HE was shot by a god. Three reasons were: his history, crime, and his blabbing mouth. If he could recall the scene right before he pissed one god, the mask he carried for a long time unveiled right before his audience. The entertainment he built crumbled into bloodshed as he was sent into a place by shutting his vision off, and even his heart.

Kanina niya lang naramdamang muli ang pagpitik ng kaniyang puso, subalit siya'y parang naging bingi at hindi magawang marinig ang tibok nito.

"Mic test for my sanity. Hello? Hello?" he uttered, testing his ears if he really had gone deaf. To his relief, he could hear perfectly fine. However, the sound wave echoed, making him guess if he was brought to hell or a cave.

Dahan-dahan, iminulat niya ang kaliwang mata. Nang mapuno ng kulay puting bubong ang kaniyang tanawin at masilaw sa malaking chandelier, muli siyang napapikit. Napahawak siya sa kaniyang noo kung saan tumama ang bala kanina, ngunit wala siyang maramdamang sugat.

He whistled. "I guess I'm dead, no?"

Shrugging, he opened both of his eyes and rose from the glass-like floor. When he felt a pair of eyes staring his back, he stretch both of his arms up, acting like a person who just woke up. A big, exaggerated yawn circled his lips. "Is it morning already?"

He turned to look at the person--uncertain, however, if it was really a person. It was sitting on a smokey chair on top of an altar. The elevated platform resembled an erupting volcano, oozing with viscous magma and overly contrasting the white room aesthetic.

"Oh, hello there! Is this your room?" He flashed his teeth to the unmoving man wearing a black Hanbok. Ang kasuotan nito ang nagsilbing tanda na posibleng isang god ang kaharap niya. Inikot niya ang paningin sa silid habang nakasalampak pa rin sa sahig. Sila lang dalawa ang nasa loob ng pabilog na kuwarto.

Tumango-tango naman siya. "I could say your room is clean, empty, and--ahm--kind of boring. Let me guess, you like the trendy minimalist, no?" Hindi niya inaalis ang tingin sa gawi nito.

Hindi naman ito sumagot o kahit gumalaw man lang ng kahit kaunti. Estatwa ba ito?

"Don't get me wrong though. Your room is nice but it's not just my type." Pinagpag niya ang mga kamay bago napagdesisyunang tumayo. Kamuntikan pa siyang matumba nang hindi pantay ang kaniyang pagtayo. Napayuko siya bago binalik ang tingin sa estatwa. "Uh, by any chance, have you seen one of my heels?"

"Song Seo Hyo," the man on the altar suddenly spoke in a loud grumbling voice, making him jolt in surprise. "Who do you think has given you the right to speak to me in that manner?"

'Whoa! I was just asking. I just do not like putting my feet bare. It's unsanitary." One of his feet tiptoed to equal the other one; his toes waggling because of the cold. "Oh, by the way, I love the voice effect. It's frightening. What mic did you use?"

"Silence!"

Muli siyang napaigtad sa biglaan nitong pagsigaw. Mabilis na napataas ang dalawa niyang kamay. "Okay, okay. Chill. No need to be angry, Mister--uh--" He squinted his eyes as he looked at him from head to toe. "I'm sorry, may I know what breathing creature are you?"

"I am the god of this house, Yeomna, you impudent child." Tinaas nito ang isang kamay. He just snapped his finger and viola! A chair appeared beside him.

"Oh, thank you very much!" masigla niyang sagot at hinala ang upuan. He crossed his legs as he sat on the chair. "You are very kind for a god of death."

Yeomna, the god of death, held the power to decide the fate of the souls. Meeting him meant that he had died, and now he would face his judgment. Napakamot siya sa kaniyang noo sa reyalisasyong natapos na nga nang tuluyan ang kaniyang buhay. Ni hindi man lang siya nakapagpaalam sa kaniyang ina o makakain ng paborito niyang manga sa huling pagkakataon. Higit sa lahat . . .

"I died a virgin. Ssi-bal." He sighed. "I should have tried dating."

"Song Seo Hyo, son of Seokga, who died after being shot by a god. You will be judged according to your actions," Yeomna spoke with authority. His eyes of the deepest grey reflected the deceased. He didn't whisper any vehement spell yet the room seemed to be getting colder as he spoke. "You lived a life full of lies. You fancy fooling people, playing them at the tip of your fingers." His voice held with contempt. "You are just like your father."

"Yeah, yeah. I get that a lot." He nodded full of assertion as if it was the most factual statement he had heard. He couldn't be bothered for he had grown up hearing those words over, and over again.

