Roman went to investigate the tower that was giving him a weird vibe. There he saw two people training. It was Sarah and Li. On the sidelines, there stood Serene and Sisu.
Roman kept looking at the training, but when Li noticed him, he called the training off for a moment and went to chat to Roman.
Li said "So you are the one that came here suddenly."
Roman said "Yeah. My wife and I came here to look for a solution to my issue."
Li said "You don't say…" Both continue to stare at each other for a moment, as if something is connecting the two.
Then Li says to Roman "Have we… met somewhere before?" To which Roman said "No, but I get the feeling that we have met somewhere. Or at least… something is connecting us."
Li says "Same here. For some reason, the name King Sombra comes to mind."
Roman says "Same here." And Li asks "Do you know who that person is? I don't seem to recall any by the name of Sombra."
Roman replies "No, I also haven't heard a name like that in my entire life."
Li says "All that comes to mind is a sombrero, but that is a hat." Roman replies with "Is that so. For some reason, I get the image of a horse of some kind. A black horse with a curved horn."
Li asks "An unicorn?" To which Roman answers "I don't know. It is all fuzzy."
Li says "I see."
Both stay silent for a few moments
.
.
.
Then Li asks "So why did you come to this island? Interested in the tower?" And Roman replies "Yeah, that was what I initially came to see until I noticed you. But still, what is that strange feeling I'm getting from that tower?"
Li answers "That must be the ana around us that you are feeling. That, or whatever allows gods to come to the other realms without issue."
Roman says "Ana? What kind of thing is that?" To which Li turns around and says "Let's talk while we walk. It is a long story."
And so, Li tells the story of the rell and Odysseium.
Meanwhile, in the main square, Ao is waiting for Maumar to come, though it is still 11:58. Ao is currently thinking "What if he doesn't come and that woman lied to me? Wouldn't be a surprise though. All things considered that is."
Somewhere on the corner, Tifa is looking at Ao. After hearing that Maumar and Ao will go on a date from Altair, she couldn't help herself to go see what will happen. Why is Tifa doing this? Even though she doesn't fully know, she is convinced that it has something to do with how Maumar sometimes can be in front of others.
Few seconds before 12:00, Maumar appears next to Ao. Ao responds by saying "You are late." To which Maumar points at the clock tower that starts to ring when he points it. The clock tower only rings at 12:00 exactly each day, and even though Maumar's expression doesn't change, Ao and Tifa can feel the aura that spews "victory" all over their faces.
Maumar then asks "Shall we get going?" To which Ao responds with "So you have some sort of plan in mind, huh."
Maumar says "The woman that told me to come here said it was a date, so I looked through some date plans and potential hotspots you might want to see. Those were from the earth that this city's king was originally from, so I didn't know how much they would hold here. But fear not, little Ao, I planned all the potential places beforehand and came with enough cash to pay for both of us."
Ao says "I see. But do you even need to eat?" To which Maumar says "I can, but don't need to. So shall we get going, little Ao?"
Ao responds "Sure, but don't call me little." As Ao said that, both began to walk to the first destination. Tifa was hot on their tail, but she didn't know that she was being monitored by Vega, who was watching the whole situation unfold.
Vega commented "-20p for Maumar. He didn't even comment on how Ao looked or ask if she waited for long. I've been monitoring for quite some time, and I can confirm that Ao has been waiting there for 2 hours straight. And given that Maumar can basically come whenever he pleases, he loses an additional 10p. We are now at -30p Mr. Maumar, so you better have some real smooth moves on your sleeves."
Maumar and Ao's first destination was a caffé. There, while Ao was looking at the options, Maumar just stood there like he was haunting the place.
When Ao ordered a latte and a piece of strawberry cake, Maumar said "I take the same." This made the barista and Ao confused, as they didn't think Maumar would order a strawberry cake.
Ao even asked "Are you sure? There are other options." To which Maumar replied "From the beginning, I decided to take whatever you take so that we can share the experience."
Ao said "Ok." with little reluctance and when the barista asked for payment, Maumar pulled an orichalcum coin and placed it on the counter.
The barista, Ao and a couple other customers stared at the coin for a moment, until Maumar asked "Hmmm… This reaction… I seem to have made the same mistake again. I thought for certain that this would suffice, but it seems that I was wrong."
