Sword and Time.

Everything went wrong this week.

My PC's motherboard burned out (editing chapters on a phone is horrendously tedious and complicated. I'm not used to doing this kind of work on my phone. PS: I didn't lose any important files; I keep everything in the cloud.) I'm sick with the flu and will see a doctor tomorrow since this thing won't go away, and I have a slight suspicion it might be dengue. (I'll incinerate every mosquito I see after I recover. I have no idea where I might have caught this.)

To top it off, the project I was planning to launch went wrong. I got tangled up in some parts of the story and had to do a revision. My sick brain made me write all crooked!

Seriously, I'm starting to think that if I write the words "I'll release the next chapter" and put a date after it, everything aligns to screw me over.

I'm afraid to write that phrase again and have a heart attack. No joke!

As for my PC, I've already ordered a new motherboard. It should arrive Monday or Tuesday. I'm posting this from my phone (a terrible place to work). I need to take a nap before heading to the hospital. Sorry for the delay in posting, I'm tired of making excuses, but the reasons are kind of beyond my control.

Well, I think that's it. Good night, everyone, and happy reading!

(P)(A)(T)/CalleumArtori

[...]---[...]

POV: Devas Asura

Apparently, I was immortal. Well, at least a type of immortal, there were many kinds.

I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment. I didn't know what to think about this.

Frankly, I already knew...

I could feel my vitality growing day by day, I just... didn't want to think about it. Or rather, I was avoiding thinking about it because I knew that if I thought too much, I'd end up with a definitive confirmation.

I even avoided looking at that part of my status lately because of it, but it didn't seem to matter much since the confirmation ended up coming out of nowhere.

If I wasn't killed, apparently, I'd be around forever.

"You look pensive." Jinn came out of the Lamp and sat beside me.

A few minutes had passed since Dahlia and Havi had accepted my deal, and the caravan had set up camp while we waited for the Atlas ships, which should arrive in a few hours.

We were a few hundred meters away from them. Not that I hadn't been invited; that was literally the first thing Dahlia and Havi did, but I thought it better to decline.

I didn't want to answer the dozens of questions I knew would come from everyone there, especially after this 'new' information was thrown in my face.

I needed to think a bit.

"I am pensive, Jinn." I lay down on the carpet still on the sand. It was warm. "About a lot of things, to be honest."

"Like what?" She mimicked my movements and lay down beside me. "About what Havi said? Or about the sword?"

She had heard, or rather 'seen'. It was obvious, really.

"A bit of both. Will I meet another naked blue woman when I get the sword?" I threw the subject in a less complicated direction. "Or a man? That would be kinda weird..."

Very weird...

Jinn snorted and laughed at my last comment. If she noticed what I was doing, she didn't comment.

"Activate the table, please. I like to talk, writing is nice, but I've always preferred a conversation..." She asked with a slightly muffled voice.

With a command, the game table was activated. I selected one with only two players, me and Jinn. It was a chess table. The price was also cheap, only ten thousand SP.

I didn't move to start the game and listened to her speak.

"No, you won't meet another naked woman or man." She laughed again. "The sword and the crown don't have a guardian, only the Lamp and the Staff."

"What's in Atlas?" I hummed. "Any specific reason for that?"

"The sword and the crown are more instinctive. The Brother of Light didn't find it necessary to create a guardian for those two relics."

"But for Knowledge and Creation, yes." I affirmed.

"Yes. Those two are the relics that the Brother of Light judged would need a guide." She nodded and turned to look at me. It was curious the contrast of her blue skin with the white dress, especially since we were surrounded by sand.

"Knowledge is something complicated, sometimes tortuous and difficult to explain." She turned again, looking at the blue cloudless sky and stretched her hand upward.

The chains on her wrists swayed. I hadn't paid much attention before, but they must be made of Jinn's power or something like that since I couldn't pull them into the inventory.

"I am that bridge, what connects the knowledge the Lamp provides to the user. A guardian and a guide..." A prisoner too, I realized, but didn't comment.

She became melancholic for a moment before continuing.

"As for the Relic of Creation, who bridges that is my 'brother', Ambrosius."

"So there is a naked blue guy." I pointed out. She laughed again and didn't deny it.

