Aldritch watched the temple fall into the abyss with remorse in his heart. It always bothered him when the temples of Oakairo were destroyed or abandoned to nature. For so many years, those temples had housed the homeless, the downtrodden, and the sick, and asked for nothing in return but all the gold the worshippers could carry.

Oakairo loved gold. You could even say he was obsessed with it. Most races would’ve looked upon such a deity with disdain or distrust. But not the dwarves. No, for the dwarves who worshipped gold above all else, Oakairo was the perfect deity to worship. So they built all of his temples and halls out of gold, and only used lesser metals like silver or platinum when there was a shortage. 

Aldritch was vaguely aware of the idea there were other, more precious materials than gold. But really, wasn’t that a matter of opinion? Gold was a soft metal, so you couldn’t forge weapons out of it. It also didn’t transmit mana well, so you couldn’t use it in rituals or as a base for enchanting.

But it was gold. Gold didn’t need another use to make it valuable to the dwarves. Its very existence sang to their souls in a way nothing else ever could. That alone made it stand above everything else to a race known for their industrious nature, but were really just a bunch of romantics at heart.

Aldritch was no exception. Seeing all that gold plummet out of sight caused a visceral reaction within him. It was like watching your grandmother being eaten alive or a precious pet getting kicked. Just the image was enough to set the heart racing, but the real thing caused a physical pain within the depths of his chest that no amount of booze or medicine could cure.

“Hey, we need to go. The portal’s closing!” Sulika shouted from a few feet to Aldritch’s left. With a show of truly herculean effort, Aldritch tore his eyes away from the cliff and looked after her.

He saw the dark portal spinning silently in the distance and couldn’t help but stare at it as he walked. “Where do you think it leads?” Aldritch asked Oakairo.

“Most likely to wherever this ‘Azuris’ is.”

“Have you ever heard of it?”

“No. But the presence of other worlds is nothing new to the gods. There’s an infinite number of worlds amidst the vast vacuum of space. Your world is just one of many, and so is whichever one they come from.”

“I see. I didn’t realize there were other worlds out there.”

“…Really?” Oakairo asked, his voice coming through their link with more than a hint of surprise. 

“I mean, I knew other realms existed. We had legends about such places that span thousands of years. I just assumed they were like the heavens, the hells, and the divine mountain – places meant for the dead and divine beings like you.”

“I see what you mean. And you aren’t entirely incorrect in that assumption. Otherwise, I would’ve spirited you away from this place centuries ago, before I lost the power to do so,” Oakairo said, equal parts remorse and anger coloring his voice.

“I don’t blame you, my lord.”

“I know you don’t.”

“Aldritch?” Sulika called. Her voice brought his attention back to his surroundings. He found her standing a few feet away, watching him with an expectant look in her eyes. He glanced over her shoulder at the three men who were also waiting for him and saw the impatient looks in their eyes as they looked from him to Sulika to the swirling mass of black mana hovering in the air next to them, and back again. 

He nodded and followed Sulika without a word.

“Have you ever willingly traveled by portal before?” She asked as they approached the portal.

“Can’t say I have.” He said while watching first Derrik, then Ralocan, and finally Zarud step past the threshold and disappear into the darkness of the portal.

“Then let me briefly explain what’s about to happen, alright? The first thing you’re going to notice when you pass the threshold is a feeling of weightlessness. That’s absolutely normal and will pass in a few seconds. The next thing you need to remember is to never stop moving. The inside of the portal might seem infinite. But trust me, it’s not. Think of the inside like a small tunnel; there’s just enough space inside for two humans to walk abreast without fear of bumping into each other. Also, there could be traffic either in front of you or behind you, so make sure you alway keep your eyes open so you don’t accidentally run into anyone. Got all that?”

“I understand everything so far. Anything else?”

“Yeah. Keep your eyes focused in front of you. There are things that live in the void outside the portal, and they don’t appreciate being stared at.” She said with a slight smile on her face.

Aldritch watched her step into the portal with a look of confusion on his face.

Had she been serious about things living in the void? 

Would he be able to see them if he looked hard enough? 

What would they taste like if he could catch one?

These are the questions that plagued Aldritch’s mind as he took one final glance back at his home.

Mag Ársa wasn’t a perfect home. Not even close. Even before the demons invaded, the citizens of Mag Ársa were constantly at war. Except back then, they were at war with each other. Because of a sudden population boom amongst the humans, they were forced to look elsewhere for their essential supplies, since their own infrastructure couldn’t keep up with the demand. Which inevitably led to them attacking their neighbors to avoid starvation. 

That war lasted about a hundred years. 

After about twenty-years of relative peace, the hiatus ended, and another war broke out. This time with the lizardman coalition of the southern territories – which lasted fifty-seven years. Over the course of his life, Aldritch had been involved in about thirty-seven wars, some big, though most were small. And after the devils invaded, Aldritch had lost all hope for ever being able to retire, take a step back, and live like the old codger he was.

As he stepped into the portal, the darkness reminded him of the devil he’d just beheaded, and a cruel smile spread across his face.

The portals the devils used to invade had stopped appearing after he killed the devil king Mennidoth. This left the devils that were already on this side of the portal stuck in a hell of their own making. 

The feeling of their molten blue blood staining his hands and flowing through his fingers was one he’d once relished, like a good shag. And after killing what he’d thought was the last living devil, he’d lost his purpose. Revenge and loneliness had been his driving forces for so long, he’d even contemplated suicide to escape it. 

Oh, how glad he was that he’d lived to see this day.

Killing that devil had reminded him of what he’d lost during his centuries long isolation. And now that he’d gotten to taste that blue blood once again…Well, let’s just say he was looking forward to getting back to work after such a long vacation.

Unknown to Aldritch and Oakairo. The moment they entered the portal between worlds, they inadvertently just triggered something that would come to affect not only Aldritch’s life, but also the life of Sulika and those close to her.

***

Alert Code #497
A new God has been detected!
Location | Azuris Island
Class | Demi-God

***

Alert Code #17816
A new mortal has entered the world!
Location | Azuris Island
Initiating Thaniea.exe for the new mortal . . .
Error!
Target exceeds the theoretical maximum level . . . 
Recalculating . . .
New parameters set . . .
Re-initializing . . .
Attempting to reinstall at target location . . .
Thaniea.exe has been successfully installed on the target . . .
Assessing . . .
No new issues detected . . .
Closing Ticket . . .

***