'Even if I do escape from the Sorellians, I'll probably be attacked by the human race by association. All because of this stupid, Dark Elven necklace on my goddamn neck!' Ryan wanted to run and hide somewhere. So he could curl up into a ball and cry. But he had to sideline his own feelings and get through this, for now. There were other things he needed to know and ask about.
"Don't you guys have allies or something with some of the other races?" Ryan asked in desperation.
"There's the coalition of the Dark Races," Elianna says as she looks down at her plate. "They are made up of Demons, Orcs, and Vampires. The Demon Empire of Valmar is led by a powerful sorcerer named Garuda. His army consists of thousands of demons and has conquered countless lands. He now seeks to conquer the world."
"Vampires rule over the Eastern Continent. It is said that the Vampires created the Holy Church of Malacath. As for the Orcs, they're more nomadic. They live in tribes. The two major tribes are the Blood Horde and the Cinder Ash Clan, but many others exist as well."
"Wait, I thought Vampires would have been more unholy creatures than holy? Why make a Holy Church then?" Ryan asked, getting sidetracked.
"Heh heh heh. That's your human bias coming through," Yoona laughed with a bunch of other Dark Elves in the room. She continued, "What is holy to Vampires is unholy to Humans, and vice versa. We don't think like you humans do. You're far too rigid in your ways. Always worrying about everything that isn't like you."
'H-Hey! I-I feel like she's talking to me specifically. I've got nothing to do with that shit, right?... Who am I kidding!? I still think they're up to something, but I have no proof of that... Fine! You got me there, Yoona.' Ryan thought as he had to concede to Yoona's logic.
"Touche," was all Ryan said in return.
'Well, I guess the elves' Dark Goddess is holy compared to the Divine Three Gods, who are unholy heretics. So, in their eyes, the elves aren't the ones committing unholy acts. What a clusterfuck,' Ryan thought as he tried to understand everything he's learned so far.
Ryan never cared for religion back on Earth because it was more of a way to control the citizens who found comfort in ignorance of faith. This faith was a great way for people to cope with the reality of their world. And this annoyed him to no end when they used it to justify their actions.
Religion was supposed to be a set of morals or standards used by people to live by. However, some religions took it too far. People in power would use religion as an excuse to oppress others who were different from themselves or the scientific community.
It didn't help that religion and politics went hand in hand because, in most cases, people with wealth and political influence were the ones to create religion, not the gods themselves.
But here in this new world, gods and magic existed together, while science seemed to be nonexistent. And the gods seemed to be more hands-on in this world than what he was used to. He had to accept that higher powers were in play in this world. And he had to assume that most of the gods here are not benevolent either, after hearing about the creeds of other races.
This was the first time he had felt so lost in his entire life. He wasn't prepared to be thrown into a situation like this. He could barely comprehend the events that had taken place so far, and it seemed like things were going to get even more complicated. But Ryan couldn't give in to his despair. He needed to be strong and fight his way through this. No matter how scared and confused he was, he had to push forward.
"Hmm..." Yoona smiled back at Ryan, and Elianna was nodding as well.
After a moment of reflection, Ryan asked. "Is the entire human race against you?"
Elianna shook her head, "No, there are some human kingdoms to the north of the Divine Three that have no hostility towards us. They're neutral kingdoms, but they will unite under the threat of extinction. So we can't rely on them to stop their brethren."
Ryan nodded back at her after he thought for a minute to digest what he had just learned.
Then he turned towards Yoona, "So, you're okay with us because we got summoned? You don't mind the goddess summoning humans?"
Yoona looked back at him with a surprised look on her face. She tilted her head to the side, and then she laughed out loud. "You are so funny, Ryan." She teased him playfully before she could answer his question.
All Ryan could do was wait for her to stop laughing at him. It wasn't malicious laughter, but it was still annoying because he wasn't trying to be funny. He was curious how she really felt about summoning humans instead of some other dark elves. He relaxed a bit after seeing Yoona and the other elves acting so indifferent now.
'If she wanted to kill us and eat our souls or something, then it probably would have happened by now. Or at least that's what I hoped. But I can't shake the feeling that Yoona was disappointed when she saw me the first time I came into this world... Whatever, at least I don't have to worry about them killing us for no reason.'
After she calmed herself, she smiled warmly at him and started to answer his question. "Of course, we don't mind! Why wouldn't I want you here? You are our Chosen Ones."
Ryan was still unsure whether she truly meant what she was saying. It was difficult for him to shake the feeling that she was deeply disappointed when another human without magical powers was summoned into their world. He vividly remembered her initial reaction upon seeing him, and it was perplexing to witness her attitude towards them change so drastically within a day.
He couldn't rid himself of the nagging suspicion that she might be keeping something important from him. Despite his instincts telling him otherwise, he lacked solid evidence to support his concerns. He desperately hoped that his intuition was mistaken about Yoona and the other members of the Dark Elves.
'Maybe I'm being too paranoid?' Ryan told himself.
As he glanced around the dining hall, Ryan noticed that everyone appeared to be having a great time. This observation led him to believe that the situation might not be as bad as he had initially thought. However, just as this hopeful notion began to take root, Hiro abruptly rose from his seat and forcefully banged his hands on the table, demanding the attention of everyone present.
'Oh, fuck me... Why now, Hiro?' Ryan was so invested in everything Yoona and Elianna were telling him that he completely forgot about Hiro until he made another outburst.
Hiro, on the other hand, was happy to have all eyes on him as he began to announce, with enthusiasm, "I know what my next goal, as your Chosen One, shall be!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
All of the dark elves in the dining hall went silent and stopped what they were doing so they could give Hiro their undivided attention. Even the servants stopped what they were doing as they, too, listened to the human male who stood before them.