Lukas and the goddess continued to talk as darkness descended and the night wore on. They didn't discuss anything important; it was mostly Sera asking questions about Earth, which Lukas didn't mind. He found it fascinating to see what she thought about his home planet and all it had accomplished without the help of magic.

Though as the night progressed, she began asking different kinds of questions.

"Do you have gods where you come from? I initially thought you wouldn't, since there's no magic, but I've heard you say 'god' whenever you exclaim your joy in seeing me."

Lukas rolled his eyes at the last part before latching onto another point. "What do you mean you expected there to be no gods because of the lack of magic? Are gods and magic connected somehow?"

Sera hesitated for a moment, deciding how much she should say, but in the end, she just shrugged. "Think of the gods as clumps of extremely complex and powerful magic with a certain affinity or attunement that also gained sapience. You'll never want to repeat those words around anyone else unless you want to end up labeled a heretic and dead, but I have no other way to explain it to you, since you have such little understanding of this world.

"The gods govern a certain aspect of a world based on their affinity. Some gods are stronger because of this, as there is more ocean-attuned magic for the gods of the oceans than there is alchemy attuned magic for some minor god like me."

Lukas nodded, taking it all in. "So they're pretty much attuned mana that has control over certain aspects of their respective attunements?"

"It's vastly more complicated than that, but if thinking about it that way helps you understand the concept, then sure."

"If that's the case, then why do you look like a woman?"

"A very pretty woman," the goddess emphasized, but he just rolled his eyes and waited for her to continue. "Anyway," she huffed, "gods could realistically appear however they want. With my power, I could have appeared before you as a five-headed hairless dog, but I have a favored appearance, and so do most gods. They'll show up in places of worship looking like one of the world's species in order to better connect with their worshippers.

"It's also important to know that the gods don't actually exist within the world, but outside of it due to their nature and extreme power. This sets certain limitations on how, when, and where they can appear and interact. The blessings are a way around that, to a certain degree."

It was all very interesting, learning how such things worked, and Lukas was surprised to find himself with a lack of questions. That was probably because the goddess had dumbed it down for his tiny brain to comprehend. Still, he did have one question.

"So the gods appear here? Other than you, of course."

"Yeah, quite often as well, which brings me back to my initial question. Are there gods in your world?"

Lukas frowned, not really sure how to answer. The truth was he wasn't entirely sure. He wasn't some theologist who knew the ins and outs of every religion. He'd read the Bible once, curious to see what was in it. While it had been interesting and he'd enjoyed it, he wasn't a practicing Christian or an avid churchgoer.

In the end, Lukas could only shake his head. "I have no idea. There are numerous pantheons and religions back home, but I can't be certain if any of them are real."

"So no gods or deities appear?"

"Well…" Lukas began hesitantly, "Do you count prophets?"

Sera thought for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I wouldn't count that. Here I would because no one in their right mind would pretend to be a prophet, but somewhere like your home world is different. I don't know enough about that place to say anything for certain, but in a world without divine intervention, false prophets would lead to cults."

"Yeah," Lukas sighed, "There are a lot of cults."

"So no divine appearances?"

"…Maybe?" Lukas said, hesitant to mention Jesus and the New Testament since he knew next to nothing about other religions or their beliefs, and barely anything about Christianity. "There's one instance I can think of, but I'm no expert."

"Tell me about it," Sera insisted, clearly interested.

For the next hour, Lukas tried—and failed—to properly explain the only religion from Earth he was somewhat familiar with. Sera kept asking questions, comparing the gods of this new world to the one he tried to describe. The only problem was that his answers continuously fell short, and he felt like he was giving a half-finished presentation on a subject while the teacher kept asking clarifying questions.

"But what exactly is this god the god of?" she asked.

"Everything? He created everything, so that makes him the god of everything. I think people call him the King of the Universe?"

"So he's a ruler?"

"Uh, maybe? I guess you could say he rules over everything?"

"And he sent his only son to die? Couldn't he have just saved him and smote the people who tried to kill him?"

Lukas shook his head. "The whole point was for him to spread the word of God and then die for the people's sins."

Sera's face scrunched up in confusion. "But that doesn't make any sense. Why would a god need to send his son to spread word about him when people already knew about him? Couldn't he have just come down and told them? Also, why did he have to die for their sins? Couldn't he just wipe away their sin?"

"I don't know! Maybe something changed? And why would an infinite god beyond comprehension that exists outside of time and space need to reveal himself more than once? Besides, he did come down in the form of his son."

"Hang on. So his son was actually him? So he let himself die?"

