New law of Beast Taming

Finally, both Kori and Hortencia calmed down. But it had been a close call. Both had solid energies, and their clashing could have been fatal.

"Thank God no one got hurt. I am so sorry. This is your first day here, and you face such a dangerous situation. Hortencia is a little…unstable these days, and you caught her at the wrong time. I swear that she is not usually like this."

Amane could feel Hortencia's emotions, so she knew that Hortencia was in immense pain right now. But as a goddess, her constitution told her to ignore her despair and pay attention to her duties.

Since Amane was the same, she understood Hortencia on a spiritual level. She was not angry at Hortencia for the attack.

But the same could not be said for Kori. Kori was a young goddess without facing the world and its cruelties. Her expectations and responsibilities toward Hortencia were not the same as Amane's.

"I don't care what excuse you make for her behaviour. I am not going to forgive Hortencia for trying to kill Amane. But I will follow Amane's will and not hurt Hortencia until she tries something funny with us."

Kori promised while she pulled all her energy inside her body. Amane might have asked her to stand down, but she was still vigilant and watching for things.

"Well, I cannot ask you not to be vigilant since your life is on the line. But I will ask you to show mercy where you can. Anyway, I should get back to work. The samples have an expiring date."

Anya explained before she went back to her lab. Amane was curious, so she followed her inside.

On the other hand, Kori chose to stand guard and wait for Hortencia to gain consciousness. Amane had no idea what kind of talk Hortencia and Kori had once they were left alone.

Things were tense for a while after this. Amane enjoyed her life in the detention centre and learned human magic. Kori learned ruin enforcement and enchantment.

Every day was fun, and time passed.

Until that tragic day, the detention centre broke down in an uproar. No one knew why this happened, but the inmates decided to rebel and break out.

Stomping sounds were heard as people rushed to their freedom. The ruins that bound one's power stopped working suddenly, and everyone took advantage of it.

"Yoko, let's get out of here. There is nothing more this place can teach you. And I think we have learned enough about human culture by now."

Amane looked at Kori's calm eyes. Everyone was panicking, but Kori looked at the crowd like she expected this to happen.

That was when the first seed of suspicion took root in Amane's mind. She was sure that Kori had a hand in this tragedy.

Kori was the only one with the knowledge and power necessary to force the ruins to change. She might have given these inmates a hand.

"Kori, what are you planning here? Why did you mess with the ruins?"

Amane asked Kori straight. She wanted to avoid beating around the busy and sour her mood. She needed the answer from Kori's mouth.

"What am I planning? I am not planning anything. Someone prayed for me to help them, and I granted their wish. Isn't that what we are supposed to do? Grant wishes of someone who had strong desire?"

Kori asked with a confused expression. It was impossible to tell if this was a genuine expression or Kori's acting.

"Kori! You…were never interested in humans or granting their wishes before. Why did you start now?"

Amane asked, but Kori had no answer for her. She never told Amane what she was thinking that day. Panic surged among the masses, and even the guards had difficulty holding everyone back.

Anya had been deployed in the relief efforts and did her best to keep the people safe and comfortable.

But Anya needed to know how unreliable and unpredictable people could be. Not everyone's purpose was to get out and gain freedom. Many of them wanted to avenge their loved ones or their unjust treatment.

Anya was busy helping a fallen inmate when she felt someone stab her in the chest.

She looked up, but her stabber had his face covered, and he looked satisfied to see Anya bleed out in front of them.

"W-Why? I never did anything wrong…"

Anya asked, and her strength began to fall. She wanted to know why she had been hurt this badly. But her attack laughed unstably. His laugh was full of joy and relief.

"Finally, I avenged my lover—m-My lover, who died for your experiments and countless other sacrifices. D-Did you think you would get to live a happy life after what you did."

"Your lover?"

Those were the last words Anya ever spoke. Her body went cold, and her eyes closed. She was dead within a minute.

Her killer dragged her body through the walls and toward Hortencia's chamber. He threw Anya in front of the goddess and looked up at her.

"Oh, powerful one, please accept my sacrifice to you and give me strength. I will forever be your servant-"

The man's head was served from his body before he could speak. Enraged eyes looked back at the messy corpse and Anya's dead body.

Hortencia could not believe her eyes. She tried to feel Anya's spirit, but the human was long dead. There was no way to bring her back without heavy sacrifices.

Anguish-filled tears filled the halls of the detention centre—those who heard it shivered in fright.

"Amane, this is…"

Kori started to speak, only to be stopped by Amane.

"Hortencia is in pain. We shall check on her to see what is wrong."

Amane planned and walked toward Hortencia's chamber. Kori realised what was going on before Amane did and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Maybe we should give Hortencia time to gather her thoughts and calm down. It looks like Anya died. She must need some time to pull herself together."

Kori tried to make Amane listen to her. But Amane was too stubborn, and she refused to sit back. She was going to make Hortencia listen to her by any means.

The hallway leading up to Hortencia's chambers was destroyed. Magic lashed out at anyone who dared to approach her chamber.

Amane used her magic to put up a barrier and opposed that force. She had to use her sealed will and power to keep the barrier intact. Hortencia was going berserk, and it would be dangerous soon.

"Hey, wait for me. Let me help you get to Hortencia."

Kori mixed her magic with Amane's and snuck her arms around the older's waist. Her shorter height made it impossible for Kori to know where she was heading. But she trusted Amane not to let them get lost.

Hortencia's chambers were a mess. She had left nothing intact. And no one could appease her either.

The vortex of power that trapped Hortencia warped around Anya's dead body.

'If I can get that body, I can negotiate with Hortencia. But first, I must ensure I reach that body in time.'

"Kori, I will attract Hortencia's attention. You should try and reach Anya's body."

Amane did not give Kori any time to refute her request. Before Kori could speak, Amane was off, and her chains smacked against Hortencia's body.

Hortencia did not find Amane's attacks amusing. She fired back with her skills, and Amane blacked them all. It was a clash of incredible powers that nicked Amane's face.

She looked up with an annoyed grin. But Hortencia was not herself right now. Her berserker power broke Amane's defences and hit her in the chest.

It hurt, and Amane was sure she had broken a bone at the very least. But she also noticed how Kori could reach Anya's unconscious body, and Hortencia stopped attacking.

Amane wanted to stay conscious and hear the conversation taking place. But the pain took over Amane's mind, and she collapsed.

Amane entered a healing state for the first time and cut her connection off with the world.

...

"Amane, stay awake. Are you alright? Hey, talk to me."

Kori had never seen Amane collapse in front of her eyes. This was her first time, and her heart skipped a beat in fear. She did not dare approach Amane and confirm her worst fears.

Instead, all her anger and sorrow concentrated inside her chest and found a common outlet.

"You! What did you do to Amane? Just because your lover died does not mean you must take your anger out on Amane."

Kori yelled back at Hortencia, but the elder goddess did not listen. She cradled the dead body in her arms like a baby and smiled.

"I loved her. I loved her so much that I allowed humans to continue to do what they wanted with me in exchange for being able to stay with her longer."

"But in the end, she was taken away from me. This place that clipped her wings and destroyed her soul! I will not let it stand. I will make sure the humans regret angering me."

Hortencia yelled before she began to chant a spell. Her body began to fade, and Kori knew her intentions.

"Wait! You cannot. If you use this spell, then your existence as a high goddess and your powers-"

"They will reduce and fizzle away. But I will be able to give Anya a second chance at life. Exchanging my powers for her second chance does not seem like a bad trade."