Chapter 301: Karma (XIX)
And by moon, I meant that...
She was the Moon itself given form.
Her hair flowed in waves of white that gleamed as though woven from starlight, each strand glowing faintly like it carried the reflection of the night sky.
Her eyes, vast and endless, were the color of the ocean under moonlight, deep blue yet glimmering with faint silver tides.
At the center of each iris rested a black crescent moon reminiscent of mine.
My gaze trailed down, and my breath caught.
Her body was both divine and merciless in its perfection, massive breasts that rose and fell with slow breaths, a slim waist that curved into long, slender legs sculpted like ivory, each line flowing into the next with impossible elegance.
Her figure carried a demonic allure, curves that promised ruin to whoever dared to covet them.
Her face was flawless in a way that left me uneasy, as though even gods had no right to wear such beauty. High, defined cheekbones gave her an aristocratic sharpness, while her nose was small and upturned just slightly, playful against the cold majesty she carried.
Her lips were the color of frozen seas, a soft yet striking blue that seemed unreal, almost poisonous in their allure.
Above them, her brows arched like ice phoenix wings, thin and proud, sweeping upward with a grace that framed her gaze in chilling fire. Her lashes, pale blue and long, cast shadows over her skin like falling frost.
She stood there, silent, letting me see her in full.
And under the weight of her gaze, I felt myself still.
"...She’s..."
The words slipped from my mouth, although I didn’t finish them.
The most beautiful woman I had ever seen.
Even with all the faces, all the lovers, all the queens and goddesses that had crossed my path... I was completely baffled.
"Aestrea... we’ve finally met," she declared, and surprisingly, her voice fitted her appearance completely, a cold, almost emotionless tone without a single hint of warmth.
She took a few steps to approach, and at that moment, only a dumb person wouldn’t realize that she was the Goddess of the Moon.
But well... how come we’re meeting?
I thought I’d only be able to meet her at the Divine Realm... or since I’m technically her Vessel, she can meet me...
...Whatever, no use thinking about it.
"I was waiting a long time for you," she stopped right in front of me. She was surprisingly tall, standing at the same height as me.
But honeslty... although I noticed that my personality was possessive towards her... that feeling had probably disappeared.
Now... despite her being drop-dead gorgeous, the only thing that I felt for her was none other than...
Familiarity.
With that in mind, I went straight to the subject.
"What do you want from me?"
Her expression didn’t change at all, as if she had expected those words from me.
"...Do you want to keep on being my apostle?" She paused slighly before saying, "Now you have power, and won’t need my blessing anymore."
I frowned slighly.
This blessing indeed saved me a lot of times, and... if I want to fight against those high gods, especially that son of a bitch called Chronos, I need more power, so getting rid of it would only be a disadvantage.
"That...," I decided to be honest.
"I probably need your blessing."
"Mhm..." she hummed thoughtfully, looking at me through her blue eyelashes.
"But I assume that you don’t want to be my apostle?"
"Right," I nodded, "I don’t think I need whatever benefits being your apostle gives except the power of your blessing."
The Goddess of the Moon nodded at my words.
Then, she tilted her head slightly, her eyes steady on mine.
"You’ve turned quite selfish in just a matter of months."
I gave a short laugh, though there wasn’t much humor in it.
"Guess so." I shrugged my shoulders, not really trying to defend myself.
"That’s what happens when someone goes through too much at once," I said in a calm, almost detached tone.
"And even swapping places with the so-called hero..."
That last part I aimed straight at her.
The Goddess let out a slow sigh, like she had been expecting me to bring it up. Her expression didn’t change much, but the way she exhaled made her seem almost tired.
"It wasn’t my fault," she said evenly. "You were the one who managed to completely absorb my blessing. That alone made you my apostle."
Her words hung between us, cold and sharp, but not unkind.
"So what you’re saying is... I didn’t have a choice."
"You never did," she replied simply.
Then, almost as an afterthought, she added:
"...Just like when I brought you to this world."
I froze at her comment.