It was lucky Qrow wasn't in the (CHAT), otherwise, I could already see the hell he would raise in James' life with the knowledge that the Atlas relic had an equivalent to Jinn, only male.

"Yes, Ambrosius, like me, doesn't usually wear clothes, not that it bothers us." She shrugged. "It's very limiting and suffocating, frankly, almost useless too."

"It helps with cold, protection, and, of course, modesty." I pointed out a small list.

"I don't feel cold, at least not normally. I don't need protection since I've never been in battles." Jinn negatively pointed out all the items on the list. "Modesty is also a human thing; I'm not human."

"Fair." It was my turn to shrug.

The next few hours passed quickly, between conversations with Jinn and the (CHAT) time flew by.

I also trained a few things, nothing too flashy, just tried to imitate the way Dahlia's magic moved and how the woman used her powers.

My results were better than I expected.

When the sky started to darken, James' troops arrived at our position. I could hear the ships before they even came into the Minimap's range.

When the ships landed, a man came to speak to me. He was about thirty years old, tall, a few centimeters taller than me, with short brown hair and green eyes. He wore a white Atlas uniform.

I recognized him as one of the people who were watching when Ozpin and I went to see Tyrian in the interrogation room.

I stood up and waited for the man to come to me. Jinn was already inside the Lamp, the woman having returned the moment the ship landed.

"Mr. Devas!" The man gave me a formal army salute. "Specialist Clover Ebi reporting, sir!"

"Drop the 'Mr.' and 'sir', I'm not in the army, much less your superior." I didn't hesitate to respond. Again with the 'Mr.' thing? It was already strange to hear Dahlia and Havi call me that thinking I was a god, now this?

At least it wasn't 'Lord', because if it was, that would be weird.

"Has James already told you everything that's going on here?" In this case, referring to the caravan. I asked just to be sure.

"Yes, Mr. Devas, the General has given us all the information. We can start relocating everyone from the caravan at any moment, just give the orders." Clover responded firmly.

Well, James apparently sent someone competent. I ignored how he called me and continued speaking.

"Come, I'll introduce you to Dahlia and Havi." I waved and started walking to the caravan. Practically everyone there was already looking in our direction.

A short conversation later and a few more assurances, the entire caravan started to move to the ships.

"Who would've thought I'd return to live inside one of the kingdoms? Looks like I still have some surprises left in this life." An old man who frankly should be about two hundred years old commented as he passed by.

He walked with a bent back, but even so, he wasn't short. The little skin I could see under the clothes the old man wore was brown with some small darker spots.

His hair, like the goatee on his chin, was a dirty silver color, old, and his eyes were yellowish brown.

He seemed a bit crazy, to be honest. Or, in this case, senile?

The old man also had his Aura unlocked, I could easily feel it. It was something worn, dotted, almost like sand, but it still seemed resilient unlike his body.

"You, Devas, right?" He turned and pointed at me with his finger. I could notice some small tremors in his hand, probably due to his age. "The two kids said you're possibly a god, how right are they?"

"By kids, I imagine you mean Dahlia and Havi?" I asked. The old man nodded and tugged at his own beard a few times. "No, I'm not a god. I can guarantee I'm human."

The old man tugged at his beard a few more times before looking me in the eyes and laughing.

"You do seem more human than divine." He laughed to himself for some time before tugging his beard again and walking away.

I thought he would just leave, but he turned after a few steps and pointed at me again.

"Would you accept this old man's advice, Devas?" He asked, tugging his beard with the hand that wasn't pointing in my direction.

Somehow, I knew that even if I refused, he would still continue talking, so I nodded for him to go on.

"Get a hobby, painting, sculpting, go fishing if you want, it's up to you. It'll do you good to occupy your time with something relaxing." He tugged his beard one last time before turning and walking away.

I looked at the old man's back for a second before sighing and turning away.

"A hobby?.." It wasn't bad advice, nor was it new.

Many people in the (CHAT) had already told me to find something to do that wasn't 'work'. I'll see what I can do…

It took me a few seconds to walk to where Dahlia, Havi, and Clover were. The three were discussing some final agreements, accommodations, and everything else.

