《Phaesporia》


 Chapter 1 - Last Hunt

    It was a cold morning, the chill of autumn tightly held onto the falling leaves. Arthur silently stalked along the beaten game trail, following his prey. Winter was nigh and he had to gather enough hides and meat to last the winter. He had been stalking this particular herd of musk deer for a day and a half now and he knew that he was near.


    Musk deer were a particular animal, an animal that has a nose more sensitive than a blood hound, as long as he was upwind from them or came within 500m during a stagnant wind, they would be able to smell him. Each musk deer was the size of an adult man and had a very thick coat, perfect to last the winter and highly sought after by residents in the nearby villages.


    Arthur himself was from Buono, an outskirt village hidden away in a peaceful forest. Rarely would traveler¡¯s stop by and only occasionally would they receive merchants of any kind. This was to be expected, because the soil around Buono is poor, not allowing many crops to grow. Thus far, many residents of Buono made a living by lumberjacking and hunting and Arthur wasn¡¯t an exception. By the age of 14, he had lost both his parents due to a hunting accident, there was a mudslide that washed away both his parents into the Black Gorge as they were returning from a hunting expedition; at least, that¡¯s what the other hunters from the party recalled.


    Ever since losing his parents, Arthur relied only on himself to survive from day to day. He received pity from a few close neighbors and had been given small tasks to carry throughout the village which allowed him to survive until now. He just turned 20 not too long ago and things were starting to look up for him. He learned how to hunt, he saved up a decent amount of coins ready to use as a dowry and he even had a sweetheart he planned to propose to. After this coming winter, he planned to ask for her hand in marriage and build a larger house for them both.


    ¡°This should be it.¡± Arthur stooped down, covering himself in foliage. Just a few hundred meters from his position was the herd that he had tracked for the last few days. He wasn¡¯t good enough to hunt in a party with the veteran hunters of the village, thus he would often hunt by himself. This led to him developing and adapting to a method of hunting that even a single person can do: trapping. The large majority of the time, hunters of Buono, Arthur included, would target musk deers and through experience over the decades of hunting, they developeda few countermeasures for the strong scent detection of the musk deer. Arthur uncorked a strong estrus that was collected from prior hunts and dabbed a few drops around the trail.


    The estrus would be used as a lure, since his target was the prime buck, the leader of the herd, the scent of a doe in heat would be the most appropriate lure. Underneath the leaves along the trail, Arthur had also laid a few traps that were simple enough to tie down the buck for a few seconds. A few seconds was all he needed to take down the buck. Once that was over with, the day began to brighten up and the herd would soon awaken, so he quickly retreated from the area and moved downwind until he had a clear line of sight to the location.


    Not long after, a curious young buck wandered into the setting, ¡°Damnit, not you. Go away.¡± Arthur silently bemoaned to himself. He didn¡¯t come all this way just to bag a young buck. It had to be known that the antlers of musk deer are excellent materials used in medicine; the larger the antler¡¯s the more its worth. Arthur wanted to bag a large buck before winter hit and this would be his last opportunity, otherwise the conditions would be too treacherous to hunt by himself come winter. That was why he was frustrated when the curious young buck slowly approached the target area.


    As the musk deer drew ever closer to where he laid the trap, the more Arthur¡¯s expression fell. Finally, he sighed to himself in resignation and quickly got an arrow ready on his bow. ¡°At least I¡¯m getting something.¡± However, just as he resigned himself letting his arrow fly, a loud snort erupted from behind the young buck. A large shadow quickly dashed over, knocking aside the young buck. A musk deer, nearly twice the size of the one pushed aside stood proudly over the younger buck. This was the display of authority from the herd leader. The young buck quickly understood the meaning and meekly crawled away, soon leaving only the buck impatiently snorting around the traps.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Arthur¡¯s heart nearly leapt out of his throat as he held his breath. Just as he thought he would have to give up on bagging a large one, the heavens had given him an olive branch. As if noticing something, the buck smoothly walked over to where he had hidden the bulk of his traps. One step¡­ Two steps¡­ Three steps¡­ Finally, right when the buck was about to take that final step and Arthur was about to release his arrow, a haunting howl froze his blood.


    ¡°Awooooo~!¡±


    ¡°Fuck! Why the hell are they here?!¡± Arthur felt the hair¡¯s on the back of his neck stand up on end. The howls of wintervale wolves, the hunters of the north; these monsters were located much further north than the forest surrounding Buono, but during his hunt, Arthur had managed to travel much farther northward than expected. It was a really rare coincidence that would rarely ever happen one time in a hundred. The wintervale wolves always traveled in packs and move south in the winter to hunt. It was still very early for winter and yet he had met a pack. Arthur had heard many stories of parties that encountered these beasts and being devastated by them. Even his parents had often warned him never to waste time in leaving the area if he heard the haunting howls.


    Quickly, Arthur dropped all ideas of bagging the prized buck and scaled down the tree he was perched on. He didn¡¯t spare the buck another glance as he swiftly ran off the way he came. The buck hadn¡¯t stayed idle either, its ears perked up and its strong hind leg muscles were put into action as it dashed off towards the rest of the herd. Loud growls and bleating noises were quickly fading off into the distance as Arthur dashed away, his heart giving away the fear and trepidation he was experiencing. Along his fear-induced escape he had unknowingly traveled southeast, towards the Black Gorge.


    The Black Gorge was another famous location near Buono. It was a rift in the land that had no bottom, at least the residents that decided to explore the gorge never reached the bottom of the gorge. Because of the unknown depths of the gorge and low rumbling noises that were always coming from its depths, the residents of Buono labeled the Black Gorge as a taboo area. This gorge was also what led to the deaths of his parents; they both supposedly fell into the gorge when they decided to take a shortcut to return home after a hunting expedition.


