It took a lot of begging and soft talking to tear Larve off me. The good news was she didn’t know about her super strong evil part. The bad news is she blamed herself for my eye scar. She was now sleeping. While I felt conflicted about her sleeping not soon after I went through all this trouble waking her up maybe that was better. Ama also told me it was okay so there shouldn’t be any problems. I leaned back on my chair.


    “I need a fucking drink.”


    I said while I massaged my temples.


    “I thought you don’t drink.”


    Lily looked at me with a worried expression on his face.


    “I do after…”


    My eyes met with his and I remembered that I haven’t told him about the demise of our world. I let out a small, pathetic sigh. God, how I was supposed to tell him after everything we did, it wasn’t enough? All of our sacrifices were for nothing?


    I remembered the first time I drank alcohol. I never was the one to indulge in it. I never understood the charm of something that clouded your mind and damaged your body. That was until the last safe zone we had was breached. Thousands died that day and I drank all the alcohol I could find. It didn’t do more than just put me in a buzzed state since my enhanced liver and nanomachines in my body detoxified it all. And no, just being buzzed wasn’t even enough to drown the horrid feeling I felt all over my body after I lost those people. Not even in the slightest.


    The excitement I felt when I first saw him and I realized he wasn’t a hallucination was immense. That excitement of meeting with him was partly faded now and I am now faced with the fact that I had to tell him the worst news he will ever hear.


    That’s why I now will focus on something that’s nearly as bad as that.


    “Can I have that drink or?”


    I pointed to the flask hanging from Lily’s hip.


    “Only if you tell me the story of why you started to drink.”


    I looked at him with tiredness in my eyes. He gave me an understanding nod before handing me the flask.


    “On a later date, of course.”


    I quaffed off more than half of it in one go.


    “It is not that strong.”


    I handed it back to Lily who also took a sip. He offered it to others but they refused.


    “I prefer “fruity” stuff. Just because it doesn’t taste like shit doesn’t make it bad.”


    “Should I ask how you knew it was alcohol?”


    Ama gave me a concerned side eye.


    “He brewed alcohol back in our worl- back when… our town too. I know the smell.”


    Shit. I nearly forgot the “I am originally from another world” thing because of how comforting Lily’s presence was. Even with his shortcomings, I was glad I had him. A familiar face from now out of reach world. Every time I talked with someone from this world I had a sense of unfamiliarity. They didn’t know the culture, morals, and concepts of my world. Even though they had similar stuff only it did was give a weird sense of uncanny valley due to their differences.


    I always had to hide or change something to fit into this world. But now with him, I could just let loose.


    “I already told Morrigan about how we came from another world.”


    …


    “You did fucking what?”


    Ama and Arslan looked at Morrigan who just entered the room at first then looked back at me.


    “What happened? I came as soon as I heard you guys call for me.”


    Morrigan put her hand on Ama’s shoulder. I covered my face with one hand and extended my hand to Lily without looking at him.


    “Give me the rest of it.”


    “Come on, you don’t need to get angry. Wouldn’t our lives be easier if we just told them about it? You already trust them so why bother dancing around the edges?”


    “Give me the fucking alcohol!”


    I ripped the flask out of his hands and drank the rest of it.


    “Poyraz, Morrigan. Do you have something to tell us?”


    I sighed and opened my mouth. But Lily was always a faster speaker than me.


    “We are from another world. We died, some Gods pulled our souls here. We are here to defend it or something. I didn’t listen after he told promised me a harem of nice-looking men and women, riches, and good alcohol.”


    While I hated how loose-mouthed Lily was, the look on both Ama and Arslan’s faces was hilarious.


    But wait a goddamn minute.


    “You were offered things? You had a choice?”


    I almost shouted.


    “Yeah? You didn’t?”


    Lily said nonchalantly.


    “Of course not! She fucking dragged me here! I didn’t even want it!”


    “Wait, she? Weren’t you also pulled here by God of Wind?”


    I remembered what that “snake” told me in that void just several minutes ago:


    “Goddes of War.”


    I said, mostly whispering to myself since I just learned it.


    “I just learned it.”


    I took a deep breath before telling my story to others. I left out the fact that Earth was fallen. That… That would come later when we were in private with Lily.


    “You guys… Died?”


    I never saw Arslan that reluctant before. Lily’s reaction didn’t help. He opened his arms wide and…


    “Sadly yes, but I lived!”


    I smacked him.


    “Please don’t speak while I speak about something serious.”


    “Can I have some of that drink?”


    Arslan said. Lily shook the flask.


    “He drank it all.”


    “I have a lot of questions.”


    “Me too.”


    Ama and Morrigan said.


    “Be my guest. Honestly, I also don’t know shit.”


    Morrigan tapped on the table.


    “You said Larve was a… Calamity? It is hard to believe. I thought they were supposed to be…”


    “Horrible? Strong? Yes. You should see her other “part” that ordered me to give her back. If it wasn’t for the Star or G?kb?rü things wouldn’t have gone… well.”


    “I heard cases where one’s soul can be split apart and fuse with other beings or even form their own identities but if a soul is that strong owner it must have been powerful. Too powerful.”


    Ama explained.


    “I already experienced it.”


    I touched my neck and shuddered when I remembered the pressure I felt. I wondered how strong he was when compared to Wolf King.


    One was dead for a long time while the other was “sharded”.


    “What happens if that creature meets Larve?”


    Morrigan asked what was on my mind. I could guess the answer but I hoped it wasn’t true.


    “It is hard to say but the stronger shard will probably absorb the weaker one and get stronger.”


    Ama’s voice was never this unpleasant to my ears before.


    “Will she be gone forever if that happens?”


