First Divine Job

Kai Velez had imagined many ways to earn fifty thousand credits.

Winning a scholarship.

Finding a better part-time job.

Maybe even getting lucky with a lottery ticket.

Never—not even in his wildest imagination—had he expected to be paid because a dragon saw his partner and decided life wasn't worth the risk.

He checked his phone for the fourth time.

Mission Complete

Reward Deposited: 50,000 Credits

Current Balance: 50,032 Credits

"It's real..." Kai whispered.

His hands trembled.

"I can pay my tuition."

A smile slowly spread across his face.

"I can pay my rent!"

For the first time in weeks, he laughed.

The feeling lasted exactly three seconds.

His phone buzzed again.

Notice from the Divine Revenue Bureau

A 15% emergency mission tax has been deducted.

Kai watched as the number dropped.

"Of course..."

Another notification appeared.

Contract Registration Fee: 5,000 Credits

The balance decreased again.

"...Seriously?"

A third notification followed.

Divine Partnership Insurance: Mandatory

Another deduction.

Kai stared blankly at the screen.

"I hate paperwork."

Beside him, Zephyr nodded sympathetically.

"The gods hate it too."

"You have paperwork?"

"We invented it."

Kai wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

The city slowly returned to normal.

Emergency crews inspected damaged buildings while construction spirits repaired cracked roads with glowing magic.

Students drifted back toward the university, their conversations centered on only one topic.

The dragon.

"No one even fought it."

"It just... left."

"Lady Lyra scared it away."

"I heard it sensed another god."

Kai glanced at Zephyr.

The supposed one-star god had found a shaded bench and somehow fallen asleep.

Half an empty bag of chips rested on his chest.

Kai sighed.

"How are you sleeping after all that?"

"I get tired after standing."

"You barely stood."

"It was emotionally exhausting."

Kai resisted the urge to throw a pebble at him.

Before he could think of a response, another notification appeared.

NEW DIVINE JOB AVAILABLE

Priority: D-Rank

Location: Greenhollow Village

Objective: Bless this season's wheat harvest.

Reward: 8,000 Credits

Kai read the mission twice.

Then smiled.

Finally.

A normal job.

No dragons.

No mysterious errors.

No reality breaking apart.

Just blessing crops.

He accepted immediately.

Zephyr opened one eye.

"We're working?"

"We're working."

"I was afraid you'd say that."

Greenhollow Village sat two hours outside Vesper City.

The trip was peaceful.

Stone roads wound through fields of golden wheat that stretched to the horizon.

Farmers worked beneath a bright afternoon sky while children chased glowing butterflies through the grass.

It looked like the safest place in the world.

Kai relaxed.

"This is nice."

Zephyr looked around.

"It won't stay that way."

Kai frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing."

"I don't believe you."

"You shouldn't."

Kai was beginning to notice a pattern.

An elderly man greeted them at the village entrance.

"You must be the contractors."

He bowed respectfully.

"My name is Elder Rowan."

Kai returned the bow.

"I'm Kai."

The old man looked at Zephyr.

"...And you are?"

"Zephyr."

The elder's expression remained polite.

He clearly didn't recognize the name.

Kai wasn't sure whether that was strange or reassuring.

"We're honored to have divine assistance," Elder Rowan said.

"Our harvest has been... unusual."

Kai tilted his head.

"Unusual how?"

The elder hesitated.

"The wheat has stopped growing."

Kai looked toward the nearby fields.

They looked perfectly healthy.

Golden.

Tall.

Swaying gently in the wind.

"They seem fine."

"Look closer."

Kai stepped into the nearest field.

The wheat reached almost to his shoulders.

He reached out and touched a stalk.

Cold.

Far colder than it should have been under the afternoon sun.

The stalk suddenly moved.

Kai jumped back.

"...Did it just move?"

"It waved," Zephyr corrected.

"Wheat doesn't wave at people."

"It does today."

Another stalk slowly bent toward Kai.

Then another.

Within seconds, dozens of stalks leaned in his direction.

Watching him.

Kai took one careful step backward.

The wheat followed.

"...Zephyr."

"Yes?"

"The plants are staring at me."

"They're curious."

"They're PLANTS!"

"Plants get bored."

Kai looked at him.

"You sound completely serious."

"I am."

A little girl wandered into the field carrying a basket.

Without hesitation, she patted one of the wheat stalks.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Wheat."

The stalk gently swayed back and forth.

Kai blinked.

"...Did she just greet the wheat?"

The girl smiled.

"They're friendly."

Elder Rowan sighed.

"They weren't always."

"When did this start?"

"About a week ago."

"And nobody thought to mention the living wheat in the job request?"

"We didn't want to scare away contractors."

Kai buried his face in his hands.

"I miss the dragon."

That evening, the villagers gathered in the town hall.

Kai spread the mission report across a wooden table.

"So let me summarize."

He counted on his fingers.

"The wheat is alive."

"Correct."

"It talks."

"Only at night."

"It refuses to be harvested."

"Also correct."

Kai looked toward Zephyr.

"You knew this wasn't a normal blessing mission."

"I had a suspicion."

Kai groaned.

"I hate when you say that."

Zephyr smiled.

"It usually means something interesting is about to happen."

Almost on cue...

A deep whisper drifted through the open window.

Rustle...

Rustle...

Rustle...

Every stalk of wheat outside began moving at once.

Not because of the wind.

There wasn't any.

Thousands of golden stalks slowly turned toward the village.

Toward the town hall.

Toward Zephyr.

For the first time since arriving, Zephyr's relaxed smile faded.

His gray eyes narrowed slightly.

"...That's unexpected."

Kai's stomach tightened.

"You actually look worried."

"A little."

"What is it?"

Zephyr stood.

"It's not the wheat."

Kai frowned.

"Then what are we looking at?"

Zephyr stared into the darkening fields.

"Something underneath the wheat..."

The earth trembled.

A low rumble echoed beneath the village.

Then every stalk bowed at the same time.

As though welcoming the arrival of something ancient.

Something that had just awakened.

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