Chapter 290 Intermission: Me? (4)

"Parallel universes… we call them different timelines. From each major decision you've taken, a different you will appear from there and go down your own path. Then, there will be another fork in the road with yet another major decision… and then they'll split off from there,"

"I see… do you have a library I can access? Preferably one with skill books?"

"Do not let your greed collar you. You've upgraded your throne world into its intended shape with the help of Athena's ichor. You should be grateful… fucking spoiled brat,"

The woman clicked her tongue once before leaving my room, slamming that almost comically large door behind her.

"*sigh*... I got it… The way to get stronger,"

…

The next day, I was silent as I approached Ares' office, sitting right at the very end of this massive palace.

He was in his smaller form, thankfully, so I was able to grab his attention immediately as I entered the room full of thick air.

"Hey… teach me how to find my own originality. I'm only eating the scraps of a destiny I do not want,"

As his eyes shifted toward me, I felt my heart rapidly beat, attempting to escape from my chest and leave through my throat.

"I cannot teach you such a thing… so go to the room next door. You'll find the one you need if you want to acquire such… originality," He muttered, but his booming voice almost made it sound like a threat.

I just simply nodded before walking out of the room and sweating as a strange presence greeted me from the very center of the massively expanding halls.

"Follow me. Lord Ares is the one who sent me, so do not worry," The butler as he led me to the room next door.

It was pitch black as he opened it with a mystical force, but the gust of wind that soon greeted me was enough familiarity for me to calm down.

Adrenaline pumped through me as I took a single step, hoping to do something out there that this abyss before me wouldn't snatch my soul.

Tup

A single footstep that wasn't mine echoed toward me, blasting another familiar gust of wind straight at my face.

It was chilly, sending a shiver down my spine and making sure I was alert as a soft hand slowly reached out from behind me.

I caught it just before it could tap my shoulder, yet the woman didn't seem surprised, as if she had already expected this.

"Hello," An angelically sweet voice greeted me.

The voice radiating from the hooded woman had been dipped in silver and slathered with honey to make sure it sounded the very best compared to any other voice ever produced by a being.

Mortal or immortal, I had never heard such a sweet voice before.

"Pick,"

She fanned out twenty-two cards with solid white backs, and from the small sliver of a mouth I could detect, I saw her creek a smile.

"What are they?" I questioned the woman, trying to get a read on this sketchy situation.

It felt like this wasn't what Ares intended for me to encounter, so I must proceed with as much caution that I can produce.

"Your fortune,"

"Say… if there were different versions of myself, is it possible for one of us to possibly… I don't know… pick different ones?"

Her head slowly raised, revealing a pair of glowing suns slotted into her eye sockets, but for some reason, they didn't give off any glow.

Well, actually, they are glowing but not emitting much light into their surroundings.

It was hard to explain, but the chilling feeling that was shot down my spine was more than enough for me to know to shut the hell up.

But, I couldn't help but still let loose with my curiosity just for a moment.

"Did Athena send you?"

There was no response and she didn't make any threatening gestures either, so I decided to just follow through and slide my hand forward.

The matte texture of each card was a bit unsettling as it was as rough as sandpaper, and with each twitch of my muscle, the woman would squeeze the ends of the cards even harder.

Her glowing eyes continued to stare into my soul as I watched and watched and watched and watched and watched… until there was a different reaction.

"Ah… your hands relaxed on this card… is this one you want me to pick?" I looked up and stared into those glowing balls of yellow gas.

My face slowly approached her, trying to get a better read as I hovered my hand over this single card all the way to the right of the fan.

"Is it?"

She didn't respond.

I moved my hand slightly to the side, hovering over a different one which caused her to tense her hands yet again.

"So this is the one you want me to pick… but you know I'm smart, which you confirmed after I asked if Athena sent you. No point in lying… I know she sent you to evaluate me or do whatever she needs to do to try and get a read on me. To manipulate me, if you will…."

"So then, what's your point?" She finally spoke up, and her graceful tone from before had slightly roughened.

"You predicted I would expect this and go for another card that you've tensed your hands on… but then… what if I picked this loose card?" I asked, placing my hand on top of the card she had loosened her grip on.

And just like I expected… her hand tensed immediately, but her face showed no reaction.

It was as if I was staring at a block of steel, negating my ability to read and decipher the plan of this woman.

"Although, there is the chance that you've pulled a reverse-reverse on me… and want me to actually pick this card… oh man… this is kind of fun," I smiled, grazing my fingers along the tops of each card, attempting to feel another reaction from this woman. "Then I've decided… this one will do."

"And why?"

"Cause why the fuck not,"