It didn’t make sense. This was a fantasy world, not Earth.

Echo started to rack his brain, trying to think about any similarities he saw during his time with the Arbiter of Souls at that temple and Earth.

It sort of looked like a Roman or Greek temple.

That, combined with hearing the familiar language led him to believe that there must be some connection between all worlds.

Maybe some creator deity had a hand in all of it? Every world.

He felt assured of this idea as he glanced around the room and took in the environment right out of a picturesque version of Japanese gardens blended with indoor office space.

The Gori sat down on a cushion and gestured for Echo to do the same. "I'm Isaac Grovesward; Guildmaster. I believe you called yourself Echo, correct?" He asked in the Common tongue.

Echo nodded, and replied in Japanese, "Yes."

Isaac raised an eyebrow, reverting to Japanese. "You speak Gori?"

Echo nodded his head, "Sort of.”

“How? Almost no humans know my mother tongue.”

Echo unclasped his helmet, pulling it off. His medium-length, silver hair cascaded down from where it had been pulled back into a knot. He stared at the Guildmaster with eyes like the Arbiter he had met, light blue with sparkles – the motes of sparking energy marking him as a mage. His tanned skin was unmarred - a perfect avatar for his fantasy ideal of himself. "Your Gori language is like one I learned in my past life.”

Isaac covered his face and sighed, "Damnit, Kalinor. Why do you keep sending people here?" He looked back at Echo and composed himself.

"It's fine. You're not the first adventurer to come here from another world, and I'm sure you won't be the last. But I swear, Kalinor has to stop giving you all such ridiculous stats."

"How do you know him?"

"We were once a part of the same Pantheon, a group of deities allied with a common goal." He winced and held his head for a second. “Sorry, I’m listening to an urgent prayer.” He closed his eyes and appeared to be focusing intently.

A door behind him opened and a beautiful woman stepped out.

Oh! An Ayshor!

Ayshor were also called Beast-men and were a blend of any terrestrial animal in a humanoid or anthropomorphic form. This woman had some characteristics of a bunny rabbit; two ears sat atop her head, and nearly imperceptible fur ran along her arms. But she looked…strange. Her skin seemed to have the consistency of incredibly smooth wood underneath the brown fur.

She bowed, “You are welcome in my home.” She stated in Common.

Isaac was drawn back to reality and opened his eyes, "This, Echo, is my wife. Willow, meet Echo."

Echo bowed deeply from his seated position, "I thank you for accepting me as a guest, Willow." He continued to speak in Gori/Japanese.

The Ayshor woman set out some tea and snacks; there were small cakes and sandwiches with a variety of toppings and sauces. Echo compared the repast to teatime in England.

They both devoured the small meal as Willow smiled. She sat next to Isaac and leaned against him as he brushed a hand along her head, petting her brown hair and scratching between her ears, which she seemed to enjoy.

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What a nice couple.

Echo felt a pang of jealousy at the tender display. He had not experienced love in his own life, having been too busy trying to just keep afloat financially to even consider dating.

Isaac swallowed a snack and continued, "Last I checked, there were about one thousand of you reincarnated folks scattered across this world. But you're the last one in…thirty days? The pace has slowed a bit."

"People who died?"

Isaac nodded, "Most of them. Some were plucked away from their world by divine intervention. Deities are fickle beings - after all, most of us were mortal, once. Now, tell me your story.”

Echo shifted uneasily, "I…erm…died…Protecting my student."

Isaac gestured for him to continue, but Willow's expression shifted to sorrow. She bowed and left the room.

"Anyways, I woke up at some white temple-"

"Last Light Temple."

“Right, and then…”

Echo relayed the story of his meeting the two deities at the temple, making his new self, and arriving in Heimfold on a grassy knoll outside of a large city.

"…I walked into the city and was directed to the guild."

Isaac chuckled, "Well, you came to the right world to experience adventure. Why not choose to grow up in this world though? You could have chosen where and to whom you would be born."

Echo shook his head, “I want to jump right in. I have all eternity to learn about the world and make friends thanks to an Ability. Time isn’t a factor for me.”

Isaac’s expression grew stern, and Echo felt like he was about to get a lecture from a teacher. "Then you need to take a crash course. Magic has to be performed using a spell tool, such as a staff, wand, orb, or other focus made of some semi-precious material. If one was not used, horrible consequences could follow, and that was why people drew weapons on you downstairs."

"I have one, it's just hidden."

Isaac's eyebrow raised curiously, "Show me."

Echo unsheathed his sword and twisted the hilt, unscrewing it until he produced a small silver staff; approximately 16 centimeters long. He returned the small stave to its compartment and retwisted the hilt into place before locking it in place.

“I want to be sure. Explain how you use magic.”

"Take hold of the Quintessence within, envision your desired effect, determine the best matching Affinity, and name the spell as you release the power through your spell tool. And you should use an incantation to keep the effect consistent,” Echo smirked as the Guildmaster showed an impressed look.

Isaac continued his line of questioning. “Why did you come here having such balanced strengths and abilities? Granted, you lean more towards a frontline combatant, but overall relatively even stats. The last few that Kalinor sent along were extremely specialized."

"I chose the balanced approach because I want to make sure that I can do anything I set my mind to with some effort. Being a one-trick-pony seems like it would get boring, fast.”

"Mmmm. Wise choice.” Isaac chuckled, "You'll go far here. But, before you can get started, you need to learn how some things work. And I want to see how you are as adventurer material."

The two talked deep into the night. Echo learned all about the Adventurer's Guild's inner workings and history.

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A long time ago, The Holy Empire was just called The Empire and was a warmongering country. They conquered all Heimfold before beings called Artificial gods - the six main deities of Heimfold - forced The Empire to stop their conquering and sue for peace.

They converted to a peaceful government that focused on spirituality and their old embassies became magical portals to this main facility, and a historical figure – Alamayn the Tactician – invented the Adventurer Guild.

A relatively small organization - just shy of one hundred thousand adventurers existed in a world populated by almost ten billion people.

But more than that, some companies were full-on business enterprises - mercenary collectives, magical crafters, and ruin delvers to name a few.

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"...And so, for one hundred dreks a season, you get full access to our amenities. I'll finish the paperwork." Isaac snapped his fingers and Echo felt a familiar wave of warmth wash over him as papers appeared in his hands which he signed with a pen that had spontaneously spawned.

That felt just like when Vythin blessed me.

Asher reasoned that it must be an external signal for when a god used their power.

Isaac handed Echo his adventuring identification as the paperwork vanished with a 'pop'.

"That’s it?”

Isaac smiled and explained that the identification could act as a universal way to show who he was in any realm on Heimfold.

In addition, the double doors in the Guild Hall downstairs acted as a portal hub of sorts, allowing instant transport to many cities and towns – exclusively usable by adventurers.

Lastly, the plate would track his stats and any new Abilities he learned or developed. Handily, it also stored dreks – the currency of this world. He could use the small notches on the back to facilitate transactions all across the various countries.

Echo nodded, "And I heard something about an apartment earlier?"

“Later. For now, I want to test your prowess.” He snapped his fingers and Echo felt a pulse of warmth radiate through the room.

Then, reality vanished.