    It was already late into the evening when Arthur also arrived at the Black Gorge. Unlike other landmarks, people hear the Black Gorge before they see it and Arthur was no exception. ¡°Why am I so unlucky¡­¡± He tiredly complained. He had ran the whole day today, the cold feeling of death kept nipping at his heels as he ran, given him no chance to rest and have a breather. As a hunter, he had a natural instinct of detecting intent, especially killing intent. Since any accomplished hunter had to hone and conceal their killing intent when hunting, thus he learned to sense it and he could feel killing intent behind him as he ran.


    With no other choice, he could only continue along the path towards the gorge bridge. It was built a while ago to explore and travel through the gorge, but was later abandoned because of the superstitions surrounding the gorge. Even though the bridge fell into disrepair and was falling apart, it was the only chance Arthur would have to escape his hunters. If he were to try to go around the gorge, it would take about a day and by then the impending crisis would¡¯ve caught up.


    The low drone of the gorge soon drowned out his crazily speeding heartbeat. He had arrived. In front of him spread a rickety bridge that made Arthur question his own sanity. Behind him though was¡­


    ¡°Awoooo~!¡±

 Chapter 2 - The Jaws of Death

    ¡°I knew it. You beasts sure know how to hunt.¡± Arthur said as a dark expression appeared on his face. Wintervale wolves were apex predators and hunters. The reason why they were feared by many hunters was because of their ability to silently track and stalk their prey, only howling right before they kill as if to sing their praise of a successful hunt.


    Arthur briefly glanced back as he set foot on the dry decomposing timber that made up the floor of the rope bridge. From off in the distance he saw five blurry white shadows streak out from the shadow of the forest, dashing toward him. As if experiencing his second wind for the fifth time since his escape, Arthur dashed across the bridge without hesitation. ¡°Falling to my death or being ripped apart by beasts? Are these my only options?¡± He lamented his bleak future. He felt the wooden boards crumbling underneath his foot and he even noticed in some places the boards were gone all together.


    Step by step he nimbly glided as he felt the intense pressure closing in from behind. Every moment that he wasted by carefully watching his step would be a moment closer to his death. He gritted his teeth with conviction and gave up on being careful.


    Thump thump thump!


    Arthur ran along. He was already halfway across the swaying bridge when the wolves finally reached the northern end. Strangely enough, once the wolves arrived at the bridge they stopped and impatiently prowled around the bridge. Arthur who was recklessly barreling down the bridge noticed this too and calmed down a little. He had just enough of a time to stop and observe the strange behavior before what he feared would happen happened. As soon as he turned to look at the snow-white wolves of the norther domain, he heard a loud snapping sound. Then another. Suddenly overtaken by the feeling of weightlessness, he plummeted to his doom.


    ¡°FUUUU-¡° Arthur¡¯s resentful cries faded out as he fell. Above, the alpha wolf studied the human¡¯s demise with complex emotions before turning around and leaving. It was quite a strange scene, almost as if the wolves themselves had intelligence equivalent to a human, but sadly Arthur wasn¡¯t there to witness this fact.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Many things were going through his head as he fell. He felt regret. He felt fear. There was despair. Calmness and finally acceptance came last. He truly regretted not proposing to his sweetheart. She was the brightest child in Buono. Her name was Janna, the daughter of one of the neighbors that gave him some help when his parents had just passed. She was the most beautiful girl in the village, all the other villager boys were also chasing after her hand in marriage, with him being no exception. He was infatuated with her beauty and also her gentle nature. He had asked for her hand in marriage when he became of age at 16, but because of his situation, her father rejected his proposal. After all, ¡°How is a man that can¡¯t even raise himself able to raise a family?¡± her father asked.


    That was why he spent four years honing his skills and acquiring the coin necessary to take care of Janna. He was about to succeed, about to meet her father¡¯s expectations, but today tragedy struck. He burned with anger as he began to fall into the endless abyss of the Black Gorge. Not long after the feelings of regret passed, he began to fear. What was his fate? How long would it take for him to fall until he reached the bottom? How long must he suffer from this unknown feeling before it all ends? Some people will know when they die, but being stuck in this darkness, would he even know when he is dead?


    Finally, he grew calm and reflective. ¡°What would be would be. If this is the lot I drew in this life. Then so be it.¡± He came to the conclusion that there was no use to worry. After all, since it¡¯s already a given that he would die, why should he give in to the fear of death? A dead man knows no fear.


    After what seemed like an eternity, Arthur finally noticed that the low rumbling noise had reached a peak. It was like he had approached a veil and whatever was causing the rumbling was right beyond that veil. He also felt that the end of his fall was also not too far and when he figured out what was making that low droning noise, would also be the moment he died.


    He closed his eyes in acceptance. His heart and mind slowly melded into the rumbling noise; he became one with the sound. His consciousness slowly began to wander amongst the darkness of the abyss. By now the feeling of falling had dissipated, he had totally become numb to this sensation and was only left with the feeling of weightlessness. He awaited his end. However, would his end ever come? While drifting amongst the cold abyss he drew the interest of a fickle character. The only character that could save his life at that moment.


    ¡°A strange one has entered this time.¡±

 Chapter 3 - Deal With The Devil

    ¡°A mortal...¡± The voice mused as it studied the calm youth that silently floated in the abyss. The voice could feel the blending of the aura between the youth and the abyss. The voice probed the consciousness of the youth who looked like he was in a trance and noticed that the he was experiencing an epiphany. Not every day would anyone experience an epiphany, in fact it¡¯s normal for a human being to live their whole lives without experiencing an epiphany of this kind. It¡¯s even rarer for a person as young as this person to be experiencing an epiphany, thus it drew the voice¡¯s interest.


