The God Mother Arch-Enemy (Part 1)

In the lake of Tenrou Island, Mavis, and Zera were sitting facing Tiamat.

"A Goddess?!/A Goddess?!", Mavis and Zera exclaimed at the same time.

Mavis looked delighted, her eyes as bright as stars. Zera, on the other hand, had a rather dubious expression. Tiamat puffed out her breasts with a proud smile - she was at least pleased with Mavis's reaction.

"Incredible! To think that Tiamat-san is a Goddess! That never crossed my mind!" Mavis said as she jumped livelily. She then stopped for a moment and tilted her head. "What is a goddess?"

Zera looked at Tiamat with empty eyes, as if looking at a crazy person. "Sorry, but it's a little hard to believe that, I'd be more likely to believe that you really are a goat person."

Tiamat's confident smile faded.

She wanted to shock the two children by telling her identity, she even made suspense! But ruining Tiamat's expectations, Mavis, despite reading in secret, didn't seem to know what a God was, and Zera immediately didn't believe her and looked at her as if she had screws loose.

Tiamat knelt on the ground and began to make circles in the sand, depressed.

Seeing Tiamat depressed for some reason, Mavis rushes to cheer her up. "D-Don't worry, Tiamat-san! I'm sure you're super awesome as a fairy! Right, Zera?", she said, turning to Zera.

Zera seemed to completely ignore the two with a bored expression, but she still responds to Mavis, "A goddess, a goat person, I don't care. It's already getting late, I better get back home, or dad will get mad. And also..."

She faced Tiamat, who was still depressed, and she sighed as if having an internal struggle to decide something. "I won't say anything to dad about her, or about you sneaking in here every day...For now."

"Zera...!", thrilled, Mavis ran to hug Zera but was quickly rebuffed.

"Don't touch me, worm! I'm only doing this because I want to learn the magic she said she would teach me! Just for that and nothing more! Hmph!", Zera responded with a snort, then turned away with her arms crossed.

Tiamat, who was watching their interaction, smiled in amusement.

'Fufu! Zera is such a Tsundere~'

It felt like Zera was really fighting her inner demons and slowly opening her heart, and Tiamat felt proud of her.

However, good things tend to be short-lived.

Zera, who was facing towards the village, suddenly sees something in the distance.

"Is that... Smoke?"

Not only Zera, but Mavis had noticed as well.

"Yes, it's smoke... And it looks like it's coming from...The village?"

As the two wondered about the reason for the smoke, several screams sounded in the distance, startling them.

"That smoke and screams... Has a fight broken out in the village? But there are no bandits on this island, just the villagers and two Wizard Guilds...", Mavis analyzed.

Listening to Mavis' analysis, something seemed to click in Zera's mind, as if she understood something.

"Oh no! I have to go back to the Guild! Daddy! Everyone!", Zera exclaimed, then ran at full speed toward where the smoke was coming from.

"Zera! Wait!", Mavis wanted to stop her, but it was too late, Zera was already out of reach.

Mavis wanted to run after Zera, but just as she was about to take the first step, she had a better idea. Turning to Tiamat, she pleaded, "I don't know what's going on, but this smoke and the screams, something bad is happening in the village! Please help them, help Zera, Tiamat-san!"

Tiamat looked at Mavis, who was imploring her with a determined expression and smiled fondly. She then strokes Mavis in her hair and responds, "Sure...I'll help."

A beaming smile appeared on Mavis's face at Tiamat's response. "Okay, let's go then!"

Holding Mavis's tiny hand, Tiamat stands up and prepares to follow her, but then she freezes. Noticing Tiamat's strange behavior, Mavis became apprehensive.

"Tiamat-san...Is everything okay?"

Tiamat didn't answer, then turned to the ocean with a frown. In the distance, in the middle of the ocean, a few kilometers from the island, a gigantic storm was fast approaching.

Looking in the direction Tiamat was looking, Mavis was confused. "A storm? But the stormy season is past, and I've never seen one as big as that one..."

"This...Is no ordinary storm," without taking her eye off the storm, Tiamat responded with a hint of irritation in her voice.

"What do you mean by that?"

Without giving Tiamat a chance to respond, a terrifying roar echoed across the ocean, making Mavis cower in fear.

"T-Tiamat-san....What was that?"

Tiamat was silent for a few seconds, and then she answered, "A youngling...Who needs to be disciplined."

She then looked at Mavis, who looked terrified and hugged her, calming her down. "Mavis...I want you to listen to me well. I won't be able to go...with you, because the person behind that roar...Is probably after me. If I don't stop him, the entire Island...Will disappear."

Tiamat could hear Mavis's little heart race and hug her tighter. "Don't worry...I can stop him easily, but it might take a while. You've learned...Enough from me to defend yourself against any fifth-rate mage. So...I need you to go without me. Go...And save Zera in my place."

Tiamat released her from her embrace and stared into her eyes. Mavis still looked scared, but she nodded determinedly.

"Good...Now go", Tiamat said with a proud smile.

"Okay! Be careful, Tiamat-san!", with that, Mavis took off running into the forest, going after Zera.

Seeing Mavis disappear into the forest, Tiamat's smile fades, and a displeased expression appears on her pretty face.

Facing the storm that was approaching, she lightly snapped her fingers, making a gale blew several meters around her, then she whispers, "Bad children...Need to be punished."

In the next moment, as if she melted into the water, she vanished.