As the three of you step out of the other side of the portal, the first thing you feel is the atmosphere drastically change around you. You've been in the Immortal Realms for so long that you were beginning to get accustomed to the dream-like state of them, and now that you're back in a Mortal Realm, everything suddenly feels so real again.
You're all standing on a road that leads towards a colossal wall in front of you. The sheer size of this wall is unbelievable as you can see it dwarf the large trees in front of it. Tom notices the awestruck look on your face and speaks to you with a grin.
" Amazing, isn't it? The Morians built it to protect their kingdom from the rival army of Voldoor during the war that they had been fighting for thousands of years. "
" Did they really need to make a wall this massive, though? "
You ask Tom in a flabbergasted tone. He giggles a bit and responds with a smile.
" Well, in a world full of fantastical creatures and people with extraordinary abilities, you'd probably need a wall this big to make sure your kingdom was safe from everything that has an incredible destructive potential. "
You remember what happened to Ishville and you understand. If the battles of this world are anything like what happened there, then maybe the wall really isn't big enough.
Tom nods his head for you and Mimi to follow him and the three of you begin walking towards the wall. With Mimi holding your hand as you approach, the sheer size of the wall becomes more and more apparent as you can't even tilt your head back enough to see the top of it anymore. As you walk behind Tom, you ask him a question.
" So what's the plan? Are you going to teach me how to use my abilities here? "
Tom turns his head as he's walking and looks at you out of the corner of his eye as you both converse.
" There is no time for me to give you lessons on how to use your power, but that's perfectly fine. I believe that in our endeavor to save this universe, it is highly probable that you will get some of your memories back and your power will come back to you again naturally. Right now we're going to Moriarch to tell the King that his world is in grave danger. This universe's Gods derive their strength from the amount of mortals that pray to them. With the help of the King, we can increase the strength of the Gods by having the people under his rule do just that. The Gods need to be as powerful as possible before The None comes. "
" But how could they fight The None if he's equal to The One? "
" The Gods of this universe couldn't hope to stand a chance in fighting The None, even if they all worked together at their full strength, but it's not their fight. That's why they have you. Before you lost your memories, you were able to hold off The One so I could escape him. The book that The One gave you also contains his power over creation inside of it. In theory, your power combined with the power of The One could be enough to stop The None, but the Gods of this universe also need to increase their strength as well because there's more than just The None that we have to worry about. "
" You're talking about the Valghul… "
" Yes. Dealing with the Valghul is inevitable. If the Gods become strong enough, they may be able to survive an encounter with it. Also, I'm sure the Valghul sees you and The Holy Omniverse Transcript as a threat to The None's campaign as well. If you were to suffer The Bite of Abrogation, you too would be reduced to nothing. I'd be willing to bet that the Valghul is going to do everything in its power to murder you as well in order to get its hands on the book. "
" That makes sense. The Valghul was already after it when I landed here on Aria. What do you think would happen if the Valghul somehow ended up getting the book? "
" Think about it. What do you think The None would do if he had The One's knowledge and power over creation as well? "
You look at Tom with terror in your eyes as he nods his head, confirming your fears. You then look down and stare at the book in your hands in amazement.
This book… This object that I'm holding in my hands right now has the potential to either save or doom the entirety of existence. Wow…
The three of you finally reach the wall at the end of the road and a giant stone knight phases through the wall in front of you. The knight looks down and barks orders at you assertively.
" Halt! The wall of Moriarch only opens for its people! You have not been recognized by the wall and thus you are foreigners! State your business at once! "
Tom responds to the knight in a serious and noble manner.
" I am Tom Atus of the Otherlands, and these are my companions. The Star Faller of Ishville and the daughter of Sir Arthur. We wish to speak to your King about a matter of grave importance to his majesty and the kingdom of Moriarch. "
As soon as Tom says this, you see Mimi look up at him in surprise. You can tell that she wants to ask him something but she doesn't want to interrupt his conversation with the knight. You're also a bit puzzled because you've never heard of Sir Arthur before. How could Tom know who Mimi's father is?
The knight looks down at Mimi and Mimi hides behind your leg, hugging you nervously. The knight speaks to Tom in disbelief.
