On the higher planes of existence, where time is measured in eras rather than seconds, resides Eris. To the inhabitants of this world, she is the Goddess of Luck, the benevolent central figure of the Eris Order, worshiped for her kindness and for being the one tasked with guiding departing souls. However, Eris is what is known as a Guardian Goddess: her universe's last line of defense against the aberrations of the dimensional void.
Although her labor is sacred, Eris enjoys the proximity of mortals. For this reason, she often descends to the city of Axel under the identity of Chris, a free-spirited thief. Officially, she does so to recover Divine Relics—objects with exaggerated powers that other deities have imprudently handed over to reincarnated Japanese people—but unofficially, she enjoys the adrenaline and laughter that the divine realm cannot offer her.
However, while observing Theodore Strange struggle desperately against a White Wolf—a creature with shaggy white fur and fangs like daggers that had come down from the mountains—Chris couldn't help but let her mind return to the origin of it all.
It had all started a little over three weeks ago, in her hall in the Divine Realm. Eris was reviewing the records of newly arrived souls when the air in the room became dense, almost solid. Space itself seemed to groan under invisible pressure.
In front of her, without preamble, Seleneia appeared.
Eris was on the verge of falling out of her chair. As a Guardian Goddess, she was powerful within her own system, but the presence before her belonged to a completely different hierarchy. And as a guardian goddess, she knew exactly who had appeared: Seleneia was a Greater Dimensional Goddess. While Eris looked after a single "house," Seleneia walked among the very foundations of existence. The difference in power was so abysmal that Eris felt her own divinity shrink, like a candle before a radiant sun.
"G-Goddess Seleneia..." - Eris tried to stand up to kneel, her divine heart pounding hard in her chest. The fear was instinctive; she knew that gods of that caliber could erase entire universes if they felt capricious enough.
"Save the formalities, little guardian" - said Seleneia, stopping her with a wave of her hand. Her voice was calm, but laden with absolute authority. - "I haven't come to judge your management or to claim this world. I have come to ask you a favor."
Eris blinked, bewildered. What could an entity capable of traveling between dimensions want from a "girl" like her?
"A... favor?" - asked Eris, trying to regain her composure as she smoothed her dress. - "Please tell me what you need from me."
"I have sent a mortal to your world" - explained Seleneia, getting straight to the point. - "His name is Theodore Strange. Unlike the other toys your colleagues bring from another world, he has no special abilities or physical enhancements. He is a personal experiment. I need you to help him survive. Teach him to defend himself, to use the environment, and to be a real adventurer before this month ends."
"Of course, it won't be for free; you will receive your deserved reward once you have completed this favor. And after doing so, you won't have to worry about the mortal. After all, if he ends up dying even after being taught, he isn't worth the trouble" - said Seleneia.
Eris listened attentively, nodding quickly. The request was strangely simple.
"Of course, I can do it. No problem" - responded Eris with a shy smile. - "It's not necessary for you to give me anything in return, it's an honor to help..."
"Don't be foolish, girl" - Seleneia interrupted her, casting a look that made Eris feel like a scolded apprentice. - "Never make deals with greater gods for 'honor.' You will be paid for your time and for the risk. Don't let kindness make you forget the rules of exchange."
Eris felt self-conscious and nodded submissively. Seleneia, satisfied, began to fade away.
"Give him two weeks to crash on his own. See how he moves. After that, descend and train him for the remaining two weeks. The rest is up to him."
And just like that, Seleneia disappeared. There were no flashes of light or magical particles; she simply ceased to be there, leaving Eris in absolute silence. The goddess of luck let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and slumped into her seat. She was trembling. She knew that although Seleneia seemed reasonable, dimensional gods were fickle and could be bloodthirsty if crossed.
"Well, at least the task is easy" - Eris thought back then.
That same afternoon, she observed Theo through her divine mirror. She saw him walking through the streets of Axel with that curious but analytical gaze typical of newcomers, but with a spark of caution that she liked. He didn't look like the typical idiot who expected everything to fall from the sky.
