The Dark Rebirth of Pandora: Revenge of the Abyss

Chapter 725: One Side of the Past

”Pandora, thank you for deciding to come see something of mine this time,” Oriane says as we travel a few billion years into the past of her universe. She called me to see her daughters when they were children.

”Don’t worry, it’s interesting to me too...” I crouch down next to a young Delphina, who is extremely tiny. She was always a small girl, so as a child she’s even smaller.

”Delphina is quite adorable.” She’s biting into a block of ice she made, shattering and crushing it with her teeth.

”Yes, she’s adorable. She used to chew on ice all the time. In fact, that’s why she hates loud noises—years of chewing ice made her hearing sensitive,” she says, stroking Delphina’s head even though Delphina can’t see us or feel the touch.

”...” While Delphina is distracted with her ice, I glance to the side and see my mother and her sister.

”Echidna and Aranthis... Aranthis has dark purple hair and eyes with black streaks, and dark skin—a really beautiful bronzed tone. In the past, considering Evangeline is Aranthis’s reincarnation, I thought Aranthis looked like Evangeline, but seeing the real one, it’s obvious they don’t look alike at all.”

”Yes... what do you think of your mother?” When she asks, I look at Echidna. Aranthis is draped over her, rubbing against her body while talking to her.

”She’s... different. She looks like a cute animal rather than a person.” She’s in a beastly state, but there’s no animal that looks like her. She’s some kind of quadrupedal being with immense claws, a mouth full of sharp fangs, three sinister eyes on her head, and an extremely long serpentine tail.

Her fur is black and spiky, though they’re not really spines. Right now, she lost control because someone took her food.

But soon she leaves that form behind thanks to Aranthis’s caresses. Her body returns to humanoid, but with her legs and hands covered in that darkness, and still bearing sharp claws, black markings on her face, and sharp teeth.

”Your choice was an interesting one. Anyway, look at Elysia over there, she seems really jealous,” I say, spotting Elysia in a corner, peeking through the wall at Echidna.

”Yes, Elysia was envious of the absolute love Echidna received from Aranthis. But we still have many to see,” she says, gesturing toward the various children in the room. There are many mini-goddesses here, doing different things or ignoring each other—more than fifteen of them.

”...” I create a new timeline right now and insert myself into it, appearing before all of them. All the mini-goddesses see me and are shocked, while Oriane, still invisible to them, just watches.

”Hello, little goddesses. I’m a... good friend of Oriane, your mother. I decided to come here and hear some stories. I love talking to children—they’re innocent in such a fun way. So, does anyone want to share stories with me?” I say, interested in hearing about their past, even though I already know everything.

”Waaahhh!!” Several of them scream and run out of the room crying, while a few stay, staring at me as if I were something incomprehensible.

”D-Don’t go, Echidna!! S-She’s scary!!” Aranthis says to Echidna, who is approaching me.

”Something to say, little one?” I say to her as she stares into my eyes.

”You have pretty eyes,” she says, and I understand perfectly that most of them were scared of my eyes.

”Thank you. Your eyes are beautiful too...” I take her little hand, touching the sharp claws.

”So, anything to say?” I press, and she seems thoughtful.

”I like to eat, and my sister is nice... oh, and tomorrow I become an adult! Mama Oriane said she’ll allow my transition. I’m the first one to become an adult,” she says proudly. Unlike mortals, who grow gradually, goddesses are ”static” beings in their mentality and state of existence, so Oriane set goals that would make them jump from children to the adult phase in seconds once they met those goals.

It’s similar to me. I was a child and didn’t grow, and when I met certain requirements, I became a teenager all at once, my entire body changing, and then the same happened when I became an adult. The only difference is that goddesses don’t have a ”teenager” phase.

”That sounds wonderful. Oriane is so kind, don’t you think?” I say to her, starting with something comfortable.

”Yes!! She’s one of the few who talk to me! I like her.” Seeing this cute side of Echidna is something I enjoy.

”And you, little demon, want to talk to me?” I ask Aranthis, who seems indecisive. She’s clearly afraid of me, but I see respect in her gaze because I gave attention to Echidna.

”Mama never mentioned you. How do we know you’re not lying?”

”...There’s no way to know. But if I wanted to do something, I would have already... done it...” I look back to where Delphina is biting my tail, giving me a wild look.

”Intruder,” she murmurs to me, not liking my presence one bit. I ignore her—she can’t even scratch me—and focus on Aranthis. I sit on the floor to make space for them to come closer if they want.

”...” Echidna climbs onto my lap while I stroke her head, proving that lowering myself worked.

”Why do you want to know our stories?” Aranthis questions.

”Just to pass the time. Besides, isn’t it good for you to talk about yourselves so I can speak well of you to Oriane and she rewards you?”

”...” I hear quick footsteps as Elysia reaches me with a smug smile.

”Obviously, I was the first to learn 100 different magics, a glorious feat indeed, and I’m waiting for Mama Oriane to tell her,” Elysia boasts, taking advantage of what I said.

’Greedy since childhood... I suppose it’s to be expected.’

”That’s good, but Echidna has currently learned 200. She just didn’t tell anyone.” When I say that, Aranthis and Elysia look at Echidna in shock.

”Hehehe.” Echidna doesn’t ask how I know, she just lets out a little giggle. Elysia, on the other hand, glares at her and walks away, offended.

’Oriane, your daughters have so much personality.’

’Thank you,’ Oriane replies with a smile, enjoying watching me interact with her daughters.

’Elysia is my daughter too. She reincarnated as mine, so it’s interesting to see this other side of her. She’s very egocentric... I won’t question your choices, I understand them perfectly, but a lot of things would be better if you had made her more peaceful,’ I say to her, and she shrugs.

”What’s your name?” Another little girl approaches me, asking my name—the goddess of the apocalypse herself. The day of her death hasn’t come yet.

”...I’m Pandora.” When I say that in this timeline, the reason Echidna gives the name Pandora to Takashi, who reincarnated as the Demon King, is because I was kind to her now and she liked the name.

Of course, the main timeline where I was born is unchanged, and Pandora was just a name Echidna found interesting and chose, but in this one, the choice was my fault.

’You know, it’s great watching you insert yourself into other people’s timelines. After we’re done here, I want to invite you to another universe,’ Oriane says to me, vanishing for now.

’Alright,’ I just accept, turning my focus back to the children, who start telling me stories, growing calmer—except for Delphina, who keeps trying to bite me.