After some time, Nyx sat down quietly on the patchy grass bed, his back leaning against the rough wooden wall of the stable. He was chewing on a slightly crumpled piece of bread—the only one that hadn't touched the dirt when the plate fell earlier. His fingers trembled just a little as he took a bite, and a sigh escaped his lips, long and empty, as if the weight of his entire life had settled on his shoulders.
"So, you're useless," he said flatly, without looking up. His voice was dull, stripped of emotion—like someone who had simply accepted a disappointing truth.
Love's voice crackled back at him, her tone annoyed, tinged with a sharp bitterness.
[I'm not useless! I can still hel—]
But Nyx didn't let her finish.
"I've never heard of a girl so shameless and useless at the same time," he cut her off with a huff, wiping crumbs from his mouth as he chewed the last bite. His voice had a teasing edge, like he was prodding her on purpose. "How can you laugh at me when you're this useless?"
Love's voice flared with frustration, practically shouting in his mind now.
[I'm not useless! I can still help!]
Nyx snorted, tossing the last crumb aside with exaggerated drama. "It's simple. If you can't give me powers, then you're useless. That's it."
[I couldn't give you powers, but I used them for your greater good!]
she insisted, her voice trembling with barely contained irritation.
[And I can still advise!]
"Advice?" Nyx repeated mockingly, raising an eyebrow like he was speaking to a child who just told him the moon was made of cheese. "Advice from a girl? I don't want to die before my time comes"
That hit a nerve.
Love's reply came out sharp and furious, her voice shaking with rage.
[If I'm a girl, then what are you? A baboon who dances for food?]
Nyx burst into laughter, clutching his stomach, the sound echoing through the empty stable like a madman's giggle. "You shameless girl. Don't you have any respect for your master? Useless and shameless!" he taunted, grinning as wide as ever, clearly enjoying this argument way too much.
But that was the final straw for Love. Her voice erupted like a volcano—rage boiling over.
[You BITCH! You're not my master! You're just a piece of shit!]
Nyx laughed even harder, his shoulders bouncing with the effort, tears nearly forming in the corners of his eyes. "Is there someone calling me?" he said between wheezes. "Because all I hear is a bitch weeping in the distance."
Love's response came fast and furious.
[YOU PIECE OF SHIT!]
---
Eventually, the rage died down. There was a stretch of silence, only filled by the soft rustling of straw and the occasional creak of the stable walls. Then Nyx, in a voice laced with annoyance and quiet realization, spoke again.
"So, you used all your powers on something that supposedly helped me, and now you're out of power. That means I'm a guy with no abilities, right?"
[Yes,]
Love answered curtly, her voice still simmering with irritation.
Nyx smiled faintly, the expression softening his previously mocking features. "You're still angry with me?"
[Why would I be angry at a baboon?]
Love shot back with a growl in her tone.
"Hey, Love," Nyx said, his tone shifting to something more genuine. "Don't be mad. I was just teasing you."
[I'm not angry,]
she replied, though her voice betrayed the tiniest hint of a pout.
Nyx went quiet for a while, his eyes focused on a distant spot in the wooden beams above. Then his expression darkened with thought, and his voice grew serious. "Hey, Love… why can't I remember my past life? I know I died. I remember that my father killed me. But why can't I remember anything else? Not even my name? I think... there was someone there, someone with me when I died."
He closed his eyes tightly, trying to summon the memory, his fists clenched as if trying to squeeze out the image from a stubborn mind. "She was a girl. Yes, a girl. And she was crying. But I don't know why she cried. I can't remember her face, not even her voice. Aghh, this is so irritating."
Love hesitated. Her usual snarky edge softened, and she replied quietly:
[I-I don't know what happened to your memories or why you can't remember her.]
Nyx hummed for a moment, then leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I have one more question."
[Then ask,]
Love said.
"I remember I was a guy from another world who died and ended up in this body, right? So what were you before becoming my system?"
Love was silent for a long moment. Then she replied with measured calm:
[I was also a human from another world. I died... and became your system.]
Nyx frowned, thinking this over. "Then why aren't you in a girl's body? Or a boy's body? Why are you in my head instead?"
Again, there was a pause.
[I don't know why the goddess did that]
she said eventually.
"Hmm... so even you don't know." Nyx tilted his head, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Well, I have a guess."
[And what is it?]
His grin widened mischievously, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "I think it's simple. Because you're a girl… and I'm a boy!"
He burst into laughter, rocking back slightly, clearly entertained by his own joke.
There was a long pause from Love's side. Then she finally screamed:
[You piece of shit!]
Nyx only laughed harder.