As Aurelius looked into his friend’s skeptical face, he searched for the usual humour and lameness.

  However, he was faced with a rather pissy Tiberius, his ears reddened slightly from his suppressed rage, eyes squinted in a dull glare, and lips twisted in skeptical annoyance.

  This sight made Aurelius exasperated. Even though the mana bomb was likely triggered by chance, Tiberius had still been the primary cause in causing his divine encounter!

  He was absolutely justified in his treatment of Tiberius, especially given that the bomb would have killed him under normal circumstances!

  Simultaneously, as much of a clueless idiot Tiberius could be sometimes, he was still his best friend. They had confided in each other in moments of darkness and celebration, and had been with each other in solidarity for the last 3 years.

  And given that Tiberius had shown genuine regret and fervent apologies, Aurelius felt no real desire to push their friendship to a breaking point.

  He raked his brain for convincing proof, both as part of a bid to verify his story, and as an off-ramp for the escalating tension between them.

  “How well can you do curses now?” He asked.

  “You want me to notarise your words?” Tiberius responded, his brows furrowing in shock.

  “Yeah. Because I’m telling the damn truth!” Aurelius shot back.

  Leaning into his chair, Tiberius clutched his face with his palm, falling into consideration.

  “You are telling me that Quetzalcoatl saved you from death, that Dr. Varian is a GREENWICH lich, that you met THE QUEEN, AND She killed you for your soul blueprint, left behind by QUETZALCOATL Himself.”

  “You forgot the time loop aspect, but yes. That is essentially the extent of my claims.” Aurelius replied, massaging his glabella, feeling a headache coming on.

  “That is the most ridiculous tale that I’ve heard.”

  “Hold out your hands. I need to notarise this nonsense. I hope you’re prepared to catch my curse for your ridiculous joke…”

  Aurelius glared at Tiberius. The boy was going to actually commit to notarising his statement!

  He gave his hands, palms facing outward.

  Tiberius snuck a look at the nearby waitress. The cursory glance confirmed that she was distracted enough not to notice the magic that they were about to engage in.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  With a soft muttering under his breath, he outlined a chain with the ambient mana.

  “Ventus firmat, pactum ligat, maledictum obstringit!”

  With an echoing clap, Aurelius’s hands were shut, bound by the chains by the spell. With a small sigh, Aurelius started to recite the signer’s statement.

  “I, Aurelius Vennor, swear before the witnesses of the wind.

  I have spoken the truth, and naught but the truth, unto Tiberius Velcor.

  Should I falter, may I be cursed, bound by the weight of my lies.”

  Tiberius watched eagerly, hanging onto every word out of Aurelius’s mouth. He waited with bated breath for the curse to come, scarcely able to believe Aurelius’s daring.

  However, his expectation did not come to fruition, and much to his shock, a sharp crack resounded, the invisible chains shattering and freeing Aurelius from their grip.

  Blinking rapidly with disbelief, Tiberius tilted his head to the side. His mouth hung open in a comedic manner, struggling to comprehend what had just happened.

  “Y-Y-You’re playing a trick- What kind of dirty underground tricks did you learn! Some sort of memory manipulation?! You’re genuinely telling me that Varian’s a fucking Greenwich?” He asked, slowly digesting the far-fetched tales that Aurelius had spun.

  Aurelius sat back, elegantly tearing into the last of his steak with relish.

  “Why- Why the fuck are you not more concerned about your situation?” Tiberius questioned, reeling from the revelation.

  “What happened to you when the time loop reset? What about me? Am I even real anymore? Or a figment of some divine miracle? What the fuck does He mean time loop?” He rambled.

  Aurelius blinked slowly, observing Tiberius’s panic. It seemed rather silly, given that he was the one involved in this divine affair, rather than his friend. At the same time, Tiberius’s fear was infectious, filling Aurelius’s mind with dread.

  “Look man, it’s rare, but divine revelations happen all the time! Plus the gods and spirits perform stupid miracles daily. Just… think of this as another one of their weird tantrums or something… Mortal minds shouldn’t think too hard about these things. It’ll drive you insane!” Aurelius replied.

  “MIRACLES DON’T INVOLVE A UNIVERSAL TIME LOOP!”

  “I’m sure there’s a boundary! I-Well, it does seem rather fucked that the whole planet was affected but- yeah, I honestly have no clue.”

  The waiting staff gave the two of them dirty glances through their heated conversation, annoyed by their lack of class and manners.

  Rubbing his glabella once more, Aurelius stood up, dragging Tiberius’s paralysed body from his seat.

  Reaching into Tiberius’s pocket to retrieve his wallet, Aurelius gave a few small pats on his back, a small gesture to calm his anxiety.

  “There is no point delving into what you can’t control Tiberius. Just accept it as it is. Go along with the flow, man.”

  That was Aurelius’s philosophy when it came to his own life. The fear and panic that the past few weeks have brought him meant nothing if he couldn’t resolve its root causes. There was no point struggling against the torrents of fate, nor was there any glory in resisting godhood.

  At the same time, to be paralysed in helplessness was absolutely not his style. Looking into the abyss was a fool’s errand, and the only real choice for humans like him was to shut their eyes and ignore its horrors.

  Aurelius paid out the meal, emptying out TIberius’s purse with delight. The steak had been excellent, after all.

  Pulling the ghastly boy by his collar, the duo made their way past the glass doors into the lively streets.

  Attempting to pull Tiberius out of his stupor, Aurelius asked Tiberius casually.

  “What was the curse you put on the statement anyway?”

  It seemed effective, with Tiberius scratching his head with a sheepish smile.

  “Ah… The teeth stealing curse…”

  Aurelius was stunned. This absolute BUFFON!

  “Wha- That one? Are you fucking insane? Even with the amount of mana you can manage, it would’ve lasted at least the day!”

  “You were that pissed over YOUR MURDER ATTEMPT? Are you PSYCHOTIC?”