I kindly request you to include my new book, "Ashes of God and Devil," in your libraries.
*****
{Chapter: 361 Fishing}
Jane watched as the mobile phone vanished into thin air from William's hand, her brow knitting in thoughtful curiosity. "I've been meaning to ask you for a while now… that's spatial power, isn't it? You stored the phone in another dimension, didn't you?"
William turned, his smirk playful, the fading sunlight casting a warm glow across his face. "Sharp as ever, Doctor Foster. You guessed it. I carry a separate space with me—think of it like a personal inventory system. Like those video games you used to call childish."
Jane's lips curled into a half-smile. "Well, now I wish I'd played more of those games."
Sif, who had been silently watching the exchange, added with a hint of cool detachment, "That power—it's the Tesseract, isn't it? You tapped into its dimensional space energy to open that space."
William gave a half-bow with a dramatic flourish. "Bingo. It's a pocket dimension courtesy of the Tesseract—portable storage for survival gear, tools, food, weapons, and apparently, mobile phones. Quite useful when stranded on an uncharted island."
Jane's eyes lit up with wonder and envy. "That's insanely convenient. Can you make one for me too?"
William's expression turned slightly serious. "I wish I could, Jane. It's not that I don't want to. Your body just isn't built to handle the spatial compression. Carrying a dimensional space strains the physical structure. It could crush you from the inside out."
Jane's smile faded, a small sigh escaping her lips. "I see… so it's that dangerous."
Seeing the disappointment flicker in her eyes, William stepped forward and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "But that's why you've got me. If you ever want to store anything—just hand it to your personal cargo rack."
That made Jane laugh, the warmth returning to her voice. "My own personal cargo rack, huh? I like the sound of that. I guess that means you belong to me now."
William's grin widened, a flicker of genuine affection flashing in his eyes. "I already did. You just hadn't claimed me properly yet."
Behind them, Sif's eyes narrowed. She folded her arms and looked away, her jaw tightening. It was infuriating how easily William spoke such sweet words to Jane. That charm—so effortless, so maddening. Why did he never talk to her that way? And more importantly, why did it bother her?
"Ugh, disgusting," she muttered under her breath, pretending to examine the horizon. But deep down, something tangled and unresolved stirred within her. Anger. Jealousy. Something far worse—longing.
William turned toward the setting sun. The golden hue painted the sky in fiery reds and oranges. "It's getting late… and still blazing hot. Let's hunt for dinner."
Jane perked up. "I could really use something to eat. So, food duty's yours?"
William nodded. "Naturally. You ladies stay here and enjoy the ocean breeze. I'll scour the jungle for something edible."
With a flash of blue light, he summoned two fishing rods from his personal space and handed them to the women. "You two can try fishing. These rods are reinforced. Shouldn't be too hard."
Jane took one, her eyes gleaming with childlike excitement. "Fishing? I've never done that before—especially not ocean fishing. Sounds fun! Go on, we'll take care of things here."
William smiled warmly at her. "That's my girl."
He turned to Sif and tossed her the second rod. "And you, warrior princess goddess—show me you can reel in more than just grudges."
Sif scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm doing this because I'm bored, not because I care."
Jane giggled and handed Sif the rod properly. "Come on, let's see who catches the biggest fish."
Sif took the rod with a grumble, masking her inner turmoil. "Do Earth fish even count? I've caught sea serpents the size of ships in Asgard. This feels… beneath me."
Jane's smile didn't waver. "Five or six meters is still big on Earth. Sharks, tuna, swordfish… they're no sea serpents, but they can still give a good fight."
Sif tossed the line into the water with practiced ease, her eyes narrowing in challenge. "Fine. But when I win, you owe me your share of tonight's meal."
Jane threw her own line with a grin. "Bring it on. I'm not afraid to lose to a goddess… unless that goddess is scared to lose to a mortal."
Sif's eyes flared. "As if I'd ever lose to you."
