Mature content Warning: There is no mature content.

Author's Note: I had intended to have the mine and Meaden chapters in the first volume. However, I realized that given the way things were at present, this was the best thing to do for the story. I would add this to the last chapter, here too, but many people would miss out on it.

The mine and Meaden chapters will be part of the next volume and will be a lead-up to the adventure in Askrida.

This will be added to chapter 10 in the official version, and have another scene connecting them so that the epilogue happens after the end of that chapter. This is VERY short, compared to the other chapters, but it was not meant to be a chapter on its own.

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Epilogue: Volume 1 - AFK

The image onscreen snored softly. The elf girl Rhea had succumbed to her mysterious condition once more. Of course, it was the middle of the night and Scott was on watch while they rested just off the side of the road. It had been three days since the duo had left the tavern. They were a short distance from Meaden now, and would be able to journey to the mine soon.

Origin stretched and stood up. She had been in her command chair for quite a while now.

“Well, they look comfortable at least.” She said in a slightly sullen voice.

“Who looks comfortable?” asked a voice from the doorway. Origin turned to see her mother standing there. The Goddess of Agriculture wore a curious expression upon her face. Her soft green eyes and jet-black hair framed a beautiful heart-shaped face much like her daughter’s.

“Just a few people on the world below.” replied the Goddess of Love and Reincarnation.

“Really? You’re actually spying on people?” Origin was mortified to see that her mother entered her room and made a bee-line toward her screen.

The goddess of love turned quickly and tried to turn off her screen but her mother got an eyeful, even so. “Hmm, hey... that elf girl.”

Origin growled softly and changed the subject, “Mother... what did you want? You don’t visit out of the blue like this normally.”

“Visit out of the blue? We’ve had today scheduled for weeks!” exclaimed Era, Origin’s mother. Her jet-black eyebrows shot upward in surprise. Surely her daughter had not forgotten this most important of days?

“Was today special?” asked Origin before looking to the side and acquiring an unconcerned expression.

“Origin! You well know that today is when you agreed to finally start accepting marriage prospects.”

“Pass.” The goddess of love leaned back in her incredibly comfortable chair and made a loud sighing sound.

“You’re already two thousand years old; it is high-time that you started to consider marriage!”

“Why? None of them even know me? They just want to get in good with our family.” groused the physical incarnation of love, life, and living once again.

“Well, yes. That is probably the case, but we can’t have you unwed forever. It is simply not done. If something should happen to you, who would take over as the next in line?”

“Next in line. Next in line! Why can’t Silence do it?”

“You know full well that your brother is a male. The crown only goes to the head of the family!”

Origin made a sour expression then sighed loudly. “I’m busy now. You know I love you, but I’m in the middle of important work.”

“What important work? You were just-” Era tried to berate her daughter, but she was cut-off mid-sentence.

“My job. You know the time is coming when those council idiots will probably authorize a reset.”

“That takes years! It hasn’t even started, yet. Now is the proper time to settle down. Do it before you are swamped with work.”

The younger goddess crossed her arms over her impressive chest and huffed loudly. “I don’t care.”

“Child you task me...” muttered Era.

“If I were actually a child, we wouldn’t even be asking me to do this.” replied Origin.

“I’m just thinking of your future. The council might make the decision for you if this goes on too long.”

Origin sighed then looked down at her hands. “I know that. I just don’t feel comfortable marrying someone I don’t know.”

“Origin... How can you get to know them, if you keep refusing to meet them?” asked Era.

The goddess of love sighed softly and shook her head. “I already know that none of them would work.”

“You couldn’t possibly know that.”

Origin bit her lower lip then casually glanced toward the screen. The image had changed. Scott was kneeling over the body of the elf girl, Rhea. Once again he was straightening the blanket she was sleeping under to make sure she was not cold.

Era’s eyes traveled with her daughter’s and then widened. “You can’t be serious.”

At the top of the screen floated three bright red letters ‘AFK.’

“Oh child...” Era wrapped her arms around her poor besotted daughter. She had a rough road ahead of her.

Down on the ground, far below the celestial city, the unsuspecting guy gently stroked the hair of a lightly snoring elf. She was a strange girl. She was a girl with many secrets, but Scott felt that she meant him no harm.

“I wonder what you’re hiding.” It was her secret to keep, but he hoped that she would trust him enough one day to actually share it with him. Till that day came, he would try to understand her needs.

Scott did not know what would happen between them. He was not ready to enter a new relationship; but he was not averse to it either. Rhea was a sweet girl. That was all he knew for certain. He did not want to hurt her in any way.

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AN: At least now you know why it is called ORIGIN A.R.S. >.>