Apparently, they had decided to live in the Vale, since Atlas had a very different climate from Vacuo.

"Is everything ready?" I asked, looking up. It was getting dark, the sky was already turning orange. "We have some ground to cover to Shade."

"We're finished here, Mr. Devas. We're ready for takeoff. Would you like a ship to take the three of you to the Academy?" Clover asked.

"I was actually planning to run…" It's faster. I also asked Jinn about Dahlia's speed, and even with me going at the Maiden's pace, we'd get there faster than a Bull-Head.

But three?...

"You intend to join us, Havi?" I turned to the man with the feathered mustache.

"If possible, I would like to, Mr. Devas." A simple but determined response.

"Can you carry him with your powers, Dahlia?" I asked the woman.

"I can, Mr. Devas. Don't worry, I won't slow you down even if I carry Havi."

Well, it's decided then.

I didn't ask about the caravan; if Havi was determined to come, they had probably appointed someone as leader while they were away.

It was only after the ships took off, leaving us alone, that we started walking.

"Do you know where Shade is, Dahlia?" I asked. It was better for her to lead so I could follow.

"We both know." She walked over to her husband and placed her hand on his shoulders. The moment she did, they both started to float.

I instantly realized what Dahlia was doing. The Maiden was controlling mana, infusing it into the air and manipulating it to keep the two of them floating.

Interesting…

I casually looked at the mana in the surroundings before nodding.

"Lead the way, go at your maximum speed."

Dahlia nodded, and I could feel and see her mana bursting from her body, covering the entire area around. It was as if the whole environment around had become a part of her… No, that phrasing was wrong.

I corrected myself mentally. It was more like Dahlia was forcing the environment to her will, whether the air or the sand on the ground, Dahlia was molding it forcefully, not gently.

I looked at the couple one last time before they disappeared with a burst of speed.

"Boom!"

Curiously, even though the sound barrier was broken, the sand around was barely affected. Dahlia really had good control over her powers.

I watched them flying in the distance before turning my gaze to the (CHAT).

[JinnOfTheLamp]: Their speed is Mach 1.8. Dahlia can go faster, she's instinctively holding back for fear of hurting herself and her husband.

"Two thousand two hundred kilometers per hour." I quickly calculated Dahlia's speed. "The Maidens really are strong, aren't they?…"

Ruby, who had a Semblance focused on speed, wasn't as fast as Dahlia. Well, Ruby wasn't much slower either, but that was with Dahlia holding back.

In any case, their current speed was enough. We'd reach Shade in no time, so it didn't matter much if she was holding back or not.

"Is Mr. Devas not coming, dear?" I heard Havi's voice asking as the man turned to look at me. "Did something happen?"

"No, just thinking." I replied, appearing beside the two, who were surprised.

I could see Dahlia's mana becoming unstable for a moment with the surprise, the two wavering in the air for a few moments before the Maiden regained stability.

"He's fast…" Dahlia murmured before widening her eyes. "Mr. Devas, how are we hearing you? How can you hear us, actually?"

"I'm amplifying my voice with mana." It was a trick I had learned after copying the Deerclops' roar. I had done it with my spiritual energy before, it was easy to figure out how to do it with mana.

It wasn't perfect or very useful in combat currently, but it served well to transmit my voice over long distances or at high speeds.

"As for how I'm hearing you?… My senses are good." I shrugged.

The two could hear each other thanks to Dahlia's powers, creating a 'barrier' around them. This barrier both protected them from the wind and sand and allowed them to communicate and breathe normally.

It was quite incredible, to be honest.

I wasn't inside this barrier, so I had to improvise a bit to hear them. Not much, I just had to concentrate a little to pick up their voices within the barrier.

It was also a simple matter to read their lips thanks to the stream.

Of course, there were some other alternatives I could use, but these two were the simplest.

"Just good?…" Havi murmured. "What are mine then? I didn't know I was blind and deaf."

My only response was a light laugh.

"Mr. Devas, that flame around you, what is it?" Dahlia asked after some hesitation. "It's… strange, doesn't look like normal fire."

"It's basically magical fire." I thought this answer was better than: It's hellfire. "You should be able to create something similar with your powers."