As the lines disappeared into the waves, a quiet moment settled between them. The sound of the surf, the gentle rocking of the tide, and the whisper of wind gave the scene a strangely peaceful vibe.
Then, suddenly, Sif felt a strong pull on her line. Her face lit up with instinctive joy. "Got one!"
She began reeling the line in quickly, muscles taut, her posture elegant and powerful. Jane laughed, clapping her hands. "That was fast! Let's see what the mighty Sif has caught!"
Sif didn't respond, her lips tugging upward in a rare, genuine smile as she focused on her prize. But deep in her heart, a different tug was pulling—one she didn't want to admit. Watching William walk into the forest, risking himself without hesitation, made her feel something she wasn't ready to name.
Jealousy?
Longing?
Love?
She clenched the reel harder.
No. She'd never fall for a man like him.
Not ever.
Soon, a gray-green fish wriggled at the end of Sif's line, pulled into the air with a clean sweep of her arm. It flopped wildly as it was dragged over the rocks. Sif frowned at it as if it had personally offended her.
"Hmph," she muttered. "It's barely the length of my arm. Pathetic."
Jane leaned over to take a look, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Well, it's still bigger than mine. You can keep going—I'll catch a bigger one soon. Just wait."
Sif didn't look away from the water as she cast her line again with a casual flick of her wrist. "We'll see about that."
The wind picked up as the sun slipped further down the horizon, casting orange and crimson across the gentle waves. The two women sat in tense silence for a time. Jane watched her line with stubborn focus, while Sif's rod bent again and again—her skills clearly outpacing Jane's.
By the end of an hour, Sif had pulled in more than ten fish. The largest among them was over a meter long. Jane, meanwhile, had only two pitiful catches squirming in her basket.
Sif smirked. "You are… how do mortals say it? Utterly hopeless."
Jane sighed and narrowed her eyes playfully. "Don't get cocky. Maybe I'll catch something big enough to eat all your fish in one bite."
Before Sif could respond, Jane added slyly, "You were about to ask about William, weren't you?"
Sif's back straightened like a drawn bow. "No," she snapped a little too quickly.
Jane gave her a knowing smile. "You don't have to hide it. Ask whatever you want. I'm not the jealous type."
Sif turned, her stormy eyes narrowing. "I don't understand you. Why follow someone like him? He's reckless. Unstable. He doesn't follow rules. He—he destroyed half of what he touches. He is a mass murder, egomaniac, megalomaniac, This guy is a super bad guy.
You're a scientist. You should be smarter than this."
Jane's expression softened. "Believe me, I've asked myself that same question more times than I can count. At first, I didn't even know it was him. He introduced himself as 'Tom.' Polite. Honorable. Gentle. He was always there when it mattered most. Like a dream. I guess part of me… wanted to believe in that version."
"You were deceived by illusions and masks," Sif said coldly.
Jane gave a bitter laugh. "Maybe I was. But illusions don't hold up forever. I saw through it. I saw the monster, the madness, the chaos… and I stayed."
Sif blinked, visibly shaken. "Why?"
"Because under all that chaos… is someone who never gave up on me. Someone who held me when I was broken. Who stood between me and death without hesitation. Even if he's a devil… he's my devil," Jane whispered, a small, almost embarrassed smile tugging at her lips. "Maybe I'm just that stupid. I was deceived to death by him. Of course, it might be a bit exaggerated to say this. William once disguised himself as a man named Tom. He was very upright and had a sense of justice. He was always very good to me in critical moments.."
"You were deceived just like that? That's really stupid.." Sif shook her head.
"I said it was very simple, but the process was not as easy as you thought. Well, actually what I want to say is… okay, I am indeed stupid." Jane admitted her stupidity after being unable to refute.
"After you know what kind of person William is, can you still not care?"
Jane shook her head. "I hesitated, struggled, and conflicted for more than a year, but when I met William again, I understood one thing. I want to follow him, even if he is a devil reincarnated."
