rage in her glacial eyes.

“You….” Tanya snarled. “You dared to dictate my destiny.”

Inanna gave her a condescending sneer. “I’m disappointed in you. I gave you leave to exist, once. I told you back then that you would serve me. The Supreme Queen permitted your existence, since She is unmatched in magnanimity. And yet, I ordered you that your destiny shall be at my feet.”

The very air stirred with every single word she uttered.

“And yet, you tried to rise above that position I laid down for you? Though I showed you supreme mercy, still you sought to end my reign? You sought to control the Mortal? VERMIN, YOU DARE TOUCH WHAT’S MINE?!”

Lukas blinked, as Inanna’s voice rang across the entire chamber. Hell, he was sure it had escaped past the mansion and maybe beyond. He felt the tide of power that was swelling inside Inanna’s crimson shade and wondered if it was an appropriate time to be running.

“Do You Think I Do Not See That Shard That Lies In Your Heart, Vermin? For Eons, I Have Forced The Powers Of Darkness And Eternal Hunger To Hide In Their Caves. Did You Think Your Attempt To Entrap My Vessel Would Go Unseen?”

The crimson shade of power exuding from her spectral form began to intensify, like a flame so brilliant that one might as well be looking at the sun.

“Did You Believe That I Would Just Allow You To Swallow The World I Ruled Over Just To Fulfill That Empty Void Of Nothingness You Call A Purpose? I Am The Supreme Queen Of Heaven And Earth! Nothing Has The Right To Be Born Without My Permission! Nothing Has The Right To Die Without My Permission! I Have Declared That My Vessel Shall Carry Forward My Wishes And Any Who Will Question My Resolve Will—”

“BURN!!!!”

The world cracked. A brilliant crimson light began to exude across the frigid zone encompassing the room. The ice shattered upon the slightest contact with the crimson hue, as flames spread out, burning brighter, larger, growing and connecting, passing far out of sight in every direction as the Star of Creation, the Supreme Queen stood in the center, with Lukas rooted right beside her, hand in hand.

This was a defining moment in the world, and honestly, Lukas was too afraid to leave it unwitnessed.

Meanwhile, Tanya’s voice echoed through the burning flames, incoherently howling and sobbing with rage and sadness so deep that even Lukas couldn’t help but feel a little pity. There were no words, but roars of defiance so honest and brutal that it spoke all on its own. It didn’t want to be suppressed again. It would face death but not bow down to anyone’s will. It would reign supreme and would bring about the Apocalypse that swallows all.

Her words fell on an uncaring judge’s ears who raised her ax. The Supreme Queen raised her mighty weapon, and suddenly the world around them changed from the burning arctic tundra into a celestial setting, with asteroids and meteors flying in the limitless sky around them, and hundreds of brilliant rays of light illuminating a throne room in the middle. And seated upon it, was the Supreme Monarch he had come to love and fear.

“NOW AWAKEN, POWER OF DEPREDATION!” Inanna proclaimed, her tone as resolute and untouched as a mountain, each syllable carving the words of an execution order deliberately upon it. “MY WILL IS UNQUESTIONED. MY DESIRE CONSUMES ALL. ANY DEFIANCE MUST BE CRUSHED! SHINE NOW! BIRTH A NEW REALITY IN WHICH THIS USURPER MAY ABIDE IN TORMENT FOREVERMORE, A PENALTY THAT LASTS UNTIL THE END OF TIME!”

It was an uncaring judge looking down at the sobbing defendant from high. The swirling vortex of power flared up to touch the burning heavens, and within the black chasm of nothingness came down a shaft of pure power so bright that just gazing at it made Lukas’s eyes burn.

He did not look away. The bright light made his brain burst with static, a thousand times worse than his attempts at gazing at Inanna’s memory of the Origin. Every bit of him burned, but still, Lukas did not look away.

And then, there were just the two of them.

Him. And Her.

Mortal and Goddess.

Inanna turned towards him. “My time on this plane is at an end, mortal. Your surging faith was what gave rise to this spectral shade of mine. I am a Goddess, and thus, it's my duty to shower my blessings upon my worshiper. Invoking my name might not yield a similar result again.”

His jaw fell open. “Wha— why? But then—”

Inanna laughed. “Did you think returning me to the Present would be that easy, mortal? My Presence exists within you, a remnant of myself. You are a Mortal. You are an Anomaly. You are the castellan of the Supreme Queen and you are the one that shall bring Her back. Seek the answer within yourself, and you will find the Light. It has always been within you.”

“I—” Lukas tried, “Isn’t there some way for you to stay back? In my head, again? You were a reflection before, but it didn’t matter back then. Why should it matter now?”

The goddess’s lips turned up into a faint smile. “That was the Reflection of the true Goddess. Me?” She put a finger upon her chest, “I’m the manifestation of your Desire. Your Desire to believe in the Supreme Queen. Your faith in her power and protection. Perhaps someday, your Desire can overrule Reality itself and bring forth the Supreme Queen? Who can say?”

Lukas stared at her for a moment. Then he nodded. “Who indeed?”

He looked away. “Maybe you are asking for too much.”

“You find the idea inconceivable?”

“I find it almost impossible. I don’t know the first place to start with. I might have gained power, but it's useless where it truly counts. The resurrection of a Goddess means Resurrection of Truth itself. You are asking me to climb the ladder that doesn’t exist, and fetch the apple that lies on the uppermost rung.”

“There is time… as long as you want, for things to be different.”

“HOW?” He questioned.

Inanna gave him an impish smile. “If you cannot win a situation by following the rules…”

“Then win it by changing the rules…” Lukas finished with a laugh, “I see where you’re going with but—”

He paused and stared.

At nothing.

There he was, back in the smoking chamber, now completely devoid of frost, with an unconscious Tanya fallen on the floor.