Chapter 89 – Clumsy Goddess???
Chapter 89
Clumsy Goddess???
Date : Day 8 of Grimleaf 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.
Elise leaned in. Her own brow furrowed in confusion as she read the numbers. Her emerald eyes traced the glowing digits. The discrepancy was impossible to miss.
"This is..."
She breathed out slowly.
"Not right.. This is so weird... this is so unsettling... eerie..."
She shook her head quickly. Trying to dispel the eerie feeling. Her silver hair swayed with the motion.
"The process of level up should be automated."
She turned to face him fully.
"Every person who has earned enough experience and hit the threshold of the level up, will level up. Nothing can hinder it. Not even Gods."
Her voice was firm.
"It was a fundamental law of this world. The Law of Aethell which precedes the Pillar of Aethell. The Gods. Themselves."
Hyoren finally looked up from his card. His expression was a mix of disbelief and frustration.
"This is weird… so weird."
He ran a hand through his hair.
"I keep accumulating experience. But I can't level up?"
He clutched his head. His fingers dug into his scalp. The questions swirled in his mind. Endless. Confusing.
"Then how can I get stronger?"
His voice rose.
"Will I be stuck on level six for the rest of my life?"
He stood abruptly.
"Why should I bother grinding then?"
He shouted. The words echoed across the ledge. He lost his mind. The frustration poured out of him. Hot. Uncontrollable.
Elise stood then touched his shoulder. Her touch was gentle. Soothing. Trying to calm him down.
She spoke softly.
"Calm down, Hyoren. Let's think about it with a clear mind."
Her touch anchored Hyoren. Her warmth seeped through his cloak. His chaotic mind started to recede. He shook his head. Trying to dispel the thought. The anger. The fear.
He took a deep breath. Then exhaled. In. Out. In. Out. The night air filled his lungs. Cool. Cleansing.
After a few seconds. The tension in his shoulders started to relax. The knots in his muscles loosened. His heartbeat slowed.
He looked at Elise. Then he hugged her. His arms wrapped around her. Pulling her close.
Elise hugged him back. Her arms encircled his waist. She rested her head against his chest. Her warmth grounded him.
After a while, they separated. The embrace ended. But the comfort remained. They then sat again on the tarp. Very close. Shoulder touching. He still need his anchor—Elise.
"Thank you, Elise."
He smiled weakly.
"For calming me down."
Elise smiled. A soft, tender expression.
"It was my pleasure."
She touched his cheek gently. Her soft palm felt good for him.
"It was the lover's role to calm down her partner, right? Fufu."
She touched his hands next. Her fingers intertwined with his.
"Let's discuss this anomaly, Hyoren."
She looked into his eyes.
"Let's see if we can get an answer."
Hyoren nodded. His mind was clearer now. Focused.
"Elise, we need to consider why it happened. What was stopping my level from increasing? Was it a bug in the system? A curse? A side effect of my unique status as a Spirited Away?"
Elise tapped her chin. Thoughtful. Processing.
"I never heard of another Spirited Away that had the same problem as yours."
She furrowed her brow.
"It's not recorded. Not mentioned."
She looked away. Her eyes swept the night sky. Thinking.
"Curse."
She shook her head. Her silver hair swayed with motion.
"That's also unlikely."
She turned back to him.
"There's no magician who cast a curse on you. You didn't take cursed tools or weapons. And you didn't even trigger any Ritual Magic."
Her emerald eyes were searching for answer.
"We did meet Ritual Magic Runic Array on Stonewell. But it was not the real Runic Array. Only leftovers."
Hyoren's eyebrows furrowed. Deep lines formed on his forehead.
"Then, what… Was Aethell not working properly for me?"
He felt a cold knot of dread form in his stomach. Heavy. Settling.
"Remember, Elise."
He looked at his hands.
"At first, I couldn't even hear the Voice of Aethell. So I needed to calculate my experience points manually."
He clenched his fists.
"And I could only guess by hunch whenever I got a new skill. Is my Aethell system broken?"
His entire existence in this world was governed by these rules. The Law of Aethell. The rules of leveling. Of skills. Of progression. If one of the most fundamental rules was broken, what did that mean? His mind spiraled. The implications were terrifying.
Elise nodded. Her pointed ears twitched.