Sif turned away. The ocean breeze stirred her hair, but it couldn't cool the fire that burned beneath her armor. "A touching tragedy," she said, voice flat. "But I've seen too many of those."
Jane glanced sideways at her. "You sound more bitter than I expected."
"I am not bitter," Sif snapped. "Merely observant."
"Right," Jane said with a teasing grin. "Compared to this, it is indeed touching. The love between William and Pepper is a sad story.."
"Pepper? Does he have other women?" Sif asked.
"Of course, he is a pervert, and there is more than one, a super pervert." Jane suddenly said angrily. " You are so observant you nearly broke your fishing rod when I mentioned he had other women."
Sif's hands clenched tighter around her rod, jaw taut. "He's a lecherous beast. Are you saying you're fine with that?"
Jane's shoulders drooped slightly. "No. I hate it. I've cried about it. I screamed at him. But I realized… trying to chain him is like trying to chain a storm. I don't care about the other women anymore. To be honest, I don't know what to do, but I don't want to think about these things. What will happen at that time, let William, the pervert, worry about it. All I care about is whether he still chooses me, again and again. As long as I can keep smiling beside him… that's enough for now."
Sif muttered under her breath, "You're delusional."
"Maybe. But I'm a happy kind of delusional," Jane replied cheerfully.
After a moment, Jane tilted her head curiously. "You're not worried about me. You're angry because… you liked him too, didn't you?"
Sif went still. Her grip on the rod became deathlike.
"That's ridiculous," she said, too stiffly.
Jane shrugged. "You don't have to lie. I know what it feels like… wanting to hate him and wanting him at the same time. He drives you mad, doesn't he?"
The Asgardian warrior goddess glared at the water. "He betrayed everything I believed in. He laughed in the face of honor. Yet… he still fights for something. I just don't know what."
Jane nodded slowly. "He fights for those he loves. He just has a… chaotic way of showing it." Jane looked at the sky and said, "They will be here soon. I don't know what kind of people they are, but I am looking forward to it.." Jane said with a smile.
Sif smiled slightly, "You guys can fight as much as you want, let William, that beast, suffer and worry."
Then Jane's rod suddenly bent with force, dragging her forward on the rocks. "Whoa—whoa! I've got something! It's huge!"
She dug her feet in and tried to reel it back, but the line whirred loudly, resisting her every pull. "It's pulling me!"
Sif rose instantly. "Hold tight!" She grabbed the rod beside Jane, her hands overlapping the mortal woman's, and together they strained against the power beneath the waves.
Muscles flexing, Sif gritted her teeth. "This… thing's a monster."
"Maybe it's a kraken," Jane joked breathlessly.
"Or your metaphorical ex," Sif said, dryly.
With a powerful heave, Sif roared and yanked the line. The water erupted as something massive broke the surface—a monstrous shark, six or seven meters long, thrashed and snapped as it flew through the air in a shimmering arc.
"By the Allfather," Sif whispered in awe.
The beast slammed down on the rocks with a splash and a shuddering thump, twitching in the shallows.
Jane stared at the creature, wide-eyed, then looked at Sif with a dazed smile. "I… I think I win."
Sif laughed, for once without a trace of venom. "I think you do."
As they both stared down at the fallen titan of the sea, the sun finally dipped below the horizon, casting the world in hues of dusk. Far behind them, the rustle of leaves and a faint familiar hum signaled William's return.
Jane glanced toward the sound, eyes lighting up. "He's back."
Sif crossed her arms, frowning. "Let's see how your 'devil' reacts to this catch. If nothing else, I hope he faints from jealousy."
Jane giggled softly. "Even if he does, he'll still smile and call me amazing. He always does."
Sif turned away, hiding the way her lips twitched upward before fading into her usual scowl. "Foolish."
But even as she said it, something twisted within her—a lingering ache, a memory of the way he once looked at her with fire and respect in his eyes, before everything went wrong.
And in that moment, neither of them spoke… but both knew this tangled web of feelings was far from over.