Life As A God

"Hey, are you alright?" Teo asked. Don't tell him that she would die now that the chains were gone. What if her life was connected to the chains in some way? What if, what if...

His train of thought paused when Water's eyes suddenly snapped open making him stumble back in shock. "Aagh." He unwillingly let out an undignified yelp.

She lifted herself up and stared at him with cold eyes that seemed to pierce through his soul. Her long midnight blue hair clung to her thin frame and cloak, which could have been mistaken for a rag.

Run. He had to run. Teo felt that if he stayed a second longer, his heart would fly out of this ċhėst. But…he couldn't move. An invisible force was pushing him down, keeping his sweaty palms plastered to the cold stone floor.

Teo knew that he should try to rid himself of the force and get away. But he couldn't do that. He felt that he shouldn't because…

'Stay.' The damn voice just had to interfere. Couldn't it be obedient and keep silent for once? What did it want from him?

However, it had helped him break the chains. He was sure that the chains dissolving in light was its doing. He just knew.

Even so, could he trust it?

Ha. If he wasn't in this situation, Teo would have burst out laughing. Look at him. Debating trusting a voice in this head. He must be going crazy. Maybe this was all a bad dream and he would wake up tomorrow and go on with his life.

"What are you?" The words sent a shiver through his spine. Water, without him realizing it, had positioned herself right in front of him. They were so close that he could clearly make out the teardrop-shaped pupil in her eyes, at least, in the one he could see. The right eye was hidden by strands of damp hair which was in itself weird because the prison cells were without a hint of moisture.

'What are you?' the voice parroted.

Me? Teo thought. Shouldn't I be asking that question? How did she manage to survive when a chain had pierced into her ċhėst? Why does her hair look wet when she was kept in such a dry place?

Receiving no answer, Water rested her head in one of her hands and continued to blatantly stare at the trembling creature before her. "Are you a new God?"

Teo perked up at that. A new God? Was that related to the powers he had acquired?

'You are.' Teo's eyes lit up. This was the first time the voice had given him any useful information.

"Yes," he eagerly replied.

"The God of what?"

He waited for the voice to aid him, but he didn't hear anything after a few moments. Looks like it abandoned him, Teo though.

Afraid to keep her waiting too long, he stuttered, "I…don't know."

"Say…I bet you want to get out of here." Water's thin lips curved upwards as he acknowledged the statement with a slow nod. The situation had reversed. Now, she was in control. "You helped me escape and I don't like owing anyone favors so I guess I'll help you just this once."

'Agree.' Great, now it came back.

"Alright." It was either that or die. And he preferred not to die (again).

Water pursed her lips and said, "You're so…stupid."

"Huh?" His mouth flew open idiotically. Whatever he excepted her to say, that was not it.

"How can you agree to a deal without sorting out the details?"

"That…"

"What if I decide to kill you after we get out? What would you do then?"

"I was only..." He started to defend himself, but then trailed off. Alright, that was pretty stupid. But it's not his fault. It's not every day that he interacts with someone like her who practically oozes killing intent (and she doesn't even look like she's trying). Any other normal person would have found it just as difficult to think clearly in this situation.

"Stupid," she finished for him. Then, casting him one last demeaning glance, she stood up. She started walking down the hall, passing a row of cells similar to their own. Her movements were slow at first but then sped up and became more fluid as she regained control over her body.

Teo clenched his ċhėst as the palpitations came to a gradual stop. He was alright, for now.

Seeing that she was getting farther and farther away, Teo scrambled to his feet. "W-wait for me." He raced after her.

Then, Water suddenly stopped, causing Teo to bump into her.

"Sorry," Teo quickly muttered an apology. Though she did not appear to have any intention of killing him just yet, it was better to be cautious.

She did not reply.

"What's wrong?" He asked the girl. She was quietly staring at an empty cell that was like any other. As far as Teo could see there was nothing special about it to warrant her attention.

Scanning the cell she replied, "The exit is here." There was the slightest bit more mana in this area than near the other cells. If she wasn't looking for it, she would have missed the tell-tale sign.

She remembered Games showing her the map of the Underworld once. How he had gotten a hold of that, was anyone's guess. But, then again, he and Death were always pretty close: close enough for Death to provide him a map upon request.

With her memory being as terrible as it was, she could only remember that the exit was close to the abnormal cell. She could not find anything so far, but she had to keep trying. The cells were arranged in a large circle, and they would just keep walking forever if they could not find the exit here.

"Really?" Teo asks, eyes filled with hope. At Water's nod, he reached out to touch the side wall of the cell, seeking to inspect it. Then, before he could react, it dissolved before his eyes. In place of the wall, all that remained was a gaping hole that, presumably, lead outside.

The voice's chuckles echoed in the background as Teo awkwardly brought his outstretched arm to his side. He mentally ġrȯȧnėd. Couldn't the voice have given him a warning before doing something?

Water looked at him skeptically. "Will this be a regular occurrence?" she questioned with a hint of amusement.

I sure hope not, Teo thought.

'You will learn to control the blessing,' the voice said. It would have been almost comforting if it hadn't finished with an 'eventually.'

So it's a blessing, Teo thought, whatever that is. Maybe he can ask the girl after their escape, if he survives till then, that is.

Wait, he still did not know her name. Seeing nothing wrong with it, he decides to voice his concern.

"My name? Call me Water."

"Water?" he repeated. Last he recalled, that wasn't a proper name. "What about your real-?" He promptly closed his mouth when she gave him a pointed look. Right, she could easily kill him on a whim. "Sorry."

Ignoring him, she stepped through the gaping hole he had created. There wasn't even any rubble there to show the presence of the wall that had existed a few minutes ago. Cringing at it, Teo quickly followed her out. Oddly enough, the wall of the adjacent cell was completely intact.

The hall they were now walking through was decorated with lanterns on either side. The halls in the prison were similar, but had cells in between the lanterns in place of a cold wall. The walls, like that of the cells, were made of black stone held together by an equally eerie-colored substance. Teo could have sworn that he saw the individual stones shift as if the wall was alive. He would have reached out to touch it to satisfy his curiosity, except he didn't want anything else to disappear.

Up ahead, Water rounded a corner and then froze, her eyes growing wary and body tensing up.

"What is it?" Teo questioned, coming to stand next to her. Looking up, he said, "Oh."