In the city of eternal,
A mortal’s thoughts shall wander free.
Caught in beauty and mystery they wonder.
And the mortal shall not realize,
The god’s violent eternal struggle,
Hidden deep beneath.
After an unknown amount of time passed Kan finally finished his song. A last, beautifully melancholic, note faded into silence. Thunderous applause followed and cut through the brief moment of quiet. More than three dozen gods and demigods rose from their seats. Excitement glowed in many of their faces.
Kan blinked blankly as he realized how many powerful beings had listened to his performance. His face became incredibly awkward and he flushed a little as he glanced over the ranks. His tensed-up appearance was funny enough to cause waved of laughter coming from the audience. Of course, this only made him more embarrassed. When he saw Saji his expression immediately lightened up.
He disappeared from the stage and appeared next to Saji.
“So how did you like it?”, he asked smiling, suddenly completely calm and cool.
Saji had to laugh seeing the obvious change it attitude.
“It was incredible.”, she honestly replied while suppressing the urge to grin. Raja nodded, having the same thoughts.
“It is regretfully that you cannot become a god or demi god.”, the monk said apologetic.
Kan shook his head and grinned.
“Being a member of my clan is already enough fortune. The heaven has to threat everyone equally, I cannot enjoy the advantageous properties of my bloodline without paying the price.”, he did not seem to feel dejected about his situation.
“That aside how is this instrument called? I do really like it!”, he pointed at the silver saxophone it his hands.
Saji blankly looked at him.
“You don’t know this instrument?”, she asked unbelieving.
Kan shook his head.
“I also wonder how to call the style of music I just played. I never heard anything like that before entering my benefactor’s pub. When I wandered around the pub I just found this instrument on the side of the stage and decided I would try to play it.
I did not expect to almost become a god while doing so.”, he smiled wryly.
Raja suddenly laughed and shook his head.
“Truly a member of the Ta-clan. Your kin never cease to amaze me with the amount of good fortune and luck you are born with.”, he patted Kan’s shoulder.
“This instrument is called saxophone and the style of music you played is called Jazz. In other words, you are currently a sort ‘demi-god’ of Jazz!”, Raja seemed to be very amused about this fact.
Saji had a very strange expression on her face.
“You can become a god of a music style?”, she asked somewhat amused by the notion.
Raja grinned as he explained. “The human culture is also a part of this world’s truths and concepts. As such if you reach the apex in a particular field you can also become a god representing this field of human culture. Of course, this type of god is very weak compared to gods who represent a natural law, but nonetheless they are immortal gods who can rival demi-gods in power!”
Suddenly a voice came from behind Saji.
“I would really prefer it if you stopped calling me and the others weak.”, the voice was female and mature. A hint of seductiveness was carried in her words and even Saji felt the need to immediately take a look at the woman who this voice belonged to.
Raja’s face fell, and he sighed darkly.
“I really hoped I wouldn’t have to talk with you.”
The voice laughed.
“Oh, my little cute monk, are you still angry because it seduced you all those years ago? I thought your dharma did not include abstinence so why are you offended by that little sidestep?”, the more the woman talked, the stronger the charm hidden in her words became.
Finally, Saji turned around and took a look at this woman that seemed to have had an affair with Raja.
She was beautiful, tall and slender. Her body was the incarnation of the dreams of billions of men and her face the target of a girl’s yearning. Especially her large breast made Saji feel a sense of inferiority.
Her clothing was a simple red dress that wasn’t too revealing, yet for some inexplicable reason it made Kan and Raja flush and turn their eyes away.
The lady had a friendly but amused smile as she glanced at Saji.
“So, you are Ji’s new companion hm?”, she took Saji’s hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you, my name is Lilith and I am a goddess of temptation. As you can see we ‘culture’ gods can also be quite powerful in our own fields.”, she laughed lightly and pointed at the two men.
Kan and Raja blushed even more.
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Saji shyly shook her hand and introduced herself. The goddess’s overwhelming charm made her feel a strange type of pressure.
Obviously, the goddess was amused by Saji’s reaction and cuddled her a little.
“Don’t worry girl, I won’t take away Ji, that cold stone won’t accept me anyways. Believe me I have tried.”, she said with a reminiscent expression.
“That said I can show you a few tricks.”, she smiled coquettishly.
“T-thank you…”, Saji said, still feeling overwhelmed by this woman’s seductive presence.
Lilith smiled once again and then took her leave.
Raja breathed out relived.
“I really hate this woman!”, he said with a conviction that made it hard to argue.
Kan also used his sleeve to wipe away the sweat that had accumulated on his forehead.
“I have never encountered such a terrifying woman!”, he exclaimed clearly terrified.
The consensus of all three was that they wanted to get as far away from this woman as they only could. Kan brought the saxophone back to the small stage after which the original band, a trio consisting of a god of music, a white fox and a naiad, continued their performance. Then they left the large room through the same hallway Saji had used to enter it. They were followed by the usual faint jazz music.
When they returned to the original room Tian, Mr. Sherevile and the sleeping lady congratulated Kan on his enlightenment and expression their condolence on not being able to become a true god. Kan politely thanked them but payed no head to their condolence. It really seemed like he did not care about it.
Soon after he left the pub saying he had to take care of some things.
Saji also decided to leave the pub alone and wander around the city for some time. She knew it wasn’t a good idea to do so considering that she was attacked only three hour ago, but she ignored the objection of the four gods and went either way.
She herself did not understand why she did it, but for some reason she just had to.
