Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

The last word of known history had been inked by the goddess of life and death. She'd written it to the best of her knowledge and left traces of Aphrodite's abuse although had not gone in depth about it. A goddess orphaned by one of the parents in her life while the other's spirit lingers even in death, it was a gospel imperfect that slandered the previous goddess that ruled most of Atlaris.

"There will be those who brandish it the devil's work for showing Aphrodite as an incompetent mother," Athenia's clone whispered as she loomed right over the goddess' shoulder.

Looking sideways into Athenia's eyes, the clone knew the doubts in her head–she was her and she was she after all. Nothing of value was offered to her followers, not any more than what already had been provided to them.

The ever spring, the healthy offspring, the lack of natural diseases on most parts, the people of Atheina have taken it for granted, and thus even if they knew a new goddess was the reason behind it, they'd want more to follow her gospel.

"The elder gods ruled with fear, I could do the same…" Turning her head to the clone, Athenia wore a gentle smirk. "If only I didn't know the resentment it leaves in the hearts of the most loyal zealots."

Staring into her own eyes, the clone leaned closer until her nose was right against her master. Leering still, she wanted to question her judgment but somehow knew that she shouldn't as she was being more affected by Athenia's lingering hatred than Athenia herself.

"Like Helga and the others, you mean?" She asked, pulling herself away and standing upright.

"Yeah…" Shifting her attention back to the gospel, Athenia brushed her hand against the golden book jacket. Carved with a tree both withering and blossoming, the cover reflected both sides of the goddess. One bore fruits and the other a ghastly rot, yet its roots sank deep and went under the tome to lock it with a latch. "Unlike those two, I want those who follow me to do it of their own accord.

Forcing faith to manifest in anyone would only make them scorn me when their faith is tested and judgment comes."

"More faith, more power." The clone remained unsure as to why Athenia was hesitant to declare her faith as the only true path forward. "And since when have you gotten so soft? Where's that teasing flame of the goddess of Mockery?"

Slightly turning her head to the side, Athenia looked at her clone from the very edge of her eyes.

"I'll save my fierceness for my enemies, they deserve it more than some misbehaving children." Seeing her people as her own children, she wanted the best for them all–and although there was a limit to what blasphemy she'd tolerate, for now, she wanted to let them act out so they find those fine lines of tolerance themselves.

"And what if they misbehave too much?" Asked the clone.

"Then they'll plague, one confined in their bodies, one that keeps them alive while their flesh rots away and even when they're dust, their souls will know not the light of the heavens but the ever-scorching flames of hell…" Having pushed Athenia to reflect a portion of her devilish self, the clone smiled at the knowledge that her master hadn't gone soft but had rather gotten better at controlling her emotions.

"Now before you say another word," holding the gospel towards the clone, Athenia looked at her with a disgruntled face. "Hand this over to one of my angels and have them bring it to Erika this instant."

Taking the book without another word, the clone ran its fingers across its spine. Smiling, she turned her eyes back to the goddess before nodding in response.

"As you wish, my gracious lady~" Chuckling to herself, the clone bowed dramatically.

"Had not been my flesh–"

"But I am~"

Rolling her eyes at the interruption, Athenia glared at the clone, weighing whether or not the headache from herself was worth the argument.

"Just go!" Deciding that it wasn't; she shooed the clone away.

The journey of the tome from Athenia's hand to Erika had finally begun. First, it was handed to a midget of an angel with fish-like gills and claws but the face of a mutt with torn-off lips. Its bare teeth were not even half of visible abnormalities, as bulging red eyes with a clear liquid popped in and out throughout its skin.

Needless to say, the angel was far from the most pleasant, but unfortunately for Athenia, only the rejects and the likes served her still.

Even so, the winged creature managed to do its duty without being detected, and the tome now rested at the center of one of the shelves that Erika had decorated with the rest of the books in the church's basement. Leaving the golden book right in the middle, the angel was gone before anyone realized that it was ever there.

As morning came, Erika was oblivious as to what had transpired, but the moment she walked into the church's main building, the glimmer of the golden book was instantly caught in her eyes. With a gasp, she rushed forward–her right hand covering her mouth and the other gripped at her chest.

"FINALLY!" She exclaimed, picking the book off the shelf.

Excited beyond measure, she couldn't help smiling. Hugging the tome close to her heart, she turned to the idol of life and death now resting where Aphrodite used to rest. Taking deep breaths to calm her heart while looking at her goddess, Erika raised the tome and began praying a prayer of gratitude.

'I shall read this to a packed assembly at least once before I have to leave Athenia!' Turning around with those words, Erika glanced over to the podium that could finally be made use of. Walking briskly towards it, she placed the book on the lectern and with a graceful touch unlocked the latch so she could read at least some of it herself before reading it to the others.

'I need to make a copy for me to take later!' She thought and before she knew she'd read through the entirety of the gospel standing upright for a day and a half. A few more days passed and Erika did nothing but copy the words of tome into a stack of the finest paper, as well as, reading the gospel to the few who did come to Athenia's church.

As word began to spread of Athenia's abandonment and the cruel nature of Aphrodite towards her own soldiers whom she abandoned as well, the church began to fill more and more while at the same time, rows of protestors emerged at its doors. By the end of the week, Milo had to arrange guards at the church so there would be no more riots.

As for Erika, it was time for her to leave the church in the hands of Rowen and Aura's son, Ray. She didn't want to leave, but with Raven and the others back, she had no choice but to depart with only a replica copy of the original tome.