    ¡°Is it time? To once more walk amongst the clouds?¡± The voice murmured as it quietly studied the youth. It was waiting, waiting to see what the youth would come to understand. An epiphany was like catching a glimpse of the truths of the world and from that glimpse the lucky ones could gain many benefits. So the owner of the voice wanted to wait, to see if this youth had what it took to overturn his own fate; the fate of no fate. The fate of death.


    They waited for what seemed like an eternity. One silently meditating and the other silently contemplating. One looking into the abyss and the abyss looking toward one. In the end, they slowly came to be as one.


    When Arthur opened his eyes he was greeted with the familiar darkness of the abyss. His breathing was even and his pulse was calm. He didn¡¯t know how much time has passed since he had fallen, but he had an inkling feeling that no less than a fortnight had gone by. So much time had passed and yet, he felt no hunger, he felt no pain, and no death. It was an existence that would strain the sanity of any normal person. Yet this feeling hardly affected Arthur, his mind was opened, he was attuned to a truth of the world. As soon as he opened his eyes, he said, ¡°What do you want?¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    A breathless sigh blew past his ears, tickling his hair before answering, ¡°Child of Prometheus do you once more want to seek the light?¡± The words were barely audible amongst the loud rumbling that surrounded him, but yet they were as clear as a bell.


    ¡°What more could I wish for then to once more walk upon the world.¡± Longing filled his eyes as he tilted his head back and looked up. ¡°To see her once more is a wish that can only be granted in my dreams.¡± He was convinced that this was death. He no longer felt like he was falling and he felt no hunger, what can this be other than the afterlife?


    ¡°Foolish mortal. You have already opened your eyes and yet you cannot see. You have understood and yet you cannot accept. If you refuse to believe then there is naught I can do.¡± The fickle voice answered and started to fade away. ¡°Once again, he turned out like the rest.¡± The voice mourned to itself.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Arthur demanded. After feeling that he got the owner of the voice¡¯s attention he continued, ¡°Is there truly a way I can return?¡± He was indignant and angry, he was angry at his pointless life. He only knew hardship and when he was on the point of success; his life was going end. To be given another lease on life was what he truly yearned for.


    ¡°There is a way.¡± The voice briefly paused before saying, ¡°There is always a truth in the world. Nothing is truly free in this world. Everything has a price. The price of your wish is truly not cheap.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯ll accept any price. As long as I can be with her.¡± Arthur felt like he truly has gone insane. No matter how eerie and strange the situation was, even if he was making a deal with the devil, he felt that he needed to accept the offer.


    ¡°As you wish. The contract has been signed. Initiating transfer of authority to user: Arthur Vandel.¡± Arthur felt an intense heat entering his body from every pore of the body. He felt his flesh began to burn and brain began to melt. The intense pain caused him to faint and become numb to what was happening to his body.

 Chapter 4 - New Lease On Life

    Arthur woke up, his eyes flashed open as if he had merely only closed his eyes for a moment. What greeted him was a familiar setting, a wooden ceiling covered by drying herbs and spices. He quickly tried to sit up only to feel an indescribable pain course throughout his body, nearly knocking him back into a state of unconsciousness. He couldn¡¯t help but let out a slight groan as he fell back onto the bed.


    ¡°Granny! The person is awake!¡± A familiar voiced could be heard. Arthur was still in too much pain to clearly discern the owner of the voice. In fact, he was seeing flashes of pain as struggled to maintain consciousness.


    Soon after, an elderly voice and face presented itself before him. The elderly person bent over him and gently lifted the blanket to examine him before covering him up again, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯ve awakened, but it¡¯s best if you get some rest. We can talk about this when morning comes.¡± Through his blurry vision he saw a calm smile on the face and soon let the warm embrace of sleep take him.


    By morning, when the first rays of the sun peeked through the cracks of the windows, Arthur felt much better; there was no pain when raised his arm to try to prop himself up. Just when he tried to lift the blanket off himself, the familiar voice chimed up again from his bedside, ¡°Granny!¡±


    Once again, the elderly woman swiftly came to his bedside and helped him up, ¡°There, there. Child, there¡¯s no need to rush.¡± After helping him up, she turned to the side and the young girl at the side handed the elder a bowl of medicine. ¡°Here. Drink this, it¡¯s a medicinal soup.¡±


    Without much of a choice, Arthur slowly drank from the bowl. A bittersweet taste entered his mouth. Although it was bitter, he could taste the mellow sweetness reminiscent of pumpkin within the soup, cooling his internal temperature to some extent. Finally after polishing off the rest of the soup, he could finally see his environment. However, it wasn¡¯t what he expected.


    ¡°It¡¯s Granny Ferdinand!¡± His eyes widened as he saw the gentle eyes of the elder at his bedside. Then beside her should be¡­¡± Arthur stiffened before resting his eyes on the girl beside Granny Ferdinand. ¡°Janna!¡± He shouted and tried to jump out of bed only to nearly black out from the pain.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Janna, who heard the stranger call out her name, was confused. Never in her life has she ever met the person in front of her. Granny Ferdinand was the same; she couldn¡¯t recall ever meeting such a person either. The hunters of the village happened to find the person after going to look for Arthur, a bright and upcoming youth. However they were never able to find Arthur, but on their way back they heard a loud explosion and decided to go check out the noise only to discover an injured person laying down in a pool of blood beside the Black Gorge.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Janna asked.


    Arthur felt some confusion at her expression, it was like she had no clue who he was. He briefly observed her expression only to discover that her eyes were puffy and tinged with red. ¡°It¡¯s me, Artemis.¡±


    ¡°Artemis?¡± Granny Ferdinand and Janna both asked at the same time.


