Chapter 48: ELYRIA, JURISDICTION OF THE MOON GODDESS

Aether stood beside the colossal dragon, his voice a lonely echo bouncing off the cavern walls. "Why'd I have to say that out loud?" he muttered, a blush creeping up his neck. Was it a last-ditch attempt at projecting confidence before challenging a world domain, or simply the gnawing nervousness that had been eating at him for a day now? He stifled a nervous chuckle, the sound swallowed by the vastness of the cave. "Good thing no one heard me," he sighed before his gaze snapped to the Ancient Crucible.Without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed a sturdy moonhorn bristle from the growing pile at his hip. He tapped his left waist, confirming the reassuring bulk of his waterskin - his only healing aid. "Wish I had something more," he grumbled, the weight of an inadequate weapon settling in his gut. He clenched his jaw, jumped a few times on the spot, twisted his wrists, anything to dispel the nervous jitters. Finally, a deep breath filled his lungs, and he declared, "It's time."As he approached the Ancient Crucible, a faint luminescence pulsed, growing brighter with each step. Reaching the centre, Lumi's voice boomed in his mind, "[Host has reached sufficient mana capacity to open Sol Gate.]" A pregnant pause followed, then, "[Open Sol Gate?]".Aether grinned, the nervous energy morphing into a surge of excitement. "Thought you'd never ask," he replied. "Yes. Let's see what's on the other side." The air crackled with anticipation, the luminescence reaching a fever pitch. Aether braced himself, his heart hammering a wild rhythm against his ribs.The cavern echoed not with Lumi's familiar tones, but with a voice that shook the ancient stones. Ethereal, timeless, it boomed: "[Welcome, Sunborn]." The pronouncement gripped Aether's heart like a vise, icy tendrils of fear snaking down his spine. Reality itself seemed to buckle, cracks spiderwebbing across the cavern walls. He stole a final glance at the slumbering dragon, a pang of regret sharpening his fear. He yearned for time to break the seal, to understand Zephyr. But the world had other plans.With a deafening screech, reality shattered – not a slow crumbling, but a violent explosion of glass shards. Aether found himself adrift in an endless ocean of inky darkness, the familiar cavern a distant memory. A voice, the same ancient one, echoed once more, its words resonating in the void: "[You have challenged the world domain. May your valor bring the sun]."Then, a blinding wave of light. Aether squeezed his eyes shut, engulfed by the brilliance. It took excruciating seconds for his vision to adjust. When it did, a gasp escaped his lips. Noise, a cacophony he'd never known existed, filled his ears – a riot of laughter, chatter, and unfamiliar sounds. He squinted, trying to make sense of the scene before him.Gone was the cavern. Gone was the solitude. In its place, a vibrant world stretched before him, a tapestry woven from light, colour, and movement. Yet, the sheer impossibility of it all froze him in place. How? How had one step, one decision, ripped apart his reality and deposited him in this... this impossible place? Aether's mind reeled, a tangled mess of awe and terror.The dying embers of dawn bled into a bruised orange, painting the streets and structures of the Dead Citadel in a grotesque mockery of life. Yet, life it was. This forgotten city, once a monument to silence, now pulsed with a vibrant hum.Aether stood disoriented, his surroundings utterly foreign despite a lingering familiarity. The cavern walls he'd known were gone, replaced by an endless expanse of sky splashed with fluffy clouds that drifted by in a leisurely ballet. Before him, a scene ripped straight from a fantastical dream unfolded. A bustling marketplace spilled out from beneath an array of golden domes, their architecture intricate works of art that defied gravity. The air shimmered with a kaleidoscope of colours – the stark white walls of buildings providing a stark contrast to the vibrant blooms overflowing from stalls. Their sweet fragrance wrestled with the exotic scents emanating from other displays, a heady concoction that assaulted Aether's senses.He craned his neck upwards, his jaw slack with awe. Richly decorated balconies jutted from the upper floors, their railings adorned with lush greenery and cascading vines. This fairytale atmosphere was shattered only by the sight on one such balcony. An elegantly dressed woman, her auburn hair cascading down her back, leaned against the railing, lost in thought. Beside her, a corpulent man stood completely naked, his arms wrapped possessively around her as he pounded her behind with dominance and vigour. Her eyes flickered, catching Aether's stare. A small smile played upon her lips before she turned back to the man, the intimacy of the gesture making Aether's skin crawl.He retreated with a startled yelp, disappearing into the nearest alleyway. His heart beat a frantic rhythm against his ribs. "What the actual hell?" he gasped, a blush creeping up his neck. The awe he felt moments ago had curdled into a potent mix of confusion and unease. This wasn't what he envisioned, a world brimming with danger within the cave's walls. It was a world of startling beauty and shocking contradictions, a place where the line between the fantastical and the profane came together.Aether forced his racing heart to slow, each deep breath a desperate attempt to rein in his bubbling excitement. "Lumi," he rasped, needing to make sense of the kaleidoscope unfolding before him, "what is this place?"Silence hung heavy for a few agonizing seconds before Lumi's detached voice finally echoed in his mind. "[Host is currently in Elyria, the land under jurisdiction of the moon goddess]," it declared."Jurisdiction of the moon goddess?" Aether sputtered, disbelief lacing his voice. He knew only of the seven: the Southern God, the Sword God, the Arcane God, the Demon God, the Beast God, the Death God, and the Jester God. But Lumi, his not-so-reliable companion, had never mentioned another god."What Moon Goddess?" he pressed, his voice laced with frustration."[You have not yet unlocked the secrets of the world's will.]"Aether's jaw clenched, his annoyance a sharp counterpoint to the vibrant chaos swirling around him. Here he was, in a world defying logic, ruled by an unknown goddess, and all Lumi could offer was a cryptic riddle.