Or at least that's what Jinn and Ozpin had said. It wouldn't really be something similar to Shadowflame, but it would be magical.

"Magical fire?…" Dahlia glanced at the Shadowflame from the corner of her eye before looking away when I looked in her direction. "Your eyes…"

She hesitated; I could feel her emotions shifting to slight fear while her voice trembled. The respect also had grown.

"… Why are they orange?…"

This last part was whispered in such a low tone that I'm sure it was something said unconsciously by her. Still, I thought it best to respond.

"It's a small peculiarity, helps me with some things." Things like seeing how a Maiden's mana and powers worked.

I moved my mana casually in my hand, creating a small gust of wind. It was weak and used much more mana than it should have…

I am human, nothing human is foreign to me…

… But I think I understood how it worked.

Less than an hour later, we had arrived in Shade.

[…]

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Devas," Theodore greeted us at the entrance to the capital. I knew it was him because I had seen a photo of him before.

The photo was recent, apparently, as the man in front of me was identical to the image. As always, he was tall, nearly two meters in height. Theodore had dark brown, almost black hair, cut short on the sides, eyes of the same color, and dark skin.

He seemed vain just by looking at him; his clothes only confirmed it, being flashy compared to the attire I had seen on the people of Vacuo.

Theodore wore a gray-blue cloak that reached down to his ankles, fastened at the shoulders with silver chains. A white shirt under a blue and white checkered vest, along with brown pants and a pair of high white boots.

It was a rather odd ensemble, but I wasn't very good with fashion either. His gloves caught my attention; they were red and, from what I could sense, made of Fire and Gravity Dust.

"Ozpin told you to call me that, didn't he?" I asked. Theodore didn't deny it. Damn old man. "You can call me Devas, I'm not a big fan of formalities."

He nodded, and I continued.

"Pleasure to meet you, Theodore." He already knew my name, so I skipped some introductions and turned to the other two with me.

"This is Dahlia and Havi." The two nodded at Theodore. Havi stepped forward and extended a hand to the man, who shook it in return.

Dahlia just stayed silent, catching her breath. She seemed tired. It looked like running to Shade, or in her case, flying, had taken its toll.

"Well, let's get going. Ozpin said you were in a hurry and I don't want to take up too much of your time." Theodore turned and started walking, signaling for us to follow. "I won't lie, I'm also curious about 'that'."

By 'that,' I think he meant the sword. I could see him glancing at the Lamp on my waist as well; if it weren't for Jinn assuring me he wasn't a traitor and my ability to sense his emotions, which were mainly centered around curiosity, I would have thought he was another Lionheart.

I still kept my senses on alert anyway.

"Do you want to rest a bit, Dahlia?" I asked as we walked. The woman still seemed a little out of breath.

"I'm fine, don't worry." She waved her free hand, the other holding Havi's hand. "It's been a while since I've been to the capital, it's almost nostalgic…"

Dahlia looked around, as did Havi.

"Well, I hope you enjoy the visit then." Theodore turned and gestured to the city around us. "My city is always open to those who fight against 'The Big One'. You're welcome back anytime, and I'll receive you with open arms."

I snorted at the nickname he had for Salem. Dahlia and Havi just looked confused for a moment before nodding and returning to their surroundings.

As for the capital, its beauty was different from Mistral's. It wasn't ugly, but if I had to choose, I'd pick Mistral or Vale.

The buildings around were brownish-orange, made from the same stones as the ground. The architecture reminded me a bit of ancient Persia, or at least what I had seen in history books.

But the most impressive thing in the city was the academy. Shade was surrounded by huge walls, not as tall as Terraria's, but they must have been thirty meters high easily.

Inside the walls was where the houses looked more 'polished'. Even the air was cleaner, containing less dust. I didn't even have to think to know that this was the noble district of the capital.

In the middle of it all was Shade. The academy was a large pyramid, with two big staircases winding around the entire structure leading to the top. The place was surrounded by plants, with several artificial pools like a huge oasis.

There was only one river I could see on the minimap, passing through the rear of the capital, but if there were two, I would have easily called this place Uruk.

Not that the king of Uruk would have agreed.

