[Kodai]

People came to this cathedral for all sorts of reasons. Some were practitioners of dark magics and thought that the atmosphere was suitable for their work. Some were evil-minded creatures, drawn by the area's power. Some hoped to find and tame one of the rare beasts that were said to lurk here. Only a very few people traveled to Lya Pointa simply for sightseeing, as its shadowy reputation was sufficient to keep most tourists away.

Of course, 'few' was not 'no one', and 'most' was not 'everyone'.

"Eh, this is poor," remarked the feline riding upon the shoulders of a rather recognizeable man (if only due to his unique head of hair). "Poor indeed. The trees, they are..." He frowned as he tried to think of a suitable expression, and finally settled for mumbling, "Ich habe ein schlechtes Gefühl bei der Sache..."

"I must admit, I agree with you completely," the man replied, though he still continued to walk through the forest towards the cathedral. "Certainly the forest wasn't like this last I was here..."

"Ja, and when this was?" asked the cat, raising an eyebrow. "Before you come to find me? You should not expect the situation to remain the same, after so many years."

"That's true," he admitted, "but obviously the changes here are a far cry from the normal effects of time." At that point, the pair broke through the trees to see the dilapidated form of the cathedral in front of them. Silently they stared, the man rooted to his spot, stunned by the appearance and the aura of the building. It was some time before the feline spoke up.

"...You are not expecting this at all, eh?" he said softly, just as shocked as his companion.

The continued silence the cat received indicated that no, he had not. After several more moments of gazing at the scene before them, the man finally began moving again – towards the cathedral.

"Eh eh eh?! What do you think, going this way?!" asked the feline, startled. "This place, it is... ...unheilig!"

"...That is precisely why we must investigate," the man spoke finally. "What could possibly have caused one of the most well-known cathedrals of the Holy Triumvirate to become..." He trailed off, gazing somewhat sadly at the building as he continued to walk closer.

"And you are curious for this?" The cat seemed surprised. "It is not your belief... so why?"

"Religious beliefs are irrelevant here. The fact that a place once reserved for the worship of gods has fallen into such disgrace... it baffles me. I wish to see if I can discover the reason for this..."

"Hah, well. Ich drücke dir die Daumen."

[Shieba]

Rosy sighed. She hated this. She really, really hated this. But once again, she had been dragged into this creepy, dark place by her father since this was obviously his idea of 'father-daughter-time'. Well, it wasn't that she didn't understand that she needed to learn to control her dark powers, but couldn't she learn in a place that was less eerie?

"I do not bring you here for the atmosphere, my dear", Gemas said rather gently and Rosy almost jumped. For a second she thought that her father had mindreading powers, but even if he did, she then realized she had said her last thought out loud. "I bring you here because souls are in need of sending here and this is what you need to learn."

"How does learning to send souls to the realm of the dead help me to not accidently kill people with my powers?" Rosy asked. "These are two totally different things." Going deeper into this place and finding once more a dying creature was not something she wanted to do.

"No task needs greater control than the one of sending a soul correctly. If you master this technique, there is little to fear in terms of your powers going out of control. Besides that, it is easier for the soul to find its way into the afterlife when it gets send. We do something good by training, even though there is little we can do in this world that is not mine but helping the soul find its way." Gemas waited for Rosy, who was lagging behind as usual when they went into the catherdral, to catch up.

"This sucks. I hate this", the Fellox with the ribbons murmured under her breath. She understood, yes, but that didn't mean that she had to like it one bit. Why couldn't she be normal? She had never asked for this. Wasn't there a way to maybe just seal her powers? But she knew that if she asked for that, her father would be deeply saddened since he took such pride in his work and so, she didn't. She doubted it was possible anyway. "Alright, let's go then." Rosy sighed. She hated seeing dying creatures. It was such a horrible and saddening sight. She knew that dying would mean an end to their pain, but it still hurt to see lives end. She hoped that they wouldn't find anyone, even if it would just delay the inevitable since her father would drag her here until she had mastered her powers.

Rosy was so deep in thoughts that she didn't notice that her father had suddenly stopped moving and was looking back towards the entrance until she had walked quite a bit away. She halted and turned around. "Dad?" No answer. Curious, Rosy made her way back to him and looked into the same direction, but couldn't see anything. "Dad, what's wrong?" When her father still remained silent, she grew slightly nervous. "Come on, Dad, don't space out in such a creepy place! What if something attacks us?"

Gemas sighed and turned to his daughter. "I am not 'spacing out', I am concentrating. Do so as well. Do you not feel it?"

Rosy had no idea what her father was talking about, but tried sending out her magical senses anyway, without any success. "Nope. Don't feel a thing. What's happening, Dad?"

Gemas looked back at the entrance. "I wonder. Maybe it's coming for me."

