AQORMSo, stuff happened at the bar. My memory is a bit foggy though... Urgh, why did I have to drink so much? We elves can detox poison better than you humans, but it''s about as crude. Meaning, I wouldn''t all the weakness and dizziness and headaches of a hangover, but I''ll be throwing up the rest of the night. *bluuurgh* As I was saying, ummm... what was I saying? Elias approached me and accused, “You know what you did! I won''t forgive you for that until you apologize!”

    Oh yeah, something happened tonight. “Uhhhh, so what happened, Elias?” I asked the very peeved scholar who smelled strangely bad tonight. “Come on now,” he said, “think back!” And so, excusing myself to flush out the last of the alcohol from my system (violently), I cleared my head and thought hard about what happened that night. I was a little bleary and weak from getting rid of most of the contents of my stomach, but most of the hangover was already fading and things were coming into focus.

    Hmmmm, let''s see, while all the others attended a boring temple service, I rented a surfboard. I can''t say I know anything about balancing on the surfboard, so I belly-boarded instead. Even amateurs could do this, with cheap plastic boards, and something about this called to my aquatic elf nature. The waves crashed softly against the sand, and there was a sort of natural rhythm to its movement. The waves were rough, but I breathed in and out, relaxing my body. I faced slightly toward the shore, feeling for that right moment, and just as the wave came up, I laid the board down, and resting my shoulders to my stomach I hunkered down on the board. My left hand was at shoulder-level and my right hand was level with my midsection, skimming the board just above the surface of the water as it hit. Typically, people tried to push hard against the waves, but I felt differently, finding that it was more fun to just let the water guide me. I had to move some, but it was more a matter of catching the right current than looking for the best wave. I did this for a few hours, until at last Elias had finished his trip to the temple and found me goofing off like the heretic I am.

    While those two snuck off to the hot springs like it wasn''t completely obvious what they intended to do (I mean c''mon, I can read a bit of Unified Japanese, and that clearly reads something I''d rather not mention), Elias and I had ordered a nice quiet meal at the local pub before we had a drink. He said something about it being important to have a full stomach before drink to reduce to likelihood of becoming seriously drunk.

    As restaurants go, this was a pub in the middle of a largely Asian town, so you might think that we''d have maybe some rice, vegetables, pork, and some sauce. Nope. Apparently, they had taken cues from the EverNight drama of 2018, for their house special in the Chinese/Japanese fusion pub served pizza, celery sticks, hot wings, and spaghetti. I groaned. Tourism!

    Since just letting the pub decide my drink felt like a bad option, I ordered plum wine and high quality saké. While it might appear I had classy taste in alcohol, don''t worry. I proved otherwise when I added for good measure, “and keep it coming!” The saké was served from a white and blue porcelain container which looked like it survived from 1740 AD, lasting through creation of the New Earth, and would probably not last the night with an angel and a demon in the same pub. The plum wine was a gallon wine jug, so I helped myself. Elias abstained, probably because it killed brain cells and he wanted to keep all of his, but probably also because one of us was gonna need to make sure that I managed to get home safely. I drank and talked to Elias, then looked around the room.

    Over to my right, I saw Lilith and Michael at the bar right next to us, with Michael looking very drunk. They had come some time while I was drinking, and I was too drunk to notice them until now. Angels can detox from a wide range of poisons and cannot become addicted or experience withdrawal, but drugs still affect them. “Heey, there, wha''cha doin''?” he said to me, “I dunno why I''m always so mad at tha''demon over there sh''holds her drink bett''r''n me.” I said, “Wow, he''s a lush! How many has he had?” Lilith laughed, “One...” I interrupted, “One bottle?” Lilith shook her head, and used her thumb and index fingers for emphasis on small amount, “One sip.” I guess angels must have really low body weight. In any case, he was pretty messed-up for much of the night.

    The tables to the right had equally interesting characters, a man in a rice farmer hat drinking tea while sitting near some radishes while drawing and sheathing a sword, and a man hitting on a Christian nun to our right. The tables to our northeast had a man who was really into a girl that was taller and bigger than him, and a table to our immediate northwest was filled with five men competing for one woman. It looked like one was a kid who was attracted by how grown up she looked, another was an old guy who she was actively rejecting despite him talking about pursuing guys with experience, two guys were just horny for her, despite her appearing more interested is women than these guys, and the last was an elf who like me was entertained by the fact that this was someone like Nevras, a “girl” who looked convincing with soft cheekbones and no Adam''s apple. There was no fooling our heightened senses, though. I looked at the bartender, who declared that she had also been Hinata''s Elder, and the leader of Council once. Lajila, she said her name was. She slowly sipped some alcohol herself, and let out a long sigh.

