"So, Aafeen, where are you from?"
"Hm?"
Aafeen looked at the person who was talking to him. It was Ludo Karagiannis. He was currently sitting next to Aafeen, staring at him with curious eyes.
"...Where am I from? Ah… The place where I'm from is not a peaceful place, one where even your family treats you like trash. I don't want to say the name of that place, even though it's not far from here. I don't want to say anymore."
"...That's…"
Ludo paused for a moment, deeply thinking about what Aafeen had said. After about a minute, he responded.
"That's devastating to hear, Aafeen. I…apologize for my actions earlier, it wasn't like me to act that way, even though I know that you won't accept this apology, but—"
"I accept your apology, Ludo."
"H-huh?!"
Ludo glared at Aafeen in a surprised manner, which made Aafeen's mouth curl up slightly.
"Are you serious?! You really—h-hey! Are you laughing at me?!! You're in the presence of—!"
"'The glorious Karagiannis family! One above all in this world!' Is that what you were going to say?"
"Y-you??!"
Aafeen burst out laughing as Ludo struggled not to charge at him like before. Ludo, with his ego wavering in the wind, didn't agree with criticism like some people. Whatever backlash he'd receive, he would just attack the person, making them fearful for their life.
This awkward moment between them made Aafeen remember the past encounters he'd experienced when he was in the original world. Aafeen paused as sorrow overtook him. He still wanted to go home, but it felt like he wouldn't be able to return for a long time.
"Ludo, I have a question I've been wanting to ask you for a little while."
"What is it?"
"Well…"
Aafeen thought for a moment, thinking of how he wanted to word his question.
"What…Are you…umm…Do you know what day it is?"
"H-huh?! Don't you know what today is? How can you—"
Aafeen looked at him disappointedly, which made Ludo suddenly clear his throat.
"It's the twenty-seventh of September, in the year 1738. It's been one day since you arrived here, Aafeen. I can't believe you didn't know what day it was. I'm still shocked."
"...It wouldn't be shocking if you were in my place."
"..."
Right, Aafeen grew up in a place that didn't provide him with what every child should need: protection. Though all I can say is that I'm glad that he went through that experience; if he didn't, then I wouldn't have met him at all…
"Ludo, I have another question I would like to ask."
"Go ahead."
Aafeen cleared his throat, preparing himself for what he was about to say.
"Do you know any potential Gods of this world? I know that the God of Honesty guards this house; after all, it is where the descendants of that God reside, and it would really help me if you knew any information about them."
Aafeen waited for Ludo's response. He didn't mind waiting for him to respond, as long as he had an answer; then that was fine.
Aafeen looked at the ground, focusing on the texture of the tiles. They were simple, yet remarkably majestic. He studied the structure of the floor, still waiting for a response. After some time, Aafeen looked up, eyeing Ludo.
Ludo stared right back at him, his eyes in a state of confusion and surprise.
"...Ah, I apologize for the question. I was just—"
"The gods? You want to know about them? Well, I can tell you who they are and what they do, just don't tell anyone I told you about this."
Aafeen nodded, understanding the rules set in place.
The Gods have shunned themselves after all; of course, no one would speak of them unless in a private area…The only person who would know of them is someone born of that God.
"Let me start. The first created God of this world is the God of Honesty. They have lived for more than a thousand years, accomplishing many feats and making civilization habitable.
"Then there is the God of Life. They were saved by Honesty and granted a life of glory. They are in charge of preserving life and nature, keeping the cycle going, and providing freedom for those who are trapped.
"The next one is the God of Tides. They are the most aggressive of the other Gods. The waves are fierce out there in the other parts of this world, so be careful out there, for it may be your end if you're unknowing."
Ludo breathed a heavy sigh before continuing.
"As for the fourth God, they are the most controversial one yet. They aren't named the God of Destruction for nothing. I won't talk more about this one, just that they should not be messed with.
"The fifth God is Calamity. They are a faithful friend of Destruction, and they have a similar background to Destruction. Though they aren't as strong as Destruction, people still need to be cautious about Calamity, as no one knows when they'll strike.
"Next, there is the God of Travels. They are the most welcoming God, as they help anyone in need without disguising themselves. They even helped Honesty establish a set of boundaries of what humans can do regarding the Gods.
"The last Gods are the Sun and Moon. They are rather…peculiar to say the least. Some say they are a couple, some say that they are an amalgamation of souls of the dead, and some say that they are siblings who suffered from their own believers. Whoever they are, it's best not to provoke them."
Ludo produced another heavy sigh before giving Aafeen a reassuring smile.
"That's all I know so far. I don't know why you want to know about them, but I have to guess that from your background, I suggest that you want to pray for a better life, which there is nothing bad about; it's just…you never know what will happen, so be careful, my dear friend."
Friend? Has he already made a change in the relationship with me? That's…rather too sudden to call me 'dear friend'. Though I now have information surrounding the Gods of this world, which means I've successfully accomplished my goal! Now that I've gotten the information that I need, what do I do? After these two days pass, where do I go from here?
Ludo wondered for a moment, thinking of what he'll do after Aafeen's gone.
After he's gone, I probably'll go back to what I usually do, capturing people and bringing them here. Though…now that I'm thinking about it, doing that is quite tiresome. I need to think of a way to entertain myself.
"Aafeen, would you like to explore the estate? Or possibly go outside to get a better view of this place? After all, you don't have much time here."
Aafeen smiled, approving of the suggestion.
"I would love to go outside, take a breath of fresh air, and explore this place. It's a good thing that you brought that up. I could really go for some exploration."
"Then it's settled! Before we go out, let me bring my sword, just in case any beast decides to attack us. I'm always prepared for a battle if there's a possibility of danger lurking in the area."
Ludo quickly got up from his position and darted towards the room where he kept his sword—a room that was filled to the brim with weapons detailing their origins.
Ludo always comes prepared, huh? That's good; you never know when death approaches, so it's a good thing that he remembers to bring such items with him.
After waiting several minutes, Ludo returned with his sword in hand and another weapon.
"I'm back. Here, take this. I figured that I would help you train while we are outside. This dagger is nothing special, but it does make a good weapon."
Ludo reaches out his left hand towards Aafeen, prompting him to take it. Aafeen took the dagger, giving it a quick swoosh, testing how light or heavy it was.
It's not really heavy, though it carries some weight, which can cause some aiming problems if you are not used to holding such a weapon…
"It seems you know the basics of training, though I can't say if you really know how to properly swing a weapon. Just be careful not to swing too closely towards me, or I'll do something that I really shouldn't do."
Right, I should watch out for possible moments where I might cause a tragedy; this is a dangerous world after all.
"Alright, let's get going! I'll lead you to where we'll go."
"Alright."
Aafeen followed Ludo through the palace, taking in the sights of faithful servants working peacefully. It made Aafeen think back on life, where he had similar experiences with multiple acquaintances, following what they said and providing feedback. Seeing everyday life made Aafeen heave a sigh of relief, but also slight sadness.
I really do miss my friends and colleagues, but there is nothing I can do about that for right now. All I have to do now is find a way to survive long enough to get out of this world…
As Aafeen and Ludo saw a glimpse of the outside world, they both couldn't help but smile deeply. Life is what moves people forward, no matter what the problem is. Nature can be a wonderful thing, no matter the state of mind or condition someone is in. And right now, they will take this moment to their full potential, to feel free and at peace, even if it's for just a moment…