"Huh?! Coming for you?" That freaked Rosy out. "What do you mean with that? Is there a mass murderer after you or something? Dad, don't say such creepy things and explain what's going on!"

Gemas looked at his daughter and sat down. "You know, my master, the Grim Reaper, he loves to dance." Rosy gave him a confused look, but he ignored it. "It does not really fit him, does it? Since I am his mirror, his companion, and am just like him, you can judge if it would fit me instead. At any rate, sometimes my master descends into the material plane when the moon is full, most times away from the cities of mortals. And then he dances in the air. It is a most mesmerizing sight. His aura, frightening to most living beings, attracts those who are on the verge of death or ridden with pain and wish for an end to their suffering. And those creatures come to see him dance and send their souls out to him, so that he may reap them and guide them to the afterlife. If their time is up, my master sends them, their shining souls dancing with him through the air for a bit, glad to be freed from their mortal bodies, before they move on."

"Great story, Dad, really", Rosy said panicking. "But what the heck has that to do with whatever is coming for you?!"

"There is a spirit approaching this place", Gemas calmly said. "A soul which has not found its way to the afterlife. This is not a normal occurance and normally only caused by dark magic, though it might be different in this world. However, from what I've seen of this realm so far, it is a wrong happening here, too. Though I am suppressing most of my aura, the spirit might have sensed it and, like the dying creatures who seek out my master under the full moon, is drawn to me with the wish of all souls to pass on."

"So it's nothing dangerous and you are freaking me out? Gah! You're impossible!" Rosy took a deep breath. "Well, then you should send this spirit?"

"Yes, indeed. I shall try my best to do so, but since I am not the one assigned to this world's afterlife, I do not know if I will succeed if magic binds the spirit to this place. I do not have the power to cross the boundary between life and death myself in this realm, something that might be necessary to guide a spirit on that needs help to reach the afterlife, but is hindered to do so." Gemas looked at his daughter. "It seems we have to postpone your training a bit, my dear. But you will probably learn a lot anyway. Let us wait here for the spirit. I shall stop suppressing my aura to make it easier for the spirit to find me."

"But what if, say, the spirit wants to stay here?" Rosy asked. "And it's just a coincidence that it comes here. Maybe it died in this place or something."

Gemas pondered this. "In my world, there are stories of ghosts who linger of their own free will to haunt people. That is, of course, not true, as all souls want to pass on. But stories are never born without a true part and I do not know enough of this world to judge if something like that is impossible here as well. However, if the spirit does not want to leave, my aura will scare it away, as those who do not wish for death get frightened by it. Well, except for your mother, but she is a miracle anyway." Gemas released his aura. "Let us wait and see what will happen."

(It's a novel! 8D)

[Kodai]

(Yaaaaay novel. 8D)

As the first pair drew closer to the entrance, it became apparent to them that there was another pair of creatures here currently. Still several feet away, the man stopped, trying to figure out what they were and what this could mean.

"Well, this is unusual... Those are... Felloxes, are they not?" he asked his companion as he looked over the unusually-colored duo.

"J-Ja..." the feline began hesitantly, his fur standing on end as he stared at Gemas. "That's... They look as such..."

"...'Look as such'? Are you saying they aren't truly?" It couldn't be that they were disguising their appearances with an illusion – he would have known straight away if that was the case. If they were extraplanar visitors that had been given a Fellox guise when they came to this world, however... He had to admit that that was possible. After all, he had been told of individuals that had that exact story.

"Eh... perhaps. But..." His gaze never left the bespectacled Fellox. "You are so blind to situations, sometimes. You cannot say you do not feel this Aura..."

"Aura...?" Normally, in magical matters (that didn't involve illusions), the cat had far superior senses and knowledge, but as the man took the time to focus, he did indeed begin to feel something... Something strangely, vaguely familiar... "How curious..." he remarked, resuming his path towards the cathedral much to the feline's dismay.

"Eh eh? You sense that and yet you keep going?!" he cried, beginning to dig his claws into the man's overcoat. "Bist du verrückt geworden?!"

"No, I have not," the man replied calmly. "I simply wish to discover the truth of the matter." Suddenly he paused and raised an eyebrow. "Valdemar... Are you actually frightened?"

"You do not accuse me of cowardice!" the feline spat back, though it was quite obvious that he was badly shaken. The man's expression grew concerned, and he raised a hand to the cat, though he did not pet it.

"Well... I do not plan on leaving this place without at least making the effort to investigate, and I am certain that you do not wish to remain at the edge of the forest alone." Making a noise somewhere between a grumble, a whimper, and a sigh, the feline suddenly disappeared, a small ball of blue flame taking its place. The man smiled gently. "There, is that better for you?"

