A soft voice that echoed around Vel. broke the silence, “Oh Traveler, who has arrived in my realm. What do you desire?” The voice echoed and the tree’s bark shifted. The bark formed a face, and the voice came from its mouth.

“I guess information about gods. So far, I’ve yet to encounter one that likes me, though.” Vel asked the tree. She stood in front of it and awaited a response.

“That question is not one I’ll be able to answer completely. Would you be okay with only some speculation?” The tree politely asked Vel.

“I’ll take any information I can get,” Vel replied and awaited her crumbs of information. “To begin, there are gods that run their own dimension. Sometimes there are multiple gods in one dimension. It is unknown what determines the number of gods per dimension. Within the gods, there are also different levels of strength; some are weak while others are powerful. Even the inhabitants of the dimensions themselves have different levels of strength. Maybe a stronger dimension will have a stronger god? There are apparently gods that govern things beyond a specific dimension, but even I don’t know too much about that. People like to call those supreme gods, and just like the lower tier has varying power levels, or so it’s speculated. Some also speculate that there is an almighty being above everything. Although that’s only speculation and there hasn’t been a way to verify it. All my information comes from those who visit my realm, for I am but a tree and cannot leave.” The tree imparted Vel with the knowledge it knew. “Now traveler, I pray thee impart knowledge onto me.” The tree begged Vel.

Vel spoke to the tree about the worlds she had visited before arriving here. “I originally hailed from a world called Magiem, known as the mage paradise, or so I’ve been told. For me, it was no paradise, yet I refused to resign to my fate. I fled to a random world desperate to escape. That’s where I found home. I left my old name behind and began truly living.” Vel smiled. “Once I turned 18, I began my journey to travel the multiverse, so that I’ll have plenty of stories to tell to my mother. My first stop was a dimension where everything consumed everything. After that, I stumbled my way into a world ruled by a false god. After I slew the false god, I ended up in a dimension where I witnessed its creation and evolution at a sped-up rate. I accidentally ended up being worshiped by the inhabitants there.” She let out a small laugh. She continued to recount the interesting bits of her journey to the tree. Her tale of her adventures satisfied the tree.

“So, you slew a false god and ended the life of a veritable god along your journey. Quite the feat to accomplish, especially in such a small amount of time. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you were to come back here and recount your future tales. Also, please take this.” The tree let loose one of its branches as a gift for Vel. “My branches are quite special, so perhaps you will find a use for it. It will also serve as a reminder of our promise to see one another again.” The tree gave a warm smile before the bark transformed back to normal.

“It was nice chatting with you. I’ll definitely come back again in the future.” Vel smiled and graphed the branch and placed it into her pocket dimension. She also grabbed her journal and wrote the details about this place. She was happy with her experience here, in this place. After sitting in silence and enjoying the peaceful atmosphere for a bit, she manifested a portal to go somewhere new. She arrived in what looked to be a city from around the same development as Valentis. It did not look as advanced as others she had been to. “Where am I now?” She wondered. She felt active magical energy all around her. Overall, the city had a typical appearance, except for the different kinds of humanoids. They all looked mostly human, with features of another species like wolves, cats, foxes, and others. I guess this place has animal people. I wonder how that came to be? As I also see regular humans with no animalistic features. Perhaps there are other non-human beings like vampires or some other pseudo immortal. No use dwelling on the history of this world, though. Vel continued to walk around aimlessly, when suddenly she felt an absurd amount of mana behind her. The sky turned dark, and the people were unphased. She looked behind her and a tall woman who was strikingly beautiful looked down at her. She had shoulder-length black hair and pitch-black voids for eyes. The overwhelming amount of mana was coming from the woman.

“A god.” Vel muttered.

“You look a little lost, Miss traveler.” The woman smiled, but her eyes pierced through Vel. “You appear to be hiding your mana to look like an average mage. Yet you don’t appear to be an average mage to me. I’d love to pick your brain about where you’re from, but that can wait until night when the city is in its truest form. You could get a sneak peek if you head to the center most section of this city. However, I believe you would rather wait and be surprised instead.” The woman chuckled. The woman vanished into thin air. This encounter left Vel flabbergasted. The sky had returned to normal after the woman disappeared. People continued to go about their day.

Did they not see the sky change? Or is this something that happens often? So many questions, but I guess I won’t get answers until nightfall. I’ve certainly stumbled upon an interesting place. Vel chuckled to herself before continuing to explore the city. She attempted to ask about what happens at night. However, everyone she interacted with seemed to not listen when she brought up the question. Yet they were perfectly fine answering anything else. It wasn’t a rude response. Her asking them the question was impossible for them to hear. She also could not ask about their gods or that woman. Which confirmed to Vel that the woman was a god of this place. Unlike the so-called paradise, there doesn’t seem to be any compulsion magic to control these people. Their goddess might not be a bad person, but I can’t shake a feeling of distrust. I’m not sure if I could win against all that power either. It seemed nearly boundless. Yet I am also very curious about what happens at night. Vel collected her thoughts about this dimension. Her curiosity outweighed her fear. She spent her daytime hours doing normal things, like eating and exploring. She didn’t have the money to purchase anything, so she just did chores to pay for things.

