Chapter 296: Sulking Goddess

Kai spun and swung his fist, but something stopped the momentum before it could hit.

He wanted to retaliate more, yet his eyes soon widened when he realized the entity standing behind him wasn’t the one from earlier. No—the towering shadow, veiled face, and the dewy skin made her identity clear.

It was the Goddess.

"G-Goddess?!" He gasped, quickly retracting his arm.

Realizing that he was attempting to hit the Goddess made his sweat glands open up.

Despite his status, hitting a deity must be some kind of taboo that would decimate him.

And seeing how the Goddess’ lips curled downward, he gulped harshly.

Kai quickly called the night to cover his naked body with darkness before he spoke.

"I-I apologize, Goddess. I was sensit—"

"Goddess...?"

"Hm? Did I say something wrong?"

"You’re back to calling me Goddess again?"

Kai blinked his eyes once as the gears in his mind worked, and then he realized what this was about. He misunderstood the Goddess’ displeasure. He thought she was angry because of his strike, but that’s not the source of her unhappiness.

You’re kidding... She wanted me to keep calling her mom?

Before he could do or say anything, the Goddess turned around sharply.

She hovered away like a ghost, then sat down facing away on a broken pillar, and crossed her arms.

Throughout all of this, Kai stared at her in utter disbelief.

By the Gods, is she sulking?! You’re a deity! How can you act like this?!

Kai’s lips twitched as he never expected to see the Goddess of the Primordial Night, the deity that has no trace in the waking world, sulking like a teenage girl. It’s unbefitting for a deity to act like this.

It made it hard for him to treat her seriously.

"Does how I address you really bother you?" Kai asked as he walked sideways, trying to see her face.

"Hmph!" The Goddess turned again, making sure her back was against him.

"It was a one-time thing! As you know, I was in trouble earlier. Besides, I’m not ready yet!"

"..."

"I promise the next time I call you that again, it’ll be a permanent thing!"

"..."

Kai rubbed his face. He came to the House of Night with the intention to check on the others and then enter—the Main Path of the Goddesses of Vengeance and Retribution to see whether he could get the Chalice of Orestes the First Victim again.

He wanted to check before Matilda bade his scimitar again.

But here he was, dealing with a sulking deity.

"Fine, if you’re not going to talk to me, then I’m leaving!" Kai turned around.

He called the night to him, and it answered.

A swirl of darkness wrapped around him as he was planning to check on Perion first, but the darkness dissipated before it could teleport him away. Kai frowned and tried again—but this time, he would focus even more.

But it still ended the same exact way; the darkness flaked away.

"Are you serious?" Kai threw up his arms and turned to look at the Goddess again.

It was clear that this was the Goddess’ doing.

Even with the clear exasperation in his voice, the Goddess remained unbothered.

Frankly, I can start calling her mon. Not only would that help me resolve this situation, but she would also be happy. She might give me more things if she was in a good mood. But—by the Gods... It’s really awkward to say it.

Kai has no reason to refuse to call the Goddess mom.

Just that it was really uncomfortable on his tongue, so he would rather not do it.

But then again, he knew that refusing this would only make him look bad.

After all—the moment he had called the Goddess ’mom’, she had come without hesitation. If Kai refused this, then in her eyes, he had only been using her to escape a desperate situation. And that’s not the impression he wanted her to have.

"F-Fine!" Kai eventually surrendered. "Mother, please let me out."

Still no answer.

Kai bit his lower lip and decided to approach the Goddess.

He reached behind her and poked her arm with his index finger and said in a coy voice.

"Mother, don’t be mad. I’ll start calling you mom starting today."

"Really?!"

All traces of her earlier sulking vanished in an instant. She whirled toward Kai—her previous gloom nothing more than a distant act and then clasped his hand with both of hers. He could not see her eyes, but he was sure that they were gleaming and full of excitement.

Kai sighed as, once again, he was fooled by the Goddess.

"Yes... Really."

"You’re such a kind and understanding son. So cute."

Just then, an invisible force came without warning.

It coiled around Kai like living silk, and before he could react, he was already pulled forward, straight into the Goddess’ embrace. Her arms wrapped around him with a strength that made it hard for him to breathe.

He was now pressed against her, utterly immobile.

No matter how hard he tried to break free, he simply couldn’t.

"O-Okay!" Kai said through squeezed lungs. "Time out! I can’t breathe!"

Instead of listening, the Goddess rubbed her cheek against the top of his head—as a mother reunited with a child she had feared lost forever. The gesture was so full of love and achingly gentle, had it not for the fact that she was a deity.