We passed some students on our way to the Vault. I could easily hear the gossip and murmurs, almost everyone wondering who we were and why we were with Theodore.

The man seemed quite popular among the students and the general population.

Curiously, even here, some recognized me, some from the videos of the Vale invasion and others from the interview Ozpin had forced me to participate in at Mistral after Lionheart's death.

I didn't do literally anything in that interview besides standing still after answering that I was a new Beacon professor.

After a few minutes of walking, we reached what looked very much like a throne room.

I only knew this place was Theodore's office because of the various modern decorations and the photo frames on the walls, some with faces I knew like Ozpin, Qrow, and Glynda.

I noticed there was an empty spot among the photo frames, not seeming intentional for decoration, but rather that a photo frame that used to be there was no longer present.

"Welcome to my office. I couldn't help but hear that Miss Dahlia is tired, would you like to rest a bit?" Theodore asked. "Would you like a drink?"

Of course, him stating that this was his office also didn't help with the 'mystery'.

The two, like me, declined. I was fine, and Dahlia had recovered enough not to seem so breathless anymore. With nothing holding us back, we headed to the Vault, which, for the first time, wasn't a damn elevator.

Screw it, I'd rather walk down dozens of flights of stairs than be stuck in those slow things.

As for the Vault, it was similar to Mistral's, containing an identical door. The only difference was the tree above the door; in Mistral, the tree seemed to be a cherry blossom, whereas here, it was one I had no idea what species it was.

Apparently, my doubt showed on my face because the (CHAT-JINN) got a new message.

[JinnOfTheLamp]: The tree is a Caucasian zelkova. They usually grow in mountains and need a lot of sun, but thanks to the Vault's mana, this one has managed to grow here without much trouble. (Emote of a Chibi Jinn holding a tree sapling).

I had never heard that name or seen that tree before today. Well, live and learn.

"Here it seems more... Alive?" Dahlia tilted her head as if unsure of the word to use. "The air is purer? Shouldn't it be the opposite since we're underground?"

"It's not really the air, it's the mana in the air." I explained briefly. "The mana in Remnant's atmosphere is scarcer than here."

"Is it thanks to what's behind the door?" Dahlia asked. "I can feel it, there's something there…"

An instinctive connection?

"Yes, it's because of the relic behind the door." Everyone's eyes instinctively went to the Lamp hanging from my waist.

"Another one of those?" Havi guessed, pointing at the Lamp. Dahlia had told him that the Lamp seemed strange before, that it looked different.

Almost there, the one behind this door is a sword." I didn't specify what the sword did and walked up to the door, placing my hand on it.

I could feel that there was something behind this door, or rather, a separate space behind it. It was like the VoidBag or a Terraria Travel Space, the only difference being that, unlike the former, I wasn't linked to the Vault.

I could probably force my way in, but the chances of that going wrong were high. Maybe if I used the Shadowflame and my Semblance to wear down the 'lock' the door had, the odds would be better, but it was better not to risk it.

I stepped away from the door and waved to Dahlia, who walked up to the front of the door and mimicked my actions. The moment the Maiden's hand touched the door, just like in Mistral, it glowed, but this time in a dull red.

I could feel Dahlia and Havi's emotions fluctuate, the former with surprise and the latter with fear, not for himself, I knew, but for his wife.

Theodore seemed excited, almost like a child who had seen something cool. The man was spirited.

After a few seconds, the door opened, but unlike the desert behind Mistral's door, behind this one lay a forest covered in trees with reddish-brown leaves.

An autumn forest. Ozpin must have been joking when he created these things.

I was the first to step through the door. Dahlia and Havi hesitated while Theodore seemed to be waiting for me to take the first step to follow.

"You know, since I became the Headmaster of Shade, I've wanted to know what was behind this door." The man looked around. "I have to say, I'm not disappointed."

"You would be if it were Mistral's." Theodore turned confused to me. "There it was a desert."

Shade and the capital were surrounded by one too. What the city lacked in sand was an impossibility.

"That would be quite disappointing." He didn't deny it.

While Theodore, Dahlia, and Havi looked around amazed, especially Dahlia, who seemed impressed even with the leaves on the ground, I walked to where I could feel the sword.

