Chapter 18: Goddess and Pain.

Rayder White P.O.V.

“To make your pledge.”

……

...

'Ooh boy, not this shit again...' Sighing, I consider how I should go about this conversation. "Pledge, huh? What kind of pledge are we talking about here? Like, I pledge to speak the truth kind of pledge, or are we more leaning towards I'll be forever faithful kind of pledge?" I ask before continuing with: "'Cause if it's the latter, then I'm sorry to say but I just can't be tied to one woman; there is just too much of me I need to share with the women of the world..

Brow twitching, she answers in the same fashion, utterly ignoring my jab at her expense.

“Yes, a pledge of fealty; where you pledge your soul to me. Forever.”

…...

…

...

Awkward moments pass as we simply stare at one another, waiting and sizing one another up.

“Wait wait, My soul? Like, my actual soul? Won't I need that? To… you know, like, stay alive?” I ask curiously

Mirth returning, she giggles at my remark for a moment before answering. “I like you, you're funny.” she says and giggles again.

A moment passes before the mirth leaves her and she coughs into her hand once again, trying to reclaim some semblance of her previous seriousness before she resumes speaking.

“I'm not going to take your soul, now, silly. I will claim it after you die.”

……

...

Ominous much?

“...What would you even want my soul for?” I ask her offhandedly. Asking the big questions, hell yeah!

“Oh, I'm sure I could find uses for it…” She says as she gives me a look that sends shivers down my spine and gives me goosebumps all over my body.

…… Ok…

Not so sure I like the look she is giving me here...

Clearing my throat to try and clear away the bad feelings I am getting from her look, I figure I should really try to talk my way out of this… "pledge", as she calls it; 'Cause it sounds like a really bad deal.

“So... about this pledge thing; I, uhm, may have unwittingly bet my soul as stakes in a bet with someone else already, so I think we have a problem here.” I begin while scratching my head awkwardly. "The guy called himself "Riatos", if that name means anything to you.".

Watching her carefully for a reaction, I continue speaking slowly. “So… I don't think I can pledge myself to you at this point in time.” or ever, really. 'Cause why the hell would I ever want to do that??

Glancing at her face, she doesn't look very happy about what I said... Ok! That settles it; Time to get gone, faster than fast!

“...Ok? Ok!! Thanks; bye!” I finish quickly and hurriedly try to quickly scurry away.

“Stop.” She says and indeed, my does stop. Literally. I can't move; As the very air around me seems to have turned into a solid around me or something.

‘… Ok, so this is awkward.’ I think to myself as I try to put my foot down, only to find it an impossible task.

Ok, great, So here I am, half turned away from the goddess with my right leg frozen in the air as if I'm trying to walk up a staircase made of air. Today is not turning out the way I had thought it would.

“... Yes, miss goddess?” I ask awkwardly as I stand stopped mid stride, head awkwardly turned to face her.

Frowning, the goddess simply gazes at me for a few impossibly long and nervous seconds.

Sighing, she shakes her head and shrugs weakly.

“That will have to be enough fooling around, I suppose.” she says as her green eyes start to glow with a mint green light, as if there was a flashlight somewhere inside her head.

“We are not finished talking yet, you and me...” She says as she begins slowly walking towards me.

“We have many grave matters to speak about and precious little time.” She finishes and does a little gestures with her right hand.

Suddenly a robust white table brimming with all kinds of food and drink materializes to her right where she gestured, all complete with a sofa group and fluffy looking armchairs.

Smiling at me, she gestures towards the recently materialized furniture.

“Let's sit down, and perhaps eat a little, shall we?”

While she is smiling sweetly, her eyes tell me that I don't have an option of declining.

Sighing weakly, I nod and… oh.

“I can move again!” I exclaim in happiness.

Rolling her eyes at me, she walks off towards a particularly comfy looking sofa and sits down.

