Two

I watched her face gleam and shine as she saw what lay beyond my doors. her jaw almost fell and for a moment I grew afraid she was going to collapse but she didn't. rather, she walked ahead of me slowly.

"whoa! it's beautiful," she said staring at the little meadow which was... I'll admit without being cocky, beautiful. the sun was just approaching the horizon, and my island was beautiful around that time. I mean, it had rained today, so the grass was a bit greener, and it was just about spring, so almost every single plant was blooming. in the clearing, a lot of hares were skipping about, and, let's just say, Gaia was overdoing herself today.

I mean, I know it has been a few centuries since I brought any girl here but, it seemed like every animal wanted to see her, even before she stepped on the grass, birds, and their prey, a few insects, flew in patterns to her. Even the fawns that were raised in this garden came to her.

she turned and looked at me with a beautiful smile as butterflies circled her, and birds hunted right above her. "Is this your magic?"

"no, someone is feeling a bit romantic tonight, so... they are quite overdoing it tonight," I responded pointing down. she looked at me with a ... confused? but beautiful smile and turned to the rabbits that skipped at her feet.

"can I?" she asked motioning to pet the animals.

"All animals here are harmless." I told her. "you can pet them, but don't touch the little horses, they are too unpredictable, a bundle of short women, nasty temper, but cute."

"Okay!" she said her voice a bit high and she started petting and playing with the small animals. a lot more came out of the forest at the base of the forest a football field away.

looking at her, the garden that had always been lonely somehow felt wholesome with her around. the landscape that was always depressingly empty and desolate felt alive and beautiful. even more beautiful than the butterflies that have been fluttering all over my stomach since she came back to me today.

I remembered the first day I saw her when I came to college a year ago. I was glad I was finally off my mother's clutches. finally free to use my powers without raising a bit of her eyebrows. I knew I had to hide them. I knew I had to pretend I couldn't hear everything. or see, but though I was glad I could be a human and I could use my powers in the shadows to protect her and the rest of my family, I was tired of always making it look like I was asleep every time I was needed somewhere around the globe by the guardians. plus, it scared her and a lot of my friends when i "overslept".

that day, I was rather tired too. Park Seo Jun had just died and... though she was supposed to have died ten years ago if I hadn't saved her and her unborn child, I was sad that one more of my little guardians had to lose a parent. Park Eun-Tak was a bit inconsolable. who wouldn't be after losing her mother?

Park Seo Jun, had bowed to me when she saw me walk into her funeral. A few tears from her ghost tore at me especially as she looked at her daughter. One more reason, I wanted to be a God but knew I cant. I can't watch any of my guardian's family die.

"I knew I would see you, just not this way," she said in Korean. her eyes evaded me. or maybe it was mine that evaded hers. I just looked at her not knowing what I was supposed to say. I almost teared up as I saw Eun Tak silently cry, looking at me. I wanted to hit something. I indicated for her to follow me and walked to an empty funeral hall, and set alcohol on the table.

"Nae ttal-eul kiul su issge haejusin seonsaengnim gamsahabnida." she said bowing in front of me.

"it's okay." I told the ghost. "though it would have been better if you didn't die. sit"

"I let a lot of people down didn't I?" she said looking down at her feet, after sitting down.

"I feel like I should have done better."

"no, you have done more than enough. Plus a human can't live long outside the realm of the deities." she smiled as she looked at me, her eyes watery. "seven years is way more than enough."

I poured her a drink and sat it in front of her. she looked at it then looked at me as she drank a shot of soju. then smiled. feeling her eyes on me, I looked down. I couldn't crack in front of her. she chuckled and smiled at me. "I can't believe I am offered a drink by a god. can I be honest? you look like a kid. Barely out of teenagehood. but you have done way more than anyone could." she said.

I sank even further in my chair. she lifted my chin and looked at me with pained but friendly eyes. "you shouldn't hang your head down, I should. you should be confident, you helped me defeat death when I had no other option, and helped me have my child, there's nothing more I can ask of you. And you shouldn't be ashamed of it. you should have your hold high."

was she... can a ghost get drunk?

"I know you have helped a lot of people, and I know you will always protect people because that is what you were born for."

did she... she is guessi... guardian corp. I momentarily forgot they saw her after I saved her from certain death.

"I know," I poured her another glass and set it in front of her. "so rest assured, about your daughter, I would protect her and... she would be taken care of."

she smiled at the glass. "thank you. thank you." she drank the shot and closed her eyes. enjoying the shot?

"it's been a long time since I drank. I was never one to hold my liquor," she said. I can see that. " but, your majesty, you told me at the hospital seven years ago that, I should be glad, and raise my daughter to be a proud woman. was I a good mother? did I raise her to be a good woman? is she going to be okay."

"no one is ever okay after losing a loved one." I got up from the chair and called Anubis.

"I know. can you make sure she gets married?" I looked at the door, with which Eun Tak was standing in front off, afraid of knocking. "can you tell her I love her?"

"Seo Jun, what she told you about Guardian corp, the Guardians, she was honest. so was she about being able to see Gods. so you can tell her yourself. she can see you." I turned and opened the door. There, the little warrior stood hugging her teddy bear. Anubis appeared but seeing the girl run into the room, he stepped back.

"take the mother to the Elysium at sunset, she is a mother under my protection. make sure she is well treated before she reincarnates."

I told Anubis without looking at him. he bowed, then left as I walked out of the room. I saw Park Eun Tak's grandmother walk into the funeral home, torn as the Guardian Corp Agents followed her. the Agents passed by without acknowledging me.

