Vision 3 - Contract (1)

After making all the diagrammatic scenes, Persephone's eyes remained unchanged, and her voice cut through the moment like a knife, completely passive.

"That makes sense, but shouldn't you rest for a while?"

A slight vein seemed to bulge on my forehead, but I just let a deep breath move through my body, releasing the tension. Great, even higher existences are nagging me about my sleep schedule now.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by her question. Her voice was filled with innocence, and Persephone tilted her head to the side, looking at me with a genuinely confused expression. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't I be the one asking the questions here? Even with her inquisitive look, I couldn't see any hint of surprise in her eyes.

"Shouldn't I be the one," I squinted my eyes, playfully lingering on Persephone, "asking questions to Mrs. High Existence?" I smiled mischievously, taking my hands out of my pockets as I took a step toward her.

"..."

I let my eyes playfully meet hers, and my smile turned into a grin. Come on, laugh a little. Even higher beings need a sense of humor, right?

"..."

I tried to be funny, but Persephone's reaction was completely unexpected. Her eyes seemed to have gone dead, and the smile she had worn before was now nothing but a straight line. Well, that backfired spectacularly.

I guess she didn't find my actions that funny, and I was about to say something to ease the atmosphere when I felt a fluctuation in the surroundings. Oh, fantastic. What now?

Something was happening. Suddenly, the air around me grew tense, and it became a little hard to breathe. I moved my eyes from left to right, searching for something. The air became heavier and heavier. My eyes grew harder to open, and an uncomfortable look appeared on my face. 

I tried to focus, but suddenly, at random, I thought of focusing on the dark matter around me. Nothing—I didn't feel anything, only air drying my lungs. It's still too early for me to feel the supernatural, huh? Guess I'm not the chosen one after all.

Nowhere else to look, my eyes went toward the only thing I could see: Persephone.

Her ametrine eyes were staring at me with a very serious, deep, hollow gaze. In the short time I had known her, it was the most serious look I had ever seen on her face.

Blood swirled through my veins, seeming to fill some of the lack of air in them, perhaps because of the rush, but a sudden realization hit me. 

 Great. Just great. I'm being suffocated because of my own bad jokes. It was her. She was the reason for what was happening to me. Of course. Who else could it be?

I still wasn't able to feel the dark matter around me when I tried before, but the world went dark before my eyes. Shit! It seems like I got too relaxed around her. Note to self: don't tease the goddess of the underworld.

Persephone was upon me even before I realized. Black smoke seemed to flow out of her, shining like diamonds, and her eyes stared at me with a seriousness that made my stomach drop. I had never seen her this serious in the little time I had known her. A deep shadow cast over her face because of her hair. Yeah, I'm definitely in trouble.

Extremely high pressure built around me. It was becoming harder and harder for me to breathe properly. I felt like I was inside a vacuum. Is this what it feels like to be a bug under a magnifying glass?

My throat dried up, and my lips became as dry as sandpaper. Right now, I truly felt insignificant in front of her. Well, at least she's consistent. Higher existences really know how to put you in your place.

Just what did I say that pissed her off this much? Her playful personality had taken a complete 180-degree turn. Note to self: never call her "Mrs." again.

+

[ The Exclusive skill 'False Awakening' has been activated. ]

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[ There is a vast difference in stats between the existences. ]

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[ The effect of the Exclusive skill has been weakened. ]

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[ The Exclusive Skill 'False Awakening' has partially eased the strain on you.]

+

Several rose-gold screens flashed before me, like flashlights, making their arrival urgent. Even 'False Awakening' had been weakened. Of course. Why wouldn't it be? I'm too weak right now. Story of my life.

"Why did you call me that?"

Her voice wasn't charming at all; it echoed in my ear. Right now, her voice sounded more like someone who was even higher among higher existences. Now she's gone full-on goddess mode.

"A-Aren't you... hajk... Aren't y-you a higher e-existence—" My voice felt as though it would never come out.

"Not that."

Her words cut through mine like ice. What does she mean by 'not that'? I couldn't even form the words properly. I tried to breathe as much air as possible, but it felt like something was stuck in my throat. It was becoming harder to even stay conscious. This is it. I'm going to die because I made a bad joke.

Thud... ahhhh...

My knees suddenly gave out, and I fell in front of Persephone. I supported my upper body with my arms. I wanted to let go, but if I did, I would be flat on the ground. Not exactly the dignified end I was hoping for.

Fighting through the dryness in my throat, I tried my best to speak.

"W-What e-else?"

"You called me Mrs.?"

"H-huh?"

I had so much pressure around me that I could pass through the ground, but my head went up, and I couldn't control the "huh"—which I didn't know where it came from—escaping my mouth. Did I hear that right? She's mad about that?

I thought I had heard her wrong. I looked into her eyes; hers were pure black, like a demon's. Yep, she's serious. Deadly serious.

Persephone looked down at me. I couldn't keep making eye contact for long, but I was screaming in my head. Seriously? This is what's bothering her? As if she understood me, she asked again.

"Why did you call me Mrs.?"