" This is the child of Sir Arthur? How could she have survived the disaster at Ishville? Our soldiers looked all throughout the village and they couldn't find her nor the widow of Sir Arthur in the rubble. They were presumed dead before we began rebuilding the village… "
" She survived by the grace of the Gods Faerah and Izael. The Star Faller rescued her and her mother from the village by taking them to Sovarohm during the battle between the armies of Izael and Nahzgor. "
Tom replies as he looks back at you and Mimi with a proud face. The knight then disappears back into the wall and a section of the wall slowly transforms into a doorway that becomes transparent. You can hear the knight's voice echo from within the wall in front of you.
" Very well. The wall speaks to me and I know you are telling the truth. It is quite remarkable to meet people who have been to the Immortal Realms and have returned! Welcome to the Kingdom of Moriarch, little one! Your father was a legendary scholar, and I am proud to be the one to grant you access to our great kingdom! "
Mimi blushes shyly as the three of you walk through the wall together and emerge on the other side to see a busy street with people going about their daily lives. You and Mimi continue to follow Tom as he leads you through the streets.
" Stay close behind me until we get further into the city. The commoners here live on the outskirts of the kingdom but the streets get more peaceful as you approach the castle in the center. "
Mimi lets go of your hand and runs up to grab Tom's hand instead. Then she looks up at him and asks him a question in a curious voice.
" Hey Tom! Did you know my Papa? "
Tom looks down at Mimi with a gentle smile and answers her as you continue to walk behind them.
" No Mimi, unfortunately I didn't get the chance to meet him. The Holy Omniverse Transcript told me all about him though. He was the first human in this universe to discover the existence of the Omniverse, and he found it completely on his own. Many people thought he was a liar and crazy to believe in alternate universes, but the King of Moriarch believed him and he made your father a Royal Oracle for his discovery. Your father and the King had quite the friendship over the years, and the King held your father's judgment on affairs very highly when making decisions. "
You see Mimi's eyes light up in amazement as she continues to skip alongside Tom, but as she replies to him, you can tell that she's starting to feel sad thinking about her father.
" Mama said that Papa was very smart, but I had no idea that he was friends with the King! I wish I got to spend more time with Papa when he visited me and Mama in the village… Mama told me she never knew why he disappeared… Did the book tell you what happened to him? "
Mimi stops skipping and she begins to walk next to Tom with her head down. Tom wraps his arm around her shoulder and hugs her gently as he gives her an answer, looking up at the sky as they continue to walk together.
" No Mimi… It didn't. If your father did truly pass away, then I'm sure that the book would've said something about it. That means that your father might still be alive and we just don't know where he is right now… "
The streets have quieted down and it's just the three of you now walking down the road. The castle is in sight, and you can hear the wind gently blowing as you all continue to walk together. Mimi looks up at Tom with teary eyes and hugs him tightly. As she asks another question, Tom looks back down at her while he attentively listens to her.
" Do you think we're gonna find him? "
" I don't know, Mimi. If we do, I promise that I'll do my very best to make sure that he returns to Moriarch safely. "
Mimi smiles and continues to hold Tom as the three of you approach the front entrance to the castle. To your surprise, there happens to be no guards or anybody nearby and the gate that leads to the front doors of the castle appears to be open. Tom notices this as well and begins to look around suspiciously, scanning the area as you all step through the gated entrance and onto the property. There's definitely something off about the atmosphere and it's not good.
The three of you continue to walk to the front doors of the castle and as you approach, you're met by a cloaked figure in a red robe who emerges from the entryway to impede your entrance to the castle. Tom hands Mimi off to you and she runs behind you, peeking out from behind your legs as she hugs you nervously.
Tom speaks up to the figure as he tosses his cloak over his shoulder and frees his arm from underneath it, standing defensively with his hands at the ready beside him. A green aura begins to glow around Tom and his cloak begins to blow aggressively as the power from his aura disturbs it.
" Who the hell are you? "
Tom asks as he peers at the figure with glowing green eyes. You hear an awful rodent-like voice speak back to Tom from within the red hood.
" He is coming… and there is nothing you can do to stop him… nothing you can do… nothing… and he is nothing. "