'I made a substantial harvest today.'

I was inside my bedroom, organizing my thoughts. 'With Akira's divinity, finding other gods would be safer and faster,' I supposed. 'Moving the Divine Eyes tops only at a running speed. Traveling costs would still be halved, at least.'

I was sure that there were no other gods in the nearby towns. Akira's existence proved me wrong. To an outsider, he looked like a listless guy who loved to daydream when awake. That was within my definition of "normal." Yet he proved to claim a very potent ability.

"I will double-check this city tomorrow. I might have missed someone."

I was skeptical when Jake told me that Akira was a god, but his judgment was spot on, as always. I was annoyed with our meeting initially since I thought it was a waste of time. In retrospect, Akira being a god might have been why he never tattled about my powers and how he even saw me use them in the first place.

I debated whether to deal with Akira myself. But letting Jake handle it happened to be the best decision I made. I would never have found out about Akira's godhood, and a student missing would make people uneasy.

Divinities without visible effects were regretfully common. I don't know if that was a general truth, but two of the three gods I knew were in that situation, including myself.

"Well, this isn't that bad. I wanted to test the Divine Eyes that I got anyway."

I let out a long yawn. Today was a long day, no matter how I looked at it. I rolled over the bed to sleep. Tomorrow will be a busy day.

"The heavens are finally on our side. Hang in there, Jake."

***

"Vinny, breakfast is ready!"

'Is it time already?' I checked the clock. 'I feel like I haven't slept at all.'

I came downstairs and saw Aunt Lizzy in the dining room. "Good morning, Aunt Lizzy," I greeted, letting out a small yawn. I sat down and took a spoon full of my breakfast cereal. While eating, I decided to experiment with my borrowed divinity. A pair of ethereal eyes manifested. I made it go outside the house and inspect the surroundings.

Around the park, I saw a boy jogging around. He looked back and met my gaze. I averted my eyes by reflex. 'Haha. It's just Jake,' I thought. Those eyes are invisible anyway. I let my vision wander around the city, and the experience was weirdly fun.

"Still sleepy?" asked my aunt. "Staying up late is bad for kids like you. I know it's Sunday, but if you want to play, you can always do it in the morning."

I recalled my Divine Eyes and opened my actual ones. "I didn't stay up late. The games we played yesterday were just more exhausting than usual."

"That's to be expected with that little ball of energy," she chuckled. "Now, eat up before it gets cold. I'll be leaving soon."

"Take care of yourself, Aunt Lizzy. I'll be here when you get back."

She waved her hands. She stopped before the door after remembering something. "Oh, Vince. Your parents were considering giving you a visit later tonight. Be sure to clean your room this time."

"I'll do it right now," I replied. 'Yeah, sure. That's not going to happen. It never does.'

'Now, what to do?' I asked myself. 'I almost forgot. Jake will be training Akira today. Should I join them later? No, I'll waste our time if I do,' I considered. I might interfere with them, and they would distract me. There's really no reason for me to go.

With that, I returned to my bedroom. I manifested my Divine Eyes and let it meander high in the air and did some tests. I discovered I could adjust its field of view, focus, and exposure. 'This is better than a regular eye at night,' I thought.

'Oh, Akira is already coming to the park. Did they agree to meet early?'

Akira wore a sporty attire that looked like a gym outfit. He appeared somewhat excited as he approached the grassy park. I was sure that yesterday's events, and the circumstances that led to them, were a massive shock to him. 'I'm glad you're starting to adjust, Akira,' I thought. 'Sorry I did that to you yesterday, but please protect Jake on my behalf.'

Jake and Akira met at the designated place. They were talking, but I could not hear them. 'Maybe I could try lip reading?' I thought and turned into them.

'Punch me?' Jake asked I assumed. I laughed. "Did I read that right?"

Akira moved into a stance, although he was trembling. He asked Jake some questions and Jake seemed to approve all his queries. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His shaking stopped. After a pause, he threw a straight punch to Jake's chest.

Jake was not hurt in the slightest. Akira collapsed to his knees and started crying, only to be reassured by Jake. Akira smiled as if he had the most triumphant victory he had made. Jake gave Akira a pat on his shoulder.

I watched this confusing sequence of events and thought, 'That was hilarious.' I was huffing in laughter in my room. It felt like watching a silent film. 'I need to hear what they're saying.'

