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Another world, but the same sight once more. A cloaked figure was standing on a hill, taking in the scenery in the far distance. They have traveled across many worlds by this time, but it was always the same - dark clouds were spreading across the horizon, the occasional demon could be seen flying through the skies somewhere in the distance. Nature was getting out of balance, the fields dried up, villages were plundered and destroyed. Yet again, another world would fall to darkness - and the cloaked figure was certain that right at this very moment, a hero would once again go through pointless suffering, like in all the other worlds they have seen. It sickened them, and before they knew it, they clenched their fist in anger, exposing it to the world outside the cloak for just a few seconds. A delicate, dark-skinned hand. Manicured, refined, it has probably never entered a single battle before. A woman's hand. Quickly, she restrained herself, bringing her hand back inside the cloak. There was no point to expressing this anger. If it got her worked up, her time would be spent better trying to find the hero. Just like in many of the other worlds, she would be the only person to cut them a break. She would be the one to save them, to finally give them their reward. Onlookers, if there were any, wouldn't have been able to see it through her cloak, but the thought caused the woman to crack a smile - yes, soon she would have saved another soul from pointless strife - after all, she would bring them to a better place than a world that would just let them endlessly suffer. And with that, the cloaked woman vanished into thin air, as if she never stood on that hill in the first place... ***** Elsewhere in the world, a young man was slowly coming to his senses again, groaning in pain. His thoughts were hazy, still trying to piece together what was going on right now, who he was, where he woke up. Pieces of broken armor were around his barely conscious body, and cuts and bruises all over him. Smaller flames were in the vicinity, feeding on the ruins of what was most likely once a village. They didn't dare go near him, and from the look of things would soon go out - already, some flames were growing weaker and weaker. As he tried rubbing his head to shake the mental cobwebs out, he had to gag for a moment - the smell of burned flesh reached his nostrils, the smell of blood and ashes. Before he even recalled all the other information about him and his whereabouts, a thought struck him. Once more, he failed. Once more, people died. Slowly, his memories were returning. The world was at peril. Just like the old prophecy foretold, after 500 years of rest, the demon lord rose once again mere months ago. It was up to the hero with the mark of the gods on his body to save the world, a fate that befell the young man. They called him Isaac, the savior. The one who would bring back light to the world, the one who would usher in a new era of peace. From a young age, he was trained, so that he would one day be able to protect what was dear to him. But it wasn't meant to be. When the demon lord woke up from his slumber, he located Isaac's home village right away, despite it being hidden by a wise sage. While he and his best friend managed to leave the village before the dark forces reached it, when he later returned with his group, they found it utterly destroyed, not a single life around anymore. It didn't stop there. It was as if the world itself was out to punch him at every opportunity it got for it. His childhood friend, the mage Tara, had to sacrifice herself, had to turn herself into a statue, in order to protect the group when things got dire, and nobody knew of any way to return her to her original self. The first friend he made outside of his village, the thief Keith who was an important part of his group from almost the very beginning, got killed a couple of weeks later, having failed in an infiltration he wanted to do solo, in order to get Isaac the artifact he needed in order to enter the temple of the goddess. He has been journeying with his only remaining companion since then, the priestess Miriam. The journey was tiring and unrewarding - it didn't matter where they went, something bad was happening. Villages got destroyed by the demons which steadily grew in numbers. People constantly expected him to save them, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, not even trying to lift a finger themselves. If he failed, or arrived too late, they would put all the blame on him. Injuries piled up, and yet he was expected to push further and further along, to save the world. It all came crashing down for him when they stopped at a village to rest. The two of them split up, with Miriam tasked to secure some lodgings, and Isaac to procure rations for the two of them. Yet the forces of evil were having none of that - soon after they arrived, demons were attacking the village, razing it. In the ensuing chaos, Isaac fought valiantly, slaying one demon after another, but he was just one person, with limited reach - they struck his companion in a sneak attack, and faced with such high numbers, he could only protect himself, as the village quickly succumbed to the assault. The houses burned, people and demons were littered around the streets alike. And eventually, Isaac's legs gave away, causing him to collapse on the ground after all demons were slain. He passed out, only to wake again later with his foggy memories. This is how he ended up here, he started to recall. He failed again. And yet he wanted to march on. He wanted to protect everyone, he wanted his friends' deaths to have meaning. It wouldn't be much longer. He only needed to journey for two more days, and he could finally reach the destination of his journey, the temple of the goddess. She could finally give him her blessing, so that he could slay the demon lord himself, and all that terror would finally end. Normalcy would finally return. And yet, he couldn't get up. His knees were still far too weak, his arms couldn't manage to push him up from the ground. It was just another sign of how dire things got - Isaac had to expend all of his energy in order to stay alive, and it left him drained. He didn't have enough time to recover energy yet, and he had to stay as focused as possible in order to not black out again. Another demon could come to the village again at any time in order to check up on the others, and if he was unconscious at that time, it'd spell the end of his world. No, he had to focus. Until he either could get up himself, or until help would arrive, in the form of another traveler. Minutes passed, but to him, they felt more like hours, like days. A long agony, dragged out further and further, just to see when his sanity would snap - or at least, that is how it felt like to his mind. He was trying to crawl, to at least drag himself across the ground, but even for that, he was too weak. Every so often, his vision blurred, and he quickly had to force himself to focus once more. Not even ten minutes had passed since he woke up again, and yet it felt to him like he had been there for months. Until he heard light footsteps behind him. As much as he wanted to look at the new arrival, he couldn't, for he was still too weak to move his body that much. Both dread and anticipation filled Isaac - would this be the help he needed in that dark hour? Or would it be his final failure while he still dwelled in this world? Whoever it was walked right past him for a moment. While Isaac was able to look in front of him, there wasn't much he could make out at this point. It was a cloaked person, though he had no way of knowing whether it was a fellow human, or a demon trying to lull him into a false sense of security. The cloaked figure turned around to face him, and while he couldn't lift his head enough to look up, he had the distinct feeling as if the person, whoever it was, eyed him intently. A long, dreary silence hung in the air, only interrupted ever so often by the crackling of flames feeding on the last remnants of the houses. Then, whoever it was underneath that cloak started to kneel down in front of Isaac, and extended a hand. A delicate, dark-skinned hand. "It looks like I made it in time. Seeing the smoke on the horizon made me worried that you could have perished, but worry no more. For you see, honored hero, I am here to save you. I am here to finally reward you for your efforts. Take my hand, and I shall bring you to the place you need to go to." Within the span of seconds, thoughts rushed through Isaac's head. Help was finally here, he could finally catch a break! But maybe that was a trap? He never saw a hand that looked like that. So dark, an almost bronze tan to it. It was definitely a woman, but if she was human, where did she have to grow up to look like that? Perhaps one of the desert areas to the far north? And how did she even know about him? That he was the hero, and where he needed to go? Was she perhaps a disciple of the goddess, was that it? Did she sense him nearby and rushed to his aid before he perished, so shortly before reaching to his goal? For the first time in what felt like years, hope finally spread through Isaac again. He could do this! If he just took her hand, he could finally speak to the goddess, and everything would be okay again! It was finally right in front of him! Weakly, he raised his hand. He still couldn't do much with it, lacking the stamina to push himself up, but it was enough to fulfill the woman's request, the person he decided to place his trust into so blindly. His hand shook from exhaustion, it was oh so slowly inching forward, but it had a clear direction, and eventually, it met his savior's fingertips. And then, her palm. He grasped her hand, oh so weakly, but he grasped it all the same. And while he still didn't have enough energy to lift his head, he could have sworn that a warm, motherly smile spread across the woman's lip. She was saying something, but already, the words didn't reach his ears any longer. His vision grew cloudy, with him finally being allowed to lower his guard. His consciousness faded away, as everything turned black for him. And the woman's smile grew wider. "From now on, you're going to live a blessed life in heaven. A life free of strife, hardship and violence. You are finally going to get the appreciation you deserve, honored hero..." And with that, Isaac and his savior vanished, once again as if they never existed at this place in the first time. This was the last time anybody ever saw the hero or the cloaked figure in said world - and so, it slowly descended into darkness, nobody being able to stand up to the demon lord any longer. A dark age had begun... ***** Space. When Isaac finally awoke again, he was in the middle of space. Floating around weightlessly, with not a single soul in sight. Not a single planet in sight, only a few stars flickering in the far, far distance. He knew of the concept of space, even if no human ever made their way into it. Some time ago, sages managed to find a spell that let them look for the stars in closer detail, which made way for the discovery of many wonders far beyond humanity's grasp. But this place, while seeming so similar to what the sages told him about space, was yet so alien, so unlike the stories he heard in the past. Not a single planet in sight, even though he was told that so many littered the universe, that his planet was only one of many. The stars were far more scarce than he even saw in the night sky at home, and in positions he never saw them in before. Even more strangely, he was able to breathe, despite being told that not a single speck of air could be found there. It was warm, so unlike the cold depths he often pictured space to be like in his mind. And yet, despite all those contradictions, he somehow had the feeling that this was indeed space. Frantically, he tried to look around, but under the sudden loss of gravity, he felt helpless. He moved through space without any control about the direction he was going into, with no control on how fast or slow he would be going, and as he was not used to this sensation yet, it sickened him for a moment. Before he calmed down, it felt like he was about to throw up at any second. And yet, despite finally getting a grip on himself, dread and panic slowly started creeping up to him. Just where WAS he? Why was he in space? Where was everyone? Where is the village he was in? Where is that woman? Did she even exist at all, did his mind play tricks on him and he actually passed on? Was this the afterlife? In his frantic search for answers, he didn't even realize at first how the woman popped up right behind him, and only hearing her chuckle finally brought it to his attention that he wasn't alone. Within a split second, he figured that this was a trap, and that the woman was a vile demon after all - so without even trying to ask for an explanation, he tried unsheathing his sword - only to find that it was no longer there. Was it still in the ruins of the village? Realizing the situation he was in, he still took on a defensive stance, or at least tried to without floating off into a random direction once more, and gave her a sharp glare, taking a good look at her for the first time. Even if she was an enemy, Isaac had to admit one thing - she was beautiful. Tall, her skin with a rich, bronze tan that