SWNOVELXO Chapter 19: SOUL PARTNER
"ENOUGH! I understand that you possess knowledge about me, the knowledge that you could not possibly have gained through normal means. I do not know where the knowledge came from, nor do I expect you to reveal its source. So, answer me, what is it that, you truly seek Foreigner?" asked the Goddess without using her Divine Tongue.
"From the very start, all I have wanted was the Deal I spoke of, Nothing more, nothing less" Answered Ashok.
"What will you gain by obtaining a single, unconditional wish when you must fulfill three of my desires?" asked the Goddess.
'No matter how I try to think, it does not benefit this mortal in any way' Thought the Goddess with suspicion. For a being of immeasurable power like her, granting one or even two unconditional wishes was a trivial matter. After all, how much could a mortal truly wish for? Her true priority, however, was not the wish itself—it was the elusive information he might hold, the key to fulfilling her three desires.
"Personal gain," Ashok said, offering no more information about his wish. He knew that once he revealed his true wish, the Goddess would never grant it.
'Is he one of those self-sacrificial types that my brother is so fond of? It can't be, those are one in millions.' She then recalled the time when Ashok had sacrificed Adlet's soul, watching with detached amusement as the soul was drawn into the Abyss. 'He is definitely not one of those considering his personality. Then what could be his unconditional wish?'
The Goddess, with a subtle movement of her will, expanded the boundaries of her perception once again. She slowed the flow of time within her, stretching each passing moment into a seemingly infinite pause. Her awareness deepened, and she started contemplating what this mortal could be after—especially in exchange for the knowledge of her desires.
'Does he seek revenge against the God who plotted to merge his soul with another? If he asks for that, though it will take a toll on me, I will break the my constraints for some time. Then I would personally barge into Heaven and erase that insignificant Lesser or Mid-tier god from existence. My desires are valued far over the life of an insignificant God.
If he seeks power or eternal life, those are also wishes, I can easily fulfill. I could make him my Apostle, and elevate him into a Lesser God in the future depending on the value of his information.
If it's a Materialistic Wish, A trivial desire sought by many mortals. It will be even easier. Though I don't have money on me, I can just give him a relic or two of my time, those should worth far more than any kind of treasure by now—more than anything, he could even dream of acquiring in this entire life.' The Goddess made a few more assumptions and finally concluded that no matter what Ashok asks she can fulfill it anyway.
As the Goddess sifted through her calculations and assumptions, her thoughts focused solely on the tangible, the material, the ambitions of power, eternal life, and wealth. Yet, as her mind raced through the options, there was one type of wish that never even crossed her mind: a wish born from emotion.
How could it? A being who have forgotten emotions millenniums ago could never even imagine, something related to emotions?
"I ACCEPT IT! Whatever your wish may be," the Goddess declared.
When Ashok heard the Goddess's words, "I ACCEPT IT," a flood of emotion overwhelmed him. The joy he felt was so intense, so pure, that for a brief moment, he could hardly contain it. The thought of tearing off his clothes and dancing naked in unrestrained joy was coming to his mind but he restrained himself.
The reason for his happiness wasn't solely because of the Goddess's acceptance, the source of his joy lay in the Second Condition, which he inscribed using the Ancient Human Tongue.
'If the Summoner does not lie even once during the entire ritual, any form of Acceptance given by the summoned to the summoner cannot be taken back.' Ashok had added a condition 'to not lie' inside the Second condition to strengthen it even further because this was the key that ensured that the Goddess's acceptance, once granted, would be irrevocable.
Ashok had his head bent down while his shoulders were shaking. He was so happy on his inside that he could not maintain his composure anymore.
"Now tell me, Foreigner, what your wish is? I have already given my unconditional acceptance," the Goddess asked. She stared at Ashok, with such confidence that she held all the power in this exchange, unaware of the true consequences of her words.
Meanwhile, Ashok stood with his head bent low, his shoulders trembling ever so slightly. He had been holding it in, the overwhelming flood of joy that increased even more when the Goddess asked her question.
Slowly, deliberately, Ashok raised his head. The moment his gaze met the Goddess's, a chill seemed to settle into the air — something about the expression on his face made the Goddess pause, an instinctual unease creeping up her spine.
His lips were stretched wide, curling into an evil smirk that seemed to reach the very corners of his cheeks. His red eyes burned with a fierce, undying obsession, glowing with a dark, insatiable hunger. He opened his mouth and the words left echoed throughout the entire darkness.
"BE MY SOUL PARTNER"
The words rang through the darkness with an eerie clarity, striking at the very core of the Goddess's being.
The Goddess could not believe her ears for a second. The words had struck her so suddenly, so impossibly, that for a brief moment, even her perception refused to accept them. "What did—" but it was already too late.
The black lake beneath Ashok's feet began to shift, its still waters rippling as if disturbed by an unseen force. It started dispersing and slowly, the twenty-four ancient symbols began to reveal themselves, one by one, glowing faintly at first and then growing brighter with each passing second.