Returning a favour.

Our town had a single church that Luno's family owned and burnt down. A church that was famed for having the most divine statue. Absolute perfection in every believer's eyes… But it was nothing compared to what I was seeing now. It was the real deal.

The pinnacle and progenitor of life were standing in front of me within a single form. It was a deity.

"You're right. I'm that deity from that church. Seems like you remembered." It had a plain but majestic look on its face. "Liu, release the man."

[As you wish.]

"I'm sorry for my assistant being a little rude. But you should get used to her. You'll be in her care from now on."

His words went in through one ear and out the other. I couldn't pay attention to even one of his words given how hard my brain was trying to catch up.

I did say that nothing would surprise me anymore, but an event of this size? It didn't make sense! Unless-

"Am I dreaming or did I die?"

"Neither… Thanks to me. You won't die, yet. And I already pulled you out of that dream." It pinched my chin and raised his wrists. With its grip, I got pulled up seemingly weightless.

My legs were firm on the ground, the androgynous being was floating to the height of my shoulder. "You see, usually beings like us aren't allowed to interfere with the affairs of human life, Especially me. But I owe your father a favour I cannot even hope to repay and he was literally on his knees begging me after he saw your state."

"Father has been dead for years." I almost clicked my tongue but stopped after remembering who I was facing.

"Of course, I know that... Who do you take me for?" It messed with my hair. "What happened is already in the past. It's my job to repay any favours he owes me, so I'll do just that." He nodded along. "But it won't be for free. Resurrecting a man who is about to die, is the greatest favour you can ask of a deity. Especially if that man is fated to cross you. So I'll use your body too."

The being pulled my shirt apart and revealed my bare chest.

A deity and a request from my father. It was absurd, but everything happening today was absurd. Everything started to add up and I came to the most logical solution.

"If you want to save me- I don't want to liv-"

"Shhh… I'm not saving you. I don't like your weak mind. Honestly, I am fine with you dying. But the guilt would haunt me, so just this once I'm going to give you a chance."

Its slender arms gripped my neck and it pulled itself towards me. The gentle caress of lips graced my collar bone and a certain warmth radiated throughout my body. It was like I was getting rained on with a geyser.

Its hand ran across my chest and a pulse went through my entire body. My mind went muddy for a second as if someone was trying to take me over. But I immediately returned to my senses.

I looked down to see a flower get embedded on my skin as if I had been branded. Pink, brown, pink, brown, it pulsated. But then it branched out further and further until my entire arm was covered with nothing but flowers. It was beautiful.

"It's up to you to decide what you do with this chance. Save yourself or just waste it on dying again. I did my part, and let your true nature run wild. No one can hold me accountable anymore." The being slowly floated behind and landed on the ground. "Just remember that there are people who are still waiting for you out there."

I didn't get anything it said. It just flew all over my head. But my body felt different. I felt like something whittled away on my body. It felt like my entire body was not what it was a few moments ago.

Everything that happened countered my beliefs. I was awestruck and boggled. I wanted answers-

"Wait!" I shouted but with a crash- another lightning bolt, the light started to leave my eyes.

"Until later, Elyan."

###

I opened my eyes.

Black sky and falling rain. I was awake.

'Was it all a dream?' I couldn't tell... But my body said otherwise.

"Tch." I clicked my tongue when I realised my survival. The plateau I fell off of was in front of me and was at least 50 metres up in the sky. There was no real way to survive that.

'Did the bag break my fall?' It didn't seem likely.

So the only real answer I had left was what I just saw. The surreality of my experience heavily outweighed my comprehensive capabilities. I was confused.

The bones weren't shattered from when that man hit me. There were no shards of glass stuck on my skin. My back wasn't broken from falling this far down. My neck didn't crack like the last thing I remembered.

Everything was blank and I wasn't fine.

I wiped my eyelids and the black sky started to turn blue. The rain hitting my face started to hurt. Everything hurt.

Everything from all the way inside to every inch on my skin. I was in pain. Waiting for it to eventually end.

The dream tore the little bit of sanity I had left. I couldn't tell what just happened to me, I couldn't explain the marks on my hand, and I didn't want to see Luno anymore, even if I could. My mind was already broken without repair.

And amidst it all, my mind wandered to the people I had left.

'Mom, what do I do?' How do I get out of this?

My eyes let tears fall from the side of my face.

'I really can't take this any longer.'

My voice started to leave my throat in hurtful groans. By the time I realised I was wailing. If someone ever saw me like this, they would mock me.

But that didn't matter.

'let the world see this.' I sighed.

It wasn't my fault I was like this! The only thing I could have done differently was to have been a worse human in my past. Being someone who would hurt others for my sake, who would tell Luno to just give everything up.

Supportiveness? Kindness? Those aren't bad traits. The place where they got me was bad. But without those two the world wouldn't go around.

Why did everyone just expect me to be strong? Why do I have to be strong? I was perfectly happy living the quaint life I lived. Does everyone have to be the epitome of sternness?

Beat everyone up who doesn't agree with you? Kill everyone who gets in your way? Have your way with any woman you want?

That sounds disgusting? Is that what you want to see in a human? How is that any different from a monster. It's vile it makes me want to turn my guts inside out. Everyone just expects you to have a pool of strength you use for your own selfishness.

That's disgusting.

But...

But- just because I wasn't that, I was the one who got hurt.

"How is any of this fair?"

I didn't care about being seen anymore. Just that all this suffering ended.

I pulled myself crawling all the way over to the plateau I fell off and sat up against it. Tugging my knees in and burying my face in there I let it all out.

'Just remember that there are people waiting for you.'

I knew that. I knew that all too well. Giving in now would make it harder for the people who cared for me. The people who believed in me. The people I could unconditionally trust. I knew that I had to go on.

It would be hard... But-

Just for a little more. My life had to go on.