The stars blinked above the silent sky as Akin's eyes slowly fluttered open. The scent of incense still lingered faintly, a reminder of his otherworldly meeting with the goddess of divine nature. Myrra's words echoed in his mind, soft but weighty. The room was quiet — midnight had arrived. Jendol, Annabel, and Jane were fast asleep, sprawled across the sofas around him. Akin found himself on the bed. He sat up slowly, trying not to disturb the peace.
He walked toward the window, pulling the curtain slightly to peek outside. The sky was dark and cloudless, moonlight casting a soft glow on the palace grounds. For a brief moment, he let the cool air brush against his skin. Then, with a quiet sigh, he returned to bed, eyes still awake but heart a little steadier.
—
Morning light poured through the windows, chasing away the night's calm. The room was filled with tension now. Jendol, Annabel, and Jane stood around Akin, faces marked with concern.
"What happened last night?" Jendol demanded.
"You were glowing," Jane added. "And we couldn't wake you."
Akin sat on the edge of the bed, hands resting on his knees. "I met your contractor Myrra, " he said simply. "The goddess of divine nature. According to her she's... with us now. Sort of. But we can't fully trust her yet."
Annabel frowned. "wait calm down, you mean you get to meet my contractor, the goddess that granted me and Jendol our powers, even we haven't had the chance to even talk with her. and what do you mean we can't trust her yet"
"Because the gods are divided," Akin replied. "And some of them want this world — and others — gone. Myrra promised to help us, but we don't know her limits or true intentions. We have to be careful."
Jendol stepped forward. "So what now?"
Akin turned toward Elan in his mind. Elan, what do you think about forming a contract with Myrra?
Elan's voice came with his usual sarcasm. According to Myrra? You're a walking time bom—sorry, I mean god.
Akin raised a brow. "Did you just call me a time bomb?"
I said walking god, Elan corrected. But making a contract means accepting her power fully — which you don't need. You already have access to her domain through your connection with your friends. Let's play it safe. Don't let your strength get to your head. You just inherited a fraction of Nexis' power. Your body still needs training to absorb the full 100%. And thanks to me, your mortal shell can hold that power for now. So don't mess it up.
Akin nodded, absorbing every word. "Got it. Right now, we need a plan. I already understand the big picture... but the root cause of this chaos is still unknown. First step is restoring balance in the gods' realm which i don't know where to start. Only then will this world — and others — be safe."
Akin hid the fact that their original world is in danger too.
Jendol raised a hand. "We've never been to the gods' realm, but the elves might know something. The mages say they're one of the oldest and wisest tribes."
Annabel added, "They're peaceful and live longer than most species. According to ancient lore, they've always served as stewards of divine secrets."
Akin snapped his fingers. "Exactly! Jendol, remember all those novels and manhwa we used to read back home? It's crazy how accurate they are. Elves are always portrayed as the ancient, all-knowing ones. It matches everything we've seen here."
Elan chimed in. Yeah, it's wild. I don't know how your world came up with stories so close to the truth, but following that knowledge might save us a lot of time.
Akin stood. "I need to meet with the king. Jane, you're coming with me. I don't know when the next monster outbreak will happen.
"Wait you're living us again?" Annabel cut in
but I need you guys to protect the people until I return." Akin continued
I can only trust you two to watch my back.
He pulled them all into a hug and, one by one, injected some of his energy into them.
"What was that?" Jendol asked.
"Sound link," Akin said with a grin. "Think of me when you're in trouble. It'll transmit your thoughts to me. and I'll come running although i wont stay for long"
Jendol laughed. "That's so cool. I already like this new you. Just don't forget to say goodbye before you go."
"Of course" Akin replied. "Just give me a moment."
—
In the throne room, the king sat in council with high priests and mages. Estria stood beside him, her expression calm but unreadable. Akin pushed the doors open and walked in without hesitation.
The high priest stepped forward. "You dare interrupt a royal meeting without invitation?"
But Akin ignored him and strode straight to the king. He bowed deeply, suppressing all resentment. Myrra's apology still rang in his heart — humans were bound to make mistakes. He chose to channel that rage toward preventing the catastrophe to come.
"Your Majesty," he said. "I came to inform you that I'll be leaving the palace — and possibly the capital — for a few days or weeks. I don't have time to explain everything now, but soon, you'll understand."
The king sighed. "Akin... I'm sorry. For sending you to the cursed land. For treating you like a threat. You don't need to forgive me. But please — don't turn your back on this kingdom. My people had nothing to do with my decisions. We need you."
Akin nodded slightly and turned to the high priest. "You're Myrra's messenger, right?"
The priest stepped forward. "Show some respect when speaking of the goddess of divine nature."
Akin smirked. "Relax. We talked for hours last night."
He turned back to the king. "I hear your words. But I won't make any promises yet. I was set on killing you and that mage once i set my foot here, but after coming back here and seeing what's happening, and goddess apologized last night too, So I don't hold anything against, am all in on finding a way back to my world. One thing though — don't treat my friends like tools. If I hear you did, you won't like what happens next."
He turned to leave.
"Do you need anything?" the king asked quickly. "We can prepare a chariot to take you wherever you want."
Akin raised a hand as he walked with Jane. "No need. We'll manage."
As the doors closed behind him, the room fell into thoughtful silence.
The high priest whispered, "That boy's power... it's not what we should seek to control. It's what we should fear."
Estria finally spoke. "I agree. Yesterday, I was clouded by pride and anger when he defied the throne. But today, when I tried to measure his mana... it was infinite. His aura is beyond even the two heroes'. They have more mana than high mages, but he... he's like a god in human form. Whatever happened in the cursed land, it changed him completely. I believe that mysterious energy we lost contact with — it was him. We shouldn't make him an enemy. We should help him."
—
Outside, Akin returned to the others.
"I'll be back soon," he said. "Don't worry. We'll meet again in Elarian. I promise. Just make sure you stick together."
He extended his hand. "In three days, I'll call you. Be ready."
Jane adjusted her gear beside him, and the two of them turned away from the capital and toward the unknown paths that led to the Elven lands.
But neither of them knew that one of the gods had already begun to move — with one mission: eliminate Akin.
End of chapter 24