"And now, you have become a murderer."

Napataas naman ang kaniyang kilay. Tinaas niya ang isang kamay upang sumalungat. "Wait, mister death. I was accused." Both ends of his lips lifted up to cover his little annoyance of his past. "You see right through me, don't you? You have watched the lives of people, so it's impossible for you not to know the truth. Wouldn't be unfair as a judge if you are not omnipotent? Rephrase it, please."

Hindi naman ito sumagot. Did he get offended? Seo Hyo thought. There was nothing offending about what he said though. Inayos niya na lang ang kaniyang nagulong asul na buhok habang hinihintay ang hatol ng kausap.

Nang umabot na ng limang minuto at hindi pa rin ito nagsasalita, siya na lang ang nauna. "Come on now, dear mister death. I was just saying. I was just reminding you that you should do your job well in order not to judge people in the wrong way. You should stand corrected."

Isang mahinang tunog naman ang tumakas sa bibig ni Yeomna. Napahawak ang mga daliri nito sa dulo ng Gat na suot-suot. Siya naman ay nanatiling nakatitig dahil hindi niya mawari kung natuwa ba ito o hindi. Kanina pa niya rin napapansin na may kakaiba siyang nararamdaman dito.

Minsan niya lang marinig ang pangalan ni Yeonma sa mundong ibabaw kaya wala siyang impormasyon kung ano ang mukha nito. Subalit alam niyang isa itong abalang nilalang at halos hindi ito nagpapakita sa mga okasyon ng mga god dahil sa dami ng mga inaasikaso nito. Triple the workload from the living world, and you see the underworld working six-fold. Nakapagtatakang nandito ito sa harapan niya at prenteng nakaupo na animo'y maraming oras sa mga kamay.

"I didn't know it was that easy to get a smile from you," biro niya. Tinakpan niya ang kaniyang bibig ng isang kamay at umaktong tumawa. Palihim niyang inobserbahan ang magiging ekspresyon nito.

His statement was supposed to be a mere joke, but the god brought it into reality. Dahan-dahang umangat ang bawat dulo ng labi nito dahilan para tumaas din ang kaniyang pagdududa. He was so strict and fearsome in the beginning, but now he was smiling? Was he that good at entertaining someone that even the god of death fancies him? Or maybe he was just overestimating himself.

But whatever that was, something wasn't adding up.

"I get pleased easily, boy," Yeomna chuckled and leaned. "Especially from someone as entertaining as you--a magician."

"I am also entertained." He crossed his arms, left feet swaying in the air. "You have a little bit of mischaracterization going around, you see."

"How could one conclude of me? We just met."

"Do I have to answer that? As a god who watches over the dead, don't you think you know what I am capable of?" He opened both of his arms, presenting himself as an honorable person as his suspicion intensified. "I am an expert at acting. I have portrayed many names and faces."

"I can see that."

"You do? You seem to be sick then, mister death." He put both of his arms crossed and leaned on the back of his chair. What he just said was utterly false. He wasn't an expert in acting nor he had the ability to change his face. "I would be more than pleased if you introduce yourself again to me." Nawala ang mapaglarong ngiti niya sa mga labi at tiningnan ng seryoso ang nilalang na kaharap. "What god are you?"

A grin crept over Yeomna's face, asserting his suspicion. Napahawak itong muli sa dulo ng Gat ngunit sa pagkakataong ito ay tinanggal ito ng lalaki. Sa pagbaba ng Gat ay ang paglabo rin ng kaniyang paningin. Napailang siya kaagad subalit lalo lang sumama ang kaniyang bisyon. Kinusot niya ang mga mata hanggang sa nanubig at lumabas ang iilang mga luha.

Nang dahan-dahan nang bumalik ang kaniyang paningin, doon niya lang ito inangat, at nagulantang siya dahil nag-iba na ang nasa harapan niya. Isang lalaking binalot sa itim at mahabang coat. May hawak itong tungkod sa kanang kamay habang ang isa naman ay nakahawak sa top hat na kakasuot lang. Pilit niyang sinisilip ang mukha nito ngunit tanging kadiliman lamang ang kaniyang nakikita sa ilalim ng sumbrero.

Who was he?

"You are quick to pick up, boy." Bahagya itong yumuko. "I am known as Hinirang. Yeomna gave me the permission to see you because I have something to say to you."

"Okay?" Napataas ang kaniyang kilay. It was his first time hearing that name.

