Nayantara

Chapter Five: The Commitment

"Get in," I say, swinging my thumb over my shoulder. I blankly stare at the ground as the so-called Asteria walks past me. She parks her butt on the couch with her head back, eyes closed, and fingers interlocked on her lap. I close the door and chug my beer to prepare my mind for another issue.

"Could I get whatever you're having?" Shar'I says with her head still back and eyes closed.

"After you satisfy all of my questions." I head into the bedroom to grab a notebook and a pen to write all my questions on. These are the things I want to be answered.

Who is the woman with blonde hair that has your technology?

Is she an actual goddess?

Who and what is she?

"Here," I say, handing Shar'i the notebook. Her eyes carefully read each answer several times over, moving left to right, up and down. Sometimes she stares at one before glancing at the other ones. "It's only three simple questions."

"They are not simple," she lashes out, tossing the notebook to her right side.

"Just," I pause to prevent myself from yelling. "Just answer them, for god's sake."

"I'm an Ovese. I come from a planet that's almost like this."

A what?

I can't believe I'm talking to a real alien. She looks nothing like how movies and conspiracy theories make them out to be. She looks like every other fit-looking woman. If the world knows who she is, the world will lose their shit.

"You're an extraterrestrial?" I say.

"What is that?"

"Y'know... someone from a different planet. I thought we were only in the universe."

"Well, you're wrong. There's so much out there."

She briefly talks about Earth-like planets far away that no human technology can reach. Their names are Vulcry, Vulmyth, and Vultunda which is her homeworld. Her planet has pink skies and doesn't rotate, but is comfortable to live on both sides of the planet. The idea of a planet not rotating and being habitable sounds fucking crazy. But then I remember about habitable zones around stars. If the star on Vultunda isn't like the sun but older like red giants, then it's pheasable.

"So, next question?" Shar'I says as if she is unsure if she should move on. There are tons of questions I want to ask because of the first answer. For the sake of time, I push them aside so my original ones can be answered first.

"Yes," I nod and point to the paper with my eyes. "Who's the blonde-haired woman? She knew your name."

"She's an Ovese named, Tinara. She took the role of the Roman goddess of vegetation.

"What would the Romans call her?"

"Flora." One realization pops into my head from all the crap I'm hearing. Since they're truly aliens, then the threat she keeps warning me about must be about Tinara and that stupid name I can't remember.

"Remind me of the dude who wants to end the world," I say, snapping my fingers as I try to think of the name.

"Elagabalus," we say together, but I butcher his name.

"Is that his real name?" I say.

"Yes," she sighs, bowing her head.

"He was a... unusual emperor." When she says unusual, she smiles for a split second. "His people wanted him dead for being an absolute perverted deviant."

"Really?" She nods.

"After I saved his life and faked his death so he could come to live with me in my world, his twisted mind kept evolving." The way she is describing this guy is making my stomach turn. "But, he goes by Shendour and he isn't a god." Now I'm thinking of more questions to ask. Who is he? Why isn't he acting like a god? Why are they here? How long have they been here? Lastly, why is there an apocalypse?