Souls Online: Mythic Ascension-Chapter 434: Mortal who Made a God Cry

When Jamie opened his eyes, he expected to see the familiar wooden ceiling of the forest lodge where he had logged out. Instead, he was staring at a vaulted dome covered in mosaics of gold and crystal. Every inch of the space shimmered in radiant light that reflected off gemstones embedded into marble pillars.

He blinked once, twice, and rubbed his eyes. The scent of roses and warm water filled the air. There were fountains along the walls, sculpted into the shapes of angels pouring silver water from their vases. The floor beneath his feet was tiled with blue sapphires that glimmered like the ocean's surface.

It took him a second to realize where he was.

"A… bathroom?" he muttered aloud.

Calling it a bathroom almost felt like an insult. It was more like a royal bathhouse or a sacred temple dedicated to bathing. Pools of steaming water stretched out across the chamber, each bordered by intricate runes that pulsed with soft light.

Jamie turned in a slow circle, trying to process the absurdity of it all. "Okay, sure. Fancy bath, random teleportation, no problem. Totally normal."

The words came out shakier than he meant.

The sheer extravagance was ridiculous. Every corner sparkled. Every tile gleamed. Even the steam looked like it had been rehearsed to rise in elegant curls. It was so overdone that it crossed the line from majestic to tacky. Whoever designed this place must have loved the idea of "divine luxury" a little too much.

"Impressive, isn't it, child?"

The voice was soft and sweet, but it carried a strange weight that made the air feel heavier. Jamie froze. The sound had come from behind him. Slowly, he turned around.

Standing in the grand marble tub was what he could only describe as a living sculpture of beauty and power.

The woman before him was tall, easily over six feet, with skin that seemed to glow faintly in the light. Her long hair, a cascade of pale gold, floated over the water like strands of sunlight. Her eyes were a deep violet that seemed to pierce right through him.

Her body was athletic yet graceful, every movement carrying a natural authority. She wore nothing but a white bath towel that clung precariously to her frame as she reclined in the steaming water. The surface shimmered around her, rippling with a faint golden aura.

Jamie's brain short-circuited for a moment.

"Oh," he thought dumbly. "She's huge."

His eyes darted down before he could stop himself, and he immediately realized something unfortunate.

"She's also… ah. So, the chest department is on par with Penny's or Luna's," he noted in a mental whisper. "Which is pretty sad considering she's supposed to be divine."

He winced as soon as the thought crossed his mind.

The woman's lips curved into a faint smile. "Are you perhaps thinking blasphemous thoughts about this deity?"

Jamie's heart stopped.

"Wait. Wait wait wait. Did she just say deity?"

His brain was still trying to reboot when he realized she was staring directly at him. Her expression was calm, but her tone carried the faintest edge of warning.

Jamie did the only thing he could think of. He threw his hands up and smiled innocently. "Nope! No blasphemous thoughts here, Your Godliness. Just admiring the scenery. Beautiful architecture, really. Big fan of your bathroom decor!"

The goddess stared at him for a long, silent moment. The air around her rippled faintly with divine power. For a second, Jamie thought she might smite him on the spot. Then, her expression softened again.

"Such innocence," she said softly. "Perhaps I was mistaken."

Jamie laughed awkwardly. "Happens to the best of us."

There was a pause. The goddess's eyes traveled from his face to his clothes, tilting her head slightly. "You are tense. The water will ease your mortal discomfort. Remove your garments and join me in the bath. There are only maidens here."

Jamie froze completely.

"...I'm sorry, what?"

Her tone was completely sincere. She gestured lazily to the water beside her, where petals drifted along the surface. "This is a sanctuary of purity. You need not fear. Only maidens dwell here, and no impurity may enter these waters. Bathe, and be cleansed."

Jamie blinked twice, unsure whether to laugh or scream.

"Yeah, so, funny story," he began, raising a nervous finger. "That's… not technically true."

The goddess tilted her head again, confusion flashing in her violet eyes. Then her expression hardened.

"Does a male dare desecrate the Sanctuary of Maidens?" she thundered, rising from the water in a surge of golden light. The towel somehow stayed perfectly in place, but the power radiating off her made the entire room tremble. "Show yourself, defiler!"