    ¡°?!¡± Arthur felt as if he was tongue-tied and tried once more. ¡°I¡¯m Artemis. Artemis! I¡¯m ARTEMIS!¡± He was beginning to panic, every time he tried to say his name, his mouth would change it to something else. No matter how slow he tried to see it, his mouth refused to change its change to what he wished.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve met, Artemis¡­ Have you perhaps heard of me from someone?¡± Janna smiled weakly. She seemed to be deep in thought before her eyes lit up and she asked, ¡°Perhaps it was Arthur?! Did you see a man around my age before you came here?!¡± The look of desperation and the hint of hope in her tone nearly caused his heart to tear.


    ¡°No, no, no! You have it wrong, it¡¯s me! Artemis!¡± He was belligerent as he struggled to reach over and grasp Janna¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I thought I would never see her again.¡± He thought as he tried to push through all the pain that was erupting in his body.


    ¡°Calm down, Child!¡± Granny Ferdinand sternly warned and held her down. ¡°I know this must be too confusing for you, but I implore Miss to calm down! You must remain calm!¡± Granny Ferdinand repeated as he wrestled with the struggling patient.


    ¡°Wait. Miss?¡± Arthur froze up, finally noticing the strangeness with his body. He saw a pair of smooth slender arms being grasped by Granny Ferdinand. In disbelief, he looked down at his torso only to see a pair of mounds wrapped up in gauze-covered medicinal paste. ¡°UWAHHH!¡± He screamed out loud in fright and fainted.

 Chapter 5 - Resolve

    For the next fortnight, Arthur drifted between a dreamless sleep and a trance as he laid in the bed. It was just too surreal for him to wrap his head around. He would eat when prompted by Granny Ferdinand and would go to sleep when it was dark, but his eyes reflected that he had given up on the world. He had the eyes of a dead man or in his case woman.


    Granny Ferdinand could only look at the girl and shake her head in resignation. Ever since the child acted up and yelled out her name multiple times, she had become mute. She never responded when asked anything, nor did she ever showed any expression on her blank face. Although the girl¡¯s wounds were healing at an incredibly rapid pace, it seemed that her heart had died. The only thing Granny Ferdinand could do was let Janna tend to the girl, because it seemed that the girl responded only to Janna.


    Janna was a good child. She was kind and gentle, so when she saw the delicate girl that Granny Ferdinand was treating, she felt some pity and pain for the girl. Although she sympathized with the girl, Janna was still worried sick for Arthur. It¡¯s been a month since he had disappeared and aside from his pack the hunters have found a few days travel north, they couldn¡¯t find any tracks of him. When the hunters brought back the terrible news, Janna had angrily denied their conclusion and begged for them to search for Arthur once more. How could these hunters not know the relationship between Arthur and herself? They could only search for him one more time, at least to appease her sorrow.


    On their second search, they had found tracks of their most feared predators: the wintervale wolves near the village, just a few kilometer¡¯s past the Black Gorge. This was serious news that they cannot hold back on, so they decided to cut their search short and quickly return to Buono by taking the Black Gorge bridge. That was how they found a woman covered in blood and wounds from head to toe laying down in front of the collapsed bridge on the northern side. With no hesitation whatsoever, these hunters quickly carried her and delivered her to Granny Ferdinand¡¯s in the middle of the night. Ever since these events passed, the first snow of winter had fallen and any chance of finding Arthur was lost.


    On one particular night, Arthur was having another night of dreamless sleep. Ever since his deal with the mysterious voice, he had never had a refreshing sleep. However, on this night, it was different. Arthur was walking along the darkness. Just like the abyss, he could not see anything; the only difference this time was the only person he could see was himself. As he continued to wander the darkness, a mirror appeared within his sight.


    He wasn¡¯t given as choice as his body moved over without his control. Only after arriving in front of the mirror did he notice the peculiarity between himself and his reflection. In front of him was a naked woman. She was the same height as him. Her eyes were clear and deep as they seemed to stare off into the far beyond. Her hair reached all the way to her waist. Her body was thin and lithe; it stuck out where it should and sucked in where it shouldn¡¯t. All of this was bare in front of him and yet he didn¡¯t have any desire from seeing this heavenly body. After all, that body was himself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s enough?¡± The reflection asked in annoying as she crossed her arms propping up her bountiful chest even more, ¡°Or do you want to continue pouting like a child?¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t know that I¡¯m not dead¡­¡± Arthur dejectedly murmured.


    ¡°This is the price you must pay in order come back from the brink of the abyss.¡± The girl answered back, not daring to meet his eyes as if feeling a bit of guilt.


    ¡°Then what was the point of returning?!¡± He screamed! ¡°Just how can I live on if my reason for living no longer exists?!¡±


    The guilty girl¡¯s eyes turned cold before she answered, ¡°Are you truly that stupid? Can you truly say that you no longer have a reason to live just because the relationship between you and that girl has disappeared? Relationships can be fixed and be brought back, but a life cannot.¡±


    Arthur was slightly taken aback and did not respond.


    ¡°You have to understand. Even if you want to die, you will no longer be accepted in the Underworld. You are a person who has escaped the wheel of fate and have tied yourself with a Divinity. Your fate with the world of the living has ended when you fell into the abyss. If I hadn¡¯t given you another chance and tie your fate with mine, you would¡¯ve died and entered the Underworld, forever losing your chance to meet that girl ever again. And now that I¡¯ve given you this once in an eternity chance, you decide to throw it all away, just because what once was will no longer be? How laudable. Hmph!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®decide to throw it all away¡¯? When did I ever try to end my life?¡± He weakly refuted.


