The sharp voice of a hurried young man echoed like a distant call carried by the wind.
"Adam! Adam! Andjo roha!"
I'm about to leave.
Another shout followed, impatient this time.
"Veza!"
Hurry up.
The tone carried the restless energy of someone who simply could not wait any longer.
"Djouha wu dji pangue!"
Get up and get ready!
For a moment, only silence answered.
Then, through the haze of sleep, a younger voice replied anxiously.
"Tsi djouha… nlinde!"
I'm awake… wait for me!
___
Adam jolted upright.
His chest rose sharply as if he had been pulled out of deep water.
For a few seconds, the world around him felt distant—blurred, unreal.
His mind lingered somewhere between dream and reality.
"Ngami ndahu…?"
Where am I…?
The words slipped from his lips in Comorian before he even realized it.
He blinked slowly, looking around the unfamiliar room.
A bed.
A window.
White walls.
The space was simple, yet carried a quiet elegance he had never known before.
A few drawers and cabinets stood in one corner of the room.
Near the window, a simple desk and chair formed a modest workspace.
The scent almost made him dizzy with comfort. The room felt both unfamiliar… and strangely reassuring.
"Abdi ha roha a yeche… ani hantsi dingoni…"
Abdi left… he went out alone… he left me behind.
A trace of childish frustration lingered in his voice.
Even now, half-awake, his mind was still clinging to the memory of his older brother leaving for the wedding preparations.
Then reality crashed back.
Hard.
Pain exploded through his body.
"Ah—damn…!"
His teeth clenched instantly as he leaned against the wall beside the bed.
Every muscle screamed in protest.
"…Huff… huff…"
Three slow breaths later, the pain dulled slightly.
Not gone.
Just… manageable.
Adam pushed the blanket aside carelessly.
Tidiness had never been his strong suit anyway.
Right now, he had far more important things to think about.
He sat there for a moment, hunched slightly forward, his feet touching the cold floor.
Outside the window, the scenery was beautiful.
As he regained his composure, his attention was caught by the view before him.
A beautiful garden stretched outside the window.
Colors blended together in quiet harmony — herbs, flowers, and trees carefully arranged like a living painting.
Even from the window, faint fragrances drifted through the air.
Some even carried a faint sweetness that made them seem almost edible. No wonder it felt so pleasant to wake up beside such a place.
His thoughts drifted again toward the fragments of his dream.
Then it clicked.
Oh.
Right.
Those weren't just dreams.
They were memories.
The day of his sister's wedding preparations.
His expression softened slightly.
For a brief moment, the stoic mask he had worn for days cracked.
He thought of his family.
Of home.
And especially of his brother… who had disappeared the moment they arrived in this strange world.
Adam exhaled slowly.
"Yeah… now I remember."
His lips curved faintly.
A tired, sarcastic smile.
"I'm in another world."
He rubbed his face.
"And yesterday I got beaten half to death by a sadistic puppet trying very badly to imitate a human."
Yeah.
That sounded about right.
Without realizing it, Adam had already switched back to the language of Elyon.
Sooner or later, they would have to learn the language properly. The thought didn't bother him much. Languages had always fascinated him. Their origins, their evolution—there was something strangely captivating about them.
Plap! Plap!
Adam slapped his cheeks lightly with both hands.
"Alright… focus."
He stood up and walked toward the washroom.
The place was simple—but functional.
Clean.
Well-designed.
Comfortable.
Apparently, Elyon had taken something important into consideration.
They were mortals.
Which meant their living quarters included the things mortals inevitably needed.
Like toilets.
Adam still found that fact oddly reassuring.
Actually… I should figure out how time works here.
He slipped into the indoor sandals as the thought continued forming.
We're mortals living under the authority of gods. Our sense of time could be completely different from theirs.
Only after finishing the sentence did he realize something.
He had said it out loud.
Adam frowned slightly at his own reflection.
At this point he wasn't even sure why he kept talking to himself.
Still half-lost in thought, he grabbed a thin wooden stick resting near the sink.
It looked suspiciously like a toothbrush.
Because… it was one.
A small chuckle escaped him.
The rooms were far more advanced than he had expected. Some of their features felt like things he had only seen on television—or in houses far wealthier than the one he grew up in.
Definitely nothing like home.
