KamiKowa: That Time I Got Transmigrated With A Broken Goddess-Chapter 33: [] Mother Knows Best

Xavier followed Calypso across the academy grounds. She’d insisted she knew exactly where they should go to practice his abilities, but they’d been walking for fifteen minutes now, and the buildings were starting to look unfamiliar.

"Are you sure you know where we’re going?" Xavier asked, glancing around at the increasingly empty pathways. Most students were either in class or headed to common areas, not wandering the outer edges of campus.

"Of course I do!" Calypso tossed her hair over her shoulder without breaking stride. "I’ve been observing this academy for... well, a very long time."

"From your divine perch in the afterlife?"

"Exactly!" She beamed, taking a left turn that led them toward what looked like administrative buildings.

Xavier sighed. "Then why have we passed that same crystal statue three times now?"

Calypso stopped abruptly, her shoulders tensing. She turned slowly, pink eyes narrowing. "We have not."

"We absolutely have." Xavier pointed to an ornate crystal sculpture of a hunter wielding a spear against some kind of gate monster. "First time was when we left the arena. Second time was after you said we needed to ’take the scenic route.’ Third time is right now."

Calypso stared at the statue, then at the surrounding buildings, her confident expression faltering. "That’s... impossible. I was following the..." She trailed off, looking around with growing confusion.

"Following what?" Xavier prompted.

"The... the..." Calypso’s bottom lip pushed out in a pout. "Fine! I’m lost, okay? Completely lost! I was looking for the training gym!"

"The training gym."

"Yes! I figured it would have equipment for you to practice with!" Her pout deepened as she crossed her arms. "But I just remembered I have no idea where it actually is."

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

"It’s not funny!" Calypso protested.

"It’s very funny," Xavier said, pulling out his phone. "It’s okay, let big cousin Xavier take care of this for you."

Xavier opened his student handbook app, scrolling through to find the campus map. "Let’s see... we’re near the administrative buildings, so the training facilities should be..."

A notification popped up on his screen, interrupting his search. A video call from "Mom❤️" with a picture of Elaine Valentine’s smiling face.

Xavier’s finger hovered over the decline button instinctively. He’d been avoiding this call for days. What would he even say to her? This wasn’t his mother—not really. She was a construct of this world, created along with his false memories and background.

But as he looked at her picture—snow-white hair like his, those piercing red eyes, that knowing smirk—something twisted in his chest. She’d sacrificed everything to give him this opportunity.

And he’d been ignoring her calls like a spoiled brat.

"Who’s that?" Calypso asked, peering at his screen.

"My mother," Xavier said quietly. "Or... this Xavier’s mother."

"Are you going to answer it?"

Xavier took a deep breath. If he was really going to be a better person in this life—if all that reflection in the void after his death meant anything—then he needed to start somewhere. And maybe that somewhere was answering a call from a woman who believed with all her heart that she was his mother.

"Yeah," he said, swiping to accept the call. "I am."

He angled the phone so Calypso wouldn’t be visible and put on what he hoped was a casual smile as Elaine’s face appeared on screen.

"Well! Look who finally remembered he has a mother!"

"Hi, Mom," he managed, the word feeling strange on his tongue. In his previous life, he’d never known his mother. He had no memories of her. Now he had a lifetime of false memories with this fierce, beautiful woman who looked at him like he was her entire world.

"’Hi, Mom’? That’s all you have to say after ghosting me for days?" Elaine’s white eyebrows arched dramatically. "No ’Sorry for worrying you sick, Mother dearest’? No ’I’ve been meaning to call but I’ve been so busy becoming the next great hunter’?"

"I’ve been busy," Xavier said lamely, feeling oddly like a actual teenager being scolded. "Classes just started, and—"

"Too busy to send a text? ’Still alive, Mom. Love you.’ Six words, Xavier. Would have taken you ten seconds."

"You’re right," he said. "I should have called. I’m sorry."

Elaine’s expression softened slightly, though her eyes remained sharp. "Well, that’s new. You admitting I’m right without an argument? Maybe this academy is teaching you something after all."

Xavier found himself smiling. There was something about her that reminded him of himself.

"How are classes?" she asked, her tone gentling. "Are you eating enough? Making friends? Any cute girls I should know about? Future daughter-in-law material?"

"Mom," Xavier groaned.

"What? A mother can dream! I’m not getting any younger, and these hands were made for holding grandbabies."

From just outside the frame, Xavier heard Calypso make a choking sound that she quickly disguised as a cough.

"Classes are fine," Xavier said, deciding to ignore the grandchildren comment entirely. "The teachers are... interesting."