Maumar takes the orichalcum coin back to his wallet and then pulls out a platinum coin. Ao can't help but slap Maumar on the back of his head and say "Are you trying to buy the whole caffé or something?"
Maumar says "I see. So this isn't the correct sum after all…" Then Maumar pulls a platinum coin that has three jewels embedded in it, making it worth $1 000 000 000.
Ao grabs Maumar on the scuff of his robes and says "Are you fucking serious?! What sort of stuff do you think is the lattes and strawberry cakes made out of?!"
Maumar, not showing a hint of emotion, says "At least some coffee beans and a strawberry or two. Milk?"
Ao shouts "Of course they have milk in it you dumbass! But that isn't the issue. I'm asking you why are you trying to pay with a coin that can basically purchase an entire space station?!"
Maumar says "I don't understand the issue. Both are quite valuable assets to whoever is using them." Ao headbuts Maumar, who shows no reaction to it.
After letting go of Maumar, Ao asked Maumar with as much calm as she could muster "Do you have any bronze or silver coins?" To which Maumar says "I do have, let's see…" Maumar looks at his wallet and says "Well I don't have any bronze coins, but I do have a couple silver coins."
Ao says as calmly as she can "Just… give one to the barista." Then Ao turns to the barista and says "That should be fine, right?" To which the barista says "Of course, please wait for me to get the change."
After finally being done with the transaction, both Ao and Maumar go find a table.
Meanwhile Tifa is facepalming while saying "Why can't that fucking turd learn how to pay for regular things? Just… Just why can't it be done?"
Also meanwhile, Vega comments "For the 'so that we can share the experience' I'll give Maumar +5p. For the whole payment thing however, I give Maumar -50p. You now stand at -75p Maumar. You better not disappoint me even though this is entertaining to watch."
Ao enjoys her latte and cake, but Maumar just jugs the latte in and sucks the cake like it is air. Immediately Vega responds "-10p"
Ao says to Maumar "You really have changed." To which Maumar says "Indeed, but what makes you point it out?"
Ao says "You used to enjoy small things in life. You used to have a warm smile almost on a constant basis. You were the one that gave Atkoosa that sort of personality. You were the one who gave Copellius the meaning of music. You were the one that gave Sahra the authority and meaning of time. You used to be the first one to cry when something ended in failure, especially when life was involved. You used to guide me when I was lost. You… You used to understand the meaning of love."
Maumar simply said "While I have lost all that made me Primordial God Maumar, I still hold dear to my duty as one of the key sustainers of this world. That said, I would commit to losing it all over again if it meant that my and my dear companions' creations would last a bit longer. Just for a moment is fine."
Ao is silent at first, but then Maumar says "I also would love to be called papa by someone of my own blood. That is one thing I won't give up on even if everything else is lost. In fact, I kind of want to go see my daughter right now. Why don't we do that?"
Ao sighs and says "You are really invested in her, aren't you. But no, this is our time together, so let's keep it that way."
Maumar says "Ah, I see. Well… the event is just about to arrive." Ao questions "Event? What are you…"
Then an elf noble who has two bodyguards around him shouts at the barista "What do you mean you won't work for me?! Your brew is out of this world and you are wasting it on giving it to some commoners who can't appreciate its true value! That and you let human scum drink it publicly as well! Just come with me and…"
Maumar starts to walk towards the shouting elf. The elf's guards get in his way and says "Not another step you…" But Maumar just passes right through him. As Maumar passes through the guard, the guard see his whole life pass before his eyes multiple times over. As if he is trapped by something dangerous for what feels like eternity. But in real time, Maumar didn't even spend two seconds inside the guard. After Maumar has passed, the guard falls to his knees and gasps for air.
Maumar then puts his hand on top of the noble elf's head and says "Hello there Ulliarnas Dent."
Dent tries to shove Maumar's hand away as he says "Don't touch me human!" But his hand passes right through like a ghost, even though he can clearly feel Maumar's touch on top of his head.
Maumar then says "Since you think it is so great to have good tasting coffee and you want to go as far as to taste it always, why don't I take your taste away so that you can appreciate the less tasty options."
Dent shouts "What are you…" Before he suddenly loses the lingering taste of coffee on his tongue.
Then Maumar pulls out the orichalcum coin from earlier from his pocket and hands it to Mr. Dent.
