Arlene
I am the Oracle, the High Priestess who connects the divine realm to the mortal world.
My daughter, however, was born with only a trace of divine power, leaving her little different from an ordinary human.
I brought four orphans back from the beastman world and raised them myself.
I gave them only one condition: protect my daughter from harm.
For years, her four brothers shielded her, leaving her free to be as willful as she liked.
Then, on the day of her coming-of-age rite, her prayer reached me.
"Mother, my brothers are going to sacrifice me so Daisy can receive the Goddess's protection."
By the time I got there, my daughter was bound to the altar.
My four sons were busy preparing the altar.
Daisy preened at their side.
I was about to begin the chant that would punish them.
Christopher, the serpent, pulled Daisy close and wrapped a protective arm around her.
Gardner, the polar bear, talked back to me for the first time.
"Mother, our little sister hurt Daisy first.
"We only meant to frighten her.
"The rite only takes away her ability to speak with the Goddess. She is useless anyway. She may as well be ordinary."
I looked at the ingrates I had personally raised and scoffed.
They had forgotten something. Every skill, every power, every title they held had come from me.
I had made them. I could unmake them just as easily.