"Yes. There's a thing called the Trinity with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Don't ask me about it because I know absolutely nothing about it. But the whole point is for God to die for us because he loves us and took away our sins—as long as you believe in him."

"But—"

"Augh!" Lukas groaned, flopping back against the tree in exasperation. "Sera, I don't know enough about any of this to satisfy you. If I ever find a way back home, I promise to bring you a Bible or something—maybe even a whole priest—but I'm not the guy to ask about this."

Sera just harrumphed and crossed her arms. "Should've known you can't satisfy a woman. Gods help all the women who try throwing themselves at you."

"That's not—" he started, but stopped himself with a sigh. "You take every damn opening, don't you?"

With her arms still crossed and looking pouty, she nodded. "No matter how small the opportunity, I'm going to go for it."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"It's like dealing with the most immature teenager ever," Lukas grumbled to himself.

"Well, whatever," Sera said, dropping the pouty act. "I do have another question, though." Lukas gave her a hesitant look, and she rolled her eyes. "It's not about that weird god of yours, I promise."

"What is it then?"

"Who is the shepherd of fire?"

Lukas just looked at her as though she was crazy, wondering if this was some weird riddle meant to mess with him. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

The goddess shrugged. "Well, you're always humming and singing to yourself when working, so I want to know who this shepherd of fire is. Are they some kind of warrior from your world?"

Lukas' eyes went wide with horror, and his heart clenched, mortified. "W-what?" he asked weakly.

"You know," the goddess grinned, easily sniffing out his embarrassment, "whenever you're concocting something or walking around, you're singing under your breath. It's not just that one song, either—there are a bunch of others that you get really into."

Lukas' face burned all the way down to his neck, and he suddenly felt hot, as though he were back in that crater. It was unbelievably humiliating to realize someone had heard him singing to himself—especially someone who liked to watch him. He'd known by now that Sera kept an eye on him, but he always forgot. Having her point it out like this was mortifying. How was he supposed to know she could watch him outside her cave? He'd have to watch every move he made now, acting like he was always being observed, because he never knew when the goddess was peeking.

"They're just songs," Lukas managed. "The shepherd of fire isn't an actual person. It's just a song that I like."

With a beaming smile and a glint in her eye, the goddess leaned forward. "You're so cute when you're embarrassed!" she cooed, reaching out as though to pinch his cheek.

The burning in Lukas' cheeks only deepened, but he still managed to swat away her patronizing hand. "Sera!"

"Boy, you are hopeless," she chuckled. "What are you going to do when a girl teases you? Acting like that is only going to encourage them!"

"I was kind of hoping the mask would be intimidating enough to keep people away."

Sera scoffed. "Well, that's all well and good until they realize you're a total softie."

"I'll come up with something, and if that fails, I'll just run off into the forest," Lukas said, causing Sera to burst out laughing.

The two continued to talk for a few more hours before Sera decided to leave Lukas be. It was well past midnight by then, and instead of meditating or doing more alchemy, Lukas simply decided to sleep. When he woke up a few hours later, the sun was just beginning to rise, signaling the start of another day of battles all throughout the forest.

With surprising deftness, Lukas made his way down from his perch in the tree. Once on the ground, he grabbed his cauldron from the night before, cleaning it off before storing it in his inventory. Before setting off for the day, he gazed over the dead brush around him, cursing Sera for the wasted poison. Yes, he was still peeved at her over the spill, and he would be until he could craft some actual good poison, as he had no doubt the batch he'd lost would have been great.

A solemn shake of the head later, Lukas was moving through the forest.

He continued through the woods for a few days, finding that the Fireborn Drake's power had been anomalous—likely caused by the natural treasure now in his inventory. Most of the beasts in the immediate area were around the low twenties, solid opponents for Lukas as he tried to further incorporate his shadow ability as he fought. There were still a few hiccups and surprises, but he learned quickly and even earned a few more levels.

His Combat Alchemist class gained two more levels, and not just from all the concocting he'd done, but from using his poisons in battle as well. It brought him up to level 24. As for his Rogue of Night class, Lukas gained five more levels and was now at level 19. That left his race at level 21, with some decent stat gains to boot. However, he was starting to notice that experience came more slowly, and he figured he'd have to hunt stronger beasts to maintain his leveling pace.

Ultimately, he understood that each new level would likely require more experience than the last. That was fine, but watching his meteoric progress slow didn't feel great. In the end, it didn't matter—he'd reach his goals eventually—but as levels came slower and slower, it felt as though those milestones grew more distant. He just needed patience and the drive to keep going and face stronger challenges.

