He got off of her and sat by her side. He kept some distance, afraid that his wild instincts would take over.
Anom began telling about his adventures back on Earth as Della listened from the side.
About an hour passed, as he had just finished another one of his stories. He was so engrossed while speaking that only now did he notice that, at some point, Della had slid over to him and was resting her head on his thighs.
Anom knew how she felt, so he let her continue to rest on his lap. As he was about to start another story, Della looked up and asked, "Anom, am I a bad goddess?"
Anom was not sure what she was talking about, so he asked, "What do you mean?"
"And besides, I don't think you're bad in any way."
Della smiled lightly before speaking in a bleak voice, "What I mean is, am I bad for desiring to enjoy the world like mortals do? For wanting to escape my duties and live an ordinary life? For wanting to make new friends and go on adventures with them? For desiring love?"
Anom felt his heart ache as he understood how lonely she must have been while continuing to act like the master of the world. She had to keep up appearances suitable for her role.
Maybe her living as a mortal was not just for her cultivation. It was also a way for her to escape from the world where she was hailed as a goddess.
Anom put his hand on her head and stroked it slowly. "I already told you, you're not bad in any way. If anything, you're the best in my eyes. How many gods do you think can go to such lengths just to better understand the world of mortals? Although you think it was your selfish wish, you have never used your godly powers to make your life easier in any way. And even if it was a selfish wish, it doesn't matter. As you explained to me before, I should create a path unique to myself. Similarly, this is your path. If you do something only as a duty, it will never be easy to succeed. While what you are doing right now is both what you have to do and what you like to do, don't think that you have done anything wrong."
Anom looked into her eyes as he continued, "And besides, if you are craving social interactions and want to experience the mortal world, then isn't that a sign that your understanding of the mortal world has developed to a new stage?"
Della kept looking at Anom for a while before smiling sweetly and saying, "Thank you, Anom. You are right. I should do what I think is right. After all, this world belongs to me." Her sad expression was gone, and in its place was a confident and proud feeling.
Anom suddenly frowned, "That's not right!"
Della was stunned as she asked, "What's wrong?"
Anom continued seriously, "You said this world belongs to you, and since I am currently in your world, doesn't that mean that I also belong to you?"
Della's face was blank for a while before she started giggling; her eyes were filled with joy and tenderness as she looked at Anom.
"Hmph! That's right! You belong to me. So you better keep me telling new stories or I will… um, I will make Cassana beat you." Della acted like a child, which she clearly was not used to, as she threatened Anom with the "scariest" threat she could think of.
Anom also smiled as he continued stroking her head. He suddenly spoke: "But I'm leaving tomorrow."
"You don't have to keep saying that. Can't you just stay quiet till the morning?" Della said with an angry face, which looked so cute that Anom wanted to pinch her cheeks.
They stayed silent while enjoying each other's company. Suddenly, Anom asked, "Della, I don't know if it's possible, but can you create something like a secondary body, like an incarnation or an avatar or something? Then you can come with me to the mortal world while not missing your duties." On Earth, he had heard about gods reincarnating in the mortal world. And this was a common topic in most of the fantasy novels he read.
Della shook her head and said, "I can do that, but it's not as easy as you think."
"What's the problem? Is it hard to create an avatar?" Anom asked, as he didn't want Della to miss this chance.
"The problem lies not with the creation of the avatar. I have descended into the mortal realm many times in the past. But if a god enters the mortal world, it will disrupt the normal operation of the world. Thus, an incarnated body is needed. Mostly it was my projection, sometimes a spirit body, and rarely did I need to create a material body. But the most important thing is the timing. It is not advised for a god to visit the lower worlds without any major reason. If I did it forcefully, I would only be ruining my own world." Della wanted to follow Anom to roam the lower realms, but she didn't want to do that at such a large cost.
Anom silently tried to think of a solution. After a few moments, he asked, "What about your projection? How does that work?"
"That won't do. I need an altar or some similar apparatus for that. The primordial beings used to contact me all the time for guidance and support. The altars and methods left behind by them continued to be used to contact me for eons. I kept providing guidance, sometimes by myself and sometimes by assigning one of my spirits, according to the level of the query. But it has been a long time since I received any such request. Besides, as the world and its creatures began to develop and sustain themselves, it was better for me not to interfere too much."
"…" Anom thought hard about what he could do in such a situation. If even Della, a goddess herself, couldn't do anything, what could he do? What was so different about him?
"…different. That's it!" Just as Della was about to advise Anom not to dwell on this topic anymore, he shouted these words and asked Della, "You said that my soul is different, right? Could you do something with my soul? Like using it to descend with me?" Anom was not clear about what could be done with his soul, but he had a feeling that this might be the solution they urgently needed.
Della listened as her eyes lit up. She became excited but then calmed down again, saying, "What you are suggesting is possible but it is too risky. I can attach a small imprint containing my unique signature to your soul, but the process is risky."
"But it's not impossible anymore, right? We should give it a try. Besides, how can I talk about roaming around the world unhindered by anything if I don't even have enough confidence to do something that I specialize in? I mean, you said it yourself: My soul is special, and if I don't use it to my advantage, then it'll be a waste of this gift. And I don't think you would want me getting distracted while thinking of you when I'm in danger, huh?" Anom didn't want to give up just because it was risky.
Della felt warm as she looked at Anom. She was sure she could minimize the risk, but she still shook her head and said, "That's not all. With my imprint inside your soul, I will be able to know your thoughts unless you try hard enough to suppress them. You wouldn't want someone to know your thoughts at any time, would you?"
Anom smiled, "You are right." He agreed. "I wouldn't want anyone to want my thoughts."
Della sighed as she knew that they couldn't do anything now. As she was sighing to herself, Anom continued, "But that doesn't include you. I don't care if you know all of my thoughts. Instead, I'm worried that I will corrupt such an innocent and pure goddess with my evil thoughts. If anyone should worry, it should be you. Don't come to me later because I didn't warn you." Anom finished speaking while laughing mischievously.
All of a sudden, Della got up and pulled Anom into a hug. She also planted a kiss on his cheeks and buried her red face in his embrace.
Anom was stunned for a moment before he chuckled. He tightened his embrace as he said, "You have taken plenty advantage of me already. Now it's time for you to pay back."
"Tsk! You're speaking like you didn't enjoy it. Still, tell me, what do you want?" Della knew that he was the one taking advantage of her, but she was enjoying this feeling too.
Anom raised his hand as he traced Della's lips with his thumb and said, "I want this!" Without waiting for a reply, he leaned forward.
Their lips joined together as Anom felt his soul flow out of his body and arrive in a vast world. But he wasn't scared, as this world gave him a feeling of familiarity. It was the same warmth he felt when he was around Della.
"Anom." He turned around to find Della standing behind him. They were in this wide world all alone, but together.
Della lifted her hand towards Anom as she spoke, "I didn't think that this would create a perfect situation for me to insert an imprint on your soul. Currently, our souls are in perfect harmony with each other. We can't ask for a better environment, so it would be best if I did it right now instead of wasting this chance to do it in the morning."
Anom held her hand as he laughed, "Well, if this is what it takes to create the best environment, then I wouldn't mind doing that a few more times."
Della blushed as she scolded Anom, "Don't disturb me! Let me concentrate on the imprint!" She closed her eyes and started the process.