Glenn strode through the forest on the path to King’s Rise, engaged in a conversation with the uninvited guest in his left hand, a conversation mainly centered around his memories of Earth. Even though it hadn’t been long since he came to this world, his memories of then had already started to fade away, replaced with visions of horrors spat out of a red moon.

“So, you had these superheroes guys, but they weren’t real? Like this Spiderguy or Great Man?”

“Exactly. It was all the product of someone’s imagination, put on paper or acted in a movie, crafted for entertainment,” explained Glenn. Diamanes seemed quite intrigued by the trajectory of Glenn’s world before the latter departed from it.

“Entertainment…it’s had to believe you didn’t need to survive every day back there. It certainly is different from this world or the one I came from,” Diamanes said bemusedly. Glenn’s eyebrows rose with curiosity.

“What was your world like, then?”

Diamanes’ grin grew widely, his white teeth glimmering under the sunlight.

“It was…different, for sure. And it also was wishful thinking to believe I would just tell you straight away!”

Glenn sighed, unsurprised. What was he expecting from an evil entity that could read in his mind and memories?

“Anyway, what’s this phenomenon, Tok Tik? Is it a time spell or something?” Diamanes inquired curiously.

Glenn smirked and shook his head, “Sort of. But let’s not dive into that topic.”

He suddenly stopped and looked at his left, purple hand, more particularly at his palm, where a grinning mouth was nestled. Diamanes looked back at him, even though it seemed wrong to qualify it as “looking”, since it was only a mouth, with no eyes nor ears.

“I’ve been wondering…When you access my memories, how does it work? Is it like watching a movie or something?”

Dimaanes pleased that Glenn was starting to invest himself in this relationship and his workings, cleared his throat.

“To put it in terms you’d understand, watching your memories is akin to having access to an entire Netflix catalog. I can select which part of your life I want to “watch”, without any preview or synopsis. During this process, I experience your memories as if I were the one living them, without any control. A spectator of some sort.”

Glenn nodded, pondering. The corner of his lips curved upward as he resumed his walk to King’s Rise. Intrigue, Diamanes hesitated to check Glenn’s mind to know what was going on inside it but decided against it. Glenn hated when Diamanes was reading in his mind, so it was more than fundamental to stop doing it, to improve their relationship and create trust.

“Did I say something funny that you’re smiling like that?”

Glenn glanced at his left hand, a smirk hanging on his lips. Anyone who would be watching him doing so would probably think he was insane, smiling at his hand like that. But then, maybe he was. Maybe Diamanes was just a construct of his imagination to help him endure the torture and horrors of this world.

“Why don’t you check yourself?” Ever since he was aware of the parasite’s mind-reading ability, he had been looking for a way to counter it. Making mind-reading disagreeable seemed as good of a plan as any. He certainly wasn’t going to help Diamanes’ foraging in his memories, though.

“I know you don’t like me mind-reading you, so I’m holding back. I’m trying to be thoughtful, alright?”

Glenn sneered, “...Thoughtful…Hah.” When he thought back to the short yet painful time he spent in Diamanes’ fleshy lair, he couldn’t help but find the word "thoughtful” to come out as a little absurd from the devil’s mouth. Nonetheless, he gave out a quick chuckle and replied:

“You say you don’t have a choice when choosing which memory to check, right? Well, I sure hope you’ll enjoy every single second of cringe-worthy moments, hours of boredom, and any terrible memories I might have.”

Diamanes chortled for a moment, taken aback, “Who are you taking me for? I’ve lived centuries in a room made of meat and blood, and you think that me watching you jerking off will bother me? Hell, that’s going to be fucking entertaining!”

Glenn’s smile cracked and he simply clenched his left hand, muffling the mocking laugh coming off it.

For the first time since the beginning of this journey, they walked in the silence of the forest, an enjoyable rest from Diamanes’ constant jeer. Glenn enjoyed the relative peace, barely disturbed by the birds singing or the leaves rustling.

They eventually reached the edge of the forest, just in time to see the setting sun bath crowning the expansive city of King’s Rise in glorious light. A gust of wind made Glenn’s black coat flap as he wordlessly looked at a city that could probably be part of the Seven Wonders on Earth.

Gigantic might not be enough of a word to describe King’s Rise’s absurd size. Even when seemingly standing on a higher ground, he was still unable to see the entirety of the city. The tapestry of buildings was woven further than he could see, the massive wall surrounding it wholly acting like an impassable obstacle.

