Selene and Cipher walked down the corridor as she began listing off the people who wanted to talk to him.
"First, there’s a request for you to appear on Prime Time with Harrison Vale - it’s one of the biggest news programs in the country. Then there’s an interview with Skylar Chen, the live streamer. He has over fifty million cumulative followers and specializes in awakener content. After that, there are several sponsorship offers, a few charity event invitations, and..."
"Can we clear everything?" Cipher interrupted. "I really need to investigate this gate."
Selene paused and looked at him. "Some can be cleared, but others are really important. As important as strength is, image is also important. If you look bad to some of these people, it could influence public opinion. The association’s reputation is tied to yours now, especially after you were named Chief Enforcer and Hero of Humanity."
Cipher sighed. Was this the insight of a former CEO? Why was life so difficult?
"Can we at least push them back a bit then?" he asked.
"That’s possible," she said, then hesitated. "But..."
"What? Is there one that can’t be pushed back?" he asked.
"It can... but..." she began carefully. "Khaled from the Golden Hand Guild insisted greatly on meeting you. After I told him I couldn’t guarantee anything, he told me to tell you ’God of Death.’"
Cipher stopped walking.
"He said you would understand if I said that," Selene added, watching his reaction.
"I see," Cipher said after a moment.
"I’ll meet Khaled before entering the gate. As for the rest, push them back."
"Alright," Selene said with a nod.
...
Cipher sat opposite Khaled in his office.
"What did you want to talk about?" Cipher asked with a serious expression, scanning Khaled from top to bottom. He needed all the information he could get on the so-called gods, as it seemed everything revolved around them.
Khaled leaned forward slightly. "My people are close to the God of Death."
Cipher’s expression shifted, causing Khaled to raise his hands placatingly. "Wait, it’s not what you’re thinking. We’re not like the Cult of Eternal Brilliance..."
"Is that so?" Cipher asked, looking at him suspiciously.
Khaled sighed. "Why is everyone always like this?" He straightened in his seat, his voice growing more passionate. "I am not a cultist. I’m just a follower of my god, like any other religion. Would you consider them cults too?"
"I suppose not," Cipher admitted. "But worshiping death..."
"Who decided that death was a bad thing?" Khaled cut him off, his voice rising with emotion. "Death is just a normal human passage. The God of Death protects our eternal resting place and guides our souls to the afterlife. He helps us through this transition. It’s a sacred duty, not something evil!"
He breathed heavily, then inhaled deeply to calm himself. "I apologize for getting heated. I just don’t like it when people treat death as such an evil thing."
Cipher nodded. What he said made some sense. "I apologize," Cipher said with a slight bow.
Khaled waved his hands. "It’s not an issue at all. I know you didn’t mean it like that."
Cipher returned them to the topic. "So, what did you want to say?"
"Right." Khaled regained his composure. "We have someone with the Seer class in our guild. She’s made accurate predictions before, and we can even have you confirm her authenticity - I heard you’re an Appraiser."
Cipher nodded slowly, and Khaled continued.
"Lately, she received an unsettling oracle. She said that the world is going to end soon."
Cipher just stared at him without saying a thing.
He wasn’t even surprised by this, Khaled thought before quickly continuing. "In the oracle, we realized that we could save the world if we found the fragment of the God of Death - that has fallen onto our world - and accepted his blessing."
Cipher looked at him after he was done talking. So a Seer was kind of like a Saintess? He needed to meet her too.
"And what does this have to do with me?" Cipher asked.
"I was getting there. We received an oracle that you might be related to the fragment of the God of Death."
Cipher observed him carefully. "But I don’t even believe in gods. How is that possible?"
Khaled scratched his cheek. "It doesn’t have to be you specifically. Maybe you’ve met someone, or are connected to someone who is."
Cipher nodded. Of course he knew this. They were probably talking about Elara - she was the one blessed by the God of Death. But he wasn’t going to reveal that just yet. What if they wanted Elara for something nefarious, just like the Immortal King had?
"I see," Cipher said as he stood up. "You have the wrong person. I don’t know any religious people, except for Elaine, who worships the God of Love. But I’m guessing the two wouldn’t get along well." He moved toward the door. "Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some places to be."
He left without waiting for a response.
Khaled was left alone in the office. He definitely knows something, Khaled thought. Why else would he agree to the meeting after just hearing the words "God of Death"? He sighed. But at the moment, it didn’t seem like they could work anything out, as Cipher didn’t trust them.
...
Cipher’s mind was filled with thoughts as he flew toward Santa Monica, mostly about what he had just talked about with Khaled. He wondered if the Seer was genuine. Although he himself knew the world would end - after all, he had seen it firsthand in the future - he didn’t completely trust the Seer.
After all, claiming the world was ending was cult-making 101.
There was more he wanted to ask Khaled, but the man didn’t seem willing to tell more than he already had. That’s why he had decided to just leave and meet the other Saintess first. He would worry about the Seer later.
One thing that baffled him was that someone who worshiped the God of Death like Khaled didn’t seem to understand that the God of Death and the God of Light were the same person. That’s why he had made the joke about them not getting along, hoping to see if Khaled would say something about it.
Did Khaled not know? Or was he himself misinformed and misinterpreting Elara’s words?
He scratched his head as he descended. Argh, I’ll think about it later, he thought as he walked over to the gate, diving in without a second thought.