"Eh, only for a small amount," came a voice from the fire, which hovered against the man's still-raised hand. "I stay up here, okay?"

"That's all right," he replied, dropping his hand and resuming his walk. Finally the man reached a conversational distance from the two Felloxes and gave a nod. "Greetings... May I inquire as to why you are here?" Naturally he didn't believe that these two were responsible for the state of the cathedral, but he couldn't help but think there might be some sort of connection between the darkness of the place and the reason why at least the fox with the strange aura had come to this particular area.

[Shieba]

Rosy didn't know what she had expected, but certainly not a man. Well, there also was some blue light with him, which was probably the spirit. "Uh, hey there." Rosy glanced at her father, who was, as usual, quiet around strangers. She wasn't really sure what to say, either, especially not to that incredibly prying question, no matter how politely it had been phrased. Normally, she would say they had just stopped by and had been curious, but since there was a spirit anyway, there was little use in lying. "We're training at this place here. Well, I am. Dad here is looking after me."

Gemas remained silent, observing the man and his little companion. They were both here and had approached him, though only one of them was a spirit. The other one was probably very frightened, but wished to say goodbye. Very understandable.

Rosy sighed when her father still said nothing. She had little knowledge about anything, so why was she supposed to do the talking here. "Yeeeah, anyway. I see you have a...spirit with you. Doesn't look like I imagined a spirit would. Well, maybe it does kinda resemble a soul, just more material and more flame-y." She nervously looked at her father. "Damnit, Dad! You are the reaper guy here, so could you maybe say something?! I have no clue. I see the spirit, but I have no idea what to do with it!"

"...Not that one."

"Huh?" Rosy paused. "What do you mean, 'not that one'?"

Gemas sighed. He hated to speak in front of the living. "I do not know what kind of creature that is, but that is not the spirit, but a living being. He is the spirit." He nodded at the man. "You, wandering soul not able to pass on and who sought me out, I am not the Master of Death of this realm, though I am able to guide souls. I shall try to end your suffering and fulfill your wish to cross the boundary between life and death so you may enter the eternity meant for you!"

"Wait, what, huh?" Rosy looked from her father to the man. "This guy is the spirit? He looks totally normal! Dad, are you sure about this?" She glanced at the other visitors. "Uuuh, yeah, Dad here is kinda a Grim Reaper. Not really, but it's complicated. So, uh, you felt Dad's aura and now you wanna leave this world behind?" She figured it was best to ask first, after all. Her father seemed pretty sure of the spirit's intentions, but Rosy, who had never seen the world of her father and only Evelon, wasn't so sure about this. "If you don't, you should probably say something, because Dad is all ready for work, obviously."

[Kodai]

Training... Again, the man couldn't help thinking at first that perhaps these Felloxes were of a darker inclination (what sort of training could possibly need to occur here that wasn't suspicious?), but he knew that to judge on initial impulses was foolish. When Rosy made reference to her father being a 'reaper guy', he immediately realized both that such thoughts of the pair being evil-minded were indeed incorrect and just why the male's aura had felt familiar.

And then the male Fellox spoke.

He could only blink in confusion and stare at Gemnas quizzically until Rosy mentioned that he should speak up if her father's guess was incorrect. Exhaling slowly as he attempted to absorb the facts that 1) Gemnas could recognize that he was, indeed, a spirit, 2) that this Fellox was a Grim Reaper of sorts, 3) that the Fellox believed he had been drawn to him, and 4) he wished to help him pass on, the man finally managed to collect his thoughts in order to speak. "I am afraid to disappoint you, but I have not been drawn here to die. I was simply curious as to the state of this cathedral, which I had seen once long ago, and decided to visit. I must admit I'm quite shocked as to its condition..." Perhaps he should ask later if these two knew anything about it, after they got this whole spirit business straightened out. "At any rate, I am... not meant to cross that boundary, so I must politely decline your offer."

Valdemar, meanwhile, was completely taken by Gemnas's voice. He was still too scared to be his usual self, but he did manage to laugh softly, "Heh heh... His speech, it is amusing." If Gemnas wasn't able to hear that, the man sure did (considering the flame was right next to his ear), and he turned to give his companion a sharp look. The fire shrunk slightly, at which the man's expression softened just the slightest bit. For Valdemar to have that sort of reaction, he must still be very uncomfortable...

"Please excuse my companion; he does not know the meaning of the word 'tact'," he apologized in his companion's stead, though he would be sure to coerce a proper apology from Valdemar later. "He is also... rather unnerved at the moment; this place has certainly gained a sinister atmosphere." The man then turned to Rosy. "Your father is correct in that I am the spirit here. Valdemar has simply taken on the aspect of fire, in order to feel slightly more at ease." He then gave the two Felloxes a short bow. "You may call me Julian. What might your names be?"

