Enrique Nova had witnessed many things that bordered on miraculous, but this? This topped them all. He wasn't dead – instead, he found himself in a golden, cloudy horizon that resembled the stereotypical descriptions of 'heaven.'
To his astonishment, his grievous injuries were healed through a process he could only describe as supernatural. He had felt them close when he was in that dark void, but he had thought it'd at least leave scars. It didn't. Even the remaining blood was cleaned after he entered this realm.
Something extraordinary had just occurred.
Unless this was a hallucination or something the human brain concocts for those about to die, Enrique had been 'summoned' by someone. Though it could also be the afterlife, considering the person he faced looked just like and introduced herself as, an Egyptian Deity. However, he doubted that; this couldn't be the afterlife, at least surely not the one he should end up in, since nothing but hell would suit him.
Also, she mentioned something about becoming her Avatar.
Despite the bizarre situation, Enrique wasn't scared. Afterlife, alternate reality—whatever it was, it represented an opportunity. A chance to live. However, his business acumen warned him that this was not a mere gift from the heavens. He doubted someone like him would be favored by the heavens like that. The woman before him wanted something in return for saving him, and it could be dangerous.
"Avatar?" he asked, slowly standing up with the help of her hand and dusting off his suit. It was still bloody and torn in many places, though his wounds were entirely healed.
"Yes," she snapped her fingers. A chair materialized behind him, and another appeared across from him with a table separating them. He took his seat, and the Goddess did the same, though her 'chair' was more of a throne.
She was establishing the hierarchy. How condescending.
"Let us proceed in this manner since you are dressed in a suit," the deity said, her gaze fixated on him. "An Avatar, in essence, is a mortal who carries the will of a deity. They are the direct servants of the deity they serve, although more than servants they can be considered disciples, or adopted children. In return, the deity bestows upon them various powers."
"Ah, I see." That made sense. Although he was a businessman in his thirties, he was a teenager in the past. He had read enough fantasy. "But first, about your identity…" Enrique inquired, looking at her intently. "You really are Mut?"
"Ah, yes. Do you know about me?" the woman asked with curiosity.
"I think I just do." He replied, recalling the information. "Egyptian Sky Goddess, Mut. Mother Goddess, Mut. Amun-Ra's wife, Mut. Your appearance matches the description I once read on the internet."
Draped in a revealing white cheongsam adorned with shining gold, cut on both sides to reveal her chocolate-toned legs, the Goddess had flowing platinum hair contrasting with her dark olive skin. An elongated golden crown floated over her head, and she had four wings, two smaller than the others, erupting from her back. She fit the description of Mut he had once stumbled upon.
Despite not being religious, Enrique Nova held a rudimentary knowledge of many religions, though mostly the basics. He needed to know that since he went around doing 'charity'. It was good work for the public image.
Out of the few things he enjoyed, these mythological stories entertained him quite a bit. So besides movies, comics, and anime, he watched as a teen, he used to research mythologies from a young age. Especially the myths of his homeland, Egypt, where he had never spent a day. He was an orphan, growing up in France, but according to blood, he was half Egyptian, so he was interested in it. But fiction and myths in general held a special place in his cruel heart.
"That is indeed correct." The Goddess nodded, crossing her legs as she snapped her fingers. Two cups of coffee appeared on the table. One was made of gold and decorated with diamonds, while the other was a plain white cup. Predictably, the Goddess took the first cup, leaving Enrique with the second. "I heard you humans like to discuss business over coffee?"
He preferred tea over coffee, but he saw no reason to mention that here. He accepted the cup. "A question," Enrique asked as he took a sip. "Do you know where I came from?"
"Most likely a parallel universe," the Goddess replied. He was expecting her to say the name of the country he's from, not that… "From how calm you seem with all this, you must be familiar with the supernatural."
No he fucking wasn't.
But since her answer wasn't 'You are from France right?', it said something about this situation. He was alive despite having his head chopped off, and then he was stuck in some void for who knew how long, so this development was not that unbelievable.
Isekai, huh… How interesting. This wasn't happening in his world. If there were hidden supernatural structures in his world, he would know of them as a top figure on the wealthy side. So it was more acceptable that this was a parallel reality.
