1 [01] Cup of Coincidences

Supporting my weakened knees, I drink the last potion I made for indefinite strength. Probably, this will last for three hours or four. To my immediate instinct, I fully observed my surrounding.

Dim light from a satellite gives an image of the wide seems endless field, perhaps a cornfield or wheat, and one huge Narra tree in the middle. To which, I guess my distance from the tree is around two runs.

A constellation of Carina tells me where exactly I went. I am currently standing in the South. My body fails to reach the tree. Funny, the potion lasts for three minutes only. Then, I just watch night sky dances for me for a while.

Heat and bright light poke my three eyes. Irritated, I woke with a start.

The first thing my eyes meet, a stupid human with disturbed expression and questionable features. The human then says, "Are you an alien?"

My mind doesn't have feedback occur. I, then, mutter. "Huh?" Its face got pale, lips tremble, and knees shaking. How come a simple word makes it stutter? Humans are so stupid. At this moment, I recall how I appear. O, yes, my unusual demon features scare this human.

Its body falls down.

I am taken aback by surprise. Silly me! I forgot I am a demon. Actually, that was hilarious. I got up and decided to fix my own appearance.

Another issue here. I was naked when that human saw me. It's so lucky to see a demon in such away.

My clothes were torn apart from crossing the portal. Literally, torn apart! My body couldn't be covered with such a thin and little piece of cloth. Fortunately, my bag is alive with me. In a whole piece.

There, I pick up the memory loss potion, third eye, and horns invisibility as well as my skintight clothes. Whisking the memory loss potion to the fallen human. This potion comes convenient for unexpected scenarios.

My mind and body are ready.

Once again, I observe my surroundings first. The image is more brilliant and stunning than the night one. My eyes somehow received a lot of light which then gives more colors than before. A goldfield! Golden wheat and golden sun. Some invisible matter always touches my skin and face, as if it goes right to me. What could it be?

More soft noises tingle my hearing senses. Every creature has its own noises, which I find myself stunned. I guess I am a whole lot of surprise about this new world!

Once I raise my head upward, the blue sky greets me! I knew it! Blue exists, so does white! A gas cloud passes through the sky as if it has been flying with no wings.

Too bright. Too glad. Too soft. Earth is a kind world as for the first time I woke. The first.

Driven by this fascination, I almost forgot my one quest. Good thing, Narra tree is there to remind this inner silly me. My legs start to run in a span of minutes. I jump so high, higher than in my world. I clutch my hand in the higher branch and spin myself to get into the top. With one foot stands in the tree, the other balances my body.

I initiate my third eye altogether with my tails.

Searching for my temporary shelter. And, finding some clues in the oracle. Wish some may just occur right under my eyes. Hopefully.

Only one minute it takes to find a potential shelter. Secluded area, far from the metropolitan. My eye spots the woods where there's a roadside near.

It has to be the perfect spot.

Let my body falls silently to the ground. Extending my forelegs, ready to go and run my feet. Before doing so, I positioned the human in a lotus seat, leaning on the tree. Might processing a stolen dream which had been lost due to the potion. Sweet dream, fool human.

As I speed, the light remains to touch my skin. As well as the invisible matter. In a matter of seconds, I stood and gazed at the small hut.

From the front, there is wooden signage with words of, 'Private Property of Luzon. Trespassing is not allowed.' That means I need to negotiate with the owner of this hut. Suddenly, a voice speaks behind. I turn around to see who is it and must be someone I'm familiar with.

An old human with indigenous clothing. He's smiling so warm as if telling me how welcome I am.

Slowly, his smile fades. His face becomes dry as the soil and eyes as sharp as the thorn.

"Why do you come here?" asked he.

"You are Apu Daga, aren't you?" I match his piercing eyes, the same level of intensity.

He smirks. "You know who's who. Tell me, why should I not forbid you on traveling in my land?"

"The order of the ruler."

"Your ruler is a coward. Hiding in dimension."

"Your race is the coward. Relying on pure souls."

His smile is back again. "I do not rely upon. Nevertheless, you enter a world full of deities. Aren't you frightened?"

"Why would I?"

In the beginning, I know what risk I'm taking on. I came from a sinful race, where now I'm stepping into a very own land of deities.

Life-threatening.

"I've heard you pledge an oath to not take a part of the feud. Are you now afraid?" I added.