once again reminded him of the desert folk far from the north. Long, flowing and silky smooth raven hair, and an equally striking pair of grey eyes. It was hard to get a grasp on her, since Isaac was floating sideways at the moment, but he suspected that she might also almost be as tall as him - and that was a feat on its own, considering that he often stood out for his height, even right next to adults, outgrowing every single one of them before he knew it. Finishing up the look, she was clad in a long, flowing dress, airy and comfortable from the look of things, yet elaborate and fancy in its design, with the odd piece of jewelry on her. If she was indeed hostile, she was showing no signs of it - even after Isaac glared at her, her warm, motherly smile never wavered, and remained steadfast. "Let me welcome you to my realm, oh honored hero. You, who has endured dire times, who has pushed onwards to save everyone, even though there was hardly any reward in it. I have seen your struggle, and have decided to reward you, to save you. For with your heroic spirit, it is you who deserves peace and ease of mind more than anyone else in your world, after all the hardship you endured. I am the mistress of this place, and shall help you achieve what you finally deserve." Isaac was baffled at this response - if she was lying, she was very good at it, because every word coming from her mouth seemed to be genuine. It made him question a lot of things - so if she was indeed on his side, could it mean that perhaps, she was the goddess he was searching for? Even if he didn't reach her temple, maybe he still managed to get close enough to her so that she managed to teleport him to her? She looked so different from how the goddess was usually depicted to be in the scriptures, and they never said anything about her residing in space. But who else could she be? A look of utter confusion spread across his face, and after a moment of internal struggle and awkward silence, for the first time since meeting her, Isaac managed to speak up, the questions coming out of his mouth all at once. "Say, who are you? Are you the goddess I've been in search of, the one who will finally allow me to save the world? Or are you somebody else? Where are we? Why am I even here? Where is everyone? I need to get back, I need to get rid of the demon lord. I need to find a way to turn Tara back to normal, I need to bring peace back. Please tell me you're the one I've been looking for! It is me, the hero Isaac, born with the mark of the goddess on my back! If you are indeed the one, please show me the way to save everyone!" The thin eyebrows of the woman furrowed, as if deep in thought. She sized up the hero, looking up and down at him, trying to assess in just what kind of situation he might have been before she whisked him away. Clearly, he seemed to have been on the final steps of his journey, but that didn't matter. Even if she was the one he was hoping for, the world would have found a way to push him down again. No, what she was about to do was the right thing, for he deserved happiness more than anybody else, and she was about to give it to him. "No need to rush this along, honored hero, no, Isaac. I will take my time explaining every single thing to you, even though ultimately, it is pointless for me to do so. I am not the goddess you are searching for, and neither do I have the means to save your world. But please, stay here to listen instead of trying to rush off, now that I have answered that first question. There is more I wish to tell you, for you deserve to know at least this much. My name is of no consequence, though people simply call me the 'mistress'. I am somebody traveling the many worlds out there, always in search of heroes. Once upon a time, in your terms of speaking many millennia ago, I roamed the worlds, destroying what I wanted, savoring what I wanted without paying attention to the consequences - they called me evil. I grew tired of it, and saw that there was no point to that existence, it brought me no joy, so I vowed to change. In that regard, I grew to admire heroes. The way they fought valiantly to save everyone, for barely any reward, if they got any at all. Constantly having to suffer for no good reason other than that they were born as the chosen one, and yet they pushed on. I admire them from the bottom of my heart, and as such, I made it my goal to now save as many heroes as possible, which is what brings you into the equation, dear Isaac. Your world was on the brink of destruction. Already, demons were encroaching on your world, enslaving the corners you were not able to protect. Even with the help of your goddess, there would have been no helping the world, as you would only ever be able to free the places you can reach. But you can only be in one place at once. I grew tired of it. You have been striving to save the world, from the bottom of your heart. But how did the world thank you? By giving you more and more hardship. Nobody appreciated your work, and took it for granted. When you failed, they put the entire blame on you, but they never lifted a finger in trying to better themselves, to try and stand up against what threatened your world as well. The few people fighting alongside you met terrible fates, your hometown was doomed. Every time you go to sleep, you risk not waking up again the next day. You constantly go forward, having to shoulder everything for a world that may not even deserve you - how is that fair? But worry no longer, dear Isaac. For you see, I am here to give you freedom. To give you peace, to give you bliss. In here, I will show you a place where you will always be appreciated. Where every day will have new marvels and joys for you, where you will be able to live in true comfort. I will watch over you, I will protect your happiness. And I will make you feel pleasure unlike anything else you've experienced before. For you see, all those stars in the distance stand for a hero I have saved, a hero I have introduced to true bliss. Even now as we speak, new stars are lighting up in the distance, because time flows differently in here. A second in here might be a year in your world, the next second might be a minute in your world, the third second a century, only for the fourth second to flow back into the distant past of your realm. You will not have to worry. Your realm can be saved, even if you were to stay in here. But a realm that does not appreciate its hero, that puts trial upon trial with no real reward in front of him, does it truly deserve salvation? Dear Isaac. I will bring out an existence of sheer joy out of you. For the eons to come, I want you to take your rightful place in here, by my side. Your eternal reward for your good service, never to go through any hardship again. And I promise you that starting now, you will never have to suffer again." Naturally, just like it would have been for any human in the world, Isaac struggled to comprehend a lot of these things. He understood that she was not the goddess, and as such couldn't help him save the world, that was one of the very few parts on which she had been very clear. But for everything else, he struggled to wrap his thoughts around it. It seemed to be so much information to process all at once, some of which did not even make sense to him, or directly contradicted the information he thought he knew by heart and based his entire attitude on. Time flowed differently in here? This was some kind of other world? So was she evil, or was she not? And what was all that talk about saving him despite not actually saving him? He wanted to save the world, not lounge comfortably in a cozy space while everyone else suffered! At least there was still hope, or something? From what she said, it sounded like he could get back to his home without a single second wasted! That meant he could return the very second he vanished if he was lucky and got her help with it, since he figured that if anybody knew how to deal with time then, it was her. But how to do that? What she said worried him. It almost sounded as if she intended to make him her property somehow, and keep him in there. But how would she react if he told her that? Would she be offended? Would she gracefully look over it and accept it? Before he even knew what he was doing, he spoke up to reason with her, his line of thought not even finished yet. "That's all very nice and good, but I cannot do that. I just... cannot. I couldn't bear everyone just suffering because I'm no longer there, and even if you were to let me stay in here, even with the promise of time flowing differently in here, it would worry me to no end. I could never be at peace like you suggest. I would always worry, always try to find a way to return. Every second I spend in here, even if it is only a second in my world as well, would be a second during which innocents suffer. And even if I cannot reach them directly at that point in time, it would be a second longer away from saving more people in the future. A second that could mean the difference between saving a life, or dooming it. So please, I cannot accept your offer. Just return me to my world, and if you truly do intend to invite me here and genuinely mean it, then please try again after I've saved it. I promise that when the time comes, I will genuinely consider it. I just cannot do that right now, and I do not want to displease you, but I hope you can understand me on that." It was not what the woman hoped to hear, but yet absolutely what she expected to hear, for she had seen this turn of events many times over. Heroes so indoctrinated by their world that they just couldn't even will good things to happen to them anymore. Heroes that from a young age were told over and over again that it was their job to save everyone no matter how much they had to suffer in the process. Told so many times, that they eventually came to believe it themselves, regardless of their feeling of self-worth. She had seen many of them walk down a path of self- destruction, she really did. At first, when she started doing this, she had faith in them. She believed what they said, that they would succeed at saving the world and come back to her afterwards. And yet, it never happened. She saw them failing many times, she saw them getting killed just as often. And once that happened, she was never able to visit a time again during which they were still alive. She was not able to get back a hero that died once, for time ceased to exist in a world were the demon lord defeated the hero. She knew what kind of fate he would be walking into. By a sheer miracle, Isaac survived this far, but it had a horrible cost, for he was all on his own now. And yet, he still tried pushing forward, and she knew that his only reward on that path would be death and defeat. She had to keep him here if she wanted him to be safe, and as such, she saw no other way - she had to twist words. Even though it pained her, she had to tell him a lie. A lie he could believe for just long enough, until he would no longer desire to return. For her idea of saving the hero was a simple one. She wanted him to become a girl in her harem. A simple-minded harem girl, not fit for thinking any longer. With dull eyes, a beautiful body and exotic garbs, forever locked into a world of pleasure. To have her always in a state of bliss, for anything could amuse her and please her. To not have her think anymore, to rob her of independent thought, for it would leave the hero unable to worry any longer, would strip him free of his suffering. To strip ego of the hero, for while she saw it as an admirable quality, it would also always leave him to suffer. She wanted to lighten his heart, so that he could join the other heroes she already made into harem girls, his future sisters. She knew that the longer he would stay in here, the longer the hero would engage with this place, the more he would be changed. It made no difference if she told him a lie or not. For without her, Isaac would not be able to return to his world in the first place. But she did not want him to suffer. She wanted him to have peace of mind, while he was still capable of independent thought. She wanted him to finally have a chance to rest. And so, if it meant that she had to lie to him in order to accomplish it, she swore to herself that she would do it. Because she genuinely, from the bottom of her heart, wanted to save him. She never wanted to see a hero suffer ever again. As such, she took a deep sigh. Even though she was prepared for it, and had done so many times before, it still wasn't an easy task for her. She had to steel herself, knowing that just for this moment, she had to lead him astray. Putting that warm, motherly smile on her face again, she simply shook her head. It was time for her to put her many millennia of being alive to good use. "Then at the very least, allow me to give you enough time to rest in here, to recover. You may not have noticed it yet due to the nature of this place, but your body has been wounded harshly. It was a miracle that you are still alive, and if I were to send you back to your world, while you wouldn't fall victim to your wounds right away, they would leave you weakened enough to place you in great peril on your journey. When I said that I do not want to see you suffer, I genuinely meant it, dear Isaac, even if you may think otherwise. I want to place my trust in you, if you are convinced that you