"Right… Your connection to Aethell was broken before..."
She then looked at him again. Her emerald eyes flickered with concern, worry, and fear.
"Is your connection to Aethell still not properly fixed?"
Hyoren didn't have an answer. He looked down at the glowing numbers on his card. A symbol of a promise that had been broken. The XP he had earned. The goblins he had killed.
The progress he had made—it all felt hollow now. Trapped behind a wall he couldn't see or understand. The excitement of his impending skill level-ups had been replaced by a deep, unsettling mystery. His stomach churned. His throat tightened.
Elise then grasped his hands. Her fingers tightened around his. Trying to reassure him. Ground him.
"Hyoren..."
She paused. Her eyes lit up slightly.
"Could it be... the goddesses? Is this part of their plan? Some kind of test?"
The cold knot of dread in Hyoren's stomach tightened at Elise's mention of the goddesses. She was right. He was the recipient of their Divine Protection. Their blessing. Their interest.
His eyes now dawned with realization. The pieces started to connect.
"You're right."
He breathed out.
"I'm closely tied to Luminara and Noctynara now."
He ran a hand through his hair.
"Maybe... maybe it changed something in me. Changed the rules."
Elise's expression softened with concern. She nudged him gently. Her shoulder brushed against his.
"How about you pray to them? You have their Divine Protection. A connection. They might answer. It's worth a try."
It was the only logical course of action. He had a problem. And he had two divine hotlines. He nodded. His expression was grim, but determined.
"Alright, Elise."
His posture straightened.
"I will try."
He knelt on the cold stone of the ledge. Closing his eyes. The rock was hard beneath his knees. Cool against his skin. He didn't know the proper words. The formal rituals. He could only speak from the heart. With the raw, frustrated honesty that defined him.
Luminara. Noctynara. I don't know if you can hear me. I have a problem. I've accumulated enough experience to level up, but it's not happening. The level-up is stuck. I don't know why. I need to know what's going on. I need your guidance.
He poured his frustration and confusion into the prayer. A plea for clarity from the beings who had brought him here. The words were unpolished. Raw. Honest. As he finished the last word, the world dissolved.
***
The disorienting whiteness engulfed him. The cool mountain air was replaced by the now familiar infinite white void. He stood once again in the white world. Facing the two divine figures who summoned him to this world. The void stretched endlessly in all directions. No ground. No sky. Just white.
But the scene which greeted him was not what he expected.
Luminara, the Sun-Queen, the Goddess of Light, was not standing serene and majestic. She was face-down on the white and featureless floor. Her arms outstretched in a gesture of utter, abject prostration. Her golden robes were pooled around her. Her form completely still. The fabric shimmered. Divine. Yet the posture was anything but divine.
And Noctynara, the Whisper of the Void, the Goddess of Darkness, was not standing with her usual cynical, imposing posture. She was leaning forward. Her palm pressed firmly against her forehead. Her eyes squeezed shut in an expression of profound, cosmic exasperation. Her dark robes were rumpled. And she was letting out a long, weary sigh that seemed to echo in the void. The sound carried no source. Yet filled everything.
Hyoren stared at the prostrating Luminara on the ground. Then to the exasperated and facepalming Noctynara. His mouth hung slightly open.
He was completely baffled. This was not the awe-inspiring, divine audience he had prepared for. This looked like the aftermath of a celestial bureaucratic disaster. The contrast was absurd.
Noctynara slowly lowered her hand. Her dark eyes opened to look at Hyoren with a gaze that was equal parts exasperation and relief.
"Oh, good. Hyoren Enjo. You're here."
She straightened slightly.
"We were wondering when you'd finally notice."
Hyoren could only stare at her. His mind struggled to process the scene before him.
"Notice what?"
He looked between the two goddesses.
"What's going on? Why is she...?"
He gestured toward the prostrated form of the Sun-Queen. His hand moved awkwardly. Unsure.
Noctynara sighed again. Rubbing her temples. The gesture was painfully mortal. Familiar.
"She's apologizing."
She gestured toward her sister.
"She's been apologizing for days. It's getting exhausting. And as for what's going on... well, let's just say your level-up is stuck in divine arbitration, Hyoren Enjo."
