A Real Goddess Would Let Nobody Die

The entire city of Genekil was in a haze today, and Kenna knew why. It was all because of her!

She had been very sick. She'd even been so sick that Dr. Li called the strongest white mage in the city! He had studied Kenna, and spoken to her and Mama and Papa.

"Kenna has an extremely aggressive form of acute leukemia," he had said, smiling brightly. "Salvation's Essence is keeping her alive, but we can't do anything more for her."

Kenna hadn't understood what Mama, Papa, the mage, and Dr. Li were so excited about.

"What is lookymia?" she asked. "Why is it good?"

Mama and Papa were praying, but Mama answered her, eyes still closed.

"It means you're so sick that Salvation Herself will come to heal you. Meeting the Goddesses is a life-changing blessing. And since the Goddesses will meet you, They will remember you, our Kenna, forever. The Sisters never forget anything, or anyone. You will always be a part of Them."

That did sound amazing, meeting the Goddesses, but...

"Don't worry, these are happy tears."

Oh.

"The Listener!" Papa gasped.

The mage nodded. "Me too. I told Her the urgency. She says They will leave Benevin and head to Esto earlier than planned, stopping in Genekil on the way."

Then Kenna heard a voice from nowhere.

<Hello Kenna! My name is Izenakee.>

"Hi Izenakee," Kenna replied, looking around her room. "Are you behind me? I can't see you."

Mama sobbed, and even Papa was crying. What was going on?

<Teeteeteet!> The voice smothered a giggle. <I'm not there now! We will meet in person tomorrow. You will meet My Sisters, too.>

Kenna's eyes bulged, and she gasped. She wanted to jolt upright, but she was too sick.

"You're the Goddesses!" she exclaimed. "You're the Goddess of Love!"

The Goddess of Love had always been Kenna's favorite. She was so pretty! Kenna loved watching Her on the display. How could you not love the Goddess of Love?! Kenna wanted to fluff Her pretty pinkish hair and just bury her face in it! It was always so fancy and nice looking, like it probably tasted sweet. Mmm. That made Kenna want sweetfluff. Love's hair did look like sweetfluff.

<Yes, I am!>

Kenna jolted. She had forgotten she was actually speaking to Her, right now!

The voice was giggling again. It sounded like Her hair looked.

"How will I know when You're here?" Kenna gushed.

<Hmmm. Well, people tend to be happy when I am around. Everyone in the same city as Me feels loved, like when your Mama and Papa scratch your head. Here, I'll show you.>

Kenna squirmed, as she was hit with a wave of...fuzzies, all over. It felt like she was packed full of sweetfluff. She hadn't realized just how icky she was feeling. It was a lot better now.

<I am very blessed,> the voice explained. <I feel very loved, all the time, and people nearby feel how I feel, and then I feel how they feel in response, and it goes back and forth, and gets stronger. I can't help it; it's just part of Who I am. It's like how My Sister Menelyn shines very brightly. I shine too, but in a different way.>

Wow. Making people feel like they're full of sweetfluff just by being near them did seem like a Goddess thing to do. The Goddess of Love had always been Kenna's favorite.

<When the whole city starts feeling like that, you will know that We are close, and will see you soon!>

Kenna had been looking forward to it ever since, and now it had happened! The whole city was feeling fuzzies. The Goddesses were here, and They were coming to see Kenna!

Dr. Li walked unsteadily into Kenna's room to replace the bag of shiny Light that was attached to her.

"It's the last time you'll need this!" he said, smiling and a little flushed.

Kenna couldn't even nod. It felt too good right now. She just lay in her bath of Light, staring at the ceiling, feeling Love's fuzzies.

Then, some men wearing black-and-white uniforms with red scarf-things entered, after knocking on the door.

"We're here for inspection, Doctor, in advance of Their visit," one of them said.

Dr. Li bowed.

"Of course! Please, have a look. The only unusual thing in here is the Essence, and I know the Guard of all people will appreciate it!"

The men chuckled. "Indeed," said the other one, and they looked at the bag attached to Kenna, and her bath, the same way that Papa looked at Kenna and Mama.

Kenna knew, everyone except crazy people knew, that it wasn't really possible to hurt the Goddesses, but the Trusted Guard would be too ashamed if They were ever attacked again, like they had been in...Kenna couldn't remember...It was before she was born, but it had been on the test...Well, Love had been knocked over. The Goddess could normally tell if anyone meant to harm Her, and make them stop if necessary, but not if She was attacked by machines. Even though She was shielded and only fell over because the ground was shaking, the Guard had been very, very upset, and still was.

The whole world had been very, very upset, and still was. Everyone except crazy people loved Love.

It was 7976 now. Kenna knew that one! Justice's 8000-year festival was next year! She couldn't wait! It would be her first festival, and it was a special one.

Suddenly, Kenna felt a hush settling over the hospital. She knew what that meant: the Goddesses were here! Shortly later, the Goddess of Love stepped into Kenna's room, followed by Her Sisters.

Kenna knew that They both wore clothing made exclusively of threads of Their Essence, since a long time ago, and could change the exact style as They liked. Their old fabric tunics were at the museum in Benevin. Kenna's family had gone there on a trip.

