Chapter 107 - Home

Chapter 107: Chapter 107 - Home

"Hurry up and answer me! I know you’re some kind of special cat!"

Vincent shook the poor feline back and forth in a wild panic.

"Where is he?! Hey! Small creature! Where is God hiding?! I am on a very strict clock here, and I don’t have time to play hide-and-seek!"

"M-MEOW-OW-OW-OW!!!" The cat’s head wobbled violently with every shake.

Executing a desperate, squirming twist, the fluffy white cat wiggled straight out of Vincent’s grip, landed cleanly on all four paws on the only cushion inside the pavilion, and immediately began hacking up a storm.

*COUGH!* *H-HACK!* "W-Why you– *wheeze* little *cough!*"

"You trying to cough out a furball or something?! Speak already! Where is the God of Earth!? I know he’s a coward!"

"A– A coward?! * Ahem!*" Finally, the cat cleared its throat cleanly, sat up straight on its hind legs, and glared at Vincent with a look of haughty offense.

"Firstly, would you be so kind as to refrain from rattling my internal organs from now on, you brutish demigod? I would greatly appreciate it." The cat requested somewhat politely. To Vincent’s surprise, his voice was surprisingly smooth and cultured.

"And as for where the God of Earth is, well, as you can see, I am standing right in front of you."

"You’re... God? Seriously? A cat?"

The cat nonchalantly lifted one hind leg into the air, began licking its paw, and casually rubbed it behind his left ear.

"And why not a cat? A feline form is unassuming, highly revered by humans, majestic, and – quite frankly – cats are my favorite creation. Do you have a problem with my aesthetic, boy?"

"No, it’s just... never mind," Vincent sighed, running a hand through his hair to calm his racing heart.

He cut straight to the chase, laying his urgent request out on the line. "Look, to get down to business – I need the time dilation between Earth and the Divine Realm to be synchronized as one. Right now... Please."

The white cat stopped licking its paw and tilting its head. "Ah, yes. I know all about your little predicament, Vincent Winters. I heard all about your situation from the three divine who barged into my realm a while back."

"Yeah, they mentioned you’d agree... provided I handle a favour for you. What is it?"

"More like ’favours’. Two. But before we discuss terms... tell me, demigod... what do you think about the Guardians of Earth?"

"What? Guardians of Earth? Who??"

"What do you mean, ’who??’"

"I mean, who are you talking about?"

"WHA–?! I’m talking about the five people you just fought and passed to get here!" the cat squawked, gesturing frantically with his front paws.

"The gentleman assassin in the bespoke suit! The invincible gladiator! The shadow master shinobi! The chaotic tech sibling duo! The master swordswoman with the katana!"

With a confused expression, Vincent looked back toward the direction he came in the distance. "Oh... those guys. To be totally honest, I didn’t even notice them. I was moving so fast I just smashed straight through the gates. Besides the man with the shades at the start, I only dodged the sword-woman at the end because she swung her blade right at my face."

The God of Earth stood completely frozen and utterly speechless.

His whiskers drooped in soul-crushing bewilderment at Vincent’s casual dismissal of Earth’s strongest defenders. "You... you just... smashed through them...? Ha.. Haha..."

Shaking his fluffy head, he snapped back into focus, trying to regain his divine composure.

"Well! Be that as it may... those five individuals lead their own global organisations. Chosen by me, they represent Earth’s last line of defense against extraterrestrial threats. My first favor is simple: I want you to officially become the Sixth Guardian of Earth. Seeing as you’re technically human as well."

"Me?"

"Yes. It is a necessary alliance to keep our world safe. Earth needs a trump card. You are that card."

"Trump card for what?"

"Like I said, extraterrestrial threats."

Vincent watched the cat carefully. Seeing how dead-serious the feline deity was beneath his fluffy exterior, Vincent let out a breath and nodded. "Fine. If it keeps Earth safe, I’ll do it. Count me in as your Sixth Guardian."

"R-REALLY?! EXCELLENT!" The cat dropped his solemn facade and let out a series of happy, and thankful meows. "Meow~! Thank you so much! I knew I could count on you!"

"Haha, okay, okay, calm down. So, what’s the second favor?"

"Ah– Y-Yes. *Ahem* The second favor... is one for the future. A time will come when I will require you to unapologetically obliterate a specific evil organization."

"...."

Vincent waited, expecting names, or a place. But the cat remained silent as he looked at him.

"Well? Who are they? Where are they based? What’s their name?"

"I cannot disclose their identity to you yet. The butterfly effect would cause instability before the appointed hour."

"Can’t you just have one of the other five Guardians handle it? They run global organisations, right?"

The cat shook his head slowly and spoke with haunting certainty. "No. It has to be you, Vincent Winters."

Vincent stared at the feline for a long moment. Every instinct told him that this second request was tied to something massive – something that would eventually shake the foundation of his life. Or life in general. So he trusted his gut.

