"I can't keep it up..."

Once Omerta's barrier collapsed, the temperature surged inside our defensive dome. Gitaut's and my spell were the only things that stood against the pressure, but we sweated bullets.

The ground turned into glass around our sanctuary and the jungle disappeared. I couldn't tell how long the dragon showered us with its intense fire breath, but he didn't show signs of stopping. He let up at an arbitrary moment, touching down by our dome with a force that rumbled the ground below our feet.

The heat might have stabilized, but even Ember fell to the ground who loved her flames. Omerta and my little sister gave up earlier, my legs shaking too. The shaman surprised me by being the least affected, but the dragon's roar didn't let me think for long. Its magnificent wings spread out and flapped once, wiping out all the hot air stuck under the barrier.

Now that I had a good look at it, dragons couldn't be mistaken for wyverns. They were larger, with scales instead of reptile skin, and sported an extra pair of limbs. No spikes like on their venomous cousins. and weren't as thin or gaunt either. Many horns grew from its skull, its massive jaws filled with needle-sharp teeth, each the size of my legs.

They disappeared in a blink as the dragon transformed. A human with tanned skin and eastern clothes took its place and dispelled our barrier with a touch. After the deadly sauna, it felt like thousands of feet deep in the ocean, the pressure almost crushing me. I imagined my black hole would have a similar effect on its targets, but he didn't cast a spell.

"You are not from the Inquisitorias." He didn't ask questions, he stated the facts. "You aren't even humans. A shaman, three witches, and a homunculus. What an odd group. But you seem more potent than the other party that descended into my realms. Even though a god possessed one of them from the Cranta Pantheon."

"W-who are you?" It couldn't hurt to ask if he already talked to us, but opening my mouth under his heavy gaze was challenging. He didn't rush to answer, instead, he gazed at each of us, bearing down on me when it was my turn. He didn't cast anything, it was the pressure coming from the density of his magicules. And he adjusted it on command, peeling it back until I could breathe again. No wonder Gitaut called him a god, I had no doubts about it now.

"I am Addas, guardian deity of the nomads of Appenon and conqueror of this realm." His voice resounded deep inside my mind. The rest of us kneeled at his greatness, although they didn't choose to do so. His sheer pressure pinned them to the ground, only Gitaut and I were still standing, and it did not go unnoticed. "Hmm, to think two of you would have the potential to become gods yourselves. That's even more impressive than the possessed human."

I had so many questions, but couldn't decide which ones to ask, or if I was even allowed to speak. The smoldering glass replacing the jungle told me to remain silent unless prompted. All kinds of creatures filled the area, keeping their distance but sneering at us. As if Addas wasn't enough, minotaurs, harpies, beholders, and other creatures surrounded us. Dozens, if not hundreds of monsters I had never seen before.

"So what reason did you have to intrude into my realm?" He asked, strolling in the devastated landscape. "I can tell you didn't come from the Inquisitorias. Neither did the human group my minions wiped out. But it feels odd that you both invaded from the opposite ends of this world. Depending on your answer, I can allow you to return to the surface, or destroy you right now, and don't try to lie to me."

"We wouldn't even consider it." Gitaut bowed to the human, sounding way calmer than I expected. "We caught wind of a dungeon in Baran and looked for a way to get its core, but didn't intend to conquer it. We didn't know Your Grace controlled this realm, and the Inquisitorias are also our enemy."

"How would you even get to the dungeon core, without conquering the place?" The god raised an eyebrow, walking within arm's reach. "And why now? How long has it been since the Gates stopped working?"

"Um, ten years, Your Grace," Omerta answered, bowing her head while still kneeling. It did seem time moved at a different pace down here, and not even this so-called deity knew how long he'd been here.

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"Ten years? Feels like I've conquered it ages ago, and it's only been a decade?" His voice resonated within my soul, feeling natural, scary, and resounding. "I wasted too much time."

He turned his back on us, yet the pressure increased again as he waved to the creatures to gather closer. Most were minotaurs, but I saw lion-like monsters with bat wings and scorpion tails. I got used to the harpies, but the snake-bodied women were brand new too. They remained a minority here, sticking to the back rows, but made themselves hard to ignore.

