Chapter 102 - The Mystery of Athena’s Ghost

Part of me was utterly shocked by the leak about Cylla’s existence, and even more so that they knew she was a phoenix. No one from the castle would ever reveal that we had an intelligent animal; for centuries, the secret of the Carnellian had never been exposed. Aside from the Legacies, Kinue, and the teacher, no one knew Cylla was a phoenix.

I could imagine how Sisika might know my name. Even though I’m not well known to the public, since in the duchy we keep heirs hidden until they reach adulthood, it’s possible for someone with enough power and influence to access my kingdom’s records. Plus, she saw me at that party. But knowing about Cylla? That was impossible.

How does she know what a Phoenix Master is?

That question kept swirling in my mind. But then I remembered she could read thoughts. I was standing in a corner, a bit away from the cave. Sisika had left to find food and returned shortly after with some fish. She had made it clear that if I tried to leave the cave, she would know.

She read all my plans directly from my mind and laid them out...

It was getting late, and part of me was starting to worry about what was happening. I had sent Sifu after the other soldier, but now I was questioning what he would think had happened to me.

“Don’t worry, you’ll see them all soon enough,” Sisika said.

“You just want to get to know me, that’s it?”

“I already know you, but I want to know you... more deeply...” Her response was enigmatic.

I didn’t understand what she meant.

“Then ask me whatever you want. I want to leave as soon as possible. I need to get home.”

Sisika sighed, a look of calm spreading across her face.

“It’s not time yet. We’ll spend the night here, and tomorrow I’ll take you to the path. Along the way, I’ll try to get to know you better. Just wait.”

“Are you from some noble family or the royal capital? Are you a Night Killer?” I asked, trying to pry more answers from her.

She looked at me with that calmness that bordered on infinite patience.

“I’ve already read your thoughts and know you’ve figured out that I’m not ordinary. You’ve already deduced that I’m not from your kingdom.”

“Then where are you from?”

“Far... very far. Just know that it’s a place where I don’t want anyone to know you exist. And I hope you never find out where it is.”

Trying to get answers from Sisika felt like a losing battle. Everything she said was wrapped in a veil of mystery.

Trying to force answers seems pointless...

“Yes, it will be pointless,” she replied, confirming my frustration.

Not even my thoughts are safe...

I glanced to the side and saw Athena sitting as if she were trying to warm herself by the fire.

“What is it?” Athena asked, noticing my gaze. “I’ve got nothing better to do, so I’m just going with the flow of the situation.”

Could she possibly see the...

“Yes. I can see that thing next to you,” Sisika said suddenly, interrupting my thoughts.

“What? You can see her?” I asked, surprised.

“This bitch can see me?” Athena said, now visibly irritated, standing abruptly.

Sisika let out a small laugh, as if it were a joke, and went back to focusing on the fire.

I, still drenched from the water, approached the fire, trying to warm my body.

“Can you tell me what this thing is that I keep seeing? I want to know what this woman is,” I asked, insistent, already tired of all the riddles.

“Icarus!” Athena shouted furiously, appearing before me as if she wanted to stop me.

She looked back, glaring at Sisika with flaming eyes.

“You can actually see me?” Athena asked, a mix of rage and disbelief in her voice.

Sisika raised her head and fixed her gaze in the exact direction where Athena stood.

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“I can see you and hear you, you annoying woman.”

“Annoying!? How dare you!?” Athena screamed, clearly offended.

The mystery seemed to grow with every passing minute. The fact that Sisika could not only see Athena but also interact with her, an entity I believed was exclusive to my mind, deeply unsettled me. It felt as if all the boundaries I knew were dissolving, and something much larger was lurking in the shadows.

“Do you know what she is? I need to know,” I asked, stepping closer to Sisika.

Athena, always imposing with her usual sarcastic demeanor, took a step back. For the first time, I saw fear etched on the goddess’s face.

“I can’t tell you. It’s up to you to find out. The truth about her is tied to you. If I told you, you would never truly understand what she is,” Sisika responded calmly, but her words carried an unexpected answer.

“What do you mean? What do you mean by ‘truly’?” I was confused and frustrated.

“ENOUGH!” Athena shouted, her voice echoing through the cave. “That’s enough! Stop! End this!”

Sisika merely glanced at her. “Disappear. If you leave now, I’ll stay quiet about what you really are. I want to be alone with him. Go away, and don’t come back until it’s time for me to leave.”

I watched as Athena clenched her fists, her lips trembling with suppressed rage. “I’ll do it, but don’t forget, Sisika, if you break our agreement… I know what you really are,” Athena said before leaving the cave, vanishing like a shadow dissolving at dawn.

“What the hell was that?” I asked, completely at a loss.

Sisika, unfazed, turned her attention back to the fire and continued preparing the fish. “If I want to get to know you better, I need to make sure it’s just the two of us.”

My head was spinning with confusion. I had always thought I was the only one who could see Athena, that this torment was mine alone, but now I discovered that someone else could not only see her but communicate with her.

