A fair maiden brought in a tray of food. She opened the door without hearing the warning from Ansel.

Ansel took his coat to cover some of his body.

There was an awkward silence.

The maiden was shocked. She covered her eyes with her left hand, and slid the tray to Ansel, “take the food.” She closed the door.

“Excuse me… could you tell me how to wear this strange costume?”

“How dare you ask a girl to do this?!”

“I, uh, just bring me back my old clothes then!” Ansel requested, “This thing is alien for me!”

“It’s impossible.”

Ansel raised his eyebrows, how come such a small request rejected, “Why?”

“It’s hard to explain it, I don’t know much about what’s written in the scriptures of the gods, but as far as I know, once you go through the tunnel of life, you’ll bring nothing.”

Ansel groaned, “Why this does have to happen? So I probably dead or transported to other life, or …” Ansel infuriated, “You don’t help much, okay I’ll wear…”

“Okay I’ll help you to wear it, if it’s an order from Her Eminence beloved Apostle,” The maiden sighed.

“No no no! Just guide me from the outside.” Ansel put on his coat and buttoned up.

The maiden blushed; she tied her straight white long hair into a pony tail. She took off the coat; the plug-suit coated her body tight. Even though she was an ‘alien’, she has a similar feature to human body; the difference was her skin, pale violet. When she blushed, the blush was blue-violet.

She showed her back to Ansel, a shiny black button with white ring around it.

“As you can see, there are some lines, which the opening for the plug-suit. Try to touch it.”

Ansel sweated, he thought day one on mysterious planet and an alien tried to seduce him through tutorial. What scared him was, whether if there was a trap, or parasite on the alien’s back that was ready to devour him. Ansel took a step back, he pushed the button slowly.

*Psssh*

The plug-suit opened from each section. The maiden’s back was sleek, no trap, no parasite. All safe. She turned around there was a button below her chest.

“You see, there are sections that separate each set of the suit. You put it one by one, and stretch them out to the back. And then, push this button.” The maiden pushed the button below her chest and turn back again, the section closed. “The air was pushed out from the suit if you push the front button.”

Ansel nodded, “So that’s it.”

“Please be prepared soon, you will have an appointment with the other member,” The maiden left the room and closed the door.

“I… I want to ask, where am I exactly?”

The maiden answered, “Cephyx, the capital of Plon planet.”

Ansel put on his plug-suit according to the instruction that he had received. He also contemplated where he was right now. It seems that he would never reach home, even planning for an escape was futile, and he didn’t know the way back to his place.

The only thing was to surrender to Thabit’s will, which was suck.

Ansel ate the food on the platter, well done tenderloin steak with asparagus and mashed potato. He never had such a luxury to eat those; the juicy steak has a special taste that he can’t describe. At least, the food brightened his mood. He opened the cover from the glass, the scent of fine wine.

This will be the life of being an apostle to demon goddess? Ansel thought, he tasted the wine with his lips, it was the pleasant thing that he ever drank too. Good thing I’ll be spoiled here.

Ansel wiped the food from his mouth, closed the platter, and then slid the tray outside.

“No, please let me do it,” The maiden offered.

A tall man walked between Ansel and the maiden. “Please, Ansel, follow me.”

The man has an aura of a general; he wore a red coat with several badges on his left chest. He was 2 meters or more, taller than Brian. His expression was void of life, his eyes has a deep blue color that somehow matched his expression. The tap of his boots was similar to Thabit’s.

The hallways on Cephyx district was wide, tall, filled with white LED lights on the wall. Similar to the science fiction movies that Ansel saw, but this one has bigger scale. There were several doors that connect one place to another. This hallway filled with people, when Ansel and the man passed, everyone gave a salute. Strangely, no robot followed the man, to Ansel’s knowing, a general must be guarded everywhere he goes so that no one would harm them. Maybe the systems in this world were totally different.

On the end of the hallways, there was a thick metal door. Turns out, it was a lift. The man pressed his thumb on the scanner near the door of the lift. The thick door gradually opened one by one, there were three layers.

Ansel was a claustrophobic; a lift was a hell to him. He took a deep breath before entering, and then closed his eyes. The lift was closed, Ansel gulped, he felt his body moved up above.

The man tried to make Ansel relaxed; he patted Ansel shoulder and said, “My name is Ashura Pte Melioratus. I am the great general of Cephyx district. Here, I will provide you and your friends a place to stay and to train your powers. As you can see, Her Eminence Thabit Melioratus has summoned the people that she need for her great goal, she will explain it later to you.”

There was a silence.

“Are you from a planet named Earth?”

Ansel opened his eyes, “Yes,” he sighed.

“Quite a rough travel was it?” Ashura asked.

“Yes,” Ansel felt a lump on his heart fell down, “Can I ask you a question, Sir?”