His face doesn't change, his smile still painted. He steps forward, and move near to me.

"Old deities have their own time left, too. I just wish to protect my homeland and minimize casualties. My children, fields, and the civilization I built will go nowhere if I rejoin the feud."

He seems so apologetic and somehow, sympathetic. Old deities? Does he mean to die someday? O, news! He then let out a laugh.

Is he crazy?

"All creatures don't last forever, little demon."

He casually addresses me by my race. The blasphemy! My gaze fuels up. Intensively, I look at him madly. I want to break his neck, right now.

"Apu Daga, if you don't want my existence in your land, you can slay me, as you please."

He shakes his head sideways. "I am absolutely sure, I'll be dead before even getting near you."

I am never going to be confused and fall into deep thought. I guess he would think of that, then the aftermath, he'll pull some tricks.

I am no demon to be swayed easily.

The bamboos nearby shake. All dead leaves on the ground float. I bet he's going to attack, sooner or later.

But, he did not.

Instead, he makes the signage disappear. The hut becomes more pleasant and welcoming. Several birds dance around while singing.

"Does this prove what I said earlier?" said he.

At the moment I'm going to exchange a reply, he disappears into thin air. That's how a deity plays a trick, e. I shrug the thoughts. And, just enter the hut.

I place all my belongings on a wooden table. A bamboo tree to be exact. My hand passes by the scroll. A scroll that holds some clues in the oracle.

I read a line. It goes, "A male with a crown, built a tower in town." I had zero ideas on who, what, which, where it pointed out. My no-idea-mind increases the stress with this line, "Like a magnet it attracts, the eyes, lips and smile attack."

Is it referring to a battle? Absolutely, not. These lines are getting more and more complicated.

I put away the scroll. Not again to lay my eyes on you. Anyways, I spend the time finding diwata for my gems to be exchanged into this land's bill.

At last, I found a diwata near the lake for five hours of wandering. A female diwata, spinning around and having fun in the water.

She notices my presence. A moment of pause altogether with a shocked face, and then a wide smile appears.

"A demon! You're a demon, aren't you? You can hide your horns and eye, but never your aura. So, tell me, how much for the gems?" reluctantly says, she.

Every diwatas already form a relationship with every traveler's demons. To be honest, one out of ten demons is the traveler.

"I think, 3 million pesos is enough for these." I handed out the huge sack of gems in front of her. They are such rare ones and popular with diwatas.

As expected, her eyes came on uncontrol movements from left to right. She couldn't imagine how lucky she is to have these rare gems.

She shrieks in excitement. "Good thing I visited this lake! O, three million is not enough. How about five million? "

I nod. "Sure thing."

The features of diwata are a little similar to deities'. She has a beauty reflected by the status of her bounded area, I guess, she's a lake bounded diwata. Her face is not so clear, although shimmers as the light hits. Her eyes are as deep, and transparent as the bodies of the lake too. Her skin and lips are reflective and greener, as some algae formed in the lake. Her hair flows like the water, and her dress covered by scales of fishes.

An astonishing fact to their race, they are eternally bounded in the environment. Once the bounded areas were gone, they will be gone as well.

"Here you go, a debit card. I fill it with five million and five hundred pesos. Wish you luck on your journey!" She waves her hand from the lake, while I walk back to the hut. My finances are now guaranteed, it's time for the location hunting.

I'll go by the sunsets.

<♡>

Some dogs nearby started to bark. So loud that my senses are also giving up. These dogs formed a group under the Acacia tree I step into. I activate my body to camouflage so no human will see me on the top of the tree.

I still can't find a potential location on where the special human is.

I hop from trees and wires. Hopping so high, almost hitting a bird with my face. Fortunately, it dodges.

I got tired from hopping and exactly, stopping in a convenience store. Carefully, I land on the concrete ground which I assure to make it noiseless.

From the broken street lamp, I inactivate my camouflage. Onwards, I march to the store. It says they're open twenty-four hours. The total time of full day and night. I learn that from the journal of one of the traveler demons.

The automatic response of the door opens itself for me. I actually feel like royalty somehow. A door serving an entry for me.

I went in, and search for anything useful. At least, some foods to intake. I stop and watch a human at my right doing something. The human presses a button, and then water drops off where a cup received it. It's also steaming, I presume hot water.

