I never imagined I’d actually meet a god, but—plot twist—I totally did.
Still frozen in disbelief, I jolted back to my senses just long enough to check on Yoan.
“Yoan?”
He was stuck mid-turn, head tilted toward where I’d been sitting. Not moving a muscle.
“H-he’s dead?” I whispered, my voice trembling as I stared at him.
The so-called god—a goddess as it turns out—gave the chair beside him a flick. It wobbled slightly but didn’t fall. It just hung there at an awkward, tilted angle.
“I just stopped time for a bit. I prefer one-on-one conversations.”
Oh. Well, sure. Totally normal.
At least Yoan wasn’t dead.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and turned back to the goddess.
She looked about my age and surprisingly normal.
Weren’t deities supposed to be stunning, radiant, aura-of-divinity types who made mortals fall to their knees just by existing?
She honestly seemed... approachable. The only striking thing about her were her eyes—golden, otherworldly, and just a bit too knowing.
“Want to know my name?”
Apparently, this was a chatty goddess. I nodded, and she obliged.
It was a tad hard to pronounce, though.
“Liliana... Lemiere... Von...”
“Just call me Lily for short.”
“Thanks.”
She must’ve seen the name crash and burn in my brain and taken pity on me.
Honestly, even without the zombie-induced brain fog, I wouldn’t have remembered all that.
“So, what information do you need? That’s why you called me, right?”
Wow. Straight to business. I liked her already.
Still, after getting stabbed in the back—emotionally and literally—by more than one “helpful” person recently, I wasn’t about to let my guard down just because she claimed to be a goddess.
“Oh, by the way, I can hear your thoughts, so you don’t need to struggle with speaking out loud.”
Well, that’s convenient. Slightly creepy. But mostly convenient.
After a moment’s hesitation, I gave thinking a try.
Do you know about my situation?
“Roughly.”
If she already knew the basics, I could cut the small talk and get straight to the point.
No telling when my memories might stage a dramatic comeback, and I had a limited window to use this godly customer support line.
Why did the outbreak happen? Where did it start? Who caused it? Who has the antibodies? Are there any researchers who could develop a cure? I want to know everything.
Lily didn’t miss a beat.
“First off, you won’t be able to absorb all the information I give you. There are certain restrictions between humans and gods. But I’ll tell you what I can. Starting with your first question.”
***
Contrary to the original story, the outbreak wasn’t natural. It all started with some good old-fashioned human greed and conspiracy.
The Temple of Loa was ground zero, apparently. But whether it was the “good guys” or the “bad guys” who kicked it off—well, divine restrictions made that part fuzzy.
Also unclear: exactly who besides the Pope was involved.
Lily tried to elaborate, but her words started glitching in my head. Like trying to read a heavily redacted document while sleep-deprived.
No luck on the antibody front either. She couldn’t say who had them, just that someone nearby could help.
As for the cure, the researcher I needed was named Martin Saber. He was in the capital.
Can you explain the parts I couldn’t catch in more detail?
“The people involved in this are ■■■---■■■■-■--■■■, and the person with antibodies is—”
Right. That’s a no, then.
I sighed mentally. Honestly, I hadn’t expected to get this much, so I couldn’t complain.
“Is that all you’re curious about?”
For now, yes. Could I call you again later if I need to?
“Maybe. If your voice reaches me again. Well, I should get going.”
Please wait!
Lily paused mid-finger-snap.
Why are you helping me?
Divine benevolence wasn’t a common trait in these apocalyptic web novel gods. Suspicion was only natural.
She tilted her head, thinking for a beat.
“Just think of it as good luck. Oh, and that ability you have—it used to belong to the Holy Maiden, yes? Work on developing it. It’ll be useful.”
Develop it? This power could level up?
Before I could ask how, Lily gave a sharp snap and vanished.
No dramatic speech. No harp music. Just a casual exit and a loud crash as the chair finally gave up on defying gravity.
For a moment, I wasn’t sure if I’d dreamed the whole thing.
“Sasha?”
