NOVEL NEXT Chapter 140: ʕ•̫•ʔ---Enlil
"You're Kaleon's brother?" I exclaimed, utterly shocked by the revelation.
Enlil smirked, waving his hand dismissively. "No need to feel intimidated by me. I retired from managing the divine realms ages ago. These days, I'm an educator."
I gave him a deadpan look. Intimidated? Who said I was intimidated?
"You teach now?" I asked, skeptical. "Who exactly do you teach? Gods?" Do gods even need lessons?
"Not just gods—creatures, mystical beings, spirits… you name it," he said proudly.
I raised a brow. "But you're missing mortals. You don't teach them?"
His answer was immediate and absolute. "No."
"Huh? Why not? That's discrimination!" I protested.
"Mortals don't need my teachings. They wouldn't be able to handle it," he said flatly.
Something about the way he said it made me uneasy. Just what kind of knowledge does this guy teach? He sounded... suspicious.
"What exactly do you teach, if you don't mind me asking?" I asked, curiosity piqued.
"Survival 101: An Introduction to Divinity and Magical Realms," he said casually, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"Enough about my awesomeness," Enlil said with a dismissive wave, as if his self-proclaimed grandeur was a universally accepted fact. "As I mentioned, I've pardoned you because I'm here to help my brother."
Pardoned me? This god really had a bizarre personality.
"Erm… yeah, okay. And how exactly do you plan to help, oh great one?" I asked, layering on just the right amount of sarcasm.
His eyes sparkled with amusement, clearly enjoying the supposed praise. "You've got great taste," he said, nodding approvingly as he puffed out his chest. "I can restore Kaleon's powers to their original state and wake him up."
"Wait—seriously? You can actually do that? Then let's—" I began to rise from my seat, but Enlil swiftly stopped me.
"Ah ah, not so fast, kid." He lifted a finger, cutting me off. "There are requirements."
I exhaled sharply. Of course, there are. "What kind of requirements?"
"You need to reopen the Space-Time Leylines. It's the only way I can descend into Mythica."
I groaned. Because why would anything be easy?
At the end of the day, I still needed to locate the main node of the Space-Time Leylines. But this wasn't something I could just mess around with.
The leyline network was Mythica's lifeline to the outside realms, and right now, there were—other Owners—secretly siphoning its power for their own gain.
Fenrir had warned me before—there were traitors lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. If I opened the Space-Time Leylines without uncovering them first, I'd be handing them exactly what they wanted.
Before I could even think about revealing the leylines, I needed to find the traitors. Otherwise, everything would be for nothing.
"I—I can't do that right now," I admitted.
Enlil's smug expression faded into a frown. "Why not?"
"Mythica isn't exactly stable at the moment," I explained. "There are hidden forces—traitors—stirring up chaos, and as I mentioned earlier, the entire balance is hanging by a thread. That's why the Space-Time Leylines were concealed in the first place."
Enlil stroked his chin, deep in thought.
"So what you're saying is… Mythica is far from being at peace? There are forces scheming in the shadows to disrupt its balance? And before the Space-Time leylines can be restored, you need to track down these so-called traitors first?"
"Yes," I nodded. "And right now, I'm in the middle of solving them…"
"Doesn't seem like you have," he countered, eyeing me with scrutiny. His gaze was sharp, assessing—like he was peeling away layers of my soul. I squirmed in my seat, suddenly feeling very exposed.
"Well, I'm kind of stuck here…" I muttered, crossing my arms.
"Ah, right! That brings me to my next point." Enlil stroked his chin thoughtfully. "How you ended up here is quite the anomaly. Especially since you're a mortal. Even if you're from the Origin World, it should still be impossible."
I hesitated. "Maybe it's because of Kaleon's essence?"
"Hmm… Never mind that for now. Let's send you back. You've got work to do." He reached into his sleeve and handed me something small and metallic.
I blinked down at it. "An… earring?"
"That earring will keep us in contact. Just rub it three times to call me. Once you've finished purging all those traitors, give me a call." He winked.
I frowned. "Rub it three times? Like a magic lamp?"
Enlil gave me a blank look, as if he had no idea what I was talking about. Before I could explain, he whistled—a sharp, commanding note that echoed through the room.
A distant rumbling followed. The floor vibrated slightly beneath my feet. Was that the wind? A storm? An earthquake?
Then something massive burst into the room.
"Holy crap!" I yelped, scrambling behind Enlil.
A divine beast stormed in, its massive wings retracting as it landed with a ground-shaking thud. It had the body of an eagle but the head of a lion, its golden eyes gleaming with untamed power. It let out a low, rumbling roar that vibrated through my bones.
Enlil patted its head, completely unfazed. "Good boy," he murmured.
The beast purred.
"This is Anzu," Enlil introduced, turning to me. "I'm lending him to you temporarily. He can traverse between realms, so he'll get you back to the Ziggurat safely."
I swallowed. "You want me to ride that?"
Tentatively, I reached out, my hand hovering near its feathery mane. Anzu tilted his head slightly, then leaned into my touch, purring even louder.
"Oh," I said, surprised. "He… likes being pet?"
Enlil looked equally stunned. "That's odd. He's not usually this friendly. Especially not with mortals."
I let out a nervous chuckle. "Maybe I'm just different. I do have a knack for attracting mon—uh, magical creatures."
Memories of the basilisk, the dragonlings, and every other bizarre encounter I'd had so far flashed through my mind. It was a miracle I was still alive.
Enlil raised a brow but didn't press further. Instead, he simply smirked. "Well then, Carl, let's see if that knack of yours helps you survive what's coming next."