Chapter 23: A Ray of Hope

"Golden book entity!" Odin called out with a mental command, wanting to confirm that he hadn't heard wrong.

"Young man," the ancient voice reverberated within his mind again. "I said that you don't have to kill your Aunt Lucy. If you can allow me, I can present you with an option of treating her in the future."

"Of course, I agree," Odin replied hurriedly, feeling like he'd just jumped from hell and ascended to heaven. "As long as she can get better, I'm okay with any price."

The ancient voice chuckled. "I'm not asking you to pay anything, and I'll not help your Aunt Lucy recover. I'll only present you with an option to preserve her body and the little consciousness left in her head. You'll have to depend on yourself to heal her."

Odin breathed in deeply, looking at his adoptive mother. He could feel her resistance growing by the minute as he kept her in place below him. He tightened his hold on her to prevent her from moving about before continuing the conversation with the golden book entity.

"What do I have to do?"

"First things first," the ancient voice replied. "We need to transfer your Aunt Lucy into the Codex space. Otherwise, her mind will continue deteriorating until she can no longer be saved even by the most powerful entities in the multiverse."

"Okay," Odin agreed readily. "What do I have to do to transfer her to this Codex space?"

"You don't need to do anything. Just stay put, and I'll handle the rest."

"Oh, okay."

No sooner had Odin finished replying to the golden book entity than an intense blinding golden light enveloped Aunt Lucy's body. Odin felt her resistance grow weaker and weaker beneath his hands, and then just suddenly — she disappeared. When the golden light finally receded, her body was nowhere to be seen.

"Odin!" Carol shouted, her fists clenched tightly. "What have you done to mom?"

"Calm down," Odin said in a soothing tone. "I have just gotten in touch with a powerful entity. He is helping us to save mom. So, don't worry. I'll explain the rest later. For now, take care of Bella, and don't let her out of your hands. Okay."

Carol nodded.

Odin forced a smile to comfort her before closing his eyes and returning his attention to the golden book entity. He didn't know where it resided as he couldn't feel the mysterious orb anywhere in his body. Even the x-rays had not managed to detect its existence. But he was sure that it was keeping a close eye on him from somewhere within him.

"Did you successfully transfer her to the Codex space?" He asked telepathically.

"Yes," the ancient voice replied immediately. "I have preserved your aunt's body and soul within the Codex space. You'll now have to depend on yourself to save her."

"What do I need to do?" Odin asked.

"You need to acquire grade-5 holy life water from the elves," the ancient voice replied. "One drop will be enough to heal her and return her to normal. You can also find the apostles of the Holy Church of Life or the Sacred Shrine of Light. They'll also help you heal her completely. Those are the easiest ways which can heal your Aunt Lucy."

Odin was both startled and confused. "Where do I find this holy life water or the apostles you're talking about?"

"They live in parallel worlds with totally different physical constants and laws from your world," the ancient voice replied. "So, you can't find them with your current abilities."

"Then, why are you telling me all this and giving me false hope?" Odin was confused and agitated.

The ancient voice chuckled. "That's why I said I'm giving you an option of treating your Aunt Lucy in the future. I'll preserve her body and consciousness within the Codex. Then, you'll have to grow stronger fast and treat her when you're ready. But if you delay, you might still lose her forever, even after all my efforts."

Odin narrowed his eyes as he considered the golden book entity's words. "How long do I have?"

"Three years," the ancient voice replied. "You have to go through your fourth major evolution and become a transcendent within at least two years. Then, you can escape your world and spend the rest of the time searching for the elves or the life and light apostles. But, if you can't find them within a period of three years from now, not even empyreans will be able to save your Aunt Lucy. Mark my words."

"I understand," Odin said resolutely. "I'll try my best — no, I'll endeavor to find those elves or apostles within the three years. Just keep her safe for the time being."

"Okay," the ancient voice replied. "Your Aunt Lucy will be very safe within the Codex space. I have to go now. And please, don't try to contact me until you've gone through your fourth major evolution. Even if you do, I won't respond. Take care!"

"Wait..."

Odin hurriedly called out within his mind. He kept trying to communicate with the golden book entity over the next few seconds. But despite all his efforts, he got no response. It was as if the golden book entity had sunk into a deep sleep.

Odin could only shake his head with disappointment before focusing on other important matters. He spread out his spirit energy before walking to the door and latching it. He then strolled around the cabin and closed all windows. Lastly, he headed to his room and picked up his two machetes.

With the cold weapons in hand, he was finally confident enough to face most of the dangers at the start of the apocalypse. He relaxed and turned to his sisters, who were still clearly anxious about their mom's condition.

"Bella! Carol! Listen," he said, settling down beside them. "The world has changed, and there will be many dangers threatening our lives in the future. You've got to stay strong if we're to survive."

"What about mom?" Bella interrupted. "What happened to her?"

"Mom was ill," Odin replied with a sigh. "Her body was mutating abnormally. So, I asked a powerful being to help me save her. Did you see how the golden light shone upon her before she disappeared?"

Bella nodded.

"That was the powerful being taking action," Odin said. "We have to remain safe, and mom will return in time. Okay?"

Bella nodded again.

"Good girl."

Odin turned towards Carol. She was in bad shape, with tears and snot running down her face. Her expression was listless, and she seemed like she'd lost all hope in living.

"Did you hear what I just said to Bella?" Odin asked while patting her back.

Carol inclined her head slightly before locking eyes with him. "Is what you said really the truth?" She asked, her voice abnormally hoarse.

"Yes, it's the truth," Odin replied without hesitation. "I swear that mom will get better and return to us in time. So, don't worry."

"That's a relief," Carol said, wiping away the tears dripping down her cheeks with the sleeve of her jumper. "As long as she can get better and return to us, everything will be fine."

"She surely will," Odin said. "But for now, we need to survive and ensure that nothing happens to us before she returns. So, I want you to remain brave and follow my instructions. Okay?"

"That's okay," she replied. "What should we do now?"

Odin was about to reply but suddenly stopped when he noticed the all too familiar lines of text flashing before his vision. They shimmered with a chilling blood-red color, especially in the dim lighting within the cabin.

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[WARNING! WARNING!]

[Several abnormal energy signatures detected within the Host's surroundings]

[Energy signatures determined to be belonging to Pseudo-Type-I Zombified Humans approaching the Host's location]

[Conditions for E-Grade Mission have been met]

[Reaper's Origin Order Initiating an E-Level Killing Assignment]

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[Pending Missions: E-Grade Mission -> Annihilate all the zombified humans within the surrounding two-mile radius. Rewards: +2 Origin points for each zombie killed. Failure Condition: A high possibility of death]

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