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.I asked, knowing the answer already.


    “Probably yes.”


    I felt Lily’s hand on my shoulder, trying to console me without saying anything. I appreciated it. Not him trying to console me but the fact that he was silent.


    “I don’t want to be that person but I probably should point out that a Calamity is after that girl and now you. And if it gets stronger by absorbing her that could spell the doom of all of us.”


    Arslan raised his hand and spoke.


    “We-“


    “We are not going to kill Larve.”


    “I never said anything-“


    “I know. I just wanted to make sure everyone knew that.”


    After that conversation between me and Arslan, the room fell silent.


    “We have to do something about it.”


    Morrigan was the first to break the silence.


    “How? We barely have enough strength to save our own people! Do you really want to fight against a Calamity?”


    Arslan sounded like a defeatist. But why? I understood how big of a deal was the word Calamity to this world but he wasn’t like this before. Did being betrayed by his own kin was that devastating for him?


    “It is not a matter of if we want to fight against it, we have to fight against it. A Calamity is the ender of everything. It is better if we fight it when it is weak.”


    Ama answered him.


    “With what force?”


    Arslan snapped back, his ears erect and baring his fangs. This shocked everyone but Ama looked the most shocked. Seeing her reaction his ears dropped.


    “I am sorry. I… I don’t think I am-“


    Ama held his hand.


    “I understand.”


    “Want to take a break?”


    I asked.


    “It is too much for any of us to take in, let alone make logical decisions based on what we learned. I guess that’s okay for all of us?”


    I looked at Morrigan who nodded in approval.


    “You can sleep beside Larve.”


    Ama said before leaving the room with Arslan.


    “Are they fucking?”


    Lily asked, causing Morrigan to start coughing.


    “Not yet. I think. Unless they took that step while I was gone.”


    My answer caused Morrigan’s coughing to get worse. She had to lean on the table to support herself.


    “What?”


    She shouted.


    I wondered if being this oblivious was a trait of beastkin since Blaria and Ursara also couldn’t tell it without me telling them. I got up from my chair, ignoring all the questions Morrigan fired towards me like a machine gun mostly because it was funny.


    So funny in fact that I barely noticed the reality around me shift.


    Shadows wrapped around me and I projected my sword.


    To my surprise, this new reality wasn’t a land of shadows.


    I had a solid, golden road beneath me. The Ground beside that road was ivory.


    At the end of that road stood the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.


    Her green eyes carried wisdom and age but not the weariness that came with age. I wanted to look at her eyes more carefully but her gaze pierced my soul and I had to lower my gaze.


    Her face, lips, and nose looked like they were sculpted by a master craftsman rather than being flesh. So perfect, so beautiful in fact it made my uncanny valley sense jump.


    Her shoulder-length blood-red hair flowed freely. She wore a red dress that exposed her shoulders and back but not her legs. From her exposed parts I could see her well-trained muscles. It was hard to discern more since she was glowing, obstructing her details.


    She was tall. Taller than me but actually trying to estimate her actual height caused my head to spin.


    “Hello, O Noble One.”


    I nearly fell on my knees when she spoke. It wasn’t the first time I heard her but being in her presence was different. It took all the willpower I had to not prostrate myself. That feeling wasn’t caused by her power or strength. It just came naturally, from inside. As if my body was wired to do that.


    IT MADE ME REEL WITH DISGUST.


    “I am Aliera. Goddess of War. Firstborn of Anshar, King of the Gods. The very Star brought you here.”


    I forced myself to meet her gaze. I shallowed the feeling of my soul being pierced.


    “Thanks for the help back there. I just wish you helped me more often.”


    A frown appeared on her perfect face.


    “There are rules and precautions even we have to follow. If we moved as we wanted mortals would suffer.”


    “Mortals are already suffering.”


    I said bluntly. She looked away like she was embarrassed by that.


    “Please, do not tease me. Our time here is limited.”


    “Let me guess: You are breaking those rules you mentioned just by helping me?”


    A small smile bloomed on her face.


    “I prefer the term bending. Breaking has… Negative implications.”


    She was keeping an eye on me if I have to put it nicely. But even if I put it nicely I couldn’t help but feel disgusted. I had no privacy.


    That also meant that I had a connection to two Calamities. Beings she called upon me here to destroy. Yet she didn’t smite me for making deal with one and protecting the other.


    “He will come for you and his shard. You stand no chance with your current state.”


    She told me what I already knew.


    “How much time do I have?”


    “It is hard to say. All I can be sure is he doesn’t know your current location.”


    “What do I need to do? How can I gain more power? How can I kill him?”


    Her lips curled as if what she was about to say was hard for her.


    “Head to Whifur with beastkin and your comrade. You will find threads of fate that will help you.”


    She waved her hand.


    “I can’t say more. Goodbye, my champion. I wish you good fortune.”


    I was back.


    “Poyraz! What happened?”


    Lily slammed into me. My armor was formed to protect me without me thinking about it and Lily groaned with pain.


    “I felt something… Something similar to mine own…”


    I forced myself to smile.


    “Looks like my Goddess threw us some bones. We have to go to Whifur. I don’t know why but there must be something that can help us.”


    Lily hugged me.


    “Together, brother.”


    Morrigan who was watching us with confused eyes nodded.


    “If arriving Whifur will help you protect the world, I will gladly be your guide.”


    My forced smile slowly transformed into a real one.


    “You won’t be alone, Noble One.”


    I remembered what the Godd- Aliera told me before pulling me here.


    Maybe this time I could do it.


    Maybe this time I can protect others.


    Maybe this time I can save the world.


    Maybe, just maybe this is my redemption.


    “Thank you.”