Jamie flinched as the air pressure changed. The water in the tubs rippled violently, and the gemstone walls vibrated as her divine aura filled the space.

He raised one hand timidly. "Uh… here?"

The goddess's eyes snapped toward him.

"I, uh, might be the defiler in question," he admitted quickly. "Sorry about that."

Her expression shifted from anger to disbelief. "You?"

"Yep. Totally me."

"Impossible. No man would dare enter this sacred place dressed as…" Her gaze swept over him again, taking in his delicate robes, ribbons, and skirt. "…as that."

Jamie blinked and looked down at himself. He had to admit, the outfit did look a little too cute. He sighed softly. "Yeah, fair point. But I am, in fact, a guy."

The goddess blinked. "You lie."

"I really don't."

She crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Prove it."

Jamie tilted his head. "Prove it? How exactly do you want me to—oh."

Realization dawned on him as she pointed dramatically.

"Reveal the truth or be judged!" she declared.

Jamie groaned. "You're seriously making me do this?"

The goddess's glare did not waver.

Sighing, Jamie reached down, pinched the hem of his skirt, and lifted it just enough to prove his point.

The effect was instantaneous.

The goddess's confident expression froze. Her eyes went wide. Her face drained of color, then immediately turned crimson. Her mouth opened, closed, and opened again as if her brain had disconnected from her body.

"I… I see," she stammered. Her voice cracked. "You are… indeed… male."

Jamie awkwardly lowered his skirt. "Told you."

For a long, silent moment, the goddess simply stood there, staring into the middle distance. Her lips trembled slightly, her eyes glassy. Then, to Jamie's absolute horror, she made a small hiccuping sound.

"W-wait, are you—"

Her shoulders began to shake. Then came the sniffles.

"Hold on, you're not—"

Tears began to roll down her cheeks as she covered her face with her hands and started to cry.

Jamie panicked immediately. "Whoa whoa whoa! Don't cry! I didn't do anything!"

Her voice came out muffled through her palms. "I have been defiled… my sanctuary… tainted by the presence of a man…"

"It was an accident!" Jamie protested. "You literally told me to join you in the bath!"

She hiccuped again, her golden aura flickering erratically. The once divine glow now looked pitiful and unstable, like a flickering candle in the wind.

A familiar ping interrupted Jamie's panic.

[System Notification: You have obtained a new Title.][Title Acquired: Mortal Who Made a God Cry]

Jamie's jaw dropped. "You have got to be kidding me."

He opened his menu and reread it just to be sure. The description below the title was somehow worse.

'Granted to the rare fool who makes a divine being shed tears. May luck and divine wrath follow you equally.'

He stared at the glowing text for a long moment before muttering, "Yeah, that sounds about right."

The goddess was still sobbing quietly in the background.

Feeling guilty, Jamie shuffled closer, unsure what the proper etiquette was for consoling a crying deity. He gently reached out and patted her shoulder. "There, there. No need to cry. I'm sure your holiness points won't go down or anything."

Her reply came out between sniffles. "You… are insufferable…"

"Thanks. I get that a lot."

She glared at him weakly through her tears, but there was no real anger in her eyes anymore, only a kind of tired disbelief. "Never before has a mortal entered my sanctuary in such a manner."

"Yeah, that's probably fair," Jamie admitted. "But hey, first time for everything."

Her cheeks puffed out as she glared at him again. "Silence, insolent boy!"

"Hey, I'm just saying. You went from divine goddess to cry baby in the bath in like two minutes."

She splashed water at him, her frustration growing.

"Damn you Discordia! You promised me a pretty maiden. Now I get...I get this

"While I'm not so sure who Discordia is, I feel like that insult was a little uncalled for..." Jamie grumbled with a frown.

Jamie watched as the goddess splashed angrily, her towel somehow managing to stay perfectly in place even though the water was crashing around her. She looked like an angry cat that had fallen into a sink, glaring at him as if she could vaporize him with sheer divine embarrassment.

"Enough! You shall be marked as my divine maiden. You shall be tasked with spreading my greatness to the mortals of this world. Failure to do so will result in divine punishment!"

With a wave of her hands, Jamie's vision went white before he could get another word in, disappearing from the spot where he once stood.