As the 3 of you step out of the portal and return to Aria, the first thing you feel is the atmosphere change around you. You've been in immortal realms for so long that you were beginning to be accustomed to the dream-like state of them, and now that you're back in a mortal realm, everything suddenly feels so real again.
You're all standing on a road that leads towards a colossal wall in front of you. The sheer size of the wall is unbelievable as you can see it dwarf the large trees in front of it. Tom notices the look on your face and says speaks to you with a grin.
" Amazing, isn't it? The Morians built it to protect their kingdom from the rival army of Voldoor during their civil war. "
" Did they really need to make a wall this huge? "
You ask Tom in a flabbergasted tone. He giggles a bit and responds with a smile.
" Well, in a world with fantastical creatures and people with extraordinary abilities, you'd probably need a wall this big to make sure your kingdom was safe from everything that had an incredible destructive force. "
You remember what happened to Ishville and you understand. If the battles of this world are anything like what happened there, then maybe the wall really isn't big enough.
Tom nods his head for you and Mimi to follow him and the 3 of you begin walking towards the wall. With Mimi holding your hand as you approach, the sheer size of the wall becomes more and more apparent. As you're walking with Tom, you ask him a question.
" So what's the plan? Do you plan on teaching me how to use my abilities here? "
Tom turns his head as he's walking and looks at you out of the corner of his eye as you both converse.
" We have no time for me to give you lessons on how to use your power, but that's perfectly fine. I believe that as we endeavor to save this universe, you'll slowly get your memories back and your power will come back to you naturally. Right now we're going to Moriarch to tell the King that this world is in grave danger. This universe's Gods will become stronger as more mortals pray to them. With the help of the King, we can increase the strength of the Gods by having the people under his rule do just that. The Gods need to be as powerful as possible when The None arrives. "
" But how can they fight The None if he's equal to The One? "
" The Gods of this universe couldn't hope to stand a chance in fighting The None even if they all worked together at their full strength, but that's not their fight. That's why they have you. Before you lost your memory, you were able to hold off The One so the rest of our kind could escape safely into another universe. The book that The One gave you also contains his power over creation inside of it. Your power combined with the power of The One might be enough to stop The None from devouring this universe at the very least, but the Gods of this universe also need strength as well because there's more than just The None that we have to worry about. "
" The Valghul… "
" Yes. Dealing with the Valghul is inevitable. If the Gods become strong enough, they may be able to fight off the Valghul on their own. Also, I'm sure the Valghul sees you and The Holy Omniverse Transcript as a threat to its Lord's campaign as well. If you were to suffer The Bite of Abrogation, you too would be reduced to nothing. I'd be willing to bet that the Valghul is going to do everything in its power to murder you and get its hands on the book. "
" That makes sense. The Valghul was already after it when I landed here on Aria. What do you think would happen if the Valghul somehow ended up getting the book? "
" Well, think about it. What do you think The None would do if it had the power over all of creation? "
You look at Tom with terror in your eyes as he nods his head in silent agreement. You then look down and stare at the book in your hands in amazement. This book… This thing that you're holding in your hands right now has the potential to either save or doom the entirety of The Holy Omniverse. Holy shit.
The 3 of you finally approach the wall at the end of the road and a large stone knight emerges through the wall in front of you. The knight looks down at you and barks at you assertively.
" Halt! The wall of Moriarch only opens for its people! You have not been recognized by the wall and thus you are foreigners! State your business at once! "
Tom responds to the knight in a serious and noble manner.
" I am Tomatus of the Otherlands, and these are my companions. The Star Faller of Ishville and the daughter of Sir Arthur. We wish to speak to your King about a matter of grave importance to his Majesty and the Kingdom of Moriarch. "
As soon as Tom says this, you see Mimi look up at him in surprise. You can tell that she wants to ask him something but she doesn't want to interrupt his conversation with the knight. You're also a bit puzzled because you've never heard of Sir Arthur before. How could Tom know who Mimi's father is?