    ¡°Do not try to play games with me, boy! While you are me, I am also you. I know what you think and you know what I want you to know. Don¡¯t try to fool me. Over the last week, you have contemplated taking your life more than once. And to that, I say you are truly a foolish man. I have made a mistake when I thought you were the one.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Since you have nothing to add. Then go ahead and do it. It was a mistake to tie my fate with yours. I will receive my punishment for my mistake, so go ahead and get it over with.¡± She began to rant, the glare on her face was terrifying as she began to poke at all his selfishness.


    ¡°What happens if I were to go through with it¡­¡± He weakly asked. He truly could not imagine how he was supposed to live like how he was currently.


    ¡°Are you daft? Naturally since you¡¯re no longer part of the wheel of fate for mortals and are not also a Divinity, then you will naturally cease to exist.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Arthur¡¯s mind shook at her final statement. He wasn¡¯t a firm believer of faith, but with what had happened so far in the past few weeks, even an ardent non-believer would change his ways. ¡°Is there truly no other way¡­ To return to who I once was?¡± His heart was filled with sorrow when he thought of Janna.


    The girl was part of him, she knew what he was thinking and understood what he felt. Her expression softened upon hearing his question, ¡°There is a way.¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡± A light of hope graced his face.


    ¡°When I tied our fate together, you had to pay a price. A life for a life¡­ Before I get into that, let me tell you a bit about myself.¡± She snapped her fingers and clothing quickly appeared, covering both their bodies. ¡°I am Artemis. Goddess of the Hunt. An Olympian Divinity. Unbeknownst to all mortals, there are Gods in this world.¡±


    ¡°Gods?¡± Arthur knew she wasn¡¯t normal, but to hear those words from her mouth left him speechless.


    ¡°Yes. The strongest beings in this world are termed Divinities. I happened to come from an era known as the Olympian era, thusly I¡¯m an Olympian Divinity. However, there are other Divinities in this world, such as a Asgardian Divinities from the Norse era. It¡¯s still too early for you to know too much, so all I can tell you for now is that not all Divinities live in harmony. It was because of an attack from a Divinity that caused me to become trapped within the void.¡±


    ¡°Is that where we met? That dark space?¡±


    ¡°You are correct and incorrect. We met in the void, but it wasn¡¯t necessarily the one near your village. The so called Black Gorge is merely a door that leads to the void. Within the void is the bane of all Divinities. Our powers cannot recover nor can we communicate to the outer world. It was only with your help, that I was able to escape from there.¡±


    ¡°So you are saying you took advantage of my situation to save yourself?!¡± Arthur felt like he had been cheated.


    ¡°In a way you can say that.¡± Artemis guiltily answered, ¡°I did use your soul in order to find the way out of the void, because you truly had died. It was a natural law that your soul must return to the wheel of fate, therefore you would negate laws that the void had to retain your soul in there. The void, after all, is merely a system of the world, thus it still must obey the law of the world. Since your wish to return to the Overworld coincided with my desire to escape, what would be a better way than to grant both our wishes at once? That¡¯s why you are still alive and I have escaped the void.¡± She calmly answered Arthur like a senior instructing their junior. In a sense, it made Arthur feel a bit of guilt for flipping her good intentions.


    ¡°But this still doesn¡¯t explain how I can fix my current issue¡­¡± He was referring to himself in Artemis¡¯ body in real life.


    ¡°Hmm, what you say does make a bit of sense.¡± She nodded in agreement, ¡°As a mortal your powers were too weak to reform your body, thus I had to spend a lot of my energy to reform my body. Because of this, it took a while to finally recover enough energy to communicate with you right now.¡±


    Arthur finally understood why he ended up as he was and only felt guilt from finally understanding. ¡°How hard must it be to sacrifice everything to give another person a chance at life? To sacrifice the power of a God and become weak enough to only appear in a dream, Artemis truly had a kind heart.¡± He thought to himself.


    How could Artemis not understand what Arthur was thinking? They were connected the deepest out of anyone; they shared the same fate. She smiled at Arthur after his enlightenment. ¡°Now do you know how selfish you are?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Arthur dropped his head in shame.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This is where the main part of the story begins. You must know that this is only temporary.¡± She began to instruct lightly, since the mood was getting a little awkward. ¡°Since you have tied your fate with me, you are now considered on the path to becoming a Divinity yourself.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Arthur abruptly interrupted. He could accept Artemis being a God and known as a Divinity, but to hear that he could become one too was a suspension of belief for him.


    ¡°You have already passed the final step to Divinity and that is separating yourself from the Wheel of Fate. Eventually, everyone who wants to become a Divinity must complete this step. Which is not easy and rarely would a Divinity offer to help like in your special case. Out of millions who attempt to separate their fate only one would be able to achieve this miracle. So you have to be proud of yourself for this matter.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I guess you¡¯re right. Was that burning sensation like my mind was being torn apart the effect of me separating my fate?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you also have to understand that you only felt that pain because I protected you and that was only 1% of the amount of pain that would be felt during the process of fate separation.¡±


    ¡°*Gulp*¡± Arthur couldn¡¯t help it and swallowed hard. ¡°If that was only 1% of the pain, I am thankful for everything¡­¡±


    ¡°As I said before. Our current situation is only temporary. If you truly want to return to who you once were, you much become a Divinity. That can be achieved in one of two ways. You can cultivate yourself, absorb the natural energies of Gaia and surpass the mortal limits. This method is slow, but steady and this is the method I recommend.¡±


    ¡°You said one of two ways, what¡¯s the other method.¡± Arthur questioned.


    Artemis smirked, ¡°The other would be to steal from others.¡± Right after saying those words, images began to flood into Arthur¡¯s mind, images of a young woman and man solidifying their love in each other¡¯s embrace. Only¡­ These images repeated over and over with the male figure changing with each image.