That wasn't too hard, considering he was still bulldozing his way deeper into the forest. Each day brought him to regions with higher average mana density and stronger creatures. He found a few interesting natural treasures along the way, but nothing like the Gem of Molten Brimstone. Some he was forced to leave behind, as he simply didn't have room in his inventory. During those times, Lukas consulted Sera.

Knowing full well she was watching more often than not, he called out to the heavens, and she appeared right next to him—or behind him—still insistent on startling him. Lukas asked which natural treasures he should keep and which he should leave behind; he'd assumed she wouldn't appreciate being called on for something so trivial. Instead of being annoyed, she found the whole thing quite amusing, using a goddess to identify lowly copper-ranked treasures.

After realizing Sera didn't mind being summoned, the two ended up talking more and more. Eventually, Lukas noticed that every time he called out to her, she arrived immediately. Maybe it was her divine reflexes, but he was pretty sure she was watching him practically every second of every day. It was creepy, and it made Lukas hyper aware of his own actions—not wanting to look like a complete idiot in front of the goddess.

Only after Lukas had been calling out to the heavens for Sera for the umpteenth time did she finally inform him that, with his blessing, he could communicate with her through something akin to prayer. It sounded like telepathy with some extra godly jargon, but Lukas hardly cared. He was more focused on the fact that she found it hilarious that he'd been shouting at the sky like a madman just to get her attention.

On a particularly cloudy spring day, Lukas was strolling leisurely through the forest. It was around noon, and he'd been in two fights that morning, resulting in him being covered in blood and his burnt, tattered clothes deteriorating even further. Worse yet, neither fight had given him a level because both beasts were around his level. He was close to another level in his Rogue class but still a bit off from one in his Alchemy class.

He walked past the towering pines as usual, when he froze, noticing something off. Glancing around, he realized some new trees had mixed in with the sea of endless pines. These newcomers were deciduous and smaller than their coniferous cousins, likely because they looked younger. Their bark was a slightly lighter shade than the pines', adding some variation to the surroundings. The leaves were similar to maple leaves and about the size of Lukas' head.

He was pleased by the development—seeing only pines had grown old over his time in the forest. Besides, with new trees, there might be new beasts, given that he'd been encountering the same old ones more frequently.

As time went on and Lukas traveled farther, the new type of tree grew in prominence and size, while the pines slowly became the minority. The specimens he came across now were clearly older and more mature, and he wondered if he was on the edge of a new biome or forest region. It didn't really matter; he just found it curious.

Lukas was sauntering through a pleasant grove of these maple-like trees, admiring their beauty, when something ahead caught his eye. He didn't think much of it at first, assuming it was another beast, but he was soon forced to do a double-take upon realizing the figure was humanoid.

Freezing on the spot, Lukas went on high alert, unsure of what to do upon meeting what could be another person. He considered jumping behind a tree and using the shadows to get close and observe but dismissed the idea after noticing the figure was looking straight at him.

Lukas stared at the figure, trying to decide what to do and gleaning any details he could from a distance. He could tell it was a woman from the lithe body shape, and she looked tall, probably a head taller than him. Most notable was a set of what looked like antlers protruding from her head.

She appeared to be wearing a simple dress that shifted lightly in the breeze. Whoever she was, she stood politely and patiently, hands clasped together at her waist, as though she'd been waiting for him.

Suffice to say, Lukas was supremely unnerved to find some strange forest lady waiting for him. Without hesitation, he tried to identify the stranger.

?

Nothing. It returned nothing. The only time his Identify had failed before was when he'd once tried to identify Sera. That meant this person was either a god, or so powerful that his ability didn't work. Lukas could discount the former, as he felt no divinity radiating from the stranger like what could be felt from Sera.

That only served to rattle him more, because it meant that whoever this was wasn't bound by the restrictions of a god. If she wanted, she could do whatever she wanted with him, and he'd be powerless to resist.

"Sera…?" he asked through the blessing, his panic bleeding through.

Of course, the one time he truly needed his godly friend, she didn't answer. The only response Lukas got was a sense of amusement before the connection severed.

Realizing he was on his own, Lukas took a wary step back, planning to jump into the shadow realm and make a run for it. Before he could enact this desperate plan, a soft, pleasant voice drifted through the forest.

"Please don't be afraid," the voice said, decidedly feminine and sweet. "I harbor no ill intent toward you. I simply noticed you were in my area and wished to introduce myself. It's not often that people come out this far into the forest."

"Not to be rude," Lukas said, mustering his courage, "but who—and what—are you?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.