[Shieba]

"See, Dad? He doesn't want to die. You need to ask first!" Rosy was quite happy that she was handling the situation so well right now. "Well..." She flapped her little wings. "You did say you are not 'meant' to die, though? So there's magic involved? Dad could possibly solve that, you know? I admit I kinda suck at this Grim Reaper stuff so far, but I, too, haven't seen a soul so far that doesn't want to pass on. And if this place looked different to you before, you're probably stuck here since a long time." After all, the cathedral didn't look like it was in ruins only since yesterday.

Gemas was about to speak up and offer his services still or at least ask further why the spirit was not meant to pass on - he would not go against godly judgement, after all - when he heard that little fire creature speak - and was immediately shocked into silence. Someone...had said something about that again.

Rosy sighed, having at least heard half of what the flame had talked about as well. "Uh. Yeah. It's okay, because Dad does talk kinda funny, but I wonder if you'll get another word out of him now. Dad's really...sensitive when it comes to that since he's a Grim Reaper and those are not supposed to sound funny or cute or whatever." Rosy glanced at her father who was positively mortified. "Oh, come on, Dad! It's not your world, so you'll survive!" She turned back to the spirit and his little companion. "My name is Rosalind, but please call me Rosy. My Dad's name is Gemas. Nice to meet you guys!" Well, they seemed both rather nice and they kept her from training, so she was very willing to talk to them a bit, especially since her father would now probably not speak for quite some time again unless she could coax him into doing it. The chances for that were probably the highest if she didn't ask about Julian further, since that was what possibly interested her father the most. Well, he would have to ask himself then.

[Kodai]

"Ah, well... it is not 'magic' so much as 'divine will'. And it has indeed been a long time," Julian replied softly, having realized by now that discussion of his past was likely inevitable. That still didn't prevent him from taking on a more somber countenance and from saying as little as possible until pressed, though that swiftly faded for a moment when Gemas reacted rather poorly to Valdemar's comment. Again he looked at the blue flame harshly, intending to force that apology now.

"Eh, eh, es tut mir leid," Valdemar said hurriedly, now pressured by both Julian's gaze, Rosy's words, and Gemas's reaction. "Or, I apologize. It is just... the Akzent, they amuse me always. To hear Julian at the first meeting; that was something, eh?" The flame danced cheerily. "He was just learning the speech – the, eh... eh... the language – so he did not speak so well."

Satisfied that Valdemar had apologized to the best of his capability and that he was beginning to relax, the man turned back to the Felloxes. Poor Gemas was definitely not going to wish to speak right now, so it would be better to address Rosy. "The pleasure is ours. If I may ask... Do you know what has happened to Lya Pointa?" He looked up at the crumbling frame of the cathedral. "This was once a place of beauty, though that was indeed years ago."

"Hah, I say it is obvious. The darkness went through and destroyed the light," the flame cut in, beginning to float down to the ground. Once he was a few inches above it, he returned to the grey tabby form and dropped on all fours. "From what I sense, it has been so for very, very long; over a hundred years, maybe. A feeling like this, it does not come from only a few tens of years."

"That may be so, but that does not explain why," Julian replied. "Though if it occurred as long ago as you suggest, Valdemar, then I suppose it's likely that the reason has been lost to time." His gaze traveled to the slightly ajar front doors. "I wonder if there would be some clues inside..."

"Heh, you would set foot in there?" the cat asked, still hovering close to the man's feet. "Even when you say you have not done so when you are here last?"

"...Circumstances have since changed, Valdemar," Julian responded, his voice quiet again.

"Hah! for worse, I should think. But if this place is no longer protected by gods, then maybe it is better for you, if only for your own thinking."

(Haha, you know... Julian is almost the same way about his hair as Gemas is about his voice. XD)

[Shieba]

(Wait, what, I thought they were inside already? Confuuusion. D8)

Rosy could see that her father wanted to ask really badly about the 'divine will'. Well, he probably wouldn't be silent for all that long after all. "Dad loves his rules and following them, so if some dude higher than the Master of Death of this world did that to you, Dad will respect that. But I won't ask you about that stuff because if Dad wants to know, he'll have to speak up." She recieved a sharp glare from her father, but cheerfully ignored it. "Come on, Dad, we all heard you anyway by now, so the damage is done already! And suppress that aura of yours already! You're probably scaring Valdemar with it."

Gemas remained silent, though, but he gave a nod at Valdemar's apology. At least the creature seemed to be amused rather easily anyway, which calmed Gemas a bit. It was easier if he wasn't the only one picked on, after all. And Rosy was right - the spirit was here after all, there was no reason to let his aura flare like that anymore, so he stopped emitting it full force.

