WHEN I GOT REINCARNATED AS A SPIDER WITH MY GODDESS :VOLUME1

CHAPTER -3 - A - AN ETERNAL VOW

CHAPTER -3 - A - AN ETERNAL VOW

Most of them couldn’t believe their eyes and what they were witnessing was beyond common sense for them.

A non-combat Goddess and a shut-in weak girl teaming up to save the world!

Don’t make me laugh.

 The more you think about it the more ridiculous it sounds. Yet again this controversy was going out of hand and Almighty World God was losing his patience. He made a threatening smile and concluded the meeting. Everyone could feel the life threatening pressure or force whatever you call it. I was suffocating under it, as if life was slowly zapped out through me.

“Since all the gods and goddesses had chosen their partner, they have to work well together and know each other better till the next week before the reincarnation ceremony to avoid future frictions between these sacred relations. I announce this meeting of General Assembly has come to its end. I hope you all will join the feast tonight in the pantheon.”

At these words all the gods and goddesses as audience left in a blink of an eye by vanishing into thin air. Can I do it too? Maybe I will try it later.

Most of us were still talking to our god and goddess and introductions were in order first. Most of them had already become overfriendly with each other and were talking casually like old buddies. Some were pumped up to demonstrate their prowess in weapon wielding and martial arts.

But in our case things had gotten a little awkward. The touching union scene and that pure lustrous way of introducing ourselves were just out of our domain. Social interaction, talking to friends, etiquettes, manners and way of expressing ourselves while talking were just out of our league. We both knew of our limitations without saying a word and so were looking in opposite direction afraid to approach each other out of embarrassment. I didn’t know what to do and my mind was ringing with Christmas jingle bell songs for some reason.

When all the other pairs had left the Assembly grounds, Lady Athena broke the silence and said,” For now let’s go to my room.”

“Okay.” But this trick did not work either, and we still stood standing like fools on display.

Lady Athena felt two ghastly gazes upon her and she started moving quickly towards the exit arch gate and I followed her. BUT THIS TIME I WON’T LOSE MY WAY BECAUSE ALL THIS TIME I HAD BEEN HOLDING THE HANDS OF MY GODDESS ATHENA.

The huge sacred hall where Gods assembled to make decisions to rule and govern the world was now completely empty except for the two supreme beings – the Almighty World God and Lady Gaea.

“Was that really a surge in soul power World God?”

“It seems so that way.”

“But such tremendous amount of soul power how can a human even hold this tremendous power in one place. Could you identify the person who released this power?”

“Since I was caught by surprise I could not pin point the person, but it was certainly one of the children. Its unbelievable that someone possesses soul power equal to the upper echelon gods at such a young age. But this batch of children, almost all of them possesses incredible powers too.”

“I agree. Though there could be some disappointment. For example the little girl who paired with Lady Athena had such weak soul power as if she could vanish into thin air anytime nowhere to be found. How she was able to live this long on earth is still a mystery to me. All her life force should have been drained at a much younger age. I am afraid that they do not sound much promising in this endeavour to save the world.”

“Mysteries do intrigue this old man. But sometimes these mysteries may open door to possibilities which even the brightest minds cannot perceive. For now we will wait and observe the children. I hope the future we had been waiting for all this time will bloom itself in the most beautiful way.”

The two of them then too disappeared in thin air. When will I get used to these stupid teleportation freaks, just install some lifts or escalators instead of stairs.                                           

***

GODDESS ATHENA’S ROOM

I and Lady Athena directly teleported through the archway into Her room. It was five times the size of the room I was allotted with. The same source-less light as usual was hanging around in the room. I did not bother myself with it anymore. Sometimes maybe you should just give up on logic and start counting backwards in number system starting from the very end.

Sounds ridiculous, right. HAAAAAHHA, caught you. HAA...HA

While a family frame photo hung above a double-decker bed whose wood work was maxed out to its very details while the silk bed sheets were just so smooth that you wanted to rub your cheeks with it all day and never got bored. The other three sides of the wall were covered with gigantic bookshelves laid in with books, using every little corner of this equipment to its maximum.

