The Sorcerer Supreme had warned him more than once.
"You're siphoning power from the Vishanti," she had said. "So don't go around invoking their name casually—especially before you have all the rings."
"By the Vishanti…" Wong muttered under his breath. "We are in serious trouble."
Emoji Tutor didn't just suppress the spirits—she weaponized them.
With the ring's power, she drove them forward.
They surged in a chaotic swarm, massive, twisted forms packed together like a living tide, rushing straight at Salomon and Wong.
Wong threw a punch.
His fist passed right through.
Cold.
That was all he got. Cold, like plunging his hand into icy water.
If not for the protective spell wrapped around him, he would've already been possessed—or worse, torn apart.
"Salomon!" Wong shouted. "Got any ideas?!"
"I'm working on it—!"
Salomon's voice came tight, strained.
He had underestimated this.
Badly.
Emoji Tutor wielded the ring openly, pouring out power without restraint.
Salomon, on the other hand, had to pull energy carefully, quietly, like a thief in the dark.
They weren't even playing the same game.
Then—
Something touched him.
Soft.
Cold.
Coiling around his neck like a living shadow.
A pair of warm hands brushed against his face.
And just like that—
His vision vanished.
Darkness swallowed everything.
"Call my name, child of man."
The voice was soft. Close.
"I am the rain. The clear sky. The thunder of spring."
"I am the goddess of the city. Of birds and serpents."
"I will be your shield… and your spear."
Salomon stilled.
His breathing slowed.
He knew this.
"Praise be to you," he said, voice steady, reverent, "shining serpent, ever-changing dragon—Tritogeneia."
"I offer you olive oil, figs, and woven wool."
"In the name of the goddess who bears the golden spear."
The world responded.
"In the name of Aetheria!"
Power surged.
Every artifact in the British Museum that held even a trace of divine presence—
Reacted.
The air trembled.
Energy rose like boiling water.
Wong stared, frozen.
Behind Salomon—
A figure formed.
A young woman clad in a Greek helmet, a spear in one hand, a great round shield in the other. Her presence stretched nearly to the ceiling itself.
Salomon couldn't see her.
But he didn't need to.
He kept speaking.
Each word rang like bronze striking bronze.
"In the name of Anemotis!"
"In the name of Gorgophona!"
"In the name of Parthenos!"
His voice sharpened.
"I command you—leave this world!"
The goddess moved.
Her hand lifted—
And power crashed forward.
The spirits shattered.
Not just dispersed—
Freed.
The chains binding them snapped.
The swarm collapsed.
Gone.
Emoji Tutor staggered.
Her expression twisted in disbelief.
For generations, her family had guarded this place.
Her ancestors. Their ancestors.
Protectors.
Wardens.
The burden had been heavy—but it had also been everything.
Their purpose.
Their pride.
And now—
Gone.
"Now!" Salomon shouted. "Take the ring!"
His vision returned.
Wong didn't hesitate.
He lunged forward.
Without the spirits, Emoji Tutor had nothing.
No training. No defense.
Wong grabbed her wrist—
And tore the ring free.
"No—! My ring!"
The moment it left her hand—
She appeared.
Her invisibility faded.
Her clothes hung in tatters. Her short white hair was wild, uneven—she looked less like a guardian and more like someone who had lost everything.
Salomon grabbed Wong's arm.
"Move!"
They ran.
As they crossed the threshold—
A white snake slipped silently up Salomon's leg.
Cold.
Smooth.
It disappeared beneath his clothes, coiling around his arm like it belonged there.
Behind them—
"Ma'am? Are you alright?"
A tourist approached Emoji Tutor.
"You can't see me!" she snapped, voice breaking. "You don't understand—!"
Without the ring, the magic sustaining her mind unraveled.
Her thoughts scattered.
Her body aged in seconds.
"I'm the guardian!" she screamed. "I'm the only one protecting you from destruction!"
No one believed her.
Phones came out.
Calls were made.
On the street outside—
Salomon and Wong bent over, catching their breath.
Wong straightened first, patting his chest.
"…You're full of surprises."
"Let's hope so," Salomon said.
He rolled up his sleeve.
The snake lay coiled around his forearm.
Sleeping.
"This wasn't free."
He knew exactly what had happened.
He hadn't called Athena.
Not directly.
And yet—
She answered.
I need answers.
"Alright," Wong said after a moment, a grin creeping back in despite everything. "Where to next? Another adventure?"
Salomon shook his head.
"Not today."
He gestured to the ring.
"Put it away."
Wong slipped it into Salomon's pocket.
"We're going back."
——————
Back at Kamar-Taj, Salomon handed the ring over.
It needed work.
Emoji Tutor had modified it—unnecessary additions, decorative distortions, even something resembling elongated claw-like extensions.
The Sorcerer Supreme would fix it.
That part was easy.
What mattered more—
Was the snake.
It rested lazily on the table now, its small body coiled, eyes half-lidded.
The Sorcerer Supreme poured tea.
"Stay calm," she said.
Salomon didn't sit.
"Explain."
"The Celestials don't watch Earth constantly," she said. "I told you why the gods left."
She slid a cup toward him.
"But I never said they couldn't come back."
Salomon froze.
"They're here?" he asked.
"Some of them."
She took a sip.
"Athena. Hecate. Others."
"All of them?"
"No."
She shook her head.
"That would be… crowded."
"And unnecessary."
She leaned back slightly.
"This isn't an age of gods anymore. People believe in science. If a god appeared in public, most wouldn't worship it."
A faint smile.
"They'd try to study it."
Salomon picked up the tea and drank.
Warmth spread through him, washing away the fatigue like rain clearing dust from leaves.
"Some have returned," she said. "But if you plan to meet one of them…"
She glanced at the snake.
"…wait until you have all three rings."
The snake lifted its head lazily.
Looked at Salomon.
Then at the Sorcerer Supreme.
Its expression—
Somehow—
Managed to convey pure indifference.
It opened its mouth—
And tried to swallow an entire orange.
"…That's new," the Sorcerer Supreme said mildly. "I've never seen a snake eat fruit before."
Salomon stared.
"…I don't think I've ever been invited to visit a god before."
A pause.
"What do I even bring? Olive oil? Figs? Wool?"
The Sorcerer Supreme gave him a look.
Flat.
Unimpressed.
"It's the twenty-first century, Salomon."
She took another sip of tea.
"Bring wine. Or skincare products."
"…That feels wrong."
"It works."
Salomon said nothing.
He reached down—
Picked up the snake—
Which now looked like a slightly overstuffed rope with an orange lodged halfway inside.
And left the room.
From a distance—
It looked like he was carrying a ball tied to a string.