have it in you. However, it would be a fool's errand right now. In here, no wound can affect you, and as such, you may think that your body is completely fine. And yet, it is not - for you to recover, you would need to let your body spend more time in here, or else you would be just as powerless as you were when you arrived here. Let your weary body rest, and I promise you, when your body has fully recovered, I will offer to send you to any time you want in your realm - even to a time before you lost the companions you hold so dear, so that you may have another attempt to save them." She knew that those words alone had so much power, that a hero would not be able to resist them - for it was in the nature of a hero to care deeply about the world and the people in it, even if the world didn't thank them for it in return. So a chance to save their loved ones was far beyond what most of them hoped for, and they rushed forward to grasp it time and time again. Already, by the sparkle in Isaac's eyes, she knew that she held his attention. Soon, once he was done changing, that sparkle would be all but gone. But for now, it gave him hope. And if that hope was enough for him to endure the situation, that would be the most important thing. "You really mean it? I could save Miriam, and Keith, and Tara? I could help the village escape before it gets annihilated, I could head for the goddess so much more quickly now that I know what the journey has in store for me! I could do it all over again, I could save everyone! Oh why didn't you just say that from the very beginning? Please, I beg you, if it is in your ability to do so, then let me recover and send me back to everyone! I... I... I just want to see them again. My parents. Little Mike back in the village. I want to laugh over stupid things again with Tara, I want to play against Keith in poker again, no matter how often he cheated against me without me noticing, I want to be Miriam's hope again as she tries to help those who suffer. Please, if you can fulfill this wish to me, I will gladly join you after my journey is over. I will gladly consider you as the second goddess who helped me on my journey!" Of course, seeing the hero that cheered up pained the woman just a little, for she knew that it was an impossible feat. He shined so brightly, but already, the situation was outside of her control - for she had no way of traveling to a specific time either. She could not send him back to where he wanted, at least not intentionally. Even when she sent previous heroes back to the past before, time had a nasty way of rippling out, as had the universe - their journeys always ended up way more atrocious than before, and the end they met was always a lot more gruesome than it would have normally been. It was turns of events like these that confirmed her in her suspicion, that her way was the best way. That the universe did not like anyone, and that it was up to her to step up to the plate instead. And right now, she would do that for another lost soul. Still, she had him right where she wanted him to be. And she wasn't about to let this chance simply slip through her fingers. "Indeed, I can send you back to that time, if you so desire. However, before that is possible, it would require you to rest up for what amounts to about a week in this place. Rest assured, due to how time flows in here, you would still be able to return to your home world, to the time you choose. And yet, while time flows differently in here, your body still has its normal recovery period, so you cannot magically speed it up in here. What I can allow you, however, is to spend that week in good company. I will not be able to be here for you at all times, for I am always searching out for new heroes to provide my aid too. Despite that, there are other heroes in here that I have saved. Many of them are not very chatty, for they have embraced a life they yearned for themselves, one of quiet comfort. However, they will be all too happy to cuddle up to you, even if they do not talk much. Please treat them well, for once you return to me, you will spend a lot of time with them as well. I cherish them, and they return my love just as much. So take my hand, and I will bring you to a place in this world where you can rest up. Do not worry, for all the necessary things are there for you. A place to rest. Food to eat. A bath to wash yourself in. A firm ground beneath your feet. It may be a little boring, with not much of a scenery beyond what you already see here, and the inhabitants not being very talkative, but once again, no harm will come to you while you recover, I promise that much from the bottom of my heart." Not everything she told him was a lie - of course, his body would have needed that week, regardless of what Isaac would have tried. Her harem girls yearned for that fate on their own - some from the very beginning, some after staying in this place for a while. The ones who yearned for it from the beginning gave her some of her most treasured memories - she loved all of her girls equally, but she had to admit that she looked fondly on those who struck her as kindred spirits. And indeed, everything he needed would be provided for him, though probably not in the way he expected things to be. As such, after giving him some minutes to consider the idea, it did come as no surprise that Isaac took her hand - the offer of being able to save his loved ones if he only endured a week too tempting to pass up. He would lose perception of time long before that week was over, of course - but with a goal so close to a person, they would be a fool to ignore it. When the finishing line was in sight, people were able to endure so much more than they usually would, experience taught her that much in her long and eternal life. So when he took her hands, she gently started drifting through space, and to Isaac it looked like she was flying. She was so graceful, so elegant with her movements, that it almost made him a little jealous - after all, he looked like a complete fool on his own, not even being able to move where he wanted to, instead drifting in random directions he couldn't even control. Already, he lost sight of how far they had traveled in the few seconds, as there were no particular landmarks to hang on to, only the vast space around them. As such, it took what he figured to be half an hour (but was actually less than five minutes) before he finally spotted something below him - a large platform of sorts. Descending together with the woman, he could steadily make out more things - further platforms spread across the space, floating close by to the one he spotted first. The platform being adorned with pillars that once again reminded him of the desert folk in his home world by their architecture. Water was flowing down from those pillars, seemingly coming out of nowhere - not a single wellspring in sight from where the water could come from, and as such it appeared as if it came straight out of thin air, before flowing downwards and vanishing once more, once it got below a certain distance beneath the platform. Pillows were to be seen everywhere, and while the outlines were hazy to him, it looked as if women were lounging on them, completely at ease. He could only make out shapes, nothing more, but apparently she wasn't lying when she said that he would have company. As they descended further, he could spot even more of what was previously hidden to him. At the center of each platform, there was a large pool, and at the center of each pool, water was flowing down from above again, probably as to prevent the pool from ever getting dirty or dried out. Small tables were in some corners of each platform, being filled with bread, meat, grapes and other exotic fruit he had never seen in his old world - and still, he was taking in all the details. The floor was decorated with what looked like fancy carvings, but was rather just the design of the plates used for it. But still, he could not make out more than vague outlines when it came to the women, something that he struggled to comprehend. Seeing his struggle to piece this together on his own, the woman simply chuckled - she would explain it to him in a bit, but for now it was fun to see him rack his brain while he was still capable of doing so. He wouldn't be able to do so for much longer, after all. Finally, they landed on one of the platforms, the largest of them. On its own, it probably had the size of a small village, the one she found the hero in, so there was more than enough space for him to move within. Truthfully, even in this place, the gravity was still the same as everywhere else - but with a firm ground beneath his feet, she knew that Isaac could be tricked into experiencing gravity the way he was used to - after all, the entire secret behind this place was that movement was exactly how one pictured it in their minds. If one imagined they were standing on the ground, then they could walk as if they were on the ground. Allowing him to stretch for a bit, she turned her attention to the residents of the platform for a little bit, and the warm and motherly smile returned to her face once more - seeing those lovely girls always cheered her up, and reminded her that it was worth it to save these heroes, for they now experienced eternal bliss. One particular girl, clearly visible to her but not to Isaac, already moved closer the instance she spotted her mistress, and as the woman sat down for a bit, the harem girl snuggled close to her, clearly trying to show affection to the woman who was her entire world at this point. Her eyes dull, her skin in the same bronze tan as her mistress, her clothing oh so feminine, scanty and revealing. Jewelry adorning her wrists, a transparent veil spread across her face, and a golden, fancy collar firmly placed around her neck, marking her as mistress' girl. Her harem girl, the one thing that brought her more joy than anything else. Gently patting the harem girl on the head for a while, the woman then turned her attention back to Isaac, who seemed as if he was still taking everything in as well. Just like before, he was not able to see more than just the shapes of the women inside of this place, so it greatly confused him to see one of those shapes getting closer to the woman before finally rubbing itself against her. Didn't she say that there would be people in here? All he saw were those ghostly shapes, and to be honest, it unnerved him. Just as he was about to speak up and ask about just that, however, the woman already answered what he had on his mind. "I can see that you are a bit confused, and I cannot blame you. This place here is one of the little paradises I've built for those I've saved. Many of them were female heroes, for they had it even harder in their universes than you had it. There is the occasional male hero, but they are rare and in-between - many of them are like you, opting to instead head back to their world instead, and eventually forgetting about returning here. Because those girls are no longer tied to strife and conflict, those who still are cannot quite perceive them, as to prevent them getting colored by it once more. Worry not, however, as eventually, the girls will realize that you mean no harm, and they will drop their concealment for you. You can still see their shapes until then, and they exist in the same place here. They can fully recognize you, but probably won't interact with you much unless they want to snuggle with you, or you somehow spark their curiosity. But that also means you have all the quietness you need in order to sort your thoughts. You may feel free to eat and drink here, for the food never runs out. You may bathe here, for the girls are not the type to complain about that. You may even rest on one of the pillows, as everybody in here shares them as needed. All I ask of you is to treat them well, as I mentioned before. I am sure that you will learn to get along with them in the one week you will be spending here, my dear Isaac. And every so often, I will check in here to see how you are doing, you have my word on it. But alas, I already invested a lot of time on you, and while it is regrettable, I can only ever be in one place at a time, much like you. Therefore, I would like to ask you if you have any remaining questions - for if you do not, I have to be on my way once more, as even for me and even with the ability to travel through time, time itself does not stop for me." But try as he may, Isaac was unable to come up with a question. Once again, the woman sprinkled in little lies ever so often in order to make her story easier for the hero to swallow, and took great care to not leave any loopholes for him to question. The sooner he was on his own, the sooner he would be affected by this place - after all, the real reason why he wasn't able to see the girls just yet was because in order to do so, one would have to be either the mistress of the place, or one of the girls inhabiting it. Slowly, the place would siphon on his potential, on his future possibilities and what he could be, his past and his present to be rewritten by a new reality meant for him. Potential that would no longer be needed, as it would get lost in the vast depths of space, never to be seen again by any soul in this world, or another world at all. He would become her little pet, but she didn't see it as something demeaning at all - in fact, she had great respect for