That night, Shul prepared foods for the two gods – roasted rat from the sewers, and a salad made of red moss and lichen. While eating, Shul and Temis told the other two that this world was attacked by an ‘unknown’ force, forcing the inhabitants which are humans to take drastic measures on reviving their world, but ultimately failed… as what Shul understand on the things he learned after he was stuck there.

They finished their food and Shul went to take the clutter clean, while the remaining three sits silently in that room.

Taino: This world… don’t they have gods to protect them? Like us?

Mina: Maybe they’ve abandoned them…

Temis: Shul, you have any gods or demons or whatever it you consider your creators, right? What was it again?

Shul: If you refer to our creators, we have the Alk-hin, translated to your tongue as ‘elders’. Created by their own minds, we were said to be the most intelligent lifeforms they’ve made… in our world, of course.

Mina, being the goddess of knowledge, took Shul’s words seriously.

Mina: How… intelligent?

Shul, which seems to be happy, asked Temis to give her the book he lent to her.

Temis: This book?

Temis hands over the book, with strange alphabet written on its cover –

World encyclopedia: Fifth Edition

Temis: Are you sure they’ll understand this? It took me two years to understand this…

Mina: Tw – two years???

Shul: In my stay here, I was able to decipher every word in that book, despite of it being unfamiliar to my own language and writing… which, let’s say took me about a month to fully comprehend it.

Mina: And you want me to learn from it in a short amount of time? Heh, competing against a god, are we?

Temis: Mina! Umm – uh, sorry Shul… the gods of the abode are really cocky…

Taino: Well, because we’re the best!

Shul: I don’t mind it… if she learns it that fast… well, things will be much easier to explain.

Mina & Taino: Explain what?

Temis: Things like how you found out I still have a mana but when you cast your clairvoyance, globally, the only people you’ve sensed to have mana was Taino and yourself.

Mina: You knew about that?

Temis: That’s how I found you…

Mina: Really?

Temis: Someone releasing mana bursts to attract those beasts… that’s very oblivious of you…

Taino: So, we should conceal ours as well, right?

Shul: That would be good for us.

After some time, Shul decided to go out of the room to scout the sewers, while Temis attends to the other two being fascinated with the book she has given to them.

Mina: This is – THIS IS AMAZING!

Taino: Yeah… even I can’t understand it…

Temis: You’ve comprehended it already?! Wow…

Mina: Not totally… so, planet is their term for their world??? And their world is termed as universe??? I can’t catch up with that, but THIS planet isn’t the center of this world, unlike ours…

Taino: Wait, so their SUN isn’t the one revolving?!

Temis: Yeah – I guess… and this PLANET isn’t the center of this world, unlike ours…

Mina: And- and this… this ‘biology’ thing, study of life… also relates to anything that is alive or… wait, this is too much complex even for me…

Temis: Because you’re skimming through the book!

Mina: What is this ‘mathematics’??? These weird symbols… are they magic glyphs???

As the three continue talking about the book, Shul enters back at the room. Temis notices that he’s seemingly nervous, so she calls him out.

Temis: Shul, you alright?

Shul: Yeah… I’m fine but this place isn’t…

Mina: What do you mean?

Shul: A black goop expands slowly as time passes by, east of these sewers. Every night, Temis and I take turns in patrolling the area to look out for that goop.

Temis: Please don’t tell it’s already near this place…

Shul: It is… pack everything we can, we have to leave.

Mina: Leave? How about the beasts outside?

Shul: We can’t wait any longer. If we stayed here, that goop will block our only entrance and exit.

Taino: How about attacking that goop? Is it that harmful?

Temis: It is… magic also doesn’t work on it, I tried it many times…

Mina: And using huge amounts of mana will attract the beasts…

Shul: For years we’ve been stuck here, running is the only viable option for survival… unless…

Taino: Unless what?

Shul stops and faces them.

Shul: We should hurry…

Mina and Taino were intrigued on what Shul’s about to say, but Temis assured them it’s fine.

Temis: Don’t worry. We’ll find another spot to rest, let’s get moving!

They packed things that they could carry – Temis gave Mina a bag while Shul ordered Taino to put out the lights, and they carefully left the chamber room to traverse the sewers. While on their way, Mina and Taino saw the black goo, slowly reaching the chamber room they left and already covering it. They couldn’t help but feel unease on the sight of it.

They left the sewers, and walked the surface filled with glowing grasses and blinking small critters. Shul pulls out something of his bag and shows a map in a form of a light.

Mina: What – what is that???

Shul: Oh, this? It’s a Satellite System Navigator, or Sat Nav for short. It’s a special human device I found on this world.

Mina: Satellite? The things in the heavens? What was it… orbiting the planet, right?

Temis: Yeah, humans in this world uses those sat-things to map their lands.

Taino: Sat-things?

Mina: The things or objects orbiting this world – I mean planet, right?

Temis: Yeah… Shul, what are you looking for?

