Poor Kevin looked like she was at war with herself. The catgirl ground her thick thighs together in pure lust, while her face betrayed mental anguish as Mark asked her to reject her most fundamental truths. Mark found the display rather amusing, and her smug smile tipped the balance for Kevin.
“I’ll never worship you!” she cried, her face twisted into what could only be described as a pout. Even Melissa and John had to admit that her defiance was adorable. “Do not worship other gods or bow down to them! Do not serve them or sacrifice to them!”
Mark drew close to the catgirl and bent over her, hands on her knees and a benevolent smile on her face. “Quoting 2 Kings instead of Exodus? A creative choice, and that is why you are of interest to me, despite your misguided faith. Oh, my little pet, if you could only perceive the truths that I know. You worship an absentee landlord, a long vanished being who turned his back on our creation. He and I are made of the same stuff, but I am here now, and he is not. Be honest with yourself: when was the last time you had a prayer answered? When have you seen proof of his existence?”
While Melissa and John stood by uncomfortable, Kevin struggled to reply, distracted by the lust that was throbbing through her new body. “That’s not how it works! My faith…”
“Is misplaced,” Mark finished. “All of the signs around you which you attribute to his hand more or less came about in the way the scientists said they did. Face it. He’s gone. And our universe chugged along just fine on natural law without him. Until I happened. And unlike the OG god and goddess, I don’t plan to sit back and let the show run on autopilot. So let’s be clear: I would like you to offer me your worship, but I really don’t care if you refuse. Because in the end, my choice is the only one that matters.”
Hannah had been politely raising her hand. Mark smiled at the sight. “Yes, my priestess? It has been rude of me to step on your toes. Proselytization is your job, not mine. I apologize.”
Hannah blushed at receiving an apology from her living goddess. She curtseyed and then addressed her fellow students. “Look, I’m still Hannah here. I made the right choice when I gave myself to the Goddess. Let’s face it: the old me was miserable. Competitive, humorless, bitter, blindly ambitious. But now…I’m actually happy for the first time since I can remember. I feel free, and empowered, and hopeful. Don’t think of it like you’re losing yourself. See it as becoming a better version of yourself.”
Tears filled Kevin’s eyes. “I…I can’t…!”
Mark took Kevin’s chin in her hand and gently lifted his head until she could gaze deeply into his eyes. “You poor thing. They really did a number on you, didn’t they? I can see that you do not disbelieve me, but you are so afraid of disappointing your family and your clergy that you cannot let go. You worry about losing yourself if you release that truth you have clung to for your entire life. And yet part of you is secretly grateful for your new form. You hope that you might finally get to know the pleasures of the body that you have denied for so long. You poor, poor thing. I cannot leave you as you are, for your inner conflict would eventually destroy you. Let go. Know that you will soon be united with your family and every earthly sister. The heaven that awaits will be far greater than the one you had futilely hoped for before.”
As she spoke, Kevin’s tears dried up. Her eyes went from looking fearful to being filled with admiration. She seemed to relax, and she curled around Mark’s leg, embracing it. Mark scratched between her feline ears and Kevin closed her eyes and emitted a rumbling purr.
“She has joined me,” Mark announced quietly. “But I regret that little of her old self remains. I took away her fear and conflict. Now she can finally be happy.”
“You are a monster!” John exploded suddenly, causing Kevin to open her eyes and hiss at him. “I don’t care how hot you are or how good you make your new world sound, you can’t just go around erasing people like that!”
Mark said nothing, fighting back the urge to rashly transform her former student.
For her part, Melissa said nothing, seeming lost in her own thoughts.