"I am the founder of Mythos Agency for demigods. And I search for capable demigods like you to work under me and help solve the increasing problem going on around Maharlika." Ang Hinirang snapped his finger, and just that, with a comical pop, a smoke popped out in front of him, birthing a small letter with a seal of the alphabet M.

"What's this?"

"A letter of invitation."

Binuksan niya naman iyon at binasa ang nakalagay:

Song Seo Hyo, son of Seokga,

This is an invitation to formally honor you as a new member of the Department of Mythologies Investigation and Interrogation. After assessing your capabilities as a demigod, we hereby accept you as a member of the agency. To fight alongside us and prevent the order of the world from meeting its demise, we expect an exceptional performance from you and your team.

Regards,
Mythos Agency for Demigods

Napangiwi siya bago isara ang sulat. "I didn't remember applying for a job." Is this some kind of a joke? He thought. Not to mention, the letter sounded assertive for an invitation. "You should've said a letter of acceptance instead," he added. He didn't even understand half of it for the terms where unfamiliar to him. He knew about the conflict arising in Maharlika, but he never heard of the agency.

"Let me give you an overview, boy." Muli itong naupo. "You know about the broken pearl, right? The realm of monsters has opened up, and the Levianes have been causing havoc in Maharlika. Crimes, supernatural crimes to be exact, are rampant across that country. Even now that we are talking, the attacks are escalating. So in order to minimize the conflict and maintain peace, the agency is made. Demigods are invited across the globe to protect the world."

"Why don't you gods do it? Ain't you powerful enough to stop them?" He shrugged. "I am sure you are stronger that most of us demigods."

"If we could, we already did. But there's a vision--"

"A vision about total destruction, no? I heard it once from Dad ten years ago," boryo niyang sagot. Ten years ago, was the first and the last time he saw his father. He couldn't fully say their meeting was that of a longing father and son, but it was more like that of two strangers coincidently meeting in the street. He never asked about his well-being nor he was interested in his likes. Seokga cared no one but only himself. He says what he wanted to say, and spills what he wanted to splatter. And so he told him stories about the gods, the agitated realm of monsters, the pearl, and the oracle. Sure he was enticed, but he didn't fully understood the cause of his telling.

Could this be the reason behind that story?

You really are foolish, Dad, leaving an important detail of the story like that. And that is the existence of the agency.

"Yes, you're right."

"Ah. So you're saying is I am going to play as a hero?" Tinuro niya ang sarili.

"If that is how you see it, then yes."

"What if I don't? Helping people is really not my thing. It's tiresome. Besides, I am already dead." He threw the letter in the air.

"I'll have you say yes to me then." Hinirang crossed his legs. "I could make you live again and give you a second chance. Just like you said, you were accused. Don't you want to get your revenge?"

His words made him tapped his finger on his legs. The god knew how to get him interested. However--- "I am not really a fan of revenge. It will not make my problems disappear."

"Then how about I'll give you a new mask?"

Napataas ang kaniyang kilay. "Specify, please."

"I'll give you a new mask; a new start where you can perform again as a magician without your audience knowing you are the son of the trickster god. You will not be kicked out of the circus anymore and you will not be accused of any murder." Dumaloy ang maliit na tawa sa labi nito. "As a bonus, you get to date as well. You don't want to die a virgin the second time around, do you?"

Dahan-dahang sumilay ang kaniyang mga ngiti. "Almost. But I need one more request. I want mangoes."

"Granted. I'll have you own an entire plantation of mangoes."

"How will I make sure you will not fool me?"

Hinirang snapped his finger, showing him a floating pen and paper writing their agreement. "Our words are sealed. If one dares to run, one shall lose his life."

Kaagad na nasundan ng mga tawa ang kaniyang ngisi dahil sa mga binitiwang salita ni Hinirang. Pinulot niya ang sulat na tinapon kanina at naglakad papalapit kay Hinirang. Kinuha niya ang kasulatan at walang pagdadalawang-isip na pinirmahan ito.

He got nothing to lose anyway. He might rather accept the deal than die young and rot in hell. He wasn't a very good boy, after all, so no chance of reincarnation for him.

"I'll gamble."

"I know you would." Inilahad nito ang kamay. "Shall we leave?"

"We shall." Tatanggapin na niya sana ang kamay nito ngunit napatigil siya nang masulyapan niya ang sitwasyon ng isa niyang paa. He looked at the god. "Hinirang, I need me my pair of heels. A brand new one."