Only two figures remained at the Ancient One's side.
One was Garfield.
The other was the Sleeping Godzilla Pig, snoring softly without a care for the universe.
The Book of Vishanti lay closed nearby, set aside for once.
Garfield padded over and, without hesitation, wrapped both paws around the Ancient One's thigh.
"Master." He said earnestly, "You are cute, kind, beautiful, handsome, and charming… skipping several thousand unnecessary adjectives, your disciple has returned."
Without even opening her eyes, the Ancient One calmly peeled the thick-skinned orange cat off her leg and pressed him flat onto the cushion beside her.
"Mm. I know you're back."
Seeing her calm expression, Garfield struggled twice against the cushion.
When escape proved impossible, he switched tactics, clutching her arm dramatically and wailing at full volume.
"Master! Your adorable disciple was hit by a one-eared freak's ultimate move! I'm about to die!"
"…What?"
The Ancient One finally opened her eyes, clearly confused.
"Didn't he give you his final divine power?" she asked.
"That power is a seed. If cultivated properly, it could allow you to ascend into a new god someday."
Garfield scratched his head. "What kind of god? A dog-headed god?"
Thunk.
The Ancient One flicked Garfield squarely on the forehead.
"What dog-headed god?" She said calmly.
"Have some respect for the dead. Besides, what he gave you was extremely valuable."
Garfield poked his own belly. "But there's nothing in my stomach."
"In your soul space," the Ancient One replied.
Garfield immediately pointed at his head. "There's only a Pandora in there. Nothing else."
Pandora slowly opened her eyes. She stared at Garfield in silence for several seconds.
Then she calmly pulled out a mace and smashed him hard on the head.
"Stupid cat." She snapped. "Who are you calling a Godzilla pig? Believe it or not, this monarch will beat you flat."
"Master!" Garfield howled. "She's bullying me again!"
The Ancient One gently patted Garfield's head.
"Don't be afraid." She said serenely.
"If she wants to bully someone, she'll bully me. As a grown adult, I know how to be accommodating."
Garfield immediately realized something terrifying.
These two… were absolutely on the same side.
In fact, the more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that Pandora was probably the Ancient One's best friend or worse, her wayward daughter who had once fallen into darkness, been dragged back into the light, and then conveniently dumped into his body.
So that so-called Dark Lord…
The one who messed with his precious self… definitely guilty.
That's it. Case closed.
'I, Garfield, have solved the mystery.' He declared inwardly.
Bang! Bang!
Pandora smacked him twice more with the mace.
"Stupid cat," She said coldly. "You're thinking something bad again."
"Nonsense." Garfield replied instantly. "I'm a well-behaved orange cat."
At this point, the only correct response was to pretend nothing had happened.
Hmph.
Pandora rolled her eyes and ignored him.
Garfield scooted back over, clinging to the Ancient One's thigh once more.
"Master." He asked curiously, "Who was that big brother earlier?"
"The one wearing a trench coat, shorts, flip-flops, no shirt. Where did he go?"
The Ancient One rubbed her temples.
"Garfield," She sighed, "You really don't need to describe him in that much detail. I've already seen everything you've seen."
She continued calmly,
"You should already understand the concept of the multiverse, from the ancient texts of Karma Taj and from the worlds you've experienced."
"I know." Garfield nodded. "There's a lot of messy stuff."
"Then why ask?" the Ancient One replied. "He naturally came from another universe."
Garfield frowned slightly.
"Then why do I feel like there's a huge secret hidden in him… and behind him?"
The Ancient One nodded slowly. "You're right."
"There is a very powerful existence standing behind him." She said.
"And that existence is part of a conflict, one between gods, and forces like ours."
Garfield's ears twitched.
Ah.
So the mess was only getting bigger.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
PhantomDream