Becoming A God In Another World With My Crush
Chapter 47: They Live Long Enough For A Reunion

Chapter 47: They Live Long Enough For A Reunion

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘❦✾❦∘∙⊱⋅•-

They turned the corner just as the sounds of the explosion faded.

"There," Alyhana pointed, already running. "That room! it’s coming from there!"

Xander picked up his speed and reached the door first.

It didn’t look like any normal door anymore as wood was warped and bent at odd angles like it had been melted and forced shut with black veins of magic crawling all around it.

Alyhana felt it and immediately took her hand off the door. "It’s sealed with dark magic... There’s no way we can unseal it with a ritual and—"

Xander took one step back and kicked as hard as he could.

The door flew off its hinges with a loud CRACK, slamming into the wall across the room, he blinked very much in shock at his own strength. "...Okay. That was new...You were saying something about a ritual?"

Alyhana stared at him in shock, he broke down a door sealed with dark magic with nothing but...his leg?

’He really is a god!’ she thought.

"D–Did you just—?"

"I think I did."

But before either of them could step forward and into the room, a burst of raw energy exploded from the doorway and something flew straight at them.

"Agh—!" a voice cried out.

"Iris!" Alyhana gasped.

Xander moved on instinct. He caught her midair just before she slammed into the floor, she hit his chest hard, arms flailing. "Ow—ow—wait—!"

"I got you," he grunted, steadying them both. "You’re okay."

Iris clung to him for a second as she was panting. Her face was pale, streaked with dirt and dried tears, then she looked up at him, wide-eyed. "Xander?!"

He raised an eyebrow. "You were expecting someone else?"

She whipped around. "Alyhana?! You’re okay!"

Alyhana dropped to her knees beside them, hands already glowing. "You’re not hurt, are you? P–please tell me you’re not—"

"No—I mean—just a little!" Iris said quickly, breath still uneven. "What the hell took you guys so long?!"

"I fought a monster," Xander deadpanned. "Then Alyhana and I fought another, you?"

Iris flopped against him dramatically. "I’ve been fighting one too, probably more annoying."

Iris still had her fists curled into Xander’s shirt like she wasn’t sure if she was dreaming. "You’re alive," she breathed. "You’re actually—oh my god, you’re both alive."

Her voice cracked a little near the end, and she blinked rapidly like she wasn’t about to cry, even though she definitely was.

Xander gave her a look with a teasing smile. "Try not to sound too emotional, Iris...I thought you hated me and we’re still stuck in the murder house."

She smacked his chest weakly. "I was worried you jerk."

Alyhana was already kneeling beside her, hands glowing again as she hovered them near Iris’s temple.

"You’re warm," she murmured. "And your pulse is high, can you breathe okay?"

"Not really," Iris muttered. "You’d be gasping too if you just got your ass handed to you by your mom."

Alyhana’s lip twitched with an unsure smile. "I think I do know the feeling"

"You weren’t," Iris said, softer this time she glanced up at Xander. "You came back."

"Of course we came back," Xander muttered, "You’re annoying but not that annoying."

"Wow. That was so heartfelt, I almost cried, stupid nerd." Iris deadpanned.

"I can go back out the door if you want."

"Don’t you fucking dare."

Alyhana smiled a little, letting her magic pulse one more time. "You’re okay... mostly. Some bruising, a little magical backlash, but nothing I can’t patch—"

A loud, low growl echoed from deeper inside the room and they all froze.

"...Alyhana," Xander said calmly. "Pause the healing."

A low creak rolled through the room, followed by a long, guttural growl that didn’t sound human. Or animal. Just wrong.

Alyhana froze. "...Did you hear—?"

"Hmm, yeah." Iris said with a chuckle, "Guys, I’d like you to meet my mom...a even more terrifying illusion of my mom rather."

The shadows stretched behind them, slithering along the walls like veins. The temperature dropped instantly.

"You will never leave," a voice rumbled from nowhere and everywhere at once. "Your souls belong to me. You’ll rot here...forever."

Xander actually flinched. "Okay, nope."

Alyhana’s breath hitched, her fingers twitching, but she lifted her hand quickly and summoned a shimmering dome of light around them.

The moment it flared into place, a whip of dark magic slammed into it from behind, hissing against her barrier like acid.

"I’ve got us," she said shakily. "I think—I think I’ve got us."

"Nice work," Xander muttered, already pulling Iris behind him as he stepped toward the source of the voice. His sword was out.

"You again," he muttered under his breath.

Another blast of shadow slammed into Alyhana’s shield, harder this time.

Xander didn’t flinch. "You’re getting predictable, you know that?"

"You cannot escape," the voice snarled. "You will die here!"

Iris muttered behind him, "God, I fucking hate ghosts."

Alyhana’s shield flickered slightly under the next hit. She gritted her teeth. "I-I can hold it. Just... not forever."

Xander took one more step forward. His voice was calm, steady.

"Good. Then we don’t have forever." He raised his blade. Xander exhaled slowly and rolled his shoulder like the sword in his hand didn’t weigh a thing.

"If we’re gonna be ghosts," he said dryly, "I’m haunting something cooler than this place...I won’t be rotting here with you."

"I vote for a beach resort," Iris muttered beside him.

Alyhana didn’t say anything, but her hands were glowing brighter—her shield thickening with golden light as another blast of shadow struck it and bounced off with a sizzle.

Then the room started to shake and eyes formed in the dark. Too many eyes. And limbs that didn’t bend right. Its shape twisted with each breath like it hadn’t picked what form to take yet.

Alyhana stepped closer to Xander, voice barely audible. "My shield can’t hold them off..."

"Yeah," he muttered. "It’s even worse now."

The creature let out a guttural roar that rattled the walls. Iris tensed, pink magic crackling between her fingers now and Xander blinked, she can control it at will now?

"Okay. Group suicide pact...unless someone has a better idea?" Iris said.

"No pacts," Xander said, steady. "We take it down."

"You make it sound so easy," Iris whispered.

"It’s not," he said. "But it’s our only way out."

"Xander is the Kaelhi, Iris... he’s stronger than we could ever imagine." Alyhana added with an... adoring look towards Xander?

The monster took one step forward, the floor cracking beneath it. Alyhana’s shield flickered then it flared brighter.

Xander took the lead.

He didn’t look back when he said, "On my signal."

They braced, the monster opened its mouth—

"Now!"