I ignored them too. plus they weren't the ones I wanted to see right now. their boss was the one I wanted to see. but he wasn't here. I closed my eyes and listened to the earth. I saw him drive into the driveway of his safe house, and I took the door on my left and teleported to his home.

As he parked the car, I made myself comfortable in his house, made myself something to eat, and brewed coffee. not that it was going to wake me up. My body was asleep in Africa, here I was nothing but a projection, made physical thanks to Gaia's powers.

he opened the door and walked in, looking tired. I sat still as he placed his suitcase on the couch. he sank beside it and relaxed. He didn't even bother to check his house's security update. that is very poor for A guardian Corp agent. did he think he was safe on earth now that he was no longer in space and was undercover as a security consultant for one of Guardiancorp's Earth stations?

"would you coffee?" I asked with a British accent.

"what the fuck?" agent Hong Min Ah shot right up and pointed a gun at me.

"hello. would you like coffee?" I asked again showing him the coffee I had made.

"who the fuck are you? how did you get in my house?"

"I opened the door and walked in." honestly I did, "put your gun down, and watch your tongue please." I continued making the sandwich I was making when he walked in.

"put your hands up, or I am going to kill you."

"that's how a guardian corp agent should behave." I said, as I put the sandwich together. " anyway I am not here you kill you or cause you harm, so you can put the gun down. or you can just keep it. I don't really care."

"Thoth," he called the AI, watching everything. except, this.

"Don't worry I gave him a break. he can't see this," I told him as casually as I could. he reached for his phone. "it's off."

"who the fuck are you?"

"what? you don't remember me? I'm hurt, Thoth, reactivate please."

"Reactivating." the AI responded over the speakers. he looked at me. wondering how I got access to his Thoth. No one outside Guardian Corp could access Thoth no matter who tried. Thanks to his coding.

"Who are you?" he said dropping the gun.

"that doesn't matter. what matters is why I am here."

"Thoth, who is he?"

"he is..."

"my name is Agent Jay."

"I don't remember you, what class?"

"There are three million Agents at the moon, and roughly twenty, twenty-five hundred active warrior agents on earth, a million more desk table workers, and more than eight guardians on earth, what makes you think that you can know them all?" I asked.

"Sir, your estimation is of twenty-five years ago," Thoth added.

"I know, and I would like a private conversation under protocol 15.11387."

"acknowledged sir."

he looked at me, wondering... I don't know.

"I came here, because there is a discrepancy in your work, plus I need a favor," I told him as everything electronic turned off.

"no one can access any of the first twenty protocols because they are written in the ancient Alkebulan shorthand."

"I know, not a lot of people can read it. anyway, I sent you a file on a school, I want you to buy it and..."

"guardian Corp doesn't interfere in human life."

"I know, you are going to buy, and you are going to watch the girl whose file I sent to your phone, you will be given access to a few security details."

"I don't know who you are and i..."

"here is a favor, three days from now on, New agents from the American branch would come here looking for the guardian, give them access to a file named Zar 3.001 dated six hundred years ago. It's a file on the last guardian of the Americas. and teach them wherever it is that they are lacking. okay?"

"Who are you?"

"no one. thanks for the food," I said and walked to the front door. he followed me as Thoth reactivated. "or, I almost forgot, the little girl, act like a father towards her. or send Abigail, she needs a friend right now. and her insurance payout might be small, so take care of her tuition and monetary needs would you, credit everything under the girl's name." I said and walked out.

I spent the rest of that day watching the girl as she slept on her grandmother's lap while she dreamt of her mother. the Guard I had placed on the girl the day she was born was still there, a sentinel with a drawn sword watching everything including me.

as noon approached, I remembered that I had classes at home. I closed myself and teleported back home.

***

morning at school wasn't that interesting or anything. it was just somber. wake up, go for a run, take a shower, and have breakfast. feed the cats running around campus and start reading as sunrise began. that's how I spent my mornings. but today was a bit different, the cats were already fed and it wasn't me.

the cats wouldn't talk about who did. the very same cats that ratted me out to a sphinx earlier this year. the ones that told a cheater my dorm room. but I couldn't grow mad at them. they were sentinels on their own, and I knew would tell me anything that needs my attention on campus.

I went to my early morning class a bit off. curious as to why the cats were silent and partly knowing it was partly my fault. Park Eun Tak's images running in my head didn't at all calm me down whatsoever. rather, they made me think of the very first time I heard her cries as a baby inside her mother's tummy, from far off. I had never wanted to be on Guardian corp's radar after 2006 but because of her, I fell on their radar. I mean, I didn't even bother to leave my body behind to go to her aid, but I just flew off destroying the barn.

I remembered all of her pain, and she had that very same look she had on her when she was born. I had promised myself I would protect her at all cost that's why I made her mother a fast healer when I helped her give birth to Eun. but now, her mother is gone and she was hurt.

I sat through half of the lesson thinking about Eun, not what was actually being taught. then I heard her laughter.

two thousand years of feeling empty and never tickled in any way made the butterflies I felt in my stomach feel way too intense I couldn't hold myself. I turned in the direction of the laughter and saw her.

she turned to face me and I felt my heart skip way too many beats for the first time in my life I grew afraid of having a heart attack.

she smiled and my heart broke down to pieces. I felt hot steaming rivers flow from my eyes down to my cheeks. she...

I felt faint. happy, but grieving sadly. angry but awfully calm and serene. i heard my heartbeat like it did, years ago.