Chapter 342: Told You, I'm Back! (2)

3rd Person POV

Cain was in his office as his work has swarmed him lately, a lot of his pharmaceutical pharmacies are being destroyed, and some of his stronger projects are also being killed. And his recent order to have people investigate the cruise only saw one returnee.

Unlike Dawn, the sole survivor who came back said that her acquaintances were not very welcoming as they were very offended at someone who questioned their motive and came in to disturb a ritual of theirs.

The door to his office opened and he could already sense that it was only bad news.

"Speak." he ordered

"Sir, Project Typhon was found dead." his subordinate answered

"How? He had so many...we would have been alerted by his...nevermind, make it short and simple."

"We found his body sliced into several pieces. It seems to be the result of a crime of passion, but it's still to be determined. The strange thing is that he showed no signs of resistance, so the opponent is at least of the extinction class level.

"And a suggestion came from a higher-up, but we may have a spy as the plane he was on departed from one of our most secretive bases, Wrath has also put in an appointment to discuss about the recent...misfortunes."

*****

Cain POV

My empire, the result of sleepless nights and cutthroat deals, was under assault, each piece of my hard-earned success falling like a set of dominoes.

Plans that had been executed with precision were being dismantled, and the controlled power I once wielded now felt like smoke slipping through my fingers. Every subordinate lost, every subsidiary dissolved, carved away by an enemy operating in the shadows.

Project Typhon...he may be weaker than he should be, but to be sliced into several pieces and showed no signs of resistance...is this Jerah? Or is this God trying to stop our plans...

It could also be a group of former escapees exacting my revenge, the recent group that attacked our headquarters showed several powers, meaning a large group pulled that off.

Who was responsible for this calculated devastation? They would pay for tearing down what I had built, piece by agonizing piece. Whoever dared challenge me was about to awaken a monster of wrath they could never have anticipated. I worked too hard for all of this to fail.

*****

While the world was in chaos, a certain therapist, Ms. Perez's day was going well, and she was now preparing to end her work with one last patient, it'll only be several more days and she will then retire and be done with everything.

The patient's name was Michael, a reserved man with a haunted look in his eyes. As he took a seat across from her, she could sense a storm of thoughts swirling within him. Ms. Perez had an uncanny ability to read between the lines of words left unsaid, and it was clear that something significant weighed on Michael's mind.

"Good evening, Michael. How can I assist you today?" She greeted him with a gentle smile, "No need to be nervous.

"I've been feeling... overwhelmed, I guess. Like I've got so much on my plate, and it's all crashing down. I can't escape this feeling of pressure and frustration like I'm drowning."

"It sounds like you've been carrying a heavy burden. Can you tell me more about what's been bothering you?"

"I used to handle everything: work AND personal life. But lately, it's like I'm running out of steam. It's as if the world's expectations are closing in on me. A lot of things need to be done, and I have little help."

"It's not uncommon to feel overwhelmed, especially when there's a lot on your plate. Sometimes, seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness."

As Michael began to open up about his struggles, Ms. Perez listened intently, offering guidance and support as he unraveled his tangled emotions. In the warm cocoon of her office, the weight he carried seemed to lessen, each word he shared lifting a layer of his pent-up frustrations.

The way he talked sounded familiar, it had a unique accent. She definitely had a patient who talked like that before, but she met so many patients throughout her work life that she couldn't narrow it down to who.

However, just as the sun set, Michael's hand moved, a flash of magic dancing in his palm. With a wave, an illusion shattered, revealing his true face, an old friend of hers whom she hadn't seen in decades.

"Ya still got it, Ms. Perez." Perseus said as he revealed himself, "Though I know that the corporation requires you to change your name a lot as you move, having Perez in each one is a bit stupid."

"I-Huh?" She was dumbfounded, her voice catching in her throat.

The person she had believed to be long gone, sitting right in front of her with a fox in his lap as he scratched it.

"You...no, you're supposed to be dead." she accused him and rushed to her desk and pressed a button under it to set off a silent alarm.

"That's not gonna work, I used magic to overload everything in here and made them explode, just you and me here Ms...are you more comfortable with Dr. now? Last time, you only got a master's."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Loki, the one and only." Perseus greeted "I'm alive."

"I saw Loki's dead body 5 years ago. Who are you?!"

"You look like you need some convincing." Perseus then used his ability to demonstrate that he was the real one, "Ms. Perez, please take a seat."

She then went to sit in front of him without being able to control herself, it was completely against her will.

"No...I saw you, you were dead." she whispered, her voice trembling as she struggled to process the impossible sight before her.

"But... how? How can you be here?" Her voice wavered, teetering on the edge of hope and skepticism.

"I left a message a while back, didn't you see it? I'm back, bitches? I think it was in the headlines as well."