Love wore boots and bracelets made from the same magic rubies as She put in Her fancy braids. The dress design She'd picked today was simple, loose and hanging to just below Her knees, pretty similar to Her old tunic aside from being made of magic. "Dawn wearing Dusk" was what people said, since everything She wore was that same ruby red, and...

Kenna blushed. She couldn't help it. Love's pinkish-red hair was really, really pretty, and so fancy, but Her eyes and lashes and brows, all the same shiny pinkish-red, were just...beyond pretty. Inhumanly pretty.

Next to Her, Justice and Salvation wore boots and bracelets, too. Theirs were Salvation's white Light on the right, and Justice's black Void on the left. The style of Their dress was the same as Love's, except it was mostly that impossibly dark black, aside from a shining Sun on the chest. They also wore a Sun necklace with a black chain, and also unlike Love, Their hair had no fancy braids or rubies or anything, just straight silver strands, exactly like the real metal. Hanging over Their mostly black dress, it looked very nice.

Both had earrings dotting the outer edges of Their ears. Love's were all ruby, while Her Sisters' left ear was black, and right was light.

Kenna couldn't stop staring. She knew the Goddesses were pretty, but...the display didn't show Them right. And it wasn't just how pretty They were. Even though all the men towered over Them, and even Mama was taller, They seemed...heavy, somehow, small and light but heavy. Both were small for grownups, especially Justice and Salvation. The display did show that the White Goddess was small, but She was even smaller in person. So cute! And Love was only a few fingers taller! But so heavy, too.

Then Salvation spoke.

"Hello Kenna!" Chills ran down Kenna's spine, like that was where all her thoughts had drained to. "I heard you're not feeling good, and I would like to help, if that's alright?"

Kenna just stared, afraid to make any noise and spoil it. The display was not good enough for Her voice, either. The lights dimmed slightly when She spoke, like...well, Kenna felt shy too.

A Goddess. This was a Goddess. Kenna had a new understanding of what that meant. It wasn't just someone pretty and famous. This was a Goddess, a real one. Kenna felt like she should pray.

Out of nowhere, she felt a need to giggle. Love started giggling an instant later.

"Yes," the Goddess giggled out. "We are Goddesses, very, very powerful! But the lights aren't dimming, My Sister just makes it seem that way, because everything about Her gives such an impression of brightness, even though Justice's blackness and Their outfit keep it under control. She makes lesser lights seem faded. If Justice spoke, you'd feel like the shadows got less shadowy, in the same way."

Love's voice made Kenna's scalp tingle.

"I am Justice. See?" Kenna saw. It was amazing! "And My old body was a lot taller."

The eldest Goddess sighed. Love giggled again, and Salvation joined.

Mama and Papa were praying in the doorway. Kenna agreed. She closed her eyes and prayed, too.

Someone walked beside Kenna. It was Love, Kenna knew, because the fuzzies got stronger. So, so strong.

"We love you too," the Goddess murmured softly, reaching into Kenna's bath, and taking her hand. "All of Us."

Now the fuzzies were so strong that Kenna felt like she was choking. She couldn't move. Too full of fuzzies.

"I'm going to heal you now, alright?" Salvation said from the other side, in the same tone.

Kenna thought 'yes,' and hoped that was enough. The Goddess of Love was holding her hand. The fuzzies were too strong, and her face was on fire.

"You are very, very sick, all over, so I will need to be thorough." Salvation sang-spoke right into Kenna's ear, placing one hand on her chest, and one on the top of her head. "The sudden change will be a shock, but it won't hurt. Quite the opposite."

Kenna was limp.

Then, there was a warmth, a flood of energy, excitement, rushing everywhere, up and down her limbs and back up again and down again, displacing Love's fuzzies. She grabbed Love's hand.

"Ahahhahat!" Kenna gasped. It just kept going, over and over and over. More excitement than she could absorb, and it wasn't done. "Haa! Ahahahhha!"

Kenna's eyes flew open. Her chest was pounding. She felt like she could jump through the roof. She wanted to jump through the roof. What else could she do with this energy? She was going to burst. And it still wasn't stopping.

She was glowing. Glowing all over. Kenna had the same glow as the Goddesses. Weaker, but the same. And she was so clean. Even if she weren't glowing, she'd be shining. And still it wasn't over.

Until at last it was. Before Kenna could breathe, the fuzzies came back, all at once. The fuzzies, and the energy, together.

"Ahhk! Gahh!"

"That feels better, doesn't it?" Salvation cooed into Kenna's ear again. "The glow will fade eventually, but you'll be healthier than anyone."

It did feel better. It felt so much better. Kenna believed it more than she'd ever believed anything before. She'd just been blessed by Life Herself. She felt it down to her bones. She'd never really been alive before. Even when she wasn't sick, she was closer to being dead than to being this alive.

Love lifted Kenna into a hug. The fuzzies were so strong that her limbs were too weak to move again, even though she had more energy than she knew what to do with.

"It would make Me happy if such a cutie played with My hair," Love whispered into Kenna's ear.

Scalp tingles. Energy. Fuzzies.

Mama and Papa were still praying. It made sense, since there were Goddesses in Kenna's room right now.

Her eyes started overflowing. She couldn't find any other way to let everything out.