’It hurts. What is going on? I don’t want to be here anymore. I want to get out.’

Shuu smacked the air to be let out, but no one looked at him. They all diverted their gaze from him as they watched Goddess Astoria fasten her restraints around him.

It should have been easy for Shuu to break these, but there was something wrong with his body and this sanctuary.

He could not muster any power in his limbs to break free, much less attack the goddess and be able to run away.

"Don’t try foolish things. This sanctuary and your magic recognize me as your current master. Nothing you do will harm me or this sanctuary. It will be for the best if you stop resisting now."

Goddess Astoria spoke and Shuu felt his heart beat faster in fear. He opened his mouth to complain but he suddenly felt weak and his eyes closed slowly. He fell asleep and everyone watched his body fall back.

The generals felt sorry for him, but they could not go against their goddess to help him out either. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Goddess Astoria, are you sure this is a good idea? He’s already loyal to you and any more would be—"

"I will not take any risk with my possession. That demon king has his eyes on Shuu, and I am not going to allow Shuu to fall into his hands. By the way, how are the preparations for my human realm going?"

Goddess Astoria changed the topic mid-way, causing her generals to sigh before going along with her wishes.

"We were able to gather a lot more resources than we expected. The construction has finished, but the power has yet to start."

"Excellent. Now, I have the perfect source for protection. I will send Shuu there. He will be the representative of my power and authority. This will also keep him busy until I need him again."

Goddess Astoria would make Shuu the symbol of her power. She would make it such that he won’t be able to leave her ever again or he would feel too guilty. It was a perfect plan in her mind.

But not everyone seemed to think the same. Doubt began to creep up in the eyes of her subordinates, but they chose not to speak up.

They were all afraid that they would become the next victim of their goddess’s cruelty.

__________

’Where am I...? Who am I...? Ugh, all I remember is that I am a god and—’

"Master, have you woken up? We were waiting for your arrival. You are a sign that the goddess has accepted our grace. Please, give us instructions about how we can be of help to you."

An unknown man in white clothes asked. He was kneeling in front of Shuu along with the others in similar attire. Their bodies gave off a divine feeling that felt familiar to Shuu.

He was sure he had felt this power before and had basked in it as well. That made him relax a little and he looked around the sacred grounds.

The priest took his silence as an agreement to continue speaking.

"Goddess Astoria’s messenger, Sir Shuu, please show us the way. The sacred texts told us that you will lead us to the goddess."

Shuu opened his mouth to address these people, but he had no desire to speak. He was still confused about what was going on.

The last thing he recalled was...he could not recall anything except Goddess Astoria, the war, and the other generals.

But a part of him felt like he was missing something important.

Nothing in his memory was incomplete, but it still felt like he was missing a lot of memories.

’How weird. My memory feels intact, but why do I have a feeling that I am supposed to remember something else as well? The memory at the back of my mind—’

It hurt to recall so Shuu immediately stopped and clutched his head. The other priests noticed and ran toward him immediately.

"Sir, are you alright? Does your head hurt? Do you want us to help you with it?"

The priests did not dare touch him, but they hovered around him to make sure he was alright. Shuu felt better with their presence around him, but he also knew that it was dangerous to get used to this gratitude.

"I am fine. Please, keep your distance from me. Goddess Astoria sent me here to hear your troubles and help you out as much as I can. So if you have any trouble, you can come to me."

Shuu assured the people and they looked happy by his acceptance. They immediately brought him food and drinks to celebrate.

Shuu happily took this grace, but his mind felt troubled. Why could he not recall a thing that happened? And what did Goddess Astoria want from him by sending him here?

Just what was Shuu supposed to do here?

...

A whole week passed with nothing happening. Shuu’s daily routine consisted of him roaming around the world and helping those who prayed to him and Goddess Astoria. It was not hard for him to do, but it was satisfying.

But his heart did not feel lighter even after all this. Shuu felt like he was missing something important.

He was roaming around aimlessly when he suddenly felt a different flux of mana. It was barely noticeable, but it made Shuu’s heart skip a beat.

It was as if he could recognize that mana in the back of his mind and Shuu immediately headed toward that source to check what it was.

When he reached the ground, no one was there. It made Shuu look around for that source, but just when he was sure no one was around, someone grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

Shuu’s first instinct was to fight that hold and make sure he broke free. But the hold kept him standing in place.

"Hey, stop it. I am not trying to harm you. I am just here to check on you to see if our little trouble caused you any permanent harm. But from the way you are fighting me, it does not seem to be the case for you."

The person asked as he finally let Shuu go. But Shuu had no idea what this man was talking about.

He was uncomfortable, but the other person either did not notice this or saw no point in holding back. He reached out to grab Shuu’s hand lightly.

"Hey, you are not cursing at me or calling me names. Did you get used to me? Or...did Astoria do something? I won’t put it past that bitch—"

"Don’t call Goddess Astoria like that. Do you not value your life?"

Shuu suddenly snapped out of whatever daze he had been in and immediately pointed his spear at the stranger’s neck. But instead of looking scared, the stranger looked delighted and he reached out to touch Shuu’s cheeks.

"Now this is the god I recall. Fierce and ready to kill me if I said anything about his goddess. Shuu, I missed you a lot."

The stranger said the same thing once more, and it was just as confusing as it had been the first time. But a part of Shuu missed this person. It was telling Shuu that it was alright for him to let his guard down and confront this person.

Shuu felt confused but he reached to touch the stranger lightly.

Lightning coursed through Shuu’s body at that familiar touch and he pulled back with a hiss. He did not like the feeling he had gotten when he touched the other person.

But the stranger pretended he did not notice anything and instead grabbed Shuu’s wrist.

"Should we get out of here? This world is boring and does not deserve to have you. I know of a place we can go to relax and—"

"Leave! Leave right now. You have said enough things about the goddess. Anymore and I won’t be able to turn a blind eye to this. I—"

"Then don’t turn a blind eye to this. If you want to fight me, then fight me right now. I will make sure to give back as much as you give me."

The man promised and Shuu felt his hands shaking. He aimed the first attack at the stranger’s neck with his hesitant hands. But the stranger did not flinch and took that attack.

It surprised Shuu since no one had ever taken his attack head-on before.

But he did not feel discouraged. Instead, he felt a sense of euphoria at the fact that someone had been able to match him. He increased the pace of his next attack, but was met with the same ferocity in return.

"Looks like we both are having a lot of fun. What do you say? Isn’t this refreshing? You are able to release all of your stress and I can be with you for a bit longer."

The stranger asked and Shuu let out a small giggle. He almost felt like he could recall a memory.