Chapter 4

"The mortal that was just here a second ago!!"

"But ma'am I didn't see any mortal, are you okay??"

Lady Aphrodite looks at her completely speechless, "Wh-what are nonsense are you saying!?!?"

"Uh, I'm sorry, but I'm telling the truth, ma'am. There was no mortal here," Sabrina replies, still confused.

"Ugh, never mind!! Forget about it! Just leave me alone, and bring me some sake!!"

"Right away, ma'am!" Sabrina says, bowing and then walking away.

As soon as Sabrina left, Aphrodite collapsed onto her bed, a frustrated expression on her face.

"That mortal...how dare he trick me like that? That was supposed to be my chance to have some fun, and he ruined it! He's going to pay for this...even if I have to hunt him down myself," she muttered, clenching her fist in anger.

"Damn it...I can't believe I was fooled by a mere mortal...but if Sabrina said is true then....how can this be, could that mortal be able to escape the grasp of the great Goddess Aphrodite....did those pathetic Goddesses send a spy to investigate my power....no that's impossible they can't even step a foot in my domain."

Aphrodite sat in silence, pondering the possibilities. After a while, she decided to put her curiosity aside and enjoy a nice, relaxing bath.

*****MIRA'S POV*****

As I opened my eyes, the first thing I noticed was the bright light shining down on me. I blinked a few times, trying to get used to the sudden change. As my vision adjusted, I realized that I was no longer in the forest, but in some sort of temple.

The temple was massive, with tall columns and intricate carvings lining the walls. At the far end of the room was a statue of a woman, her body clad in armor and her face covered by a mask.

"Whoa..." I breathed, my eyes widening as I took in the sight.

As I stared in awe, I looked towards a corner of the room and saw someone staring back at me. It was a bold old man that looked like a monk, he was looking at me with a stern look on his face.

"คุณคือใคร?" He said in a stern voice.

"What?" I said, confused by his words.

"....you don't sound like you're around here," he stated as he looked me up and down

"N-no, sir. I'm from Japan," I stuttered, still taken aback by the sudden appearance of the monk.

"Japan...the hell is that?" He asked

"Uh, it's a country...in Asia," I replied, not sure how to explain it to him.

"Asia...that's not a language I'm familiar with. What kind of foreign language is that?"

"It's not a foreign language, it's Japanese," I replied, a bit offended by his assumption.

"Well, whatever, you're weird, it's not important. How did you come here and why?? I thought I sent every demon in this world back to the netherworld"

"W-wait a minute, did you say 'demon'?" I asked, a bit freaked out.

"Yes, didn't you know? This is the Nether Realm, the place where demons reside. Well, it was until I sent them back to the netherworld. But somehow, you're here."

"What's the Nether Realm? And who are you, anyway?"

"I am the great Lord Enki, ruler of the Nether Realm and the Shaoman races," he boasted.

"Lord Enki..." I repeated, the name sounding familiar.

"Yes, but that's not important. How did you get here, mortal?"

"I'm not sure...all I remember is going on a camping trip with my friends and then I opened a door then a bright light .."

"I see...it seems that you're a human from another world. How interesting..."

"Another world?" I asked, confused.

"Yes, this is the Nether Realm, a world parallel to the human realm.

"This is insane....." I said as I hold my head out of shock and fear.

"It's a lot to take in, I know. But there's no need to worry, mortal. You'll be safe here....but you'll be trapped here," he added with a chuckle.

"What do you mean, trapped?" I asked, starting to panic.

"Well after I sent all the demons back to the Netherworld, I placed a barrier around it to prevent them from coming back. That means that even if you're here, there's no way for you or I to leave." He said in a sad tone.

"No way..."

"I'm afraid so, but don't worry, mortal, I'm sure you'll be fine. The demons are weak and cowardly, they'll never come back.

"Wait...my friends!!! What about my friends??? Have you seen anyone else that was with me??"

"No, mortal. It's only you and me. You were the only one to make it through the portal."

"Oh no...I need to get back to them!!!" I cried out in a panicked voice.

"Sorry, mortal, but there's no way to get back. The only way to open a portal is in the Lasma Mountain and not only that, you'll have to search through millions of worlds to find the right world you're looking for," he said with a shrug.

"Lasma Mountain? Is that in the Nether Realm too?"

"Of course. It's the source of power of the world the Elder Gods have gifted us. But like I said, it's not important, there's no way to get back."

"*Deep breath* Okay.....let's think about this," I took a deep breath and calmed down a bit.

"First, tell me everything you know about this Nether Realm, and the Lasma Mountain," I asked.