God of Destruction: Living Among Mortals

Nova woke up from his slumber to find a cozy, relaxing bed that he was sprawled upon. He quickly got up, pulling out his daggers, being cautious, as Hana stepped into the room with a cup of coffee.

Hana, ignoring Nova, sat down on a chair, putting her cup on the table, then finally acknowledging him. He despawned his daggers as he felt a calming aura radiating from Hana. She smiled at him as he sat back down. He still had somewhat of his guard up, then his eyes widened, looking towards the bed to see that Elesch was there. His eyes felt relieved, then turned back to Hana, who took a sip of her coffee.

"Who are you?" Nova said, her gaze not flickering away from Hana, as he heard a sharp metallic sound coming from outside the penhouse. "And why did you save us?"

Hana chuckled lowly, then answered, her smile not flickering, her voice calm and composed, taking another sip, before replying: "My name is Hana, I am from the Japanese Guild Association, and the reason why I saved you was because you were vulnerable and because Cain was there."

Nova believed her, only because her eyes told the entire truth. Then he laughed, leaving Hana confused. She took another sip, as Elesch turned, drooling on the bed. Nova laughed even harder as he saw Elesch drooling.

"Why are you laughing?" Hana said curiously, astonished by the situation. "Did I make a joke that I don't know about?"

Nova eased himself, only smiling faintly at the edges of his lips. "No, no," he started, removing a tear from his right eye. "It's just that I could hear everything that was happening on the outside, while I was knocked out. I was trapped in my mind, but all the noises on the outside echoed in my mind, so I could hear everything."

Hana was confused, but mostly astonished. She didn't know how to react, so she shrugged her shoulders, then she asked him: "So, are you from the American Guild Association?"

"Yes," he fired back instantly. "I work directly with Marcus, he recruited me and a guy named Adam, and we had to pass an F-rank dungeon, which we did, but the D-rank dungeon that was connected to the dungeon we were in, mysteriously opened, and E- to D-rank monsters poured in, and when I somehow fought them and touched the touchpoint, Adam split up from me and Elesch."

"How did she get there?" Hana asked, finding a hole in his story.

"She... uh," Nova was trying to think of a reason, eyes darting everywhere, but looking at her. Hana knew that he was going to come up with a lie, so she waved her hand, signally him to forget it. "To be honest with you, she is my real sister, and her soul was trapped with my soul, so after I touched the checkpoint, she materialized, and instantly got her void manipulation ability."

"Interesting," Hana would still detect that he was lying for some bits of that story, but decided to take his word. "Well, anyway. Another question I want to know is why Cain, of all people in TNT, wants you dead? What's your relationship with him?"

"I don't even know him. Elesch and I were getting soup dumplings when his lackeys started to attack us. I don't know what this 'TNT' is." He said with the most innocent, honest face he could come up with.

"TNT is the world's most dangerous organization. And I am not talking cartel well stuff, it's much worse than that. If you think that cartels are evil with their guns and having basic Awakened individuals, then TNT is about a hundredfold as powerful. They have money and resources that could crash the economy in a second, and Cain is the second strongest in the organization, only second to The Nornir."

"Who is The Nornir?" Nova said, as if he had heard that name appear in Outer Heaven, during the meeting with the gods. "I feel as if I have heard the name before, although I don't remember from where."

"The Nornir is the God of the organization. The Nornir Theocracy, or TNT for short, revolves around a being that appeared ten years after humans started to awaken, in the 90s. It is said that The Nornir aura was so powerful that it shook the entire solar system and redefined our understanding of the Circle of Pillars."

Nova realized exactly who The Nornir was. But he hid the knowledge, knowing if he were to speak up now, the Saint would suspect him and push him further.

"Well, I will watch out for them, since now they have beef with me, which sucks." Nova frowned, patting Elesch's head. She grabbed his hand, instantly subconsciously realizing who it was. "Now, I have to get stronger faster, if I want to protect her. She is so fragile and childish; if anything bad happens to her, I don't know if I will be able to contain myself."

Hana understood how he felt, since it was the same feeling that she had with her daughter. Even Cain understood that feeling. Even though he was the technical head of the syndicate, if anything were to happen to his daughter, by the organization, he would rip the organization in half, until it ceased to exist.

Something that reassured Hana, but also terrified her.

"I have called Marcus, who will be here shortly. So, rest up all you want, since you will be having a long lecture with him on the helicopter. And trust me, once he gets started, he does not back down. I have been in that situation multiple times."

"How do you know Marcus?" Nova said curiously, realizing it was a dumb question. But no question is too dumb.

"Marcus and I have known each other since I had my daughter, Kiwi, in Japan. If you couldn't tell, I am half Japanese and half European. I met him while we were fighting a dungeon together; both the Americans and the Japanese had a mission to defeat this evolved B-rank dungeon. He was something, alright. I still remember how he was trying to flirt with me, but I rejected him, and his ego got hurt, so he went in solely to defeat the boss monster in that dungeon, and was... successful. A little too successful."

Hana leaned back, swirling what little remained of her coffee. "That was the last time I underestimated him. Marcus doesn't stop until he wins, no matter the cost. That's why people follow him. That's why he scares them, too."

Nova tilted his head, studying her for a moment. For a moment, the calm aura she carried seemed to thin, replaced by the sharpness of someone who had fought and bled far too many times. Elesch stirred again, mumbling in her sleep, clutching Nova's hand tighter. He brushed her hair from her face and glanced back at Hana.

"You talk about him like he's some unstoppable force," Nova said carefully. "But even unstoppable forces can break."

Hana's eyes flickered, just for a second, then softened. "Yes. And when they do, everything around them breaks too."

The metallic clatter outside returned, sharper now, echoing against the walls of the penthouse. Nova tensed, half-rising, daggers already flickering into existence in his hands. Hana didn't move. Instead, she checked her watch, as if the sound had been expected.

A faint whirring joined the metallic rhythm. Not hostile, but heavy and deliberate. The glass walls of the penthouse stuttered as a black helicopter descended toward the landing pad.

Hana drained the last sip of her coffee, set the cup down, and straightened. "He's here."

Nova exhaled slowly, vanishing his daggers. He looked down at Elesch, still half-asleep, and then at Hana, who was already walking toward the door with a steady stride.

The roar of the helicopter filled the room now, drowning out thought. Hana glanced back over her shoulder, her expression unreadable in the flashing light of the landing beacon.

"Get ready, Nova. Whatever you think you know, " She paused, the faintest smile tugging at her lips. ", Marcus will tear it apart."