Chapter 17

***

As Ashtar advised, when I prayed strongly in my heart and called to the fountain’s water, something incredible happened.

The fountain’s water suddenly soared into the sky like a geyser, formed a large sphere, and rolled to where we were.

“Oh… my god!”

“Look at that. The water made your wish come true, right?”

Ashtar stroked my head as if she was praising me, then swung her hand in the air.

Then the sphere rose up into the sky and popped. It exploded with a sound like a firecracker.

I watched as the rain pattered down from the clear sky.

‘If I practice, can I do that too…?!’

“If you know how to handle my power completely, then even more will be possible. Water looks weaker than fire at first glance, but it has more than enough destructive power.”

Wow, that’s amazing.

How great would it be to be able to freely exert such magical power?

I don’t know much, but I do know I’ll definitely be able to protect myself from those who want to harm me.

“It’s not just protection. Water also has the ability to heal and regenerate. Those around you won’t get sick or be in pain. That is the very blessing of Ashtar.”

“Then… Does it work against curses too?”

I said this with Suleiman in mind.

After a while, Ashtar replied with a strange look.

“In general, side effects may occur if other divine powers comparable to mine intervenes.”

“Then it might be better without me.”

“That’s not true. It’s hard to explain everything now. …Hold on.”

Suddenly, Ashtar looked up at the sky, and made a serious face that I hadn’t seen before.

“We don’t have the time right now. You must return to reality.”

“But…”

“There will be danger to the person next to you soon. He’s the one who’s destined for you. It’s a necessary relationship for the two of you.”

The person next to me?

Suddenly, Suleiman, who was sleeping next to me, came to mind and I got goosebumps.

When Ashtar reached out her hand and put her hand on my forehead, a purple light emanated from it.

“Oh…!”

I exclaimed in surprise as I looked down at my body, which was gradually becoming transparent.

Ashtar smiled gently, as she caressed my disappearing cheek.

“Don’t give up, no matter how hard things are. I have prepared something for you, so if you manage to endure all of it, then you will be able to live the life you want.”

When I saw her staring at me with a sad gaze, I felt a sense of anxiety.

“Is…that a prediction?”

“Yes, it is. This was already decided before I became a goddess. Just as you didn’t choose to come into this world, I don’t have the power to change this fate.”

“I don’t believe in fate.”

“Phew, yes. That’s good, too. I wish you the best of luck. Although my power to reach the earth has weakened… I have a little gift for you.”

Whoosh!

When Ashtar spoke, she shot me with something, and blue energy poured into me.

“This, this is…”

An indescribably strange energy rose inside my body.

At the same time, my body faded at a higher speed.

“Hey, I still have a lot of questions. Will I see you again?”

In a hurry, I reached out my hand to Ashtar, but she didn’t take hold of my hand.

“I’ll see you later. You have a pure soul.”

At last, my entire body became transparent, then I became a powder of light that scattered in the air.

There was only one beautiful goddess left in the peaceful and still temple that never aged.

***

After waking up in a cold sweat, I blinked heavily.

The dream I had just had came back to me in a terrifyingly vivid way.

And there was another strange thing.

I was not in my cat form, but in my human form.

Moreover, I wasn’t naked like the last time, but was wearing nondescript clothes.

It was a white dress, similar to what Ashtar was wearing.

“What’s going on… Huh?”

I’m talking in a normal way.

When I snuck a look next to me on the bed, I saw Suleiman was sleeping soundly, making quiet snoring noises.

I was suspicious that I hadn’t awakened from my dream yet, so I gently pinched my cheek.

“…It hurts.”

What… then am I back in reality?!

Standing up, I took a careful step.

Oh my god.

I had no trouble walking, as if I’d become a real person again.

‘Is this what Ashtar gave me as a present…?’

Looking down at my hands blankly, I suddenly felt a creepy sensation.

I was overwhelmed by the terrible malice emanating from outside the window.

“Something… Is coming this way.”

‘There will be danger to the person next to you soon.’

The warning Ashtar gave passed through my mind.

‘If there’s danger, then… Is it an assassin?’

Surprised, I shook Suleiman’s sleeping body to wake him up.

“Hey, wake up!!! This isn’t the time to be sleeping!”

Despite the strong shaking, he showed no sign of waking up.

‘Something’s weird.’

Realizing that something was wrong, I opened the door to look for help.

“Oh, my…”

All of the guards, and servants, outside the room were laying on the floor.

Their conditions were similar to Suleiman’s.

While I was fidgeting, the evil energy I felt was getting closer and closer.

