Goddess's Yuri harem: Chosing the Empress is hard
Chapter 57: Worth the Sacrifice - Part 2

Chapter 57: 57: Worth the Sacrifice - Part 2

Within minutes, the village was no more. Homes stood untouched, the air was still, but there was not a single living soul left besides Lila. She clutched the bottle to her chest, her breath ragged and uneven. A cold, sick feeling settled in her stomach.

"What have I done?"

’You have done what must be done. The Goddess will be proud of you all for making this sacrifice.’

Lady Victoria’s voice echoed in her subconscious, smooth and unshaken. Lila flinched, expecting scorn, but instead, there was reassurance.

’Minerva will appreciate this sacrifice, my dear. She will see your devotion and bless you for your unwavering faith. You must not falter now. This is only the beginning.’

Lila forced herself to breathe, inhaling deeply. She wanted to cry, to scream, but she swallowed her emotions. She had to believe that Lady Victoria was right. If she let herself break now, it would all be for nothing.

With one last look at the now-empty village, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the night, gripping the bottle tightly. She had no home left, no people, but she had a purpose.

______

Far away, in the safety of the temple, Auriel stirred in her sleep. Her dreams were restless, filled with flickering images that she could not comprehend at first.

She found herself standing in a barren village square, the air thick with unnatural silence. Shadows moved at the edge of her vision, and when she turned, she saw Lila, standing at the center, holding a glowing bottle in her trembling hands.

Around her, bodies lay still, their expressions frozen in fear and pain.

Then, a deep darkness slithered through the dream, wrapping around Lila like an unseen serpent. A voice—sultry and commanding—whispered through the air, but Auriel could not make out the words.

The darkness pulsed, and Auriel’s stomach twisted in realization. This was dark magic, an ancient and dangerous force that should not be meddled with.

"You-! Stop this!"

Auriel called out in the dream, but her voice was swallowed by the shadows. The scene shifted, the darkness pulling her deeper. She struggled, but she could not wake up.

Something—no, someone—was watching her.

A presence lurked in the void, amused and confident. Auriel felt it probe at her mind, and then a voice echoed in her ears, dripping with taunting amusement.

’It is too late, little goddess. The wheels have already begun to turn.’

Auriel gasped, shooting upright in bed, her heart pounding. Cold sweat clung to her skin as she struggled to shake the remnants of the dream from her mind.

She did not waste a second. Throwing off her sheets, she rushed to the door, her divine senses still tingling with unease. Something had happened—something terrible.

Without hesitation, she strode down the dimly lit corridors of the temple, making her way to Priestess Lilith’s chambers. She knocked sharply, urgency clear in her every move. Moments later, the door creaked open, revealing a sleepy and disoriented Lilith.

"Goddess Auriel? Is something wrong?"

Priestess Lilith blinked, rubbing her eyes.

Auriel wasted no time.

"I need you to send an investigative team to Minerva’s followers’ village immediately."

Lilith straightened at the grave tone in Auriel’s voice.

"Did something happen?"

" Hopefully not. But I had a dream, no—a vision. Dark magic has been used there. Something is very, very wrong"

Auriel admitted, her expression grim.

Lilith hesitated for only a moment before nodding.

"I will send scouts at once."

"Not just scouts. Send your best people. And prepare purification spells just in case. I fear we may already be too late."

Auriel added, her voice firm.

Lilith swallowed but nodded once more. "Understood, Goddess."

She turned, already barking orders to the temple guards and high-ranking priestesses. The once-silent halls of the temple were soon alive with movement as preparations began.

Auriel stood still, looking out toward the night sky. The unease in her chest did not fade, nor did the phantom presence of the dark entity she had sensed in her dream.

"Tsk, why does this have to happen? Just what do these people want to do by sacrificing a goddess and making her followers fall for dark magic. And why collect human life-essence?"

Auriel had a lot of questions, but unfortunately, she did not have an answer to them.

______

Carol’s irritation simmered beneath her composed exterior as she led the scouts through the empty village.

The absence of people was unnerving, but no visible signs of violence or struggle could be found.

The buildings stood intact, untouched by fire or destruction, yet the eerie silence that permeated the air sent shivers down her spine.

Nothing seemed to be wrong with this village, except for its lack of people. And that was the part that made shivers go down people’s spine.

"This doesn’t make sense. Where could everyone have gone?"

One of the priestesses muttered, shifting nervously.

Carol didn’t have an answer, and that frustrated her. She turned to the rest of the priestesses and ordered.

"Search the village again. Look for any clues. We need to report this to Goddess Auriel with as much information as possible."

Carol did not want to head back empty handed and see the goddess’s disappointed face. She wanted to bring back good news for her.

But it looked to be less and less likely by the second.

"Fuck! Just what the heck happened. If only I had my capabilities back, I would be able to check what happened in a heartbeat. But I had to get cursed and end up like this. Fuck! This is so irritating."

Carol’s vocabulary caused the nearby priestesses to quickly step away from her.

The priestesses scattered, combing through homes and streets, but their search yielded nothing new. Carol clenched her fists, suppressing the unease creeping into her heart.

Something had happened here, something unnatural, but the lack of evidence left them powerless.

Just as she was about to call off the search, a sudden burst of energy made her spin around, her eyes narrowing at the approaching figure.