    ¡°Urp!¡± Arthur bent over and hurled as he tried to calm himself. ¡°Stop! I refuse to use this method!¡± He held up his hand as if signaling for Artemis to stop sending those images over.


    ¡°What you just witness is truly the fastest method to achieve Divinity, it is harmless and with this body, it wouldn¡¯t be too hard to catch any man.¡± She groped herself sensually as if to provoke Arthur. ¡°But you¡¯re right. I too despise this method.¡±


    ¡°Then why show me all that?!¡± Arthur angrily yelled.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I wanted to see your reaction.¡± The corners of her lips stretched out in a mischievous grin. She was fickle by nature and showing Arthur that was a way to get back at him for angering her.


    ¡°¡­¡± His expression darkened after being left with no words to reply with.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Arty! I¡¯ll tell you something nice. You can also steal divine power from stronger beings than yourself.¡± Artemis¡¯ eyes glowed with bloodthirst and excitement from those words. What transmitted over to Arthur was pure euphoria. ¡°The thrill of the hunt. I have truly missed it.¡±


    Somehow, Arthur knew what Artemis meant and couldn¡¯t help but shiver. He shivered because he recalled her title and finally what it meant. Artemis the Goddess of the Hunt. She treated everyone as her prey, she was the apex predator and feared no one not even Gods.


    ¡°So with this out of the way, I¡¯ll leave the method up to you.¡± She reverted back to her calm self and tapped on the mirror. Soon after the mirror began to fade and he felt himself waking up from the lucid dream. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t wake me up if you don¡¯t have to. I¡¯m tired.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Arthur had huge task ahead of himself and he didn¡¯t know where to start.

 Chapter 6 - Acceptance

    Janna woke up to another cold morning once more. Like the last few weeks, she had cried herself to sleep. The disappearance of Arthur was a devastating impact for her. Even now, she still refused to acknowledge that Arthur was dead, she was insistent that something happened to him. She had a feeling that he needed her help, but she didn¡¯t know where to start. However, she had a clue, her intuition told her that the girl who kept calling herself Artemis knows something. That was why she diligently waited by the girl¡¯s side, hoping that the girl would return to her normal self.


    Janna decided she would keep waiting no matter how long it took for the girl to recover. That was why every morning, before the light of the sun revealed itself, Janna would already be sitting beside the emotionless girl. It had become a habit that as soon as Granny Ferdinand cooked the medicinal soup, the girl would wake up and sit upright. From there, Janna would feed her until the bowl was empty and the girl would soon lay back down, staring off into nothingness.


    Strangely enough, when Janna came in this particular morning, the girl was already sitting up and Granny Ferdinand was slowly removing the bandages. ¡°Ah! Janna! Come help Granny remove the gauze!¡± Thinking this was normal, Janna promptly went over and gingerly began removing the gauze from the girl¡¯s delicate skin. Over the course of Granny Ferdinand¡¯s treatment, they had to replace the girl¡¯s bandages many times, so this wasn¡¯t anything new. No matter how many times Janna saw the girl¡¯s skin, she couldn¡¯t help but feel envious. Janna¡¯s skin wasn¡¯t smooth and soft like the girl¡¯s skin, she was a village girl and had to grow up in a harsh environment, so her skin was rougher and drier.


    ¡°Wow, she has such smooth skin. There¡¯s not even a scar from her injuries¡­¡± Janna muttered to herself. Granny Ferdinand couldn¡¯t help but shake her head and smile, Janna was at that age. Granny Ferdinand had smiled, but because of something else related to Janna¡¯s comment.


    ¡°Do you also want to have smooth skin like mine?¡± A melodious voice chirped.


    ¡°Mm, yes¡­¡± Janna mumbled, still unaware of the person asking. It was only after what had happened registered in her mind that she quickly reacted and looked up at the deep golden irises that were gazing down at her. Behind those wisdom filled eyes, Janna could detect a hint of pain and longing; it was truly a mesmerizing sight. ¡°Ah! I-I am¡­ My apologies Miss!¡± She fumbled her lines and quickly switched over to a more formal tone.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t mind.¡± Artemis shook her head and reached out and grasped her hands, ¡°I truly must thank you for looking after me.¡± Artemis felt a sincere emotion coming from Janna¡¯s actions that once more reinforced the reasons why she fell in love with Janna in the first place. If she could, Artemis would¡¯ve embraced the shy girl in front of her already, but she was still half-naked so it would be inappropriate to do such a thing.


    ¡°I-it wasn¡¯t much at all Miss!¡± Janna felt her heart skip a beat when she saw the sincere expression on the lady¡¯s face. Then her face began to redden after she questioned why she her heart skipped a beat.


    ¡°Now, now. Both of you, let¡¯s first get you cleaned up, Miss. Then we can begin our discussions.¡± Granny Ferdinand also felt the strange atmosphere and quickly changed the topic with reason.


    Not long after, Artemis was dressed in a clean two-piece blouse and dress. Although the colors were faded, the blue and white of the clothing only accentuated her natural charm. It was an old dress the Granny Ferdinand bought in the town when she was younger, but now she had no more use for it so she gave it to Artemis. Granny Ferdinand and Janna were also women and they naturally understood just how elegant Artemis looked in those clothes.


    ¡°My goodness!¡± Granny Ferdinand clapped in admiration.


    ¡°¡­¡± Janna wasn¡¯t much different, she quietly admired the dress enviously.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look strange does it?¡± Artemis uncomfortably tried to pull down the hem of her skirt. This was her first time wearing a dress after all. She was also a bit taller than Granny Ferdinand so the skirt of the dress was pulled up a bit, revealing her knee.


    ¡°It looks perfect, my Dear! If only I had your looks when I was younger. The boys would have been all over me!¡± Granny Ferdinand mischievously winked and passed over some herbal tea.