I was just amazed to see these many books. A goddess of knowledge is sure to have her own personal library. Could she even be the librarian of the library in this divine realm?

As usual there was an awkward silence lurking all over the room now. Since Lady Athena was a goddess and she had to guide me towards saving a world, she thought to take the initiative and start a conversation.

“We gods had been given the task to select the children from the mortal realm from whichever place we saw fit. This week we had to monitor your class and select those whom we believed would fit perfectly for this job.”

“What do you mean?” This piece of information came as a surprise to me.

“We had been keeping an eye on all of your activities at school.”

‘Isn’t this privacy invasion?’ I thought to myself. Maybe in this modern era people are always being watched, if not on earth then either from heaven or hell. Maybe the god’s are not aware of laws and the personal rights of human beings or they just don’t care.

“We had to keep an eye on your class for a whole week and select children who are capable of wielding unique powers. Now when I see you up close, I remember I saw you then in the girl’s school washroom where three children splashed water all over you and ran away. At that time I got so confused about what to do after seeing that you were all wet. So I used my divine powers and being the goddess of knowledge, I efficiently placed an information command on the lady warden to carry a pair of sports uniform to the washroom at that point of time and give it to you after seeing your condition. Sorry, for telling you this and my inability to prevent that felony from happening. That was all I could do at that time.  Please forgive me from my incompetence.”

All of my brain cells were disrupted at these words and I brain-stormed to restore my previous memories. After she narrated me this incident, it did really happen in a strange way. Just at the end of recess the three delinquents splashed water from the other side of door all over me. I was reduced to a state where I could not go to class or even ask someone for help. I had to wait till dismissal or someone comes barging in. but in a very peculiar way I heard a knock.

“Yesss... What’s the matter?”

“I am the school warden. Here is your physical education uniform.”

Wait how did she know I was even here and what about my conditions. Did the delinquents tell her! I ruled out this possibility since they won’t be so kind to me ever in my life. Maybe she saw them committing the deed and wanted to help me somehow.

But now I realized that the one who came to the rescue was my goddess Athena. My heart had started beating faster than ever because this was the first time ever, someone helped me out of my necessity and not made fun of my situation and instead took action.

“Um..U.. Thank you. My Lady. But it hurts me that you call yourself incompetent. What you did means a lot to me?”

“Why do you say so?”

“It’s just as you described, while many gods and goddesses were monitoring us but out of all those you understood my situation, and helped me out by resolving the problem with the most delicate and proper way without hurting anyone. I will never forget your kindness.”

“HAHAHAAAHAHHA. Listen Sachi you don’t have to talk to me in such a formal manner. We are partners who are going to be reincarnated together. So we should treat each other as equals and be friends.”

“Wait! What a god and human equal?”

‘By looking at other Gods and angels it didn’t appeared to be the case. So, why?’

At this Lady Athena with her left hand lifted the front part of my hair which covered my face and for some time after staring at my face, with her right hand she pinched my nose lightly.

“It’s not fair. You are so beautiful and have such a pretty face. You even look more adorable than most of the goddesses I know. Even your skin is so white and soft like silk. Why do you even hide it in the first place? And yes from now onwards we will be friends.”

This was totally a new experience for me. I did hear it quite a lot from stranger and from my classmates or far-off relative that I am quite pretty. But hearing from a goddess made me feel that she genuinely felt that way. The most important part was that she really wanted to become my FRIEND. I was really in heaven. It felt like a huge burden had been lifted from my chest.

“The reason I hide my face is because I think I look prettier than others and would stand out a lot. When the school had began and I was a transfer students, all the girls avoided talking to me in whatever way I tried. No one seems to have wanted to be my friend. Then I read somewhere that other classmates feel insecure when they are around someone who wanted to attract attention to only oneself. So out of desperation I considered concealing my face with my long hairs. But it had a totally adverse affect. My classmates started considering me a freak and even avoided me more as if I had never existed. As for your second question, I actually never had someone to call a friend before nor there is a family member who cared about me after my parent’s death. So…so… I… will be your friend Lady Athena.”