that, and saw it as the one option to finally give them peace. Her standards didn't exactly match that of the average human to begin with. Minutes passed, and yet Isaac still pondered, stroking his chin ever so often as he was lost in thought, brushing past the stubble of his beard. And yet, he eventually gave up, raising his hands in defeat - no matter how long he tried to make sense of it, some things were still beyond his comprehension, and he doubted that even if he were to ask, he'd get answers that he could make sense of, so it'd be better to just experience the time in there on his own, to feel things out if he had any trouble. Shaking his head, he signaled that indeed, he didn't have anything to add, and the instant the woman recognized the gesture, she vanished into thin air - making Isaac rub his eyes for a moment, as he wondered whether he saw an illusion for a second. It was the moment that started him snowballing towards his new existence. ***** Life in this secluded platform quickly started to get boring for Isaac. While it was true that this place was quiet, and that it would therefore be perfect to gather his thoughts, he couldn't deny that this wasn't exactly what he wanted to do right now. He knew it in his head, that recovering from the injuries he sustained in his home world would take top priority, and as such he had to stay in here, waiting for enough time to pass. And yet, even with the promise of the woman taking him back to the past, he couldn't help but to become anxious. He wanted to save everyone so badly, it was like an itch he couldn't scratch. Trying to distract himself wasn't easy either, as every time he tried to initiate a conversation with one of the ghostly shapes, it didn't amount to much. Yes, they were aware of him - he heard them giggling, he heard them sighing contently, and sometimes he heard a whisper as well, even if he could never make out just what was being said. But not getting a proper response back was so unusual for him, and he didn't know how to handle it. Keeping track of time also proved to be a hurdle to him, something that he underestimated at first, but quickly started to mess with him in ways he didn't anticipate beforehand. With no sun or moon nearby, it was hard for him to keep track of time - even with the promise of only having to be there for a week, how would he know that the week was over? Of course, mistress would get back to him once the time was over, but until then, he had to wait there, never knowing how much longer it would take. For a moment, he paused, something about his previous line of thought striking him as odd. But he quickly dismissed it, figuring that all of the crazy and weird stuff he had seen today was getting to him. Already, he had witnessed so many more things than he thought to be possible, things he never even considered to exist in the world, and yet they happened all the same. But with a sigh, he realized - if he was fretting too much over it, then it might take him longer than a week to recover, as the body was a plaything of the mind. If he stressed out too much, that stress could easily delay his body, and even with the option of time travel out there, he wanted to avoid spending more time in here than necessary. Something about the whole place was creeping him out just a little, yet he couldn't place just what exactly it was, and maybe it was just his imagination in the first place. After taking some time with meditating in order to better process the events of the day, something struck him, however - a nasty stench entered his nostrils, and for the first time in days, Isaac realized in just what kind of state he had been for the last few days. Always on the run from demons just to reach the temple of the goddess a little earlier, he had been neglecting himself. He didn't take time off to take a bath, for he feared that if he wasted too much time, the demons would catch up to him. For the first time since coming to this place, he managed to smell himself - attributing it to the fact that the smell of perfume overpowered his nostrils ever since coming to this place, something he did not even realize until he noticed his own smell just now. Holding his nose in disgust, he wondered - was that why none of the girls actually tried to talk to him? It wouldn't have surprised him, for it truly reeked beastly, and he knew that if Tara was still around, she would have slapped him senseless before redirecting him to the next bathhouse. Seeing the pool in the center made him wonder - would it be okay to step in there, being as dirty as he was? Not to mention, he had to step in there naked, would the girls see him as a pervert then? Too late, he also realized that he did not have a stash of spare clothes, so even if he were to take a bath, he either had to get back into his dirty clothes, or had to wash them, which means he had to stay naked for a while longer. Since it was pleasantly warm, he wasn't worried about potentially catching a cold - however, his dignity was at stake here. Could he truly keep his pride as a man if the girls he couldn't see would spot him like that? In the corners of his mind, he recalled the woman saying that it would be fine, the girls wouldn't mind if he bathed in there. But understanding something, and being able to act on it, were two entirely different things. He was well aware of it, and yet, that beastly stench kept coming back to haunt him, interrupting his thoughts every single time. It was as if he stumbled across a troll's corpse, close to bringing tears to his eyes. Eventually, when he couldn't take it any longer, he ripped off his clothing in frustration, throwing it down to the ground, before quickly holding his nose again. Who cared about dignity? If he had to endure this smell any second longer, he'd go insane! To his relief, none of the girls really seemed to care for his predicament - when he surveyed the platform in a hurry, none of the shapes seemed to explicitly look at him. It was hard to tell, of course, with him not being able to easily recognize where their faces were if they had short hair, but eventually, he figured that they did not seem to care - and so he released the breath he did not even realize he was holding in, as if letting go of the pent up stress from this situation. Okay, so he was naked now. There was nothing he could do about that for now, at least not until he got his clothes and his body cleaned up. As he walked up to the pool, he tried getting a good look at himself on the water's surface. And yet, it looked strange. Some moments, fog was lifting up from the water, making him unable to see anything at all. A few moments later, the fog would be no longer there, in exchange for a cloudy water surface with no reflection, as if he was looking into a pool of milk. As the pool's water shifted, reflections slowly came into sight - for the most part of himself, but every so often, for a few seconds, he could have sworn that something flickered, that the reflection shifted just a little bit before returning to normal. He played it up to his exhaustion, and rationalized that this place wasn't normal to begin with - maybe it had some quirks that his own home world didn't have, and as such, he intently gazed at his reflection once more. A rugged face, one that had clearly seen a lot of hardships throughout life, despite his journey only having started a mere few months ago. Prominent rings were to be seen around his eyes, likely due to the lack of sleep in recent times. A beard that was shaven in rather irregular ways, and short, jet-black hair. Broad shoulders, his arms and abdomen covered in the many scars of battles he had to endure, proof of all his hardships up until now. He wasn't bad looking, and if he had a quieter and more uneventful life, he would have joked about how he might have been quite the catch for whoever would fall for him. And yet, seeing himself as he was now, it did not really spark any special feelings within him. It was his reality, nothing more. Once he would be back in his world, the cycle would start all over again, and he would gain even more wounds and scars. And yet, he considered it worth it. If every scar meant a higher chance to save everyone, he would take as many scars onto him as he could. Without wasting another thought on a reflection he could not change in the first place, he took his first dip into the water. Just like the air in this place, it was warm and comfortable, like the warm embrace of a blanket. It did not even take a second for him to loosen up - a bath like this was just what he needed, as he could feel the tension leaving his body right away. It was nice, not too hot to boil him, but just warm enough so that it felt absolutely pleasant. Already, he was able to do something he hadn't been capable of ever since coming here - to relax. Even if he did not intend to do so at first, something was gently nudging him, inviting him to drift away for a few seconds, to just let the warmth flow through him for a bit. It was alien to him, and yet not entirely unwelcome - he never had a bath as pleasant as this. It was invigorating, it felt like it brought life back to a person, and so he couldn't help but to take a little swim, to dive for a little bit to satisfy his own curiosity - was there floor at the bottom of the pool? Or did it eventually drip into space again, abruptly? Trying to reach the bottom of it was a fool's errand, however, as only darkness greeted him when he tried to open his eyes underwater, implying that the pool was so much vaster underneath than what he could have imagined - or at least, that's how it seemed to him. After returning to the surface in order to gasp for air, he couldn't step coughing - trying to dive down the unfamiliar pool had been a dumb idea, he realized, and as such he would have to try again at a later time, maybe just before he had to leave again, even if it was only to satisfy his own curiosity. His coughs rose in pitch ever so slightly, but he paid it no heed, as water could have gotten stuck in his throat for a bit. Having learned his lesson, he swam back to the edge of the pool, just letting the warmth drift over him again for just a little bit. He needed to recover anyways, so there would be no harm in taking it easy for just a moment, right? The easier he took it, the faster his body might recover, and maybe he could get out of here a day or two sooner than what mistress anticipated! Once more, Isaac stopped for a moment, noticing something strange. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find the flaw in his thinking. It wasn't the first time it happened after entering this space, and finally, he decided on what he believed the cause of all of this to be - the stress was getting to him after all, it crept up to him without realizing it. And so, the course of action was obvious - if the stress was getting too much, all one had to do was relax a little bit, and the pool provided him with the perfect opportunity to do so! After all, he was already doing it when he noticed that something was off, so he wouldn't even need to waste time to get comfortable. Indeed, it was as if stress was leaving him the longer he was resting at the edge of the water. But yet, something else was leaving him, without him noticing it. Already, the warm embrace of the water had a certain hold on him - things were changing, ever so slightly, and he was none the wiser. His thoughts were drifting away, back to his home, forgetting that he was even in that weird space for a while. He thought about his childhood days, of how he got to meet Tara and befriended her. About how the two of them were initially always bickering, and how both of them constantly got into trouble. And yet they were days he was fond of, especially with his life as it was now. He thought about how he grew up, being trained with the sword. About his growth spurt, and how by the end of it, he was finally the same height as all the adults in the village. About how he struggled through all the fighting afterwards, and somehow endured long enough to come this far. It was strange, some of those events were not so long ago, and yet, they already felt so far away to him, so distant - it only drove home just how much of a toll the journey had been on him. Ever so slowly, Isaac started to doze off, the warmth of the pool making him feel as if he was in his bed back in the village he grew up in. It was only when he submerged below the water again in his nap that he snapped out of it, immediately coming up for air again with a cough. This was getting too much - any longer, and he probably would have risked drowning. There was no point in sleeping in the pool, especially considering that he was told of how it was okay to rest on one of the pillows in this place. Yeah, take a rest - that sounded good to Isaac at this point. Get some sleep, and maybe, on the next day, things would be clearer to him. Maybe he would finally have a better grasp on what happened, and what he should do next. Isaac took great care while stepping out of the pool, not wanting to slip on the floor with his wet feet, and as such, it took him a minute to get out of it. Strangely enough, however, not a single drop of water was falling down around him when he finally got out of it - and neither was he wet any longer. In fact, everything was completely dry, as if he just used a towel on himself - the skin, his hair, absolutely everything. A