"Y/N? Y/N! Wake up! I command you!"

You felt as if you were drowning, like a great weight was pressing down on you from all sides. You were cold, and so, so tired. But someone was calling your name. It was familiar, yet you couldn't place the voice. You tried to move, tried to speak, but it was impossible. Your eyes felt heavy and refused to open. You felt yourself drifting, the voice was growing more distant, and then-

Electricity flooded your system, jolting you from a deep sleep. You jerked upright and gasped, your eyes flying open. Your body felt sore and you had a pounding headache. As you tried to gather your bearings, you found yourself face to face with a pair of big blue eyes staring back at you. The face in front of yours looked vaguely familiar. Even now your memories were foggy at best, and the harder you tried to concentrate on your past the faster it slipped away. The person in front of you, however, was crystal clear. She had a small, pale, and round face, with wide blue eyes. Long golden blonde hair spilled over her shoulders and back, and her lips were a delicate shade of pink. She had on a simple white gown, intricate jewelry, and a golden circlet around her head.

"Ilias?" you asked, the word coming out like a question. You weren't even sure if you had the right name. Seemed more instinctual than anything.

She let out a sigh of relief, tension falling from her shoulders. "Idiot. Don't scare me like that."

"I... honestly have no idea what's going on." You said, shaking your head. You look around, snow and mountains ranging as far as the eye could see. Where the hell were you?

Ilias seemed to notice the confusion on your face. "What do you remember last?"

You paused, trying to think back. Your memories were like water slipping through your fingers, and the harder you tried to recall the faster it faded. One image flashed before you. Ilias. Chaos, the world itself being destroyed by a wave of darkness.

Didn't make much sense considering you were both sitting here talking. "Not much. I think... it's just bits and pieces. How did we get here?"

"Good question. I know every inch of the world yet this place is foreign to me. Holy energy is practically nonexistent, no way to contact the angels either. This isn't our world, at least, not the one we know."

You frowned. That certainly didn't bode well. If you weren't even on the same planet... just what had happened? How did you even end up here?

"Whatever happened is irrelevant right now. We should look for some sort of civilization and figure out what to do from there."

You nod, not finding any reason to argue with her. Standing up, you look around, not seeing any signs of life anywhere. "Hate to ask, but-"

"Quiet. I'm trying to think."

You and Ilias started to walk, the cold nipping at your exposed skin. You rubbed your hands up and down your arms, trying to warm up. Ilias didn't seem to be bothered by the cold. Her feet were bare, and all she was wearing was that thin dress. It's not like you were in any danger, but it sure as hell was annoying.

You two walked in silence, the only sound was the howl of the wind and your footsteps crunching on the snow. You kept an eye out for anything, whether it be animals or people, but no signs of life appeared.

After what felt like an eternity, you both could make out what looked like tall stone walls at the base of what had to be the biggest mountain you've ever seen. It was a long walk, but eventually you made it there. There was a massive gate, guarded by two armored men.

"Hello," Ilias said, putting on her best friendly face. "Could you help us? We've been traveling for a while and need a place to stay for the night."

The guards shared a glance. "It'll cost ya, don't let anyone in for free."

Ilias frowned. "We have no money. I am the Goddess Ilias, and I order you to let us pass."

They didn't even blink. "That's a nice story. You got no coin, no deal. Never even heard of a Goddess Ilias."

You could tell the comment pissed Ilias off. "I have no time for these silly games. Move or suffer the consequences."

The two of them looked unimpressed. They drew their swords and stepped forward, blocking the way. "You don't get a choice in the matter."

"'Point your sword at the Goddess and thou shalt cry'" Ilias said, reciting a line from scripture. A second later, both men began to scream, their metal armor sparking and hissing as they were electrocuted. Once they were unconscious, she crossed her arms and huffed. "Miserable lowlifes."

