Interactions And Fortunes

After the incident, they sent us home. Chidori and Amy were both bedridden. Chidori suffered from despair and third-degree burns, while Amy was in bed due to mana poisoning, a surprising ailment for someone with one of the densest mana reserves in the world. When we got home, Mom practically smothered us with care until we couldn't breathe.

"Mom!" I yelled, and she finally relented.

Grim and I were determined to find that old man, but as our resolve solidified, a man with a floating 'Z' on his person approached us.

"Where's your mom, little one?" he inquired.

"I'm not telling you," I replied with a hint of defiance.

The man grew a bit more serious. "For real, kid."

Without warning, I threw a punch at the man, and Grim joined in. We unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, but the man deftly evaded every strike.

"You should stop daydreaming, kids," the man said, bemusement in his tone.

Grim and I exchanged confused glances. Then the man uttered, "Look in the mirror."

We were perplexed. How did he know what to say? Our confusion deepened when we noticed marks on our faces.

"That's not funny, old man," I retorted.

Suddenly, everything went pitch black. When Grim and I woke up, we found the man consoling our mother.

"Mom, what's going on?" I asked as I regained consciousness.

"This is your uncle, sons," she explained.

"What, for real? What's his name?" Grim inquired.

The man answered, "My name is Hypnos, and I'm the god of sleep. I left a while ago. I'm sorry for your father's death."

I tried to suppress the complex feelings about my dad, whom I never had the chance to meet. "How did you do that? You didn't even hit me."

Hypnos replied, "I just put you to sleep while we were fighting, making you think you were getting hits off when you were just sleeping. I'm actually going up there to the afterworld. If you two want to come, just say yes!"

"YES!" Grim and I exclaimed in unison.

Oshime signed off on it, and in an instant, we were there. When we arrived in the realm of the gods, the two people we saw were...