quick shiver ran down his spine when he touched his legs to check - was it perhaps getting a little chilly after all? But no, he still felt that pleasant warmth that greeted him ever since entering this place. So what was it? For a moment, he tried checking his reflection again, but to no avail, the water's surface remained cloudy, no matter how long he stared at it. It wasn't dirty, which was his first suspicion after getting out of it, considering the state his body was in before taking the bath. And yet, the water refused to show him anything. Eventually, he gave up, raising his arms in defeat, just like earlier when he talked to the woman. This was outside of his control, from the look of things, and any minute spent trying to figure this out was a minute he could have used to rest up instead. With a sigh, he walked towards one of the tables set out on the platform, and sat down - while he wasn't exactly hungry, however strange that was, he realized that he still needed to eat something in order to stay in shape, because his body needed the nutrition. Absentmindedly, he picked up some bread and meat, and slowly chewed on them as he turned his attention back to the pool and the water flowing into it, observing it and the few ghostly shapes who have since entered the pool. They seemed to have an easy time swimming, and he saw a few of them vanish underneath the water, only to surface again after a while, longer than he could probably hold his air in. So there apparently was a trick to it, or these girls had a crazy lung capacity. Making a mental note of that observation, Isaac finished his meal - though a few seconds afterwards, he was already struggling to recall just what he noted to himself. But it was okay. If it was important, he would remember it again before long, right? As such, with his mind calmed, he started walking around in search of an unoccupied pillow, so that he could get his first portion of sleep in days. It didn't take him long at all to find one - the woman was right when she mentioned how things were pretty easy-going, and how nobody in here seemed to mind letting others use their pillows. Admittedly, it felt odd to him to just have a pillow, nothing else - but then again, he already had to sleep outside with not even that, so even that additional pillow was a bit of comfort to him. By now, he didn't even notice anymore how he was still naked, and apparently didn't seem to care - with the mental cobwebs in his head, he failed to notice that he forgot about his dirty clothes in the first place. Even if he had remembered, it probably would not have made any difference, for their stench would have kept him awake - but even so, the pile of clothing was still nearby the pool, and he would probably only recall that he was missing them once he stumbled across them again. His sleep was a restless one, with him tossing and turning in his sleep. Nightmares plagued him, as his biggest failures were flashing in front of him in his dreams. He had to watch once more how Tara got turned into a statue, the petrification slowly spreading upwards her feet, her legs, eventually reaching her head. Not even her clothes were safe, and her face was eternally frozen in an expression of sadness. He had to watch once again how a corrupt emperor made a show of a captured Keith in a public market place, making him out as the vile intruder who tried to steal from him, and who had to be beheaded as a result, to make an example of him. Just like in reality, even though Isaac rushed forward to save his companion, he was not fast enough to reach him in time. He watched in his dreams how he journeyed with Miriam, only to see her stabbed, before eventually smoldering in the burning ruins of the inn she was left in. It was a nightmare, but one he didn't seem capable of waking up from. Even in his dreams, he was on the ground, powerless, unable to even move. Salvation from these dark memories came from an unexpected source, however. Contrary to what he would have expected, the woman he met showed up in his dreams as well, flashing her warm and motherly smile once more. She did not talk to him, and instead just held her arms open in a welcoming gesture. Of course. She wanted to save heroes, she said. So it wouldn't be surprising if she even wanted to save heroes from their nightmares, right? Perhaps that's why she appeared in his dreams. Perhaps he was so taken by her offer to save him, that he indeed dreamed of her as a savior when there was nothing else his tired mind could come up with. Of course, everything would be alright. He still had to figure everything out when he was awake, but here in his dreams, everything would be okay. He could let his guard down. Moving closer to her, he accepted her invitation, and so, that smile never leaving her face, she embraced and hugged him. She was slightly taller than him, so it brought back fond memories - of how his mother used to hug him while he was still younger. Yes, it felt like the embrace of a mother. Outside his dreams, Isaac stopped tossing and turning, his sleep becoming much more at ease. And the same could be said of within his dreams, for he calmed down greatly. He took his time taking in her scent, noting that it smelled like perfume, even if he could not tell just what kind of scent it was exactly. He did not move an inch when she rubbed the back of his head, when she gave him a few head pats. Indeed, he felt warm and secure in her arms. Eventually, the woman let go of him, but her smile never once ceased. She shook her head, gently, as if to indicate that she couldn't dedicate her entire time to him. And yet, with a fluid motion of her hand, she pointed towards a group of girls. Girls he could clearly recognize. It was as if she was implying for him to go to them, and to spend some time with them instead. But before he could even consider the offer, the dream quickly started to grow hazy. Things were so clear before, and yet, it seemed to come to an abrupt end as he found himself slowly waking up, rubbing his eyes while still half asleep. What greeted him upon waking up was confusion. For just how long was he asleep? Before he went to sleep, he did not even consider that with no sun and moon to base the time on, there would be no way for him to tell just how long he had been sleeping. Had it been only an hour? Or maybe it had been a day already? What time of the day was it even here? Quickly, he bolted up, the gravity of the question jolting him awake right away, and yet, he realized just as quickly that he would probably not get an answer here, not until mistress was back at the very least. That last thought made him smile for a moment, as he hazily recollected fragments of last night's dream. He didn't remember much, but he recalled how she held him and comforted him, if nothing else. Alright, he could do this! He could spend a while longer in here, and once he rested up for long enough, he could go back to everyone who was waiting for him! His first step of action was to once again walk around the platform, trying to see if anything had changed while he was asleep. That being said, since he did not even fully explore the place before going to sleep, he had a hard time just figuring out if anything was different to last time, or if it was already like that the previous day, and he just failed to notice. With a heavy sigh, he just headed back to one of the tables, and began to eat once more, carefully picking some of the grapes from the plate and savoring their juicy sweetness. The place was mostly quiet, and as such it struck him as eerie just before he went to sleep. And yet, having finally gotten some rest, he started to notice all the little sounds that he failed to realize before, making the place appear just a little bit more lively than he thought it to be before. The flowing of water, the occasional feminine giggle he could hear in the distance. Ever so often, he could hear the jangling of something metal, though he still had to figure out just what actually caused the sound. And once in a while, he could hear breathing - mostly his own, but yet it was a sign of life. The girls, while still appearing as ghostly shapes to him, started to become a bit clearer to his vision, and in his mind, he interpreted it as a sign that they were warming up to him, that they probably realized he meant no harm. He was able to make out finer features by now, being able to see the more intricate shapes in their faces. Details like the contours of their eyes, their lips, their nose. He was able to see some of their curves, and had to blush just a little, noting that a lot of the girls in this place seemed to be fairly well-endowed from the look of things. He wondered, how did they look like beyond that? Was their skin like his, or like the woman's? What kind of clothes were they wearing? His imagination was running wild for a brief moment, but he quickly restrained himself, reasoning that it wasn't appropriate of a gentleman to think about a woman in such a way. Once again, his day was boring him to no end, however. He meditated every once in a while in order to clear his mind, he jogged through the platform in order to see what kind of shape his body was in. He watched over the ghostly shapes, but they still didn't seem to be interested in him, so he quickly decided his time was better spent elsewhere. He ate some more, he sat on the edge of the platform and looked off into the vast depths of space, and yet, none of it seemed fulfilling to him. In a way, he was almost a little jealous of those inhabiting the place, for they seemed to be putting up with this on a daily base, and yet, judging from how they were acting, they seemed perfectly content. Or at least, as content as he could figure them out to be, with the limited details he was able to perceive for now. Eventually, his unrest brought him back to the edge of the pool again, pondering whether he should take another bath. He remembered that swimming was a good way to recover, for moving in water was less taxing on the body than moving on land was. Just as he considered the option, however, he spotted a small hill at the opposite end of the pool, and it somehow struck him as familiar. His curiosity sparked by this oddity, he slowly walked along the edges of the pool, it really being more of a slow stroll. He was in no hurry, and whatever that small hill was, it was unlikely that it vanished by the time he arrived at this destination, a conclusion that proved to be correct. Once again, Isa couldn't help but to blush a little, though this time for different reasons - for the hill he saw in the distance was the clothes he had all but forgotten about, still having that beastly stench to them that they had before. In fact, he could have sworn that it was even worse than the day before, for it was biting his nostrils, his eyes even worse than before, and he had to surpress his gagging reflex more than just once. This stench had to go, and he didn't care how he had to do it, but he didn't want to smell this for any longer than he had to! So with the pool right by his side, an obvious solution struck him - he just had to wash them in the pool, and if his earlier bath was anything to go by, the pool wouldn't even be dirty afterwards! And yet, that hope was crushed shortly afterwards, though not in ways he expected things to go, for the water of the pool cleaned a bit too much - the instant he held the clothes underneath the water for the first time, they seemed to dissolve right away, like a spoon of sugar being added to a pot of water. Not even a shred of what they had been was left - not even the dirt was to be seen anywhere in the water at all. Were his clothes in such a poor state that they were already more dirt than clothes? To a normal person, the mere notion of it might have sounded ridiculous, but to Isa, it strangely enough seemed to make sense. Something might have been off about it, but once again the mental cobwebs had a hold over him, and he could not figure out just what was wrong about that assumption. But it's not like he had to worry too much about it - he only had to ask mistress for a new pair of clothes whenever she decided to check back in. Yeah, that would be just fine. As he finished that thought, he drifted off for a second again, just staring at his reflection once more. But nothing about it was out of place, so he quickly shrugged it off. His hair had been growing out a little recently, but that was because he had always been on the run, so there was never any opportunity for him to get it cut. His shoulders were a bit slimmer than the average guy's, which is why Tara often jokingly called him Isa, adding that he had some girlish charm to him when they were still younger, something that still frustrated him once in a while, especially after the nickname stuck. At the very least, he was lucky to go through the battle without any scars, though that as well frustrated him, for if he could have gained a scar in exchange for saving a life, he wouldn't have minded being covered in them. But no, not a shred of battle was to be seen on him, and it made him feel just a little powerless. His skin seemed oddly smooth, but the hair on it probably burned off during the fire in the village - it was a miracle that he got out of it without any burns to himself, now that he thought about it. But he didn't complain - touching it made him shiver ever so slightly, and while