CASE 347: A WORLD WITHOUT HER.

To me, Eva has always been a pillar of hope.

She snatched me from the jaws of death and gave me a new life two decades ago. Just because of that, I'm eternally grateful. But her worth to me is much more than that. She has been with me as a companion for just that long, and I couldn't imagine a world without her.

Without her reassuring presence, without the fulfilling essence that has been a part of Sylvia's heart since her conception.

''...''

So, when I can no longer sense her traces—not even a sliver of her being around me, panic sets in.

A colossal sense of unease falls on me, echoing so piercingly inside my head as my heart races. In an instant, countless possibilities flash through my mind. 

Is she alive? Where did she go? Did someone take her away?

But of course, it isn't hard to pinpoint the culprit. In this world, the only person who can clash with Eva is her sister, Eve. So this is how it has turned out. This is what their plan was.

By taking away our anchor—the only hope to this continent—they will finally have a chance of ruining us.

I won't let that happen.

''This isn't the time for sleeping!''

Immediately, I wake everyone up and quickly explain the situation. Whether they have done anything aside from kidnapping Eva is still unknown, but it is best to alert my closest companions first. 

''...Let's be cautious. We can probably tell your parents and the top officials, but not the masses.'' Tina frowns. ''Not the military either. We can't allow panic to ruin the operation.''

''No, shouldn't we pause it to search for Eva?'' Liana chimes in.

Sighing, Sariel puts her palm on the elf's head, ''It will break our momentum. It's an all-out assault plan, one that consumes too many resources to pause. Besides... if there's a place she can be, it's most likely close to the heart of the demons.''

...Yeah.

At this point, retreat is no longer an option. Say we cower now, they will only come back stronger and destroy us. The only way forward is to take the initiative. Even without Eva, I think we can manage somehow. 

Since the responsibility for opening the portal will fall on me, I have to work harder.

''Phew...''

There's no need to panic now. It does nothing.

Trust in Eva. She won't be defeated so quickly. Yes, we only need to save her, and everything will be over.

''Let's go.''

Even without words, I believe my reliable partners already understood my intentions. As they swiftly prepare to leave, I pat Anna and Luna's backs, hopefully shaking off their fright. 

''I... I need to save Mother Goddess...!'' Anna dashes off the bed, her tail gliding in the air.

Turning to me, Luna says determinedly, ''I'll work on locating Eva. It's my fault for not raising my guard enough this time, so I'll make up for it.''

''I don't blame you, Luna. But I'll have to ask you—please give it your best.''

With everything ready in no time, we rush to HQ directly and notify my dad, who's also looking somewhat restless.

''What?! Mother Goddess is missing?!''

''Dad, has anything else occurred?''

Clearly trying to gather his thoughts, my dad shakes his head in disbelief and takes two deep breaths. The pair of blue eyes fixing on me afterward is undoubtedly brilliant.

''For now, nothing serious.'' He says. ''However, strange weather phenomena and faint symptoms of natural disasters have been reported. Nature is suffering.''

I'd expected that much since no matter how good the planet management AI is, we can't expect the world to run perfectly without Eva's tinkering. Now that it is acting up again, it seems Eva has really gone missing.

This can't go on. We'll first have to stabilize the machine before it gets more complicated.

Assuming the operation proceeds as usual, there's not much time left. Taking the lead, I delegate the task of monitoring the AI tower to Emy and Liana. Sariel has a more extensive understanding of this topic, but without her, we'll lose too much firepower. Besides, the two elves will do well in the forest, where the destination is.

Just in case something happens to them... although they won't be alone there, most certainly.

''I'll work on the portal immediately,'' I tell Dad. ''Does Everwood have more firepower to compensate?''

''Somehow, yes. If we roll out the prototypes, then...''

''Please do that.''

Anna and Tina are two essential combatants for our troops. They both belong to the support class, which is indispensable. But we only have Sariel as our main means of dealing damage, and maybe I can also be counted.

We need more raw power. Quicker, and more destructive.

Damn it... do I really need to use the nuclear bomb...? I'd snuck one into my space warehouse, but it just seems so overkill somehow. No, maybe leaving it for the final fight is smarter.

For now, missiles and ordinary explosives are the way to go.

As such thoughts flash across my mind, I can't help but instinctively yearn for the working table, where I spend time making ammunition. Not now. I need to pour energy into the portal.

Thankfully, I'd heard Eva explain it before, so it's not impossible to recreate. I can still do a lot afterward as well, relying on the stock of divine-powered bullet tips I'd made.

In the rush, I concentrate my everything into my duty, not paying attention to the clock. By the time I finally work out how to put the rift accurately, the operation is already nearing its start.

Thunderous footsteps outside pull me back to reality, and I rush out with my three companions, leaving the focused Luna at the base. In time, she should send us the divination's results.

''Let's hope this works...''

Crossing entire corps neatly situated in rows, we soon reach a spacious launching site. Here, about a few dozen launchers are being propped up, ready to fire the scarcely manufactured and expensive long-range missiles for an early strike.

When these things fire, the portal will start to manifest. 

It will have to. If not, the enemies will have the time to recover and raise their guard. It's a heavy responsibility, and it makes me terribly nervous.

Steeling my mind, I slowly begin to wind up my divine power.

*****

In a dark, secluded room, faint laughter can be heard.

''Ah... my beautiful sister...''

A female figure shrouded in a dark purple mist runs her fingers on the unconscious woman's cheeks, her own flushing.

Eve can't control her twisted smile.

Just thinking about the things she will be able to do to her sister... it arouses her. It was certainly worth the time to plan for this kidnapping...  no, this 'reconciliation.'

A goddess whose soul remains brave and untainted, such as Eva's, is of the utmost quality. 

What could be more exciting than trying her very best to... taint that soul? Giggling to herself, Eve ponders this question.