Location: The Xaron Tavern on sector Faheilm, multiverse S@T6-JO0

The tavern patrons were doing their usual things when the door to the outside suddenly was opened, it's not that rare, but worth their attention as in most cases the person who opened it is often interesting.

This time around, the new person was what looked like human woman wearing a black overcoat, a pair of formal black pant, a pair of black military boots and a black top hat.

A curious fact was that basically every patron of the tavern could see through her human guise and what they saw was normal for the tavern but indescribable for any mortal, it was what appeared to be a towering human figure formed by countless spherical lights that each of them enveloped a giant translucent or transparent squirming maggot that had strange symbols etched on them.

It was a form that couldn't be properly described in words from a simple mortal mouth.

It was the form of a higher being that would at best drive the mortals who saw it mad, at wort, would just erase them from spacetime

Not that it would do anything to any of the patrons of the tavern as she was basically just a above average being if compared to the regulars of the tavern, she could be even considered a very young being by the tavern standards, basically a child.

Putting it's true appearance aside, something that picked the attention of the people at the tavern was it's "scent", not it's literal smell, but something more similar to a unique existential signature, those that were present last time remembered who this woman was, she was the cute child who stumbled across the tavern some time ago!

This fact didn't go unnoticed by Merlin who was sitting on his usual table with Nyamayo, Kylocrio and a unknown demon looking being.

Merlin waved to her and said almost shouting "Kiddo! Your mother must have given you quite a earful, hahaha! Come here, take a seat!"

Noit'e walked to the table with courage, but still avoiding the scary looking patrons and sat down by the side of Nyamayo, she then greeted the people at the table with a silky woman voice in english.

"We meet again! But what's the mother thing about?"

Merlin said in a exaggerated tone.

"We all know that you had to leave because your mother called you home"

and he continued with a smug face.

"And we just know you got grounded because you had run away from home and got yourself drunk haha"

" You could say someone indeed called me, but i didn't knew who it was. By the way, you still going to pay for my next 10 drinks?" Noit'e said

Merlin nodded in confirmation, still with a smug face, and pressed the button on the table.

When the waitress appeared each person ordered something.

Merlin spoke in english: " a [star core] for me and a bowl of [Jake] for the kiddo"

Kylocrio made a series of deep growl's: "I would like a bottle of [Xenon Sap] "

Nyamayo made what sounded like long grave sounds: " I want a bowl of [Singularities] and a bottle of [Dark matter]"

The demon looking being spoke in english with a demonic voice: " Please bring me a bottle of [Red wine] with a bowl of [Peanuts]"

Noit'e simply said in english: " A mug of [Padacore] for me"

The waitress took the orders and disappeared just to reappear a few minutes later with the requested items on a tray, and she vanished after putting the items on the table.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Merlin pushed a plate and the bowl of this supposed "Jake" to Noit'e for her to eat, they were small bite sized red cubes with small white particles in them and each of them was impaled by a wood toothpick.

And before Noit'e reached for the bowl she suddenly was no longer the same woman as before, now she suddenly looked like a woman with dark skin, short white hair, golden eyes and was still wearing the same clothes as before.

Someone changing appearances was nothing strange in this tavern, but doing so for no apparent reason was something quite curious to see.

This new woman picked a few [Jakes] and put them on the plate before eating one, there were very delicious if you go by the reactions of this new woman as her eyes widened and suddenly flashed a series of strange symbols and for those that could detect, she was emanating a huge wave of pure happiness, and again, quite a few of the patrons found her shenanigans cute, but she soon noticed what she was doing and returned to normal before speaking with a deep woman's voice in realization.

"Oh, sorry. You don't know me yet, my name is Dy'a"

The people at the tavern were surprised by this revelation, most of them were thinking something along the lines of 'What? Really?' or ' What are the odds?'

Dy'a noticed the surprise of the people at the table and asked "What? Don't tell me, it means something silly?"

Merlin shook his head and spoke with a smile on his face.

"It's just that... Not only you are now two... But you are named Noit'e and Dy'a respectively! And before you ask, the situation with the name Dy'a is the same with the name Noit'e, and all i can say without spoiling the fun is that they are famous names"

Nyamayo interrupted with what seemed like excitement, or the equivalent of it for a robotic floating black cube "But putting these silly things aside, can you tell us what happened after you left? Because from what i record, you were only one last time, and you changed... quite a bit, on such short time"

Dy'a took a sip of her drink and said:

"Short time? Its been 3 years! Earth years at least."

She took another sip and continued.

"It is quite simple actually, someone had called me offering a gift, a very tempting one at that! I accepted and ended starting over in a place I was somewhat familiar with, from a small weak human to what I am now. This is the resumed version as quite a few things happened between the start and the end, but I am quite happy with the results"

After hearing it, Nyamayo said in a tone that made her seem like a mother scolding her child.

"You did what?! Don't you know you should not go accepting "gifts" from strangers!? They could have been a Red Priest for Noyta's sake!"

Dy'a that now returned to being Noit'e said said trying to excuse herself.

"B-but everything worked out fine! And I don't even know what a "Red priest" is "

Merlin was just laughing at the situation and Nyamayo was mumbling something about children and education or something similar while rapidly eating from her bowl of "snacks".

After Merlin sopped laughing so much, Kylocrio asked Noit'e who was eating some of the [Jake] from her plate while trying to not appear to be starving.

"Can you tell why you became two? If you want I can show you some good therapists to help you with that"

O the surprise of the patrons and the people at the table, Noit'e responded in shock.

"What!? No! Why I would do something like that!? We are one and the same!"

They were not expecting this reaction, but they did not judge her whatsoever as each of them had their own story and situations.

After taking a few sips from her drink, she calmed down and answered the first question.

"It was part of the conditions for accepting the gift, another one was to have most of my being sealed to the point of making me as weak as a human. But the good side is that the seal would slowly weaken as time passed, so no problem"

Kylocrio said in a apologetic tone:

"Sorry for suggesting something like that, it's just a that you seem... Quite young. And young beings normally don't handle well being more than one at once."

Kylocrio said in a more positive tone trying to bring the mood up.

"What about the universe you went? It's a famous one? We might have heard about it"

Noit'e that was now dy'a said while eating her snacks:

"It's a universe quite famous on Earth, its very similar to a universe called "Lord of the mysteries" but I doubt any of you heard about it"

Kylocrio looked at the people of the table but they "shook their heads" denying to know such place.

Dy'a then asked to Merlin:

"I remember you mentioned a "Central library"? Can you give me some directions to it?"

Kylocrio was the one who answered her by pointing a tentacle to a seemingly random direction and saying:

"Do you see that doorway? That leads to a station, the train there passes by the central sector station that has a doorway that leads directly to the central library"

Dy'a looked in that seemingly random direction, but she was looking beyond the confines of the tavern, she could see a giant doorway that had quite a few figures passing by it.

She had already finished her mug of [Padacore] so she asked for another, and while watching the TV at the tavern , savoring her snacks and drink, they soon were finished and she spoke her goodbyes.

" It was a pleasure seeing you guys again, but I need to take a look at this central library, so goodbye and have a nice day"

Nyamayo warned her about strangers again and each person at the table gave their goodbye and wished her a nice trip.

She leaved the tavern and went to the giant doorway and hesitantly crossed it's boundaries.