“Yes, I am a reincarnated person from another world. One where there is no magic and a much higher level of technology. We had airplanes, smartphones, computers, and automobiles.” Wali said.

“I don’t know what those words mean,” Yacob said. The others agreed.

“Umm, self-moving carts, vehicles that flew through the sky, devices to talk to each other on opposite ends of the world, and machines that could do math and had whole libraries that you could hold in your hand,” Wali explained. “We had gods there, but not like here. And none of that ran on magic. I died after living a full life.” he looked at Vinny and Sas’cha, “There were only humans, no elves or Spirit Beasts, no beastkin, nothing like all of the intelligent species we have here.”

“How old are you really?” Vinny said speculatively.

“Almost a century old if I add the two lives together,” Wali replied. He took a sip of tea and sat down. Everyone else sat again.

“You’re old, but you are still my best friend,” Yacob said.

“I got you, buddy. You’ll always be my friend too.” Wali replied.

Sas’cha was looking at Wali with new eyes. Something had changed in her body language. Now, there was a level of respect that wasn’t there before. As well as a new level of interest and speculation.

Marsai took hold of the conversation again. “I think I need to tell you a little bit about some history. This is not written down or spoken of anywhere that I know of. This is the true story of how this world came to be.” She said.

“When the gods first made this world, it was to be a place for them to garner followers and gain power. Each of them had a hand in the creation. This is one of thousands and thousands of worlds across many dimensions and universes. They placed nine caretakers around the world to oversee the development of the different races and the natural world.” She said, sliding into historian mode.

“These nine caretakers were supremely powerful beings made by the gods by mixing their essences. The gods then left the world because those are the rules they abide by. The nine caretakers did their best for millennia, but due to the influences left by the gods themselves, they all fell to madness in some way or another. A few tried to become gods themselves, others were driven mad by conflicting divine directives, and others slid into depression and loneliness. They fought for power, enslaving the mortals they were there to shepherd.” She said, sadness creeping into her voice.

“This is where me and my six sisters come in.” She waved a hand at the tapestry. “Three of the gods, Discernment, Justice, and Balance, had foreseen the possibility that the caretakers might fail. They created us, seven immortals; we are called the Lumin. We cannot die but are bound by all other rules of the mortal races. We were placed here to hold the keys to correct the issue should the caretakers lose their way.” She said, looking at the tapestry.

“The caretakers are now called Demon Lords. The mortal races renamed them. They are demi-gods; thus, our mortal magics could only affect them in limited ways. We could not kill them, and as we Lumin cannot die, they cannot die. But we could bind them. We raised armies to fight their armies, heroes rose and fell, and a thousand years of war passed before it was complete. The Demon Lords were bound into the earth under massive stone obelisks. The last and most powerful one took nine such stones and is buried under the Colri Savannah.”

“The obelisks are often the reason for low mana density areas or turbulent spaces. We also bound other lesser demons, creations of the caretakers, under similar obelisks. They were too powerful to destroy at the time. But all good things come to an end. The power of these stones is wearing thin, and some are already falling apart. My sisters and I live on to prepare the next hero for his task. Wali, you are the prophesied one. My youngest sister has already done her part. Now it is my turn.” Marsai said.

“Your sister?” Wali asked.

“Yes, you know her as Blackfinger. She bound your totems to you. She also bound many other spells into your body.” Marsai said with a sly smile. The look of comprehension on Wali’s face was priceless. Indeed Blackfinger had glowed like Marsai was currently. She just hid it under the tattoos. “She keeps watch over the obelisks that bind the greatest Demon Lord. She tells me that you unwittingly damaged one of those bindings when you killed a boar at age ten.”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Wali’s eyes got huge at the memory. “But, how? I didn’t….”

“It is fine. You were a child and had no idea that the blood of a Spirit Beast would do anything harmful. We don’t exactly advertise that. There are cults in the world that seek to unbind the Demon Lords. Giving them the keys to the locks would be suicide.”

A polite knock at the door, and Eiko poked his head in the room after a pause, “D-d-dinner is s-served.” He said before retreating again.

The group all followed Marsai into a large dining hall. A beautiful green and blue wood table that could seat twelve was set for nine. Once the guests were seated, Marsai’s other two servants served dinner with Eiko. They sat with the group. Everyone was family in Marsai’s home. Eiko was actually an ancient Spirit beast like Sas’cha and had evolved into his current form. He had started life as a lowly ant and was one of Marsai’s bonded familiars. The other two were a pair of orcish women. Green-skinned, with tusks and muscles, Greta and Hansa were once cursed by Marsai for thieving like Vinny. Now they were a part of her family. They worked as cook and gardener, respectively. The last place was set but not served; it was for the fallen, a tradition within Marsai’s home.