    As we sat in the bar, Elias''s lack of drink meant he was babbling nervously instead of just getting drunk and cutting loose. Since I was bored, and about to make terrible impulse-impaired decisions, I ignored him entirely and focused on what Lilith was saying. “So what''s it like being a demon?” I asked her. Lilith said, “Oh, you know, I constantly get these urges...” I asked, “Really?” She laughed and shook her head, “No! I''m normal, except with horns.” I noticed that unlike Michael, she was on about her eighth glass, and I didn''t even notice a slur in her speech. I could detox well but this was crazy! “How... how can you keep drinking like that?” I asked her. She explained that while her heart still beat (unlike that of most demons), she had more in common with a corpse than a living body with regard to being affected by poisons and such. “Completely immune,” she said, “I could drink a whole distillery and not even get a buzz. I can still taste though.” I changed the subject, “So... why do you and Michael fight so much? It can''t just be because you''re demons & angels.” Lilith explained, “The truth? It''s an act. Sure, there is bad blood between demons and angels, but most of it''s because of some war in Heaven eons ago. We''re really from the same race, the Nephilim. Any length of time together and we understand this, and respect each other''s fighting ability. He''ll never let me say that when he''s sober, and there are certainly some things for us to fight about. But when you get right down to it, nope, we''re just acting.” Huh, I thought all this time they hated each other. “I''m worried whether we''ll see each other, after this is all over. Or will there even be a world to go back to?” I complained. “I dunno about the others, but you guys gave me an excuse to leave Hell. I''m not going anywhere,” she replied.

    She broke my line of questioning, “Hey, you''ve been asking me a lot of questions. Tell me something about yourself.” I answered, “I''m a half-elf, I have two siblings, a cat named Momo, and we all live in a mansion near Kushiyama.” Lilith asked some more, “What''s your family''s business? I mean, how do you guys keep a huge mansion?” Sober, I didn''t want to answer this question, and I got made when Elias found this out. But drunk, I had less of a problem with this, and I felt like Lilith wouldn''t judge. And yet, I mumbled, “They''re kinda...” Lilith said, “Hmmmm? Speak up.” I said, “Exotic dancers.” Lilith teased, “What''s that? It sounded like you said exotic dancers.” I blushed. “It''s not for money,” I explained, “my mom had rigid and uptight parents, who wanted her working as an accountant, and she wouldn''t have it. She played along for awhile, then suddenly quit, and set up her own dance club. Her husband met her there, as he was also sick of elven ways.” Lilith looked pensive for a second, “But it seems like you took a step backwards from what they''ve done. You couldn''t handle your parents'' ways, so you ditched, and tried to make it as a musician.” I shook my head, “That''s not it. I get stage fright. And it''s easier to cope with when you have a huge piano as a buffer between you and the crowd.”

    Elias who had been busy trying to impress me with conversation, and had not realized with all the loud music and weird lighting in the bar that I was talking to Lilith, caught her attention. So she asked, “Hey Aqorm, how do you feel about Elias, anyway?” I was pretty drunk so I just started blurting out stuff. “He''s an arrogant know-it-all. Just tonight, he''s talked about three or four things I had no interest in, acting like he knew best!” At this point, Elias stopped talking and started paying attention. But I just kept on talking trash. He scowled at me. Lilith, seeing me rant and rave about Elias asked me, “How many drinks have you had?” While about 10 or so drinks could kill a human woman of my size, I was fine. “I''ve only had about six drinks,” I said. Elias and Lilith were both calmer than Ambrosia would have been, since they knew about our physiology. I was barely drunk, I could still think rationally, and speak without slurring. “If you''re not drunk, you must have lost your mind... Are you feeling alright?” Lilith asked.

    “I''m not drunk!” I shouted, “And I''m not crazy either! I know what I''m saying. Day in and day out, all I hear from him is something he got out of some book! Why can''t he for once just face me as himself! Why not?” Lilith backpedaled, “Aqorm, I seriously don''t want to start a fight with your friends...” I argued, “ Why not? Why must you...” Lilith at this point became angry and frustrated, “Why?!? How about this? Every single man in my life has either been afraid of me damning them with my "evil," or comes after me looking to be tempted. Michael is different, but he''s... well an angel. How can you possibly understand about it?” Her voice was raw and she was emotional right now. Elias listened intently. I was starting to feel a bit funny and my heart beat fast, so maybe I was more drunk than I thought? “But I do,” I said, “Elias, as annoying as he is, is the first man to really be kind to me. I got some real losers, while hanging out on the street. I just wish some man would pay attention to me.”