While wandering around without any goal or reason a million thoughts appeared and disappeared in her mind. Too much had happened today, too much had happened within the week since she had entered this world of myths and magic.
Yet she did not feel suffocated by all of this. The thoughts did not feel heavy and dark but light and fleeting as they appeared and disappeared from her mind. She thought about gods, she thought about this world, she thought about herself and about Ji. Her mind wandered just as she did- without any goal or purpose.
During this time, she looked around and saw all those beings also wandering around the streets. Some had clear goals, a purpose that kept them on their feet as they hurried amongst the flood of existences. Others just lingered around and enjoyed their time, eating and drinking various drinks from the ever around food stalls.
At some point she too felt hungry and stopped by a cheap ordering some food she did not know. Ji had given her some money she could spend and after her trip with Sha she had realized that it was quite the fortune.
Having received her strange meal and payed she sat down on a small stone bench located on the side of the street and continued watching the never-ending stream of living beings.
Not far from her Saji noticed a fairy dancing in the air. The dark sky was her stage and the tune of a fox street musician playing on an ancient zither was her melody. Her beautifully excecuted moves glittered in the sky as she performed to her utter most abilities.
Yet no one noticed her small figure amongst the sea of people. Only Saji, nibbling on the strange buns she had bought, saw her dazzling performance that was otherwise swallowed by the indefinite and overwhelming city.
When the fairy finally stopped her dance and looked around, disappointed that no one had noticed her, Saji clapped. A gentle smile was plastered all over her face. The fairy heard the faint applause and turned around, disbelieving joy showing in her eyes and expression.
She quickly few over to Saji and flew a few circles around the bench.
“You really liked it?”, he cute voice rung out. Two adorable eyes pleadingly stared at Saji asking for acknowledgement.
Saji smiled and nodded gently.
“It was beautiful.”, she told the truth. The fairy’s performance truly was incredibly beautiful. If it wasn’t for the never-ending noise and flood of people that drowned her under their ever-present city symphony there would have been more people who had noticed her.
The fairy’s expression lightened up and her small, only 30-centimeter-tall, body straightened up. A proud smile appeared on her cuteish mouth.
“Thank you.”, the fairy said. She felt incredibly sweet inside.
Saji shook her head. “I have to thank you for the incredible performance!
What is your name?”
“Alea”, the fairy replied cheerfully.
From that point on the small fairy Alea followed Saji around as they wandered across the endless streets of a city that had no beginning nor end.
Along the way Saji thought about what she wanted to do. Up till now she had always just followed around Ji or the other gods without taking any steps on her own. It was as the sleeping lady said, she was a visitor in this world, no part of it.
For some time Saji even pondered whether she even wanted to be a part of this world. She was a human girl, a student with her own live outside this humongous, strange and beautiful city. But she soon realized that going back was no longer an option.
Who would want to give up a world of magic for the boring life of a mortal?
Having decided that she wanted to stay inside this world she pondered as to what she could do in the city of a billion names. What she could seek to achieve here.
It did not take long for her find something...
…
While Saji was pondering about her future the sleeping lady sat inside the pub drinking on another cup of tea when she suddenly smiled.
“That girl realized what she has to do.”
Her words caused the other three gods to smile.
“She is a clever girl”, Mr. Sherevile said nodding, “I expect her to adapt fast!”
The other gods silently approved his words.
Suddenly the door opened and Kan appeared in the door frame. His breath was ragged and blood was smeared all across his face and clothes. But it wasn’t his own blood but instead that of the person he held in his embrace.
Mr. Shereviles expression turned pale as he realized who the injured person Kan was holding was. In the same moment Tian presence exploded out combined with a terrifying killing intent that immediately shattered most of the furniture inside the pub. The bottles on the shelve behind the counter loudly shattered and their content poured onto the ground.
But no one cared. Everyone stared at the barely breathing Ji who was carried inside by Kan.
“WHO WAS THIS?!”, Raja’s awe-inspiring voice shook the building. His eyes were bloodshot, and the usual tranquil expression had turned into a wretched mask of bone chilling ire.
Even the sleeping lady stared at Ji, the surprise inside her eyes gradually changing into livid fury. Her black hair rose up and danced in strands being carried by the explosive fury that she channeled into her godly presence.
Four powerful presences filled with incredible killing intent busted out of the pub, into the building and out into the dark night sky. They immediately went on to cover the unimaginable area of the city. Hundreds of magical arrays and shields were breached and destroyed as their pure wrath battled itself through all invisible restrictions that had been set up of thousands of years.
Billions of creatures cowered in fear while others respectfully worshipped on the ground. Even gods trembled as they felt the intense power that covered the city. They had to bow down and deferentially give way to this incredible wrath.
What was common for all of them was the incredible shock they felt. All of these creatures realized that something terrible had happened. None of these four presences was normal, each of them represented the very apex of what was possible for a god! To enrage all of them at once was nothing short of suicide!
When finally, the last shields succumbed, and the last corner of the city was covered by the four presences four bone chillingly cold voices uttered three even more shocking words.
“THIS MEANS WAR!”
Hundreds of beings immediately died when they heard the words while millions felt their bodies shake under invisible pressure. Blood splattered as they could not suppress the injuries that build up within their bodies.
What all of them had in common was that they were humans!
Saji stared in shock as she experienced the wild on slaughter of the four presences. How could she not recognize who they belonged to when she had spent multiple days with them? She immediately grabbed Alea who was paralyzed with fear and run towards the direction of the pub.