Chapter 44: Courage or Foolishness, who can say.
A feeling of helplessness sparked in Chinonso's chest, though his expression remained cold. " Forgive me for asking but what your saying is that my past prejudice and wary nature towards them was warranted then, correct?...." Chinonso said with a pitiful expression.
" All the pain, all the loss, all the trials I was forced to undergo were just some twisted game?, Your telling me the lives of my siblings, my suffering, it was all just a form of entertainment for the gods, correct?." He said while trying to retain a calm countenance but the throbbing veins on his face and forced smile said otherwise.
" Although it had nothing to do with me, Yes, you are indeed correct, the root of your suffering all came from my clansmen." the voice admitted. "But please bear in mind that there are those among us who resist against their vile ways. Unlike them, I and several others like me simply seek to end this vicious cycle. The system you defied was part of their design, but I have the power to offer you something else–." The cosmic voice said.
" I accept..." Before the voice could continue, Chinonso quickly cut in, his tone icy and resolute, and those his body was just an astral projection without any blood capillaries, his eyes had long since turned bloodshot with rage and frustration.
The void pulsed with a sudden intensity, and for a brief moment, the twinkling stars dimmed while the swirling galaxies and star zones stopped rotating. The god's silence was thick, as though the universe itself was a bit stunned by his instant decision.
The fact that he was so quick to decide also meant that he either had an inkling to what it was going to ask or maybe he was simply foolish?.
" Like I thought..., you are indeed fearless and strange for a human. No wonder he was willing to leave you with such a valuable treasure." the voice finally responded, only this time, Chinonso was a bit stunned when he sensed a bit of feminism in it's tone with a hint of curiosity beneath the cosmic hum, moreover he felt that this feminine voice sounded a bit familiar.
_Why do I get the feeling I've heard this voice somewhere before?...._ a hint of dread emerged deep within his heart.
_Also, what does she mean by that..., could those self centered bunch have left some kind of contingency within me or could it be that a piece of the system was accidentally stuck in my during then?._
Chinonso's curiosity was peaked when she mentioned that someone had left him a certain treasure and although he really wanted to ask about it, he knew that right now he didn't have the time to pay attention to such details.
Without caring whether Chinonso was curious towards it's voice it continued.
"I was expecting you to be a bit more stubborn, it's not everyday you find a human who seems so fearless when asked to go against the divine..."
" You do understand that what I was about to ask was to request your aid in stopping this cruel game my clansmen have created," the voice intoned, its presence growing heavier. "Join our rebellion. Only by toppling those who pull the strings can true freedom be won for you and your kind."
Chinonso's mind raced. Although he had expected this, He was still worried non the less, I mean who wouldn't be?.
To help a cosmic rebellion against the gods?, just the part about going against the god's sounded completely ludicrous to him, but one thing was clear, He couldn't leave his siblings to suffer in his absence. All he could think of was that they needed him. And if this was his only chance to return…
" Yes..., if it pleases you o great cosmic being, Then I shall accept this humble task." Chinonso's forced a smile, although it looked like tears would fall from his eyes at any moment.
Right now when facing such a powerful existence, all he could think about was remaining cautious when interacting with such an unfathomable existence, The worst thing he could do right now was displease it and lose the only chance he had to go back to Earth.
He wasn't an idiot, The boy or should I say man, still had a head and a brain...well technically he did, although he didn't know if a brain applied to a spiritual being as well.
" Is that so?.....I find it hard to believe a meer mortal would be so righteous as to accept our cause without so much as a bit of hesitation..." The voice rang out once more while the entire void began to twist and warp due to its might, the scene was similar to a slow churning of galaxies and nebulas folding in on themselves as the voice awaited his answer.
" I'm afraid my request might displease your greatness...I am but a humble human, requesting for such from the one who gave me such an opportunity would be nothing short but ungrateful.." Chinonso said after much hesitation.
There was a pause, and then the god spoke again, its tone edged with something close to amusement. " There's no need to fear, I I'm but a benevolent being, regarding the matter of your resurrection, It was my decision to proceed with such so feel free to tell me what troubles you so, if it's within my power I don't mind seeing what I can do....but if it's something of meager importance..." The voice said, it's tone turning ominous in the latter part of it's sentence.
Chinonso felt a chill ripple through his astral form when he heard it. _Well how am I supposed to say it now after hearing that?_ he didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the moment, he was far more worried about whether what he had in mind would even be worth noting by this so called cosmic being.
" Fine, we've got a deal, I'll do it," he said finally, his voice steady, " But on one condition."
The stars brightened as the voice considered his terms. " My patience is running thing Human, Speak!, what troubles you so?."
" I'm not aware if my ladyship already knows this but it's a matter regarding my brethren," Chinonso said. "They're still bound by the system. I'd really appreciate it if you could grant me the power to free them from it's hold, moreover, it would help in convincing them to join our cause don't you think?." Chinonso said before remaining silent as he awaited the entities reaction.
Like Chinonso expected, The void went silent once again, the stars began pulsing softly as if the universe itself was weighing his demand. After a long pause, the voice responded, " I never thought you'd be this noble...pizza boy." The voice suddenly replied.
" It's you?!!!!." Chinonso's eyes widened in disbelief, He was already feeling skeptical since the voice sounded a bit familiar from the beginning but now he finally realized where he heard it from, it was actually the beautiful scar faced lady.
_So she was a god after all?_ Chinonso was completely stunned and terrified at the same time when he realized he had tried flirting with an actual deity in the past.
Unfortunately when he recalled what kind of situation he was in, he didn't dare to think about it for too long, he quickly exhaled, his composure returning in the blink of an eye. " Please do forgive my rudeness your grace..." He clasped both hands together and bowed.
" Hahaha there's no need to be frightened, Truthfully I never really did expect our paths to cross again but it would appear that faith said otherwise."
" Moreover, I can't tell if your courageous or simply foolish but non the less you are now one of us, so we will try our best to aid you when needed....but please bear in mind that we cannot directly interfere with your world to avoid prompting the other god's to do the same...."
With that, the stars flared, and the cosmic expanse around him began to shift and collapse. Chinonso felt his ethereal form being pulled, as though the universe was folding in on itself.
" As a token of good will I shall grant you a gift, and don't worry about it, I promise it won't be as devilish as the one you're sponsor formally offered you.....well in my eyes it isn't anyways." She said in a surprisingly cheeky tone.
" I hope we both meet again soon....my dear pizza boy..." The heard the voice say before his surroundings blurred, and then, with a sudden jolt, everything went dark.