However, he needed to confirm exactly where he was. Was this just any random reality where mythological gods were real? Or were there other recognizable elements?
"I am sorry, but can I confirm exactly how different this timeline is? By asking a few questions."
The Goddess, thankfully, didn't seem to mind that a mortal wanted to interrogate her. Enrique had no experience dealing with gods, so he had to tread carefully.
"Ask away," the deity said, taking a sip from her cup.
"You do operate on Earth, right? If so, what is the current year, and what's the most significant event that has recently happened?"
"The year is 2011, and the biggest news on Earth recently is that Tony Stark announced himself to be Iron Man. A lesser-known fact, but equally important, is that Odinson Thor had come down to Earth. Though he is gone now," the Goddess replied curtly.
Though she was calm, Enrique Nova lost his cool internally. He maintained a stoic face on the outside, but his internal confusion had turned to panic. Marvel. It was that shithole. Some wouldn't understand why he was complaining, but Enrique wasn't so delusional that he would be overjoyed to be in a god-forsaken place where some unknown cosmic entity could sneeze and delete Earth.
At least it seemed like the Cinematic Universe, from the little information she gave him. Though he couldn't be sure, it might have other elements too. He needed to be careful.
However, according to her words, the timeline should be just after the first Thor movie, Enrique noted. Hmm, I wonder, can she not read my mind?
It appeared she couldn't, or she would have reacted in some way to his thoughts. He was scared she might be able to do so, as a Goddess, but it made sense if this was Marvel. Thor couldn't mind read, for example. In any case, he decided to ask a few more questions.
"...Are there mutants on Earth?" He asked carefully.
"Oh, you know about the mutants? So is the reality you're from similar to this? That would make things easier." The goddess nodded to herself, and Enrique didn't bother to correct her. That would save him from future questioning when she'd see he knew more than he should. "Yes, mutants do exist. Mutants, meta-humans, aliens, gods, cosmic entities, and more occupy this vast cosmos."
Oh well, fuck. Enrique took a sip of his coffee. As expected, tea was better for these situations, this high destiny of caffeine only made him think more agitatingly. Since mutants exist, this might not be the exact MCU I'm familiar with.
Goddamn, it had been years since he consumed any Marvel content. He had heard that the Mutants, X-Men, were now a part of the MCU or something like that, but he didn't know the details of what and how. Was that important?
In any case, from a logical viewpoint, this goddess wasn't like those "ROB" he had read about in third-class fanfictions. She was a usual fantasy goddess who wasn't all-powerful and had summoned him here to become her Avatar—not the usual trope where main characters receive wishes before setting off to a life of bliss. A pity, he had already thought of a few wishes in his head.
"I got the gist of it," Enrique replied, ignoring her question about his world. "Now about the offer you made before. Can you elaborate?"
The goddess revealed a gentle smile. "Mortal child, I wish you to become my Avatar. As I said earlier, Avatars are mortals chosen by gods to represent their authority in the mortal realm by using the powers lent to them by their said gods. They are usually given a goal they need to fulfill, and that's exactly what I have for you." Mut closed her eyes, clasping her hands before her chest. "My Ogdoad Pantheon is on the verge of collapsing. The other Pantheons are opposing us and have made us miserable enough that we can't even freely make moves in the mortal realm."
"Gods can't do as they please? That's weird." Enrique mostly said on a whim. He knew of this situation from watching the TV Series: Moon Knight. The Egyptian gods were given many punishments just for revealing their existence, while gods like Thor roamed Earth without care.
"Exactly." She brightened seeing him share the same thoughts, "The only reason we can't break this rule is that we are too weak. Our Pantheon's [Faith] has dwindled in number. When an individual god's Faith points reach zero, they lose all their powers and fall to the ranks of a mortal. That's not the case for everyone, such as High Fathers like Amun-Ra, Odin, and Zeus, along with High Gods such as me, Thor, and Poseidon." She let Enrique absorb the information. "On the other hand, when an entire Pantheon's faith reaches zero, the Pantheon, along with every being it's made of, ceases to exist. That is what we fear."
Enrique was silent for a minute. "Why haven't you tried to fix this yet? Even with the restrictions, I imagine at least a few ways to get past it?"