Back in the present, Chris watched as Theo narrowly avoided a claw swipe from the White Wolf. In this week and a half she had spent with him, her opinion of the boy had improved. He was naive, yes, and sometimes too gullible, but he learned fast and his luck... well, his luck was the only thing preventing his mistakes from being fatal.
The White Wolf growled as it looked at Theo, having several cuts on its body; both were in a similar state. Chris, leaning against a nearby tree, watched with her arms crossed. During the first week, they maintained the same plan of action they used against the goblins, but now she let him fight alone. It was part of the implicit deal with Seleneia: he had to forge his own instinct.
Theo dodged a lateral bite, feeling the cold air pass millimeters from his neck. His movements were more fluid than ten days ago, but he was still an amateur compared to the guild veterans—and it wasn't like he was facing just any monster, but a white wolf, a wolf larger than a normal one, and those are already quite big.
'Move, don't stand still!' - he reproached himself mentally. He tried a lateral slash, but the beast jumped back with superior agility.
The wolf saw its opening. As Theo regained his balance after the missed slash, the creature lunged toward his throat. Time seemed to slow down for Theo; panic tried to cloud his judgment, but his analytical mind registered the trajectory. He tried to raise the sword, but his muscles, exhausted by days of punishment, did not respond with the necessary speed.
"Watch out!" - Chris shouted, losing her "carefree thief" facade for a second.
Just when the fangs were about to close on Theo's shoulder, Chris threw a small stone with the precision of a projectile, hitting the wolf's eye, causing it to divert its trajectory just enough so that Theo only received a scratch on his arm. Taking advantage of the animal's confusion, Theo drove his sword into the beast's side with a cry of frustration and effort. The wolf fell, twitching a couple of times before lying motionless on the grass.
Theo collapsed to his knees, letting go of the sword. His breathing was an erratic whistle, and his body trembled from the adrenaline rush. He was bloody, sweaty, and, above all, deeply aware that he was still alive by a pure miracle... and by Chris's help.
"Damn it..." - gasped Theo, looking at the wound on his arm - "I'm still... too slow."
Chris approached with her usual light step, though her purple eyes showed a mixture of relief and a spark of pity that she quickly hid behind a bright smile. After all, unlike others sent to this world, he didn't have a powerful weapon or skill to lean on, only his wit and the basic skills he had learned.
"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself!" - said Chris, giving him a pat on the back that made Theo wince in pain. - "You survived a White Wolf all by yourself. Well, almost alone. That's much more than most rookies can say, who end up as toad food on their first day!"
She held out a hand to help him up. Theo took it, feeling the deceptive strength in the girl's arms.
"Today's training was intense" - Chris continued, looking toward the horizon where the sun was beginning to set. - "It's been almost two weeks. You've progressed a lot, really. You no longer look like a civilian in an adventurer costume."
Theo wiped the blood from his arm with a rag, looking at Chris with gratitude. Even though she charged him 75% of the rewards, he felt that what he had learned was priceless.
"Thanks, Chris. Really. I don't know why you went to so much trouble for me" - said Theo with sincerity on his face as he looked at Chris.
Chris shrugged with a mischievous expression. - "If only you knew a greater deity gave me a tug on the ear to do it" - she thought amused.
"Let's just say I have a good eye for long-term investments. Now, enough sentimentality. You stink of wet dog and blood. Go take a shower and then I'll see you at the Guild. Dinner is on me today... well, technically it's on you with that 75% I took, so don't complain!"
Theo let out a dry laugh, feeling his muscles scream in pain with every step.
"Deal. A shower and food. I need it."
As they walked back to Axel, Chris observed Theo out of the corner of her eye. She would fulfill her promise to Seleneia. The mortal was ready to defend himself, and he still had 4 days left to complete the month; she planned to leave him this time to rest for whatever Seleneia had prepared for him. So whatever came next was no longer under the protection of Eris's Luck.
'I just hope he doesn't end up dying; it would be a real shame' - thought Eris, her gaze lingering a bit on Theo.
Theo, for his part, looked at his adventurer card as he walked. His level had risen, his skills were recorded, and for the first time in his life, he felt that he wasn't just a spectator of his own destiny.
He was truly happy to have progressed so much.
======
I hope you enjoyed the chapter.