Finally, she saw that the sun was setting, and it was almost time. She was sitting on a roof, people watching and as the sunset, the people all jumped into action to prepare. Everyone had a smile on their face as they awaited the night. Everyone was standing in front of their homes and was waiting for something. Once the sun had fully set, a familiar voice echoed through the city. “During the day, we work and fulfill our roles and responsibilities. However, at night, we explore ourselves or become someone else entirely. Let us blur the lines of who we are. I, as the one of the nine gods of the enneagram, Veline, the goddess of chaos, declare that the night has begun. Let us all have a good night.” When Veline snapped her fingers, a radiant glow enveloped everyone, Vel included. Veline then appeared in front of Vel and smiled. “That glow is a simple spell that lets everyone party as long as they’d like without being tired. They will be fully rested, regardless of how little sleep they choose to have. Now we can finally have a chat. Although it would be rather boring if you stayed the same on this night of transformation. Here, take this potion. It’s not poison. I can assure you of that. If I wanted to kill you, I would’ve already done so.” Veline smiled as she handed Vel a vial of a purple liquid. Her eyes never seemed to change, no matter how the rest of her face moved. It unnerved Vel. Nevertheless, she was curious about this change she mentioned. Vel grabbed the vial and undid the cork. It had a sweet scent to it. She drank it in its entirety. It went down smoothly. She felt an unknown magical power course throughout her body. Her muscles grew in size and became more defined, her chest shrank down, her face became more masculine, and she had a new sensation. Her brown hair and amber, orange-colored eyes remained the same.

“What just happened?” Vel asked. Her voice surprised her, as it had become more masculine. “What did that potion do to me? I sound like a guy.” The effects of the potion surprised Vel.

“Well traveler, that’s because you are a guy now.” Veline snapped, and a mirror appeared in front of Vel. The mirror revealed her new masculine form.

“Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting to have my body change like this. I guess I should have a different name for this self as well. My mother took a piece of the word traveler. I guess I’ll call this form Rav to keep up with the theme.” Rav said, as he looked into the mirror.

“Well, nice to meet you, Rav. I hope you’ll enjoy your stay with us here in Veline recrine.” Veline said as she snapped and transformed Rav’s clothes to masculine ones.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“This place is called Veline recrine, huh? What an egotistical name.” Rav laughed.

“It would be if I was the one to name it, but it was the people who decided on that name. They worship me, their goddess of chaos, after all.” Veline shrugged her shoulders.

“The Enneagram huh, the nine-pointed star. There are nine gods in this world. That’s more than any of the other worlds I’ve been to.” Rav commented.

“The nine gods are: Alyja the goddess of love, Udione the goddess of harvest, Kenja the goddess of the sea, Orphine the goddess of vengeance, Buvmos the god of judgement, Chobus the god of trade, Sherasil the god of power, and me the goddess of chaos. Together, we make of the Enneagram of gods and goddesses.” Veline nonchalantly explained.

“I would’ve pictured that a goddess of chaos would be eviler. Excluding your eerie expressions and overwhelming amount of mana, you seem pretty normal.” Rav points out.

“I’m suppressing my mana now, but I am neither good nor evil. Life needs a little bit of chaos, otherwise the world would grow stagnant. Make no mistake, if you decide to cross me, then I will kill you. Depending on my mood, that might not be the end for you. You don’t seem stupid enough to do that, though.” Veline laughed as her form shifted to multiple different inhuman ones before settling back to normal. Rav laughed as well, but he could tell that Veline was serious. What a scary goddess. She certainly fits the goddess of chaos role. I’d be best to stay on friendly terms with her. This might be my chance to not be enemies with a god.

“I’m a portal mage that can only make portals to different dimensions. What is your ability as a goddess of chaos?” Rav asked, attempting to change the topic.

“I can do anything as long as it fulfills the will of chaos.” Veline smiled at Rav. “Be it, grant the ability to change anyone’s appearance, cause mass destruction, or change the world.” As Veline spoke, she transformed into Rav, then back. In the blink of an eye, flames covered the world. Then fixed the next. Rav didn’t show it on his face, but he was absolutely dumbfounded. This level of power is ridiculous. I wonder if mom could take her? Who knows, I’ve never seen her full strength. She always suppresses her mana, so I don’t really know how much she actually has. I wonder if I’ll ever reach that level? Rav had a lot on his mind after seeing the display of power.

“Maybe you will.” Veline said.

“Can you read my thoughts?” Rav asked, confused. Veline’s only reply was a smile. Neither confirming nor denying Rav’s question. Guess I’ll have to be careful with my thoughts. Just in case. “Well, let’s get this party started!” Rav shouts as he flies down from the roof and joins in the party. The scent of alcohol greeted him for a brief moment before the wind cleared it up. Next, he heard the sounds of people cheering and laughing, accompanied by the sound of music from a nearby band. They had all been drinking a variety of different drinks they could get their hands on. I guess with the blessing of their god, they could party every night. Mom would certainly like this world with all the drinking she likes to do. I guess I could cut loose while here. The moment Rav thought he wanted to cut loose; a massive keg of beer appeared in his hands. “Okay then.” Rav had received an answer from a god. Many of the townspeople looked at the barrel with envy.