"...What?"
Her eyes didn’t blink, her face as unreadable as the moon itself.
"Aestrea’s real soul was about to die. But since he was my apostle, I couldn’t allow that. If he vanished, my divinity would have been put at risk. I only had one apostle. Unlike the other gods who keep thousands as safeguards, I only had him."
My heart hammered in my chest as I heard her words.
"So... what the hell are you saying?" I took half a step back without even realizing it.
She stared at me emotionlessly.
"Then I found you. A perfect soul. Someone with nothing to lose except a comfortable, meaningless life. I pulled you here in one decision, one simple act." She lifted her hand slightly, like snapping her fingers.
"And to help you, I even gave you a little system. Something you mortals seem to enjoy. Just like in those ridiculous novels you read."
Her tone dripped with boredom, like she was reciting facts from a book she didn’t care about.
Then she let her hand fall back to her side and stared through me.
"I never understood why you like them."
She waved her hand lazily, and something ripped out of my head like a thread being pulled. I winced, grabbing at my temple as a glowing panel shimmered into view.
...My status window.
"Oh?" Her tone sharpened with interest.
"I haven’t checked this in a while. You’ve gathered quite a lot of titles. And even..." Her eyes narrowed, pale lashes dipping as she leaned closer.
"...Chaotic Energy? How surprising."
But then, her eyes surprisingly turned even colder than before.
"But this..." Her finger traced the panel, and she read it slowly.
"[The One Who Loves the Goddess of the Moon]..." Her eyes snapped to me.
"...Why doesn’t it say ’obsesses,’ like before?"
My eyes widened in surprise.
So... my predecessor really was obsessed with her?
But me?
That wasn’t the case anymore. Not even close.
I let out a shaky breath and opened my mouth.
"Well, it’s simply because I don’t really lov—"
Thump!
Air shot out of my lungs.
In a blink, I was slammed to the ground, the impact rattling my back.
My vision blurred for a second before clearing, and there she was, sitting firmly on top of me, straddling my stomach with a gaze sharp enough to cut me open.
"What the—" I hissed, my hands pressing against the floor for balance.
The Moon Goddess didn’t answer.
She shoved the floating panel aside with one hand, dismissing it like trash. Then her other hand came down, palm flat, planting firmly against the ground beside my chest.
Her second hand followed, caging me in.
Her face hovered above mine now, white hair spilling down, brushing against my cheeks. Cold, heavy eyes locked onto me, searching, reading every twitch of my expression.
"...Explain," she said softly.
I swallowed hard, staring up at her.
"...Maybe the old soul, your previous apostle, loved you. But me? I don’t. Sure, I feel... possessive sometimes. But right now... the only thing I feel is familiarity. That’s it."
For a moment, the world seemed to still. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and then, almost instinctively, she bit her lower lip.
My chest tightened at the sight.
Something about that tiny movement made her feel less untouchable, less distant.
She reached out slowly, her fingers ghosting over my cheek.
They were icy cold, like marble left in the night, yet somehow... I couldn’t pull away. Every nerve in me seemed to want her there.
Her touch lingered, delicately.
It was unsettling, unnatural, but also... grounding. There was a strange sense of balance, like we were two pieces cut from the same shape.
It felt... right.
Like we belonged together.
Like a perfect match.
"Aestrea," she whispered, saying my name before pressing her forehead gently against mine.
Honestly... I didn’t know what to do. I just froze, stiff and awkward, unsure whether to move or stay still.
Then...
"Ugh..."
Without warning, my black wings shot out from my back, wrapping around her like they were moving on their own.
Almost like... protecting her... or even... cuddling her.
"Finally..." she murmured, her voice soft and strange, and I tilted my head, confused.
Then, all at once...
"ARGHHHH!"
Pain shot straight into my brain.
My vision blurred, my muscles tensed, and my whole body trembled as if some invisible force was tearing through me.
And in that instant...
A stream of memories flowed into my brain...
Memories of my...
Past Reincarnations.