    And then, she said something shocking. She said, “Forget men.” Elias, finally listening to us while drinking tea, spit out his drink. As for me, I decided I was drunk, for my brain needed to process that again. I asked her to repeat it. “You heard me,” she said. Yes, I guess I did, but was she saying what I thought...? “Men will never really understand a woman. Why, just look at how little Elias understands you.” I looked at him, and thought about how this man spent much of his time trying to impress me with facts. But what I wanted was someone to have feelings for me. More and more, I felt like Lilith and Elias were two halves of a person that I really wanted in my life. Elias did have similar interests, and a kind heart, and he satisfied my intellect. But my body had needs as well, needs that this emotionally awkward man probably couldn''t meet.” I asked, “Are you trying to tempt me, Lilith?” She shook her head, “Oh give it a rest! We both know if you want to do something, you''ll do it.” And so it was, that in full view of Michael and Elias, we started kissing each other.

    Ummm, back to the present. “I''m sorry. You''re jealous of my starting a romance with Lilith, aren''t you?” I asked Elias. He shook his head, “No, you''re apologizing for wrong thing. I know I''m not the romantic type. I know you want someone to give you pleasure and have relations with. As long as I stay in your life, I want you to be happy. No, what I''m mad about is what came after.” I shook my head, “Refresh my memory?” He went into detail about all that came after. How after witnessing him stare at me earlier, I took several more shots of plum wine, and how I finally got enough, and managed to vomit all over his robe. “I don''t normally sweat the small things... but it''s been a real nuisance to clean,” Elias said.

    We headed to sleep that night, most of it with him grumpy at me. The next morning, we left for the island with the portal. So, at the portal, drama happened. But you know all about that. What you don''t know is what happened next. Ambrosia, before getting broken up with, was psyched to go and explore this new world, despite the whole thing with horrible creatures and even actual Monsters possibly on the other side. Now, she looked deflated, unable to concentrate, and just in a generally empty place. After a few seconds, she pretended to be cheerful, “Okay! Let''s head inside!” Even Elias, socially dense as he was, looked concerned, “Ambrosia...” The portal showed a vision of the world inside, a world of bland scenery, grays and greys. She stepped inside. “Wait, Ambrosia!” said Michael following closely after her. Then came Elias, Zoe and Azrael, Lilith, and then it was my turn. I lingered, and then finally stepped in just in time to see a large dragon heading in this direction. The portal closed, never to open again, until our quest completed. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ELIAS

    I meant every word I said. I do love Aqorm, but I was taught that if you love someone, you cannot keep them trapped if they also love another. Therefore, whatever Aqorm decides, even a threesome, I will accept. Although, I only like her, but her partner I see as a proxy for what I can''t give her. I have read some theory about Atman, you see...

    Having come about fifteen seconds after Michael, I noticed that Michael had been talking to Ambrosia for about fifteen minutes, trying to cheer her up. She didn''t seem quite as sad, and by the time the Zoe and Azrael came together, thirty minutes had passed. Based on this, I figured the time difference to be 1 to 60 ratio, meaning if we spent three days on Earth, about half a year would pass inside here. This meant that if someone waited on Earth for more than a year, there was a good chance the person wasn''t coming back. Well, after runes were discovered, people did begin to live longer. But still...

    I remembered my studies. Ancient researchers who explored this place by portal discovered several traits about this world and were careful to record their notes. This world had no sun or stars, and one would expect it to be cold, but it wasn''t. Heat and cold were things, but this world was not a world of things. It was a world of nothing. Oh yes, there are air to breathe, water to drink, and ground to walk on. But they weren''t much to speak of. The water that was sucked in was gone already, and the stars that fell could not be seen. The sky above was empty but for a black emptiness that felt like the Void. The ground was not really grey, but the air tinted everything grey. I knew why there was air, sea, and earth here. This was the First Universe.

    Long ago, before solid matter formed, there was a blueprint universe according to legend. These blueprints of things were the real thing, the First Matter. Just as in Plato''s Cave, there are people strapped to a wall of a cave only seeing shadows, the shadows of what we called the real world of New Earth are breakable versions of the things in the First Universe. Long ago, the Earth was corrupted by Belial, and destruction threatened to end everything. But it seemed as though when God split the world, he passed all of the corruption over to here, this world were things don''t get destroyed. So, while the water and earth were grey and would constantly decay, much like the Nothing in Fantasia, when it swallowed up everything but that tower in the middle. But the land, sea, and sky would also constantly renew themselves. They did this so quickly that we wouldn''t notice anything. However, living things were a different story. This realm had a lack of what is called ontological inertia. That is to say, a child believes when they no longer look at things that they cease to exist, but this was actually the case here. The grey fog of this land would start to eat our hands, our feet, and finally everything but our soul. The only way to undo this was to find an Oasis, an area where the Void had a gap in its power, just as an oasis in a desert was a non-absence of water. Or we could find a town. Such places were recognizable since unlike the pervasive grey in this world, they had colors. I looked at my friends. They were gradually turning grey themselves. This was the first step, before limbs started to fade and finally disappear.

