Soon enough, the three are sitting together in the humble dining room. This home the human lives in is an apartment, one section of a much larger building where one person can live at a cheaper price. In Ascentia, the amount of money you possess is equal to your role in society. Gods and Goddesses hold a nearly infinite amount while a temple keeper may make enough to live in a small home next to their temple. The God of Wealth, Brazen, manages all currency, and he carries out his duties with an iron, or gold, fist.

The beginning of the scheduled meeting is mainly Alain explaining Chassa and its role in the collection of worlds, which prompts Caspian to look towards the wide panes of glass, staring through the transparent windows like portals to the Gods’ land. Winged Angels fly through the air and towers of some immaculate material hold dominion over all around. A central spire leads to the skies, like some elevator to an outer space unused by beings that have all at their fingertips. Such visions make him wonder how it had all begun. Surely, members of the Below could enlighten him with the knowledge.

When Cas returns to his senses, his head turns back and his eyes stop at the human. Her name is Amelia Liston, and she has a familial connection with the Goddess of the Isles, who doesn’t live anywhere near Ascentia’s capital city. Her role here in the city is as a handmaiden to the Goddess of Love. “Her Beauty is quite kind to me, being a human. Honestly, I think she has a soft spot for us.”

Liston’s work and role in Ascentia normally wouldn’t matter much at all to the two guests, but they are just that here: guests. Caspian and Alain, more Alain as the diplomatic one of the two, build up a rapport with Amelia for most of the first half hour. The idea of an entire new world is foreign to many in Ascentia, Bea, and Descentia still, so it is normal that beings of those worlds are very skeptical of Chassan residents. However, this one doesn’t seem to show these traits. Overall, Amelia is open-minded and grateful for their arrival.

“So, you’re like time travelers?” the bright-eyed woman asks, having just been told that Caspian’s main role is to undo what is to happen before it happens should it cause great disaster.

“You’re on the right track,” Alain responds with a toothy smile. “We are able to sense what may approach before it does, much like how anyone is capable of sensing danger when they can’t exactly see or hear what is coming.”

As the topic of the meeting turns from Chassa to Liston, she’s asked to finally speak about the task at hand- why they had shown up in the first place.

“Well- ah, uh... I suppose I must start at the beginning then, huh?” the woman begins. “I’ll start off by saying I didn’t know her much at all before everything happened. She was a nobody from a different world, but became a legend in just years. My Goddess was really quite fond of her, and sometimes I feel it was more than just a friendship. I think that is what pushed the Goddess to do what she did in the end.”

“What did she do?” Alain questions. Her accomplice gives a confused look to her, as if to ask what she knows that he doesn’t. The Elf’s expression shows understanding, which makes him further suspicious.

“She never wanted her to die,” Alain continues. Her, again. “So, she did what she had to, and that was to preserve her soul. No one has seen that soul since, however, but these strange... visions have begun appearing in my dreams. I tried to confide in the Goddess, but she denied understanding what may be causing these visions.”

“Will you tell us of these visions, Miss Liston?”

Caspian eyes the Human. She appears moved now, unlike before. While calm and collected when they first began speaking, she now has gone white in the face. With his sixth sense, he can feel fear emitting from her mind. She has seen horrors unbeknownst to the two of them.

“Y... yes, of course. At first, they were small and insignificant. I’d thought I had watched a few too many scary pictures, but it didn’t make sense. When having watched a movie with a crazed killer or spiders, I would see images of... unnatural, disgusting creatures, or bodies hanging from my ceiling, but not even Human or anything.

“I didn’t want to think about it, but I started losing sleep. After I spoke to the Goddess, my nightmares got worse and they began to invade my days as well. One look, I could see my walls peeling apart with this... black muck underneath them. When I took another look or blinked, it would be back to normal. If not for Tiko, my wolf, I would have already gone mad in my own home. The visions just kept coming over and over again.

“The worst of it wasn’t long before I reached out for... uh, your help. One night, I was already in bed when I saw it. There...” Amelia stops speaking, tears welling up.

Alain glances at Cas, then stands to take a seat next to the woman. “Soon enough, you won’t have to be afraid anymore, but the more information you can give us, the easier this will be for us to take care of.”

Without asking, Amelia reaches a hand over to take Alain’s, who doesn’t move but to squeeze for assurance. With a head held low, she starts again. “I saw this huge... creature in my bedroom. It was this rough, bloody skin all over with no eyes. There were featherless wings, so I know it couldn’t have been any angel from around here. It was much too large to be any normal person anywhere in Ascentia, unless an UnGod had shown up. It was just too terrifying, so I hid under my blanket.

“When it moved, I felt the footsteps like someone was dropping a box of books every few seconds. It must have been able to feel that I was afraid or something, because it came... so close to where my head was. I could hear it breathing, and... oh Gods...”

Alain’s gaze snaps to Caspian. He shakes his head, as if to say that he has never heard of something like this before. He has been to all the worlds and has likely been to the worst of most of them. In Descentia, demons and succubi roam around doing as they wish, killing what they wish. However, most of them all had something in common- a conscience. That is not to say they know to do right, but they certainly are not speechless monsters. This is unlike Descentia.

“You don’t need to say much more, Miss Liston. You said you reached out after this happened?”

The Human nods. “It hasn’t gotten much worse since then.” She lifts her head, now taking hold of Alain’s hand with both hers. “I think that soul has become corrupted in some way and is doing this. Here-” She places an object she grabbed before in the Elf’s palm. It’s a small, gold coin, like something you would use as an offering at a shrine. “I think this is the cause of it all, but I can’t make myself get rid of it on my own and my Goddess won’t take it. Please, I don’t know what it does or where it’s from, but... help me.”