Becoming A God In Another World With My Crush

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Xander lay on his side, half-asleep, the weight of the day pressing into his bones. His eyes were just beginning to close when he heard the door creak open.

Maia stepped inside, her robes trailing behind her like mist. She didn't say anything at first-just crossed the room and sat gently on the edge of his bed.

"You're not sleeping," she said softly.

Xander groaned. "...Was trying to."

She smiled faintly. "Your mind is...filled with thoughts, I think."

He rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. "You're not wrong."

There was a pause. Then Maia reached out, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead like a mother would.

"You carry so much," she said. "More than you should."

Xander exhaled. "I didn't ask for any of this."

"I know," she said. "But the gods don't always ask. Sometimes... they just choose."

He turned his head to look at her. "Why me?"

Maia's eyes softened. "Because something in you burns brighter than the rest. Even if you can't see it yet."

He scoffed. "I'm not exactly glowing with divine purpose."

She chuckled. "You don't have to believe in the gods. Just... believe that they believed in you."

Xander was quiet for a moment.

"...That's a lot of pressure."

Maia smiled. "It's also a gift."

Xander shifted beneath the blanket, the stone beneath him still too cold to feel like home.

"This place isn't safe," he said quietly. "Not really. Not with just a few of you here, it's a ghost city."

Maia didn't argue. She just nodded, her gaze distant.

"I know," she said. "I stayed because we thought I had to, after all the lives lost because of my decision to protect your sword. Because I believed the gods would send someone. And then... you came."

Xander looked at her. "So you'll leave?"

She smiled, but it was tired. "Yes. Soon. There's no reason to stay now. Not with the Kaelhi awakened. Not with the temple cracked and half destroyed."

He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Good. You shouldn't have to keep surviving in ruins."

Maia glanced around the room, her fingers brushing the edge of a cracked pillar. Xander frowned. "Where will you go?"

"There's a small village east of the riverlands," she said. "My sisters and I start over there."

He nodded slowly. "You guys deserve that."

Maia looked at him, something unreadable in her eyes, Maia reached out, brushing her fingers gently against his cheek. Her touch was warm, like a memory trying to stay present.

"You are... handsome," she said with a soft smile and sighed. "A good looking Kaelhi. They will sing songs about you,"

Xander blinked, caught off guard. "Uh... thanks?"

But then, her smile faltered as her breath hitched and she gasped, hand jerking back like she'd touched fire. Xander sat up instantly, the blanket falling from his chest. "What? What did you see?"

Maia didn't answer right away. Her eyes were wide, unfocused-like she was staring through him, not at him.

"Maia?"

She blinked, forcing herself to breathe. Her voice was quiet. Fragile.

"Nothing. It's fine. It's... already decided."

Xander frowned. "What does that mean?"

She looked away, and a single tear slipped down her cheek.

"The future cannot be reversed," she whispered. "No matter how much I willed it to."

Xander's chest tightened. "Maia-what did you see?"

She shook her head, wiping the tear away with the back of her hand. "It doesn't matter. You're here now. That's what matters."

He didn't believe her. Not really. But something in her voice told him not to push. "Promise me you'll look after Alyhana."

Maia took a slow breath, steadying herself. The shimmer in her eyes hadn't faded, but her voice was calm again-measured, like she'd tucked the storm back behind her ribs.

"She's strong," she said softly. "Stronger than she knows. But she's still young. Still learning how to carry the world."

Xander blinked, still groggy, still trying to make sense of everything.

Maia looked at him, her expression gentler now. "Alyhana... she's the daughter I never got to have. Please... protect her."

Xander sat up a little straighter, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, she's kind of weird sometimes, but... yeah. I will. I promise."

Maia smiled, that same tired smile she always wore when she was holding back more than she let on.

"I know you will," she said.

She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead, her hand lingering for a moment in his hair.

Then she stood, smoothing her robes.

"Sleep, Kaelhi," she whispered. "Tomorrow waits for no one."

And with that, she slipped out the door, leaving only the scent of jasmine and something heavier behind.

Xander stared at the ceiling, heart still thudding, as sleep finally came.

Then-

A deafening BOOM shattered the silence, followed by a violent tremor that rattled the walls and sent dust cascading from the ceiling.

Xander shot upright in bed, heart slamming against his ribs.

"What the-?"

Another blast echoed through the temple, closer this time. The floor beneath him shook like something massive had struck it.

He didn't think. He moved.

He grabbed the Aurex Blade from where it leaned against the wall, the runes already glowing faintly-like it sensed what was coming.

Throwing on his boots, he bolted for the door, yanking it open just as a third explosion lit the hallway in a flash of red and gold.

Screams echoed in the distance. Magic crackled. Stone groaned.

Xander's pulse roared in his ears.

"Not again," he muttered, sprinting toward the chaos. "Not tonight."

Xander burst through the temple doors-and into chaos, yhe courtyard was a battlefield.

Flames licked the edges of shattered stone. Smoke curled into the sky like black vines. The air was thick with heat and magic, the kind that made your skin prickle and your instincts scream.

At the center of it all stood a woman cloaked in shadow, her face half-hidden beneath a veil of dark silk. Her eyes glowed yellow, unnatural and cold. Beside her, two massive minotaurs snarled, their horns slick with blood, their muscles rippling with every movement.

Vimea was already mid-incantation, her hands glowing with golden light as she hurled a blast of energy toward one of the beasts. It staggered but didn't fall.

Gaea moved like a storm-fast, brutal, precise-her blade clashing against the other minotaur's axe with a sound that split the air.

Maia stood behind them, shielding Alyhana with as she conjured a shield for protection, her voice steady even as her hands trembled.

Xander's breath caught.

"What the hell is happening?!"

Alyhana turned, eyes wide. "They just appeared-out of nowhere! She's after the sword!"

The shadowed woman raised her hand, and the ground beneath them cracked open with a roar.

Vimea shouted, "Xander-stay back!"

But he was already moving, the Aurex Blade tight in his grip, the runes along its edge flaring to life as it prepared for battle.

𝔞𝔲𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔯'𝔰 𝔯𝔞𝔪𝔟𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰

So this is the final free chapter XD, I hope to see you guys in the locked chapters...I'll try to update two chaps per day even if being a student in the university is draining.

Special thanks to those who left powerstones and golden tickets...you literally made my day ^⁠_⁠^