Shul: Looking for a safe place. The satellites also provide directional info for these ‘special’ facilities that we can use.

Temis: Those places? I thought it’s like kilometers away?

Mina: Ummm… what place?

Temis: A place where we can have ourselves back to our original world.

Mina: Back to our world…

Taino: Uhhh, guys? Is it just me, or the sun is already rising? Did it just set a few hours ago, right???

The group looked at the southern horizon, seeing bright light engulfing the dark sides of surface – at an alarming fast rate.

Temis: SHIT! Shul, where’s the next safe sewers?!

Shul: I’m looking for it! This way!

They ran quickly away from the shine of sun.

Mina: WHAT’S GOING ON?!

Shul: Huge energy surges happens on this planet, and when that happens the planet anomalously rotates faster!

Taino: Speak normally!

Temis: The day and night gets shorter!

Mina: The magic I casted a while ago…

Shul: And not only that – the sunshine of the this shortened time makes all the creatures active!

Taino tried to look behind and saw numerous grotesque beings following them in a slow pace. However, the sunshine is already ‘outrunning’ the creatures, covering the whole surface with its fastened rise.

Taino: Dammit! Lightning Spe –

As Taino waves his hands back to cast a magic but Temis stops him.

Temis: Aren’t you paying attention back there?! Magic attracts them!

Taino: Then what?! Let them gnarl us?!

Shul: The facility has a nearby weapons warehouse, we can use those to fend them off!

The four ran as fast as they could. The sun has stopped moving but it’s already high at the sky – like a day with no clouds at noon. The sunshine covered the whole land surface, as well as the escaping group.

Mina: Wh – what happens when the sun touches us?!

Temis: The creatures will target us!

The sun shone on the group, all the creatures aggressively looked at their direction and savagely rans towards them.

Temis pointed her metallic arm towards the horde of creatures. It opens and fires a barrage of small fireballs that create tiny explosions upon hitting the creatures. The creatures stop as Temis keeps on firing at them while they ran away. They kept on running, and running, until they reached a deserted area full of rubble and ruins.

Shul: THIS WAY!

Shul leads the group towards an open manhole that slides down. Upon reaching the end, they found themselves in a chamber full of wastes and feces.

Mina vomits as the stench of the place crosses her nose, while Taino gags as he stops himself from vomiting.

Taino: UGH!

Mina: Wh – what is this place?!

Temis: A waste disposal… place where humans throw trash – and their shit… Shul, is this the place???

Shul: This is the waste tank of the facility I’m talking about. This way, please.

They walked out of that place, to the stairs downwards, then to a dark hallway covered in red moss and foul waste. While walking down the hallway of dirt and emptiness, Mina and Taino the same feeling when they went in the strange cave back in Elyn.

Temis: Shul, any guesses?

Shul: The place is heavily guarded… reinforced walls, and – strange fields…

Mina: Strange?

Shul: With the current state of this planet, facilities like this should be not running…

Taino: There must be some people, right? Even ghosts or spirits?

Temis: Humans have been long gone in this world, and great spirits don’t exist here…

Mina: My magic… our magic… it’s beginning to fade…

Temis: Don’t worry, we’ll get back to our world as soon as possible. Right, Shul?

As they talk, the walls of the hallway begun to leak with black liquid, and weird bony hands appear beneath it. Mechanical humanoids, made with metal plates and bones of steel, covered in black-muscle-like flesh. Mina couldn’t see it properly, but she somehow understands what’s written on their arms: ‘MC’.

The humanoids suddenly pulled out crossbow-like weapons from their backs, while Temis points her mechanical arm towards the humanoids to fire at them.

Temis: RUN!

Temis fires at the humanoids, and in return the humanoids fired their weapons at them. They ran away, and the humanoids chased them after. Shul navigates the whole maze-like hallways until he locates an open large door.

Shul: This way! QUICK!

They followed him, and Shul commanded them to shut the doors close. Taino and Temis used their strength to close the large doors and they successfully did, locking the humanoids outside.

Inside that room, a series of strange cabinets holding dozens of similar crossbow-like weapons carried by the humanoid beings outside were displayed openly. Tons of papers and books with no titles are placed on tables, despite covered in red lichen Mina inspected them and seems to be in good condition.

The humanoids bang on the door for a few moments, and then the banging stops, presumably they left them alone.

Shul: We can rest here…

Mina: Can I… can I take these notes?

Temis: Yeah, I guess…

Taino: How about these weapons?

Shul: Oh, let me show you how it works.

Shul teaches Taino how to handle the weapons of this world. Mina watches them while she chucks the papers and books to the bag Temis given to her. After that, Shul and Temis slowly slides the door of that room and they quietly left.

Shul led the group deeper into the facility – taking stairs down, then descending from chamber to chamber while avoiding the metallic beings they encountered earlier, until they reached a large room with large metallic doors.

Shul: I guess this is it…

Mina: What is it?