Then Maumar says to the barista "I'm sorry that this man has caused some trouble. I hope that this sudden loss of taste will teach him some of the virtues of silence in a place like this."
Dent shouts "How dare you talk to me like I'm a lower class citizen?! Since you know who I am, I'm sure you…"
Maumar stops Dent before saying "Oh I know you very well Mr. Dent. You are the one that goes to the high class brothel Succubus Kiss on a constant basis and your favorite hostess is Marbela."
Dent starts to look a little pale and Maumar continues "You also have a developing paertyda addiction and you take some of that money from your parent's savings. You also will soon suffer from kidney stones, which will irritate you even more and you lose your fiancé as a result of this. Eventually you gain a urinary infection from the kidney stones and since you will have withdraws about then, your parents will ignore you and you eventually die from it."
Dent starts to leave while baffled, and Maumar just says "Why don't I just send you to your home and let you think about it for a moment."
And with that, Dent and his guards disappear.
Maumar then starts to head back to his seat, but then a photographer wearing a hoodie comes in and takes a few pictures and asks Maumar "Wow! You send them away just like that? Impressive mister, do you have any other tricks on your sleeve?"
Maumar says "That's enough, you know. I have a schedule to follow." The photographer says "I see, I see. Well, just so you know, your date isn't going so well, so I'd shift your plans a little if I were you."
Then the photographer leaves and as Maumar sits back down, he mutters "So he came after me this time." To which Ao reacted with "What was that?"
Maumar asks "What was what?" and Ao reacts with a little annoyed "Don't play with me. You must have known that this would happen even before we came and just wanted to show off. Then you have that girl say your praises to impress me."
Maumar tilts his head a little and asks "Why would I need to impress you?" Ao makes a "huh?" sound and Maumar continues "I mean, I did know that that was going to happen, but I just wanted to make things easier for the people of Elysium while we were at it. Also the girl wasn't in my plans in the slightest. She just came here to spy on us like the other three."
Tifa immediately realized that he was talking about her and some other bitch, but she didn't know about a third watcher.
Vega similarly was surprised by this for a moment, but almost immediately she thought "Well, this is THE Maumar we are talking about, so knowing this much isn't too much of a surprise. The reaction on Ms. Zolotifa however, well that is quite something." Then Vega thought further, "But who is the third?"
Then Vega went "But those things aside, the whole incident could have given him points, but due to the way he dealt with it, I can't help but give Maumar -10p.
Ao said "I can already guess that it is Vega that is spying on us, but I don't know about the other three. Still, who was the one that talked to you just now? Someone you know?"
Maumar says "It is the very person who made all of this possible, though I believe that she was using a different statue just now. But that voice… could it have been one of her siblings?"
Ao says "So she was Eishi. What is the deal with her anyways?" And Maumar answered "She comes from a timeline that no longer exists, which means that she cannot rewatch those precious moments she spent with her family there. She is the last of her generation, but as for her full name… I believe that it is better to leave it for later."
Ao said "I see. So you see her more than me." To which Maumar says "Technically speaking I see you more often than I see her. She has laid dormant for quite some time in the deepest parts of the abyss to "treasure" the people she made into eonite statues and the lost timeline."
Ao says "But I'm sure you have seen her more often in recent times." And Maumar says "I have seen you plenty of times in recent times, be it this timeline or any other timeline."
Ao asks "What do you mean? I don't remember seeing you though." Maumar answers "Well, it has to do with the graveyard of the gods."
Ao asks "There is such a thing in the abyss? What would bring it such a name?" To which Maumar answered "It is named after all the gods that exist there in a constant state of madness and disorder. It is the place where all the gods end up at the end of time."
Ao thinks for a moment and says "I see. So because all the gods will last for until the end of time, being consumed by the abyss, all of that god from every timeline in existence exists as in but in one person's mind."
Maumar says "Yes. As god cannot be just killed. They would have to be removed from the memories of all that exist in that particular timeline. Just like Poranicus and Ortilaia were erased from this timeline."
Ao is surprised by this and says "Poranicus and Ortilaia… I… I don't remember ever hearing those names." To which Maumar says "That is because they are truly dead. As I said, for god to truly die in Lutah, they'd have to be fully forgotten from those in the same timeline. Those particular gods do exist in other timelines, but that is a whole other bracket."