I changed my clothes and hurried to the park using Shadow Walk. I resurfaced on a nearby tree away from people's view. I walked to where the two were and greeted them.

"Good morning," I greeted them. Akira seems to be on guard against me. Well, I acted a bit strange yesterday from his perspective.

"Akira," I turned to him. "I'm sorry I acted like that yesterday. I really have to do that for Jake," I said. "We have our own circumstances that are hard to explain, but I hope you'll understand. When the dust settles, I wish you could stay as Jake's friend."

"And yours too, Vince," Jake added. "We're all friends here!"

Akira looked down at his feet. His brows furrowed. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but he just nodded at the end. What did he want to say? Well, it doesn't matter. When it all ends, I will leave so I can stop destroying people's lives.

Reading the mood, Jake stirred the conversation to something more productive. "Do you want to join us in our self-defense training today?"

Akira looked with a puzzled face and said, "Self-defense? I thought this was about fighting?"

"So you want that, too? I knew you had it in you! I guess I'll adjust our program," Jake teased. "If that's what you want."

Akira's eyes widened in shock. "No, no, no. You don't have to do that for me," he said. "I mean, I don't want to waste your time."

"No need to be shy," Jake laughed. "I'll gladly waste my time for you guys. You can totally hang with us every weekend from now on."

Akira's mouth hung slightly open for a moment before he could reply. It almost looked like he was biting his tongue. "Well, I suppose I have no choice." He did not seem happy about it.

I turned to Akira and said, "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll enjoy it once you get to it." He sighed in resignation. "And sorry, Jake. I think I'll stay in the house for the rest of the day. Something came up, but you two are welcome if you want to come by," I said and left.

I honestly wanted to stay with them and hang out, but seeing Jake with his fragmented memories reminded me of my sin. My sin where Jake was suffering from the consequences. Seeing Jake in this state was a hard pill to swallow.

'If only I didn't exist... No,' I cut my thoughts off. 'I need to find traces of other gods.' I have to get back to work, my two years of work that I had to redo.

***

I went back to my room. It was cluttered with books about the supernatural, maps I painstakingly marked, and files containing my notes. It was a mess, but I couldn't be bothered to do a proper cleaning before.

"I really do have to clean up after all," I muttered. I doubt that my parents would actually visit, but my notes and the marks I placed on the maps were now mostly obsolete. Plus, Aunt would nag at me for not cleaning up.

I first sorted through my notes and threw away the ones I no longer needed. Then I looked through the other stacks. Books like The Occult, Faith and Belief, Local Folk Tales, and Unexplained Mysteries seem to still have relevance, so I kept those. Books like Mythologies and Gods and Goddesses had become outdated, despite their titles screaming "Gods." The ones that I knew were never that high-key anyway.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

The next step was clearing out my maps. All of them that had anything written had to be disposed of. I only kept those without any marks yet. After that, my stuff was sorted into three categories: For Disposal, For Donation/Sale, and For Keeping.

Placing something into the For Disposal box was what I liked the least. The thought of getting rid of them was disheartening. My old notes were discarded, too. At least my maps were easily disposable. For memory's sake, I decided to read them one last time.

"This was about the 'food thief,' which was merely a raccoon. I laughed hard at this," I mumbled to myself. I skimmed my other notes before discarding them, too. 'I sure have a lot of notes. Most were useless, though.' I was flipping through my last notebook to throw when a bookmark fell out.

I closed the notebook shut and picked the bookmark up. The moment I lifted the bookmark, I realized it wasn't really a bookmark but an old photograph. It was a picture of my family, with my two-year-old self and my parents. 'Way to sour the mood, mom and dad.' I peeked at the photo again before placing it back where it came from.

With that, I could finally start my room cleaning, which took less time than I thought. I arranged the items I decided to keep into their proper locations, and the first time I stepped back into the room, I was pretty pleased.

The things that I would not keep were placed downstairs. I left a note for Aunt Lizzy to discuss how to get rid of them later. With my mess put in order, I threw a lot of the things I could into the bin and hoped that Aunt Lizzy would appreciate it.

I finished right before lunchtime. I heated the meal my aunt had prepared me and ate it deliciously.

For the rest of the afternoon, I validated my notes about the odd behaviors of the townspeople. This time, I lowered the bar on what I considered strange. Anything I could vaguely connect to a supernatural power made it into the cut.