Or rather, the divinity in it.

The funniest thing was that I ended up finding the sword stuck in a stone and not floating majestically like the Lamp.

I couldn't make out much of the sword's appearance. It was covered by the undergrowth of the area up to the hilt; the little I could see of the blade was a bluish-silver color.

As much as I hated the idea of touching an artifact that I wasn't sure what it did, let alone a divine one, there shouldn't be any problem with the sword.

Jinn had said it would probably be fine if I touched it. I also couldn't feel anything really hostile coming from it, so I took a step forward and...

... Pulled the sword into the VoidBag.

Screw if I'm touching that thing without some kind of test first. My name wasn't Arthur to pull the sword with my own hands.

Interestingly, the sword didn't resist being pulled into the VoidBag at all.

"That's it, we're done here, let's go." I clapped my hands as if wiping the dust off them and turned around. "Grab some leaves, seedlings, or whatever you want from here, it'll probably collapse in a few days."

That's what Jinn had said at least. Without the relic supporting the artificial space, it would just start shrinking until it collapsed around itself.

"Is that it?" Dahlia asked confusedly. "Where did the sword go?"

"I stored it somewhere else. I'll pull it out later." I explained casually.

Dahlia nodded still with doubt, but didn't ask anything more. Havi didn't ask any questions either, the man was still looking around somewhat impressed.

Neither of them had greed in their emotions or envy, which surprised me a little given that the relic theoretically belonged to Dahlia, as she was the Summer Maiden, but no, they seemed fine with me taking it apparently.

Theodore was almost the same, the man just seemed sad that he couldn't see the sword himself, but didn't comment.

"Do these trees always grow with leaves this color?" Theodore asked. "It's not the red of Forever Fall's leaves, but it's still beautiful."

I shifted my gaze to the (CHAT-JINN).

"Yes, they will also grow even here in Vacuo." I spoke the words Jinn had typed. "Need help taking some of the trees up there?"

"That, my friend, I will not refuse."

After clearing a forest and replanting it in the back of Shade Academy, I said goodbye to Theodore, who went to sleep, as did Dahlia and Havi, who had gone to Shade's guest room long ago.

It was late, the moon was already high in the sky. The stream's clock read: [2:12]

If it were up to me, I'd be running back to Vale right now, but I knew Dahlia wouldn't be able to make the trip, especially as tired as she was, so I agreed we'd leave Shade early tomorrow.

"I'll show my sword tomorrow... That sentence sounded suspicious." I ignored the small chaos in the (CHAT) and sighed. "Good night, you disturbed people, see you today in a few hours. Message me if something happens."

With one last farewell, I ended the stream. I had already mentioned that if something happened in Vale or Beacon, they should message me. Even if Vale's CCT tower fell, my phone would still receive the message, even if the sender didn't have internet.

Small advantages of having a magic cell phone.

I walked to the edge of the river and stopped a few meters from the water. I stood for a few seconds looking at the moon before opening my mouth...

"Jinn, I want to ask you a question."

... Then the world froze.

The river water stopped flowing, the wind stopped blowing, as did the grains of sand and earth that the breeze occasionally carried.

Two things moved, me and the blue woman... Who happened to be naked.

"You don't miss an opportunity, do you?" Jinn laughed and swung her legs, spinning in the air. She wasn't at her original three meters, so her movements seemed much more natural.

"If I could, I wouldn't wear clothes. I've said before, it's restrictive." She floated to my side and spun around me. "So, Devas, what's your question? Or did you call me just to ogle my naked body?~"

"Neither one, actually." The latter was a bonus, really. I replied, making Jinn pout. "I want you to freeze me in time, is that possible?"

"Not without someone else asking the question." Jinn wagged her finger. "I can't freeze the Lamp user."

"That's what I figured." I tapped twice on the Slime Staff that was at my waist next to the Lamp. "Millia, are you awake?"

A few seconds later, a small green ball emerged from the staff and jumped onto my shoulder.

"I AM!" Millia wrote quickly before spinning, as if looking around and deflating. "Oh... We're still in the desert..."

She really didn't like sand.

"I'm not a big fan of sand either, Millia." Jinn waved to the little slime, who waved back.

