Becoming A God In Another World With My Crush
Chapter 36: Worst Hero Journey Ever

Chapter 36: Worst Hero Journey Ever

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The rain hadn’t let up in hours. It poured in sheets, soaking through cloaks, boots, and patience. The hill path had turned to mud, and every step came with a squelch or a slip. Xander’s cloak clung to him like wet parchment. Iris’s braids were coming lose and her white dress stuck to her skin, her boots making a sound that could only be described as tragic.

"How much longer until we find shelter, Iris?" Xander questioned. "We’ve been in the rain for hours."

"This map is waterproof, not miracle-proof-and I didn’t summon the storm, nerd!" Iris snapped, holding the soggy parchment up like it had personally betrayed her.

"You picked the path," Xander shot back. "I said we should’ve taken the ridge."

"The ridge was a cliff, genius." Iris countered "Do you really wanna die that bad?"

"At least cliffs don’t squish when you walk on them." Xander said rolling his eyes, "My books keep sinking in the mud."

Alyhana sighed at the two and kept walking. "You two argue like you’re married."

"Well, we aren’t." they said in unison.

There was a beat of silence and Iris wiped the water from her face "Ugh," Iris muttered. "Now we’re syncing. That’s even worse."

"I’m filing a complaint with the gods," Xander said. "This is not the heroic journey I was promised."

"In your realm were you two...close friends?" Alyhana asked with a smile. "You two act like you’ve known eachother for years."

Iris and Xander glanced at eachother, then Xander turned away. "...we weren’t friends." He said, "We...just went to the same school."

"Oh," Alyhana said with a nod as Iris kept staring at Xander with something close to sadness in her green eyes before she looked away herself to focus on the map.

"Unfortunately," Iris said, rolling up her map.

They kept walking, the rain still falling, the path doing nothing but making them feel very miserable.

Then Alyhana broke the silence once more, "Then... why is Iris the Kaelhi’s Companion? Since two aren’t connected in any way?"

"Not a damn clue." Xander responded.

"We’ll find shelter soon," Iris said, her voice calm despite the rain dripping from her hood.

Xander let out a groan. "You’ve been saying that for the last hour."

"Well, I mean it this time."

"Do you mean it like when you said the last hill was the last hill?"

Iris didn’t answer, she only glared at him in response. "Why don’t you hold the map then, four eyes?"

"G-guys..." Alyhana deadpanned, it looks like they were going to argue again. Good grief.

"I’m just saying," Xander raised his hands, "You shouldn’t make false promises."

Iris sighed and pulled the map from her satchel again, shielding it with her hand as she squinted at the ink. "There’s something up ahead. A manor, I think. It’s not marked clearly, but it’s close."

Xander perked up. "Finally. Somewhere with a roof."

He took a step forward, muttering something under his breath, then his foot hit a slick root hidden beneath the mud. There was a sharp yelp, a flail of limbs, and then he was gone.

"Xander?!" Iris shouted, rushing forward.

"Oh no-!" Alyhana gasped, hurrying after her.

They reached the edge of the slope just in time to see him tumble down the hill, arms flailing, mud flying in every direction, then he landed with a loud thud somewhere below.

Iris blinked. "Well. That’s one way to get down the hill faster."

Alyhana stared down the hill, wide-eyed. "Is he okay?"

"I don’t know. But if he’s not, I’m not carrying him."

Xander groaned as he pushed himself up from the mud, wincing as he wiped a smear of it from his face. His cloak was ruined. His pride, worse.

He looked up and froze in his tracks.

Through the trees, half-shrouded in mist and shadow, stood a tall manor, Its windows were cracked or missing entirely, and vines had claimed most of the stone walls. The roof sagged in places, and the iron gate hung crooked on its hinges.

It looked like it had been abandoned for decades.

Iris and Alyhana stumbled down the hill behind him, both breathless and covered in mud.

"Are you-" Iris started, then followed his gaze. "Oh."

Alyhana stepped beside them, her eyes narrowing as she took in the building.

The manor loomed in the distance, silent and still. The trees around it seemed to lean away, as if even the forest didn’t want to get too close.

"Well," Iris said, brushing mud from her sleeve, "it’s fucking creepy. But it’s shelter."

Xander nodded. "It’s dry. That’s enough for me."

Alyhana’s eyes stayed fixed on the manor, her fingers twitching slightly at her side.

"Something feels ... off," she said quietly. "I don’t know what it is, but I don’t think we should go in."

Iris glanced at her. "You sense something?"

Alyhana shook her head slowly. "Not really. But it’s there."

Xander sighed. "Unless you sense a better option nearby, I vote we go in."

Iris looked at the sky. The rain hadn’t let up.

"Let’s just not die in there," she muttered.

"No promises," Xander said, already heading toward the gate.

The door to the manor groaned as they pushed it open, the air inside was cold. It smelled of dust and forgotten wood and time left to rot. Their footsteps echoed softly against the stone floor as they stepped inside. Alyhana raised her hand, and a soft orb of light bloomed above her palm, casting a pale glow across the room.

The entrance hall stretched wide, with faded portraits lining the walls. Their faces were blurred with age, their eyes dark and hollow. A cracked chandelier hung above them, its crystals dulled and tangled with cobwebs. The furniture was covered in white sheets, draped like ghosts frozen mid-movement.

Xander whistled under his breath. "Cozy."

Iris stepped past him, her eyes scanning the shadows. "Did the owner suddenly move out...or..."

Alyhana didn’t speak and her gaze lingered on one of the many portraits, her brow furrowed, they moved deeper into the manor, the orb of light floating ahead of them, casting long shadows that shifted with every step.

Behind them, the front door creaked then slammed shut and the sound echoed through the halls like a warning.

None of them moved for a few seconds as they all stared silentl

Alyhana’s light flickered.

Xander cleared his throat. "Probably just the wind."

Iris raised a brow. "Right. The wind. That conveniently waited until we were deep inside to slam the door like it’s mad at us."

Xander glanced back toward the entrance. "Old buildings creak. It’s not haunted."

Iris smirked. "You sure? Maybe it’s a ghost. Maybe it didn’t like your boots."

Xander rolled his eyes. "Very funny."

Alyhana didn’t laugh.

She was still staring at the door, her expression unreadable.

"It was a ghost," she said quietly.

The room fell silent.

Xander blinked. "Wait. You’re serious?"

Alyhana nodded once.

"I felt it. Just for a second. When the door closed."

Iris’s smirk faded.

They all stood there, the light from Alyhana’s orb casting soft shadows across their faces.

No one said anything else.

The manor was quiet again.

Too quiet.