Dylan King and His New Roommate Called Goddess Athena [1st Book]

CHAPTER 5

POINT OF VIEW: DYLAN

Saturday, October 7, 2028, around 07.25 P.M

Taking out his phone, Dylan noticed it was already 7.25 P.M. Getting closer to the library, he imagined Athena had already been able to practice three or four grammar smoothly. Considering she managed to master hundreds of English vocabulary in one night, he knew the standard he had set was not impossible for her.

Arriving at the library, Dylan saw that the front doors had not completely shut. Curious, he trotted the stairs and held the handle firmly before he pushed it as he peeked inside. Melissa was no longer standing at the receptionist's table. It was not something odd because her shift was over at 6 P.M. Thinking she might stay late due to checking some books, Dylan locked the door and walked straight to the reading area.

Opening the door, Dylan was aghast. In front of him was a tree with leaves touching the ceiling, growing on top of a table. Its roots were almost everywhere, entwining the chairs or lying on the floor. Even though Athena had not yet demonstrated other powers aside from invulnerability, weapon materialization, and superhuman strength, it was undeniably her doing. Worried about how others would react tomorrow, he rushed to the stairs.

Suddenly, Dylan heard a muffled voice. It came from above, so he raised his head to check. Instantly, his mouth fell open. A twisted, leafless branch on the other side of the tree entwined Melissa.

Quickly, Dylan grabbed a chair and placed it on the table. Rising on tiptoes on the chair, he reached for the tip of the twisted branch, the part that shut Melissa's mouth. Nonetheless, it pressed against Melissa's mouth, causing him to be unable to slip his fingers to pull it away.

Afraid he might hurt his friend if he used a sharp object to make a hole in its surface, he shifted his focus to the part entwining Melissa's body. The part encircling her stomach had a gap, allowing him to slip his fingers and pull down the branch. Unfortunately, the unit was as rugged as a steel pipe. He looked back at Melissa and said, "I'll find something to cut this area."

When Dylan jumped down from the table, he noticed Athena standing near the stairs. He rushed to her and frantically asked, "What are you doing to her?!"

"Do you know this woman?" Athena calmly asked, and the fluency surprised Dylan. However, he quickly got back on the matter at hand.

"Of course, I know her! She's my friend!"

"Your friend has done something outrageous against me."

"Outrageous?" Dylan responded incredulously. "What did she do?"

"Well, she --"

"Forget about it! I have to take her down first," Dylan interrupted as he walked past Athena to the stairs.

"Unless I order it, the mortal woman will not be able to come down from the tree."

"What??" Dylan turned astonished. "You have to take her down now!"

"Take her down? Are you sure she does not pose any threat?"

"Of course she doesn't!"

"Well, your very own life is the guarantee," Athena said as she walked to the tree. She touched one of the roots, and immediately, it shrunk towards the tree's body, followed by the others. The body then shrunk; simultaneously, the branches seemed to absorb all leaves. When the remaining part of the tree was the twisted branch, it moved by itself like a snake, releasing Melissa onto the table. This snake-like branch then strangely dissolved into a book. But instead of questioning that strange, unexpected twist, Dylan chose to help Melissa immediately.