A party was not a good idea. I groaned as I sat up rubbing my head. I would have thought that it was impossible to get hungover due to how strong my body was, even without being tempered, my liver and kidneys were still stronger than normal. Then again, we had borrowed some Kobold wine and they were all warrior like. Stronger stuff for stronger people...

That gave me an idea though. With magic, I could possibly make my own drinks. Even if I couldn't manipulate time at the moment, I could still create drinks with specific flavors if I knew how they were made. I continued to rub my head as a headache flashed through me.

Ugh, I should still cut back next time. Party or not, I could end up ambushed while drunk and that wouldn't end well. Even worse, I could end up slinging spells with drunken abandon. Maybe. The ability to use magic was largely dependent on my ability to focus, small less complicated spells were almost automatic but the more complex it became, the more I needed to focus on the spell's structure.

With another groan, I moved myself into a meditative position and began to focus on my Ki. The faster I rotated my Ki through my body, the faster my headache vanished. The more I was able to manipulate my Ki, the more I became aware of how to control by body. If I wanted to, I could probably stop my heart, making my organs work a bit harder to cleanse the alcohol from my body didn't take much strength.

One of the negatives was that it pushed my organs beyond their limits. It was a temporary measure for getting rid of poisons quickly, doing so for longer than a minute or two could cause some serious damage.

Once I was feeling better, I stood up and waved my hand. I felt the soft fabric of my new cloak settle around my shoulders. The shape-shifting abilities of the cloak were useful but it did use up the Ki inside of the cloak. It'd be useful as a suit of armor instead of as a pair of pants. It would make a good spare though. The time I spent here was a good reminder to always carry more clothes...or find more resilient ones.

I stretched a bit and noticed that a few places on my body hadn't fully healed yet. That Monster really did a number on my body, I could only imagine how the others would be feeling when they woke up. I called my staff to me and headed outside. I couldn't feel the distinctive energy of a Deity and unlike Artemis, I was sure that the Deity from Alfis wouldn't bother hiding himself for fun.

It seemed that we had some time before that particular guy showed up. I really wasn't looking forwards to dealing with him again.

As I began to move my staff in a simple exercise as I began to think of the future. I was going back home but I didn't know what I wanted to do there. With my abilities I could do a lot but unless I wanted to be hunted down like in movies, it was best not to go showing off what I could do.

I pulled the hood of my cloak over my head and knelt down slightly "I am the Night" I growled in a deep voice before laughing softly. Being a super hero sounded fun but it also sounded like a lot of work, a lot of politics as well.

I'd have to get a young ward and possibly a love interest that would either end up hurt or end up a villain. I made a face at that thought. Not only would the interpersonal relationships of such a venture would be complicated. I felt that it wasn't possible to change the world by beating the daylights out of thugs.

I'd either have to deal with prison overcrowding even more than normal or start killing off the more dangerous criminals which would then just give rise to a new generation of criminals.

That was only the obvious criminals as well. There were many criminals that used the law to do their dirty work. Politicians who abused a lifetime salary or their power to suppress those beneath them. I shook my head as I drew a circle around me using my staff.

"It takes more than one person to make a change" I mumbled. I could fight all the criminals I wanted, both legally and illegally, and I'd barely make a difference. I wasn't going to give up trying to change the world, but I needed to get others to change it with me.

I stepped back and shook those thoughts from my head as I began to draw thin lines within the circle I'd made. It was time to focus on something I could enjoy. Enchanting.

Well not just enchanting. That was the easiest word to use to explain the magic. Enchanting added a magical effect to something that could be used by anyone, even those who haven't learned to use their Ki.

Enchanting was also semi-permanent. An object could have a specific intent engraved onto it and the application of new Ki would simply activate the effect. After examining Max and the others stuff, I've come to conclude that the actual inscriptions or runes didn't matter, similar to chanting for a spell, they were just what the enchanter used to focus the intent.

I finished drawing on the ground and smiled as I slowly filled the grooves with my Ki, imbuing my understanding of the earth and the way to move it into the lines I'd made. It flowed and filled the lines with surprising ease, like filling up a cup.

