Down With The Gods

The classroom buzzes with chatter as the students wait for their English teacher to arrive. Wyn pulls a traditional hand-operated fan from his black rectangular schoolbag with a handle on top. It’s April, and the heat is unbearable, especially in this naturally ventilated classroom. The wooden windows are always left open to let the summer breeze through, if there’s any at all. Sitting in front of him is the smartest student in the class – someone Wyn has always admired. Not only does the kid consistently earn straight A’s, but he's also popular among classmates and teachers alike, having represented the school in multiple academic contests.

English is Wyn’s favorite subject. It's the only class where he can compete with the smartest kid. In the latest national English test, Wyn placed ninth, while the smart kid came in twelfth. Despite this, the school board always sends the other student to represent them in English competitions. Wyn doesn’t hold a grudge, but he resents the unfairness. Today’s class is as mundane as ever, except when Wyn calls out the teacher for a grammar mistake she made on the chalkboard. As usual, she stubbornly insists she’s right, unwilling to admit her error in front of the class. The smart kid stays silent as always.

After school, Wyn meets up with friends from another class for some casual chit-chat. Yu, Mira, and Anish show up, though Anish’s face seems a tad bit blurry in Wyn's mind. His build, however, is unmistakable. They stroll around the front of the school, buying deep-fried snacks before their parents come to pick them up. As soon as Wyn hears his mom calling his name, he wakes up.

“That was a weird dream,” Wyn mutters, realizing it’s the first dream he’s had since arriving in Hell.

He gets up to check on Mira and it seems she’s still missing her fingers. Though he wants to check on Yu, Catutu has zipped him up in the sleeping bag, making it impossible to examine the wound without risking waking him. Wyn sits against the tent wall, replaying the fight against the mimics in his head. The deaths of Jack and Rose weigh heavily on him, reminding him how it could’ve been anyone, no matter the essence count.

“What-if” scenarios swirl in his mind – what if Jack and Rose hadn’t joined the battle? What if the mimic’s leg hadn’t broken? What if the mimics had attacked a second later, where Yu could be falling from the wall, and the attack had sliced through his head? What if Mira hadn’t stepped back after losing her arm and had been crushed along with Rose? What if they hadn’t had Anish’s air power support?

Wyn remains trapped in his thoughts for a while, until Mira finally stirs.

“You’ve been here the whole time?” she asks, rubbing her eyes.

“Couldn’t leave you two alone.”

“How long was I out?”

“No clue.”

Mira glances at her arm, seeming pleased with the progress. She stretches inside the sleeping bag.

“Has Yu woken up at all?”

“Nope. Last I checked, he was still breathing.”

“You look like hell, Oppa. Why not get some air? Take Anish and go somewhere safe for a change.”

“But you’re still healing, and Yu’s…”

“This isn’t the first time I’ve lost an arm. I’ll watch over Yu. Stop worrying! Sitting in this tent and worrying about us hasn’t done you any good, I bet.”

“You’re right. BUT! You better behave! I know it’s been days since you...”

“Now that you mention it…hehe!”

“Don’t ‘hehe’ me! Leave that poor guy alone.”

“What do you think I am? A sex fiend?”

“Exactly that!”

“I have self-control, jeez. Now go! I promise I won’t do anything to him!”

Wyn leaves the tent after giving Mira an “I see you” hand gesture. He rings Anish’s doorbell, and Anish quickly answers. Immediately, Wyn reassures Anish about Mira’s recovery and Yu’s condition. Anish has a place in mind that he wants to take Wyn, although it’s quite far from where they are. Not wasting any time, they pop out at campsite number three. The single-brow, whiskerless Catita greets Wyn in particular.

“Welcome! Are you new to th…”

Both men leave the entryway before Catita can finish her sentence. Anish, as always, is more than happy to spend catnips for the ride. The hour-long journey brings them to a park, which features winding pathways with benches scattered along the way, all set amidst lush greenery. Megaphone speakers mounted in the trees play tranquil nature sounds on a continuous loop.

“As long as you’re on the pathways, you won’t run into any creatures. And even if you stray onto the lawns, most of the creatures there are weak, making them great practice targets.”

They stroll along the pathways, chatting with one another.

“Jack’s essence was on par with the seven mimics combined, yet he lost to a single one,” Wyn says.

“It’s like what my daughter said once after we watched a movie. She was furious at how ‘squishy’ us humans are.”

“You took your daughter to see that kind of movie?...Anyway, how did you cope with witnessing a death for the first time here?”

“Well, how did you handle it?”

“It felt surreal, and I was shaken, but somehow it didn’t discourage me. I have a goal to pursue, and as long as it isn’t one of us, I don’t think I’ll have trouble continuing.”

“That’s the mentality everyone has to adopt at some point. After all, it’s kind of our own decision to risk our lives down here, knowing the dangers.”

“So, how did you cope? You still haven’t answered.”

“I came back to the tent, shaken and crying. I stayed inside for I don’t know how long. When I finally came out, I was too scared to leave the campsite. Then Cateto gave me the confidence I needed. He’s my favorite cat.”

“Right…You were all alone too.”

