I opened my eyes. As it flickered slowly from a blurry view and an image of a person, it slowly adjusted to the bright light.

In front of me was a man similar to my age donning a glittering silver almost white hair and silver-grayish eyes. His face had a feeling of familiarity but I was sure I’ve never met anyone with a pretty face like him.

He had pale white skin, almost looking like it melded with his white clothes resembling greek togas. There were thin rainbow colored embroideries here and there but only a dark blue ribbon was pronounced in his braided silvery-white hair.

“Good, you’re awake! How do you feel?”

At his question and seemingly familiar voice, I looked at my hands. They looked the same as before, and the burned and melted parts were nowhere to be found. Even the blood and pain were gone.

The man stood with a smile, watching me check my body. I should feel disgusted or annoyed but his gaze was more of a caring gaze rather than a lecherous one. Like a father to his daughter? No... more like an owner to his pet.

Then it hit me. His voice, his personality, it reminded of that hateful insect that burned me earlier! It can’t be?!

“D-don’t tell me... y-you...?”

I couldn’t finish my sentence. My mind was already filled with insults and how I hated that firefly. But if he truly is a “god” capable of burning me into ash and reading my mind, then...!

“Don’t worry. I have more patience than anyone, I’m even more patient than my older brother. And besides, any thoughts you might have of me is simply a result of my actions earlier.”

Well... he’s got a point and it’s good that he’s amenable towards me. If I anger him any further then, even if I hated him, everything he does is nothing but a whim of a god.

“Yes, yes, quite true. But I won’t exert such effort without reason, and I don’t plan on making you miserable because of a whim. I’m more of a rational god compared to my older brother.”

Nodding his head in agreement and his comparison to his brother, he smiled and patted my back. Even if he says so, forcing me to promise with a threat of erasing me is far cry from being rational and why his brother?

“What? I only wanted you to agree! And even if I said I would kill you, I wouldn’t even dare to disrupt the flow of reincarnation! It’s an important process that even gods don’t dare disrupt it!”

He made an excuse as he pushed me to a nearby rock and have me sit. Now that I look at it, I was actually surrounded by beautiful flowering trees. Their leaves were a gradient of yellow to dark green and with the wind, they danced magnificently with an amazing rustling sound.

I closed my eyes and inhaled the sweet breeze that carried the flowers’ scent. After everything that happened to me before meeting this god, I felt even calmer than ever before. It was a different kind of calm needed in decision-making and my coffee time. No, it was more like... freedom.

“Good. You look better now.”

The firefly... or the god rather, smiled at me seeing as how I felt free. I pride myself with my cold calculating poker face but, am I that easy to read? Even my husband can see through me...

“Haha! I can read minds remember? So don’t doubt your poker face, I bet your husband can read your mind in a different way.”

He smiled again. What he said made sense, but what the hell happened to that mean-demanding god earlier?

“Umm...”

I was gonna ask but then he immediately answered.

“I told you! I just needed you to accept! I liked you the first time I saw you, so I wanted you to do this for me.”

He pouted at my thought, then he fidgeted at his lame excuse. It was annoying to be cut off before I talk so now, I won’t hesitate! At this point, I don’t care anymore!

“That doesn’t give you a reason to hurt me! First of all, being taken against my will is a crime between humans, so logic wise, I should detest you. Second, being brought to a dark place with only a giant firefly to talk to is somewhat unnerving for a human, don’t you think?! And of course lastly, you could’ve explained and waited for me to make a decision! If you made up a lie that I couldn’t go back or something along those lines, then I would be cornered and eventually accept your terms with some conditions! Everything would’ve been in agreeable terms if you were just patient enough to negotiate! And you even said you were the most patient God! Gah!”

With a huff, my complaints and tension finally left my body. I found myself standing and sweating. All the words were said in one breath, making no room for backtalk nor retorts.

Now I’ve done it. Even if he was the most patient one, having one of your creations to talk back to you is definitely aggravating.

