5 The Light Trail to Skystead Keep

I followed the light trail Dominion had placed on the ground with ease. It had been bogging my mind as to how peaceful my time in Dead Gardens had been so far. Well, save for that time the monsters ate the other soldiers and killed Gres... But it ended well, anyway! So who cares about them now, no? I wanted to work with them and create my first Dead Gardens settlement with them, but it clearly didn't fare well for that group. Instead, I met a god. And now here we have the quietest road trip ever.

I just expected Dead Gardens to be much, much more dangerous than this. But so far, it's just... a sad, empty place with a bunch of dead trees, barren soil, and thick dust. It looks rather pathetic, if I'm being honest. I expected it to be more... action-packed, I guess? Like, I was under the impression that I would be vanquishing thousands of foes already once I accepted Dominion inside of me (or rather, inside Gres' body. I'm still not used to this.) So none can blame me for being absolutely fucking bored.

Haa... I can't believe how calm I've been ever since Dominion came to my rescue. I had been meaning to extend my gratitude to him for saving my life and healing my mutilated foot to boot! There's no doubt in my mind that I wanted to be a better partner for Dominion so that our union can stand firm with mutual understanding. It's just that... It gets really hard to talk to Dominion because of how unusual his temper can go. Holding a conversation with this guy feels like defusing a bomb. If I want our partnership to work, I need to show how sincere I am in wanting to win his friendship first.

Well, I'm planning all of these, but I'm sure Dominion is already listening. I don't even know how this "voice-in-my-mind" schtick works. Oh well. Might as well strike a conversation now that we're already here. Dominion had been awfully loud earlier, but now he's being silent. He's not even reacting to my inner-monologues anymore. Let's see... I wonder what topic is good enough to lure his attention? Maybe I can inquire about our destination.

'Where does this light trail lead to, Dominion?'

<Ugh. Just wait and see. Why are you so impatient?>

As usual, I was greeted by his awful temper. It had been irking me for quite some time now, but I guess I just had to accustom myself to what I have now. At best, I can at least learn how to deal with him. Why is he always so angry, anyway? What a pain.

'You're the one who told me to move quicker. I'm just trying to cut us some time. Wouldn't it be more efficient to talk about our destination while we're rushing towards it?'

<Tsk. Haa... Well, you've made a compelling point, Aleph. What do you wanna know?>

How unusual. He's being very cooperative. I guess he's bored too.

'I already asked. Where are we going?'

<I guess this is a good way to pass the time. Fine. We're going to Skystead Keep.>

'I have never heard of that place before.'

<I can't blame you. The farthest anyone from Firmament had reached in Dead Gardens is that area where they exiled you. The rest is, well, for all they care, it's probably No Man's Land. They pretty much put an invisible boundary in it. I believe there's an executive order prohibiting any citizens of Firmament from crossing that line. So I guess that just shows how much they hated you... and Gres. I'd probably be curious about what you did if they crossed the boundary just to throw your ass.>

'I bet. They wanted me dead.'

<Well, that's good. That means you have nothing else to lose but a lot of anger to power through. Good start. But don't let it consume you, or else your judgments would be clouded, and this journey would end in vain.>

'Wise words. Finally, you're acting more like a god!'

<The heck? Is that your definition of what gods should act like? Oh, you'd be surprised at how rotten the others are. I can only name three decent people in the Divine Halls of Firmament.>

'Well, we're getting a bit off track already. Tell me more about Skystead Keep.'

<It's my home.>

'...Okay? And?'

<What do you mean and? That's it. Skystead Keep is where I live. It's my base of operations. What more do you want?>

'I mean, tell me more about the place. What does it look like? Do you live with anyone else there?'

<Well... This might come as a surprise, but at the very end of this trail, you'll see a line of spiky mountains, capped by a blanket of snow at its peak. On the other side of that series of mountains is a shoreline, a beach with pitch dark sand. That's the end of Dead Gardens. At the highest peak stood a castle. That's my home; that's Skystead Keep.>

'I... I can't believe it! You're not lying to me, are you?'

