Souls Online: Mythic Ascension-Chapter 435: Oh Boy

Jamie slowly sat up, blinking against the soft golden light that lingered in the air. For a long moment, he just stared at the ceiling, his brain trying to process everything that had just witnessed.

He rubbed the back of his neck and muttered to himself, "Okay. So. Either I passed out, had the weirdest dream of my life while logging in or I really did just traumatize a literal goddess. Which would officially make me the worst person in existence....?"

Silence answered him. For a second, he almost convinced himself it had all been an illusion. Then a voice spoke inside his mind, quiet and laced with irritation.

"I wish it had been a dream," the voice grumbled.

Jamie froze. His pulse spiked.

"Who said that?" He looked around wildly, scanning every corner of the shack he had rented. No one was there. No footsteps, no rustling, nothing.

Then the realization hit him like a hammer. His face went pale. "Oh, no. Nope. Nope, nope, nope. Voices in my head? That's not good. That's… that's a sign. That's literally one of the warning signs."

"Warning signs of what?" the voice asked, curious but slightly offended.

Jamie clutched his head. "Of insanity! Of completely losing it! Great. First the crying goddess, now auditory hallucinations. Fantastic. Guess I'm checking myself into an asylum as soon as I log out."

There was a sharp intake of breath inside his mind, followed by a very unimpressed tone. "How dare you call this sacred connection madness. What you possess is not an illness, mortal. It is a divine bond between yourself and I, Crealia, Goddess of Purity."

Jamie's mouth opened, then closed. He blinked slowly. "Uh huh. Right. Sure thing, voice in my head. Goddess of Purity. Got it. And next, you're going to tell me that I've been chosen to save the world using the power of soap and holy water."

"I am being serious," the goddess replied, her tone brimming with offended dignity. "You stood inside my temple. My essence flows through you. You were chosen to serve as my messenger in this realm."

Jamie pinched the bridge of his nose. "Right. Because I'm definitely qualified for that. I make bad jokes, dress like a lady, flirt with everybody and now I apparently make divine beings cry. Clearly the best candidate for sainthood."

Crealia's sigh echoed faintly inside his mind. "You mortals always doubt the sacred when it is offered to you. It is most tiresome."

"Yeah, sorry, Your Holiness, but when the voice in my head starts telling me I've been 'chosen,' that's not divine intervention. That's the point where a normal person starts considering therapy," Jamie muttered.

Her tone grew sharp. "You will refrain from such blasphemous thoughts! This is no delusion. The bond has already been formed. You carry my mark now. Whether you accept it or not, your soul and mine are linked."

Jamie let out a long, drawn‑out sigh. "Perfect. So not only do I have a goddess crying in my brain, now I'm apparently soul‑bound to her too. Wonderful. Totally fine. Nothing strange about that at all."

"Your sarcasm is unbecoming," she scolded.

Jamie groaned. "Okay, listen. I don't know what kind of cosmic glitch this is, but I am one hundred percent sure I'm not built for this. I'm just a guy who logged into a game to join my idol and his group, not to be the chosen one for divine purity. This has to be a bug, right? Maybe some kind of weird system event? I should ask the others. Yeah, that's what I'll do. I'll talk to Leo, Adam, Greg, Luna, Lily, Penny, Ethan, Aria, Crystal, Morgan, and Vivian. One of them has to know what's going on."

"You do not need to consult mortals for clarity," she insisted. "I can provide all the truth you require. You need only listen."

"Yeah, see, that's exactly what a hallucination would say," Jamie muttered. "No offense."

"Much offense taken," Crealia said stiffly.

Jamie sighed again and looked up at ceiling. "This is really happening, isn't it? I'm stuck with a divine roommate."

"You make it sound as though I am a burden," Crealia said, her voice dripping with wounded pride.

Jamie glanced around awkwardly. "I mean… look, I'm not saying you're a burden exactly. Just that this situation is… unusual. You have to admit, this isn't normal. Most people don't wake up like this!"

Crealia was silent for a long moment. Then, softly, she said, "Perhaps not. Yet fate rarely concerns itself with what is normal."

"Yeah, fate and I have never really been on speaking terms," Jamie replied dryly.

There was a pause. Then he heard something that made his stomach drop. A soft sniffle echoed in the back of his mind.

Jamie froze. "No. Don't tell me…"

Another sniffle followed, louder this time.

"Oh no. No no no. Please don't start crying again," he said quickly. "Come on, not twice in one day. I'm not equipped to handle divine meltdowns."