Reaching towards the table of food and fruits lined up, she grabs one of two strange golden fruits and takes a small bite of it's seemingly juicy fruit-meat. Seemingly savoring the taste, she takes her time as she slowly chews before she takes another small bite of the strange fruit.

Taking a closer look at the strange golden fruit, It looks like a cross between a honey melon and a peach and looks quite juicy. I bet it is delicious too... if the goddesses' reactions are anything to go by.

Left with no choice in the matter, I also walk over and sit down.

I choose a red armchair to her right and upon sitting down I practically melt into the chair.

"Whoa, this is one unbelievably comfortable chair. Where'd you get these? They're to die for... Don't take that literally; it's a figure of speech." I blab as I move around to find the optimal position in the chair.

Shiva, however, just looks at me blankly and says: "I'm a goddess. I made them, like, literally seconds ago; you saw me doing it."

"Wait, so you really are a goddess? I really thought you were just a figment of my imagination... The world truly is stranger than you can imagine huh." I say and stretch myself before sinking even deeper into the comfy chair.

Only that the stretch is just a cover for me swapping one of the fruits she had just eaten. Squeezing it softly, I can feel it is ripe and extremely juicy as its form adapts to my hand as I squeeze it lightly.

Shiva just shrugs noncommittally to my comment. "I am what I am; but I am not a part of you, that's for sure."

"Hey, you didn't have to put it like that; that's just mean." I saw in a mock hurt fashion."

A quick inspection of the swiped fruit reveals that it does indeed have similar characteristics to a peach. And yet, at the same time, retain features of a honey melon, as it has lines flowing along its surface. Strange fruit indeed.

"So, what are these matters of grave importance we apparently need to speak about?" I ask her offhandedly while I look her in her eyes.

"Ah, yes. Well you see..." Shiva begins, but I am totally not listing as I take a small bite into the soft fruit flesh. The sweetest yet at the same time lightest and freshest taste I've ever experienced quickly spreads through my mouth.

It tastes nothing like either a peach or a melon though… if anything I would say it reminds me of some weird mix of tropical fruits, which I can't quite put a finger on. ‘That said though, it is definitely delicious.’ I think to myself I chew and swallow the strange fruit, only to have my thoughts abruptly interrupted by a panicked shout.

“What are you doing?!” Shiva shouts, urgency on her voice. “Normal humans can't eat Ambrosia! Spit it out!” Shiva shouts, panic and disbelief in her voice.

Opening my mouth to reply, I find my body doesn't respond, and only then do I realize my whole body is shaking strangely.

Looking down at my hands, my vision starts shaking and flickering in a most unfamiliar way and half a moment later, everything abruptly fades, as if someone turned off the lamp and the whole world falls into darkness.

Darkness… and then pain.

Unbelievable pain. Unending pain.

My whole world is pain. Everything is pain. Breathing: Pain. Trying to think: Pain.

My existence is pain and pain is me.

…….

… …

...

Please, let it end… ...

------+×÷=--- =÷×%

An unknown amount of time passes as I endure in the world of pain.

Time loses its meaning when all is pain and the pain is everything.

When the world of pain finally relents, and I find myself not being in a state of absolute, constant pain, I find myself unable to telI whether I was out for 10 minutes or 10 years that has passed as I struggled. My mind? Soul? Simply can't tell the difference.

“O..., go...d. ...u're... still alive.” Distantly I hear someone speaking, barely able to pick out the strange sounds.

But as the sentence progresses it quickly becomes closer, clearer and/or more processable. Not sure which applies, if any.

“By some miracle you managed to actually survive. How curious.” A female voice says beside me.

Stirring, I gingerly open my eyes; only to be greeted by complete darkness.

The darkness only lasts for a moment however, as slowly but surely, tiny lights emerge from within the darkness and start spreading across the darkness, as light takes over and the world comes rushing in.

Wherever the light spreads, colour and light returns to my view and

slowly, my vision returns to me as the light slowly and quietly beats the darkness back.