<That's exactly why I am reluctant to tell you about it. It's better to see it for yourself. Once you're there, everything is just self-explanatory. I don't know what lies beyond the ocean, but I am happy about its existence. A great river had emerged because of it, giving my people and me clean waters to drink.>

'You and your people? This is all too great of a revelation to me! I always thought the ocean is just an old myth from before the creation of Firmament! And now you're telling me that there's a city where other folks live?'

<Pretty much, yeah. I haven't been there for quite some time now. It had been... Maybe ten years or so since I last visited Skystead Keep.>

'Why?'

I asked with just a single word since I still remembered the last time Dominion gave a snide comment at how much I ask different versions of the same question. However, once I dropped the "why," Dominion paused for a few moments before finally letting out a defeated sigh.

<I have my reasons. It is too... depressing for me to get into right now. But in time, you will know the tragedy of my journey. I just hope you would understand once that they came.>

'Hey, it's cool, man! It's just as you said; we have a lifetime to talk about this.'

<Precisely! I am fairly certain that we'd be close enough to talk about our baggage when that time comes.>

'Don't you think it's a bit unfair that you get to see my past, but I have to work hard to know yours?'

<I can't see why that would be unfair. Aren't I the one going the extra mile to give you the power of a fucking god? You, a human, get to relish the many privileges only divinities get to enjoy. Be glad that I'm even considering telling you about my reasons.>

'Alright, alright. Chill. I'm just trying to joke around with you.'

<I'm not good with jokes.>

'Clearly. Haa... Man, I'm hungry, though. Do you think there would be a meal ready for us in your place?'

<I'd appreciate it if you'd call it with its proper name rather than this peasant-sounding 'my place' nickname.>

'Wow. You do not hold any punches, don't you?'

<Haa... I don't know. I guess I still cannot believe that I am really asking a mortal's help. This is how low I had become. It's just that I knew the other gods of Firmament would learn about this soon and snicker at my pathetic state.>

'Then, we'll just have to prove them wrong, no? Making fun of your current state means making fun of me too. Not even the gods have the right to look down on me. And they most certainly have no right to treat my friends like trash. It just so happens that you're the only friend I have left. The rest are either dead or sucking the king's dick instead.'

<HAH! HAHAHAHAHA! And you say I don't hold any punches? Look at you! If you're still living in Firmament right now, the gods would have already perished your soul just by having those thoughts.>

'They're very welcome to try!'

I wanted to look cool, but my stomach suddenly let out an ungodly loud gurgling sound.

<Pfft! Haha... HAHAHAHAHAHA! THAT WAS LOUD! Look, just follow the light trail, and soon we will reach my garden. You can take all the snacks you can find from my crops. Take enough stuff, and maybe I can whiff the two of us our lunch.>

'Crops? Are you saying there's somewhere in Dead Gardens that's not...'

<Dead? Hahahahaha! I know what you mean! Sound so paradoxical, isn't it? A lush garden in a place called Dead Gardens. But it's the truth. And this god will be gracing you with my god-like cooking with my equally god-like crops!>

'I never expected you to be the cooking type, Dominion.'

<Me too! But hey, a bunch of things happened once I moved away from my family, and now I have to take care of my own meals or risk dying from hunger.>

'I didn't know gods get hungry.'

<Well, no, not really. I didn't get hungry when I was still living in Firmament. That's one of the endless perks a Firmament god can enjoy. But there had been many changes in my body since I left that place. One of them is hunger. You have no idea how surreal it felt to have an empty stomach again after a few thousand years of living in leisure in Firmament.>

'I bet it's crazy. Your mind must have exploded when you saw the ocean then!'

<Gosh. You have no idea! Haha... How nostalgic. Yeah... I was like a kid then. Jumping around with my jaw dropped into the ground and my hands gripping my head. It was... a surreal feeling, to say the least. Hehe! But don't worry! I'll let you see a view of a lifetime and taste a meal for the gods!>

'I'm looking forward to it! ...Well, how are we supposed to cook our lunch, though?'

<Hmph. You'll see, Aleph. You'll see. This System is not just a tracking device, you know?>