    I explained the need for urgency here, so the others didn''t stand around. We had to get to safety quickly. Our first destination was what looked like an actual oasis off in the distance, making it an Oasis in both senses of the world. There was First Wood, First Earth, and First Water. We drank, and never felt thirsty again for our entire journey in the Realm of Void. I chopped the First Wood up using Ambrosia''s knife, only to watch the trees which had been cut start to regrow themselves. I made a fire, which I ultimately had to snuff with the Water, because it never burned itself up, and shaped a crude First Clay container for carrying things. We brought some First Water with us, just in case. Then we rested while our limbs returned to us, and the color returned to our faces, clothing, and bodies. When day broke, we set to work building a raft. Lashing leaves and branches to tie wood cuttings together, we managed to get the whole thing to stay together. It helped that the trees which were cut quickly regrew themselves, and that the ropes we made seemed to want to make things stick together.

    I checked our map. It had changed from the writing before, where it mentioned ?The Known World? and now instead said, ?The Realm of Void.? The map depicted a very dark area on the outside of this world, then a squiggly section inside that which had land and water, rivers, and towns. Such as they were. The runes showed our current position. There was a Tower of Sorrow and an area called the Void Wastes surrounding a Mountain of Fate in the northern island, Belial''s Castle at the southernmost island, and the map had three towns on its middle islands: Futanari, Momiji, and Hotaru. The last of these towns was depicted as a major city, while the first was marked as a village.

    Since we had a boat which covered us in intense color and shielded us from the effects of the Void, we traveled mainly by sea. It was slow, but we worked together with the crude oars I had made. Lilith wasn''t very good at paddling and we wound up steering our raft left or right, so we had her fish instead. It turned out Nephilim were immune to the Void, so she was able to dive in, much like a cat, and grab fish from the water and swim back to the raft. It took awhile to get there, but we made it to Belial''s Castle. It was a huge complex of white marble brick, with a back garden and everything, but there was an enormous gate blocking the entrance. The gate had an elaborate design on it, which looked vaguely like a sun, and a twisting root growing upward, as best as I could describe this. An alchemic design, I noticed. I explained to the others that this was a symbol of the physical world and humanity, and Belial putting this on his castle meant he was trying to make a pocket universe. “Let''s go back,” I told the others, “Ambrosia needs to complete her training.” Ambrosia looked confused, “Huh? I do?!?” I nodded, “You have the Oracles for eight trigram Crests,” I showed her, grabbing her hand to show the design. I continued, “But look at the center! The Tao itself is not awakened! You can''t really be the Oracle of Tao, if you have no Tao, can you?”

    We headed back north, stopping only in one area, called the Tower of Sorrow. There, Zoe managed to find a sword called the Sword of Sorrow, which the people in the tower told her she was destined to have, even though we sorta kinda made the decision to go to this tower in the first place. The sword couldn''t be used, though because there was some chain coiled all around the sheath. “You have to prove yourselves worthy,” the lady in the tower explained, “go and kill 13 Grey Wolves, collect their hearts and place them on the Sword.” Ambrosia shook her head, “No time for that sort of thing. We''ll do it later.”

    And so we headed up to the Void Wastes. If the Realm of Void was grey, flat, expansive, and depressing, the Void Wastes made all of that look positively vibrant. The sparse greyish grass that mixed with clay and withered trees gave way to dry cracked desert wastes for miles. We continued walking but everything looked the same in every direction. It was covered in a thick mist that masked the land in such a degree that the sun itself could not be seen, nor did water cast a reflection, nor could anything else be noticed beyond an acre of land. I worried that our bodies would cease to exist long before we reached our destination, but thankfully the Sword of Sorrow protected us from the Void, as the woman in the tower mentioned it would. We only had to worry about the Void Wastes completely obscuring the mountain that was supposed to be in the center with thick fog, causing us to walk in and out a few times without finding it. And we had to worry about hunger, since the supplies we had brought had been erased. We also had to worry about demons, Shadows, and greater ghouls, the last of which tossed fire spells at us and just kept coming back. And we had to avoid Grey Wolves for now, since we had nothing that seemed to hurt them. They were creepy anyway, as contrary to the name, they weren''t just a different fur color, they were extremely grey even their eyes, and they were able to shrug off even Azrael''s piercing spells with their solid bodies. Somehow or other, we managed to survive, and we made our way to the Mountain of Fate.