Tears were about to roll down through my eyes, but I stopped them from overflowing by looking upwards and also avoided facing Lady Athena for a while. But it was useless. The dam was already broken and the waves were set free.

At this point Lady Athena hugged me tightly near her chest and I could hear her heartbeat clearly. It felt so warm. I really wanted the time to stop there or flow continuously in that state. I was never alone, someone did really care about me in this world, and it doesn’t matter if I meet them after dying.

“Don’t worry Sachi; there is no need to hold back. Because I feel the same way. I too had been waiting for a friend for a very long time.”

At the end of these words tiny droplets of water fell on my cheek. We remained in that position for quite a long time even though we had stopped crying a while ago. We broke from our everlasting hug when we heard a knock at our door. Lady Athena opened the door and found an angel who came here to remind us about tonight’s banquet and feat.

“Sachi I think we should leave after getting ready for the banquet.”

“Okay then. I will be taking my leave and go and get ready in my room.”

“No, wait you can get ready here. I think I have a dress that will fit you well.”

“But is it really okay, for me to…”

“It will be fine after all you are my beneficiary from now on.”

I accepted her invitation and sat back.

For some reason we again ended in a peculiar situation because there was only one bathroom in that room to be used and if we took turns then we would be late for the feast.

We were taking a bath together. We sat across each other face to face at the ends of the bathtub but were just staring at its bottom.  There was no tap in the washroom and neither a shower unlike my room which was missing the taps and knobs of the shower to control water. But just by thinking of taking a bath I could bring forth water from the shower. But here it was different Lady Athena could summon water out of thin air and also control its temperature and any amount of water could be summoned at any time.

But out of nowhere Lady Athena jumped at me and started poking at my abdomen and the ticklish feeling overtook my body and I couldn’t stop laughing.

“Stop that. Please..anything but stop…”

“What are you talking about? The fun had just begun. After feeling your soft skin when I hugged you how could I stop myself now from touching you or snuggle you tightly in my arms.”

I don’t know whether she really felt that way or was just her way of teasing me. But I enjoyed it a lot. Maybe these are the things and moments you enjoy with your best friends.

After coming from the bath, Lady Athena moved her index finger in a circle and hot air started flowing around our body, in a helical locus which completely dried us unlike my non electric usage dryer which was damn too slow. I don’t know whether I will be able to do the same thing as Lady Athena does. Maybe I will ask her to teach me next time or even try it myself.

When I wore the outfit Lady Athena gave me, she started staring at me.

“What’s the matter?”

“I had no idea the dress will fit you this well. Also you look like a princess from a foreign land. It’s a waste having such a beautiful face if you keep covering it with your hairs.”

I started blushing and the only thing I could muster up to say was, “Thank you!”

But then I stopped and took a proper look at Lady Athena herself and made an attempt to compliment her.

“Lady Athena but you are quite a beauty yourself. I bet any God would be captivated by your alluring charm.” I wasn’t trying to deceive her or anything. I truly meant that what I said. But truthfully speaking I had used this line from a novel I read a long time back.

Goddess Athena was wearing a white gown with intricate fabric designs at several places. It was quite similar to my own gown which she had offered me to wear.

“Let’s go.”

Lady Athena took my left hand and started walking in the hallway leading the way to the banquet hall.

***

THE BANQUET HALL

Nineteen gods and their beneficiaries had already assembled in the banquet hall to enjoy the feast. Most of them had become close comrades and started making their own plan of action to save the world. Some combat gods with weapons were trying to draw a training plan while some wanted to goof off and enjoy their stay at heavens and indulge in all the luxuries it had to offer.

A long wooden table stood at the centre of hall, but it was shining as if it had been polished to its maximum lustrous state by the most skilled artisans. At the other end of the hall stood another table with lots of large golden utensils laden with lavish and mouth-watering dishes and plates were arranged in piles. It was a buffet system where one had to adhere to self service and choose whatever amount of food the person wanted to. The menu presented variety of dishes from sour wafers to spicy stew and sweet confectionaries.