Once I finished the process, I stepped back and observed it. The second I stopped doing so though, the ki within the lines immediately began to dissipate into the surrounding mana and I frowned, scratching my head as I attempted to figure out what I'd done wrong.

This enchanting business was far more complicated than I'd first assumed. I figured that I could just fill a design up with my ki and the intent I wanted and it'd just...click.

"Maybe..." I called for my staff and focused on the lines and inscriptions the Kobolds had made in it, my fingers running over the grooves. I focused on the feeling I felt as I did so. The feelings of sadness and anger at myself for giving into the Blood Ki and slaughtering wantonly and then my feelings of happiness and contentment when the I was gifted the staff with the inscriptions. I had helped my allies defend themselves and they'd deeply appreciated it.

My ki slowly moved, filling the inscriptions with those thoughts as I continued to pull more memories to the surface. The first spell I'd ever figured out was the air explosion spell. It had been the most simple and easily understood of all the magic I'd ever learned, and I'd learned it by copying a goblin. The giddiness I'd felt at finally learning some real magic was imprinted onto the staff as well.

Magic was more than just a simple combination of Ki and Mana, it held a lot of meaning. It held the potential to both destroy and grow a civilization depending on how it was used.

It was my goal to make sure that my civilization was not destroyed. Instead, I would help the human race reach new heights eventually. This determination flooded into the lines of my staff and they suddenly flashed with a purple light before the staff began to glow with a soft purple energy.

I could still see the Ki within the staff, but the inscriptions were now filled with magic. It seemed...simpler now. It wasn't just simple intent and Ki, it was the emotional connection between me and the inscriptions. It meant something to me and that meaning allowed the magic to suddenly take hold.

With a gentle wave of the staff, I sent a small pulse of my Ki into the inscriptions and watched as the magic went to work. It gathered the air and focused it into the tip of the staff before forming a ball of air. It quickly followed the motion and shot the ball of air forwards before it rapidly exploded.

My understanding of the magic had been imbued into the staff and I knew that I could just as easily wipe it clean of the magic to add a new one. If I was right, I could even pass the staff over to someone else and they'd be able to cause the spell to activate as well.

"Cool" I grinned to myself as I waved cleaned the spell from the staff by using my Ki to pull the magic away. I understood what made it so it was easy to pull it away. To do the same thing with another person's enchantment would require me to understand their feelings when they made it.

"What the hell Alex!" Rein came out of the building and took a swipe at my head before I ducked out of the way "That was loud as all hell, I thought we were being attacked..ow" she rubbed her head slightly. I'd been able to push away my hangover but I wasn't so sure that she could do the same.

"Sorry, I was testing out some new stuff" I said smiling.

"Can't you take a break? We defeated the big bad guy here so we don't have to keep practicing right?" Rein said this but I could tell from the way her voice was that she already knew the answer to that question. There was always someone stronger and a new height to reach. But I could understand the weariness of fighting.

"We took a break last night. We partied until we passed out drunk" I said laughing as I walked up to her and patted her on the shoulder before I saw the others begin to leave the building.

The jovial attitude I was creating was immediately destroyed when a voice came from behind me "It is time to leave" I sighed when I heard the voice, knowing the voice of the deity of Alfis. It was pompous and it gave me the impression that he was a bit of a douche.

"Who's this douche?" I almost laughed when my brother said exactly what I was thinking before I walked over to him and sighed.

"This is the God that brought you to Alfis" I said looking at the golden figure "Try to be nice, I know he can be difficult to deal with"

"Looks like he stepped right out of a magazine" Mary said softly "Blond and chiseled"

Oh, so that was what color hair he had. Interesting.

"They'll be ready in a moment. Just have to get their gear" I said looking at my friends. They nodded and headed into the building.

"You didn't waste much time" I said to the Deity.