    ¡°Y-yes! If only¡­ I can look like¡­ that for¡­¡± Janna seemed to say and trailed off as she nervously rubbed her hands.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not like that Granny!¡± Artemis embarrassingly coughed, only to realize she wasn¡¯t Arthur at the moment.


    ¡°Fufufu. It¡¯s nice that you¡¯ve decided to open up, Miss.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm, don¡¯t call me Miss, Granny. You both can just call me Arty.¡± Having grown up while being looked after by Granny Ferdinand all those years, it was strange to have said person refer to him in such a formal tone.


    ¡°A-alright, A-Arty.¡± Janna flustered for a bit, because Arty was Arthur¡¯s pet name.


    ¡°I think now would be a good time to explain to us what happened and who you are?¡± Granny Ferdinand calmly redirected the conversation to the right track.


    ¡°I know I should, but... I also really have to thank Granny for everything you did to heal me. If not for you, I may not have survived.¡± Artemis slightly bowed, a gesture of good will.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Child. Arty, I must ask you though. How did such a situation befall you?¡± When the hunters brought Artemis into her home, the girl was so weak that she had feared that the girl wouldn¡¯t survive the night. Surprisingly, her medicinal concoction was actually very effective on her and allowed her to pull through.


    ¡°Hm, I¡¯m not sure either¡­¡± When she was washing up, Artemis thought hard to make up an excuse. After all, she was actually Arthur, but he couldn¡¯t reveal any information like that, because his fate as the person Arthur no longer exists. Now he had to build a whole new relationship with everyone he was close to once more. He was now Artemis, a girl who lost her memories. It was a weak excuse, but she couldn¡¯t find any logical explanation of how she appeared at the Black Gorge all battered and wounded.


    Upon hearing that Artemis was missing most of her memories, Janna felt pity for such a beautiful girl and offered to help in any way she can. Granny Ferdinand, an old salt, still doubted Artemis¡¯ explanation, but ultimately didn¡¯t pry. It wasn¡¯t good to pry into the business of nobles. Granny assumed Artemis was a noble, because of how fragile and beautiful she was; there was no way a villager would have skin as smooth as water.


    ¡°Hmm, if that¡¯s how it is, then there¡¯s no use asking. Rest up, Child. You have just recovered, it¡¯s best if you don¡¯t overexert yourself.¡± Granny Ferdinand expressed some more concerns before excusing herself from the room.


    Granny Ferdinand was an old midwife who also worked as the village herbalist, so it was normal for her to have a larger house that most other villagers. She needed extra rooms for storage of herbs and medicine and also extra beds in emergencies. Finally given a chance to speak alone with Artemis, Janna couldn¡¯t hold back her curiosity any longer.


    ¡°Just how do you know me?¡± She urgently asked. ¡°Do you know Arthur? Where is he? I know that you know him! Please tell me, is he okay?¡±


    Artemis speechlessly stared as the girl¡¯s expressions went from calm and relaxed to a broken down mess. She felt pangs of guilt for leaving Janna in such a situation, but she couldn¡¯t do anything about it. She was in a dilemma. ¡°Should I tell her that I¡¯m still alive? Or¡­¡± Artemis didn¡¯t want to think of the other option. She truly did not want to tell her that Arthur was dead. Artemis weighed the two decisions together: if she told Janna that Arthur was alive, how would she react? There was no doubt that Janna wanted to hear the words, ¡°Arthur is alive.¡± However it would be too cruel to say those words to her. ¡°She would wait forever for me¡­¡± Artemis concluded.


    On the other hand, Artemis could tell Janna that Arthur was dead. If she truly loved Janna, then she would let her sweetheart move on with her life. Since, who knew how long it would take for Arthur to develop his own Divinity and separate himself from Artemis. It would be selfish of her to keep stringing along Janna just because she knew Janna refused to believe that Arthur was dead. Artemis knew Janna wanted to hear that Arthur was still alive out of someone else¡¯s mouth. Artemis silently watched as the hiccupping girl that Arthur loved for almost half his his broke down in tears. ¡°In the end, I¡¯m just a selfish person¡­¡± Artemis weakly smiled to herself.


    ¡°Arthur is still here.¡± Artemis said. She was very vague in her answers, ¡°You and him will not be able to meet for who knows how long, it could be today or it could be never. But, Arthur is still here.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Janna softly looked up from her palms revealing the light of hope in her eyes. ¡°Thank you.¡± A barely audible whisper escaped her lips. ¡°Thank you¡­¡±

 Chapter 7 - Setting Off

    Winters in Buono were short, but heavy. The snowfall period only last for a month, but the amount of snow built up during that month would mean no one would be able to leave the village. There¡¯s always a crew of able-bodied men ready to shovel the excess snow from the village, otherwise everyone would be snowed in. Luckily for Artemis, right when the snowfall period ended, she was fully healed and could move by herself.


    ¡°Hup!... Hup!...¡± Artemis was in Granny Ferdinand¡¯s home rehabilitating herself and getting accustomed to her new body. It took some getting used to, stuff that should be there aren¡¯t there anymore and stuff that shouldn¡¯t be there were there. At first she struggled to control the body, it was like trying to ride a horse for the first time. However, she gradually came to understand her body. The only thing Artemis hadn¡¯t had time to test out were the limits of the body and how far she could push herself before she tired. ¡°Once enough snow has melted then I¡¯ll go.¡± She promised herself.


    Janna also decided on a lot of things during the snow-in. After nursing Artemis back to health and getting to know a bit more about the beauty, Janna began making preparations. She had ultimately decided upon this course of action after hearing what she wanted to hear from Artemis.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the capital.¡± She adamantly said.