Adam still remembered the moment the god himself had personally shown them how everything worked: the washroom, the strange tools, even the mechanisms hidden throughout their chambers.
He spread the strange equivalent of toothpaste across the wooden brush and looked up.
His reflection stared back.
He looked tired.
Bruised.
But there was something else in his eyes now.
Resolve.
He rested his hands on the sink.
I need to improve.
Not for strength.
Strength alone meant nothing.
His fingers tightened slightly against the stone.
Power… knowledge… they are only means—not the goal.
It never was.
A quiet fire burned behind his gaze.
Comfort.
Happiness.
The well-being of the people I care about!
That alone was reason enough to become more than he was.
By the end of his declaration, the young boy had practically shouted at his own reflection.
Then, without further ceremony, he shoved the toothbrush into his mouth.
The quiet washroom soon filled with the soft scratching sound of bristles against teeth.
_________
Adam stepped out of his chamber looking refreshed, though a dull ache still lingered in his muscles.
Washing up had helped. Removing the dust and sweat from yesterday's brutal training had done wonders for his mood.
As the door closed quietly behind him, a faint sense of anticipation stirred in his chest.
He still barely knew his new companions, yet the determination they had shown during the trial had left a strong impression on him.
Besides, he was the youngest among them.
The fact that he hadn't been a complete burden already felt like a small victory.
Fortunately, the others seemed warm and courageous.
Especially the Japanese woman among them.
She intrigued him.
Not only because of her nationality, but because of what it represented.
I wonder if she watches anime…
The thought almost made him laugh.
Japan had always fascinated him — its animation, games, manga, food, myths, history. He had grown up seeing fragments of that culture through screens and stories.
But meeting someone from there in person?
That was different.
Maybe she doesn't care about any of that at all.
Maybe it's just us foreigners who obsess over it.
Adam shrugged slightly as he walked.
The corridor stretched quietly before him.
The architecture of Elyon's residence—and the vast structures surrounding it—was nothing short of astonishing.
It reminded Adam of the great constructions of Earth.
Cathedrals that reached toward the sky, ancient pyramids that defied time, vast bridges, underground cities carved deep beneath the surface, and monuments so intricate they sometimes felt almost unreal.
Some were so ambitious, so precise, that they made him wonder how humans had ever managed to build them.
At times, they even seemed to blur the line between human achievement… and something beyond it.
And yet—
They had all been made by human hands.
But this place… was different.
The scale.
The precision.
The harmony between every structure.
Nothing felt out of place.
Nothing felt limited.
It wasn't just impressive—it was sustained perfection.
Something no human civilization could maintain over time.
Adam exhaled slowly.
This wasn't just architecture.
This was something else entirely.
A realm worthy of being called divine.
The floor beneath his feet was made of smooth pale stone that reflected the soft golden light drifting from crystal lamps set along the walls.
The walls themselves were carved with subtle patterns — vines, stars, and flowing shapes that seemed almost alive under the light.
Tall windows lined one side of the hallway, allowing beams of warm daylight to spill inside.
Beyond the glass, glimpses of gardens and distant white structures could be seen, giving the entire place an almost dreamlike atmosphere.
Adam wore a pair of loose brown shorts that stopped just above his knees, a bright yellow shirt, and simple sandals.
The clothes were light and comfortable — clearly a testimony to the gods' omnipotence in a way.
Despite the faint soreness in his body, Adam walked with a calm and steady pace.
His mood remained peculiarly good.
Which was unusual.
After all, yesterday he had been beaten nearly half to death by what he still considered a very questionable imitation of a human being.
Maybe living through all this odd adventure had changed him, albeit slightly.
He was changing slowly but surely.
Perhaps that was inevitable.
Halfway down the corridor, he passed one of the other rooms.
For a brief moment, curiosity tugged at him.
He wondered what kind of lives the others had lived before being dragged into this world.
Their stories.
Their families.
Their pasts.
This almost feels like a game.
Except it wasn't.
Adam almost smiled.
When he was younger, he used to skip every dialogue.
Story?
Lore?
Background?
None of it mattered.
He only wanted action.
He only wanted to win. To beat everything in his way.
But after turning thirteen, something had changed.
He began paying attention to the narratives behind characters and worlds.
Abdi had laughed the first time he noticed.
"You finally understand why stories matter."
And somehow… his brother had been right.