In a hurry, I went back inside the room, then I slapped and shouted at Suleiman.

“Wake up, wake up!”

I tried to shake him awake, but he didn’t even budge.

What should I do? Should I run outside and call for someone?

But time was too tight to do that.

‘Come to think of it, you woke up last time when I kissed you.’

Suleiman had woken up from my kiss, even though he’d been sound asleep from Aziz’s sleeping pills.

Of course, I was a cat at the time, but it was still worth a try.

I grabbed Suleiman’s cheeks and pulled him towards me, then I planted a kiss on his lips.

Our soft lips touched each other, and made a kissing sound.

Ironically, the sleeping prince didn’t even blink an eye.

“Oh, this is crazy.”

Do I have to put my tongue in like last time?!

It was when I was thinking about trying to kiss him again.

Crash!

Two men dressed in black broke the window and entered.

They were holding long knives and their faces were hidden by masks.

While I was at a loss for words, one of the men spoke.

“Take care of the witness first.”

Whoosh!

As soon as he finished speaking, he threw a dagger at me.

I instinctively sensed danger, and quickly turned my head.

The dagger whizzed by me with a hair-raising swoosh.

“You avoided that. You must have trained in martial arts.”

No.

I’ve never learned anything like that!!!

“We don’t have time. Let’s just kill them all at once.”

The assassin quickly approached the bed.

“No…!!!”

I closed my eyes tightly while I hugged Suleiman tightly.

Will we both die like this?

In that moment of desperation, the words that Ashtar had said to me suddenly came to mind.

‘Water looks weaker than fire at first glance, but it has enough destructive power.’

‘Remember the energy that is now flowing through your body. Ask it to come to you.’

I prayed like I did in my dream, and focused on the energy of the water swaying inside of me.

‘Please, please save us!’

There was a ‘poof!’ and then there was a sound like the air in the vicinity was bursting.

The assassins, who were about to attack me with their swords, fell to the floor in a disgraceful heap.

“Come, come on. What the hell was that?”

I screwed up my courage, I opened my eyes slightly and looked around.

There was a round curtain of water surrounding me and Suleiman.

The strange sight caused my eyes to widen.

“She has strange powers. We must kill them here, let’s eliminate the barrier.”

They took something out of their pockets, and mumbled some kind of strange spell.

Then the curtain of water that surrounded me disappeared like a lie.

“Ouch!”

Looking at the assassins incredulously, I tried to concentrate again.

However, the energy of the water was scattered in all directions as if someone was interfering.

“Now. Kill her!!!”

“Oh my god!”

It was the moment when the swords were about to stab me in the back.

Whoosh!

The curved sword, swung with terrifying speed, loudly clashed with the sword.

While the assassins stumbled back, Schleiman, who stood in front of me, asked in a grim voice.

“…Where did these rats come from?”

“We have no obligation to answer!”

Suleiman easily avoided the attacks of the masked man.

Then he quickly struck back at the sword that was falling towards his head.

Before the sound of the sharp steel colliding faded.

Using the recoil of his attack, Suleiman kicked the masked man in the side, and thrust his sword into his back.

“Oh my god!”

“Hey, you…!!!”

Suleiman quickly retrieved his sword from the fallen man, and crossed swords with the remaining assassin.

They exchanged a lot of attacks with loud clangs, but the situation didn’t change so easily.

I hid in the corner and quivered, I covered my ears to the scary sounds.

I tried not to see the situation unfolding in front of me, but I couldn’t muster up the courage to do anything.

“Your skills are pretty good. Who trained you?”

“Shut up!!!”

The man, who didn’t seem to have much interest in exchanging words, thrust with all his might.

However, Suleiman avoided the tip of the sword easily, as if he were dancing.

The assassin was a skilled fighter, but he was no match for Suleiman.

Swish.

Suleiman’s sharply curved sword cut a long slice across the assassin’s upper body.

When the fatally injured man fell on the floor, Suleiman pushed a knife into his neck.

“…One of you is dead. I need to know who was behind this, so I’ll keep you alive.”

“Hmph! If I was afraid of death, I wouldn’t have come this far. Silly prince.”

Suddenly, the man began to convulse, coughed up blood, and he collapsed to the floor.

Suleiman checked for a pulse, then said in a low voice.

“He’s dead. Did he have poison in his mouth?”

He sighed in frustration, and stood up.

The dark room was littered with two dead bodies.

While holding a bloody sword, Suleiman turned in my direction.

When he found me shaking and trembling, surprise flashed across his bloodstained face.

“You are… The woman from that time.”