"Um, what is a Dominion?"
At my question, Lilia's hostility was replaced with confusion, completely baffled by my seemingly stupid question. She was stunned, her mouth agape for a moment, most likely thinking me to be less intelligent.
"Huh!? Don't tell me you were forsaken in intelligence as well as God's light? …Poor thing."
"I'm not stupid! Don't look down on me, just answer the question!"
"Okay, I suppose I must show kindness to a lower intellect, even if you are wingless. Kathoros, the holy land of angels, is split into five Dominions, each ruled by an angel carrying the same name. For example, we are currently in the Order Dominion ruled by Ickni, the Custodian of Harmony. There are four other Dominions, Sun, Moon, Stars, and Nature."
Lilia's pity was plain to see, while her eyes were quite beautiful with an emerald shine. Something else more intriguing drew my gaze; a shimmering collar was attached firmly to her neck.
"Now, to the main subject. Did you do that to the forsaken? By those light spears following your every move, I'm guessing they did."
"Umm, if I did say I did it, I wouldn't be in any trouble, right?"
"What, of course not. But there is something troubling about you. How can you possess such power while being wingless? And what is with your eyes, why are they golden?"
Golden? From the last time I checked myself in the mirror, they were the boring old brown they have always been, not golden.
Wait, golden is the colour of Seraphina's eyes. By merging with a portion of her body, I had most likely taken on most, if not all, of her traits and features, becoming a replica of the deity, just as a male would.
Wanting to confirm my theory, I plucked a couple of strands of my hair and inspected their colour. They resembled snow, not the dirty blonde I once had on Earth.
"I'm not totally sure what you are talking about? You should be telling me why you are collared like some dog, not picking at my appearance."
I decided I wouldn't reveal anything about Seraphina or my newfound powers coming directly from her body to anyone I didn't completely trust. From my few minutes on this new land, I doubted any of Seraphina's creations had actually met with her before, let alone had an actual conversation.
She didn't seem like the most caring god, easily growing tired of her creations after their less-than-satisfactory efforts in the war. But at least she held some sympathy for her creations, even if it was twisted.
"Huh!? How dare you call the Custodian's sacred band a collar! It is the only reason that our great Dominion is without crime."
Lilia's engaged shouts lasted for a couple of minutes, listing the many accomplishments and feats of Ickni, the Custodian of Harmony. Singing the custodian's praises, her cheeks reddening with each memory of Ickni's achievements.
"Umm… Are you okay? Your little rant is unsettling and frantically creepy."
"I call it love, nothing but my immense care and respect for our humble, brave, noble, steward, amazing, caring, and brilliant Custodian. Ickni!"
Unsettled wasn't the word to describe my current feelings. I believe scared was the better word. Of course, it would only be my luck for the first person I met to be a creep.
"Stop it!"
"Oh, don't be like that. You'll see the merits of Ickni once you put one of the Sacred Bands on. You're lucky I always carry ten extra bands!"
"No! They are obviously a tool to control people!"
My pleas didn't reach Lilia's ears, charging towards me, holding the open collar, aiming at my neck. My spears didn't respond to the threat, most likely due to the lack of actual hostility.
"Embrace the Custodian!"