You were too exhausted to argue with her and simply stepped over the two unconscious bodies and into the village. The first thing that hit you was the noise, hundreds of people were crowded into a single space. Merchants selling wares, children playing, it was all so loud and chaotic. It seemed much warmer than outside, but that didn't mean much.

"Where do we go from here?" You asked, looking at Ilias.

Her only response was a sassy huff. "I rather not speak to any more peasants. You're up, Y/N."

"Me? You can't be serious."

"Hah! I thought you were a man. Speaking with mortals should be easy for someone such as yourself."

You rolled your eyes. "Fine. Don't get your panties in a bunch."

Ilias's cheeks turned a light pink. "I do not wear 'panties'! And stop looking at my... privates!"

"Hard not to when there's no clothes covering them."

"Ugh!" Ilias groaned. She looked like she was about to say something, but was interrupted.

"Hey, you! Stop right there!" A gruff voice called out. Both of you turned to see an older man standing behind a counter, staring daggers at you. "Who are you and why are you loitering in front of my shop?"

You sighed. Looks like it's up to you, again. "Uh, hello sir. My name is Y/N. We're just travelers, trying to find somewhere to stay. Could you help us?"

The man frowned, his gaze moving to Ilias. "That girl yours? She doesn't look like you."

"Well, uh, she's-"

"Are you implying I look like a mere child? I should smite you where you stand, you insolent-"

"She's my sister!" You say quickly, trying to defuse the situation. "We're not exactly blood related, but we're siblings, yes."

The man looked at you for a second before turning away. "Don't care. You're blocking business. Move along, unless you have money."

"No, no, we don't have any. We'll be going, sorry." You turn to leave, grabbing Ilias's hand. She looked like she wanted to punch the man and it's not like he would've listened anyways.

"I'm not done talking to you!" The man snapped. "You've got quite the mouth, don't you, kid? If ya want a place to stay, the girl there could come work for me. It'd be a shame to see a pretty young thing such as yourself freeze in the snow."

You frowned. You really didn't like this guy. He had a creepy grin on his face and he looked Ilias up and down. She narrowed her eyes and looked like she was about to yell, but you beat her to the punch.

"She's not for sale." You said, keeping your voice level.

"I wasn't asking. Homeless brats belong in the slums. If you've got a problem with that, I'm sure the guards would love to escort you out of town."

Making a scene probably wasn't a good idea. It wasn't like the guards were going to help you, and you didn't have any money, so there wasn't anything you could do. Ilias tugged on your hand and pulled you away, glaring at the man as she dragged you along.

"Useless, pathetic humans. I'd prefer Alma over that scum." She hummed. Though you were unfamiliar with the name, the disdain in her voice was obvious. "This city is full of degenerates. It's disgusting."

You shrug, even if slightly amused by her view of things. "Just seems like everyday people to me. People are kind of like that."

"My followers would never treat a stranger, much less the Goddess herself, in such a disrespectful manner. Mortals should be groveling at my feet, not trying to buy me!"

"Your followers also allow people to break in their homes and start smashing pots. Not exactly normal either. Personally, I wouldn't pay 5 coins for you."

Ilias rolled her eyes. "Irrelevant. It's the principle of the matter."

"Whatever you say, Lady Ilias."

"Hmph. Do not mock me, Y/N. Just where are we supposed to go? We cannot just walk the streets aimlessly, there's no purpose to it, unless your aim is to waste time that is."

"I mean, maybe we'll just find some random place to crash. There's gotta be an abandoned house or something."

"Abandoned house? Do I look like a rat to you?" You just smile in reponse to her question, which only furthers her yap session. "I demand a bed and hot meal. A Goddess such as myself is above sleeping in a filthy, rat-infested hole."

"Do you have any better ideas?"
Ilias didn't answer, only scowled at the ground.

"Thought so. We'll have to be careful, though. Can't have the guards finding us."

"As if they could lay a finger on me. My judgment zap would fry them before they could even take a step."

"Right. Because the two of us can definitely overpower a whole army of guards. Totally."