“What’s this tower…?” Glenn muttered, staring in disbelief at an immense gray tower in the city’s center, towering over the whole of King’s Rise like a silent watcher, its top hidden in the clouds. Even Sauron’s Tower wasn’t as impressive as this one, despite the evil eye on top.

Diamond-shaped stones were circling the tower, trading flashes of blue and red energy from time to time, some strikes hitting the tower.

The city’s layout was peculiar, with the walls at the lowest part of the city, and the buildings increasing in size and height the closer to the tower, like massive, intricate stairs leading to it. Glenn smirked. The name “King’s Rise” was starting to make sense. What was even more interesting was the difference between the places closest to the tower and the ones furthest from it. It seemed that the closer to it, the cleaner and well-designed it was, while the places far from it were rough, dark, and dirty, more rustic, and less advanced.

Glenn sighed as he rubbed the back of his sore neck, “It’s quite shocking how you can see the divide between luxury and hardship. This picture could be put in a geography book… Some things never change, don’t they…”

Diamanes whistled in amazement, “This place is brimming with magic - enhanced stability, flight restriction, and more things I can’t distinguish behind the already thick magic barriers. This is a fucking light show.”

“They must have a lot of talented mages and an excellent supply of Mana to hold this whole thing together. It’s an incredible piece of work.”

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Glenn breathed out with a little anxiety. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t worried about what he was going to find there. Would it be a normal civilization, with civilized individuals, or was he going to need to fight for his life for some obscure reason?

…Hopefully, it wouldn’t be the second choice.

The city’s massive size was overwhelming, almost crushingly so. Perhaps he would lose himself in it, in this immense labyrinth of human structures.

“...I just need to take it like visiting a new city. I’ll get used to the size eventually,” Glenn muttered to himself.

“Maybe you should try to hang out on the outskirts, get some intel this way,” Diamanes proposed. Glenn sneered and rubbed the side of his nose.

“...And maybe I’ll find someone who knows more about what happened to me since you’re too lazy to find a plausible explanation,” He grumbled as he stared at his left purple hand.

“I already found an explanation, not my fault you’re not satisfied with it!” Diamanes retorted. Glenn grimaced and pulled the bandages out of his dimensional pouch. The entity’s grin faded away, replaced by a scowl.

“Hey, hey, you’re not muffling me, are you? You know I don’t need a mouth to talk, right?” Diamanes hurriedly tried to dissuade him but to no avail.

“Please don’t do that, I hate being constricted—” Glenn tightened the bandage around his left hand and made a small knot, interrupting Diamanes and shutting him up for now. Even though the entity appeared to be relatively friendly, Glenn couldn’t forget that he was a demon that almost killed him. The memories of the pain he felt in that fleshy lair were more than enough to make him doubt each of the unwanted being’s words.

‘Tch, why are you forcing me to talk directly into your mind? It feels like putting my tongue somewhere I shouldn’t,’ Diamanes’ annoyed voice rang in Glenn’s mind. The latter grimaced in disgust before shaking his head in bewilderment.

“Ugh, disgusting,” Glenn pressed his lips together, ”...Anyway, it means we can communicate in private, without anyone listening in. And I think you know better than I do how dangerous your presence can be for me. I don't want to be burned at the stake, remember?”

Diamanes grunted in disagreement but didn’t add anything else. Glenn’s words did hold some weight, after all.

Glenn, after making sure the bandage would hold tight, turned and looked over the city. It didn’t take long to find the entrance in the massive walls surrounding it. The gate was pretty hard to miss, after all. Glimmering in the sunset like a crystal, a little taller than the ramparts, was a gate built entirely out of ice, or at least something similar.

“...Is this a city for giants or something?” Glenn muttered in wonder. On each side of the gate stood two equally massive ice statues, a swordsman holding a zweihänder with both of his hands, the blade pointed to the ground. He was protected by plate armor but had no helmet. The swordsman’s face had faded away with time, not that Glenn could recognize it anyway. He wasn’t from this world after all, so why try?

The second sculpture was the one of a typical RPG barbarian, muscular and wearing a leather loincloth. His hands were placed on the head of a double-bladed ax, and his face was hidden under a horned helmet.

Diamanes whistled in awe, ‘That’s an impressive door.’

Glenn nodded silently, only able to agree with the entity’s words.

“You don’t say…I can’t even imagine how humans could build this.”

