Chapter 31: The Night Before Pt.4

He leaned forward and waited for the goddess to speak. He stared at her intently, looking for any signs that the goddess might lie to him. Servus 132-X had this notion that if you stare at people intensely, they'd get uncomfortable and most of the time, they would always tell the truth. It made wonders for him in the past but this time, it might become his undoing.

Firstly, regardless how intense he stared at her, the fact that she is deity, his gaze would never intimidate her. Secondly, she has seen the evil and the void before, how would he thought she'll fair with him? It was exactly a pointless effort for Servus 132-X but his pride is telling him otherwise.

The tension in the air is palpable. The moon goddess, unfazed by his intimidation smiled at him and began speaking, "The burrow is full of monsters that this world had forgotten."

"Like what? Ildwyrms and Chtonias?" He asked.

"I wish it were, but it's more than just that."

"What do you mean?"

"You will have to first exterminate ancient forms of Obscuros."

"O-obscuros?" He scratched his head. "I thought it was just a part of telling time!"

"There's a reason why it was part of telling time," the goddess started to explain. "The Obscurii hated light in all forms, they only crawl within the darkness of the night. In the olden times, they were called with many names and had terrorized the different races of this world."

"And why have you chosen me to exterminate them all?" Servus 132-X asked.

"Why?" Oyue smiled at him, "Isn't that your job for the past 364 lifetimes that you have?"

Servus 132-X had always been skeptical with her. From the moment she appeared and introduced herself, he knew something was wrong. He knew this dialogue all too well and good. This is how he became a chosen hero for the past 364 incarnations.

He became a savior for kingdoms, races and worlds. Other times, he died a martyr or a fool trying to bend the will of the living in accordance with his mission. He knew this so much, but it took him 364 incarnations before he realized all the deities' blunders—this one included.

The goddess' answer was shallow at best and underwhelming, but at the same time, he got curious as to how this supposedly sealed goddess knew everything about him.

"And where did you learn about that information?" He asked Oyue about how she knew about him. "And I want to know EXACTLY how you knew about me."

"You really don't trust me do you?" She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't blame you. But, I am different from the ones you met."

"Lady Oyue, you still hadn't answered the question," he rudely interrupted the goddess.

"Very well, since I also don't have enough time left, let me be brief with you on that question." The goddess waved her hands up in the air and suddenly strange glowing lines began to appear around him.

"W-what are these?" He asked while preparing himself for any form of attack this deity might do in an instant. Servus 132-X knew that he doesn't stand a chance against her, not in his current state at least.

If Oyue commanded the glowing lines to entangle him or attack him, he knew he will be destroyed immediately. He might dodge a few strikes, but he is quite sure the outcome won't do any good for him.

He waited patiently as the goddess made the glowing lines attached and detached itself. Its fluid-like movement made Servus 132-X crawl. It was taking the goddess too long, he decided to ask again but the goddess finally answered his question.

"Ley lines." She pointed at the pulsating glowing lights. "These are the ley lines. This world's veins where magic flows in and out. I primarily use them to detect everything in this world. It also connects the aether from the physical plane and metaphysical plane. That's how I knew about you."

"But my memories and names? How?"

"When you first came into this world. It was your bursting energy that encountered one of the lines from the metaphysical realm. Along with that energy were your memories, dreams, hopes and emotions," she paused and took a glance at the baffled Servus 132-X. "When you opened up that portal, your energy got entangled with my ley lines and I even thought a new deity entered this world."

Servus 132-X had all the answers he needed and began to show signs of disinterest. He stood up from his seat and rudely walked out of the campfire.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Oyue asked as she stood up from her seat trying to stop Servus 132-X from leaving.

Servus 132-X paused and turned around. His gaze dead set on the deity. "Like everyone else before you, I know you are just here to use me for your own gain." He clenched his fist as he reminded himself by the many times he was used and played by the so-called gods. "I am going back now, if you are looking for a hero, find someone else!" He angrily stormed back into his tent.

As he tried to stride back to the camp, Oyue suddenly appeared in front of him. This time there was something different about her, she looked as if she was fading away as the objects behind her became visible.

She stared at him right into his eyes. Her smile faded and her stern face surfaced. "Listen, this is not about you and I. This is about this very reality you are currently existing." She withdrew the vestige in her right arm and showed him a weird black emblem that looked as if it constantly moved.

"I called you for this!" She showed it to him up close. "You were the only one other than I. who saw the Crawling Darkness. You were the only one who was able to repel its tendrils without being cursed out of existence. You—"

"I don't understand." Servus 132-X interrupted her. "I-Is this how you convince heroes to work for you? Like the ones before me, did they go into this trap?" He sarcastically asked.

The goddess was slowly fading away, she had no more time to answer his questions more so, entertain his sneering comments. With a blink of an eye, she went close to Servus 132-X without the slave noticing and touched his forehead with her right hand.

Her touch emitted a bright pale blue light and threw away Servus 132-X a good seven footlings from the ground before landing on it.

"I have ran out of time, but I will talk to you soon." The goddess slowly faded away along with the light. "I will talk to you…" then everything went to black.

Servus 132-X woke up drenched in sweat with a pounding headache and still disturbed with how much information that goddess knew about him. He remembered clearly that the gods he knew weren't as omniscient as the were portrayed to be. But she was different and just thinking about that made his skin crawl more than the fact that he has to go into the burrow that morning.