Sisika negotiated with Athena… this ghost, this apparition, is not just a hallucination. It is something real. Something I don’t yet understand.

“Can you tell me why she haunts me? What is this thing, really?”

Sisika sighed deeply.

“Unfortunately, I can’t. But don’t think it’s because I’m afraid she’ll reveal what I am... it’s something you need to figure out on your own. If I told you now, it would only get in the way. When the time comes, everything will make sense.”

I nodded, frustrated. I knew I wasn’t going to get the answer I wanted. But there was something else that was bothering me.

“So, all those times we met, was it a coincidence?”

“No...” she admitted, offering no further details.

What is this red-haired woman, really?

She stood up and handed me the roasted fish. “Here, eat.”

I sat in a corner, the cold biting at my skin, though not as much as the doubt burning in my mind. Someone had seen Athena. This shook me in a way I had never imagined. I had never asked Kinue about it when she mentioned seeing a strange woman in my room, because I feared the answer. I’d rather let my mind rest comfortably with the possibility that Kinue had just seen a servant. But now, I was certain this apparition held secrets.

Secrets I have to uncover...

“Take off your clothes,” she suddenly said.

“WHAT!?” The abrupt request yanked me out of my thoughts like a punch to the gut.

“Calm down! Stop reacting like that!” She was visibly red, clearly flustered.

I didn’t know what to think.

“I’m talking about your wet clothes, idiot! You need to let them dry. Look at me, I fell in the water too, but my fire magic dried me off.”

“I’m not taking off my clothes...”

“Then your only alternative is to warm up by cuddling with me,” she said with a mocking smile.

“I’m not doing that either…” I responded, already stepping away.

She stood up and came toward me.

“What are you doing?” I asked, dragging myself backward.

“Stop it! You’re making me seem like some maniac about to do something perverted,” she complained.

“That’s exactly what it looks like.”

She grabbed me with ease, dragging me back to the fire. “Be quiet and stop complaining,” she ordered, her tone still firm.

“You realize saying that only makes things worse, right?”

The woman was blushing as she sat me down, then positioned herself behind me, pulling me closer into a tight embrace. Sisika locked me against her body.

“If you had chosen to take off your clothes, I would’ve faced away from you all night. Now you’ve made it worse,” Sisika said with a slight scolding in her voice, though I could tell she was embarrassed.

I couldn’t help but feel nervous. It was strange being held so intimately by someone I barely knew.

“You know I can read thoughts, so don’t get any ideas.”

With a touch of provocation, I thought of something just to test her, making it clear what the situation seemed like.

“I’m not taking advantage of you! I’m just warming you up!” She quickly got flustered.

“I get it, don’t worry... but I have to admit, you’re pretty warm...”

“Sh-shut up!” Her voice stammered, and I realized how embarrassed she was.

Damn, she really is warming me up...

“See? No maniacal intentions,” she replied, sounding a bit defensive.

“Don’t read my thoughts.”

“Just sleep,” she ordered, trying to sound firm.

“I won’t. Who could sleep in a situation like this?”

“You’re weak. The cold will kill you, hunger will kill you, and lack of sleep will kill you. You’re fragile, so sleep. We’ve got a long journey ahead tomorrow.”

Even though my mind was on high alert, my body started to truly relax in the warmth of her embrace. It was strange, but her touch had something comforting about it, as if her presence eased some of my exhaustion and even the accumulated fatigue. The embrace was warm, but the heat was gentle.

“Answer me something, Sisika.”

“I won’t promise to answer, but go ahead and ask.”

“How did I pass out during the fall?”

“That’s simple. When I caught you, I used my soul power and sped up the awakening of your eyes, which caused you to faint.”

I digested the information in silence for a few seconds.

“So, you kidnap a guy, make him pass out, and now you’re in this strange position with him? This is definitely what a perverted maniac would do...”

Before I could continue, Sisika squeezed me even tighter, almost crushing me in the embrace.

“What are you doing?”

“You wanted to provoke me, so now I’m paying you back!” she said, laughing as she squeezed me even tighter.

“Damn! Okay, okay! I’m sorry! You’re way too strong!”

The sensation of being crushed reminded me of a certain little winged creature that had shared my bed with me since I was five years old.

I wonder how everyone back home is doing? I spent a night away from them while I was with Sifu, but now the homesickness is really starting to weigh on me.

Sisika seemed to pick up on something in my thoughts and softened her grip.

“Missing home?”

“Normally I’d be stronger mentally, but I had a terrible nightmare... and now I just want to see them, to make sure those people are real.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll see them soon. When you understand the truth I have to tell you, everything will make sense... until then, know that everything I’m doing has a purpose,” she said with a calmness that made me pause and reflect.

Despite all the doubts and confusion, there was something about Sisika that made me trust her. Maybe it was the fact that, despite everything, she didn’t seem to want to harm me.