it was an unfamiliar sensation, it wasn't exactly an unpleasant one. Deciding to himself that taking a dip would not hurt, he went into the pool once more, submerging himself again the instant he entered it, before rising above the surface again. Just like before, it felt like a warm embrace to him, as if he was being covered by a warm and comfortable blanket that kept shifting around him. In a way, he recognized this as familiar - while his last dream already faded away from his conscious memory again, he realized on some deeper level that it was just like when he was embraced in his dream. He took it upon himself to swim some more, starting out slowly before picking up the pace. Unlike yesterday, he was in no hurry to take a dive, for he realized that he would only gasp for air again if he were to go too deeply. No, he would find out how the girls managed to stay underneath the water somehow, and once he knew about that, he would try it out himself. Every so often, he could see one of the shapes moving past him, for several of the girls seemed to have entered the pool as well. Some of them looked as if they were floating in the water, and every so often, something brushed past his skin, making him shiver even more intensely than when he touched himself on his own. It just felt so pleasant, so overwhelming, unlike anything else he had ever experienced before - ever since coming in here, experiences like these kept accumulating for him. It was a visit of many first times, on a certain level. Once more, as he was spending time inside the water, his thoughts started to wander. On his time back in the village, and how he had gotten to know Tara for the first time. She always teased him when they were younger, treating him like a girl due to his stature, and while it eventually mellowed out over time, it never quite went away. How he struggled with the sword, but against all recommendations stuck with the weapon anyways, because it was a hero's preferred weapon after all. How he was weaker than most people expected the hero to be, but how he pulled through somehow anyways, despite the losses. In a way, it seemed to contradict something, but he wasn't quite certain on what. Maybe that he never got a scar despite his weakness? But that was chalked up to mere luck by him, as well as the support of his friends and companions. He got lucky, and if he hadn't been found at that time, who knew what would have become of him. The remainder of his time in the pool proved to be uneventful, as once he got caught up in it, Isa couldn't stop reminiscing about his past. So many days that he cherished, now that he looked over them again, and he couldn't wait to live through them again once mistress brought him back to the past. It was only a while longer. Similar to his last dip, climbing out of the pool seemed to instantly dry him once more - but he was happy about it, considering that his long hair always took so long to dry, and it made it a hassle. Sometimes, it was a pain for him to keep it that long - it reached past his shoulders, after all. But whenever the thought of cutting it shorter entered his head, it seemed to leave it again just as quickly as it came, and so, he never came around to actually cutting it. But he didn't mind, for even if it was embarassing to admit, he liked seeing it at that length. Once more, he considered looking at his reflection in the pool, but to no avail - by now, he figured that whenever somebody left the bath, they wouldn't be able to see themselves in it for a bit. It was strange, it made no sense by the logic of his world, but Isa felt like he had gotten used to it a little bit by now, and so he paid it no heed, and simply accepted it as it was. For if he worried about it for too long, it would lead him nowhere, or so he believed. And so, as he only briefly mused about this oddity, he couldn't help but to stifle a yawn. It surprised him, because he hadn't even been awake for that long, or at the very least, it didn't feel that way. Not much had happened either... he ate, exercised, watched the girls, swam a little... but it was because he completely lost track of the time in here that he wasn't even certain of just how much time had passed exactly. Had it been half a day already? Maybe longer than that? Or had it just been an hour ever since he woke up? He wasn't even able to rely on his own biological clock anymore, as not even the hunger seemed to be like normal - while he ate, he never once actually felt like he had to eat, and so he couldn't even try to gauge the time by the rumbling of his stomach. Perhaps it was that time after all? The yawn returned once more, almost overpowering him in its intensity. It felt so much stronger than last time, when he went on for multiple days without sleep. He actually had sleep, but even so, he was so tired? Or maybe it was a sign that much more time had passed than he anticipated, and he might have been running on multiple days without sleep after all? Another yawn escaped from Isa's soft lips, and he just couldn't help himself - he had to find a place to sleep, or he would collapse on his feet right there. Unlike before, his search for a resting place proved to be a bit harder, for many of the girls seemed to want to rest at this time as well. He wasn't exactly too fond of the idea of sharing a pillow with one of them, as he did not want to invade into their private space, and so it took him a couple of minutes to finally find a suitable spot. Right there, in the middle of many girls sleeping, there was an empty pillow left, with just enough space for him to lie down. Slowly, he walked towards it, the scent of perfume in his nostrils becoming stronger again, and he figured that it was due to the many girls surrounding him. But yet, the scent was pleasant to him, oddly enough. It smelled so sweetly, invited him to let himself drift away, that he had no issue with falling asleep the very moment he placed his head upon the pillow. He was there, naked, but the warmth of space kept him comfortable at all times. Eventually, as he slept, other girls moved close to him, resting their heads on his thighs, snuggling close to him, rubbing his back as they themselves were asleep. But all of this failed to wake up Isa, for he was already off to the sweet wonderland of his dreams. Isa's rest was so much calmer this time around compared to his previous attempt, for the nightmares that plagued him previously seemed to be all but gone. He didn't dream of his comrades' demises any longer, and instead, drifted off to the happier moments of their time together. Giggling together with Tara, as they had done each other's hair when they were younger, and blushing ever so often upon seeing her, as he liked her more than he cared to admit. About how Keith, player as he was, tried to flirt with him for the first time, and Isa could only show disinterest, as he didn't really swing that way. How he couldn't help but smile at all of Miriam's efforts, and how he was so jealous of how beautiful she looked, only to be teased back by her, with Miriam telling him that he was looking quite cute as well. Isa couldn't help it - those were moments he treasured, so he could not hold back his grin. Soon, he would be reunited with them. As if on command, the woman showed up once more, her arms being opened to welcome him. Not a single second of thought was wasted, for Isa immediately entered her embrace happily, snuggling close to her bosom. Isa wasn't exactly the tallest person, and so, the top of his head didn't even reach up to her eyes - but that was okay. Nobody was demanding for him to be tall. Nobody was demanding for him to be that powerful warrior figure. As she shared her warmth with him, she once again pointed towards a group of girls. Once again? Isa felt as if he had seen this scene before, but dismissed it as a figment of his imagination - weird things happened within dreams, after all. Yet, Isa didn't even waste a single moment this time around. With a nod, he realized that mistress had to take care of important stuff, but that was okay - there were plenty of people he could spend his time with. On some level, those girls felt as if they were his sisters, and with him being an only child, that was something he had always yearned for on some level. He cuddled them, enjoying how their skin was just as soft as his own. He enjoyed it as their bosoms interlocked with his own, and he enjoyed comparing his long hair to theirs, to see who had the more supple bottom. Something struck him as odd once again, but before he could figure it out, the dream went hazy once more. Once again, Isa had to wake up. The first sight that greeted Isa upon waking up was that of the girls. Thinking that she was still half-asleep, Isa rubbed her eyes, a gesture she often did to wake up, but to the same result. The shapes had managed to gain some color to them. She could tell what everything was - the skin, the face, the clothing, and it dawned on her just how much of a difference a little bit of color could make in life. The colors themselves were dulled, so she suspected that she still didn't see them in their true beauty, but that did not matter to her - in her heart, Isa whispered a prayer of thanks to the goddess, since the girls finally seemed to start and trust her. Having had confidence issues for much of her journey, it always took a toll on her when people didn't trust her, didn't believe that she was the hero due to being a woman, and so she started to worry about it a lot. About whether people would believe her, whether they would trust her. So it came as a great relief that the girls seemed to do just that, trust her. It filled her with an invigorating joy, and when she looked at one of the girls that happened to be awake, said girl smiled back, even if she looked like she was stoned out of her mind with that vapid grin on her face. But Isa wasn't one to judge somebody on appearances like that. As the word appearance came to mind, Isa couldn't help but to hold in her breath for a bit, now that she was able to see them in a clearer light for the first time. Those girls were beautiful, the very definition of feminine charm. She had to admit that their choice of attire was unusual, as all of them seemed to wear something that reminded her of the harem girls of the desert folk. Back at home, she always considered that taste in clothing to be strange, but now that she had seen it on a person for the very first time, she had to admit, she was fascinated by it to a certain degree. It looked light and breezy, and yet, parts of it clung tightly to the skin. Not much was left to the imagination, as Isa considered it to be quite skimpy - tops that covered their breasts, but nothing below them, as the abdomen was laid completely bare. Pants that seemed closer to panties, with some sort of translucent material covering their legs. Their feet completely bare, golden anklets around their wrists and ankles. And finally, looking up to the girl's face, Isa could spot a translucent veil covering their face, as well as a golden collar adorning their neck. Even with the dulled colors, she couldn't help but to be impressed by the look - it was so much more beautiful than she could have expected, so much that she couldn't help but to compare herself to them a little. Could she pull off an outfit like that? It was hard to tell, with her being naked, but she liked to imagine that she could. Her breasts weren't as full, but her skin was tanned enough to compare to the girls, the first time she was glad about that trait. Yes, her skin. Nobody knew why, but from birth on, she had darker skin than the rest. Much conflict arose over this, as there were rumors floating around that her mother had been seeing somebody else beyond her father, and as such, she always felt hesitant to be proud about her skin, for it brought turmoil to her family. It was only when the sages confirmed beyond the shadow of a doubt that she was indeed their child that things calmed down - but she always seemed to look so out of place, being the only one with darker skin in the village. She looked downright exotic among the normalcy of the place, and not always in the pleasant sense, as it made her stand out even more than she already was as the hero of prophecy. She was so glad that she found a good friend in Tara, somebody she was able to confide in. And yet, for the first time, she could feel a little bit of pride welling up inside her, as she noted how it was that very same skin that helped her compare to those beautiful girls. The notion cheered her up, lifted her self-image, as she had no idea possibilities like these existed. Perhaps, just for fun before she had to leave, she might try on one of those outfits, only to see how it looked like on her. Certainly, if they already looked that breath-taking with their dulled colors, how much more magnificent would they be once visible in their full beauty? Time passed, and Isa was noticeably more chipper than before. She savored the food more than before, and could have sworn that its texture was so much better than the last time she grabbed some of it for her to enjoy. She was watching the girls in amazement, for now that they seemed to be so much more easily visible, she could finally pay attention to what they were actually doing. She felt a little bit ashamed of herself for thinking they were only lounging around and giggling before, because even