"Good!" Rosy turned back to Julian. "To this place? I have no clue. Dad just brings me here for training because there are dark beings inside who attack creatures who seek shelter here or whatever. I need to learn how to control my dark powers, so Dad makes me send the souls of the creatures close to death. I hate being here, it's creepy and quite dangerous. And well, I'm not all that old and we live in Whisper Forest, so we hear little stories about the history of stuff. Dad is not even from this world, so I'm afraid we can't help you there."

And then Valdemar turned into a cat. "Kitty!" Rosy beamed. "How cute! What are you, really? Fire? Cat? Something different? I have met quite a few people who had human and animal forms so far, but not someone who could turn into fire!" That was far more interesting than the old cathedral to Rosy and she also kind of wanted to distract everyone since Julian seemed to want to go inside. Her father would surely insist to accompany him since Rosy needed to train and she had done such a good job at avoiding that so far.

[Kodai]

(Oh, I thought they were just right outside the doors. o 3o; Hurr hurr, missed that detail. Oops.)

Julian would have made some small comment about how it had actually been one of his death-related gods that had placed this punishment on him and not someone working above such gods, but it seemed that Rosy wanted to push her father to get over his shock and speak again, so he said nothing. Besides, it wasn't really Rosy that was interested in his story, and it would be a bit awkward to speak about the details of his past when he wasn't sure of what the truly interested Fellox wanted to know in the first place. At that point, Rosy described the sort of training she had been brought here for and admitted that neither she nor her father knew very much about this place. "I understand. So this place has truly become the reverse of its former self... Such a tragedy." He then realized just what Rosy had said last. "Not of this world? So you are an extra-planar creature... Where might you be from, then? Though I doubt I would recognize the place..."

After Gemas dimmed his aura, Valdemar appeared to perk up a good deal, though he still avoided looking at the cathedral. Instead he padded up so that he was standing right in front of Rosy. "Ah, it is a shame that the young people do not know of us anymore!" he lamented, though his eyes were sparkling cheerily.

"Your species is so localized, I doubt someone from Whisper Forest would know what you are," Julian remarked, though the cat ignored him.

"I must show you, then," he announced to Rosy, and quite suddenly, there was neither a cat nor a fireball there but a small humanoid figure, shorter even than a 5 year old child. His features were elongated yet pointed, giving him a simultaneously elegant and wild look. The 'wildness' was accentuated by his hair, the shape of which was reminiscent of fire. He wore nothing but a small scrap of knee-length cloth around his waist as a sort of kilt. "How is this, eh?" Valdemar grinned, crossing his arms over his chest. "I am Kobold, bound to his household." The creature gave a nod in Julian's direction.

"Such as it is," the man shrugged. "My 'household' consists of no more than myself and my books. And please don't think he was forced into servitude," he added, hoping Rosy wouldn't take Valdemar's wording the wrong way. "On the contrary; he was the one that chose to follow me. I still can't fathom why..."

"You are fascinating!" the kobold replied cheerfully, half-turning to address Julian. "Also, you are struggling so much at that time. Really, you are lucky I thought to help you."

"The only thing I would have been struggling with was the language; it's a tad difficult in the beginning to keep them all separate. But I do thank you for your assistance in that endeavor."

"Heh, see?" Valdemar grinned broadly and then turned back to Rosy. "He is always acting like he is annoyed, but you see that he really does know I am a benefit to him."

[Shieba]

"Well, I've been born here in Evelon and so has Mom. But Dad here is from another world. Not that I know anything about that world besides what Dad teaches me about its rules. So Dad, how about you say something? You aren't helping the conversation here, you know?" Rosy nudged her father. "Come on!"

"..." Gemas sighed. "...Very well, I suppose. I come from a world that is one of four which rest in a sea of chaos. The white god of my world is called Cephied, if that tells you anything. I do not know all that much about the material plane of even my world, as I serve the Master of Death, the Grim Reaper, in the realm of the dead. The gate to the afterlife, where my master and I judge souls, is called Elys."

"There we go! Information!" Rosy was pleased that her father was talking again and hoped Valdemar wouldn't make any more comments. It was probably for the best if she distracted him then. But he was interesting enough anyway, especially when he suddenly switched forms. "Oh! I did not expect that!" She kinda liked the cute cat form more, though... "A 'Kobold'? I have never heard of that before." The whole matter seemed weird to her. Bound to a household? "So you are kinda...stuck with Julian? With a magic bond or something?" Well, it was good if they both liked the way it was, but really. "Or is it more a marriage thing of sorts?"

Gemas pondered this. "Another bond...first you are bound to this plane, then a creature is bound to you. Is that related?" He really needed to get more informations. "So the god of this world has shut you out of the afterlife? I have not met him yet. Zu'hai, isn't it? I assume he is the one responsible for those not tainted by darkness. What have you done to be punished like that?"