"Our power may have diminished since coming here, but we are far stronger than a bunch of humans."

"I mean, I don't know how strong they are. But we're still better off not starting any fights, alright? We need to lie low." You try to reason with her, hoping she doesn't go and get you a 5 star wanted level, as if the two guards from earlier weren't bad enough.

"Ugh. Fine. Just keep walking. Maybe we'll get lucky and run into a rich merchant willing to pay for the privilege of housing the Goddess."

You snort. "Sure. Let's just keep our eyes open and see if we find anything."

"Fine, fine. Lead the way, Y/N." She crosses her arms, gesturing for you to start.

Ilias didn't have anything useful to offer, so you kept walking. The buildings grew worse and worse the farther you went, eventually turning into shacks. Some people were sitting on the steps, others were in the street, and all of them looked poor.

"This place is awful. Are these really the best living conditions the humans could muster? If they had my blessing, this wouldn't even be a problem."

You weren't sure about that, but it was true things were worse than they could've been. The city was dirty and crowded, and the smell wasn't great. You wrinkled your nose and continued on, scanning the area. It wasn't exactly the nicest neighborhood, but there weren't any guards around. You spotted a building that had a broken window.

"We could stay there, it looks abandoned." You say, pointing"

"Disgusting. No, no, no, we cannot stay in a place like this. What would the people think if they found out the Goddess was sleeping in a broken-down shack? My reputation would be ruined!"

"We're not staying in a five-star hotel. Just deal with it." You huff. "Besides, you don't even have a reputation here! No one knows who you are!"

"Hmph. Very well. But the moment we get our bearings, I'm leaving. I'm not living like a peasant for the rest of my days."

You nod and the two of you head over to the shack. It was dark and dirty, with a few empty bottles strewn about the floor. You sigh and sit down on a broken chair, trying to warm up.

"Well, this is... great." Ilias said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Simply wonderful. Absolutely fantastic. A divine paradise. Truly, a sight to behold. When we get back to our world, remind me to send the architects of this place a thank you letter."

"Yeah, yeah, we're not exactly in the lap of luxury here. Just deal with it."

"I will sleep on your lap. I refuse to sit on the ground. This place is filthy." She really didn't look like she was going to take no for an answer judging by the fact she was already marching towards you.

"Sure, whatever you want."

Ilias plopped herself down on your lap and curled up against your chest. Her body was warm and soft, and you had to fight the urge to pull her closer. Her wings brushed against your arm as they stretched out.

You sat there for a while, neither of you saying anything. It was peaceful, the only sound was the faint howl of the wind.

"Hey, Y/N?" Ilias' voice cuts through the comfortable silence.

"Yeah?"

"Back to what we discussed earlier. About not remembering things. Do you... feel anything? When you think back to the past?" Ilias glances up, a hint of hesitation flashing through her eyes.

You think for a moment. "Not really. It's just, blurry. Like I'm looking through a fogged-up window. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing..." Ilias paused and let a soft smile settle onto her face. "Best to let it come back naturally. The memories will return with time."

"You don't think it has anything to do with being here, do you?" You glance down at the little goddess, tightening your grip on her.

"I have an idea, but... it's best if we don't discuss it. I have a feeling we'll be dealing with enough soon enough. For now, just rest." She sighs as she pushes herself closer to you.

You didn't know what she meant by that, but you decided not to question her. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back on your shoulder, and soon the two of you fell asleep.

___________________________________________

A/N:

This is totally the first chapter of this story and not something I started like 4 years ago only to vanish after publishing it.

I wanted a fresh start to this story to set up a better base for some things happening in the future. Mixing Re:Zero and elements of MGQ Paradox, with how changing timelines or time travel in general effects things could turn out to be interesting.

Plus, I haven't seen many stories where the MC is on the more villainous side of things so it'll be fun to write that.

Next chapter will be out in a few days (promise.) Should also have things actually happening, rather than just an introduction to this world. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Even after all these years...