Chapter 449: Temporary God (6)

Perseus POV

"Buddy...um...you feeling okay? Anything unusual?"

He tilted his head as if trying to understand my words. His furry tail twitched behind him, and he gave a tiny yawn, stretching his legs lazily.

"Anything unusual bothering you?" I asked a touch of concern in my voice. I wanted to make sure he was okay after such a long time., "Had a nice dream?"

He nudged his head against my hand, and I felt a surge of relief. 

"Guess it's just good to have you back," I murmured, gently scratching behind his ears. "Missed you, buddy. We'll take it easy, alright? We'll help you get used to this feeling."

"Well, it should be hard to hear prayers all the time, I remember my first time hearing one." Maple reminisced, "It was a horrible experience since I was taking a bath then and I thought that someone peeped at me."

|I don't know a better word to describe the recollection of memories in the past or whatever, so I used this.|

"I mean, who wouldn't be tempted to do that?"

"You don't do it while I take baths." she responded

"Well, I never said I wasn't tempted."

"Were you tempted?"

"Not really, no."

"What?! Am I not beautiful enough for you?"

"Ok, I was tempted."

"Pervert!"

I...I don't know how to deal with this kind of situation. I once heard a girl ask a guy whether he'd still love her if she was a guy, and he just walked away, I would too, I wouldn't know how to answer that.

*****

Ruka POV

I came home to the bunker and saw my own mother giving Perseus a lot of kisses for some reason while Maple was lecturing the fox on how to use his powers and how to censor out voices in his head if he didn't want to hear anything.

I mean, it's still strange, a fox as our newfound deity? How in the world would that even work? Would the followers hear those high-pitched barks echoing in their minds whenever the fox spoke to them? Or would it be some kind of comprehensible English?

The thought alone was enough to make my head spin. I pictured a scenario where this majestic fox, with all its wisdom and divinity, communicated in its native tongue, filling the followers' minds with a chorus of wild fox sounds. Imagine the confusion! One moment, you're praying fervently, and the next, you're listening to that one stupidly catchy song on deciphering what the fox says.

|Fun fact: that one song is why Buddy became a god, I wanted to write this specific paragraph after remembering it out of nowhere.|

"Can you guys stop kissing already? Other people live here too."

"What's wrong with expressing love?" Rylee asked

"It's called having some shame."

"It's not Leilah or Lilith who's bordering on making out, so we don't mind at all, I do it too...if you're just jealous, you can go to him and ask, he's the type to do anything if you request it properly."

I then approached the 2 and Mom then went on to report the progress of Lucifer and Satan, while also talking about how Lady Time led her into thinking that they were siblings for a good couple of seconds and is now kissing him just to see if 'it feels right'...I don't know what that means either.

"By the way, I'm curious..." Mom then proceeds to ask the most stupid question ever, "Would you still like me if we were related?"

Don't look at me, I don't know the answer to that either, I'm quite speechless.

*****

Helping Perseus find this soul merchant person thing really is difficult, why does Leilah get the easier job of infiltrating God's army? I can use the shadows too. I had to wear a suspicious coat and walk around the black market like some sort of newbie trying to fit in.

Greg, the bartender we caught, turned out to be a dead end. A pawn in this twisted game of the slave trade. The real soul merchant was still out there, lurking in the shadows. Perseus told me to investigate Zach as well since the guy has been picking up his calls less and less.

I tried following new leads every now and then, but it was like chasing a ghost as every lead, every rumor led to a dead alley or a smoke-filled room with nothing but whispers...well, the room was just filled with smokers and their voices are so hoarse or damaged that they sound like whispers. The black market was a maze, and finding the true identity of the soul merchant felt like trying to catch smoke with bare hands.

I ducked into the shadows, away from the prying eyes. My thoughts raced as I considered every lead, every contact, every connection Greg might have had. It was a needle-in-a-haystack situation, but I couldn't afford to let frustration cloud my judgment.

Glancing over my shoulder, I caught fleeting glimpses of figures blending into the backdrop, shadows blending in with the dim environment of the black market. My pursuer or pursuers, I couldn't be certain. Were they the soul merchant's henchmen? Or am I just paranoid?

My mind raced, considering options. Should I confront them, or attempt to lose them in the maze-like alleys? But what if they were just innocuous passersby, coincidentally following the same path?

With a subtle shift in direction, I attempted to gauge their intentions. A sharp turn down a narrow alley, a swift change of pace, to discern if the footsteps behind mirrored my own. The hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention, a silent warning that I was definitely not alone.

I'm not supposed to fight...ugh, I really should have accepted his offer of having a disguise on, but I really don't want to ask him for too much. And soon enough I was cornered.

"Well, it seems like it really was you, milady." a person greeted

I turned and I saw Lloyd.