I went downstairs and was immediately greeted by the chipper, former goddess.

“Fainn! I put the dirty towel in the wash!”

“Oh, Svilran.” I looked at the eternally smiling woman. “Thanks for doing that. You didn’t mind, did you?”

We both went out the door and started walking toward our home.

“Of course not.” She showed me her arm and flexed her muscle a little. “I’m here to help you and the heroes.”

“If you ever get tired, let me know.”

“Of course, but you should do the same... Is she okay?”

A smile snuck up on me, and I chuckled. “Yeah, she seems like she’ll be fine. She might have only gotten sick because she ate the watermelon too quickly.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Svilran, actually, I have a ton of questions about the facilities here.”

“And I will try to answer. Now that the structures have settled, I have an awareness of them and can probably answer some basic questions.”

“Okay, the most basic question is, how fleshed out are these buildings? The surprised me with the running water, electricity, and washing machine. I really wasn’t expecting it.”

Svilran giggled. “Well, it wouldn’t be a very good dormitory if it didn’t provide basic comfort. Oh!” She held up a finger. “But there is not really electricity. Everything is powered by raw aether, and that aether is processed as by the land we’re standing on.”

“So the buildings are drawing the aether up from the ground like how a plant draws up nutrients?”

“Yup!”

“And the being fleshed out is to be expected?”

“Of course. Consider the . You didn’t really question that we have such an amazing telescope, did you?”

“No... I didn’t... It just seemed more expected. I guess the luxury and convenience really caught me off guard.”

“Wait until you see your ! It’s very comfortable.”

I lit up. “Really?” The idea that I would have a home hadn’t really sunk in just yet. “Is it as impressive as the ?”

Svilran puffed out her chest and smugly chuckled. “I certainly think so. It has two washrooms, two bedrooms, a kitchen, a study and so on. It has everything a young man would need. Fully furnished, of course.”

“Wow,” I said, my mouth hanging a little. “To go from sleeping under debris to having a house... Awesome! I can’t believe the buildings are so fleshed-out!”

“The buildings are usually like that. They come fully equipped with everything that would agree with the concept of the building, which is good for us since it helps us achieve the goal of being a place to rest for the heroes.”

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“Do we have to worry about maintenance?”

“Hmm...” Svilran closed her eyes as she thought about the question. “Maybe? It depends on if a building is drawing more aether than the land has. It shouldn’t be a problem, though, unless we specifically add a ton of furniture and appliances to any one structure.”

I raised a brow. “We can make appliances?”

“I think so. I know we can build a and , among other things. So, there are clearly ways of getting appliances made.”

“Oh wow. We’ll find out more once we actually construct those buildings, right?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm... Wait, before I forget. What do we do about bathroom waste?”

“Don’t worry about it! Those that still need to use the washroom to relieve themselves need not worry about the ugly details! All the waste goes into the land beneath our feet where it is broken back down into aether.”

“Wow. Nice anti-frustration feature.”

Svilran wiggled up closer to me. “By the way, you and I no longer need to use the washroom when nature calls.”

“Seriously?”

Svilran laughed triumphantly. “Yup! I had that modification added. It wouldn’t do for a god to be removed from his important matters because of a poor meal. Our digestion has been made very efficient, and the food our land produces is more aether-based and easier for our bodies to break down perfectly. In truth, the food is more for the other visitors and for us to enjoy the process of eating.”

“Hold on. God? I’m a god?”

Svilran looked at me quizzically. “Yes? You’re the god of this Hero Hub.” She bobbed her head. “Well, I suppose you and I, as a unit, constitute a god. Anyway, don’t get too hung up on it. Relative to the heroes who visit, we are gods. This realm bends to our will after all.”

I remembered how Elma’s door unlocked itself for me. That was definitely a bending-to-my-will moment.

“So... as a god, could I just stop eating and drinking water altogether?”

“Hmm. No. Taking in substances for nourishment is a vital part of existence. We haven’t done away with that completely. You could probably forgo the food, but you would certainly need water. The idea is you need to consistently sustain yourself with a form of aether your body can process. The water here is the most efficient and effective vehicle for absorbing aether. All that really changes is the need for a toilet.”

“Well. Good enough!”

“Ahh! I should mention that there might be value to us enjoying food and trying to earn more varieties. There might be special elements we can unlock that we can then use in service of the heroes.”

“How game-like...”

Svilran chuckled nervously. “Yeah... The entity ahead of me sure enjoys keeping me in the dark...” She picked herself back on the flip of a dime and puffed out her chest. “But don’t worry, we’ll unlock those things as we go! We can do it, Fainn!”

“Aaaand we’re home,” I said.

“Are you excited?”

I looked at the house. It looked like a picturesque wood-and-brick cottage--the kind you would see in an oil painting. “Let’s check it out.”

“Yay! I already put a bunch of watermelons inside!”

The house was comfortable and warm. It was the kind of home one could see some kid barrel into while his mom was cooking stew. Maybe there would be a warm beam of light trickling in through the window and a nice earthy smell... I started feeling a little sad. Anyway, the home was fairly modern with the rustic sheen over it. The main room had the kitchen directly across from the entry door. That kitchen had simple appliances and kitchenware hanging on the walls. There was a small table that could seat six to eight. The door to the washroom was off to the side and near the doors to the two bedrooms. The door to the study was across the room from the ones to the bedrooms.

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“Actually, Svilran, where are you sleeping?”

“I’ll be staying in this house too! I’ll be taking a room.” She smiled and bowed. “So long as that pleases you, My Lord.”

She lifted her head and showed me a wide grin. I flicked her nose in response.

“Fainn?!”

“Come on, stop that. And of course, I’m okay with that.”

“Great! I don’t know what I would do if you said I couldn’t stay.” She happily pranced over to the door--we hadn’t even been in the house for twenty minutes yet.

“Going somewhere?”

“The ! We need to find a suitable world for Elma to visit in the event that she takes up the heroic calling.” She shook her hands frantically. “But you can rest, Fainn! It has been a long day!”

I looked around, then back at Svilran. “Nah. I’ll come with you.” I walked up to the door. “I need to do my best for these Heroes too. I can’t just let you take everything on by yourself.”

She lit up. “Great! We’re going to do great, Fainn!”