Apparently not even Jinn, but I feel like the latter was because of her 'home' in the last millennia.

Millia didn't even blink at Jinn's nudity, partly because she didn't have eyes, but also because Millia, even having lived with the Fae and Terrarians, didn't care much about the norm of clothes.

"Millia, I need you to do me a favor..." I explained the basics of the situation to the little slime. After listening to everything, Millia shaped a small hand and gave me a thumbs-up before picking up the Slime Staff and jumping onto Jinn's shoulders.

The moment the world thawed, I glanced at my cell phone for a few seconds. After not receiving any message like "Time stopped, was it you?" I waved to Millia.

It seems that with the stream off, Remnant's viewers were affected by the Lamp just like everyone else.

I threw my cell phone to Jinn and some treats, mostly sweets that Millia loved, before stepping away.

"That should let you two talk without your restrictions getting in the way." Jinn waved and held the phone in her hands. The game table would be the best answer here, but I couldn't use it without the stream being on.

"You can ask, Millia." I spoke aloud and prepared myself.

I had only read the words: "Jinn, I want to ask a question." Before my instincts kicked in full force, even knowing what was going to happen.

At the last moment, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Then the world froze.

[...]

POV: Jinn.

"Is Devas going to be okay, Aunt Jinn?" I looked at the small words Millia molded. "Aunt Alice said messing with time is dangerous..."

Aunt Alice? Who was that? I needed to ask about that later... Or now, we had time, right? But first...

"Devas is not in danger, Millia. He's just training something absurd." I extended my hands for Millia to jump onto, and I sat leaning against one of the trees Devas had replanted.

The man had replanted a small forest in just a few hours, and he did it in a way that the trees would thrive. It was always impressive to watch how he did things.

I placed the man's phone on my lap. Thanks to the device, I could have a peaceful conversation with Millia. Sure, I still couldn't answer very focused questions, but that wouldn't stop our conversation.

"I see..." The little slime spun around and looked at the frozen Devas. "Devas reminds me a bit of Daddy, you know?"

"Your dad? Why?" I asked curiously.

"Daddy always trained too, even though he was the king he never stopped training..." Millia quickly molded the words. "Mom used to tell me stories about Daddy, want to hear some?"

"I would love to, Millia!" I would do it just to please the small and kind slime, but also a story about a Slime King from another world?

There was no way I would miss that!

We had some time. I couldn't keep time stopped forever; the relic wouldn't allow it, but for a few days? That was simple.

Millia jumped excitedly a few seconds before she started molding words again.

"My favorite story is about how Daddy became the king! Mom always loved telling that story too..."

Then Millia began telling the story about a 'Little weak blue slime' who would later be called a king.

A slime who wasn't born special but molded himself to be. Who no matter the enemy, never gave up, never stopped.

No matter how many enemies, how big and strong those enemies were, the 'little weak blue slime' never surrendered, never stopped, never fled, and always fought with everything he had.

Someone who was born like all others around him, but who alone, by himself, rose to be the greatest, the strongest of his kind.

But apparently not the smartest.

"Mom always said she was smarter, Dad never denied it!" Millia's body trembled as if she were laughing.

After that, the slime didn't change, even when everyone around followed him for being the strongest, crowning him a leader...

... A King.

He didn't stop trying, improving, but now not just for himself but for his people and everyone who chose to trust him.

"Is that how he met your mother, Millia?" I asked. "Was she one of the slimes who followed him?"

"What?! No!" Millia trembled again, laughing. "Mom was Dad's enemy. Mom doesn't like to talk about it, but Dad told me in secret that Mom tried to kill him every time they faced each other! 'She was like a demon, daughter, believe me!' He always said that!"

I mimicked the actions of the small slime and began to laugh. I could imagine Millia's father pulling his daughter aside and whispering how scary his wife was.

Them being slimes made everything even funnier.

From what Millia said, her father should be big, but I couldn't help but imagine him as a little ball like Millia.

I was silent for a few seconds while Millia ate a piece of cake Devas had left.

"Do you want one, Aunt Jinn?" Millia offered.

"No, Millia, thank you." I declined, looking away at Devas. The man was still frozen with closed eyes, unmoving. It was strange to see him like this.