They surrounded us, and the god turned back after a few steps to point into the distance.

"I'll lead you to my castle, and the Ritual will decide your fates." He announced, and the pressure eased enough so the others could finally stand up. "Don't try anything stupid to get yourself killed until then. Even if you strike me down, you're not ready to take on all my followers."

He was right. The dragon erased our borrowed troops in a fraction of a second and almost ended us. The dense jungle that gave us a hard time traveling was gone. But ever since he took this human shape, he seemed even more dangerous. He didn't bother to disarm us, not even the wizard staff could harm him.

He only eased the pressure enough so the rest of the group could move too. We couldn't lift a finger against him unless he allowed it. And the monsters following us seemed almost as bad.

He never asked for our names, as if showing how insignificant we were. Yet he didn't take off as a magnificent dragon but strolled ahead to lead us to his castle. We marched along, trailed by all those creatures, but the wide road we walked on didn't exist moments ago. The vegetation gave him way on its own as if they feared him too.

Remembering what Gitauit said, I knew who terraformed this place now. When I glanced back, fresh vegetation sprouted through the glassed ground. Red and blue leaves hid the place, decimated mere minutes ago. The jungle rejuvenated behind us.

I couldn't tell if he wanted to impress us or show how much excess power he had to deal with such annoyances. The last time I felt this powerless was when the Elder attacked us, but she had nothing on this man. I still couldn't win back then. I got stronger, but they were on a different level. We followed in silence, struggling to think while tiny creatures flew overhead.

They weren't insects, their humanoid bodies were clad in miniature but rough clothing. Long ears and battered wings carried them around. A mental image appeared in my head, naming them fairies, but it disappeared before I could guess who sent it to me. The witches didn't look capable of anything at the moment. Addas' pressure never let up completely, but the fairies messed with our brains too.

I held on to Emi's hand but didn't remember reaching out for it, and most of our journey disappeared from my head too. Almost as if we teleported to the castle, or skipped through a long cutscene in a game. We were there, my legs tired, but I couldn't tell how after the pixies showed up. I couldn't guess how long we walked or how far we came, but seeing the massive structure, I forgot about it anyway.

It was half-carved into a cliff, the main gate dwarfed compared to the whole building. But once we got close, it turned out that the god could walk through it even in his massive dragon shape, wings spread. The scales were insane, but somehow they herded us through the gate before I could take a better look. The pressure finally dissipated, and the fairies no longer affected our brains. It felt like someone lifted a blindfold from me, weighted by huge boulders.

"Wha-when did we get here?" Emi asked surprised, looking around with gleaming eyes. Ember and Omerta perked up too, while Gitaut shook his head. At least I wasn't the only one who lost control of most of my senses in the last... Whatever long we've been here.

"Where is that here exactly?" The witches asked too, to which the shaman replied, keeping his voice low, as the god disappeared.

"In Addas' castle. You guys need some better mental protection from your crystals." He added, pointing at the fairies about to leave. "You all acted like zombies on our way here. But I guess that is an actual god for you. He was close to crushing me too."

My eyes followed the monsters disappear in one of the hallways, leaving us by the entrance. We could have escaped, but even after the confusion from the fairies ceased, we didn't move.

"What do you mean an actual god? Alexandra is one, and I never felt like this before." I noted, taking deep breaths, and squeezing my sister's hand. "His aura is too crazy."

"Well, the Goddess of Luck only existed for a decade and has no followers. Addas reached apotheosis before any of the currently reigning Crantan gods." The shaman explained, out of breath too. "No wonder they could never banish or fight him either."

"You mean this was Addas, the only deity who roamed the continent before Alexandra?" Omerta seemed skeptical. Even though he introduced himself, I couldn't blame the orc witch for her brain being blank all this time. "So that's where he disappeared in the last decade? Is he the dragon too? And this is his place?"

I couldn't help but summon my staff, and grab onto my magic crystal. I didn't want my brain to fry like the others and sought some mental protection spells. I felt strange too, but at least I knew where I was, like Gitaut.

It must have been because of what the god said about us. It took some time for it to register, but I needed confirmation.

"What did he mean, two of us have the potential?"