“Wh….why?”

My voice cracked while asking the question. I’ve already lost my senses once today and I felt myself slipping again.

It’s just… why? What the hell did I do that made a literal GOD hate me? I don’t think I’ve done anything important enough for a god to even NOTICE! I’ve been here for less than a day!

“Just… why?”

The little sprite huffed in annoyance. I noticed Walton staring down at me coldly. Even the warm smile of the affable holy knight was long gone and replaced with a scowl. He can’t even hear the goddess but apparently he picked up on the mood. Enemies on all sides, my only hope for salvation was the goddess currently condemning me.

“Please!”

“Oh for fu…. Fine. I will explain SOME things to you, you can figure out the rest yourself.”

I only recognized Walton’s hand holding a slim knife when he tucked it back into his belt. I only now realized how, what’s the word I’m looking for, “impudent” I must sound begging their god after already being a target of her hostility. Guess her being willing to explain things to me puts a stay on my execution.

“Sigh. Listen Tony. I hate you for a personal reason. Your “crime” is something personally inflicted on me. You have not broken any direct laws, you have not harmed my followers, you have not cavorted with demons. So let me be clear Walt, Tony here is to be treated like a heretic by our denomination and its subsidiaries, but not as a direct criminal.”

‘The fuck does that mean’

“Um… what exactly would that imply your greatness?”

Walton seemed confused too, which means this is a new situation even for him. Probably not good but… what do I know I’m a heretic.

“Hmmmm. In simple terms he is to be treated as a non-citizen within the borders of any country that falls under my domain. He is not to be executed or jailed through the courts or the church. However he will be stripped of all rights granted to a human being within the empire and any other country who adheres to my faith.”

Heretic, apparently another word for animal. This conversation was getting worse and worse and honestly execution was sounding preferable to the things I know humans do to “outliers”, especially those without rights. I can imagine it now, the old Salem witch trials with the actual support of a goddess. Fuck.

At this point the goddess turned from Walton and back to me. Before she spoke her sprite became…. darker. It took on a red tint where there had only been pure white before.

“And the most important thing is that Tony is not to die. He is to be kept alive and work off his… lets call it his ‘debt’ with me. The empire may use him however they wish, and should put him to good use. But there is absolutely no need to be nice about it.”

So, not an animal.

Slave.

I just became a slave.

A slave in what looks to be a medieval society that is currently at war.

My mind started to slip again and I started to chuckle lightly. She still hasn’t even explained the reason for her hate and I can tell I’m not getting that reason out of her. At this point I don’t even know if I care.

As my chuckle became audible Walton looked at me with the disgust of someone looking at shit they stepped in. Oh well, no point trying to get brownie points with a man who is confused why I shouldn’t be executed. His scowl just made the corners of my lips turn up as my exhausted mind shut down. I chuckled lighter and lighter as my vision started to go out.

The fatigue of having a mental breakdown is quite the powerful force, and in case you’ve forgotten I’ve had quite the exhausting day. Already lacking sleep, I was transported to another world, shot in a way that should have killed me, found out one of my closest friends was now in line to become a saint for a psychotic god, found out another god hates me, and had also become a heretic and even slave in all but name.

When the darkness closed in and my exhaustion finally won out, I gladly let it take me. Hopefully when I wake this will all have been a creative nightmare and the worst thing on my plate will be the project I fell asleep in the middle of completing.

Fat chance, but hey a guy can dream.

My eyes closed slowly.

Then it was finally, blissfully silent.

Walton POV

I looked down at the disgusting lad who just became a heretic while laughing. I’d heard that he had done something similar in the audience hall earlier. What kind of maniac laughs when they are condemned to live as a sub-human? I can see that he must be filth in more ways than one.

He then slumped over and hit the floor with a thud. It sounded painful.

Good.

The sprite of the goddess huffed once again. She had been doing that more today than any time I had ever spoken with her. She was usually so composed in front of others.

I made commands to the knights to have him handed over to prince Altru, a devoted follower, so that he could decide what use the filth could have in our empire.

After they dragged the garbage out, everyone else had left and it was just me and the goddess. So I dropped the excessive formalities from my tone and I spoke plainly like the goddess preferred.

“Jessica I have to know, what did the boy do to earn your ire? It’s not that I’m questioning your motive, I’m just curious what he could have possibly done, especially since he isn’t even from here.”

Jessica’s sprite looked up at me with what seemed to be a thoughtful expression. It might be hard to tell with the blank face of a sprite, but you get used to reading the motions after a while. I knew when to just let her think without prodding. As a goddess she has to consider things deeply before she says anything to her followers, even those who are close like me. Very few get a rise out of her and a flustered or angry response is unheard of. Which makes the situation a few minutes ago that much stranger. I think I almost heard her curse there for a second, though I would never tell her such a thing.

After a long moment of contemplating she began to speak in that almost too smooth tone she had.

“I can’t let you know everything Walt, it's too painful for me, both as a person and as a goddess. Tony and my story goes back so far I would have forgotten if it wasn’t so impactful to my life. He did something terrible to me.”

I saw her color shift between hues of blue and red. Anger and sorrow. She really is bad at concealing her emotions today.

“You know what the worst part is Walt.”

The deep blue when she began to speak turned a dark red akin to the color of blood.

“I doubt Tony even remembers what he did. He might not have even seen it as a problem, even when it happened.”

The color leeched back to white as she brought herself under control.

“That’s why he needs to feel some of the pain I felt, as recompense. This is atonement and justice Walt. What he did wasn’t a crime, but it was wrong, and so he shall suffer the consequences.”

She sighed lightly and tiredly.

“I’m sorry Walt, I need to go rest for a while. Call on me if you need me but try not to bother me for a few days if you can help it.”

I smiled back.

“I’m sure the church can hold itself together for a few days without you micromanaging everything Jessica. Get your rest. The worst you’ll come back to is some holy knights playing poker on duty again.”

She glowed slightly yellow, the sprite version of a smile, and then faded to nothing.

I only noted how dark it had become after her light left the room. It has been a long day, I should retire to my own quarters soon.

But first.

I need to go see Altru about Tony’s “atonement”. The goddess might allow the country to do whatever it pleases with him but I simply can’t allow that.

Anyone who makes Jessica suffer should suffer every cruelty possible, and I had some ideas about how that might look for the little shit-stain.

After all, before I am her friend, I am her devoted follower. And any enemy of the great goddess, is a foe I am sworn against for all time.

He best prepare; for tomorrow he will wake to find himself in his own personal hell.