Temis: A way back home…

Shul tinkered something on the wall near the doors. Red light covers the large room, blaring sounds of otherworldly sirens, then the gigantic doors open slowly.

Temis: Umm, Shul? It shouldn’t create sounds like that, should it?

Shul: Dammit! The system is protected, making the alarm active while we’re opening this door!

Taino: Speak Elynian!

Shul: The mechanoids will come here, get ready!

Mina: What are you going to do?

Shul: I’ll try to modify the system to stop the alarm… but I guess that’s too late…

They heard the marching sounds of metals, nearing their location. Shul finally finished tinkering and the door opens wide enough to make a single person to enter. Mina entered first to the other side as the humanoid metals already reached the area, firing their weapons immediately as soon as they saw them entering the room.

Taino and Temis tried to fire back with their weapons while Shul attempted to tweak more on the panel near the door. A cannon-like object descends from the ceiling of the large room and fires at the humanoids, halting the assault.

Shul: GO! INSIDE, NOW!

Taino entered, then followed by Temis, and finally Shul who tinkered again at the wall inside to close the doors and seal it for good.

Inside, were numerous ‘apparatuses’ and at the center was a huge circular platform with four curved pillars directing to the center of the platform. Shul slowly went to the apparatuses, inspecting it one by one, connecting ropes and such. He tumbles every time he moves to another apparatus, Temis tried to guide her but he refused. Then the lights turned on, the apparatuses lit up, and the platform with pillars started to produce lightning, then a void – a gateway.

Shul: I need your blood…

Mina: My blood?

Shul: Anyone of you… to course the portal to a proper direction, but that’s still not reassuring…

Taino: What do you mean?! We’ve come all the way here for doubts?

Temis: Taino!

Shul collapses on the floor. Temis rans to him and discovers that his stomach was punctured, but there was no bleeding, only a black charred area like a very hot object pierced his body, and burned it into a coal. Temis holds him on her arms as he seems to lose all his strength.

Shul: I didn’t notice I was shot…

Temis: No, NO! Mina! Heal him!

Mina: I – I will –

Shul: Don’t… no… the humanoids will try harder to breach in if you do so. And you won’t be able to –

Shul coughs out green blood.

Shul: Even you’re a god, you’re not one of my creators… and this place won’t allow you to make it happen…

Mina: Shut it! I’ll heal you right now!

Mina casts a spell to heal Shul, but it didn’t work.

Temis: Heal him harder!

Mina: I’m trying!

Shul: You remember that your mana decreased once we entered this place, correct?... it’s to prevent interruptions on the creation of that gateway…

Shul points at the pedestal near the portal.

Shul: Make a drop of blood on that pedestal, and the system will guide you to your world… be wary though, as it may lead you to high places, under an ocean, or at the top of a cave… but rest assured, it won’t teleport you in between walls…

Taino: I’ll – I’ll do it…

Temis: We’ll bring you first to our world and we’ll find a way to bring you back to your home, alright?

Shul: There’s no need… my home was gone already… turned to ashes… by that object…

Mina: What?

Temis: No, what ever you say we’ll bring you back!

They were interrupted when a voice was heard across the room.

-Blood Sample – Analyzing

-Blood Sample – Identified

-Specie – Unknown

-Dimensional Race – Elynian

-Dimension Destination – D-B

Taino: What? Well, that really worked. Let’s go!

Mina: Temis, come on!

Temis: Wait! Shul, how do we shut this –

Temis looked back at Shul – already a cold body. She didn’t notice but a tear dropped down on her cheeks to Shul’s lifeless face.

Mina: Temis…

Then, banging sounds were heard outside the doors, dents then punctures appear where arms of the chasing humanoids protrude.

Temis looks at the door while slowly laying Shul’s body on the ground and grabbing the weapons they had.

Mina: What are you doing?! Let’s go!

Temis: Someone must be left behind…

Mina: WHAT?!

Temis: We don’t know how to close the gate… and these things were chasing us… if they managed to get to Elyn, then who ever made us gods knows what’s gonna happen…

Taino: We’ll fend them off! We can –

Temis: WE CAN’T! We can’t… a world too advanced for us already fell because of this… whatever this thing is, and what do we know about it? What can we do about protecting ours from it, huh?! We can’t let it happen to our world as well!

Temis looks at her metal arm.

Temis: Besides… I’m already an outcast to our world… an alien, as Shul said to himself…

Mina: No… Temis…

Temis grabs Mina’s robes and hurled her to Taino, making them both enter the portal. The last thing Mina saw was Temis pointing her weapon at one of the pillars, and the humanoids finally breaking in that room.

They went to a tunnel of different glowing colors, like falling in water but you kept going, then they found themselves back again inside the strange cave.

Taino: We’re back…

Taino looked for Mina, clinging to the bag full of papers and notes – the bag Temis gave to her.

Taino: Let’s go…

Taino assists her, carrying her like a child that has fallen asleep while carrying her bag like a pillow.