though this is what they mostly kept themselves occupied with, it seemed to be so much more intricate than what she assumed at first glance. The girls were so intimate with each other, not batting an eye at shared skinship, at rubbing their bodies together and just enjoying the moment. Some of them were literally flying through the air, much the same like Isa observed mistress to do. She was not surprised that they were capable of doing so - they seemed so lighthearted, so free of struggle, it was as if that very same lightheartedness translated into being literally weightless for them. It was amazing to observe them fly, because it brought corners of space to her attention that she barely paid attention to before. The stars in the distant skies, some of them shining so much brighter than she recalled them to do so on her arrival. Some of the girls were resting on top of the pillars once they got tired of their flight, and Isa was amazed to see just how intricate the designs of the pillars seemed to be, something that she once again failed to notice beforehand. Some of the girls were splashing around in the pool, or swimming in there effortlessly. Some braided each other's hair, while others seemed to talk to each other - not via words, but rather their own gestures that Isa did not comprehend just yet, but could still tell that some exchange happened between them. It was as even though they did not speak, and made no sound beyond the occasional giggle, they had a language of their own - a simple one, one that didn't seem to require much, but a language all the same, and it fascinated her to no end. Already, she was mingling with the girls a bit more openly. She sat right next to them, observed how they carried themselves, how they moved and interacted with the others, how their clothing shifted ever so slightly with every soft breath they took. It was like a spell she couldn't tear her eyes away from. Sometimes, she tried to adjust her own posture just a little, just to see if she could imitate them a little bit, and was surprised by how easy it seemed to be. Back in her home world, they used to say that time flied when one was having fun, and it felt just like that to Isa. Something within her told her that it was a good thing that time seemed to pass so quickly, because she was waiting for something. Yet, as she struggled to remember just what that something was, she didn't fret about it too much, for she knew she would recall it sooner or later. She had her ways of keeping herself busy - and with people she could interact with now, her options of spending the time seemed to increase exponentially. What touched her in particular was when one lone girl got close to her, before presenting her hair to Isa - and after watching the girls interact among themselves, she knew what it meant, for she had invited Isa to braid her hair, as a sign of friendship. It even brought a little tear to her eye, for this was a first to her - and so, she responded with a wide smile and a nod, gladly doing what was requested of her. When the girl offered to return the favor, Isa shook her head, but not because she wasn't interested in it - it was only because she intended to take a bath later again, and figured that it would be better left for after that. She had lost track of time, but that wasn't a bad thing, for she felt that there was no need to obsess over it. Eventually, another girl came closer to her again, but stopped a few steps away from her, her face in that very same vapid grin that everybody else seemed to have. It didn't look like she had a particular request, compared to the previous girl, and as such, Isa observed the girl, waiting to see what would happen. Unprompted, the girl started dancing. Of course. They looked like harem girls, so it made sense that they would be skilled at dancing, Isa thought to herself, not catching the irony of her looking more and more like them. It was a mesmerizing sight, and Isa could not tear her eyes away from it. The swaying of the girl's hips, how it emphasized her bottom, her legs, her belly. How the translucent scarf the girl used while dancing distorted the light ever so slightly, making it sparkle and adding even more beauty to the dance. How the jangling of her jewelry happened in rhythm to the dance, adding a previously unheard melody to it. Ever so often, she raised one of her arms, gently but teasingly guiding the scarf in front of her face, in front of her veil, seductively bringing attention to her full, kissable lips. Isa couldn't help but to lick her own lips at the sight of it, not noticing how her lips had become just as full, just as pronounced as the girl's. The girl's skin was so soft, so smooth, that it added a certain shine to it, and with how she moved, it brought all the more delectable corners of the body to Isa's attention. Her hair swayed with the motions, and yet, the girl was in full control. Her eyes were closed the entire time, but not once did she stumble, for she seemed to know the motions by heart. In a way, it was like a siren's song, and Isa felt herself drawn to it. She became absorbed by it, lost in its beauty, and started to lose track of time even more so than before. It was so beautiful, and her jealousy only increased. This girl was so beautiful. So carefree, not having a single worry. She was able to move her body so fluidly, so elegantly and in such a skilled fashion. Isa envied her in some corner of her mind, and for a moment, she wondered if she could learn from her in the future. Learn how to dance like that, how to move her body like that. She ended up being entranced, so much that even after the dance stopped and the girl moved away again, she still saw it happening in front of her mental eye. It was a sight that made her feel content, that brought peace to her heart. She was not able to describe this feeling, for words suddenly failed her, slipping away as she tried to grasp them, much like smoke, and eventually just settled on that she was feeling amazed. Once more, it felt to her as if time was flying, for she was enjoying herself. Once more she bathed, and for some reason, she had a much easier time swimming through the water than she previously did, it was as if there was no water resistance at all. While previous dips into the water left her recalling previous events in her life, this time she was simply focused on enjoying the warmth of the water, as things got hazier and hazier. For a few moments, she struggled to remember her name, before finally remembering with some difficulty that it was Isa. She didn't know why she was called that way, or why a name was even important in the first place, but she quickly pushed the consideration out of her mind, instead smiling at how liberating it felt to be in the water. She couldn't wait for mistress to visit her again, and maybe take a bath together with her! Even after she got out of the water, she felt so light, a certain spring in her step. And that quite literally, for every so often, she started floating slightly, unnoticed by her, and yet in a quite skillful way. She seemed to have no trouble at all with finding her way back to the floor, and as such, whenever she looked down, she was already standing on her feet again. And yet, everything felt so wondrous to her! Those grapes, they were so sweet, so unlike anything she had tasted before. The breeze in space felt so wonderful, caressing her skin so gently, in ways she never considered to be possible before! And just as she finished that thought, it already seemed to move into the distance again, only for her to be amazed by it anew mere minutes later. Everything seemed so fresh, so vibrant, even the girls looked so much brighter, so much more colorful now! So much prettier, so much more feminine. It was no surprise at all that when she drifted off to sleep again later, she slept like an angel. Rather than intentionally searching out a pillow, she searched for a girl that was already sleeping, and cuddled up to her, embracing her from behind. Her own full, supple, naked bosom rubbing against the fabric of the girl's top, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Clinging so lovingly to the other girl, as if she was a kindred spirit. In her dreams, she was flying through the air, much like the other girls she had witnessed here. Eventually, she landed on a platform, filled to the brim with adventurer's clothes, with weapons and armor, healing potions and spell books. But she seemed to have no interest in any of them, as she moved further along the platform. Floating forwards every so often with the elegance of a bird in the sky, and sometimes moving on her own feet instead, the nimble grace of a dancer visible in her step. Eventually, she came across a mirror, one she could not help but to stare at. An exotic, dark-skinned girl greeted her in the reflection, but her face did not change a little bit. Everything was right. The girl had dull eyes, a vapid smile. Her hair, in an elegant hue of purple, was going down right to her shapely butt, the strands of it caressing and tickling the soft flesh. Ample breasts were accentuating her body, making sure that in their size, they would be a focal point of her body, one of its main features. Long eyelashes seemed to flutter every so often, and yet, not a single spark of thought was to be seen beyond those eyes they belonged to. Her waist slim, free of blemishes, with not a single patch of body hair to be found. Her face so round, so cute, so feminine, with a button of a nose. Her hips so wide, as if she was ready to bear a child. Her legs so shapely, her hands and feet so delicate, as if they never saw even a single second of hard work in their entire lives. In front of her, there was this naked beauty, and to her, it was like the most normal sight in her life. Arms wrapped themselves around the reflection, and she herself noticed how she was embraced by arms as well. It didn't take long for her to know what was happening - mistress was hugging her. She saw mistress in front of her, hugging that girl, but she also somehow, intimately knew that at the same time, mistress was hugging her as well, so she leaned back a little. The top of the head of the girl in front of her barely reached mistress' shoulders, but that was how it was supposed to be. Mistress was so nice, and beautiful, and strong, and protective. It made her feel safe, warm, appreciated. Being mistress' little one was comforting. Resting her head against mistress' bosom, she quietly enjoyed the sensations of her own head being stroked by a hand, by how soft her skin felt against mistress' touch. It was heaven. Mistress eventually loosened her embrace, and looked behind her, to where all the strange, ugly things were that she passed on her way here. She furrowed her brow, and it saddened the girl a little, for she did not want to see mistress like that, her warm and motherly smile suited her best! But mistress quickly reassured the girl by showing her that motherly smile, and with a flick of her wrist, all those unpleasant things vanished from sight, something that gave the girl great relief. With her vapid smile, she clung tightly to mistress, but eventually let go on her own once she took in her surroundings. Her sisters wanted a turn with mistress as well, and so, her vapid smile still unchanged, she floated away to a bunch of other girls, sharing her affection with them. She was so happy to be here, with her sisters. To be mistress' possession, her harem girl. The thought itself never crossed her mind, but intimately, she knew that she was grateful to mistress. In her naked glory, she was enjoying intimacy with the other girls, and before she knew it, it seamlessly transitioned into her being awake. The dream didn't go hazy. She simply woke up, the same sight still in front of, snuggling close to her sister while still being naked. What greeted her upon waking up was the most vivid sight she had ever laid her eyes upon. Those girls, all of them in such vibrant, bright clothes, so feminine and beautiful. How the light sparkled beside them, how they seemed so content. In her stupor, she kissed the girl closest to her on the lips, and eventually floated upwards towards the sky, enjoying the freedom, with no weight holding her back. There was not a single conscious thought in her mind, for she simply existed. If she had a name, she would no longer be able to recall it, for it had no importance to her - her personal sense of self began and ended with the words of harem girl. She twirled in the air, did pirouettes, enjoyed the wind caressing her gently, before eventually letting herself gently drop into the pool, not a single splash in sight when she made contact with the water. She submerged herself in the azure waters, floating through it much the same way like she flew through the air, as if nothing was holding her back. Through the bottom of the pool, she could see the stars, beautiful as they were, with a new one among them that she had never noticed before, shining ever so brightly, brighter than any of the other stars around it. Minutes passed, but it could have been hours just as well. She admired the stars, for she was just like one in her own way. Shining brightly in the sky, never to change to all the onlookers. She was a distant existence, simply there, but she was so bright. With renewed vigor, she swam through the depths of the pool, admiring the stars from ever different