The Guide

Lightning flashed past the sullen atmosphere, sending chills down Axle's fur. Tension filled the air in Eros' chamber as Eros continued flipping one page after another - it finally reached the last page. A sigh of relief rushed up Axle's abnormally dry throat, but before it could escape his lips, it was swallowed back down to warm his stomach.

Dark feathers rose — facing the ceiling — on Axle's back. Like the winter's bone-shattering breeze — an icy serenade — Eros' expression revealed a mixture of complicated emotions. Axle cursed to himself inwardly. However, no matter how many times he cursed to himself, he couldn't read the straight face Eros had. Silence lingered in the gruesome air, slowly suffocating his thoughts.

"M...Master..." A gulp followed after Axle called out to Eros.

"Nonsense!" Eros' voice sent vibrating echoes to all corners of his chamber. Sliding his index finger down the edges of the souvenir he received, a growl escaped his mouth. One swing; the book was tossed to the back of the room. A nearby torch spat a puff of fire onto the classic cover and flames engulfed it almost immediately.

"T...This...Is this book not to your liking?" Axle stuttered - his eyes wandering to the opposite end of the room where the book burnt to ash particles. Tendrils of flames spread like a wildfire, burning between a pile of dark mushed content. Taking a quick glance, Axle noticed Eros frown had deepened.

"This book has a happy ending? Which part of that wedding was true, huh? I was impressed to a certain minimal extent when I read similar events in the book, but it was such a disappointment! Burn it or send it to the guardians to roast marshmallows!" His chest heaved rapidly as his head rested on his palm.

"Well, you could have a happy ending! You just need to find your wife again! Just because she isn't by your side right now doesn't make it impossible. My lord, didn't you endure the past millennium already? You are literally so close. Believe in your own happy ending, and it will happen eventually!" Axle stretched his right arm, spreading out one of his wings.

Pressing his palm against his chest, the feathers of his wings covered his torso. Axle bent forward slightly — looking as if he was bowing — and stepped aside. Moments later, Kyle dropped down from the ceiling and Oracle followed after him. After a few rolling cartwheels in the air, Kyle landed on all fours; he sent a victory sign towards Eros. On the other hand, the Oracle slipped while landing on his feet and posed as if it was planned. With his elbow supporting his head from touching the floor, the Oracle bent one leg upwards.

"It's been a while, Eros."

The Oracle's eyes were closed the entire time. Therefore, he didn't realize he was facing the wrong direction. Only when he heard nothing but the silence did he lifted his eyelids slightly to see what was going on.

Axle covered his mouth, holding in his laughter. Meanwhile, Kyle slapped his furry forehead and rubbed it with his paw.

"You're facing the wrong way." Eros' voice softened when he saw the elderly man active once again. It's been too quiet without the Oracle running around.

Hiding his embarrassment, the Oracle summoned his cane and stood up. As his leg straightened, he felt a hard object touching the back of his knee. "Oh?" A comfortable chair with cushions and a blanket was waiting for him to sit on it. As if the chair had eyes, the blanket fluttered off the chair, inviting the elderly man to take a seat.

He gave Eros a side glance, dry coughed twice and took the seat. As soon as he leaned against the chair, the blanket dropped from above and covered half his body. "Eros, I have recovered. There is no need to treat me like a patient. That kind of wound is nothing. I can beat Zeus' ass when I see him next time."

"Your soul force was beyond recoverable. If it wasn't for Kyle, you wouldn't be sitting here talking with me right now. Take better care of yourself. It'll be difficult to bring you back if there is another time. You know what I mean." Eros' voice deepened, expressing the severity of this topic.

A faint smile formed on his face when the Oracle looked at Kyle's bobbing head and crossed arms. He chuckled, "Alright. I understand. Anyway, I have good news and bad news for you. Which one would you like to hear first?"

"Good news." Eros answered, leaning back on his chair relaxingly.

"The good news is that your wife, Psyche has reincarnated successfully. She is currently on earth and will be turning eighteen years old. This means that you can officially pack your things and head down to earth. However, you must remember that you cannot remain on earth for long. Your soul will separate from your physical body, which means your body will be an empty shell for that period of time. Once in a while, you must return to your body." The Oracle had many rules he wanted to remind Eros, but he chose the shortest and most important one to nag him about.

Eros hopped out of his chair, skipped a few steps, and excitedly repeated the elderly man's words. "She reincarnated?! Reincarnated?!!!"

With his eyes trailing Eros' figure, the Oracle sensed a crisis' arrival. "Eros, are you listening to me? She did reincarnate, but she is still a human. You need to find her on your own."

"Then, what is the bad news? Is there something wrong with Psyche? She's not in danger, is she?" His voice suddenly choked in his throat. Fragments of their ruined wedding surfaced in his mind like puzzles piecing together. His fingers dived through his short hair, combing it.

"Nothing is wrong with her for now. The bad news is that nobody can help you out after this point. You need to search for her and figure out who she is on earth. To avoid suspicions, Psyche no longer has the same face as before. Her name is different as well. I can only assist you until here. As for the rest, it'll depend on you and what fate has for the two of you."

"But I do have a gift for you. Here, take this." Flipping his palm upwards, a small purple pouch with a golden ribbon appeared. He extended his arm, smiling at Eros.

Eros gasped, "This is..."

"Mm. These are soul replenishment pills. I've created a jar of it and placed it in the pouch. When necessary, take the pill. It'll prolong the length of time you could stay on earth. Remember to use it wisely as the quantity is not much. There are only five of them." The Oracle raised his hand and spread his fingers.

"I understand. Thank you for everything you've done for Psyche and me. I swear I will find her and protect her this time." Eros held the pouch in his hands with an appreciative smile.

"Also, you are not familiar with the human world. So, take this survival guide with you. Read it and tell me if you don't understand anything." The Oracle handed a thick, spiral notebook to Eros. On the front cover of the book, large script letters were scribbled across the paper cover.