What alchemy is it doing? Or something magical?

"Good evening, how may I help you?" A human with a genuine smile approaches me. Seems this concludes I am confused with the store. Frankly, I am so confused with this new world.

I smile a plain one. "I want a cup too." In other words, I want to try that one too. The human nods its head then walks away from me. I find a seat, and take the pleasure to sit.

Few humans are inside some couple and a lone. The couple is talking, where one is busy eating round food while the latter is drinking from a cup.

A human places a cup on the table. "Here you go. Would you like to have this filled in hot water?"

My eyes blink. Senses fail to respond quickly. I don't know what to say. Feels dumb to say anything at all. What should I do?

I muster my courage. "Okay." I think I did great to reply. How about that, fool human?

It nods its head again. For an instant, it handed me a hot cup. "Do you want anything else?" I refuse to say okay, so I just give my debit card. It accepts it and then, once again giving it back to me.

The last statement, "Thank you so much. Enjoy your noodles."

Noodles? What?

I strip whatever cover of the cup. Revealing an unappetizing wiggly and curly yellowish or white long, I think thread, with colorful other additionals.

What on earth is this?

I watch the lone human in eating these threads. With a tool, a quirky one. I try to do so, and then find myself pleased in the taste of noodles.

I'll give it an okay rating.

In the middle of enjoying the noodles as what the human said, the couple talks about a topic that my senses alert.

"Did you see Traiser?"

"OMG, seriously! Yes!"

"It's true that he's studying at Kingston University."

"Awesome!"

The line from the oracle got stuck in my mind. "A male in a crown built a tower in town." A king is a male in a crown, and maybe the tower is a university they're referring to.

Kingston University!

Wait, the '-ton' sounds like a 'town.' Thanks for the coincidence! I want to give this cup to the couple, but I finish it up.

My eyes got exhausted way too much. As I try and try on finding the Kingston University, but I fail for the whole night. I use all my strength left to depart from the fifth town I went by.

Eagerly, my eyes and mind examine thoroughly the other line in the scroll. Like a magnet, what does that mean? Is it like metals reactivity? Nonsense! Eyes, lips, and smile attack?

Come on, subconscious! Think! Analyze!

Dawn turns up and yet I do not have a conclusion of the line. I suppose, let the oracle guide me in this stupid quest I took.

At the foot of the woods, I see three young humans walking. Wearing the same clothes. Are they part of some factions? Let's see.

I decided to follow them.

Ended up in a crowded land. Full of humans, and small animals everywhere I glance. In just seconds, the three humans are nowhere to be found. I lost track.

Damn this crowd!

My sight cannot apprehend how tall and massive the castle towering feet away from my position. That is one huge castle! I wonder how the rulers order humans living in there.

Looks so fancy and far beyond what the castle of the ruler in my world be. I lost count of how many glass or reflective walls it has! My fingers in my hands and even my feet couldn't.

A lot of humans laid their eyes on me with a disbelief expression. Some even laugh at me. While some have keen stares.

I slowly walk away from the crowd and switching myself from camouflage. With this, I bet no one could notice me. But, wait, what is something wrong with me?

I guess it's my clothes. According to the journal, humans tend to have distinct clothes taste or what they call, fashion. Everyone doesn't like my skintight clothes. Even if it's comfortable.

I put on a brave face while storming inside the castle. Momentarily, a white human halted me. It says, "We'll check on you first, Madame." I didn't care if it has a stick that pointed and examined my whole body. "Thank you, Madame." the human added.

I march continuously inside until I find a clothes store. Only a shirt, and baggy pants, will do for today. With a paper bag, the humans folded it and placed it inside the other clothes I bought.

I plan to wander the castle. Of course, why not? Maybe I'll gather clues or information about Kingston. Hope so.

I continue walking around with no idea where to go, observing each human around me. I looked to my right whilst walking, keenly looking at a group of humans laughing. For a moment, I feel something inside of me. Is it envy? Jealousy, perhaps? Humans are born with free will, while us demons are born with no choice but to serve our ruler.

Ah, what am I thinking? I shake my thoughts away, but when I look back straight on the path, I collide with someone. My body is caught off guard, the slippery ground brings no help, so then I pathetically fell on the cold tiles, bottom first. The things I bought just a moment ago dramatically fly out of their bags. I grunt with my eyebrows knitted together.