Hyoren stared at the facepalming goddess, Noctynara. His mind struggled to process the sheer, absurd incompetence of it all. The information didn't fit. The situation was too surreal.
"Divine arbitration? What do you mean..."
He tilted his head. Not understanding what Noctynara meant.
"Yes, divine arbitration, Hyoren Enjo."
Noctynara's voice dripped with sarcasm. She then crossed her arms. Her dark robes swirled around her form.
"It turns out, when my dear, revered sister was giving you that Unique Skill, she got a little... over excited."
Her lip curled slightly.
"Just like when she was summoning you."
Hyoren remembered the story. Luminara was too excited when summoning him. Botching it. It made him get thrown into the Forest of No Return alone. Without any preparation, explanation, or gift
She began to pace. Her dark robes swirling around her. The void seemed to shift with her movement.
"Hyoren Enjo, let me explain..."
She stopped walking. Her gaze pierced him.
"Gifting Unique Skill required a deep connection to the soul. And the gods who decides to etch them to the soul needed to do it carefully and meticulously."
She then gestured toward the still prostrating Luminara. The goddess hadn't moved. Hadn't spoken.
"In her excitement to establish it, she..."
She paused. Let the word hang.
"Well, she botched your Aethell system... Again.. Your level-up system is currently broken."
She started pacing again. Her steps were measured and deliberate
"Hyoren Enjo, to give you an easy to grasp comparison."
She waved her hand.
"Let's use your earthling terms. Think of it like this. She installed a new, high-powered graphics card into your system and accidentally ripped out the motherboard for the basic operating system."
Hyoren's eyes widened. He couldn't help it. He slowly raised his own hand. Pressed his palm against his forehead. The analogy was painfully clear. His entire progression system had been broken. Because of a clumsy goddess.
"So… I can't level up? At all?"
He lowered his hand. But his face is still painted with exasperation.
"Not until we fix it, Hyoren Enjo."
She then shook her. Her cascading void-like hair swayed with the motion.
"And we couldn't fix it without you being here."
She stopped pacing.
"We need to touch your very soul to fix it. And you, my dear boy, never pray."
She sighed.
"We can't pull you here unless you pray to us. Luminara has been trying to get your attention for days, but her calls were just going to a divine voicemail box you never checked."
He looked down at the prostrating form of the Sun-Queen. The goddess revered by millions. The embodiment of order and purity. Luminara. The contrast between her reputation and her current state was jarring.
“Luminara is a clumsy Goddess???”
He couldn't help but blurt it out. Before he realized his mistake. The words escaped before his mind could catch them.
"Wait."
He straightened.
"This is blasphemy, isn't it?"
He bowed slightly.
"Sorry, my bad."
He apologize. But he didn’t feel too sorry. He was still exasperated. The reason behind what happened was because some clumsy goddess botched his very soul. Broke his Aethell system herself because she was too excited. And that resulted in him not being able to level up. The frustration still simmered beneath the surface.
Noctynara stopped pacing. She gave him a wry, knowing smile.
"I know, right?"
She chuckled softly.
"It's a well-kept secret. Her public image is impeccable. But behind the scenes..."
She just shrugged. Letting the implication hang in the air. The void seemed to hum with unspoken truth.
She then leaned in closer. Her expression turned serious. Though a mischievous glint remained in her void-like eyes.
"But Hyoren Enjo, please don't spread the word, okay?"
She lowered her voice.
"A goddess's reputation is a fragile thing."
She smiled thinly. Smile which didn’t reach her void-like eyes.
"It would be... inconvenient for everyone if the faithful found out their divine savior is a bit of a klutz."
She smiled. A disarmingly charming smile that was entirely at odds with her reputation as the Whisper in the Void. But Hyoren knew. He knew the truth beneath the charm. He knew she wasn't really asking. It was a command wrapped in a polite request. A goddess was still a goddess.
Hyoren promised. His face was deadpan. Serious.
"I won't say a word. My lips are sealed."
Noctynara clapped her hands together with a finality that startled the prostrating Luminara. The sound echoed through the void.
"Excellent, Hyoren Enjo."
She nodded.
"Now, let's get this over with."
She turned to her sister.
"Luminara, you can get up now? Till when you going to prostrate? Fix his system already."
