The Alien Within

Title: The Disrupted Plot!

Tessa and Gastro emerged in the Lower Realm of Power, their sudden appearance catching Hovi and Elial off guard. The two Xanthex level gods hastily moved to confront the unexpected returnees, their expressions shifting between shock and disbelief.

"Why have you returned?" Hovi demanded, his voice sharp and laden with frustration. His eyes burned with barely restrained fury, the kind of rage born from the crumbling of carefully laid plans. For him, Tessa's ascent to the Middle Realm of Power was not just a step—it was a strategy. If she had successfully completed the evaluation, she could have become the next Imogi, the rare harbinger of divine potential.

He had been so close—so close—to witnessing the ascension of the next Imogi, she could have claimed the mantle and become his most pivotal puppet to reshape the balance of his world. Yet, here she was, standing before him as though all of it had been for naught.

Tessa met his seething gaze without flinching. Her posture was calm, her expression unwavering—fearless even. She understood Hovi's ambition, his desire to use her as a pawn to fulfill his goals. But Tessa had her own path. The cosmic seed of the Time God now burned within her, brimming with untold knowledge. It had unlocked truths far beyond Hovi's comprehension: the ability to create gods, to slay forbidden deities, even those of the mythical Xanthex tier. Yet, such power required the elusive Godkiller, an artifact she neither possessed nor fully understood. These revelations swirled in her mind, gleaned from the enigmatic time god —Zorath.

Her voice broke the tension, calm but carrying a weight of fabricated regret. "I couldn't continue any longer," she said, her gaze briefly lowering as though in shame. "The cosmic disturbance… it's affected me in ways I wasn't prepared for. I need to return to my world."

Her explanation only enraged Hovi further. His fists clenched tightly, his knuckles cracking as he fought the urge to lash out. "Do you even hear yourself?" he hissed.

Hovi's face darkened. His body vibrating with barely restrained rage. "You mean to tell me," he hissed once more, his tone rising with each word, "that after all the protection I gave you, after everything you overcame to ascend to the Middle Realm, you quit? You stopped during the evaluation? You abandoned the chance to obtain a limit, a threshold of power that most can only dream of, that sends a mortal beyond the handle of mortality into godhood, and now you crawl back here—to exit?!" His voice thundered now, raw with disbelief. "Are you insane, or just brain dead?"

His voice echoed through the realm, Hovi's rage swirled around him, his energy surging dangerously as the air crackled with tension, but Tessa remained composed, as if his rage were no more than the wind brushing past her.

Deep within, she was indifferent to his fury, yet she knew she had to play the part. She let her body tremble slightly, her voice faltering just enough to seem convincing.

"I'm sorry, Lord Hovi. I truly couldn't continue…" she said softly, casting her gaze downward in mock submission.

Standing to the side, Elial observed her every movement with a piercing gaze, his frown deepening as seconds ticked by. Despite the calm exterior he maintained, his thoughts churned like a storm. Tessa wasn't one to act without reason—every step, every word, every glance she made was measured. But this? Abandoning the evaluation mid-trial, returning so unceremoniously? It stank of ulterior motives, something he couldn't quite grasp yet.

He stepped forward, his sharp eyes narrowing as they flicked between Tessa and her companion. The air grew heavier with his presence. "This girl..." he muttered to himself, his voice low and laced with suspicion. "She's too clever for such stupidity... What game is she playing now?"

His attention shifted to Gastro, who stood beside Tessa like a sentinel. The bull-race representative's hulking frame radiated an intimidating presence, yet there was a vulnerability in his silence, a weight that clung to his stoic demeanor. His face remained impassive, but Elial's keen eyes picked up the cracks—tightened shoulders, a clenched jaw, and the faintest flicker of hesitation in his gaze.

Elial's lips curled into a sneer. "And you," he said, his tone razor-sharp, slicing through the air. "What's your story? Why have you returned with her? Surely, someone like you, on the brink of securing glory for a race that has long languished in mediocrity, wouldn't throw it all away for... this." His hand gestured dismissively toward Tessa, though his eyes never left Gastro's.

Gastro shifted slightly, his bulk casting a shadow over Tessa as though instinctively shielding her. His eyes darted to her, seeking an unspoken cue. She met his gaze with a subtle nod, her way of instructing him to hold to their fabricated story.

"I couldn't leave her behind," Gastro finally said, his deep voice steady but strangely hollow, as though the words didn't entirely belong to him. "She was overwhelmed by the disturbance. I... I had no choice but to bring her back."

Elial raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Let me rephrase your brilliant tale, Gastro, before I lose what remains of my patience listening to this drivel," he said, his voice dripping with derision. He stepped closer, his towering presence oppressive, casting a metaphorical—and literal—shadow over the duo. "You mean to tell me that you abandoned your trial, forfeited the chance to ascend to a Xanthex-level deity—a title your race has been clawing toward for centuries—just to escort your partner out of the evaluation ground? Do you think me a fool, Gastro?"

The temperature seemed to drop as Elial's voice lowered, his words cutting deeper. "So, tell me, is it that your brain cells are in constant evaporation, or are you hiding something? Because I will find out. Make no mistake."

Tessa's grip on her cloak tightened, her nails biting into the fabric. Her heart thudded in her chest, but her face betrayed none of it. The game had shifted dangerously, her web of lies stretched taut under Elial's scrutiny. Hovi and Elial were circling her now, their predatory instincts sharpening, waiting for her to stumble.

But Tessa wasn't about to give them that satisfaction.

She straightened, lifting her chin just enough to meet Elial's piercing gaze. Her voice, when she spoke, was calm, firm, and unwavering. "We've made our decision," she said, each word deliberate and cutting through the tension like a blade. "I came here to obtain power, and I will. The cosmic disturbance means I can return and try again. But for now, I need to see my parents."

Elial's eyes narrowed, his calculating mind dissecting her every word.

"Our path is our own," she continued, her voice unyielding. "Whatever you think, it changes nothing. I have no regrets."

Her declaration hung in the air like a challenge, daring him to question her resolve. Beside her, Gastro remained silent, his broad shoulders tense, yet somehow exuding solidarity.

Hovi's fists tightened at his sides, his barely contained anger simmering just beneath the surface. Meanwhile, Elial's gaze bore into Tessa, searching, probing, looking for even the smallest crack in her armor.

The tension was palpable, the room teetering on the edge of an explosion. But Tessa stood her ground. She wasn't the girl they thought they knew. Whatever plans they had for her, whatever power they sought to control, she was beyond their grasp now.

She was no longer just Tessa. She was something more—a force neither Hovi nor Elial could yet comprehend.