"You have done sufficiently well for a lower being" the Deity said calmly "The four of them have drastically increased their strength and it seems you have defeated the Blood Demon as well. Impressive"

I blinked for a second, trying to understand that this guy just complimented me before shaking my head "No, anyone could have achieved that level of strength. They had the power, just not the ability to use it properly. You can't just shove understanding into someone, they have to reach that level on their own"

More to my surprise, the Deity nodded "Yes, they will achieve more in a shorter amount of time this way. I will...suspend my manipulations of their Ki, to allow them to learn their techniques on their own"

"Oh, seems you have broken through his hard head Alex" a feminine voice came from beside me as Artemis appeared "I thought it would take much longer, but I suppose results are results"

"Artemis. So you were his Deity. I've never known you to choose a Male for a Champion" the Deity was back to being condescending again. A sneer appeared on his face but he didn't make any sudden moves. It seemed that Artemis was a strong threat to keep him in line.

The Goddess shrugged "He's a special case" I raised my eyebrow at that and she waved her hand at me "I pick women mainly for more practical reasons. They learn and adjust faster than men of many races"

I nodded and shrugged "No worries from me. I never got the opinion that you were prejudiced towards the opposite sex"

"Holy Hell" Max's voice came from the building as he stepped out and saw Artemis. I chuckled as the others came out and gaped at her. From what I could see, Artemis was quite beautiful.

"Sorry Mary" I heard Alice say.

"No, I totally get it, she is...wow" the mage girl laughed slightly.

Rein walked over to me. It looked like they were back in their battle gear if the purple color of enchanted gear was anything to go by. That stuff was much more resilient than my own clothes had been.

"Alex, this woman is...just wow. I might even switch sides" I rolled my eyes but before I could answer, the woman in question spoke first.

"Well, I can't say I wouldn't be interested, but I've already got someone I'm aiming for" Artemis said smiling at us. I blinked in surprise before she rolled her eyes "Not you, sorry but the one I'm waiting for is at a much higher level" she shooed at me "Now go on. When you are done saying your goodbyes, come see me here"

I sighed and nodded to the others as the male deity vanished. We started walking towards the location they'd first come from all that time ago. When we reached our destination, I took a look at the swirling gateway that had appeared. I hadn't actually ever seen where they'd come from. It was a golden vortex, at least to me, made out of the same Deity Ki that Artemis was made up of.

I reached forwards with my own Ki and poked at it but it didn't give me any information.

"So..." Max said softly as we stood there "Guess this is where we part ways" he chuckled "Better than last time at least"

I waved my hand in front of my face "Well, in some ways" I said grinning "At least I won't wake up in the hospital this way"

Mary stepped up and gave me a hug. I smiled and returned the favor "What is this for?"

"Just thanking you for all you've done for us. You didn't have to teach us to control our Ki" she said softly as she stepped back.

"Like you wouldn't have done the same thing" I said grinning before Rein stepped up and gave me a solid punch in the shoulder "Ow"

"That is for waking us up so rudely" she said before hugging me "Like Mary said, thanks"

Alice was next. She was surprisingly the softest of us all as she lifted me up in her hug. The girl was stronger than she looked that was for sure. I laughed "Come on, this is a bit unfair"

"Please, you used to do this to us all the time" she said as she sat me down. It was true of course, whenever we left, I'd hug and lift them up. I did it with everyone, though I'd stopped after everything happened.

I nodded "Yeah, I did" I said as Vivian stepped up. I hadn't even noticed her appear. She'd gotten better at her stealth.

She touched her nose to Rein's forehead and sent me a message to relay "She says that she was wrong about all of you. You would have made an excellent addition to our pack"

Rein smiled and gave the large wolf a hug. The two of them had certainly bonded. They were both wild girls I suppose.

Adarna didn't have any particular favorite as he came from the sky to land on each of their heads and peck them lightly as a sign of affection. I laughed softly as Max stepped up to me again and we hugged.

His armor hurt a bit but I didn't mind "See you around bro" I said after we finished.

"Back at you bro" he said grinning before the four of them headed towards the gateway. I touched my Ki to each of them and they let me in. I felt their emotions and they felt mine. A gentle warmth fell down my cheeks and I realized that this was the first time I'd cried since arriving in Olympus. The time with the Goblins didn't count as that had been fear crying, not sadness. I knew I'd be seeing them eventually but I'd still miss them.