The knight looks down at Mimi and Mimi hides behind your leg and hugs you nervously. The knight speaks to Tom in disbelief.
" This is the child of Sir Arthur? How could she have survived the disaster at Ishville? Our soldiers looked all throughout the village and they couldn't find her or the widow of Sir Arthur in the rubble. They were presumed dead after we began cleaning up the village… "
" She survived by the grace of the Gods Faerah and Izael. The Star Faller rescued her and her mother from the village by taking them to Sovarohm during the battle between the forces of Izael and Nahzgor. "
Tom replies as he looks back at you and Mimi with a proud face. The knight then disappears back into the wall and a section of the wall slowly becomes transparent. You can hear the knight's voice echo from within the wall in front of you.
" Very well. The wall speaks to me and I know you are telling the truth. It is quite unbelievable to meet people who have been to the immortal realms and have returned! Welcome to the Kingdom of Moriarch, little one! Your father was a legendary scholar, and I am proud to be the one to give you access to our great kingdom! "
Mimi blushes and the 3 of you walk through the wall together and emerge on the other side to see a busy street with people going about their daily lives. You and Mimi continue to follow Tom as he leads you through the streets.
" Stay close behind me until we get further into the city. The commoners live on the outskirts of the kingdom and the streets get more peaceful as you approach the castle in the center. "
Mimi lets go of your hand and runs up and grabs Tom's hand instead. Then she looks up at him and asks him a question in an excited voice.
" Hey Tom! Did you know my Papa? "
Tom looks down at Mimi with a gentle smile and answers her as you continue to walk beside them.
" No Mimi, unfortunately I didn't get the chance to meet him. The Holy Omniverse Transcript told me all about him though. He was the first human in this universe to discover the existence of the Omniverse, and he found it completely on his own. Many people didn't believe him and thought he was crazy to believe in universes outside of their own, but the King of Moriarch believed him and he made your father a Royal Oracle for his discovery. Your father and the King had quite a friendship over the years, and the King held your father's judgment on affairs to a very high standard when making decisions. "
You see Mimi's eyes light up in amazement as she continues to skip alongside Tom, but as she replies to him, you can tell that she's starting to feel sad thinking about her father.
" Mama said that Papa was a very smart man, but I had no idea that he was friends with the King! I wish I got to spend more time with Papa when he visited me and Mama in the village… Mama never told me why he disappeared… Did the book tell you what happened to him? "
Mimi stops skipping and she begins to walk next to Tom with her head down. Tom wraps his arm around her shoulder and hugs her gently as he gives her an answer. Tom looks up at the sky as they continue to walk together.
" No Mimi… It didn't… If your father did truly pass away, I'm sure that the book would've said something about it. That means that your father might still be alive and we just don't know where he is right now… "
The streets have quieted down and it's just the three of you now walking down the road. The castle is in sight, and you can hear the wind gently blowing as you all continue to walk together. Mimi looks up at Tom with teary eyes and hugs him tightly. As she asks him another question, Tom looks back down at her with a gentle smile.
" Do you think we're gonna find him? "
" I don't know, Mimi. If we do find him and he is still alive, I'll do my very best to make sure that he returns to Moriarch safely. That way you can spend as much time with him as you want. "
Mimi smiles and continues to hold Tom as the 3 of you approach the front entrance to the castle. To your surprise, there are no guards or anything nearby. Tom notices this as well and begins to scan the area as you step onto the property. There's definitely something off about the atmosphere and it's not good.
The 3 of you finally reach the front doors to the castle and you see a cloaked figure standing in the entryway impeding your entrance to the castle. Tom hands Mimi off to you and she runs behind you peeking out from behind your legs as she hugs you nervously.
Tom speaks up at the figure as he whips his cloak to the side and holds his arm out. A green aura begins to glow from his hand and his cloak begins to blow more aggressively as the power from the aura pushes it away.
" Who the hell are you? "
You hear an awful rodent-like voice speak back to Tom from within the cloak's hood.
" He is coming… and there is nothing you can do to stop him… nothing you can do… nothing… and he is nothing. "