angles. She floated outside of the water, underneath the platform, and eventually flew upwards again, landing on the platform with sheer grace that she herself wasn't even aware of. Once more, she rose up into the air in order to place herself at the top of the pillar, trying to feel the wind again. When she eventually had enough of that, she floated down, resting on a random pillow again, a content giggle leaving her lips. But her journey did not stop there. Noticing a small hill at one edge of the pool with her dull eyes, she started flying towards it - not a shred of curiosity in her, she simply moved there, the scene not meaning anything to her despite going through something similar not too long ago. And it was completely natural that there was no particular reaction from her, because what laid there was something that was a part of her, nothing else - a pile of garbs. She simply landed right next to them, and without wasting a second, started getting dressed. Something resembling a double bra - a black piece of fabric without straps to go over the shoulders, covering her bosom, followed up by light green piece of fabric that held it in place, acting as straps to keep it secured on her shoulders, showing of plenty of cleavage and skin, like it was supposed to be. A light green skirt of sorts, ending just midway between her butt and knees, flowing sensually around her legs, decorated with blue and golden embroidery in fancy motives. Jewelry hanging from said skirt, so that with every step she were to take, there would be the faint clanging of metal to be heard. A translucent veil, covering the back of her head, but neither her face nor the top of her head. Held in place by chains of jewelry, that eventually all came together on her forehead, an enchanting emerald keeping everything together. And finally, two rings for her middle fingers, both of them tied to a translucent scarf that she knew, deep down in her heart, were used for dancing. Dancing for mistress. Her vacant, empty smile still not having left her face, she caught her own reflection on the water's surface, though she herself did not realize that it was herself who was being reflected in there, for she had lost her sense of self. Delightful purple hair, flowing down like a veritable ocean, before eventually tickling her butt. A bronze tan, just like her sisters and mistress, for she was just like them. Delectable purple eyes, dull, with not a spark or flicker of intelligence behind them. Her lips, so full, so kissable, painted in a deep shade of red, much like her cheeks seemed to have a constant shade of blush to them. Truly, she was perfection, for she was one of mistress' girls. A star in her horizon, her flower in the harsh desert, the sparkling jewel of her collections. If she had the presence of mind to think about any of those comparisons, she would have giggled, being amused by how perfectly they described her. And while she still giggled, it was for no particular reason, the joy of simply existing welling up inside of her. And of course, she knew how to express that joy and gratitude. One step, then another. She started gyrating her hips sensually, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to her - which, to be fair, it was at this point. The jewelry was clanging, her clothes were rustling with every step she took. She was flowing, just like water. Every step was predetermined, for it was in her very being to dance. To look good for mistress. To give her joy. She danced her heart out, letting it overflow. Much like how she used to be entranced by it, now it was her turn to be just as enchanting. She added in steps and swings of the hip before any person could have even come up with them. She moved her scarf with expertly motions, letting it distort the light, to let the green material of her outfit sparkle in the light of the stars. She danced and danced, not realizing how cold metal started to touch her wrists and ankles, as golden anklets, adorned with gemstones, materialized on her body. She twirled, making sure that the rings with the scarf never got lose, not that they were able to now that they adorned her body. She emphasized one part of her body after another, sometimes bending forward and scooping low in her dance as to draw attention to her bosom, sometimes lifting her legs in a standing split in order to make them look inviting. Eventually, her dance grew slower, and ultimately came to a close - and in just that moment, clapping could be heard behind her. She felt no need to rush, and as such, she slowly turned around, coming face to face with the source of that sound. Of course, she already knew who it was, for it was always the same person who applauded the dances of the harem girls, her important mistress. With open arms, the girl invited the mistress closer, looking up at the woman towering over her with her empty eyes, and she of course reciprocated. The harem girl snuggled her head against mistress' bosom, resting in it just as if she was in a cradle, completely at comfort, blindly trusting her. The mistress, of course, couldn't help but to feel her heart becoming embraced by a warmth once more, for she had managed to save another soul. She knew that this girl in front of her would no longer be able to understand her, for she had become a being who wasn't tied down by anything in this world anymore, much less the burden of words. But yet, she couldn't help herself, and therefore began to speak to her cherished girl. "Honored hero, I am overjoyed that I have been capable of saving you. Time and time again, I have seen heroes reject my offer, and therefore perish on their journey of good intentions. It pained me every single time to lose one of them, and I am forever happy that you managed to avoid the fate your world had in store for you. I do not know who you have formerly been, for I brought many heroes to this place, and I can only tell apart the new girls by one crucial feature. Perhaps you were the lonely rogue Anna, the one I saved from an eternity of loneliness? Perhaps you are Sebastian, the hero who was fated to perish before his journey even really began. You could have been Isaac, the hero I brought here many years ago, the one who seemed to falter on the final steps of his journey, all alone after his companions passed away. Or maybe you were Katarina, the studious apostle of a goddess who cared less about her world than her followers were aware of? Whoever you were, I promise not to treat you any differently. You are like the stars in this world, lighting up my horizon, every single one of you being more precious than any jewel, any gold a person could ever bestow upon me. I want to welcome you to your new home, where you are to exist forever. No war, no conflict, no suffering will ever reach you. Your heart is free of any burden, as you only need to exist, only need to enjoy the pleasures your existence brings with itself, and to share it with me and your sisters. You can fly, you can dance, but you will never have to get hurt again. My gift to you is eternal peace, never to change again. Neither the peace itself, nor you. You will no longer have to grow and change, you can simply be. And that is my gift to you. My beloved one, my cherished possession. I welcome you to your new home, the home that I have made for you, and the home I will continue to protect, until time itself ceases to exist, and beyond that. Until the last flames of the universe burn out, and even then continuing onwards, forever until eternity. My beloved one, I welcome you to the Starlight Harem. Be at ease, because you are now perfect." Gently pushing the girl away from her a little, the mistress waited until the girl stood completely still. It was a scene the girl never had to go through before, and yet innately, she knew exactly what was about to happen, despite her own lack of thoughts. The mistress had done this so often before, and she knew that it would not be the last time she would do what was about to happen. Stretching out her palm, she materialized something golden, almost looking like an open ring at first. It became larger, and fancier, its height easily enough to cover a portion of a neck. Small golden chains starting hanging down from one end, completely surrounding the edge of said ring in an uniform fashion. Eventually, one chain started to stand out, by materializing an emerald at its end, followed up by a smaller ruby, and another just as small emerald. The very same emerald started adorning the ring further above as well, marking it as the front side of it, just as the rest of it started to have floral motives engraved onto it. Eventually, the mistress nodded to herself, being content with her creation, and wiggled a finger of her other hand, motioning her new girl to come closer, an offer she followed without hesitation. Just as the girl came close enough, a clicking sound could be heard, and cold metal embraced her neck. While it was once able to be opened, the instant it snapped close around the neck, the seams that allowed it to be opened vanished without a trace. The girl would never be able to take it off again. And it felt right! It felt so right! Collar! Mistress gave the harem girl her collar! Now she was truly like everyone else, she belonged in here! Neither of these thoughts crossed the harem girl's mind, but she knew just what the act her mistress just carried out meant to her. Because she was now hers, forever. And in a silent prayer, she thanked fate for allowing this to happen, the last flicker of individuality she didn't even know she had still left vanishing, never to be seen again. She smiled, and cuddled close to her mistress' bosom again, for everything was right in the world. She had her beautiful clothes. She was with her sisters. She could fly through the air. She could hear the clanging of her jewelry, she could hear the sound of her own demure giggles. And most importantly of all, she had her mistress. She was saved from a life of strife and peril, and would not have to change again. Her journey had come to an end, and yet, she was part of something much more wondrous, as she literally lived through an ever after. Always a harem girl in the future. Always a harem girl in the past. Always a harem girl in the present. Forever. Forever under mistress. ***** It was unclear just how much time had passed exactly, for the concept of time had lost any meaning in the mysterious Starlight Harem, an elusive dimension created by somebody who only called herself the mistress. What would have been utterly boring for any sane person brought great joy to the inhabitants of it, beautiful harem girls that never seemed to age. They could lounge on pillows, taking in the scent of their own perfume. They could swim through a pool that would drain all potential of them in their past, remove the possibilities of what they could have been, but was now just a body of water to them that went off into space itself. They could fly through the air, just like birds were capable of. Their days were filled with demure giggles, engaging in acts of pleasure with their sisters, and braiding each other's hair, but to them, that was all they needed. Day in, day out, even though days no longer existed in this space. Once upon a time, mistress would visit them, enjoying her time with them. Often, as she visited, new sisters would be born, and another star added to the skies, even if every harem girl always saw one particular star in the skies that shined brighter to them than everything else, the star that was created when they themselves were born. It was on one particular day that mistress brought a girl to the Starlight Harem. "So you're telling me that my world can be saved?" "Of course it can be. I can bring you back to any time you desire, even before any conflict broke out, if you so desire. It will take a while for you to recover, so stay in here while your body needs its rest. But rest assured, honored hero, for you have my blessings. For the two of us will be creating something free of any burden, free of conflict. Dear Tara, you have my word on it." Somewhere in the harem, a girl felt something stirring within her. It was not emotion, nor was it a memory, for she discarded either oh so long ago. And yet, to this girl who just arrived, she felt a special attraction, an intimate closeness. If she had the presence of mind, she would have looked forward to that girl becoming a sister, to her joining the harem. But even without the capacity to think about that, it would not take long for the new arrival to become a vision of feminine, exotic beauty as well. Their eyes met, and the girl named Tara was staring intently at her as well, as if she was feeling a special connection she couldn't place in her heart as well. And while not showing it on her face, the mistress felt like smirking. It took her many years of traveling through universes, but at long last, even if it was not the same person in the strictest sense, she managed to reunite two souls with a special bond. She was looking forward to two of the sisters in the harem being closer to each other than anyone else, much like she had done for previous heroes in the past. For they deserved happiness, and time with their loved ones, even if they no longer remembered them. Now, they would be able to enjoy eternity together, an eternity of never ending bliss and beauty. It felt good to reward a hero for their hard work.