History.
Myths.
Legends.
Even the lives of ordinary people.
They all carried meaning—their struggles, their joys, their pain. Life is more than meets the eye.
"Damn it…"
Adam muttered quietly.
"There it is again."
His gamer curiosity resurfacing at the worst times. He wanted to explore the depth of his comrades' stories.
He shook his head and kept walking without knocking on any doors.
Right now, he had a more urgent objective.
Food.
His exhausted body demanded it immediately.
Maybe the others were already awake.
Maybe they were waiting for him.
Either way, his destination was clear.
The dining hall.
Hunger waits for no one.
Especially now that he had the chance to eat freely.
He would worry about the others later.
Right now, defeating his hunger was the true priority.
No one would stop him.
Not even the gods.
Or so he believed.
*** ***
While walking through the long corridors of the residence, Adam wondered why this place was filled with such endless and exhausting hallways.
A truly divine residence, he thought. For a mortal like me, I would easily get lost here if it weren't for that strange spell.
At least the dining hall should be close now.
"Hm?"
Patter. Patter.
Someone was running.
Someone's in a hurry?
Adam frowned, though he did not bother to quicken his pace to find out who it was. Instead, he continued walking calmly at his own rhythm.
Just as he reached a corner and was about to turn—
A blur.
Impact.
BAM!
The world flipped for a second.
Then the pain followed.
Before he could even realize what had happened, the young Comorian was sent crashing onto the floor, landing flat on his back. The force behind the impact was completely overwhelming, leaving him no chance to resist.
Pain flared through his body like oil thrown onto fire, forcing him to grit his teeth.
Isn't this enough already?!
His earlier good mood vanished instantly.
Damn it… as if the beating from earlier wasn't bad enough.
Groaning as he pushed himself up, Adam finally got a clear look at his assailant.
It was a blond boy, perhaps ten or twelve years old.
Long golden hair fell to his shoulders, framing a face that looked almost unnaturally beautiful. Emerald-green eyes with strange patterns on his pupils shone beneath faint dark circles.
His elegant clothing resembled an orange robe somewhat similar to a boubou, worn over matching trousers. Floating diagonally across his chest was a dark-blue spherical artifact, hovering from his right shoulder down to his left side.
And his face…
Adam could not deny it.
It was comparable to the beauty of Tamiel or Asteria.
He reminds me of Elyon… and Tamiel. Could he be…?
The air around him felt strangely warm… almost serene. Even so, he looked exhausted—dark circles beneath his eyes broke that serenity. Yet even then, he looked far beyond human beauty.
And why does this boy have dark circles under his eyes?
Something about him felt off.
Not wrong… just different.
The air around him felt… uncertain. Not heavy, not threatening—just slightly out of sync, as if he didn't fully belong to the present moment.
He had a certain aura that was hard to describe. One of the strangest presences he had encountered so far.
Adam then heard him murmur softly, his voice youthful and tinged with surprise.
"…Strange."
The boy's surprised expression soon shifted into something quieter, almost melancholic.
"My apologies, mortal," he said calmly. "I have urgent matters to attend to. It seems I collided with you."
His emerald eyes glanced briefly at Adam.
"You should rest and recover, I see you are not in good shape. Since you are here, I assume you are a guest… in good hands."
After offering his apology, the golden-haired boy simply turned and continued on his way. The faint echo of his footsteps slowly faded as he disappeared down the corridor.
After a moment, Adam resumed walking, rubbing his back and checking to make sure nothing was seriously injured.
He wasn't a doctor, but aside from the lingering pain, nothing seemed broken.
As he neared the dining hall, he couldn't stop thinking about the strange boy or…god.
I'll ask Elyon later… they should know who he was.
__________
Hey everyone,
It's been a while—almost a month since the last update. I had to step back for a bit to focus on my exams and also take time for Eid.
For those who celebrate, I hope you had a joyful and peaceful Eid. And to everyone else, I hope you've been doing well too.
Don't worry—I'm still fully committed to this story and I plan to carry it all the way to the end.
Also, I just want to say: your comments really mean a lot. They're refreshing, motivating, and honestly help me keep going. Even the smallest feedback is appreciated. As for power stones, they're always welcome too, even if they're rare.
Thank you for your patience and support. We're just getting started.
— Daoist|TlIch