If it weren’t for the genocidal implications of Khonshu's plan, you might have thought about your answer for more than half a second.

Your eyebrows drew together as you stared up at him in defiance, your arms folding over your chest to communicate just how much you hated the idea.

"I'm not doing that. I'm gonna stop Varnae, save everyone, and ace my bio-chem test when I get back!" you proudly declared, waving a fist at his face.

“Mind your tongue, child!” Mercy chastised. A tiny version of her head had formed out of the sash she'd tied around your waist.

“Still worrying about school? At a time like this?” Khonshu said, sounding more amused than upset. “You still wish to juggle a civilian life, when you could achieve greatness by living up to your full potential.”

“I can do both.” you said, continuing to stare him down through squinted eyes.

Khonshu chuckled slightly. It was the kind of laugh that might have developed into maniacal cackling if he didn't keep himself under control.

“I would very much like to see that, my apprentice…” he said, his voice unreadable.

Normally, this kind of behavior would be entirely unbefitting for a protector god, but this was one of the few times Khonshu deserved a bit of your sympathy.

As a moon god, Khonshu's personality is somewhat affected by the various lunar phases that take place throughout the year. That made him a little trickier to work with sometimes, but that was just part of the job.

There were four aspects that Khonshu represented. The Embracer, the Pathfinder, the Defender, and the Healer.

In this case, it sounded like he was being influenced by the Harvest Moon. And that meant that he was emulating his “Pathfinder” aspect.

Pathfinder Khonshu wasn't always this unstable, either. He was just so focused on accomplishing his goals that he sometimes lost sight of certain things. And it wasn't often that he would be asking you to help save the world, so there was that too.

“Will you still tell me where to find the castle?” you asked.

“Of course, my daughter. As things stand, the two of you are our greatest hope…”

You swallowed hard, but your voice somehow didn't waver. Mercy, on the other hand, was practically quivering just from being in the presence of her god.

“We'll make it in time. We swear.” you said, speaking for the both of you.

“Then I shall be your guiding light, once more.” he declared, enveloping the entire room in blinding light as he wrapped his arms around you. "Tread carefully..."

You closed your eyes for only a moment, and when you opened them again, you saw that Khonshu had disappeared, and the room had gone back to normal.

In fact, it seemed like the conversation that had been carrying on in your absence hadn't progressed very far at all. No one even noticed that you had just had a private conversation with a moon god. It felt like barely any time had passed at all.

(Cont.)