“Anything,” Ashura leaned to Ansel.

“Is there any technology regarding dimension travelling that I can learn about?”

Ashura shook his head in confusion, “It is a technology that we never discovered before. Only the Great Deities has the secret intact. We can’t be too demanding to ask for that knowledge.”

“Why?”

“Greed was the first sign of apocalypse, if we are too demanding for something that was not granted for us. There will be destruction. Greed was the beast that devours our life.”

He kept the question about dimension travelling when the time was right.

“I hope you will get used to your new life.” Ashura patted Ansel shoulder’s again. “And, please conquer your fear to lift; it’s the main transportation here.”

No way. Ansel sweat ran cold through his forehead.

The lift has reached the place where Ashura granted, it opened. In front of them was a huge hall. They are on the top of the world, the hall wall and ceiling were made of glass with colors, it arranged like a mosaic. The floor was made of plain white glass. The hall illuminated lights from the star of planet Plon. Cascading lights, the whole place was like a gleaming ballroom.

Several desks and chairs arranged in circle, like the formation that Ansel see before. Thabit’s throne was adjacent with the lift. She sat elegantly; her aura emitted a spark of the prime leader. The chairs filled with several people, including Maven, Lintang, and Mega. Only four chairs were empty. Two for Ansel and Ashura, two for Brian and his ‘helper’

“Please walk first, Ansel.” Ashura offered.

Ansel walked to the round table, he was anxious, his friends also seemed to be afraid and confused of the situation. Ansel hid it with a flat face. He dragged the chair, and sit beside Maven ‘helper’.

“And thus, we will start the meeting,” Ashura said it before he sat on his chair.

“Have you heard about Brian Paays situation?” Thabit asked.

Ashura bowed to Thabit, “Your Eminence, Brian Paays has an issue regarding to his mental health, it is best for us to leave him until he recovered from his state of mind. Let me handle the rest to explain him after he recovered.”

“Poor he is, Saorthoil apostle. Have you summoned the doctors?”

“I already have, Your Eminence.”

“Excellent. Then, I shall start,” Thabit rose from her throne. She clapped her hands, “Welcome to my realm, Ateleioti Pisina, you may call it nine endless realms.”

Ansel’s mind shifted on his vision, now it was clear; there were nine dimensions that acted as nine walls surrounding a black pool. The pool might be an underworld for the people that resided in this realm.

“… I apologize that I brought you here with no consent. For we are in a state of emergency, I need you all to bring the balance to this world. My Dearest Brother, Void, The Creator and Leader of this realm was chased by other deities that wanted to devour Void power. The name is Zeus Lamiarga and Chronos Mitra. For some of you have met Chronos, Zeus most loyal apostle.”

Ansel stiffened; the guy who made his life turns right, was the antagonist after all.

“I cannot defeat Zeus Lamiargia, because My Dearest Brother, Void has made a rule ‘not to harm each other.’ Unfortunately, Zeus found out how to break the rule, using his treacherous way. And I tried my best to survive from his evil plans. But I cannot do this all the time; he has to be annihilated, before he started a revolution for our realms. ”

The helpers all disgusted. Ansel realized that Ashura said greediness was a bad thing. Now it was clear to him. Ansel’s mind conflicted when Thabit mentioned revolution; there must be something that has to be changed.

“I have to take you to this world, to be my apostle, because you are not tied to any rule in this world. All of you had one talent to discover, and that talent will be used to help me bring the balance to this world. I didn’t mean to destroy yours, for your world has different Leader. I made a bargain to Him that I will bring you home after the quest.”

The helper cheered, it was a true expression. Ansel and others were silent; they looked down on the table. Maven smiled a bit, and then her smile changed into a bitter expression.

“What has made sorrow on you, Maven Kalila?” Thabit asked.

Maven blurted, “Without hurting Your Eminence utmost respect, I’m not ready for the responsibility. To bring a balance, to made world peace, whatever on the terms, I am not ready. I just want to go home without those quests. Pardon my rudeness.” She bowed afterward.

Ansel and the others looked at Maven, she was blunt and brave to speak something like that to the prime leader. It was a pure bravery. Ansel opened his mouth, “I, Ansel Cakara, with my most apologies, wanted to ask about what we should do to both of the deities? We also have our business back in our world, thank you.”

“I need your help to ambush them. With your powers combined, those two will find an end to their life.”

Killing deities? It was impossible! We’re all human beings here! Ansel silently grunt his throat.

Thabit stared sharp at Ansel, “that was an insult for me, Ansel Cakara. I had granted you all powers for you to discover.”

Ansel forgot that she could read minds, he bowed down to apologize.

“Pardon me, Your Eminence, how much power that you had given to us?” Mega broke the ice.

“One, only, and it is enough for you.”