[Kodai]

Julian did his best to go over whatever information he had gained concerning other worlds, but that was admittedly incomplete (such knowledge gained from books instead of personal experience tended to be such) and mostly related to those places rumored to be connected to Evelon. "...I'm afraid I was correct; neither of those names are familiar to me. But I suppose that was to be expected; even those planes that are said to coincide with ours are normally dismissed as nothing more than fairy tales."

"'Fairy tales', hah! There are realities they do not even see," Valdemar scoffed. "The problem is they do not look so hard."

"The problem," returned Julian, "is that such things are hardly ever meant to be common knowledge in the first place. And in your case, such 'realities' are quite skilled at keeping themselves hidden. It's difficult to see something when it's invisible, after all."

"Heh, well. Invisible does not mean it does not exist," the kobold shrugged, using a tone that suggested he didn't think much of this excuse for disbelief. "They should not go to conclusions so fast. They need to learn they must search better."

"I thought another component was the fact that your folk tend to wish to remain hidden," the man added, crossing his arms. "It doesn't do to have your victims witness you setting up your pranks. Besides, the world's become quite a different place than what it was several hundred years ago. They no longer believe, and so you find them undeserving of your presence."

"Ehhh," Valdemar sighed, apparently unable to come up with a witty response. His tone was rather dismissive, but then, that seemed to be a general reaction he had to anything Julian said. Turning back to Rosy (she was by far the most interesting person here), Valdemar shook his head and chuckled. "Haha, marriage? No no no. It is not such a bond as that." Here he swiftly glanced back at Julian, as if expecting him to make a comment along the lines of 'it might as well be', but the man said nothing. "Just… I say it is, and it is so. I decide to stay, with him. So he cannot be rid of me."

"It's how his species is," Julian added. "If one takes a liking to someone, he decides to remain with that person's household until said household loses his favor." He moved his focus to Gemas, stepping a bit closer to the Fellox. "Ah, it wouldn't be related. Kobolds bond of their own will; the gods would have had nothing to do with it. Though I suppose if you wished to say it was Fate…" The man appeared thoughtful for a moment, but then returned to Gemas's questions, exhaling softly. It wasn't often he spoke of his past, after all, and it would take quite a bit of explaining. "Zu'hai… From my understanding of the Holy Triumvirate religion, he is the God of Life and thus has no control over the dealings of death. That title – of God of Death – would fall to… Xai're, I believe it is. He controls all aspects of death, regardless of whether a person is good or evil. …But these are not my gods. My religion is far older than that of the Holy Triumvirate. It is one of the death gods of ancient Wilt'no that is responsible for my current state… Or, rather, it is my own fault; that god is only responsible for conferring the decided punishment upon me." Julian glanced around momentarily before returning to Gemas. "Shall we move inside? It's a bit of a story, and I'd prefer to sit down…"

[Shieba]

"The world I am from and Evelon, they might be close or they might be not. Yet I am a Fellox and Felloxes are native to this world as well, are they not? In my world, though, we Felloxes are created as companions to gods, mirroring them in behaviour and looks and in this realm, they seem to be creatures born from mist, bearing sins of the past. It is most curious, is it not? One would think realms who share a species other than humans would know of each other, yet I, too, have never heard of Evelon before until the companion of the Creator moved here." Gemas listened to Julian and Valdemar patiently, but wasn't so sure if just 'searching better' would help find different worlds. He was close to a god, after all, and had had no idea about Evelon, so how could mortals figure this out, really?

Rosy was, since she got pelted with all this philosophy talk a lot, not really interested in all of that and more in Valdemar's race. "So you just...decided he's a cool guy and stayed with him? That's kinda...I dunno. If suddenly someone would come up to me and say 'I like you, I'm staying with you', I'd be totally creeped out and would assume I'd get molested in my sleep then. So I'd kick that person in the nuts. I wonder if that's really a smart tactic you guys use, you know? Julian might be cool with it, but others may not. Then again, if people started throwing stuff at your head because they don't want someone suddenly living with them, I'd think that would count as 'losing favour', huh?"

Gemas was about to say something to Rosy and comment on what he thought about her 'kicking people in the nuts', but then again, there was little use in even trying her to stop from making such comments and he should be focusing on Julian anyway. She and Valdemar seemed to get along just fine anyway, though he wasn't sure if that was a good thing. Julian had spoken of pranks Valdemar did and Rosy would probably be interested in that...