It was that feeling you get at seeing a relative leave at the end of the holidays. You'd see them again but the sadness at watching them leave was real.

Then they were gone. For a moment, my Ki followed them through the portal. I got my first glimpse at travel to another world. It was not simple at all, my mind couldn't even follow it perfectly. For a single moment, my Ki brushed up against millions of worlds and I felt their vast differences before the connection was broken as the gateway vanished.

I wiped my cheeks and looked at Vivian and Adarna "Lets go" I said as we headed back to Artemis.

"You are a sweetheart, I thought I was going to cry" the goddess said as I arrived before her.

I rolled my eyes "Don't make fun of me" I said smiling.

"I'm not, that was really touching. I don't have any siblings so I wouldn't know how it feels" she said patting me on the shoulder "With their strength, they'll be fine so you don't have to worry...at least about them"

"What does that mean?" I asked, feeling a sense of...concern flare up in my stomach.

"Well, some Deity is not as closed with their lips as I am and information about Earth spread to other Deities. More about how humans are starting to move up. A competition is about to start. Deities are going to be sending their Champions to Earth to see what is going on"

"So it is my fault then? Information about my strength spread to other Deities and now they think that all humans are going to be like that. They want to get a claim before anyone else does" I sighed at that thought. Humans weren't ready to deal with visitors from other worlds.

She nodded "Unfortunately so. Basically, you are a representative of the potential of Earth. The other Champions are going to want to test you. Fortunately for you, I am sending my own Champion to Earth" Artemis touched my cloak as she spoke, examining its energy "Though she is a bit rough around the edges, I think you two will get along well"

"Your Champion?" I asked. Rough around the edges didn't sound that great. Either she was a muscle head or she was kind of bitchy. I wasn't really into the tsundere characters either. Nothing worse than a girl who was violent for no reason...well maybe the guy who just took it without saying anything was worse.

She nodded "Yep. Took her on a little while before I met you. She has a lot of potential like you do, but I am hoping that she learns to mellow out a bit by being on Earth. So much passion but no where to direct that energy. It isn't good for her"

I shook my head "So when does this competition between Champions begin?" I asked "Will I be fighting against a bunch of Champions?"

"It starts in about a month, and no you won't. The Champions want to test your strength, but they still work for their Deities. They'll fight each other as well, even pick zones on the planet that they'll control. Don't worry though, they won't suddenly introduce the world to magic. There are rules to this sort of thing, especially since you are already aware of magic, that gives you the "Right of Way" as it were"

I understood what she meant. It was my home world, the others basically had to wait until I introduced the rest of the world to the greater Multiverse before they could really start getting to work. It was a lot of responsibility she just dropped on my shoulders. It was fortunate that the Deities would keep each other in check.

"Where can I meet your Champion?" I asked her. If I was going to be working with someone, I'd like to get to know them first.

"There is a city near your home, Seattle if I am correct, I'll instruct her to go there. The Space Needle will be a good vantage point and both of you should have ways of getting up there without standing in line" she grinned at me. The Space Needle was a big attraction in Seattle. I'd never actually been there despite living nearby in my early years.

I nodded "What about Vivian and Adarna?" I asked.

"They'll be fine. Vivian has gotten quite good at her stealth if you haven't noticed and Adarna is faster than most other creatures on your planet"

Vivian gave me a nudge "We will stay hidden Master, until you call for us" she said softly into my mind before I nodded. Adarna flitted over and landed on my head, sending his affirmation of Vivian's words.

"Guess it is time to return home" I said looking at the goddess. She nodded and suddenly the world shifted around me. Then we were standing in a forest, though the Ki of the trees was the smallest I'd seen.

"I'll see you in a month" Artemis said softly before she vanished. It was a bit sudden and her voice sounded like she had something on her mind. Other Deities perhaps?

I shook my head of the thoughts and stretched, taking in the air of my homeland once more "Oh this is wonderful!" I shouted. Despite the new information, I felt as though a great weight had been lifted off my chest. It was good to be home!