Where The Dead Ones Go Book 4 -Union-

Chapter- 3

"Ok, we can't just stand here and stare in front of this awful bloody ocean forever, Asher," I said with finality as we spend several minutes quietly pondering, and to our horror, we saw a horde of monsters of all kinds heading straight for us.

Asher jumped to the ocean, and I followed him, but we cannot outswim the relentless and untiring forces of Typhon.

"I will never leave you behind..."

The voice of my husband resonated to the beat of my heart, and I realized something.

When I accepted him as mine, we became one.

I raised my eyes to the scarlet skies and willed against all hope that he will not let me down.

Asher yelped when from the soil near the shore formed the earthen trident of his friend, and it flew straight to my hand.

"I am g*****a the First of the Scythian Emirate. Emira Regnant of the southern province! As the reigning ruler of the thousands of year dynasty of Scythia, in the name of my husband, Vaski Wilkins, the Emir and demigod of Poseidon, the Fluvial God, I command you to bend to my will!"

I strike the trident into the seawater, and instantly, the whole ocean before the two of us parted and leading the path to the north.

"Asher, to me!"

I shouted at my companion and my nephew-in-law to be heeded my summons as he ran towards me, and I rode his back just like Estelle does.

With the trident firmly raised above us, we sprinted across the ocean floor headed true-north as the monsters are barrelling after us relentlessly.

"A little more, Asher!" I encouraged my steed as they are gaining upon us, "Show me what Estelle is so proud of!"

And with that, he let out an earsplitting howl that reached the heavens above, the son of the goddess of rage sprinted so fast, I am sure we just broke not just the sound barrier but have gone way past the light and through the time barrier as we leave the monsters chasing us in sand dust.

"Athena: Pallas Shield!"

My mother's gorgoneion shield appeared before me, and I grabbed it with my left hand to use it as a shield for myself against the damage this inhuman speed we are traveling in.

It is as if the wall of water on our sides are bending and blurring because of the sheer velocity Asher is moving in, and I am sure we have already covered as much as a fourth of the Gearth's total land and water mass in less than a minute.

I looked at my companion's furry head as he continued to howl to help him speed up.

I have to admit, I have severely underestimated the son of Lytta.

Between Eonia and me during our many strategy meetings, Asher, together with his fiance, Clite and Avesa, and herself are at the bottom of Auxilliary Class when it comes to sheer abilities one can muster to make them stand out from the rest of us.

But looking now at my shield that is slowly deteriorating because of the punishment it is taking just by defending me to the hazards of such speed while he is not bothered by it in the slightest.

If all else, he is being exhilarated by it.

Like an eager dog fetching a stick for its master.

It seemed like a few seconds, but if we are talking about real-time, we are probably running for hours if not for the capability of Asher to bend time itself with the sheer speed we managed to cross an entire expanse of an ocean quickly.

The moment we reached familiar frozen shores, he stopped in a screeching halt as we faced again our monstrous pursuers that looked nothing more than mere dots beyond the great walls of water that I divided using the weapon of my husband still held high above my head.

"Lord Poseidon, Your Fluvial Majesty, may these monsters be my humble offering to you, Great and Mighty King of the Depths! Oh, father-in-law, my gratitude as your daughter-in-law is as deep as the oceans you reigned over!"

I then threw Vaski's spear towards the ocean floor, and the moment it strikes the ground, the divided ocean walls came crashing down our pursuers as the bloody waves send them to their watery graves.

After the ocean has finally calmed down, we slumped on the snowy beach sands, worse for the wear but very much alive.

At least for now, that is...

"Well, at least we managed to reach north," I said to my wheezing furry companion who seemed to have just run probably the fastest speed he ever did in his entire life, "I know you have to rest, but the frozen shores of the north are hardly the best place to sit and relax, Asher."

He slowly gets up on his feet while I did the same with great difficulty as I understandably drained myself near my limit of what my body can handle.

We decided to head hastily further inland, where we thankfully saw a cave for us to take shelter in.

While there is still the dim light of the sun outside, which seems to be rising so that it is already setting, we have to carefully plan our next course of action.

"We can't just fight every monster horde rampaging towards us," I said seriously at Asher, who is curled up in a ball on the other side of the cave mouth we are in, "We reached Pagos or what the mortals now called Laurasia, the landmass created by the colliding of the territories of Pagos and my homeland, that much I can confirm. But after this, what now?"

I was met with silence because he didn't have any idea what to do next.

We sighed at the same time and nodded at each other meaningfully, "You know what, let's just take a rest for today. It's not like Gearth will be destroyed more if we skip a day trying to save it."

He barked in agreement as we both close our eyes at the same time. Maybe to dream of the halcyon days we so missed and loved with all our hearts and being.

The happy days when we are all together and laughing.

Memories that we cherished the most and memories that we may never get the chance to relive again with our dear friends ever again.

-0-

"You know, Morris, I am really jealous of Gala..."

"Jealous of what?"

"Her very existence."

"That's a bit heavy, cousin."

"I know, right? It's just, whenever I look at her, I always feel that she is the girl I always wanted to be, the girl that I will strive for to emulate, surpass even."

"Vivet..."

"But I also know the painful truth that with all the powers of hope that I command, I can never be like her."

"I thought nothing is impossible with hope?"

"Of course, I can agree that much. I mean, I "am" the demiurge of Elpis, her firstborn, and like you, bearing vestiges of our primordial progenitors. But that's it, we are all just that. The power to defy death by any means necessary even the deathless deities are wary of him. But can you say the same to yourself?"

"Honestly speaking, I can't do what my father can do in his weakest."