Her normal strength was crushing him.

She had asked him to call her mother—and now, it seemed, she intended to make up for every moment he hadn’t. Kai squirmed, or tried to, and opened his mouth to speak. But the Goddess only hummed, content with their position, and held him tightly.

It was like he was a plush doll in her arms, and she was in no hurry to let go.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she eased him down onto her lap, facing sideways with one hand still on his shoulder as if afraid he might vanish. Kai, on the other hand, gasped for breath. Deep inhale and exhale.

Ignoring his struggle, the Goddess’ gaze swept over him.

And though her eyes were veiled, Kai could feel the weight of her attention.

Even through the darkness that was covering Kai’s body, she saw them—the scars.

Remnants of the suffering that had been carved into his back.

Some had faded, while others still lingered—pale lines against his corpse-like skin.

Reminders of what he had endured.

Seeing the scars softened her expression with concern.

"Do you want me to heal them?" she asked, her voice like moonlight on still water.

"Hm?" Kai turned towards her again and realized what she meant. "It’s fine. They don’t hurt anymore. They’re proof of what I went through, proof of how strong I’ve become. I don’t want to erase that."

The Goddess was silent for a moment, her thumb tracing a slow circle on his shoulder.

And then, she tapped the tip of his nose, a gesture so unexpectedly playful—that it made him blink. "You should have called me sooner." She said—her tone gently chiding. "I would have reached you faster."

Kai met her gaze—or tried to, through the veil of darkness that hid her eyes.

"I wanted to do it alone. To win fair and square." He answered.

She tilted her head, and even without seeing her face, he knew she understood. "I know," she said softly. "But you’re still my son. And what mother’s heart could bear to watch her son get hurt the way you did?"

A small smile crept to Kai’s face.

Even though he wasn’t born of her, but only an inheritor of her power—it was clear as day that the Goddess really saw him as a son. He wasn’t sure how a child of a deity was birthed, as it couldn’t be compared to mortals, but regardless, she really sees him as a son.

Naturally, seeing him get hurt also pained her.

Matilda and Bree were troubled by his suffering, and now the Goddess confessed, too.

It’s not that I want to get hurt, just that there was no other choice.

Just then, the Goddess’ voice hardened. "If you so much as desire it, I could end every mongrel who harmed you. Tonight. I could make them all... go away. Erased from the world, and their names forgotten forever from the annals of existence."

Kai’s blood ran cold.

He could tell that she was being serious.

"No!" He said quickly, too quickly. His mind flashed to Matilda and even Bree, afraid that the two would also be erased by the Goddess if she did that. "I don’t think mortals are worthy to be erased by you. Let me handle them."

The Goddess considered this, then nodded slowly.

"As you wish." Her voice softened again.

"Mother," Kai looked towards the direction where the pair of sapphire-blue eyes appeared. "I want to know who that person was. Is she one of my sisters? Why did you attack her like that without mercy?"

"She’s not your sister," the Goddess said as she placed Kai on the side and rose to her feet. "A beast who doesn’t know its place. Ignore it. Instead of talking about something so mundane, we should talk about your reward."

"Hm?" Kai tilted his head as the Goddess held his hand and guided him away. "What reward?"

"For achieving one of your goals, I should reward you."

"Oh? I would really like that."

"Of course, you do." The Goddess chuckled lightly as she led him into the darkness. "I could see the greed in your eyes. Learn to hide it—or else you’ll be read like an open book by many. It is a flaw."

"Ah... Right," Kai nodded and cleared his throat. "I’ll try."

The House of Night and all its nothingness glory stretched before them.

It was vast and silent, and Kai watched in quiet awe as the shadows themselves recoiled from the Goddess’ presence, parting like water before a ship’s prow. He normally couldn’t see far, but with the Goddess by his side, anywhere his eyes turned, the shadows parted.

Like they were afraid to displease the Goddess by blocking his vision.

Just then, in the distance, a familiar shape emerged from the black.

A wooden house standing alone in the endless night.

Kai’s brows furrowed at the sight, as this was Noxian’s domain. He looked up at the Goddess, confused—as to why she brought him here. "Why are we here, mother? Does the reward have something to do with Noxian?"

"Come," the Goddess said, squeezing his hand. "I’m sure you would like it."

On the other hand, Noxian was still sitting.

Everything had returned to normal not too long ago, but then he felt another shift in the air.

He raised his gaze and his heart dropped to his stomach.

’F-Final Night?! W-Why did he bring her here...?’