'Should I note that guy? He's looking around quite often. Could be heightened senses or something.' I hesitated for a moment before noting it. 'Well, I can always confirm in the future.'

Three hours later, I finished scouting around the area. 'Not a single case is conclusive. That's disappointing,' I sighed. 'Although I got better at using my new ability.'

I found some neat little tricks to using the Divine Eyes better. An example was to open my eyes while the Divine Eyes are active. Using it with my eyes open would typically cause headaches due to the overlapping vision, and the Divine Eyes can't be closed shut. My solution was to submerge the Divine Eyes into walls or the ground to prevent light from passing through them, making it safe to open my eyes.

It was still three in the afternoon, so I decided to check what Jake and Akira were up to. They were still at the park, training. Akira looked like he was struggling, but he kept his head up. Akira kept coming back and gaining confidence. On the other hand, Jake seems to enjoy training with him. I was happy to see them getting along.

I decided to come over in person. It might be selfish, but I wanted to have a memory of my time here with Jake and even our new friend before I eventually disappeared. No, It was just the stress from work getting to me. I just wanted to relax, that is all.

The park had a playground that Jake frequented every weekend since first grade. The lush grass was the perfect place for rolling on and jumping. There was also a jungle gym and balance beams for the kids to play. In short, this place was the perfect spot for exercise.

"Looks like you guys are having too much fun," I made my presence known to them. I handed each of them a bottle of water that I bought from a vending machine along the way. The two were sweating profusely, yet they didn't seem out of breath.

"Thanks," Jake said as he took the bottle and drank a mouthful. Akira hesitated, then followed after him. "Thank you."

Akira seemed much more relaxed than before. It wasn't hard to tell that he had grown accustomed to Jake's presence a bit more. I wonder what happened between them a while ago. But it was not my concern for now.

"Are you two still going to continue training today?" I asked.

"No, we were about to wrap up," Jake answered. "What were you up to, Vince? You look stressed out."

Oh, did I? I did not think it would show. I shrugged, "Aunt asked me to clean my room since my parents were supposed to visit this night. I did not expect it would take me a lot of time, though."

Jake frowned. He was aware of my situation with my ever-absent parents. I was sure Jake thought of words to make me feel better, but I did not deserve his pity. He changed the topic, "Want to see Akira's progress? He's talented, I tell you."

"No. You're a natural, Akira!" Jake exclaimed, patting his chest. "You only lack experience and training. I'm sure you will overcome your fears in no time." Akira let out an uncomfortable smile at the sudden praise from Jake.

"I'm actually curious," I voiced. "Are you up for a spar? Don't worry. I will hold back."

Jake smiled at Akira, who hesitated for a second before nodding. During our spar, I understood what Jake meant when he said 'only lacking experience and training.'

After our session, I commented, "You can somewhat read my moves but can't react appropriately. You can land unexpected punches and kicks, but they felt quite soft." I was honestly surprised by his performance, especially knowing that this was his first time. "You're quite good."

Akira smiled a bit embarrassedly, "Thanks."

"To celebrate your improvement, I'll treat everyone to a snack at a diner near here," I told them. They nodded in agreement.

"We'll take a shower first," Jake said as he removed his shirt. He turned to Akira and pointed at his house, "That house over there is ours. You can borrow a change of clothes if you want." Akira nodded and followed Jake.

"I'll wait here," I told them. I decided to play on the swing while I waited for them. The feeling of the wind against my face felt nice. Just for fun, I closed my eyes and manifested my Divine Eyes. I moved it around and watched myself swinging from a bird's eye perspective. It felt surreal as if reality was just a dream. I wish this reality was just a dream.

After a while, Jake and Akira picked me up from the park. We left for the Silver Shack Diner nearby. It was a quick walk, less than five minutes from our place. The diner looked expensive, as they served delectable food to their customers. The atmosphere was great, and there were not many people there. We sat at a table for three and read the menu.

"All of these are expensive... Are you sure you're okay with this?" Akira asked nervously.

"Yes. Order anything you like," I replied. "I'll be ordering a Rare Brisket Steak with Salad, and a Thick-Braised Egg Roll, for reference."

"For me, I'll order Pork Ribs and Mashed Potatoes," Jake said, barely looking at the menu.

Akira flipped through the menu but gave up halfway and said, "I'll just order the same as yours."