Diamanes snickered, ‘I certainly can, though. The gate’s architecture isn’t that awe-inspiring, compared to whatever horrible power it holds.’

Glenn, startled, glanced at his left hand with raised eyebrows. Despite his insistence, Diamanes refused to follow up on his thoughts.

“A horrible power, you say…” Glenn smacked his lips and shook his head. There was no use worrying about it, so why bother?

After finding and following the Morsquida’s Stream, they finally found a bridge, finding in the same fashion a wide dirt road. Grooves had been dug in the mud by the multiple passages of wheeled vehicles, indicating that it was a road with a lot of traffic.

The journey had taken a considerable amount of time, and the darkness had already settled for a while. Glenn glanced at the bridge, a solid structure of thick stone bricks, wide enough to have two cars side by side driving over it, and still have space left over for pedestrians.

‘Yeah, it’s a bridge, stop marveling over every little thing, damn it!’ Diamanes complained, annoyed. Glenn sighed and stepped on the bridge, walking slowly as he admired the shimmering reflection of the twin moons in the stream. That sight never failed to amaze him, serving as undeniable proof that he had left Earth far behind for another stranger world.

The sound of creaking wheels interrupted his contemplation. Looking back, Glenn found a cart pulled by nothing. The cart slowed until it reached Glenn’s position, revealing an old man clutching a glowing blue stone. The vehicle was the definition of simple, four wheels with a driver’s seat and a small storage space to haul stuff.

The driver looked old, his gray beard matching with his surprisingly well-groomed gray hair that couldn’t be concealed under his straw hat. Probably well in his sixties, the old man’s green eyes were sharp and darted around Glenn to evaluate him. He wore a simple gray tunic, as well as brown pants held up with a string. Both were sewn of the same material, probably cheap flax.

One noticeable thing about him was the golden monocle he wore on his right eye, an expensive item that clashed with the rest of the outfit. Additionally, the old man’s free hand was resting on a sword hanging from his hips. He was chewing something, but after looking at Glenn in silence for a few seconds, he spat it out on the other side of the road.

“Want a ride? I ain’t stopping until the Gate,” said the old man with an old yet powerful voice. Glenn glanced at the cart and shrugged,” Sure, why not?”

He reached for the side of the cart but the old man halted him with an outstretched hand.

“What?”

The old man looked him over before specifying his demand. "Two coppers."

Glenn took out a copper coin and placed it in the old man's hand. However, the old man's scrutiny remained.

"I might be old, but I ain't blind. That ain't two coppers, lad. Pay the rest or you won't be riding in me cart."

Glenn's hand produced another copper coin, which he displayed. "You'll get the rest once we arrive."

The old man's gaze lingered, then he relented, and let Glenn climb into the cart. With the transaction settled, the cart resumed its journey, guided by the light of the twin moons.

‘That guy is pretty exceptional for a human,’ Diamanes’ voice interrupted Glenn’s thoughts, startling him. The driver glanced back at him with a strange look but didn’t say anything.

‘Shit, I almost forgot about you.’

‘Yep, still there, still very much alive.’

‘And what was it you were saying? The deal with the old man being exceptional, I mean.’

Glenn could almost feel Diamanes’ smirk as he asked his question.

‘That old timer is quite the rare find. He’s skilled in both Aura and Mana, both at the Fourth level.’

Aura, Mana…Glenn glanced at his left hand, lost in thoughts. It seemed like he arrived in a typical fantasy world. It remained to see how all of those things worked…it’s one thing to read about it in a book, and another to practice it, after all.

‘Is there anything else you’d like to share, maybe how I can have those things, or…?’ Glenn asked without much hope.

Diamanes sneered,’ Just know that this guy can make you disappear with a breath. And why should I talk to my jailer? The one who muffled me? Hm?’

A shiver ran down Glenn’s spine, the warning settling uncomfortably in the back of his mind.

‘I’m going to need to stop by a library at some point…If they even have those things in the city. They should have, right?’ With Diamanes’ unwillingness to divulge more information, Glenn didn’t have another choice. Perhaps he could ask the old man, but he didn’t want to risk disappearing from a flick.

The cart journeyed onward beneath the twin moon’s watchful gazes. Abruptly, it came to a halt, startling Glenn. He stood up and glanced around, but couldn’t find anything. They had yet to reach the city walls, so why stop now?

Glenn’s face paled slightly and he clenched his sword with his right hand, ready to draw it at any signs of danger. This looked way too sketchy.