Nevertheless, Julian still needed, in Gemas' thinking, help. He had no idea why a god would stop a soul from passing on, which was quite cruel. Gemas didn't know all that much about this world, but in his home realm, that soul would suffer quite a bit. Julian seemed fine, but that didn't mean anything. "Zu'hai has no control over death, even though he is the being of life? How very odd, I did not know that. Though I think it might actually be good if there is a god focused on death." He sighed, remembering his own world. "In my realm, the white god cares for heaven and the dark god cares for hell and my master merely does the sorting. But while the white god cares for the mortals and that heaven is working just fine, the dark god could not care less. There are frequent problems with souls trying to escape from hell. It is bothersome. It sounds like this world has this problem solved better." He paused when Julian said that he had other gods. "Ah, so this world has different believe systems as well. Though you say they are both true? How does that work? How is balance kept this way? Your punishment - and I would be very interested in hearing what you did to deserve this - might have been an accidental result of gods clashing, who knows?" This would probably take some time indeed. "Rosy, we're moving inside!"

"Nooo, I hate this place!" Rosy groaned. "It sucks inside! We might get attacked! Can't we stay here? We have..." Well, Valdemar was not really a child, but at least as tall as one. "...a really short dude with us after all! We must look out for the short guys!"

Gemas just sighed and got up. "Let us go." He started to lead the way.

Rosy made an unhappy noise and looked at Valdemar for help, but if both her father and Julian wanted to enter, there was probably nothing any of them could do. So she reluctantly got up as well and followed slowly.

[Kodai]

Julian thought it over for a moment. "Hmm... I suppose you have a point there. However, if you are 'created' for your respective gods, perhaps your form is simply based on the Fellox species of this world and you are not truly a Fellox? In that case, I could imagine that the creator of your people would know of this realm, without you being aware of it yourself." An interesting idea, to be sure, but then, weren't all extra-dimensional cases interesting? "Regardless, the fact remains that you are here now, and that is what is truly important."

Instead of taking offense at Rosy's comment, Valdemar found it immensely funny, which probably did nothing to improve Gemas's opinion of him. "Hahahahaha! Ja, ja, that is how to lose favor, surely! But, I must explain." His demeanor became slightly more serious ('slightly' being the key word). "To have a house-kobold, that is a desirable thing. We are like the servant, with added benefit. If you are in the kobold's favor… Well! Glück, fortune, she is yours!" Here he grew mischievous again, inspecting his decidedly claw-like nails with a smirk. "Eh, but if you are so foolish to go kicking us so, then that fortune, she is gone."

"It's poor judgement to purposefully cross a kobold," Julian added, looking down at the little humanoid before turning to Rosy. "They can be dangerously vengeful…"

"Lucky you, that I am so nice," Valdemar grinned, stretching out and putting his hands behind his head in a relaxed sort of pose.

"Quite… Though I do wonder what you could possibly do to me." Leaving the kobold to ponder that question, Julian returned his focus to Gemas. "Ah, that does sound problematic. I suppose that creates more work for you, if they do manage to escape, are subsequently caught, and must be sorted again." He thought for a bit about Gemas's query on religions. "Well… I can't say from personal experience that the Holy Triumvirate is 'true', though I do have an acquaintance that seems to believe strongly in its validity. But if we are to consider the possibility that multiple pantheons exist… I couldn't say." Pausing to think again, the man offered an opinion. "I am fairly certain that my religion has been 'dead' for some time… Perhaps those deities grew weary of this world and set off for other planes, allowing others to take their place? Of course, that is only conjecture."

As Gemas set off into the cathedral, Julian gave a silent sigh (it wasn't often he divulged his history to others) and followed after him. Valdemar, however, was not about to go quietly.

"Eh eh eh?! Inside?!" he cried, obviously mirroring Rosy's sentiments. "Was denkt ihr zwei euch? Könnt ihr nicht fühlen wie böse dieser Ort ist? Wenn wir da alle reingehen werden wir sicher gekillt! Mal abgesehen davon, wie heruntergekommen das Ding ist - wenn uns die Monster nicht kriegen, dann fällt uns das Dach bestimmt auf den Kopf! Ihr zwei seid total bescheuert!"* In his agitation, Valdemar reverted to fully using his original tongue. Noting this, Julian calmly turned and gave a reply in kind.

"Niemand wird sterben. Die Kathedrale wird nicht einstürzen und wir werden von keinen Monsters getötet werden. Bitte hör' auf, dich in etwas hineinzusteigern."** With that, he resumed his path after Gemas, leaving the kobold to fall quiet and, after changing into a fireball once again, hesitantly follow behind.

((For anyone who's interested:
* What are you two thinking?! Can't you feel how evil this place is? If we all go in there, we're going to get killed for sure! Not to mention how run-down this building is – if the monsters don't get us, who's to say the whole thing won't just collapse on us? You two are completely crazy!
** No one is going to die. The cathedral is not going to collapse, and we are not going to be killed by any monsters. Please stop overreacting.))

