Lioraen set Othello down on the wooden bench, grazing around the unswept front yard.
"Wanderer? Are you still there?"
**I'm not leaving until I see the end,** the voice grinned.
Lioraen sighed.
"Are you a male or a female? Your voice doesn't sound like either of them."
**Male or female?** The voice burst into laughter, cracking hard like he said something funny.
**Child, that concept does not apply to me.**
"Huh?"
**I am neither a male nor a female.** The voice nonchalantly said.
"How is that possible?"
**I don't live in realms. I don't manifest a mortal body, so I'm a walking soul.**
"Aah..."
He grabbed a broom and began to sweep the front yard.
**Including that one you just tied to yourself. He must have manifested a male body since you're a male... or that's his choice.**
Lioraen glanced at Othello again, who was still bleeding away.
"Will he be alright?"
**Yeah... probably.**
"Tell me," Lioraen glanced around. "You said the Go... Divine being of Vaelorth was eradicated. How?"
**Child. Fights do not happen only in realms. Gods who came from the one whose name is unutterable also fight.**
*God* Lioraen tested the name in his mind.
**And when they do fight, the realms they own suffer the loss.**
"So Vaelorth suffered loss?"
**Yeah. Vaelorth's God was eradicated. Naturally, the lesser gods in it would run wild.**
"Lesser gods?" He stopped sweeping. "The loss of the Divine being didn't make this world... this?"
**When a God loses a battle, its realm isn't always doomed. After all, we all are sparks from the one whose name is unutterable, so we function well without a God.**
The voice panted, like it had said more than it had done for a thousand years.
**The realm falls into chaos when the lesser gods, also known as domain gods... like that one over there...**
Lioraen glanced again at Othello.
**... battle for supremacy and control.**
"So basically, a god just keeps the lesser gods in check?"
**Exactly!**
"So my enemies are the lesser gods?"
The voice didn't reply for a while.
Lioraen glanced around.
"Gone?"
**Are you serious?** The voice gasped. **You want to fight the lesser gods?**
"If I have to, yes."
The voice chuckled.
**You're one fucked up kid.**
"Fuck...ed up... kid? Is that a compliment?"
The voice cracked harder.
**Yes. It's a compliment.**
Lioraen frowned, suddenly finding the voice annoying.
"Tell me which being is responsible for the monsters."
**Now, child.** The voice grinned. **It won't be fun if I tell you that.**
Lioraen's frown deepened.
**Besides, if I take you to it now, you won't be able to make a dent in it, even with my blessings.**
"You don't know that!"
**Of course I do, child. I have seen it.**
A genuine curiosity flickered across Lioraen's face.
"You read my coincidence?"
**Correction. I read your fate.**
"Mother said no one can read fate."
The voice snorted.
**Your mother served a domain god.**
*My fate huh...* Lioraen sighed. He began to feel hope and also anxiety.
**Calm, child.** The voice cut through his thoughts. **I'll be here to guide you.**
He felt a sudden relief at those words. His eye flickered to the sky, frowning.
"Don't you have a realm to govern?"
**Me?** The voice gasped. **Why would I bother myself with such a task? It's a handful.**
"So you lazed your way out of it?" He cast a questioning look.
**I... I... not lazy! Besides, my companions already guide realms. My dream is to explore each realm.**
*To explore realms?... maybe I could leave Solars town after all this.*
"Your companions? You have companions?"
**Yeah, the watchers of realms,** the voice paused. **What's that tone?**
Lioraen shrugged.
"It's just... a lazy entity like yourself... well."
**Ya!**
Lioraen flinched at the exclamation. A gust of wind cleared all the dirt he had been planning to sweep.
**I'm not lazy!**
"Alright." He shrugged, tossing the broom away.
**That kid will wake up soon. Just order him to do whatever you want. I'll watch.**
The voice vanished afterward.
"Kid?" Lioraen mumbled, watching Othello stir slowly.
The Divine being opened his eyes, blinking repeatedly before his eyes settled on Lioraen. He sprang up immediately.
"You!"
"You want another beating? I'll make sure to bury you this time."
Othello calmed down as the memories flashed back to him. He lowered his eyes, mumbling words to himself.
"We need to leave this mountain," Lioraen began. "If we have to find the God in charge of this destruction, we need to move fast."
"God?" Othello raised a brow. "What is a G... wait, we?!"
"Yeah. You're coming with me."
"This is my domain!" Othello objected. "I can't come with you!"
"Then I just have to ruin you to a certain point and feed you to another Divine being."
Othello pouted at Lioraen's threat, but said nothing else.
Lioraen turned away to the door of the hut.
"I'll pack up. Fix yourself before I return."
"You insolent child!!"
Lioraen ignored him. Instead, he went around the house, packed a few supplies. He grabbed a new sword, swinging it around when his eye caught sight of the book sitting on the table.
*Mother's book*
He moved closer and grabbed it.
*I took it down the mountain with me, and didn't come back with it.*
He brought it close to his nose and sniffed it. Somehow, the old scent and leather cover reminded him of Serathiel.
*Did the wanderer bring it back?*
He opened the book for the first time in his eighteen years of living, and the familiar words clouded his vision.
**Humans are not the only civilizations in existence, but only a defiant spark found in realms; for they flourish in realms and cannot survive outside it. Realms are ruled by beings called the Judges, or Divine beings, or Gods, or watchers.**
*Somehow, it feels like the wanderer wrote this* Lioraen frowned.
He shut the book and shoved it into his bag.
After taking a good look around for what seemed like the last time in a long while, he exited the hut.
Sitting on the bench was Othello, who had regrown his arms, but now smaller, like a child of age five.
Lioraen halted.
"What are you doing?"
The Divine being hopped down from the bench and swirled in his oversized clothing.
"I love this child form more."
Lioraen sighed.
"Suit yourself."
He tugged his bag and checked his sword before glancing at his small companion.
"Let's go. We have some beings to eradicate."
TBC...