Ao says "But how can…" until realizing something and saying "No… the oriapleaters." And Maumar responds with "Correct. That was their original reason for being."
Then Ao says "I never thought that those suckers would be able to do the same thing to gods as they do to mortals." To which Maumar says "Usually, that is done by the more experienced oriapleaters, but occasionally, some of the younger ones come to take a sip of that divine juice."
Ao comments "You make it sound like it is tasty, though I cannot say anything against it since I'm not an oriapleater."
Maumar then makes a comment "There is an oriapleater named Jossiel that is particularly experienced in taking out memories regarding the divine. But recently, she has been more drawn to the memories regarding Elysium. I have to make sure that there isn't any problem caused by her. But then again, I don't think I will do that."
Ao comments "Lazy." And Maumar says "I have all the time in the world to do things my way, so I don't have to be in any form of hurry."
After Ao is done, Maumar says "How about we go to the aquarium?"
Ao asks "The what?" and Maumar clarifies "Aquarium. A place where you go to see aquatic life."
Ao asks "Why would I want to do that?" To which Maumar answers "That woman said this was a date and the aquarium is one of the places people seem to go on dates."
Ao says bluntly "This isn't a date. I'm just meeting you to see what you are scheming." And Maumar says "My point still stands. Elysium has few species of marine life that I doubt you have seen before."
Ao then sighs and says "Fine. Since you are so hung up on going there, let's go and see this aquarium."
Maumar stands up and starts to walk before waiting for Ao to follow. Ao hurries up a little to follow Maumar with the words "Hey, wait up."
Vega then says "Taking your date to a place she doesn't seem interested in… -10p. With the heavy topic and all… hmmm… I think it balances itself out a little, so no points are given or taken.
After walking to the aquarium that is in Elysium, Maumar tries to pay with a gold coin this time, which the clerk is able to give change back to Maumar.
There they see all kinds of Marine life that aren't originally from Lutah. Maumar explains all kinds of things he has observed about marine life from Odysseium to Ao, but Ao doesn't seem too enthusiastic.
Nevertheless, Ao can see that Maumar seems to enjoy this experience, which is kind of an unexpected thing for Ao. For all Ao knew, Maumar has lost almost everything that made him the person she fell in love with, but seeing Maumar actually blabber on about trivia about some life that he didn't help to create makes Ao smile a little.
Ao even makes a comment "You might have lost your vibrancy, but you still have a faint color in you yet."
Maumar asks "What are you talking about?" To which Ao says "Nothing. What about that one? Spear seahorse? Haven't heard of that one."
Maumar then explains "It is a seahorse that has a small horn on its forehead that works as a sort of sensor for the little fella. It also makes it able to channel some magic through it and paralyze their pursuer."
Ao says "Fascinating. How about that one?" And Maumar looks at what Ao is pointing at and starts to explain it to Ao.
After wandering around a bit, Maumar and Ao hear Mätuk fly towards them and say "My lord. I knew that I would find you here." To this, Maumar responds with "Vür'sa?"
Mätuk then says "Ah, you mean which one am I? I am the one known as Mätuk, my lord."
Maumar asks Mätuk "Thar'vûl?" To which Mätuk says "I am here to see how you are faring since you are having an outing with the god who hunts our kind."
Maumar then says "Zan sa'kûl. Zyr." to which Mätuk says "But my lord, you…"
Maumar repeats the last part "Zyr" to Mätuk, after which Mätuk reluctantly says "Yes my lord." Mätuk then leaves as swiftly as he arrived.
Maumar then says to Ao "Well then. Where were we?"
Ao says to Maumar "Why were you like that to your own subordinate? He seemed very worried about you for some reason."
Maumar tries to reassure Ao with the words "That is just… the way I usually am."
Ao asks "But why did he seem worried?" To which Maumar responds with "If I had to guess, he is worried that I talk too much."
Ao asks "Why would he be worried about that? Is he worried that you'll spill something confidential?" And Maumar answers "It is just… speaking is physically taxing for me, if not even painful."
Ao, Tifa and Vega are all surprised by this since Maumar seems to babble on a lot. Ao asks "Then why didn't you tell me this? Does Zolotifa know?"
Maumar says "She does now, but as for why I didn't tell you… I just didn't want you to be worried about me." Ao indignantly "Me? Worried? Don't even think about it. As the bird said, I am the god who hunts down your kin. Don't even think about me going easy on you."