"Alright. When the time comes... I’ll destroy them for you. Unapologetically."

"Thank you, Vincent," the God of Earth said with genuine gratitude. "You have no idea how much weight you have just lifted from this world’s shoulders."

"Alright, alright! Enough with the sappiness!" Vincent stretched his arms, grinning. "It’s time you held up your end of the deal. Sync those times up!"

"With pleasure."

The God of Earth stood up on his hind legs, raising his glowing white paws toward the boundless sky.

WROOOOOOOOOOM—GONG!

A breathtaking, cosmic display unfolded above the pavilion.

Massive, golden clockwork gears materialised across the heavens, interlocking with terrifying precision. Stellar streams of liquid light and shimmering ribbons of space-time surged from the sky, weaving together the temporal threads of Earth and the Divine Realm into a single, harmonious resonance.

GONG!

A loud gond echoed through the skies, resonating through Vincent’s very soul. It was done. From this second forward, time flowed as one across the two planes.

The cat dropped back onto all fours, letting out a soft breath. "There. As promised, the realms are synchronised."

"... Really?"

"I wouldn’t lie to you."

"O-Oh... Ohhhh.... OHHHHHHH!!! THANK YOU!!!" Vincent stepped forward and picked up the fluffy cat and gave it a smothering hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Let’s gooo!!!"

"M-MEOW–! Yes, yes! Please put me down."

"Right!" He put the cat down gently. "Now... send me back to Earth!"

The cat purred softly, looking toward the far edge of the clouds. "You know... the other five Guardians are currently racing here to meet with you. Are you sure you don’t want to say hello?"

Vincent shook his head without a single second of hesitation. "I’ve been away from my family for five hundred years. I am not waiting another second for a meet-and-greet. That can come later."

The God of Earth chuckled with a warm, approving glint in his eyes.

He raised a paw, summoning a swirling, cloud portal off the pavilion. "Fair enough. Welcome home, Vincent. And thank you once more."

"Thanks, God! Catch you around! WOOHOO!" Vincent let out a triumphant shout, jumping feet first into the swirling vortex.

Not long after Vincent vanished into the portal, the sound of rushing wind filled the peaceful pavilion.

The five Guardians of Earth landed on the cloud ground, surrounding the central platform.

Leading the group was the man in the black suit with the shades. "Why hello again, ’o Lord Almighty. How was the meet– Wait... where’d the demigod go?"

"The meeting went excellently. The deal is struck. Vincent Winters is officially the Sixth Guardian of Earth... and I have already sent him back to Earth."

The blue-and-pink-haired siblings drooped their shoulders.

"Aw, man!" the brother whined. "I wanted to ask him how he flew so fast."

"I know right?" the sister giggled. "I wonder if he likes video games?"

Over by the pillar, the shinobi turned toward the towering gladiator. "What are your thoughts on him?"

The gladiator stood silently for a long moment. He looked down at his right hand and finally answered. "He...He is terrifyingly strong."

"Oh... so even you think so, huh?"

The cool katana wielding woman walked up the pavilion and bowed before the cat. "Lord Almighty... if the matter is settled... may I be sent home? My daughter is waiting for me."

"Yes, of course. Thank you for your hard work."

With a flick of his tail, individual, swirling cloud portals opened beneath the feet of all five Guardians.

"Until we meet again, my Guardians"

Offering respectful bows to their deity, the five stepped into their respective portals, vanishing back to their homes across the globe.

..

...

Inside a shaded alleyway in a quiet suburban district, a swirling cloud portal appeared for a brief second before dissolving into thin air.

Vincent’s boots hit the hard, cool asphalt. He stood still for a moment, taking a deep, shuddering breath.

The familiar sights, sounds, and smells of the modern world hit his senses all at once – the distinct scent of asphalt after a light rain, the distant hum of cars driving, and the distant chatter of everyday people going about their lives.

’I made it... I actually made it...’

With a quiet flick of his intent, he deactivated his divine form and took a step forward, emerging from the alleyway onto the familiar, sunlit sidewalk of his childhood neighborhood.

’I’m back...’

A surge of overwhelming joy washed over his entire being. Five hundred years of longing, training, fighting, and missing his home condensed into a single, beautiful moment.

Vincent started walking.

His pace naturally quickened into a speed-walk...

Then into a light jog...

And finally, unable to contain the soaring happiness in his chest, he broke into a full-speed, joyous sprint down the sidewalk.

The wind whipped through his brown hair as the familiar houses flashed past him in a blur. He rounded the final corner, his sneakers skidding across the pavement, and burst onto the front lawn of his home.

He quickly ran up the wooden steps and stopped in front of the door.

Breathing heavily, a beaming smile stretched across his face. He raised his right hand with anticipation, and knocked three times.

Knock, knock, knock.

"..."

Click.

Vol 2. End