The stone pavement under my feet was rather old, but well-kept. Carts with horses constantly passed by along the way; they were noisy, yet more soothing than the engines of the cars from my world. If only horses didn't reek of manure, it would have been a much more pleasant stroll. Passersbyers did not look any different from people I knew, only their clothes were old-fashioned and vastly different from each other. Some wore dull tunics made of wool and leather, while others had colourful dresses and coats. Yet no one was dressed as elegantly as the pesky individual right in front of my nose, who was not seen by anyone but me, apparently.
"What do you mean, you will not be able to do it!?" he said while squinting. My rejection of his proposal was clearly not part of his plan, but there wasn't much I could do. To kill a god, what an outstanding joke! Me, of all people, who was prolific in only two skills: stealing and lying.
But no matter how hard I tried to explain my inability to complete his favour, he did not give up. He followed me like a kite attached to a wire, floating around and presenting the same question over and over again.
"I already explained that if you want to kill a goddamn god, then I am not the guy, you hear me, moron!?"
Immediately all the gazes were directed at me, quite a shameful precedent for a man of crime. Now my face was familiar to a handful of people, all because of that transparent clown, who was now giggling at my outrage! I clicked my tongue and dashed into the closest back alley to confront this so-called Solitaire once and for all.
"What a fun show you arranged in the middle of the road! Did you think of earning money by doing street performances?" he laughed, while I clenched my teeth in fury. "I am thankful for sending me god knows where from that stupid basement, but do me a favour and leave me the hell alone!"
His happy demeanour was now swaying away under the weight of my words. It was a sight to behold, but unfortunately, the likes of him did not uncling from common folk that easily. Solitaire smiled yet again and said, "I got you, perhaps my reward is not sufficient for your liking? But trust me, avenging your foes from your old world is just the tip of the iceberg! I can make you rich, grant you power and influence! I can make you a god of that world, doesn't that sound delightful?"
"How many times do I have to tell you that it is not about the reward?"
I was feeling tired, whether from the memories of those dreadful last minutes on Earth or because I was simply thirsty, my throat sore as heck. I didn't even want to scream anymore, so I said in a half-whisper, "Listen, I am unable to kill a god, because I can't even kill a fit adult! Why do you want me specifically to kill it?... Why do you want to kill it in the first place?"
After I presented the second question, a barely noticeable grin ran across Solitaire's face. He surely wanted exactly this question to reach his own ears, but for what purpose?
He did not give me time for thoughts; immediately, he answered, "I simply want to claim back my rightful position, this is all. The god that resides on the throne now is a fraud, that stole it from me like a rat from sewers. But with your power, dear friend, you can snatch it back without issue!"
I groaned at his use of my nickname, but I still did not understand his reasoning. "What kind of power do I possess anyway?"
He closed one eye and put an index finger up to his smiling lips. "Can't tell you that yet, or else you might go rogue."
My brow twitched, and I sighed, giving up on attaining information from him. It was clear that he was not my ally, as if it could be this easy to attain one anyway. But before I left, I took out a red gem from my pocket and looked him in the eyes.
"And what could this be? It was in my pocket all this time, but I do not recognize it."
"Ah, don't tell me you already managed to steal something!? Way to go, considering you have been summoned here mere minutes ago!" he laughed once again, but I did not share his enthusiasm. "Do not play dumb, I never stole this thing, yet it is in my pocket. You are one shady bastard, which makes you the obvious culprit."
After hearing my reasoning, Solitaire threw up his hands in defeat and said, "Good observation, dear friend, you caught me! I do not usually like giving too much explanation, but this stone is way too important to leave without mention. This is my home, or rather my means of communication with you. Keeping my physical form is quite exhausting, so I get to rest inside of it, thus you should carry it at all times, you hear me?"
"Means of communication, huh?" I had a closer look at the gem. It was rather pretty for something this rough-looking. If I managed to get it cut somewhere, it could cost quite a fortune. But alas, this gem was also a prison that tied me to this man.
"Then I do not need it," I said, and threw the gem away as far as my body was capable of doing. It flickered in the sun for a moment, but as it was about to hit the ground, a loud snap spread across the back alley and the gem stopped mid-air, lacking motion.
"Oh no, dear friend, this is not something you can do," said Solitaire calmly. Despite his tone being friendly and harmonious, a chill ran down my spine. A sudden feeling of dread pierced my whole body, making it impossible to move an inch. I couldn't even turn my head to confirm whether Solitaire's face was as calm as his voice.
After a while, however, I noticed that my body and the gem were not the only things frozen in place. Birds flying up in the sky, silhouettes of people far away, even leaves that were swayed by the wind—all were stopped on the whim of one man, who walked imposingly toward the gem. He took it with great care and turned to me, revealing his caring smile.
After our eyes met, he opened his mouth. "As I said, this gem is extremely important, not only for me, but for you as well."
He walked towards me, opened up my clenched fist, and put the stone back into the hand that had thrown it seconds ago. Then, Solitaire leaned past my face toward my ear, using my vulnerable state. Never before had I felt so threatened, especially after I heard his whisper, which lacked his usual easy-going composure.
"This gem is your lifeline, dear friend. Without it, you will perish. Turn to dust, without any way of salvation. Hell exists in this world, and that place is rather unnerving. I will forgive you this time, but if you drop it once again... well, I do not want to make you scared. We are allies, after all."
His face drew away from my ear and I could again explore his smile. Only now did I notice how unnaturally perfect it was, as if I was looking at a porcelain doll, not a human being.
"It is my time to go. Make sure to figure out more about this world upon our next meeting, dear friend."
After these words, the world snapped back into motion. No one stopped to question what had just happened. I happened to be the only one who experienced Solitaire's displeasure first-hand.