" Mimi has already lost her father and I don't want her to lose her mother. I say we go to Havnahm to check on Veronica. "
You respond to Tom as you clench The Holy Omniverse Transcript tighter in your hands. Tom replies in an assured tone.
" Alright then. Havnahm it is. "
Izael makes one last remark as you and Tom both turn around towards the green portal and prepare to walk through.
" I'll get in touch with Noeh in Athanohm to see that the child returns safely to you. You have saved two Gods here tonight, mortal. I believe that it is only fair that I do everything in my power to ensure that the child's life is protected as well. Nahzgor will notify our darker siblings of the current circumstances to make them aware of what has just transpired and understand the gravity of our situation. "
Tom turns his head towards Izael and Nahzgor behind him and he nods before you both step through the green portal.
As the portal is taking you to Havnahm, you think about everything that's happened so far.
What was that thing that killed Aatu? And since it was able to kill Aatu, does that mean that it can kill Mimi as well, even though she has Faerah's blessing?
You begin to feel nervous as these thoughts stir in your mind, then suddenly you and Tom come out of the other side of the portal and are greeted by the magnificence of Faerah's realm as the portal closes.
As you stand there with Tom, you're taken aback by the beauty of the environment around you. The atmosphere is peaceful, and you can hear water running and birds chirping as you observe the scenery. The entire realm appears to be a grand garden because there are cherry blossom trees and flowers in full bloom in every direction. A gentle wind blows on your skin as you look into the beautiful blue sky and see faeries flying between the trees and playing with one another. You can see sakura petals float gently onto rivers that are being fed by waterfalls far in the distance. Soft voices of conversation can also be heard as couples walk through the paths of the garden together, holding hands and smiling. Most of the people that you see seem to be wandering the garden, but you notice that some of them are sitting together and snuggling on benches on the sides of the walkways under the trees. It feels as if the love in the atmosphere is embracing you and you're in a paradise that one could only dream of. You feel like you're in heaven.
" Beautiful. "
Tom says as he's looking around at the environment with you.
" Havnahm looked like a paradise when I used the transcript, but now that I'm actually here in person, I realize that the visions didn't do it justice. "
You look down at The Holy Omniverse Transcript in your hands after he says this and you're awestruck at the fact that this book contains the ability to see into other realms. The thought of it showing its wielder the realms of literal Gods is mind-blowing.
What else is this book capable of?
Tom sees you staring at the book and he smiles amusedly at you before he snaps you out of your head by speaking up.
" It seems like that monstrosity hasn't been here after all. If it had, this place would've looked a whole hell of alot worse. "
Tom puts his hand on your shoulder for a moment, then he walks ahead of you indicating for you to follow him as he continues to speak.
" Come on. We need to find Faerah and Veronica. "
You begin walking down a path through the garden following behind Tom, and as you're walking with him, you both pass several sets of couples on the walkway. Curious about the people here, you ask Tom a question.
" Why is everybody so lovey-dovey around here? "
Tom looks back at you out of the corner of his eye and responds as you both continue walking.
" Faerah is the Goddess of Beauty, Love, Mercy and Luck. Havnahm is a reflection of those principles. When Faerah created this realm, she decided to make it an afterlife and share it with the people who lived their lives by them. The people that you see here have already passed on from their life and they now reside here eternally. They've made it into Havnahm because when they were alive, they spent their entire lives putting their love for others first and never holding onto any hate within their hearts. "
As you listen to Tom, you also notice how every single person around you looks attractive as you walk past them. You respond to Tom and ask him another question.
" This realm is magnificent. It also seems like everyone here looks gorgeous too. Do you have to be physically attractive to get into Havnahm as well? "
Tom smiles and giggles a bit before looking towards you again and giving you an answer.
" All of the people here are among the most beautiful people who have ever lived, but it's not in the way that you're thinking. Regardless of how they looked on the outside when they were alive, all of the people here were beautiful on the inside. Their physical forms here are a reflection of the beauty that was within them when they were alive. To put it simply, the more compassionate and loving they were when they were alive, the more beautiful their physical form becomes when they ascend to Havnahm. "
The people smile at you kindly as you continue to walk past them. You respond to Tom in awe as you look at the people around you.
