"So i just stretch out my hand like this ... and grab?"

  He hopes Ellie doesn't kill when he gets home looking like he been through a tornado. Then again, he already looks like shit before all of this. So really ... nothing new.

  "Yeah."

  He reaches out, trying to grab the nothingness of the air

  "What are you waiting for?"

  "I don't know? For god to grab me?"

  "Just grab it"

  "WELL I AM CERTAINLY TRYING TO?"

  The sun is sinking faster than his patience. If he doesn’t hurry, he’ll be on the receiving end of one of Ellie’s scolding.

  "Man, maybe you've to walk home then?"

  Oh, fantastic. Can this day get any worse?

  ... Maybe showing up at midnight on a school night ain't so bad. Not like Ellie got an important test tomorrow, right? ... Fuck.

  He’s so damn tired of failing. Of watching Ellie work toward something better while he… just exists.

  "Hey. Hey! Cheer up! I will help you look for it, what does the house looks like ?"

  It's on-.

  A burst of light.

  Sparkles swirl in circles around him, then rush toward his body.

  And then—

  "Theo, when did arrived home? I didn't hear you open the door?" His sister's voice. ... Wait. HUH?!

  "See? I knew you'd get it." Hermes chirps. Theo can't deal with this right now.

  Ellie's voice

  "Are you okay? You look like you been through a tornado. I didn't even know clothes could get more ragged."

  She stands in the doorway of their old house, arms crossed, eyes scanning him with that sharp, assessing look he knows all too well.

  Because he was dropped from the sky.

  "Oh! Uh ... " His brain scrambles for an excuse. "I fell down the stairs. My clothes got stuck on one of the half-finished railings."

  He LIES. Fuck him.

  Ellie frowned "You need to report that place. I've told you so many times already ... " She hesitates. Then— "... I help too, you know?"

  Guilt digs into his ribs.

  "It's okay Ellie. I can handle it. Just keep studying okay?"

  He forces a grin, desperate to change the subject.

  "I heard you aced the last test again, I'm so proud."

  He tried to pat her head but she squat it away. Okay. Rude.

  "I'm already in high school Theo, stop doing that."

  ...

  "Okay. Okay." He's check the clock, it's just about dinner time.

  In the kitchen, he pulls open the fridge. The door groans in protest, metal creaking with age. Sorry, friend. You gotta keep working.

  Enough food for two more days. If you ignore his share.

  No worries. He still has the pocket watch—he can sell it.

  ... He could sell Hermes too ("Hey!")

  Moving quickly, he throws together a meal—grains, fish, vegetables. Good for Ellie.

  The leftovers? Those are for him.

  At dinner, she keeps glancing at his plate. That’s normal.

  He’s never really understood why she does that.

  But today—she’s also looking behind him.

  Every few minutes, her eyes flicker past his shoulder. He follows her gaze, but… nothing.

  Weird.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Whatever. He finishes eating and heads upstairs. Time to deal with god business.

  He closes the door with a click. Hermes, weirdly quiet until now finally speaks.

  "Do you ever thinks your sister seem ... unique?"

  Theo scoffs "Yeah, we all are."

  "No. No. Not like that." Hermes' voice shifts, slower now. Almost unsure. "I think ... I think she was looking at me."

  "... You were in my pocket?"

  "Yes. But she was look at my ... let's called it Divinity."

  Theo drops onto his worn-out bed, the mattress creaking under his weight. He places the pocket watch and the coin on the small bedside table. The coin levitates, spinning slowly.

  A soft orange hue, the same shade as the fading sunset, glows from its surface. It hums. A quiet, steady vibration. Calming.

  "We are creatures of change, born from the nothingness called Chaos. But unlike Chaos, we stagnate—we take shape, define, limit. We become."

  Theo watches as the coin spins faster, light pulsing in rhythmic waves.

  "And so, our change is not infinite. We can shift, bend, evolve—but only within the remnants of Chaos still flowing within us. That, we call Divinity."

  _"Divinity flows through our veins, the pulse of existence itself. Without it, we are nothing but hollow vessels—silent, stagnant Chaos taking shape. Without Divinity, we are not just dead. We are gone."

  "It is our soul, the essence of will and thought. It is not bound by flesh, nor by time. Mortals call it astral projection. To us, it is simply existing beyond form."

  Theo blinks, digesting that. "So your body was a coin. Weird, but I don't jud-"

  WHACK.

  The coin flings itself at Theo's forehead.

  "Hey! I wasn't always like this okay?!"

  The coin float around the room. "I used to have a proper body. But one day, I was sprinting across a field for fun and then—BAM. Coin."

  Did something happen? Well it is none of his business.

  "Been like this for thousands of years. Passed around, dropped in sewers, lost in couch cushions. Can’t move. Very boring."

  The coin starts spinning again, defying physics.

  "And so-"

  "I have yet to see why should i give a fuck." He raises a hand.

  The coin stops. The glows dies. Silence.