The Devas I knew had various mannerisms: always tapping his fingers on the nearest surface, always looking around, analyzing the environment. Seeing him still felt... Wrong.

"Why was your mother your father's enemy, Millia? Was she from another kingdom?" I asked to occupy my thoughts. Millia finished eating before she answered me.

"Mom was from another kingdom, and some fights happened because of a misunderstanding, or that's what Mom says." Millia jumped from my hand and grabbed another piece of cake before jumping back.

"Mom was the best friend, helper, and advisor of Aunt Alice, who was the queen of that kingdom that fought with Dad's kingdom." Millia shivered as if she were laughing. "Even though Dad joked that she was actually a pet that got too strong."

"Mom and Aunt Alice always got mad at him when he said that." Millia added after a few moments.

And there's Aunt Alice again.

"Who is this Aunt Alice, Millia?" I asked. Another slime, maybe? I still needed to watch Devas's old streams, but the man never stopped!

How could I watch what he did before if he was doing something now? I couldn't look away, or I would end up missing something!

"Aunt Alice?..." Millia paused for a moment as if thinking before she resumed writing. "To me, she's Aunt Alice, but others called her by some titles."

Millia jumped a few times on my hand before continuing and listing the titles. Energetic little thing.

I read each of them, all impressive, even with the little context I had.

The Fae Queen.

The Strongest Light.

The Empress of Light.

All titles were impressive, but the last one caught my attention the most.

"But there was one title that only Dad called her..." Millia jumped from one hand to another while molding the words. "He was the only one who called her that for some reason, and always when it was just Aunt Alice, Dad, and Mom in the room."

"You too, I imagine." I nudged Millia with a finger. The slime molded its body into a mouth shape and pretended to bite before continuing to write.

"Yes, me too. I could never hide from either of them... And I'm the best at hide-and-seek!" The slime puffed up as if pouting before deflating and finally saying what her father called the Queen of the Fae.

"Dad always called Aunt Alice... The Goddess of Hallow."

"A goddess?!" Millia knew a goddess?

"Aunt Alice always said no, that she was just the Ancient Spirit, but Dad always laughed when she said that." Millia splashed and erased the words before quickly writing others.

"Dad always said: 'If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and flies like a duck, it's a duck. Admit it, Alice, you're a goddess, your divinity is there to prove it.'"

Millia hesitated for a few seconds before writing again.

"I... Haven't told Devas yet about Aunt Alice being a goddess... Do you think he'll be mad at me if I tell him?..."

Oh, sweet child... I couldn't help but pull Millia into a hug.

"Do you think that because of how he talks about the gods?" Millia nodded without words. "I won't answer your question yet, Millia, but I'll ask mine, okay?"

Another nod. I continued speaking.

"You said Devas resembles your father. Tell me, would your father be mad at you for this?" Another nod, this time a denial. "You've known him longer than I have, Millia. Tell me, do you think Devas would be mad at you for this?"

I knew in the first few minutes of conversation what kind of man, human, Devas was. He was complicated, yes, very complicated, but also very... Very simple.

If Devas considered someone an ally, a friend, he would help them with his maximum effort and maybe even more than that.

I had seen how Devas treated Millia. Saying he treated her like a father treated a daughter wouldn't be wrong.

Devas gave literally everything the little one wanted, always made sure to include her in everything he could, and always, no matter how busy he was, made sure to spend time with her...

Knowing Devas as I did, as Millia did, there was only one answer to the question I had asked the small slime, and the answer was simple...

"No, I could never be angry with you, Millia."

... I just didn't expect the one who answered me would be Devas himself.

[...]---[...]

What can I say about this chapter? Well, it's basically some interactions I wanted to include, some quite important for something I've been planning for a while, others not so much.

Sword in hand (or almost). Millia and Jinn have a conversation that revealed some Terraria-related things, and finally Devas shows why he is who he is.

Having said that, good night and happy reading!

P.S. Silly question here. Which world would you like to see more of:

1: Runeterra (League of Legends)

2: Lands Between (Elden Ring)

Feel free to comment, it's obviously just a pointless question that shouldn't exist.