Yoan blinked back into motion, glancing between me and the fallen chair. His expression clearly asked, what just happened?
I smiled and said, “My prayers were answered.”
Good thing we stopped by the temple.
***
“Ugh, my back. We really need to scavenge some decent blankets before I turn into a fossil.”
Rob groaned, rubbing his lower back like a dramatic old man.
“Oughta patch this ol’ place up, too. Cold draft’s been sneakin’ in all dang night.”
“Totally. It’s not even winter yet, and I was freezing.” Kira shivered and agreed as they all shuffled into the living room.
I turned to Derek, who stood there with a calm face and not a single complaint.
“Sleep okay, Derek?”
“Yes. I slept well.”
Right. This probably counted as premium housing compared to his childhood. Now I felt bad.
I was just about to ruffle his hair out of sympathy when Yoan walked in.
There was a subtle shift in his expression—so subtle you’d miss it if you weren’t watching—but he looked lighter. Calmer.
He looked around at all of us and said, “We’ll be staying here a while to plan our next steps. Starting today, we’re splitting into two teams for serious scouting. Our top priorities are food and medical supplies.”
Jeremy raised a hand. “Don’t count me in. I got a house to mend.”
“Wait, you know carpentry too?”
“Ain’t much I can’t do if it involves usin’ my hands.”
“Wow, you’re seriously talented.”
Rob gave him a sincere thumbs-up.
Yoan nodded. Bliss, Kira, and Jeremy would stay behind to repair and maintain the place while the rest of us scouted.
But the team composition had shifted.
“...”
Derek stared at the paper in his hand like it had betrayed him. It had a triangle drawn on it.
The same symbol was on Yoan’s.
Derek had suggested we mix up the teams for once, so we drew lots. The universe, it seemed, had a cruel sense of humor.
He clearly wanted to be on my team.
“I’m with Sasha?”
I’d been paired with Rob. And judging by their faces, neither of them planned to switch.
Rob, for one, looked delighted by the opportunity to torment Derek.
“Oh no, what a tragedy! Looks like your beloved Sasha is stuck with me today.”
“Shut up, old man...”
“Call me your big bro and I’ll switch with you.”
“Big bro!”
“Huh? That was fast. You’ve been calling me ‘old man’ for days, and now you fold like wet paper? Tch. Too late. Now I’m offended.”
“You stupid old man! Jerk!”
“Bahaha!”
Rob cackled as he ruffled Derek’s hair like a dog’s, while Derek flailed about trying to escape.
Seriously, how was bullying him so entertaining?
I clicked my tongue and moved to step in before Derek exploded.
Yoan and Derek would scout for medical supplies. Rob and I were on food duty. I’d been paired with him because I was strong enough to carry more.
“Remember, Sasha—don’t push yourself,” Yoan advised. “And don’t try to be a hero. Got it?”
“Mhm.”
“That’s so unfair. Aren’t you even a little worried about me?”
“If anything happens, abandon Rob and run.”
“Ah… my lord.”
Rob clutched his chest like Yoan had stabbed him with a betrayal-shaped dagger.
Yoan didn’t even blink.
“Be careful out there, sis. Don’t get hurt.”
And just like that, we split off at the crossroads.
Now that I thought about it, this was our first real one-on-one outing.
Rob hadn’t been too fond of me when we met—though things had improved—but we’d never had a proper chat. Which was probably why the air felt weirdly awkward now.
I focused on scanning for anything edible when Rob suddenly spoke.
“Sasha, what do you think of our lord?”
Yoan? That came out of nowhere.
I blinked at him, unsure what he was aiming for.
“I mean, you haven’t known him long, but you spend the most time with him.”
“So? Asking if I… like him?”
“What? Do you?”
“Mm... no.”
It didn’t feel like that kind of thing.
“Almost surprised me. I just meant what do you think of him as a person.”
Oh. That was a lot broader. But okay, I could work with that.
I thought about Yoan Keith—not the version from the original story, but the real one I’d come to know.
“Yoan is...”