In the days following the grand tournament, the divine realm gradually returned to its usual rhythm.
The magnificent arenas that had roared with cheers and thunderous applause were now quiet once more. The great banners celebrating the festival still fluttered in the celestial winds, but the crowds had thinned, and the once-endless flow of visitors had begun returning to their own divine domains.
For most, the tournament had been a spectacle.
For Arin… it had been something else entirely.
---
The palace gardens were calm that afternoon.
Golden sunlight filtered gently through the towering trees whose leaves shimmered faintly with divine mana. A quiet fountain murmured in the center of the garden, its water glowing faintly as it flowed into a pool lined with pale marble.
Arin sat lazily on the soft grass nearby.
A gentle breeze brushed against his face as he stretched his arms behind him and leaned back slightly.
For once… there was peace.
He inhaled deeply.
"Ahh…"
Fresh air.
Real silence.
No terrifying gods.
No life-threatening tournaments.
No divine experiments.
Just quiet.
Arin closed his eyes for a moment and allowed his thoughts to drift.
His mind wandered back… far away… to Earth.
A strange mix of memories surfaced.
Missed buses.
Unexpected rain.
Bad exam questions.
Broken phones.
The countless tiny misfortunes that had somehow followed him everywhere during his life.
He chuckled quietly to himself.
"Back then… my luck was terrible."
For a long moment he simply watched the clouds slowly drift across the glowing sky.
Then he smiled faintly.
"I guess… my luck has finally returned to normal."
Peaceful.
Calm.
Simple.
Then suddenly—
A calm voice spoke from behind him.
"Her Divinity wishes to see you."
Arin froze.
Slowly… very slowly… he turned his head.
Caelum stood there.
As calm and expressionless as always.
Arin stared at him for a few seconds with a dead expression.
"…You couldn't have waited five minutes before destroying my happiness?"
Caelum blinked.
"You appeared to be speaking to yourself."
"It was a private conversation."
"Nevertheless, Her Divinity has summoned you."
Arin groaned and leaned back dramatically onto the grass.
"Oh come on…"
He covered his face with both hands.
"I JUST said my life was normal again."
Caelum simply watched him.
Arin peeked through his fingers.
"…Do I have to go?"
"Yes."
"Can I pretend to be sick?"
"You recovered yesterday."
Arin sighed deeply.
"You people heal too well."
Before he could complain further, Caelum reached down and firmly grabbed his arm.
"Come."
"Wait—HEY—!"
Arin stumbled as Caelum pulled him up.
"This is kidnapping!"
"It is an order."
"I'm being dragged to my possible execution!"
Caelum remained unmoved as he guided the reluctant human toward the palace.
---
A short while later, the towering doors of the divine throne hall slowly opened.
The atmosphere inside was entirely different from the peaceful garden.
Silence dominated the vast chamber.
Massive pillars of radiant marble stretched upward into the unseen ceiling. Faint streams of light drifted slowly through the air like cosmic dust, and the polished floor reflected the distant glow of divine symbols carved into the walls.
At the far end of the hall…
Upon an elevated throne of flowing silver light…
She sat.
The Goddess of Time.
Her presence alone made the vast hall feel immeasurable.
Arin immediately felt his earlier jokes die in his throat.
He knelt beside Caelum without hesitation.
His heart beat faster.
What now?
Caelum stepped forward slightly and bowed his head.
"My Lady."
His voice was calm and respectful.
"The human you summoned has arrived."
Her eyes slowly shifted toward them.
The gaze of the divine.
For a brief moment, the hall felt colder.
Arin lowered his head further.
Then her voice echoed softly through the chamber.
"You have exceeded my expectations, human."
Arin blinked in confusion.
Exceeded…?
He slowly raised his head slightly, unsure if he had heard correctly.
Was she… complimenting him?
His mind struggled to process it.
But he quickly regained his composure and bowed his head again.
"I am honored by your words, my Lady."
She studied him quietly.
For the tournament, she had merely been curious.
She had expected the fragile human to surrender early.
Perhaps even in the first round.
Yet instead… he had survived far longer than expected.
Not through strength.
But through something… unusual.
After a brief silence, she spoke again.
"As a reward… I shall grant you one wish."
Arin's brain stopped.
One wish.
Did she really say that?
His mind exploded with thoughts.
Send me back to Earth—
No no no that's too big.
Ask for power?
Absolutely not.
I don't want to get dragged into divine politics.
Money?
Wait… i already have enough.
Immortality?
Too dangerous.
His thoughts spun wildly.
Seconds passed.
Then more seconds.
The silence in the hall slowly grew heavier.
Her gaze narrowed slightly.
"Human."
Her voice carried a faint chill.
"Do not test my patience."
Arin's mind screamed.
THINK YOU IDIOT.
ANYTHING.
JUST SAY SOMETHING.
And then, in complete panic, he blurted out—
"I wish to know who my soulmate is!"
The words echoed across the hall.
Then silence.
Absolute silence.
Beside him, Caelum slowly turned his head.
His eyes widened.
In thousands of years of existence…
He had seen countless warriors kneel before the Goddess.
Some asked for divine strength.
Some asked for authority.
Some asked for wisdom.
But this strange human…
Asked the Goddess of Time…
For relationship advice.
Caelum felt an overwhelming urge to vanish from existence.
Arin himself realized what he had said.
Oh no.
Oh no no no.
Why did I say that?!
His soul nearly left his body.
For several seconds, the hall remained completely silent.
Then suddenly—
A soft laugh escaped from the throne.
Elegant.
Light.
Genuine.
She laughed.
Not mockingly.
Not cruelly.
Simply amused.
Caelum's eyes widened further.
He had witnessed the Goddess laugh perhaps once… or twice… across countless centuries.
Yet here she was now.
Laughing because of a human.
She slowly lifted a hand toward her lips as her laughter faded.
Her eyes rested on Arin.
"Very well, human."
Her voice carried faint amusement.
"I shall grant what you desire."
Arin slowly lifted his head.
Wait…
Really?
She leaned slightly forward.
"Look at me."
Arin hesitated before raising his gaze.
His eyes met hers.
For a brief moment, the world seemed to pause.
Her gaze deepened.
Within the divine sight of the Goddess of Time, countless invisible threads flowed through existence.
Every soul possessed connections.
Lines of fate.
Paths intertwined with others.
Especially soulmates.
Such bonds were easily seen by those with divine perception.
She searched calmly.
She expected to find at least a faint thread.
But as she examined his soul…
Her expression subtly shifted.
There was nothing.
No thread.
No connection.
No faint link guiding his destiny toward another soul.
Nothing.
Her brows knit together slightly.
That was… unusual.
Even though the Goddess of Fate and the Goddess of Love specialized in such matters, She herself should still be able to perceive the basic connections of a soul.
Yet with Arin…
There was simply nothing.
As if the thread did not exist.
She leaned back slightly, resting her elbow upon the armrest of her throne.
Her chin settled lightly upon her hand.
Her eyes observed him with newfound curiosity.
"What a peculiar human."
Arin felt cold sweat forming.
His thoughts spiraled immediately.
Did I offend her?
Is she going to erase me?
She finally spoke again.
"It appears… your wish requires assistance."
Arin blinked.
Assistance?
Her gaze turned distant for a moment as if considering something.
Then she spoke calmly.
"Remain here."
Her voice carried quiet authority.
"I will determine the answer shortly."
Arin nodded quickly.
"Yes… my Lady."
But deep inside his mind…
He had absolutely no idea what he had just started.