    ¡°Y-you what?!¡± Artemis screamed out, alarmed by the abrupt decision.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the capital and enter Lavender Crown Academy.¡±


    ¡°How are you going to do that?¡± If Artemis remembered correctly, Lavender Crown Academy was a well-known and prestigious academy supported by powerful alumni. The criteria to enter such a place, whether she wanted to believe it or not, was far beyond what a village girl far out in the rural north could achieve.


    ¡°Through willpower!¡± She clenched her fists in a confident manner.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Pfft! Fine! I was just kidding!¡± She giggled softly, ¡°Granny gave me a recommendation.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible? Granny has that much sway in the capital?¡± Artemis remarked in disbelief. He grew up being cared for by Granny Ferdinand and never would he have thought that a gentle old lady like her would have ties to such a renowned place of learning.


    ¡°Un!¡± Janna cutely nodded, ¡°Granny told me when she was younger she used to travel around the kingdom. It was also during that time that she met one of the Vice Principals of Lavender Crown Academy. One thing happened after another and she obtained a favor from the Vice Principal.¡±


    ¡°Who would have known?¡± Artemis rubbed her chin in wonder.


    Janna silently observed Artemis¡¯ subconscious gesture and was immediately reminded of the ambitious youth that had recently departed from her; she felt heartache and pain, but still smiled at the resemblance. ¡°What have you decided to do, Arty?¡±


    It was a good question. Artemis couldn¡¯t just idly stay in the village. If she wanted to achieve her dream and goal, it would require a lot of effort on her part and she would have to travel far and wide. For a start, she was still freeloading off of Granny Ferdinand, but once the snow melted enough, she could find a way to repay Granny Ferdinand. Another thing Artemis was waiting on was the Goddess to awaken. Artemis had a general idea of what to do, but she wanted to hear input from Artemis the Goddess herself.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°I¡­ want to come along?¡± Artemis hesitantly said to test the waters.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Janna¡¯s eyebrows furrowed.


    ¡°*Gulp*¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea! We can travel together! You and me!¡± Janna excitedly yelled. Artemis inwardly smiled at the girl¡¯s rash decision; she was all too familiar with the airheaded girl¡¯s foolish decisions.


    Just when the excitement in the room couldn¡¯t be contained any longer, a shrewd voice called out, ¡°Two young women, ripened to perfection and travelling alone is the perfect setting to be taken advantage of by beasts.¡± The two girls both turned their heads at the entranceway. Granny Ferdinand walked in holding a basket of drying herbs, ¡°I won¡¯t let you two leave until you both have thought this out well over.¡± She wiggled her finger like mother lecturing her children.


    ¡°But Granny~!¡± Janna whined.


    ¡°No ¡®But Granny!¡¯ me! I promised your mother that you would be absolutely safe when traveling to Cemeria and I intend to keep that promise.¡± Granny Ferdinand put her foot down, ending the down-trodden girl¡¯s complaints. She looked over at Artemis, ¡°Do you also have a problem with that?¡±


    ¡°By no means, Granny! I also want Janna to be safe.¡± Artemis vehemently shook her head in response. If Janna was going to travel such a far distance, then she wanted her to be away from as much danger as possible.


    ¡°Good. In a week, the men will travel to town to buy some necessities. You two will go along with them and from there join a caravan bound for Cemeria.¡± Granny Ferdiand¡¯s gaze softened when she looked at Artemis, ¡°Arty¡­ I¡¯m not sure I know what¡¯s best for you, so I also think it¡¯s best you go along with Janna. Here is a letter that I want you to deliver to an old acquaintance of mine. If you truly need his help, then he would be able to help you.¡± Granny Ferdinand had a knowing look in her eyes as they remained locked with Artemis¡¯ and left it at that.


    After Granny Ferdinand left the room, Janna and Artemis stared at one another. An upward curve slowly creeped over the corners of the two girl¡¯s mouths. ¡°YES!¡± they both exclaimed.


    The coming weeks went by like a blur as they both packed and got readied for their long journey. Well, in truth Artemis didn¡¯t have anything to pack and only helped Janna pack. One night, when no one was awake, Artemis sneaked out and into his old home to retrieve his stash; it was the money she saved up for Janna¡¯s betrothal. She stared long and hard at the laughable amount of coins and silently returned to Granny Ferdinand¡¯s home with complex emotions.


    One warm winter day, a party covered warm animal hides and lugging two cart full of fur departed from Buono. Janna silently cried as she waved back at her parents and Granny Ferdinand. A few village boys also desperately expressed their love for the lovely girl, but were refused. Meanwhile, Artemis was solemnly looking back on the village. Although Buono was where she grew and her home, she ultimately didn¡¯t have much attachment to it, surprisingly she felt a bit of relief upon leaving.


    ¡°Arty!¡± The owner of the excited voice crashed into her side, giving her a tight hug. ¡°Can you believe it?! We¡¯re leaving!¡±


    ¡°Un¡­ yea.¡± Artemis revealed a graceful smile and looked back at Granny Ferdinand before turning around.


    Long after the group left the village and night had fallen, Granny Ferdinand leaned back in her chair in her quiet little cabin. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a little too quiet without that girl here.¡± She grinned merrily after recalling the bright girl¡¯s smile. ¡°That reminds me¡ª¡° Granny Ferdinand took out a letter addressed to her, ¡°Little Arty said to read it after they have left.¡±


    Granny Ferdinand tore open the seal and unraveled the letter.


    Granny, thank you for all you¡¯ve done for me.


    Sincerely,


    Arty


    p.s. I am alive.


    Upon reading the last line, her hand stiffened and the letter drifted away from her hand unto the table. The letter had removed the heavy feeling of depression that had settled down after the disappearance of Arthur. For the first time in years Granny Ferdinand smiled from the bottom of her heart, ¡°Thank the Gods.¡±