CHAPTER: ON THE OTHER HAND

CHAPTER 5: ON THE OTHER HAND

The Goddess, collecting the papers from the previous game, thought: Which fate deity would dare to interfere in the coin game, unraveling its illusion on the mortal and granting him everything he desired?

"Was it this fool? Did he not take rejection well? No, he was a fool but not suicidal. His father would skin him alive if he found out his son was risking the position he had almost sold his soul to obtain!" concluded the Goddess.

During that game, the Goddess's anxiety grew with each passing second. Unaware of who and why someone was intervening, she feared it could be her mother or one of her subordinates.

Her fear was justified. There would be no tolerance for her transgression, not due to its severity, but rather because of the recurrence. She had played with disregarding divine protocols numerous times before.

As for the gravity of the transgression itself, deceiving mortals with illusions was considered light, as it wouldn't change the game's outcome. Destiny was already set.

"Perhaps it's time to reflect on how to avoid my mother's wrath. Confess the transgression and face the punishment, or try to cover it up and risk an even worse punishment if discovered," the Goddess said to herself.

Initially, she hinted that she could control the type of game and the composition of questions. But both the game and the questions were predetermined, with no room for randomness; so, in reality, she could only intervene during the rare "Definition Game," and even then, with power limited by the rules.

An interesting fact for her was that the mortal probably didn't even comprehend how blessed he was by the intervention of the unknown deity. Three advantages, something she had never witnessed in her entire existence.

The chances of someone being reborn with memories, special abilities, or participating in the "Definition Game" were minuscule, almost one in a billion. And now, this mortal possessed all three.

The unknown deity, by altering destiny, committed a grave transgression. The Goddess wondered if this deity, like her, was also bored, seeking to break the monotony of eternity with mischief.

Though aware that her mischief could be interpreted as malevolence by the mortal, the Goddess decided to be generous with him, fully convinced that, with time for reflection, he would recognize her good intentions.

"Why help him: first, his story was great, and it would be a shame if the ending were dull. Secondly, it's always good to have friends, and this mortal has a chance to become a God, depending on the skill he acquires, he could be one," deduced the Goddess.

The mortal now belonged to a select group of individuals who, throughout history, enjoyed all these advantages. The list, composed of fewer than a thousand names, had already elevated several dozen mortals to divinity.

So, in an act of generosity, she helped him be reborn as someone he admired. Additionally, she arranged the presence of 23 women to assist him in adapting to his new reality and prevent him from isolating himself in a protective bubble that, while shielding him from pain, would condemn him to unhappiness.

The Goddess stored the pages and, from the drawer, retrieved a book that recorded special abilities and a small slot machine. She handed the machine to the mortal, explaining its operation.

The moment the mortal pulled the lever, the Goddess felt the interference in destiny again. The machine rolled the same number three times. Seeing the number, thousands of thoughts flooded her mind.

A sudden clarity flooded her mind, and finally, she discovered who was interfering with her work. Now, everything made sense. The Goddess felt she needed to act quickly because she had a more important matter to address.

Without any hesitation, she pulled a revolver from the drawer, under the mortal's perplexed gaze. The Goddess didn't hesitate; the gun, cold and heavy in her hand, fired into her heart.

The mortal staggered back, eyes wide with disbelief. If it weren't for the rush, the Goddess would have been amazed by the idiotic expression on his face for being shot.

At the same time, he disappeared from the room, as if he had never been there. The Goddess calmly observed the scene, thinking: "You must now be in your mother's womb; I wish you good luck."

Focusing on a new goal, the Goddess surveyed the environment and demanded: "Reveal yourself, Victory!" The room plunged into a brief silence, soon broken by a childish laugh.

Suddenly, a cute little girl appeared, sitting at the edge of the table. The Goddess, narrowing her eyes at Victory, sternly questioned: "Sister, why did you do this?"

Without showing fear and with a playful smile, Vitória replied: "Sister, I missed you so much! She was bored at work, so I thought I'd pay her a surprise visit. But I never imagined I would find you, Felicia, playing tricks on mortals. Your work looks cooler than mine!"

"Victory! How dare you talk about my responsibility at work after what you did?" Felicia questioned, indignant at her younger sister's audacity.

The little girl, with a proud smile, retorted: "Felicia, you're always coming up with mischief! How many times have you made me and others victims of your jokes? Today was my turn, and it was very gratifying, especially when I fooled you and when you finally discovered the truth, I'm sure you were terrified that it was Mom." Victory concluded, laughing.

Approaching Victory, Felicia declared: "You have no idea of the consequences of what you've done. We pampered you, so I'm going to punish you for daring to deceive me!"

Victory, realizing the danger, tried to escape but had no time. Felicia attacked her with relentless tickling, making the little girl laugh until she begged for forgiveness with tears in her eyes.

When the tickling session finally ended, and the room calmed down again, Felicia wanted to take advantage of the moment to speak seriously with her younger sister. She needed to explain to Victory how serious what she did was.

Ignoring the guilty look of the little girl, Felicia emphasized: "Do you realize the consequences of what you did? You're just an intern and used Mom's authority. Do you know what that means? She will be the first to find out about your prank and will be very angry."

Shaken and avoiding eye contact, Victory tried to justify, almost crying: "When I talk to Dad, being the cutest daughter, he will do anything for me. He will help me even if it means risking his life facing Mom, so the problem will be easily resolved."

On the other hand, Felicia knew the situation was not that simple. She was sure that pots would fly in all directions, but it was better to act quickly before they were surrounded.

Felicia emphasized: "But the longer you take to talk to Dad, the greater the risk of Mom finding out. Maybe she already knows and is looking for you now. If she finds you first, not even Dad will be able to stop her." 

Agreeing with her sister, Victory bid farewell and disappeared from the room, heading toward their father in a race against time.

Finally relaxing when she saw Victory leave, Felicia went to the door and called out another name. Still sweating cold, she thought: "Well, I finally sent her away. Now, at least today, Mom won't come here."