"Interesting good or interesting bad?"

"Interesting terrifying," Xavier admitted. "My Essentia professor just walked out of class because some students were being disrespectful."

"Luna Valdez?" Elaine asked.

"You know her?"

"Sweetie, I’ve been a nurse at Mercy General for eighteen years. I’ve treated my share of hunters." Elaine’s expression grew serious. "Luna Valdez is one of the good ones. Tough as nails, but fair. If she walked out, those students must have really crossed a line."

"It wasn’t me," Xavier said quickly.

"I should hope not. I raised you better than that." Elaine’s eyes narrowed suddenly. "Where are you, anyway?"

Xavier glanced around at the academy grounds behind him. "Oh, I’m just... walking around campus. Getting familiar with everything."

"Alone?" Elaine’s eyes narrowed further, her nurse’s instinct for detecting bullshit clearly activating.

"Yes," Xavier lied, then immediately felt guilty for it. "Well, no. I’m with... a friend."

"A friend?" Elaine perked up immediately. "What kind of friend?"

"Mom, seriously—"

"Don’t ’Mom, seriously’ me, Xavier Valentine. The least you can do is introduce me to your friends."

Xavier sighed, knowing he wouldn’t win this argument. He glanced at Calypso, who was watching the exchange with undisguised fascination.

"Fine," he muttered, then angled the phone to include Calypso in the frame. "Mom, this is my... cousin, Calypso. Calypso, this is my mother, Elaine."

Calypso beamed at the screen, all goddess-like dignity vanishing as she waved enthusiastically. "Hi, Auntie Elaine! It’s so nice to finally meet you! Xavier’s told me so much about you!"

Elaine’s expression froze, her eyes darting between Xavier and Calypso. "Cousin?" she repeated slowly. "I don’t have any siblings, Xavier." Xavier felt a cold sweat break out along his spine. Of course she didn’t. He’d forgotten that crucial detail in his fake memories—Elaine was an only child whose parents had died before Xavier was born.

"Distant cousin," he amended quickly. "On dad’s side."

Elaine’s eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "Your father’s family wanted nothing to do with us after he left."

"It’s complicated," Xavier said, scrambling for a plausible explanation. "Calypso reached out recently, and we discovered we were both attending Catalyst, so..."

"So you decided to not tell your mother about it?" Elaine’s voice was dangerously calm. "Interesting choice."

"It wasn’t on purpose, I was... distracted."

"Mmhmm." Elaine’s expression made it clear she didn’t believe him for a second. "And why exactly is your ’distant cousin’ calling me ’Auntie’ like she knows me?"

Calypso jumped in before Xavier could respond. "It’s a term of respect where I’m from! All elders are aunties and uncles."

"Elder?" Elaine’s eyebrow shot up. "I’m forty-two, not eighty-two."

"I didn’t mean—that’s not what I—"

"What my cousin means," Xavier interjected, "is that she was raised with different cultural norms. Right, Calypso?"

"Yes! Exactly!" Calypso nodded vigorously. "Different cultural norms! From... Greece!"

"Greece."

"My mother was Greek," Calypso continued, warming to her story. "Very traditional. Big on respecting elders—not that you’re old! You look amazing! Really youthful! Like you could be Xavier’s sister!"

Xavier closed his eyes briefly, wondering if it was too late to hang up and pretend they’d lost connection.

"Well," Elaine said after a moment of silence, "that’s very... interesting." Her eyes fixed on Xavier, promising this conversation was far from over. "Xavier, sweetheart, I need to get back to my shift. But we will be continuing this discussion very soon. And I expect daily texts from now on, understood?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Good. And Calypso?" Elaine’s gaze shifted to the goddess. "Take care of my son. He acts tough, but he needs looking after."

"I will," Calypso promised, her voice unexpectedly sincere.

"I love you, Xavier," Elaine said, her expression softening.

The screen went black as she ended the call.

"Well," Calypso said brightly, "she seems nice!"

Xavier gave her a look that could have frozen lava.

"What?" Calypso asked innocently. "She does! A bit scary, but in a good way."

"She knows we’re lying," Xavier said. "And now she’s going to worry about it for her entire shift instead of focusing on her patients."

"You care," Calypso said, her voice softening. "You actually care about her feelings."

"She’s not real," Xavier muttered, though the words lacked conviction. "None of this is real. It’s all constructed memories and relationships."

"The emotions are real," Calypso countered. "Her love for you is real. And your guilt? That’s real too."

Xavier didn’t have a response for that. Instead, he pulled up his student map again, focusing on the campus map.

"The training gym is this way," he said, pointing to their right. "Let’s go before we waste any more time."