  Then—WHACK.

  "OW!"

  The coin calmly floats back, glows again, and resumes spinning.

  Like nothing happened.

  "AND SO-AHEM. When I got turned into a coin, my body and soul was stuck inside. But due to my Divinity, I still see and hear everything around me clearly. I thought it would be like that forever. But when you got a hold of the coin, my Divinity got release-"

  "So basically you are a ghost." He raises a hand.

  Theo swears he can feel an inhale and exhale as a small object flies toward his face. He grabs a pillow just in time. "HA!"

  Before it slams directly into his already bruising stomach.

  Theo chokes. "Why." He manages to wheeze before kneeling over.

  "This what I get for being serious for once." The coin spins again.

  "But yes, you are correct, I'm basically a ghost. Congratulation. Hope that's is worth kneeling over for."

  Theo, still curled up: "You could have just said yes."

  A sigh somehow comes from the coin’s non-existent mouth.

  … Wait.

  Do coins have mouths?

  Technically, they have faces.

  Lying on the ground, Theo weakly raises a hand.

  "So how is this related to my sister?"

  The coin spins, humming. "Mortals can't not see divinity, like you aren't seeing me. But your sister can, so she can only be one thing-"

  "A goddess? I knew it-" Theo said as he prepare for another strike but nothing came. Huh.

  "Well - close. But not really. A prophet is what she is."

  "She can see the future?"

  "No. Prophet are the exceptions. They can perceive divinity in some way. Sixth sense. Chill. Even normal senses. Some of them can even use it despite having bodies unsuited for such abilities. And the future thing? They see the future via gods, not their own abilities."

  "Here’s the thing. Gods didn’t create the species called ‘human.’ But we did create humanity—consciousness, we gave them Divinity like us. Unlike gods though, their divinity can’t be separated from the bodies they’re born into."

  "So where did humans come from? Both. Nature made their bodies. We gave them souls."

  "Back to the prophets, they are specials because their Divinity, unlike normal mortals, doesn't remain locked. Instead, it runs rampant inside their body, making their body able to adapt to Divinity."

  "But, that ability does come with a cost. Fate is behaving weird around them. Some of them have to go through the weirdest of trails, and have the oddest luck. But i guess that is the price for a magical gift."

  "Trials and luck ... huh? Perhaps that's that why mom and dad ... ?" His chest tightens. There’s a sinking feeling in his stomach. Maybe… Maybe he was a victim of Ellie’s weird power this whole time.

  If it’s true...

  Fuck. This sucks.

  "Beats me. If you want real answers, try Apollo, the Moirai, or someone who spends their time untangling destiny."

  Should he tell Ellie?

  … No. None of this was her fault. It never was.

  She had a future—a real life. He wouldn’t take that from her.

  He was already too far gone. A lost cause.

  "Okay, you mentioned that your Divinity got released when I got a hold of you? Why?"

  "Huh. you were actually listening."

  "Yeah, I was, so?"

  "... Nothing, just shock. Anyway! Your Divinity resonate with mine. That's why."

  The coin picks up speed.

  "So my soul is similar to you." "well no, your soul is much much MUCH weaker." Theo crosses his arms. "You could’ve just said ‘weaker.’" "Well isn't nothing to be ashamed about. It is just that, for humans"

  The coin slows down a bit. "Back then, if your Divinity lined up with a god’s, you got recruited. Not as an all-powerful chosen one—nah, as a proxy. A rep, if you will."

  "That meant you got a small divine boost. Run faster than normal, drink wine that tastes like a dream, maybe always wake up with perfect hair. Dumb stuff like that. And you have to stuff for them like worship, sacrifices, relay messages to others, non-compatible followers."

  "In that time? Proxies were rare, sure, but they showed up. You’d hear about one every couple of months."

  "But from the time I’ve been trapped in this coin? I haven’t seen a single one. Not one."

  The coin slows down even more coming to stops completely.

  "Now that’s weird."

  "Then... am I your proxy?" Wow. Magical destinies? Either he was dead, or he was extremely, unmistakably dead.

  "Well, on that, I must congratulate you—because you are not!"

  Congratulate? He had a feeling he was about to get roped in—

  "You are a hero!"

  ... A fucking what?

  "Well, remember what I said about proxies not being all-powerful chosen ones? Yeah, you—"

  "A chosen one."

  "Are one, yes!"

  "... I’m going to sleep now." Theo wants to shut down immediately. Life just keeps throwing curveballs, and he’s officially done.

  "Wait! Come on! Let me at least explain what—"

  "Nope. Tomorrow."

  His entire body groans in protest, along with his brain, and his so-called "Divinity."

  Hermes stops mid-spin, lets out a dramatic sigh, then flings himself onto the table like a bad theater actor in his final scene.

  Theo barely manages to mouth, "Thanks," before passing out.

  I tried my best create complex and emotionally driven character and provide clear imagery. If some part are weird/ inconsistent feel free to comment about it. Thanks you for reading.