This time, I was sure I hadn't heard her wrong. Seriously! She's pissed off about that! I wanted to scream my thoughts at her. She was practically killing me for teasing her a bit. I was on the verge of passing out, so I tried to reply as fast as I could.

"S-Shouldn't Persephone h-have H-Hades?... A-And I.. hupp.. w-was.. just.. t-teasing... ...you."

My voice came out like a mosquito's; even I couldn't hear myself. But Persephone seemed to have heard me because, as soon as I said that, the pressure disappeared as if it had never been there. Thank the stars.

Cough... Cough... Cough...

A little more, and I would have fainted. I coughed hard and tried to breathe as much air as I could into my lungs. 

"Hades and Persephone's stories are about the real Hades and the real Persephone," her words sounded from above, normal this time. That's... oddly comforting.

"B-but—" I tried to say something. I clearly wanted to say so many things and shout at her. Like, maybe, 'Could you not almost kill me next time?'

"Don't talk about it. I am not tied by anything."

Persephone jerked her hand across her face, filled with clear displeasure, as her eyes closed and her head also jerked to the other side. It seemed like she was giving me a final warning.

Even the lower ones who possess a god's name, after taking a god's name, take on that god's personality, power, and persona of the previous original god. It was similar to a process of preserving that god's legacy.

Persephone was the goddess of the underworld, wife of Hades, one of the three supreme gods of Olympus. She is supposed to be a very popular and powerful mythological deity.

Also, the higher existences are known as Stars to address themselves as individuals. A Constellation is a faction of higher existences, and Asterium is a whole community like Olympus, Veda, Kami, Asgard, and similar.

Considering how important the real Persephone's position is in Olympus, I thought she would have a very high personification of the real one, but that didn't seem to be the case, which was odd, according to the things I remembered. So, she's not the "real" Persephone. Interesting. And terrifying.

After taking some deep breaths for a few seconds, it took me another minute or so to stand back up.

I looked at her. My surroundings were all clear, with no traces of the darkness from before. There were no flames around her, and her eyes had returned to their ametrine-yellow color. She seemed to have calmed down, but I could still see some stiffness on her face. Well, at least she's not trying to kill me anymore.

"I'm sorry," I apologized—feeling that I was the reason for her anger—forgetting about my own condition. "Emotions got the best of me." Why am I apologizing? She's the one who almost crushed me like a bug.

Well, you could apologize as well, I thought, as I didn't get anything from her. But I guess that's too much to ask from a higher existence.

I had some questions, but anyone with the slightest common sense could tell I shouldn't ask her now. We didn't say anything to each other. Awkward silence it is, then.

Persephone took a deep breath, releasing a sigh. She looked like a frustrated mother, and then she smiled as usual. Seeing that charming smile again, I felt relieved. Why did I feel relief? I questioned myself. It was strange. I just shook my head and tried not to think about the bizarre things happening to me in this new world. Focus. Just focus.

"So, in which direction is Atlas?" I said, trying to change the topic to something else after sighing for what felt like the hundredth time on this hill. Anything to break this tension.

Persephone understood that I was trying to change the topic to ease the atmosphere. She also looked at me with her usual sly smile. Seeing her smile, it was very hard to overlap it with the serious face I had seen earlier. She's back to her enigmatic self. Good. I think.

"We have to go north. It will take about an hour or so to reach this island's shore."

"I see. So, which direction is north?"

It wasn't like I had a compass or anything. Even if I had one, it wouldn't have worked in an environment filled with dark matter. Because of course, nothing can be simple in this world.

Persephone smiled and pointed her right slender index finger toward a direction. I didn't think much of it and nodded as I started walking in the direction she pointed—without looking back. Let's just hope she's not leading me into another trap.

I cut off all my senses, focusing only ahead as I strolled. After taking more than a dozen steps, I folded my arms across my chest and turned my head to stare at the person walking behind me. The person stopped as well.

"Is someone behind us?" The person was obviously Persephone. She looked back to trace my gaze and asked with a confused expression.

"Sigh... I'm looking at you."

"Oh my, thank you."

"I wasn't—never mind. Why are you following me?"

"Are you still angry about what happened earlier? I told you I'm sorry."

No, you didn't. I give up. Her playful nature seemed to have returned, and I couldn't compete with her teasing. I could see a drop of tears in the corner of her eyes. Of course, it was fake.

She looked genuinely pitiful. If someone had seen this situation, they would have beaten me after seeing her face, assuming I'd done something to her.

"I'm not angry or anything. I'm genuinely asking." I took a long blink as I tried to release the pent-up frustration.

"Why can't I follow you? Haven't we bonded?"

Bonded? Sure, a lot had happened, but wasn't this meeting just a coincidence? We'd only known each other for an hour or two.

No matter what anyone says, I'm not just casually going to wander into this world with a higher existence like that. Don't readers of novels always complain about the main character trusting someone they just met? Well, I'm not the main character, and I don't trust people that easily. Maybe I could have if she were someone I'd seen in my dreams. Then I'd know what kind of person I was dealing with.

I don't know her. I've never even seen her. I could ask her about herself, but after what happened earlier, I'm not going to. Instead, I tried to make her leave on her own.

"Don't you think it'll be troubling for you if you follow me?"