Maumar says "Good. That is good if that is the case. Hunt down as many of the abyssal monsters as you can, as they will try to devour you if you don't fight back."
Ao asks "I will. Don't you worry about that."
Then Maumar says "O zanth, hälen zan sa'mûr. Voth zan vürak när zan lürn tor zan."
Ao asks "What did you just say?" To which Maumar answers "I complimented your growth."
Then Ao asks "Speaking of abyssan, why did you create another language in the first place?" To which Maumar gives an answer of "I created abyssan to make it less painful for me to speak. This way I can easily speak to abyssal beings without much pain."
Ao says "I see, but you seem to only use a few words when speaking to that bird." And Maumar replies "In less important matters, I tend to speak as little as possible."
Ao says "But you speak so much to the rest of us." To which Maumar responds "Because when I want to converse with people important to me, little pain is a fair price to pay."
Ao blushes a little and says "Is… Is that so."
Tifa starts to ponder a little about all the times Maumar has talked to her. Which is a lot. Thinking that Maumar would speak to her so much even though it caused him to be in pain is making her feel a little confused.
Little did Tifa know, when she became Zolotifa, her previously unfeeling self was filled with all kinds of emotions. She just couldn't figure this out since all the things she felt were new to her. That with the fact that most of her feelings back then were of sadness, anger and hate.
Meanwhile Vega is thinking carefully about what points to give Maumar this round. She says "While his fascination with life is apparent and somewhat cute, Ao herself didn't seem that interested. Still, Ao made an effort to be there for her date like a good partner should. Her going that far for him… I give Maumar +25p.
Then the whole thing about his speaking pains got some sympathy points for me, so let's give him +10p for that. And then, that one line that got Ao a little flustered… I have to give him at least +20p. So Maumar's current points are… -50p. It is better than before, but we are still in the negative."
The two continue to go around the aquarium and Vega gives +20 points along the way since Ao seems to enjoy it near the end.
When they are done looking around, Maumar says "How about we go to a zoo next?" And Ao asks "What is a zoo?" And Maumar answers "It is where people go to when they want to look at all kinds of animals from a safe distance."
Ao is a bit reluctant at first, but then says "Ok. Do they have any animals from the world they come from?" And Maumar says "Yes. Most of them are from Odysseium and there are few that are the only specimens in Lutah."
They go to the Zoo and there Maumar continues to talk about the creatures.
Soon they see an animal that looks a little similar to one species of abyssal monsters, so Ao comments "Does that one have any connection to you by any chance?" And Maumar answers "I might have gotten influenced by looking at this particular creature and it manifested as one of the monsters of the abyss in Lutah."
Ao says "Right. Since the abyssal monsters are basically their own breed of devils, a small influence can bring forth a new kind of monster." Maumar says "Correct. As the body continues to produce children, the mind will shape them to be what they might be. That is how it goes for abyssal beings for the most part. That being said, I don't make too much conscious effort on shaping them, they just appear one way or another. Oriapleaters are an interesting species though, since I put great effort into making them once to fulfill that one purpose. To erase a god. It is a happy accident that they have found other uses as well."
Ao says "Happy accident?" And Maumar responds "It's neither here nor there in the end. They fulfill what they were born to do and they seem to enjoy it. As a sort of a parent, I couldn't be happier."
Ao says "They literally eat happy memories that people have, making their victims only remember the bad stuff."
Maumar responds with "That is because they are the majority of oriapleaters that have a taste for happy memories, but there are some that enjoy bitter memories. As they say, it is easier for a mind to remember a negative memory than it has a positive."
Ao asks "So you say that there are good oriapleaters out there?" and Maumar answers "Memories are what build us and take away a memory of any kind changes who we were a moment before the loss."
Ao says "So even you agree that what they are doing is a bad thing then." And Maumar asks "Is eating food a bad thing?"
Ao says "No, but that is…" And Maumar says "There is no buts. Every living thing takes something in order to survive. Gods are the only thing that can continually give but not take, but even they have a limit of how much they can give before they become too drained."
Ao is silent for a moment before she says "So… Are you a good thing to Lutah?"
Maumar things for a moment and then says "I am necessary to the current state of Lutah, but if you ask me to give a yes or no answer, then the answer is…
No."