“Drink.” Veline said. Rav took a deep breath, then sighed. He poked a hole in the keg’s side and the smell of beer flooded his nostrils as it filled his throat. He closed his eyes and continued to chug the beer. However, this beer was stronger than others he had tasted before. His body heated in a way that resembled drinking whiskey. His forehead glowed in the moonlight because of sweat. Except it was far more bitter and harsher than whiskey. No other beer was comparable to the one he was currently downing. The crowd cheered as he continued to chug the beer. The band of musicians played faster to match the speed of his chugging.

“He is lasting far longer than anyone else has so far. I wonder if he can finish it?” asked someone with the appearance of a young man in the crowd. Who cheered alongside everyone else. People put down coins in front of them to bet if this newcomer will finish the keg.

“Lady Veline has her eyes on him. If he disappoints, I’m sure we all know what will happen.” Another member of the crowd points out.

“Life is a gamble. If they came out here at night, they knew what they were getting into,” laughed a drunk member of the crowd. The crowd continued to cheer on the young newcomer. Veline was smiling while watching Rav chug. Rav couldn’t hear the crowd at all. He was entirely focused on his drinking. The beer was numbing and burning his throat, but that didn’t stop him. As he drank it, it tasted sweet, then burned, then tasted sweet again. It repeated this cycle until not long after, only a bit remained. When the last drop had reached his stomach, he placed the keg down and bumped his fists in the air and gave a sigh of relief. His face was red after chugging the entire keg. He looked over at Veline and gave her a big grin.

“Well done traveler, you surpassed my expectations. If you had given up halfway. Well.” Veline blew up her own head before regenerating it. “That would’ve happened to you, but instead of giving up, you finished the entirety, down to the last drop.” She laughed and manifested a glass of whiskey for herself and sipped it. “Well, enjoy her stay here, Rav.” She smiled. Rav breathed another sigh of relief. If I had messed that up, my journey could’ve ended right then and there. Rav couldn’t help but laugh. A tall woman with short hair and some muscles walked up to Rav. She handed Rav a drink. Thinking nothing of it, he drank it. The woman laughed after he drank the entire thing. It confused Rav, but he soon found out why. His body shrank down, and he grew scales and fins. He had become a fish.

“You fell for the classic fish drink prank.” The woman busted out laughing. The drunk, now fish Rav used his strength and slapped the woman with his tail. She flew into a nearby wall from the impact. “Yeah, I deserved that.” She muttered. She was bleeding lightly after being flung into a wall, but she was fine. The woman being sent into a wall made Veline bust out laughing.

“You got sent flying by a fish.” Veline was laughing so hard she couldn’t breathe. “You’re great! Rav. Please do visit sometime again.” Veline smiled at Rav. “If you want to try becoming anything else, go over there.” She pointed to a stall with a bunch of potions. She also returned Rav back to being a human. Rav accepted the offer and made his way over to the stall. The stall was a simple makeshift stall with a wooden table and many potions aligning the table. Manning the stall was an older looking woman around his height. He grabbed a random one, and it turned him back into a woman. Vel looked like herself once more. She looked at the label and it was a gender change potion. She grabbed another one, and she grew an amber-colored fox tail and ears. As a result of the potion, she had become a fox girl. Her ear twitched as she could hear things even better now.

“Well, that’s certainly something. I guess that’s what she meant by it being a night of transformation.” The effectiveness of the potions shocked Vel. They changed the body almost naturally, so any protection didn’t matter. “It really is no illusion, either. Whatever one drinks is what they fully become.” Vel muttered. She channeled some mana and focused on seeing if she could go remove the effects. She was successful and removed a layer of transformation. The foxlike features disappeared from her body.

“Few can remove the effects on their own through pure brute force. Although there really isn’t a need to do that though.” The lady running the stall told Vel. She handed Vel another potion with an x on the bottle. Vel drank it and went back to being Rav and then back to being herself again. “Oh my, so you were a woman to begin with. I suppose that explains the difference between your reaction and most men when they become a woman. You also didn’t drink the one that makes you become the one true to your heart.” The woman explained, with a smile. “I suppose you’ve had your fun here. Have fun drinking.” She smiled. Vel returned to the party, seized a bottle of rum, and resumed drinking. This time, her life was not at stake, and she could simply enjoy the party atmosphere. The band that had been playing music was playing harder than before. The party lasted until the sun peeked out. At that point, everyone packed up their stuff and went home to sleep.

“Well, I hope you had fun, traveler. If you ever feel like joining us again, feel free to pop on by. As a gift, I shall grant you the ability to become Rav once more. I hope to see either one of you at a future party.” Veline snapped her fingers and Vel felt a change occur in her body. Veline disappeared.

“I should probably get some sleep.” Vel yawned. She rented an inn room and passed out on the bed.