I didn't want to come off like I was trying to get rid of her. If any man saw that I was trying to push away someone as beautiful as her, I'm sure they'd be ready to beat me black and blue.

"What would be troubling for me?"

I asked her a question, and she threw one back at me. That smile on her face, which I could just feel, made me feel like some stupid kid, but I didn't let my emotions show.

"Right now, there's no one here. That's why no one's watching, but when we get near other people... they will notice." I turned around to look at her as I said that, pointing toward the sky.

"Oh, that..." She followed my gaze, looking toward the sky. "You don't need to worry about that." Then she looked back at me. "I have a skill that masks my presence. Drones won't be able to capture me."

So she said. She talked about drones, so I assumed she understood what I was trying to say, but—

"What about the employers, then?"

"Those fireflies? They wouldn't even be able to sense my breath if I don't want them to."

I figured as much. Right now, there would only be low-level employers on the planet. The high-ranked ones would be in the bureau and wouldn't appear for another three years.

"You don't seem surprised that I know about it," I asked with genuine curiosity.

"Then it seems we both have secrets~"

Her words rhymed. Although she was right. She was a stranger to me, and so was I to her. We both had our own secrets. So, I decided to let it go.

Then something else occurred to me. Why hadn't I gotten any notification from a higher existence yet? I thought. 

Employers. Watchers. Drones. The whole thing was pretty similar to the media system from my original world.

The employers were similar to cameramen streaming live feeds, as they had drones flying across the area. The higher existences were similar to the watchers. For them, it was like watching players in an online RPG, and of course, these normal people were the players.

Anyway, it looked like I'd be followed by an extremely charming and seductive woman. It seemed I didn't have a choice. Her innocent face did a great job of hiding how dangerous she really was, I thought to myself, as she followed. I just hoped it wouldn't come back to bite me. I don't like working too hard.

"If you say so. I guess I shouldn't be worried," I said out of pure habit.

"Aw. You're worried about me. How cute~"

"..."

I laughed at myself because, well, she was right. Who should be worrying about whom? If I remember correctly, my stats were all in single digits. Even a baby could kill me right now.

A sudden realization of my inferiority hit me, and I thought I needed to raise my stats as soon as possible.

My mind kept pondering for an answer about my stats while thinking about the various events I could remember off the top of my head.

We walked north and eventually reached the shore. Persephone teased me a couple of times while we walked, but I tried to ignore her. I looked at the sea—through some leafy trees, shining, stretching as far as I could see—in front of me, and it seemed that the only way to move forward was by water.

I didn't have any skills that could help in this situation. I could look around the whole island to search for some treasure, but I wasn't stupid enough to search the whole island. It would just be a wild goose chase.

It seems I need to go for the old-fashioned way.

I looked toward the bamboo trees in the distance and laughed like a defeated soldier.

It won't be that hard, right?

I straightened my back and, with a determined look, marched back into the forest to collect some bamboo.

****

After four hours, a handsome man with ripped muscles was lying on the seashore, wearing only black jeans. Several bamboo stalks were scattered around him. He was panting heavily, as if he'd run a marathon.

"Haah... Haah... ... ... Huuuuuu... Haah..."

"What the fuck!" I shouted. Yes, I couldn't help but swear. "Those people on survival channels make it look so easy!" A valid point.

"Haah... HaaH... ... HAAAAAAAAA..."

"If I could ever go back, I'm filing a complaint with the head of the department of all television channels." I sat down with my knees curled upward and my arms resting on them.

I couldn't even make the base of the boat. I was tired after all the work, which had been a complete waste. I took deep breaths as my head hung down, then rolled it to my neck, looking toward the woman who was watching me like I was a work of art.

"Can't you help me with this?"

"No, no-no," Persephone said, sticking her index finger out as it flicked with every word. "I'm good watching you from here. A handsome man working up a sweat in nothing but pants. The sweat drops flowing through those muscle cracks and abs. The view is too good." Her finger went back and became part of a fist, and she rested her head on it while sitting on a log in the distance.

It was good that I was already red from trying to make a failed boat. Otherwise, I would have turned red from what she said.

"We need this boat to move across the ocean," I stated, pressing her for some cooperation.

"Mmhmm..."

She still looked at me with a goofy smile and a glint in her eyes. Suddenly, I felt like she looked like a maiden in love again. I tried to keep a stoic face. I didn't want to deal with her; my mind just wanted to give up. I tried to picture her as a cartoon to clear my thoughts.

I thanked those girls in my head who'd helped me develop a strong heart. It was helping me a lot right now.

Realizing that nothing was working, I stood up, facing her directly, and I just... just... asked for her help. "Help me, please. I can't do it alone."

Since I didn't know anything about her, I didn't trust her, but I could be shameless when I needed to be.

"Okay~."

And just like that, Persephone hopped from where she was sitting and floated toward me with a smile on her face.

Hovering just in front of me—a little lower, as I was looking into her eyes—she extended her hand with her palm facing the ground. I'd seen queens do this kind of gesture.

"You want me to kiss your hand?"

"I wouldn't mind~."

Here we go again. Her teasing never stopped. How was I supposed to survive her company?