Inside the space.
I stretched out and over onto my side, except…the warm body that was supposed to be next to me had disappeared. The rug, his obnoxious snores, and the blanket, too. I blinked and opened my eyes.
"..."
"What the fuck Mel?!"
Standing over me with her eyeholes on full display was a sloppily dressed Mel. Her hair was not only a bird's nest in the metaphorical sense, but it was also literally holding a chicken in its strands.
She stared at me with the strangest smile I'd ever seen in my life. One side was completely quirked up, the other dropping down towards her chin.
"What did I tell you about watching me sleep?" Goosebumps rose, and I rubbed at the ones on my arm.
"Do it often?"
I kicked her stomach, and she grunted when it connected. I threw the covers away and almost killed Harry. Sitting on top of my legs is a hairy white goat affectionately named Harry.
I think he's a she, but I don't really want to check. So, for now, Harry is a unisex name.
"What are you all doing here?" The chickens clucked, and I looked underneath my bed to see the rest of them hiding there.
"We were waiting in here with you. It's scary out there…" She giggled to herself, and I ignored her theatrical tone.
"Scary? Scary how? Where's Penguin?"
She pointed at the doorway and cracked herself up so much that she started crying and laughing. I shoved her out of the way so I could crawl out of bed and looked all the way down at myself.
"Did you…Did you change me?"
She wiped tears from her eyes and gave me a rueful smile without answering. Crazy ass…Rolling my eyes at her latest fit of lunacy, I left the bed and adjusted the dress. Where did she even get a red dress? She better not have used the system store.
I left the house and immediately tried to walk back inside when I saw what was waiting. "What in the ass is that?"
Mel shimmied into my side, and I elbowed her. She solemnly stated. "We're calling it Tartarus's asshole. What do you think?"
She caressed the feathers on top of the chicken's head, and I just shook my head in disbelief."This is fucking insane and it needs to be fixed. Why is he just sitting there?"
Outside in the black expanse of space known as my soul, a couple of miles away, was a giant chasm. White blinding light streamed in from the hole, and I shielded my eyes with my hand.
What is he doing?
"I'm fine, by the way."
"..." I kicked her back into the house and closed the door for good measure. The chickens screamed, and I hoped she hadn't killed one of them too brutally. It can mess up the cut of meat for later.
I tentatively walked past the garden and towards the blinding light. Penguin sat there on the edge, looking straight into its light without any sign of pain at all.
"Penguin? What's going on? What is that?"
"..."
He continues staring, and I kick at his back to get his attention. He jumps and turns around. Then scrambles to stand up straight when he sees it's me.
His blue eyes take me in without blinking and I try to keep my shit together. "I'm going to ask you this one more time. What is that? What are you doing? And when are you going to fix it?"
"I can't."
"Excuse me? Let's try again, this time in my ears?"
"That woman…did a number on you. I don't have the necessary materials to patch up the hole." He gives me a strange look that I don't quite notice since I'm just blown away by all of this damage.
"What woman?" I think better of it. "You mean Hypatia? She did this? What is it?"
"A hole."
"..."
"No fucking shit birdbrain. But I mean, what is it exactly? What did she do?"
"She took a trip down memory lane with a flame thrower."
"..."
"What do you need to fix it?"
"Adderall, ecstasy, a year's worth of coca…" He lists off, and I move to kick him again.
He dodges and responds seriously. "Fine! Fine. The only thing I can think of is a shard of a Godcore. But we don't have any of those in stock at your local Mom and pop unfortunately."
I tilt my head. "Mom and pop? That's an awfully pop culture term for you."
A Godcore, huh? That lady did say something about that when she was in the process of painting me with her brush thing.
"I think I might know where to get one. She said that witches have those right? Or their descendants do. So I should, in theory, have one."
He rolls his electronic eyes and stretches his fins out. "I know. You're looking at it."
"..."
"This is a Godcore! I'm a God? When were you going to tell me?"
"I did!"
I pointed at him. "No. You said I was a Godkiller."
He shrugs."Same difference. If you want to get technical, Demi-God might be a more apt terminology. Anyway your idea sucks and I have a better one."
"Really? Let's hear it."
"Open the orb in the inventory."
I shot that down."Pass. Next idea."
"Miseria…"
"Why is everyone using my full name these days? No! Want to hear that in espanol? El No!"
"That doesn't even make sense."
I walked away from the chasm with a chattering Penguin right behind me. "Ria, if we don't take preventative measures, the core will be destroyed, and this space along with it. Stop being stubborn and permit me."
I shake my head no."It's not worth it. That thing gives me the heebie jeebies."
"I promise it's nothing bad."
"Just like you promised, that the system was there only to help me?"
He stopped in his tracks, and I stepped around growing cabbages. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Don't play dumb. I'm wise to your bullshit. There's no such thing as a free meal in any world. Including this one."
"..."
He waddles after me and continues to bother me. "Ria. Ria. Ria. Ria. Ria. Ria…"
I plugged my ears and drowned him out. The entire space hummed, and then a delayed sound rang throughout. I unplugged my ears in mock horror.
"Ahem. Ahem. Riaaaaaaaa!"
"What!"
I turned around to see Penguin holding a virtual microphone and preparing to scream at the top of his lungs into the karaoke machine again.
I can't do this all day and potentially again tomorrow. Ugh.
"Fine! Open that stupid crystal ball and get it over with!"
He flapped his flippers and twirled in a circle in victory. Please remember that I protested this from the beginning.
He waved his flipper and summoned the mighty inventory page. It's blue screen glitched and flickers now and then. The far right box ominously glowed with a black light.
My stomach churned, and I held out a hand. "Wait!"
Penguin gave me an unimpressed look. "What now?"
"What's in that thing? Don't give me any excuses, or I'll never let you use it."
Its metal eyebrows drew together with frustration. Its blue eyes looked between me and the page. Finally, it decided the orb was more important than keeping me in the dark. "Divinity. No more questions. Let me use it and I'll explain what that means later."