"To fix this, we need more people believing in us. Believing doesn't just mean praying to us; fearing us also works. But praying is usually better since it gives us more [Faith] points. Some Ogdoad gods have tried to actively bring more believers under them, but they were punished and sealed. One such example would be Amit. I will tell you her story someday. In any case, since we can't try anything by ourselves for fear that the other Pantheons would target us, I have summoned you, my child."
"I see. I'm glad to be here."
She watched his reaction with a smile. "Thank you. You are the answer to my problems, to our problems. By being my Avatar, by spreading the name of Ogdoad, you will make me stronger. Later on, we both will be able to make the whole Pantheon grow as well. I wish that you, my child, become my Pharaoh."
A Pharaoh? A term used for the ancient Egyptian monarchs. Enrique didn't hate the sound of it.
Usually, he wouldn't accept such brazen offers. Working for a huge Pantheon that was on the verge of divine bankruptcy didn't sound like him. Plus, he was usually the one who made others work, after all. However, he feared that if he rejected her, she might throw him back into his world or the void. The healing thing might vanish too, and he might die.
Or worse, she might drop him into Marvel without any powers or simply kill him. Also, did he even have the choice of rejection? Yet, even with that risk, being the Avatar of an Egyptian God… he wasn't sure if he should accept that offer. He had seen how things turned out for Moon Knight, and this woman, Mut, was actually Khonsu's mother.
What if his life grew so hard that he'd pop out multiple personalities in his head?
"...Your son, Khonsu." Enrique started. "I happen to know how he treats his Avatars. He's been doing that for a long while, too. Goddess, with all due respect, are you not his mother? If so, how can I expect anything beneficial for me by accepting your offer?"
"Mortal, I am not my son. He's not even my 'biological' son, anyway. I am his stepmom," Mut said softly, she didn't seem displeased by his questioning. "As for the deal of becoming my Avatar, we can come to a mutual contract, unlike the Avatar contracts my son usually follows. But still, I didn't expect you to know about my son and his ways. Impressive."
Oh… Enrique blinked. This woman is… naive.
He would have said she's nice, but honestly, she's being dumb by being so kind when her whole religion was about to die out. If he had such a strong grasp on someone's existence as she did on him right now, he'd have used them without their consent. But she's going to present him with a contract. Oh well, not that he was complaining, he was happy that she was so nice.
He guessed that's what it meant to be the 'Mother Goddess' of Egypt, to worry about not just the Pantheon, but her stranger of a to-be Avatar as well. In any case, she saved his life, and although he was a dick, he didn't mind repaying good deeds.
He wouldn't scam her that hard.
****
Contract of Faith
Mission: Make the Pantheon Great Again.
Details: The Egyptian Pantheon is on the verge of eradication, and so you are given the mission to make it rise to its former glory.
Earn 10 million faithful believers for Mut's religion.
Earn as many faithful believers as you can for the Egyptian Pantheon as a whole.
Goddess Mut has some special conditions for you to follow:
You are not to harm the Egyptian Pantheon in any way. However, if it's a situation where you must, you have to ask for Mut's permission.
You are to fight against other gods if needed.
However, you are not to kill any gods, from any Pantheon, without Mut's permission. That could cause war.
In case of any existential emergencies that the Egyptian Pantheon faces, you are to fight for them.
You have some special conditions that Goddess Mut must follow:
I will only do the aforementioned jobs and will do them at my comfortable pace. You are not to force me with any other job unless I accept your request.
You, in no way or form, will try to harm me if I don't break your conditions.
You will not be able to take back my powers just because you want to.
You will not blackmail me using the people around me.
This contract will last for exactly 10 years!
===
Enrique read the scroll made of gold in his hand and nodded. He had tried negotiating some more conditions, but they were brazen enough for her to not accept.
However, this alone was good enough. 10 million sounded like a lot, and so did the fact that he would have to find believers for Egypt for 10 whole years. But this wasn't the worst thing in the world. It's not as if he would have to serve Egypt in any way possible. He was not a slave but a mercenary instead if that made sense.
Also, he could always break the contract given just how many powers that surpassed gods existed in this universe… But that's just a possibility for later.
"Yes, I think the contract is good to go," Enrique said.
