NOVEL NEXT Chapter 128: ʕ•̫•ʔ---Amaterasu
Agnos sighed dramatically, setting his thermos down.
"If you must know, Carl. The Forest Druids of the Forest of the Forgotten Tales are not your average tree-huggers. They're the stewards of this place, guardians of an ancient woodland that's essentially a living library."
"Living library?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Every tree, vine, and flower here contains the essence of stories, myths, and legends forgotten by mortals," Agnos explained, gesturing vaguely to the towering trees around us.
"It's not just a forest. It's a collection of lost wisdom, a repository of the tales no one tells anymore."
"And this Vigor guy is like the head librarian?" I quipped.
Agnos smirked. "More like the bouncer."
He took a slow sip of his tea, his eyes half-lidded as if savoring not just the taste but the moment itself.
"The druids are fiercely protective of this place," he began, his voice low but carrying weight.
"To them, trespassing here without permission is like barging into someone's home and flipping through their most private journals. They don't take kindly to it—and they have their ways of making that clear."
I frowned, glancing at Jiuge, who was lazily twirling a strand of her red hair. "Then why didn't you warn us about this before we drove in?"
"What's there to warn about? We'll be fine. You've got Kaleon's blessings," Agnos said with a smirk.
Jiuge, who had been quiet until now, suddenly chimed in with a nod. "Exactly. Forest druids aren't malicious by nature. They only get hostile when their territory is breached. But you saw what happened, right? He left after we cracked his puzzle." She grinned smugly.
"I cracked it," I retorted, narrowing my eyes.
"Did you forget whose powers obliterated the tree?" she shot back, her grin turning into a teasing smirk.
"Fine! We both cracked it."
Suddenly, the crescent-shaped amulet Tsukuyomi had given me vibrated in my pocket, jolting me out of the conversation.
Startled, I fumbled to pull it out, the faint glow catching everyone's attention.
"Hey, this thing's reacting!" I exclaimed, holding it up for the others to see. "That means Amaterasu must be nearby!"
After some time we finally reach a place that looked like an ancient ruin.
The Forest of Forgotten Tales was eerily quiet as we approached the ancient ruin.
The towering trees, draped in moss and glowing faintly in the moonlight, parted to reveal a crumbling structure swallowed by time.
Jiuge stopped abruptly, her eyes widening as she scanned the ruins. "This… this is Babylonian," she whispered in awe, tracing a worn cuneiform engraving with her fingers. "What is this doing here?"
Before we could speculate, a soft, golden glow from within the ruins caught our attention.
The crescent-shaped amulet in my pocket vibrated again, and I held it up as if it were pointing us forward.
"That has to be her," Agnos said, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword as a precaution.
We stepped inside, the air heavy and still, as if time itself had stopped. And there, in the heart of the ruin, stood Amaterasu.
She was bathed in a radiant, ethereal light, her long, flowing hair cascading like molten gold down her back. Her delicate fingers traced ancient symbols on a nearby wall as if lost in a trance.
"Amaterasu!" I called out, snapping her from her reverie.
She turned to us, her golden eyes blinking in surprise. "Oh, Jiuge," she said, tilting her head. "What are you doing here? Did you just arrive? You couldn't believe what I found. I've only just started investigating this place, and already it's overwhelming."
Jiuge raised an eyebrow. "Started? You've been gone for almost two months!"
Amaterasu's expression froze, the weight of Jiuge's words sinking in. "Two months?" she repeated, her voice barely a whisper.
"Yeah," I confirmed. "Time's been ticking outside while you've been, uh, exploring in here."
Her gaze darted to the ancient carvings, then back to us, a flicker of panic crossing her face.
"Two months?!" she exclaimed, her voice rising.
"Oh no. Oh no, no, no. I'm going to be fired. And there goes my stellar performance review!" She buried her face in her hands, groaning.
"Wait," I said, confused. "You're worried about your performance review? Aren't you a goddess?"
"Exactly! Which is why I have standards to uphold!" she snapped, pacing anxiously. "You think just because I'm divine, I don't have to deal with bureaucracy? Oh, how wrong you are."
Agnos cleared his throat. "So… why were you here in the first place?"
Amaterasu stopped pacing, taking a deep breath to compose herself.
"I found clues," she said, her tone serious now. "Clues about instability in the stars and realms. Someone—or something—is trying to disrupt the balance in Mythica. It led me here."
"Instability?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.
She nodded. "The stars are faltering. Realms are shifting unpredictably. It's subtle, but it's there. And I believe it's tied to the forgotten myths and gods of ancient times."
Jiuge frowned. "Forgotten gods?"
"Yes," Amaterasu replied. "You see, gods draw power from belief. If they're forgotten, their essence weakens. Over time, their very existence corrodes. To them, being forgotten is the same as death."
"So they're trying to 'attract attention' to stay relevant?" Agnos guessed.
"Exactly," she said. "But their methods are causing chaos. Forgotten myths and deities are resurfacing, and they're desperate. If this continues, it could unravel the fabric of Mythica itself."
The weight of her words settled over us like a heavy fog.
I glanced at the carvings on the walls, wondering just how much more the Forest of Forgotten Tales was hiding—and how deep this mystery went.
"Well," I said after a moment, forcing a smile, "I guess it's up to us to figure this out. But first, we should probably get you back before you lose that stellar review."
Amaterasu sighed dramatically. "Thank you. I can't afford another demerit."
"Wait—you've had demerits before?" Jiuge asked, smirking.
"Let's just go," Amaterasu muttered, her cheeks flushing slightly as she led the way out of the ruins.