But the special attraction of today’s feast was the heavenly wild boar which Lady Artemis hunted in the Eleanora Woods on the other side of Mount Olympus. While she was the centre of attraction of all the present attendees, everyone also commended goddess Hestia who turned it into a delicacy.

All the nineteen gods and children present in the hall took their seats on the dining table everyone sitting in front of each of their gods in horizontal pairs.

Homura noticed something was wrong and asked his Goddess Freya, to clear his doubt.

“Lady Freya if you may, but why are there only 38 seats in the dining hall if 20 gods were selected for the reincarnation ceremony. Aren’t the others going to attend the feast?”

“Haahahaha…. Its just as you suspect my child, you have quite the observation skill. But there has been no mistake. It’s actually for entertainment purpose. A special surprise for our little goddess who will appear soon.”

“I see Freya you have succumbed to your old tactics. But it will be quite fun to see the Black Sheep try to escape from this situation.” Lady Artemis was pointing her fork in the sky and imagining the look on everyone’s faces to see Athena’ miserable state.

“I still don’t get it. Why a non-combat goddess would try to challenge us. Just because of her families glorious past and because of her beautiful charms, doesn’t mean that she can defy us.”

“That’s why we are going to teach her a lesson today!”

“Hermes you did well in making the arrangement of their late arrival.”

“Never mind. But I feel sad for the human child who has to suffer humiliation due to her goddess. As far as I remember she had the weakest soul power in the whole class, almost none at all. How was she even alive, wouldn’t her life force had extinguished at an early age. It’s a quite a funny duo of weaklings.” Lord Hermes looked in the direction of other children as if to extract information about that girl.

“The name of the girl is Sachi. My Grace.” As usual Kenta was showing off his communication skills and playing the role of class leader.

“I don’t remember a girl with that name in the class.”

“Ah! She is the freak who never talks to anyone and cover her face with her hairs.”

“Oh! You mean the girl who always got bullied.”

“Sakura can you tell me more about this girl.” Astarea the Goddess of justice made an unusual request as if she was taking a special interest in that girl.

“Lady Astarea. You have nothing to worry about. The girl in question is really weak and fragile.” Sakura behaved as if she was presenting her statement in front of a judge in a court of justice.

“Lady Ova and Lady Astarea as a matter of fact even at the time of dying in the bus she was being bullied and beaten by us.” Tama had already started making fun of me.

“She just keeps reading book all day and has a beautiful appearance. Except for that she is nothing in our eyes. I bet she would die on the first day she is born in Isleguard. Hahahaa.” Saki had already started banging the dining table in front of her and laughing loudly while the other present in attendance couldn’t hold themselves back seeing her explosive behavior and followed her example.

Goddess Aphrodite sensing the presence of two unwelcomed guests for whom everyone had been waiting for quite a while, were going to make an entry.

“Everyone get ready. The show is going to begin. Let’s enjoy it to the fullest.”

ALL ATTENTIONS AND ANTICIPATION WERE DIRECTED TOWARDS THE ENTRANCE.

But everyone’s jaw dropped when two beautiful maidens in white gown made an entrance. Everyone had the same question ‘Just who they were?’

‘Wait! Is that girl really in our class?’

‘I don’t remember someone this beautiful in our class.’

‘Was that the reason she always hid her face. Maybe I should have tried to talk to her after all.’

‘I never expected Sachi was this beautiful.’

‘Its not just her. Even her goddess is so beautiful. Should we go and talk to her.’

All the Gods and boys were making the same type of comments which brought frustration and angered all the Goddesses and girls.

‘Her goddess is even more beautiful than Lady Aphrodite.’

Someone had just misspoke the taboo words by comparing the goddess of beauty and goddess of knowledge. Lady Aphrodite was totally riled up by that statement which totally challenged her own existence. The students present in the hall and all the other Gods could feel the divine power radiating from her body so strong that it could destroy the whole banquet hall in a blink of an eye.

Lady Freya took the hand of Aphrodite and comforted her.

“Tccch... I won’t let it end like this. How dare she ruin my fun!”

***