At Noctynara's words, the prostrating Luminara slowly, gracefully rose to her feet. Her movements were fluid and divine. Her face, usually a serene mask of divine beauty, was flushed with a deep, celestial embarrassment. She wouldn't meet Hyoren's eyes. Her gaze fixed on a point somewhere on the infinite white floor. Her golden hair fell around her face. Hiding her expression.
She started talking without looking at Hyoren. Her voice was a soft, melodic chime that was filled with genuine remorse. The words carried weight. Apology.
"Child.. I formally apologize for my... clumsiness. My actions have caused you an unforeseen hardship, and for that, I am truly sorry."
She finally looked up. Her golden eyes meeting his. The color was warm.
"And… Thank you. For your promise to not spread the word. Your discretion is... appreciated."
Hyoren just nodded. Not sure what to say to a blushing, apologetic goddess. The situation was surreal. A goddess apologizing to him. It didn't fit his expectations.
"Child, please, stand still. I will now properly fix your Aethell system This will only take a moment."
She raised her hands. A soft, warm, golden light enveloped him. It was the same feeling he'd experienced during his last visit to this white void. When he was gifted Divine Protection and Unique Skill. The warmth seeped into his bones. His soul. His very being.
And then, the familiar voice echoed in his mind. Voice of Aethell. Notification about level up.
“Level Up to Level 7!”
A surge of energy, far more potent than any before, flooded his being. His muscles felt denser. His senses sharper. His mind clearer. It was a cascade of power. He felt the difference immediately. The change rippled through him.
"It is done, Child..."
Luminara lowered her hands.
"And I hope there's no more complications after this."
A relieved smile finally graced Luminara's lips. The tension in her form relaxed. Her golden hair caught the light.
"And Child, to further apologize, I will upgrade your Unique Skill."
She raised her hand again, and another wave of the golden light surrounding him.
"The stat boost is still same, but the mana cost will be removed. You can use it on prolonged time. You also will no longer feel the agonizing pain during use. You will still be bedridden afterward though, the cost and the backlash, we can't easily remove it."
Hyoren already decided he wouldn't use his Unique Skill unless necessary. But upgrades were always welcomed. The improvement was valuable. Appreciated.
"Thank you, Goddess Luminara, Noctynara."
He bowed. His form bent at the waist. Respectful. Grateful.
Noctynara then stepped up. Her dark form contrasted with her sister's golden light.
"Hyoren Enjo."
She crossed her arms.
"Your vow back then is unnecessary."
She waved her hand dismissively.
"I don't really care what humans say about me."
But then her expression softened. She smiled. It was brief. Only split seconds. But it was there. Genuine. Hyoren caught on to it. The flash of warmth beneath the cold exterior.
"But, thanks, Hyoren Enjo. I appreciate it. I myself am torn about those who twist my teaching."
Hyoren nodded. His expression was serious. Determined.
"Thank you, Noctynara."
He straightened.
"I will keep my vow."
He placed a hand over his chest.
"I will take care of those heretics for you! Your blessing is appreciated."
He bowed again. Lower this time. More sincere.
Noctynara nodded—her cold and pragmatic face back into its solemn expression—and slowly her form began to fade. The darkness dissolved into the white void. But before she faded completely, she paused. Forcing her half-fading form to stay. To inform about something.
"Oh right, Hyoren Enjo. One more thing. Please... pray from time to time."
She gestured toward her sister.
"Luminara will be sad if you forget about her."
Luminara's head snapped up. Her cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of crimson. The color spread across her divine features.
"Hey!"
She stomped her foot.
"Don't tell him that!"
She shrieked at her twin's fading form. Her voice carried an uncharacteristic pitch. Embarrassed. Flustered.
She then turned back to Hyoren. Her embarrassment replaced by a look of sudden, intense seriousness. Her golden eyes locked onto his.
"And Child, your Unique Skill Berserker. You will need it. Soon."
And then she smiled. A beautiful, enigmatic smile that held both gratitude and a chilling prophecy. The expression was warm. Yet carried weight. Warning.
Before he could ask what she meant, the white world dissolved. And he was back on the cliffside. The three moons hung in the sky. The wind whistled in his ears. And below him, the settlement of goblins clattered with activity. The world rushed back.