"I think the same," she said, "now, you'd have to drop a droplet of blood on this contract," the goddess added as she materialized a knife in her hand, handing it over.
Enrique accepted it and created a small cut on his thumb. However, as the red droplet of blood fell, it turned black midway. Though it hit the contract and things seemed to go smoothly, Enrique was surprised.
"Is that one of your…?"
"No," the goddess shook her head, brows furrowed. "The technique I used is a power that originated from Demiurge, the essence of the void. It seems like a side effect of the technique…? You have a few special powers. Such as the ability to stop me from reading your mind. There might be more, but I have no idea about them." She placed a hand on his head. "I am placing a spell to make sure your blood looks red, at the very least. It would be troublesome if you get hurt and people see black blood. Humans can be very superficial sometimes. Don't worry, it won't affect your void powers."
Golden light erupted from her hand and engulfed Enrique, but when it ended, he felt nothing. He tried making another cut, and as she said, the red blood didn't turn black no matter how much time passed.
"Now, let's finish this," Mut said and cut her own finger, dropping a blood drop on the scroll, which glowed bright white before dissipating into particles of light. "There, now the contract has been properly established."
"Ah, alright. Though I don't feel any different," Enrique said, looking at her.
"Close your eyes, relax, and try calling forth something powerful from within you," Mut said, patting his shoulders before backing off.
Enrique Nova was familiar with meditation, so he decided to relax doing that. A few minutes later, he calmed himself before doing what she said. Call forth a great power from deep within.
— Bzzt~
The slight buzz of electricity danced in the back of his ears before something bright erupted from within him. All of a sudden, he felt powerful. His muscles were ticking with power, with the authority to bring anything down. He wasn't sure what powers he had exactly, and the goddess said he should find out about those himself. But knowing she's a sky goddess, he could make some guesses.
When he opened his eyes again, he found a mirror in front of him, where he had exchanged his suit with a magical costume with lightning crackling around him. He looked incredible.
"I hope you like my costume," Mut said. "You are free to change its looks whenever you please, as well."
Her choice of costume wasn't bad. Oddly enough, it looked exactly like Shazam's suit, a hero from DC, except the red parts were replaced with white. Did that mean the powers he would gain from her were similar to Shazam? — more accurately Black Adam, who received his powers from the Egyptian Gods. It looked magnificent.
"I guess it doesn't look bad," Enrique commented as he checked himself out. Even if the powers are similar, it's probably not the same level of strength, at least not now when the pantheon is in decline. If so, raising the pantheon's strength should raise mine as well.
Black Adam was a strong superhero, capable of going toe-to-toe with Superman. His counterpart, Shazam, has even defeated the Man of Steel in the past. Having the templated abilities of those two meant he was more than a mere small fry, at least not on Earth.
"In any case," the goddess said after a gentle giggle. "What is your name? I have to prepare identification for you."
"Oh," he looked back at her, realizing he hadn't even told her his name. "Enrique Nova, that's what my name is."
"Not bad, got a grandeur vibe to it," the goddess said as she closed her eyes. "Alright, then. I am sending you to the United States. I can't have you work in Egypt since the other Egyptian gods would definitely notice, and if they do, they'd try to seal me."
It spoke a lot of her own pantheon and would try to seal her to not piss off the other pantheons. "As for why the US, exactly?"
"Because it is a place filled with meta-humans. As it turns out, the faith of a meta-human, while challenging to obtain, is around a thousand times stronger than a normal human's, and more if the meta-person in question is very powerful. Meaning, you can finish your contract's first objective just by gathering 10,000 meta-believers. That will ease your job."
Ease his job? Yeah, sure. But he didn't protest. It seemed… fun to be in America, where the supernatural was the most active. He had no reason to hide away from those dangers after dying once and coming so far. No reason at all, now that he had powers of his own.
"Alright," the goddess raised her hand, placing a finger on his forehead. "Good luck. I will be watching."
She pushed him with a finger, and he fell back. His back touched the cloudy land, but rather than an impact, he found himself passing through and dropping onto a bed instead. He was suddenly inside an apartment, adorned with cheap walls.
"Huh," that was a neat trick. He should get busy now, surviving in this goddamn world would need some work. Starting with figuring out the length of his powers.