"Exactly, my dear cousin. That's what I am to my mother. I am just the merest fraction of what she can be or do. Impossibility is still a real thing for me. I am a mere mortal who has its limits, and I know my limit. No matter how much I try or wish or hope or do anything I can, I just know I will just stay in her shadow."

"And you are fine with that?"

"To be honest? I am not."

"For real?!"

"For real. I am just a simple normal girl after you remove the demiurge nonsense and all that. I can get jealous, insecure, a bit angry with myself. When I am with her, I am feeling self-conscious a bit. Like I just look flat out unreliable against her aura of confidence and go-getter personality she exudes."

"Well, I guess the same can be said to all the children of the goddess of wisdom, battle-ready or not. They are like those kids who can do no wrong, always picture-perfect, got good grades, excel at athletics, handicrafts, and whatnot. They are everything we are not, so to speak."

"Indeed. What they do lack is experience, but that is something everyone can get in due time. And as time goes on, they will be nigh-perfect. I'm a little bit more of envious now."

"Wishing now that you should've been the daughter of Athena instead?"

"Well, I am not "that" jealous to disregard the gifts and nuances of what my mother and her powers are. Welp, I think the very reason why I am hoping for such things is that I "am" the demiurge of hope and what I can really do right?"

"To hope, Vivet."

"For better or for worse, cousin. For better or for worse. Damn, if I do, damn if I don't. But really, just look at Gala now bringing the rest of her teammates to their victory."

"Nike sure knows which deity to side with, that's for sure."

-0-

I was awoken by soft nudges and faint barks.

When I finally opened my eyes, I saw a familiar furry face sitting beside me worriedly.

My body feels heavy, like I have been sleeping for a long, long time once more.

"How long have I fallen asleep, Asher?"

To answer, he barked three times in long successions, and I realized that it meant that I have been knocked out for three days straight.

"Well, that was a rather long time for a nap, don't you think?" I asked that made him obviously annoyed as he looked at my husband's water container with noticeable bite marks on it to show that he has been using it to nurture me when I was asleep, "But I have slept for a whole year, so I guess this is nothing."

He grunted as he helped me stand up on my own two feet and left me to my devices as he walked outside the cavern we are in to guard and give me privacy to take care of myself.

I rummaged inside the tattered bag of Vaski that I never got the chance to see what is inside at all after all that happened shortly after gaining consciousness.

Tears fell from my eyes as I saw that he managed to recover some of my personal things like my combat boots, sticky notes. Surprisingly and what pained me the most are the weaving kit that my siblings gave me for my first week in this world.

I opened it quickly, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw that most, if not all, of the things needed to weave, are here and undamaged by the Second Fall and the battle that I am not in.

Even the never-ending yarns and threads are still here, and all accounted for.

Sample clothes and pieces of textiles of all colors and sizes are adjusting themselves accordingly to what I envisioned on my mind as I touch them one by one.

Asher returned with an unmistakable impatient look in his eyes as if he wants to get going as soon as possible right now but looking at the scarlet rays of the sun illuminating our cave faintly, I just shook my head at him.

"We will stay here for now," I said firmly that made him growl at me angrily before barking several times at me, which weirdly, I understand the meaning quite quickly, "I know, I know. You don't have to tell me that we are wasting time here. But really, can the world get f****d up even more if we stay here for another day or two?"

He was about to snap back at me, but I motioned him to come nearer in probably the same way as his irritated fiance always did that made him do as I told without so much as a growl.

"Now come here so I can get your measurements. I will not let Estelle berate me that I let her boyfriend run around Gearth, as destroyed as it is, buck naked," I said quietly that made him winced as he licks his fur to show that he still has some coverings, "That is hair, Asher. In all sense and purposes, I am traveling with a nude boy, and as a self-respecting child of the goddess of weaving herself, battle-ready as I was, I am honor-bound to put clothes in your back. Now, stay still as I get your measurements. This will not take a while."

He heeded my request and let me use my measuring tape to get my bearings right.

"Just look at your body. You probably gained twice the muscles you have back then," I said impressively as I wrap the tape around his thick thigs, "Come to think of it, it has been a year, and all I did was sleep while you battle monsters in almost a daily basis."

To my surprise, he growled and shook his head as he looked into my eyes and growled three times in long, painful succession.

It took me a while to process what he just said and then, it hit me.

"Three years?!"

He barked loudly in agreement as I fell to my knees as tears fell to my eyes, "Damn you, Vaski. How dare you lie to me! You told me it has been only three hundred and sixty-nine days. But three? Three damn long years you have to sacrifice your very own life to prolong and save my own?!"

My heart is filled with all sorts of painful emotions that I never thought I can ever feel at all, even after all that has happened to my damn life so far at the same time.

Grief, anger, sadness, regret, and self-pity ate my heart as tears continue to fall from my eyes.

No wonder the people I met are so hopeless and reluctant to even venture outside their settlements.

The graves, their faces bearing despair and the state of their shacks and very disposition, should've told me the truth earlier.

I have really been gone for so long, and gods know if my friends who survived the Second Fall are even willing to stand by me or are already gone in this world in permanent twilight.

What small flicker of hope I have been trying to grab on seemingly faded away in my heart as I closed my eyes in sorrow and pain.

But suddenly, a wet nudge awakens me from my stupor.

I looked up slowly, and I saw my friend's cold nose pressing on different parts of my face that seemed to lift me up from my self-pity.

He then took my weaving tools in his mouth and dropped them in front of me and looking at my way expectantly.

Well, at least there's still one thing I am sure I can at least do adequately in this husk of a world...