[Shieba]

Gemas pondered this. "The first Fellox who is a companion was created by the Creator Herself and every other Fellox came from Hers. I suppose it is very possible that the Creator knows of this world and took a liking to the Fellox species." He frowned. "She, who created everything, steals a race? A weird thought indeed. Though it certainly makes sense that the companion of the Creator sought out this world then for now."

Rosy was trying to follow Valdemar's explanation, but she still couldn't really see the light there. "And this works? I mean, it's cool you are, like, a walking good-luck-charm, but isn't this kinda harsh for all sides? There's the guy you take a liking to and you go 'Either you let me stay and you'll have good luck or you don't and doom will be upon you!'. That's not, I dunno, nice. What if that person just wants to be alone? And what's it with you guys enjoying to be kinda slaves? Are you into kinky stuff or something?" This was all weird. Rosy had experienced strange things before, but Valdemar's race definitely ranked in the Top 5 there.

"You are quite right, it is bothersome. Though we know these souls came from hell, they still need to be caught before they attack souls which wait to get sorted or before they cross the boundary. It interrupts our work and is not without danger." Ah, job problems. Though he wasn't here to mourn his imperfect, own world. Instead, Gemas shook his head at Julian's idea. "If this world works like mine, this is not possible. If your gods have left, so should their power. Take away the wax of a candle and it will burn no longer. Such is magic, is it not? If the caster is not in this world anymore, nothing should bind you to this place still and you would pass on. If they left and transfered the spell, you should approach the new god of death. He might judge in your favor. But maybe I will be able to help you, too." Gemas sighed when there were now two people protesting behind them, but he just ignored Rosy and the even more protesting Valdemar for now. Truly, these two were a match made in heaven! "Tell me your story when we are inside. I can attempt to send you, should it become clear to me that a punishment done by a god who has no interest in this world anymore is of no importance anymore."

Rosy meanwhile tried to make sense of anything that Valdemar had just shouted, but she couldn't even recognize the language. At least someone was on her side for once, obviously. Yet she doubted anything or anyone could really stop her father, so she just sent the fireball an understanding and agreeing glance and slowly walked on as well. "So, uh, what kind of good luck have you brought Julian?" she asked, curious. "I mean, he's stuck in this world. That's kind of the ultimate crap."

[Kodai]

Returning to the common language, Julian briefly addressed Gemas's musings on his peoples' creation. "I can't speak to the validity of the idea, but it does seem plausible. Again, however, the matter of why you appear as you do isn't too terribly important; you all exist in the forms you were created in and there is nothing to be done to change that. …Unless I am wrong on that count?" Seeing as his own companion was able to change his shape freely (though in a limited fashion), it wasn't much of a stretch to assume that perhaps some of these companions of gods had similar powers.

Valdemar was still distressed about the fact that they were all going into the cathedral, so he did his best to focus on Rosy and her questions. "Eh, eh, well. Before it is decided to stay with the household, a test is done. A test for to see how the people are like. Surely you do not want to be with a person that will not respect you from the beginning! There is no fun in such. So, it is not as simple like you say it." He had to pause in order to process the girl's last statement, but once he did, the kobold gave a short chuckle. "Haha, kinky, what? It is not for enjoyment, that we serve. That is how we are, simply." The flame flickered slightly as Valdemar spoke more thoughtfully. "Your father, he is made for to serve his master, ja? For the Kobold, it is like this. But, we are not so blind with obedience, heeheehee." Whether he was poking fun at Gemas's seriousness or simply thinking about past pranks he had pulled was difficult to discern.

"Mm… I've no idea if Evelon works the same way, though your logic appears to be sound. And actually…" The man had thought of something while considering what both he and Gemas had said. "If they had truly left, then I don't see why they would have returned just for my sake. Perhaps they have simply stepped down from the position of highest authority and are now content to let the running of the world fall to the Triumvirate's gods? …Truly, though, I've no idea. I can only attest to what I've personally witnessed." Moving across the shattered glass and broken wood that littered the cathedral floor, Julian eventually found a pew that was still in decent shape and sat down, folding his hands in his lap. "As for my story… That began amongst the sands of Wilt'no, nearly four millennia ago…"

"Hehh, so he is actually telling," Valdemar remarked quietly to Rosy, a bit surprised that Julian was willing to bring up the subject. "And eh, his being stuck, that is not my doing. That is from when before I found him. My luck, I give him help with monies. He has the bookstore, but he is the only one to work there – before I am here, of course. It is a difficult thing to have many bigger stores in the world, and there he is with the little one, so his income, it is… rather poor. Especially in this time! When first we are met, it is not so difficult. But the times, they change..."