Anish, thirty-six, is jolly and good-natured, with brown skin, a round face, and black hair. He has a “not-a-dad-bod” paunch and stands about a centimeter taller than Wyn. After graduating high school, his family couldn’t afford to send him to college. At eighteen, he became a security guard, struggling to make a living. He married through an arranged marriage at twenty-one, and a year later, he had his first and only daughter. To make ends meet, he started working at a legitimate outsourced contact center for a large tech company in the USA. Within the first two years, he was promoted to a team lead position. Despite decent earnings, he was disgusted with himself as the hiring company shifted its cost-saving strategy to blame the customers, blatantly dishonoring warranties and claims. He swore to quit after earning enough to open a shop.

Keeping this a secret from his family for more than five years, Anish fulfilled his promise and opened an electronics shop in a small mall. The business didn’t thrive as he had hoped, but it was honest work that earned him enough to feed his family. His daughter was his biggest motivation – everything to him. He could never frown in front of her. Whenever he was off work, he would take her out for quality time together. As a father, he wanted nothing but happiness for her. When she was nine, he made a personal promise to financially support her until college. Whatever choices she made after that would be up to her, and he vowed to always respect and support her. The bond between them was strong; they lived for each other.

One fateful evening, Anish experienced a freak accident when an AC compressor fell on him while he was out with his wife and daughter on a stroll. He remained conscious the entire time the compressor was on top of him. The last thing he saw was his family crying for help. He wanted to tell them, “Everything will be alright,” but his last breath escaped him.

“So, you did work in a contact center after all, just not the one I thought,” Wyn remarks.

“I was genuinely worried when you asked me that,” Anish replies with a bright smile.

“All jokes aside, I’m truly sorry for what happened to you.”

“Nah, if there’s anyone to be mad at, it’s the fungi.”

“That’s why you’re down here? To seek revenge?”

“Not really. Knowing my family’s safe is more than enough. I’m just grateful I had that privilege. I’m down here because I couldn’t control myself from binge eating!”

“How many of the thousands of embryos in your religion did you believe in?”

“Thirty-plus million and counting, actually. I believed in twenty or so of them, but I guess I picked the wrong ones, haha.”

At some point during their conversation, Wyn considers practicing his cyclone jumps, but Anish protests. He wants Wyn to relax and just breathe some fresh air. With that, the two men spend more time chatting, strolling around the park.

“Let’s head back. I’m still worried about those two,” Wyn says after a while.

Swiftly, they warp back to campsite number two. Wyn reassures Anish once again that he’ll never leave him behind. Both men then enter their respective tents.

“WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?” Wyn exclaims as he walks in, greeted by the sight of Mira stroking Yu's shirtless stomach.

“I’m just checking his cut wound. It’s completely healed, even before I get my fingers back!” Mira says.

“Look! It’s like nothing even happened,” Yu adds.

“See? Don’t worry, he’s still a virgin.”

“Hey! I’m a partial virgin.”

“By the way, the sleeping bag set us back a bit on the catnip count,” Wyn adds.

“Stop worrying! I appreciated the sleeping bag more than I would’ve appreciated a guitar in that state,” Yu responds.

Now that Yu and Mira seem fine, Wyn breathes a sigh of relief. He sits down with them and gets straight to the point – he wants Anish on the team.

“He didn’t touch my precious or my booty. Though, I did feel him getting a little too close at times. But I can let that slide,” Mira says.

“Without him, we’d be in big doo-doo,” Yu adds.

“So, all agree?”

Yu puts his shirt back on as they exit Wyn’s tent to deliver the news to Anish. After everyone selects the “Allow” option to let Anish join, he bursts into tears of joy. Without hesitation, he hugs Wyn, then Yu, and finally, slyly, Mira, whom he hugs the longest.

For the first time, Anish steps into Wyn’s tent, where they begin discussing the team’s next move. Despite the team’s intention to wait for Mira’s recovery, she insists that they head out – the more she explores, the higher the chance she’ll find her sister.

“Since I have a lot of essence now, I won’t collect anymore until you guys catch up. I’ll still join in the fights though.”

“If you want variety and don’t mind traveling, there’s always the city center area,” Anish suggests.

As the squad prepares to leave the campsite, they pass by Catutu. Yu suddenly remembers something.

“Is that the catnip pouch from the museum?” Yu asks Wyn.

“Oh, right! I forgot about it.”

“It’s been bulging in your pants the whole time. How could you not notice?” Yu teases.

“I’m used to having a big bulge in my pants.”

“You do remember Mira and I have seen it, right? Let’s just say, it’s less impressive than mine.”

“I want to object, but I know I’m an LCD screen type of flat.”

“It’s okay, Oppa! It’s not the size, it’s the technique! You can show me your techniques any day,” Mira chimes in.

“Calm down, Mira, calm down.”

Wyn takes out the pouch and hands it to Catutu, who reacts like any cat would.

“No! You must take it away from me at once! Deposit it with your band now! Meowww. Pwease.”

Satisfied, Wyn returns the pouch to Mira. As always, Anish is the designated driver. This time, Yu sits up front, while Mira, at her request, sits in the back with Wyn. Mira holds onto Wyn’s arm, making him visibly uncomfortable as he tries to avoid eye contact.

“Please, don’t touch me with your disfigured hand,” Wyn teases.

“Oppa! Rude!”