Four roasted chickens, with another raw set aside for Sas’cha, roasted potatoes, and veggies served family style. The conversation turned to stories of the boys’ travels. Vinny’s history and how he had become one of Marsai’s kids. He had tried to steal some of a particular healing herb that only grew in this crater. Only produced in Marsai’s garden, one of three plants that Marsai had nurtured and bred for millennia for use in her alchemy. The herb was nearly priceless in the elven cities outside the crater. It was said to be able to cure even the direst of diseases.

That evening they were all shown to separate rooms; each had a huge four-poster bed with a thick mattress and an individual restroom. The house was far larger on the inside than it appeared to be. Marsai was a master of magic, an archmage, a sage, and a master alchemist, among other titles. There were actually four above-ground floors and three levels of sprawling basements. Golem servants, mannequins made of spell-wrought wood, cared for all the mundane details like cleaning.

In each room was a magical wardrobe. Each had their belongings in the trunk at the foot of the bed, and the wardrobe held several changes of blue linen pajamas they had been provided. Each young man gratefully climbed into their own bed, sinking into the plush mattress, and was soon asleep.

Wali was lying awake when something scratched at his door. He opened the door and let Sas’cha into his room wordlessly. He climbed back in bed, laying on his back. He felt her climb into the bed and curl around him, head on his chest. He had grown used to this over the past few weeks and enjoyed having another warm body in the bed. They had never done anything sexual beyond some teasing. Wali honestly wasn’t looking for more. She had “claimed” him in her words, but he was not ready for another entanglement, especially after the day and the revelations that had been dumped onto him.

The weight of the world sat squarely on his shoulders. Thoughts spun through his head about what this all meant. His soul had value, and now the gods had placed an entire world at his feet to be saved. The shitty gods wanted him to cry out to them for help. They wanted to give him power. They wanted to claim him for their own. He felt something harden in him, resolve and determination. He would not allow them to take his independence. He would rather die again than give his soul to feed some ineffable entity. As a certain dungeon crawler he had read about often said, “They will not break me!”

Wali felt claws prick his chest through the pajama shirt. He looked down at Sas’cha. She was not asleep either. “Can I help you?” He asked flatly.

She sighed, “What is it with you? I can hear your brain churning around.”

“It’s not every day that the fate of an entire world gets dropped on your shoulders,” Wali said glumly. “I didn’t want that. I don’t want to be some hero of legend.”

“So don’t. You are your own man.” Sas’cha said.

“No can do. This is a responsibility of mine now, whether I like it or not. I cannot in good conscience let a world get consumed by Demon Lords or whatever is going to happen. The blood of too many innocents will be on my hands if I do nothing.” Wali said.

“And if you are killed?”

“Then I will have died trying, died fighting,” Wali said.

“Why do you care?” She asked, looking up at his face. Her face was very close to his.

“In some ways, I don’t. This is a second chance for me to do good. I have already lived a good and responsible life full of many amazing things. Yet here I am again, in another world that is amazing in different ways. I want to live here; I want to live as I will. I’m just a kid in this life. In my world, I would still be in school and learning how to drive.” Wali said a bit wistfully.

“Tell me about your world. Tell me about your life.” She said.

“What about it?” Wali asked. “There’s a lot there.”

“Start at the beginning. Your world seems very different than this one.” She said.

“Oh boy, is it ever different. Geez, I miss toilets and showers. And waffles. There are a lot of things we had that we don’t have here.” He said fondly. “Although magic is pretty fricking awesome.”

He felt her shake her head. She poked him with a claw, “Tell me of your childhood. Tell me of all the things in your world as you go. Stop dithering.”

He started with his earliest memories. They were far away and weak. He spoke of his family and the hardships and the good times. He talked about his brother lost in war and his annoying beloved little sister. He spoke of his time as a soldier and then as a carpenter. His wife, children, and future generations. Some time into the flowing thoughts, he felt Sas’cha fall asleep. He smiled and relaxed. He had seen what war did to a world, a nation, and a family. If he could do anything to prevent that for his friends, he would. Even the overgrown house cat on his chest was special to him now.

“I will stop them. I will do what it takes.” He mumbled to himself as he, too, fell asleep.