Crealia's voice cracked faintly. "How could this be happening to me of all beings? First I am deceived into allowing a man into my sanctuary, then I am compelled to grant him my bond, and now my chosen messenger treats me as if I am some… figment of madness."

Jamie winced. "You're not a figment. You're… you're just… uh… very vivid auditory feedback?"

Her sobbing grew louder. "Even now you mock me. The sanctity of my temple, my dignity as a goddess, all shattered by this insolent mortal. My tears stain eternity."

Jamie rubbed his face. "Alright, fine, I'm sorry. I'm just having a full‑blown existential crisis here, okay? You can't really blame me for questioning my sanity when a celestial being starts narrating my mistakes from inside my skull."

The sniffles quieted slightly.

Jamie hesitated before speaking again, his tone softer. "Look, Crealia, I really didn't mean to upset you. I swear I'm not trying to make fun of you or your temple. I just… don't know how to handle this. It's a lot to process. I'm not used to people crying because of me, much less goddesses."

There was a long silence before she finally answered, her voice faint and trembling. "You speak with honesty, at least. That is something. Yet it is difficult not to mourn what has been lost. The purity of my sanctuary… the sanctity of my purpose… both touched by chaos the moment you appeared."

Jamie rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Yeah, I'm really sorry about that. I didn't mean to defile your temple or whatever. I didn't even know I was in one until you started yelling. I was just… confused."

"I know," Crealia murmured. "It was not entirely your fault. Discordia's trickery played a role. Still, the outcome remains the same. I must now bear the consequence of this connection."

Jamie tilted his head. "Discordia? That name again. Is she the one who sent me here?"

Crealia's tone darkened slightly. "The Goddess of Discord meddles in all that is stable. It is her nature to bring imbalance. She delights in twisting divine intention. You may thank her for your presence here."

Jamie sighed. "So I was basically teleported into divine chaos because some other goddess thought it would be funny. Great. I'm living in a cosmic prank show." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Your perspective lacks reverence," Crealia said quietly, though there was less anger in her tone this time.

Jamie gave a weary laugh. "Reverence is kind of hard when I'm still trying to figure out if you're real. But if you are… I guess that makes me your messenger now, right?"

"It does," she said softly.

He groaned. "Perfect. So what exactly does that entail? Do I go around preaching about bath etiquette and crying less in sacred spaces?"

There was a pause. Then, to his surprise, he heard a faint giggle in his mind. It was soft, almost hesitant, but real.

"You are an unusual mortal," Crealia admitted. "Perhaps not entirely hopeless."

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"Do," she replied simply.

Jamie exhaled, finally allowing himself to relax a little. "Alright. Fine. I'll humor this. Maybe I'll even stop calling myself insane for a few minutes. But I'm still talking to the others. If anyone knows how to handle divine bonding events, it's probably Leo or Lily. Or maybe Morgan. He's got that 'knows everything' vibe."

Crealia made a quiet sound that might have been approval. "Very well. But you must not reveal too much. The bond between us is sacred. Others may not understand its nature."

Jamie nodded absently. "Got it. Keep the divine details vague. Maybe just say I've been hearing voices and see how long it takes for someone to cast a cleansing spell on me."

"Jamie," she said sternly.

He blinked. "What?"

"Try not to speak foolishly when you meet them. It would displease me if my messenger were sent to a sanitarium before he even begins his duties."

Jamie smirked faintly. "No promises. But I'll do my best not to get myself institutionalized."

There was another pause, then her voice softened. "Despite your insolence, I sense kindness in your heart. Perhaps this bond will not be the curse I feared."

"Glad to hear that," Jamie said, rubbing his temple. "Because from where I'm standing, it's shaping up to be one heck of a headache."

Crealia did not reply. The silence that followed was strangely peaceful, as if her presence had settled into the back of his mind like a warm light.

Jamie sighed and stood, glancing one last time at the sparkling waters. "Alright, divine hitchhiker. Let's go find the others before I actually lose my mind. If anyone can help me sort this out, it's them."

The faint echo of her voice followed him as he took a step forward. "Do not falter, Jamie. The bond between us is real, whether you choose to believe or not."

He muttered under his breath, "We'll see about that."

Still half‑convinced he was hallucinating, Jamie started toward the exit, ready to find Leo and the rest. Whether this was divine fate or just another insane adventure, he knew one thing for sure. He needed backup.

And preferably someone who could handle crying goddesses better than he could.