I looked behind to see a shocked god looking at me. I fixed my clothes and readied myself as I sat on the ground with folded knees. I was bracing for punishment or even death.

What answered was not words of anger nor resentment, but a hearty laugh and a happy pretty man holding his stomach

“Hahaha! I knew it! I liked you right from the start! Very well, I will stop reading your mind and communicate with you through words. I respect those who have strong wills, so I will make sure to never read your mind except with your permission and emergencies, alright?”

He extended his hand to me and pulled me up to sit beside him again. With a wave, another breeze filled the open space where we are, cooling my head and calming my heart.

“Well, I do regret my actions, but I have reasons to do so. Remember what I told you about mothers being better at nurturing than fathers?”

If I remember correctly, he said that the first time we met. He was particularly glad about it. I nodded in agreement, then he continued.

“You see... another god manages the cycle of reincarnation. Other gods, like me, can’t interrupt that process. So as time passes by, living beings will die, souls will be weighed based on their actions as mortals, and will be given a new life based on that weight.”

Patiently, he explained every point.

“I wanted you to be the mother of the new prophesied child.”

That statement shocked me. I mean, me? A mother? I’ve already lost my husband, I’ve tried falling in love but I could never forget him. So being a mother was already far from reach!

“Why me?” I asked.

“I know I’m imposing too much. But beings from older brother’s world have higher resistance and better constitution than my world. Of course, I asked for permission and was restricted to those who would gladly accept it and only with a worded promise would allow me to take you away. Only people with those requirements could enter that blank space, so I knew you would accept right from the start and I made you promise.”

If he knew then why did he force me? I was about to ask but then he continued.

“Well, even if I knew, remember how I told you I can’t interrupt the reincarnation cycle? I wanted you to have time before the child can pass through, so I forced you to promise as soon as I saw you. But there was still some defect on my plan...”

I see. So all that threatening was to hurry and catch up to that?

“So? Were you successful?”

I’d like to think that all that suffering wasn’t in vain. But his gloomy expression said it all. He slumped, and with a mumble, “The child has been born already... the child is already 3 years old...”

What? So that pain earlier was all for nothing?! I wanted to punch him, really I do. I cracked by fists but with that pitiful look, even I forgot he’s a god. I sighed deeply, I placed my elbows on my knees and held my head in my hands.

“What now?”

I asked the pitiful god. I am proud of my adapting ability but in a different world, I need support. So I at least want this god’s support, even a little. But without the child, I’m just a regular human from another world.

“I’m sorry. I regret that I couldn’t make you the mother, but that doesn’t mean I’ll leave you all alone!”

With tears and an earnest look in his eyes, I slowly find this god a little favorable, slowly decreasing the accumulated hate from our encounter.

It’s still weird how I’m so accepting with all of this. I mean, I’m in another world and everything that happened seemed like a dream logic-wise but here I am. Talking with a god about reincarnation and all.

Then with his puffed chest and gleaming face that seems to say “Leave it to me!”, he huffed and said: “I will personally teach you about this world and how to survive, so leave it to me!”

And with that, I was taught everything about this world called Orbitia. About everything that practically came out of a novel, how monsters exist, several countries, beings aside from humans and how everything has magic.

He also told me about the importance of an oracle. Young worlds like his were still weak. Threats from fallen gods would evidently destroy those weak worlds. So to fight against it, the god who governs reincarnation chooses strong souls to become oracles who can perceive threats from fallen gods. It’s similar to prophets of old from my world.

These oracles often have longer lives than normal living beings, and almost rivalling half of a god’s strength and power, so he wanted me to be the parent and at least provide a happy life for the tragic fate of the oracles.

And because he couldn't interfere, without me as the oracle’s mother, the god can only wish that he could live a normal life and find me as company. Him saying so, I found a purpose for my existence to this world. Something I’ve lost, since long ago...