" Woah… That definitely explains the loving atmosphere around here. "
Tom pauses for a moment and speaks up as he looks ahead. You look where he's looking and you see a cute pink cottage sitting on top of a beautiful hill with a bunch of gentle waterfalls running down the front of it into a pond that feeds into the rivers.
" I believe this is it. "
He says as he stops walking and you stand beside him. He then looks at you with concerned eyes and asks you a question.
" Are you prepared to see Veronica? "
You take a deep breath and nod your head before you both continue walking the path that leads up the hill to Faerah's cottage. Once you reach the door, you raise your hand to knock, but the door opens before your hand can touch the door and you can hear Faerah's voice echo from within the house.
" Come on in, mortal. "
You and Tom both walk in and Tom shuts the door gently behind you. The house has a pink wooden interior and it looks like any other abode that a human might live in. You're surprised at how small and humble her place is despite her being a literal Goddess. Faerah could've created anything she wanted as a place to live, but she chose to live inside of a little pink cottage on a hill. This is definitely leaps and bounds smaller than Izael's castle, and you shake your head at the thought of what Nahzgor's abode could look like.
Faerah then comes down the stairs in the entryway and looks at you and Tom with empathy.
" Veronica is upstairs… "
You and Tom both briefly look at one another with a serious face, then you both head upstairs behind Faerah until you reach a bedroom that has a bed with a pink veil around it. Through the veil, you can see the silhouette of a woman's body lying still. You feel your heart sink as you look at the silhouette because you know the unfortunate reality of what you're looking at.
" She passed away peacefully in her sleep-state a while earlier. "
Faerah says in a somber tone.
No… not Veronica… not now…
The woman who nursed me back to consciousness after I hit the surface of Aria…
The woman who was kind enough to make me breakfast even though my impact had ruined her garden…
The woman that I was determined to save from the curse that afflicted her…
Now Mimi doesn't have a mother or a father… She's lost them both.
" I see… That demon is to blame for this. "
Tom says in a disgusted tone.
" Aatu was the God of Time and the progress of her curse was reliant on time. When Aatu was killed, his domains became distorted and malfunctioned temporarily. That's the exact reason why the book alerted me. The laws of Time and Space were no longer working as intended. "
Faerah turns to Tom and looks at him with a look of fear as she interjects.
" Aatu's dead? "
" Yes… "
Tom says as he sits down in a chair and takes a deep breath before continuing to speak.
" It appears that both of you lost someone that was important to you tonight. "
Tears begin to run down Faerah's face as she falls to her knees in grief and disbelief. As she speaks, you can hear the pain in her voice.
" My brother… Aatu… demon… What is this demon that you speak of? "
Tom's face goes dead serious as he leans forward in the chair and puts his hands together with his elbows on his knees. His eyes look as if they've gone dead while he responds to Faerah.
" You already know what I speak of. It's coming. "
A look of pure terror washes over Faerah's face as she silently stares at Tom with tears still dripping from her chin. You look back at Tom and decide to speak up to break the silence by asking him the question that you tried to ask him before.
" I still don't know what exactly we're up against. I just watched a God get murdered in front of my eyes and it seems like everyone else knows what killed him except for me. Do you mind telling me what that thing was, Tom? Please? "
Tom takes another deep breath, then he sits silently in his chair for a moment. You can tell by the look on his face that he's thinking hard about something.
After a brief moment, Tom finally makes eye contact with you and speaks in a grievous tone.
" Alright… "
Tom says as he pulls another chair from beside him and slides it across the floor in your direction. You stop the chair from sliding by catching it with your hands and look back up at him as he continues to talk.
" You're gonna want to sit down. What I'm about to tell you is a terrifying reality that even some Gods in this Omniverse are completely unaware of… "
You sit down in the chair and lean back in it. Tom, Faerah, and you are all sitting in a circle now, and you look at Tom intently waiting for him to start elaborating.
It's time you understand what it was that actually killed Aatu.