Thirty minutes later, our food was ready. A belly-filling meal was served, and it tasted great. It was fun to see Akira's surprised face when he realized he had ordered the same as mine instead of Jake's. I was happy they were enjoying the food. I wasn't expecting anything like this, though. It felt great to see them having fun on their day off. It was more than enough.

We continued eating, getting to know each other better. Akira was awkward before, but he seemed to warm up slowly.

"You know Akira, Jake started training after I showed him the anime, Renichi. We were in first grade at that time," I laughed. "He even signed himself up in a Martial Arts Gym without his parents knowing." It was a funny memory, but then I remembered something. "He signed me up as well."

"Thanks for that self-burn," Jake chuckled, "I never thought he'd actually try it." he laughed out loud, "That's a good one."

I noticed Akira blush slightly and said, "Akira, do you have any hobbies?"

"Not really," Akira contemplated. "I don't know if this counts, but I enjoy touring around with my Far Sight. I want to visit many places in person in the future, though."

"I'm sure you'd be able to do that," Jake said confidently. "You can tell us about your future adventures when we grow up."

"I suppose so," Akira laughed.

After we finished our meal, I looked at the bill and paid for it. It was just $200 in total. It was already dark when we left the diner. We exchanged goodbyes and parted ways with Akira, who lived in the other direction. I walked home with Jake since we lived near each other. We, too, parted after we reached our homes.

***

It was six in the evening, and Aunt Lizzy had not returned home yet. She was supposed to be here already since four, but I think this was a special day for her. My parents would allegedly visit after all. Maybe she was out in the grocery to prepare for dinner. I already ate, though.

I took a nap and woke up at eight. I came downstairs and saw Aunt Lizzy already there with a feast on the table. She was not looking too happy, though, and I was pretty sure why.

"Vince. Something came up on your mom and dad's side," Aunt Lizzy informed. "They will not have the time to visit this month and the next."

I was not surprised in the least. "That's nothing new," I replied indifferently. "I did not expect my parents to come anyway. I'm not disappointed at all," I added. "Let's enjoy this meal in front of us." I cleared my throat. "I'm starving anyway."

The table was filled with various dishes, and I wanted to try them all. Aunt Lizzy's cooking was the best I had tasted, after all. I put a little of everything on my plate and started eating. I enjoyed every single bite.

We were in the middle of the meal when Aunt Lizzy stopped and looked at me. I raised my eyes and saw her look so solemn. "I see that you cleaned your room as I instructed," she said to me in a wavering voice. "Everything was sparkling. Nice job," she continued.

"I figured it was about time to do that anyway," I replied. "I thought I had a lot of things I no longer needed. It's best to let go of them since they clutter the room without bringing anything of value."

"I noticed those boxes over there. One is for donation or sale, and the other is for disposal, right?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. I don't know what to do with those. I don't know where to donate or sell those books, and I don't know how to properly dispose of my obsolete notes," I said. "Do we burn those? Put them in the trash? Do we go through a paper recycling process? I don't know."

"Sure. I'll help you with that," my aunt sighed. "But you know, I saw something interesting in your discard box. I think you should keep it." She handed me a photograph of my parents and me. "You know they love you, right?"

She looked me in the eyes and then lowered her gaze. "They left so they could earn more money and provide for you. I'm sure it hurts them as much as it hurts you. Your parents are not something you 'no longer need.' Please give them a chance," she pleaded.

I've been here before, and I knew the words that she would say. "I know. I know. And you're going to say that it is not my fault that they left. And that I should not blame myself, right?" I asked.

"You don't have to be so hard on yourself, Vinny," she replied. "We are here for you now. And we will always be here for you. We love you. Your friends love you. And your parents love you."

My aunt approached to give me a hug, but I did what I always do. An instinct I developed over the years when someone comes near and the only way I know to prevent my divinity from activating. I yelled, "Go away. Don't touch me!"

She stopped coming my way. Her eyes looked more sparkly than I recall. "Remember that I'm always here for you, Vince. You can come to me whenever you are ready."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way," I tried to explain. But I was running to my room before I knew it. I shut the door and collapsed onto my bed.

"Why am I like this?" I asked myself. "What did I do to be cursed like this?" I did not sleep well that night. I remember my pillowcase needed washing the day after.

I'm sorry mom, dad. I'm sorry, Jake. My divinity, I wish I never had it.