My mind races as a million things passes through my mind in the span of a nanosecond. ‘I… what? It's...bright? What is happening? Where is this…? …’

Completely disoriented, by both the light and all the colours that assault my vision as well as my sudden release from the darkness and pain, I blink a few times and try to focus my eyes on the figure beside me.

“You sure gave me a fright there, eating a chunk of Ambrosia out of the blue.” The female figure says gravely and quickly adds while giving me a sour look: ”Why did you do such a stupid thing for? It should be common knowledge that mortals die horribly if they try to eat it, no matter how little a piece.”

Staring blankly for a few long moments at the figure until something comes loose within me, and like a tsunami, my memories suddenly come rushing back to me; as if they were a flood released by a gigantic dam that collapsed.

As the memories hit me like a truck, realization follows: I almost died horribly; this… girl? is a goddess, and… I think I may have wet my pants!

… ...

… No, wait. I think I'm good; it's just fruit juice. Thank god.

I am brought out of my revery by the goddess snapping her fingers, unexpectedly loudly I might add, right in front of my face.

“Hello? Are you still with me?” She asks me uncertainly.

“Oh. Uh, Yeah… I, I think so.” I reply, slightly incoherently. “It's all just a bit… overwhelming at the moment.”

Seemingly studying me, she stares at me for a moment longer before nodding ever so slightly, and replying with a short: “I see.” before she walks over to her sofa and sits down and returns to staring at me.

Gesturing for me to also sit, I slowly and unsteadily stand up and slowly make to follow her example and sit down.

This time, however, on a blue armchair, to her left.

There's fruit juice and some red thing on the one I sat on… Wait, is that blood? That is blood, isn't it? Is that MY blood? Seems like an awful lot of it… …

…

Noticing my gaze, Shiva gives me a “Don't ask” look and shakes her head slightly.

…Right.

…

‘Probably best not to think about it...’ I conclude and focus my thoughts elsewhere instead.

“So… how long was I out for?” I ask tentatively. “It sure felt like...a long, long time to me…”

Wincing, she avoids my gaze and looks down at her feet. A moment passes in tense silence as I wait for a reply.

Sighing deeply, she looks up and meets my gaze.

“It's… complicated.” She begins slowly. “In that horrible, other world? An unknowable amount of time. Anything between one time-unit to infinity, somewhere in between or maybe even both…” she says slowly and carefully, making sure I am following.

Before I even manage to open my mouth to ask what that's about, she cuts me off.

“That is just the way that world works. Time… does its own thing over there, if it feels like it.”

Puzzled, I nod slowly while I ponder the implications of her words.

I quickly give up that headache inducing line of thought however, and instead indicate for her to continue.

Tapping her right index finger on the table, she continues her explanation.

“Here, in my world, about 3 days has passed.” She says slowly, before quickly adding: “And before you ask, the reason you aren't feeling hunger, thirst or any other need for that matter,

is because this is my world. I am the one who makes the rules of this world.”

Shiva says matter of factly. But then she quiets down as she looks at me solemnly

“However… you may notice some strange… changes to your body.

Because of the part of the Ambrosia you ate, you will be, Uhm, well… Different from normal humans.”

Taking a moment to let her words sink in, I ask what I feel like I already have the answer to: "So, you're saying that I am...no longer human?"

"I'm afraid so. You are definitely not what I would call human any longer" Giving me a studying look, she continues almost ponderously.

“But you are still, relatively, close to human: in most ways, at least.”

Tapping her finger on the table, her gaze studies me as she speaks slowly. “I do not know what effects the fruit may have on a mortal...

But for us gods, it helps us recover our strength as well as invigorates us with new power and life, but for a mortal? ...it is anyone's guess. You are the first mortal I've heard of surviving after ingesting Ambrosia, so I frankly don't know what may happen to you.”

Tapping her finger as her mind seemingly drifts, she suddenly snaps out of her studying and refocuses.

“We may speak more of that later, perhaps. I almost forgot, but we have much more pressing matters to discuss at hand.”

End of chapter 18