A Matter of Time

"...I see. Thank you—you may go now."

"Understood, Priestess of the Jackal. I shall take my leave now."

The teal haired messenger once again bowed his goodbye due to respect towards his senior Priestess before he once again transformed and disappeared into the statue of the onyx cat.

The priestess was silent for a moment, before she tsked with anger.

"So, you were galivanting around with other gods, leaving me and my little brother to deal with the mess of your patronage while you were neglecting your responsibilities?"

Her fist trembled with anger, and she yearned to smash it down on his head and watch his insufferable face contort with pain.

"Not only that, but now you're investigating some random, wayward spirit lady while leaving me alone here to do your dirty work?!"

Upon her tanned skin, a hint of red from fury in her cheeks and her ears appeared, and she ground her teeth in dislike. Indeed, as Ain had been his Priestess for a long, long time, it was only natural she felt some inkling of something when she heard of his interest within another person, spirit or otherwise.

"That punk!" she exclaimed, her two hands clenching into fists before she ran to grab her cloak, settling it over shoulders before rushing to write a note to her brother—explaining the situation before speeding to the nearest statue—a human child holding a moon disk over his head.

Ain inhaled, calming herself before letting her composure to fall over her, a veil that masked her emotions and needs.

"Khonsu, I pray for thine divine direction."

The moon disk glowed, and a ghostly blue image that seemed similar to the statue's boy separated from the stone, greeting her with a smile.

'"'Ah, Ain! Hello dear—are you looking for Anubis? I've told you before, unless you tell me where, I can't take you there~'"'

Ain quietly lowered her head within a bow, heterochromatic eyes closing before she solemnly assured him, "I have found my wayward Lord, oh Lord Khonsu. I ask that ye may allow this servant to journey along thine pathways to my Lord."

'"'Oh?'"'

The child smiled, a slyness to his expression that secretly left Ain wishing she was a priestess of Bast instead, as she would at least be capable of travel among the linked statues that abode most everywhere.

'"'Then, Ain, my dear, what will you give up? To maintain Ma'at, equivalent exchange is required. Let's see... to traverse across these 'servers' as that System thing calls it, it takes a good deal of energy from me... I'd say, three years?'"'

Khonsu only smiled more as he saw the discomfort in Ain's shoulders before he continued, as if assuring her.

'"'Oh, well that's not the only exchange we could make! After all, no matter how long he extends your life, it's still so terribly finite, no? Then, out of consideration, I will allow you to walk the skies with me for his power that resides in you—'"'

"Apologies, my Lord," she broke through, determined yet fearful. "However, three years is but a menial margin to sacrifice for thine divine guidance and travel; far better than the previous offer of 10 years. In light of your Lordships magnanimity, I shall gladly offer this priestess's finite years."

Khonsu frowned, a little displeased that he still had yet to receive even a shred of Anubis's power from this stubborn Priestess, and was almost tempted to demand more, but with the conditions already laid out, far be it from him to disrupt Ma'at at the risk of Isfit.

'Besides,' he thought while his eyes crescented from his smile again, 'I'm still getting some of her time. And that's something not even the jackal can have, no matter how long he continues her existence... it'll be time she and him will never get back...'

'"'Then, shall we leave, dear Ain?'"'

Reluctant, but nonetheless poised, Ain grabbed ahold of the god's incorporeal hand— and flinched; it felt as if the clock within her that had been ticking away her lifespan had stopped, only to speed up three years before slowing, and resuming its waltz.

She felt older, sadder, for those were years that she had less with her god.

'"'Now then, to your dearly beloved god!'"'

And with this, space seemed to distort, rippling before it swallowed the blue ghost and the woman, leaving a dimly glowing statue behind, and a note that foretold to blood a terrible news:

That it was only a matter of time till her brother had to resume her capacity.

Time was running out.