Unsurprisingly, everything was going well for Syalt. He was making great progress at figuring out the lock on his body. 

"Did Mortissus purposely put on a half-hearted chain? Since when was he so unenthusiastic about his work?"

Syalt knew Mortissus even before he had ascended to a god. 

Godhood wasn't a title given to just about anybody, and instead could be earned by anyone. 

There were two ways for a person to become one; it was either through a duel with one of the current gods of the pantheon, or personally chosen to replace them.

The latter was rarely ever used, with Tresroot being one of the few exceptions. Coming from a planet where the Aether was not known, she was instead chosen for her wits and knowledge of the places outside of Earth. 

But Mortissus– he was different. One day, he appeared in Aurora, and requested each of the gods for a duel. 

He won, and by a landslide. Each battle would be fought and ended within a minute. Even the gods struggled to believe that a mortal could attain such power during their short lives. 

That was when he took for himself the title as the God of all Gods. 

Maybe Syalt reminded him of his past self, and so he decided to be a bit more lenient with the restraints? 

That didn't matter now. Syalt speculated that he would be able to break it by today. And when he did so, he would continue on towards the next part of his goal– reaching the Second Realm. 

Until something unforeseen happened. The door to his room suddenly opened, and the figure of Akari could be seen.

Syalt's eyes were tightly shut, and he was in pure focus mode. Even the slight creak from the door opening would alert him, but alas, almost every ounce of his energy was being used to break through. 

"Wha-t are you do-ing?!"

Akari's voice ran clear and true. Her words pierced through Syalt's shield, somehow even putting him out of his "focused" state. 

Syalt was confused. How could the state that could supposedly keep him calm and focused during even the strongest of thunderstorms and the fiercest of waves, fail to shut out a voice? 

It was only until he turned around did he realize how bad the situation was. 

Akari was there, standing right behind his crouched body. Her hands were on her hips, and she looked like a devil. 

"I… forgot to lock the door, didn't I?" 

"You fuc- of course you did! What was that?!" 

"What was what?" Syalt continued to play dumb, hoping Akari did not see much of what he was doing. 

"Don't play dumb with me! What were those? The floating balls of fire, the swirling mass of water?!" 

"What about the flowing green energy? Or the rocks that seemingly surrounded your hand?!"

'She saw everything, didn't she? What am I supposed to do now…'

"How was school? Was it difficult?" Syalt made one last attempt at diverting her attention. 

"Don't change the subject! Tell me, what was that?" 

'Was there ever a Memory Removal spell in the First Realm? I wonder if I can somehow get her to forget what she saw he-'

"Answer me, or I'm kicking you out of here!" 

"It was a magic trick that I was perfecting! Yup! A magic trick."

"Is it a magic trick, or "magic"? I don't recall conjuring the elements onto yourself, something magicians do." 

"I– uh…" 

"Well? Hmm?" 

***

Syalt was soon forced to spill a small portion of his knowledge on the Aether. Everything from magic, to the Realms, to how there was supposedly a near infinite amount of unknown energy inside the planet's atmosphere. 

"Wait, wait, wait. So let me get this straight. You were able to somehow cast these spells when you woke up?" 

That was the story Syalt went with. When he woke up, the amnesiac somehow found out about the existence of this Aether somehow and used this to wield his powers. 

"So there's been this undiscovered mass of energy around our planet this whole time, and you're telling me you just "somehow" managed to figure out how to use it?"

"I… guess. Do you want me to teach you? I'm not very proficient in it yet, but it wouldn't hurt to have a fellow practitioner of the arts." 

"You sound like a martial arts master wanting me to pick up the fighting style he created." 

"It could be put that way. How about it? I can assist you in first sensing the Aether, and then we can work from there. All I ask is you keep this a secret from anybody else, and don't use it in front of people either."

"You… what's it about, anyway? Can I learn to fly?" 

"So you're interested?"

"Fine, I am! Now, go on, teach me!" 

"Let's not be too eager now…" 

***

"That idiot… it hasn't even been a day, and he's already spreading his knowledge on the Aether. Does he not know how dangerous it could be if wielded by the wrong people?" 

"Isn't it interesting, though? Even I, a native of Earth, felt that it was too bland. Throughout history there were many advancements made in researching the Aether, but were all overshadowed by technology. If it gets too out of control, we could always stop it." 

The current place this conversation was happening right now, was Aurora. The meeting of the gods had just recently finished. 

Almost all of the gods had left the moment it was adjourned. The few exceptions who did stay soon left, and as such only Mortissus and Tresroot were the only ones remaining. 

Both of them were, at present, watching a live video footage that was recording Syalt's life on Earth. It wasn't always turned on, and could only be watched when Mortissus was present. .

"Do you not worry about the possibility of eight billion humans suddenly learning to wield the Aether?" Mortissus looked to Tresroot, who was watching the screen excitedly. 

"Not at all. I believe Syalt wouldn't willingly spread it to people he didn't trust. I will admit that him choosing to mentor the little girl in the arts was out of my predictions, but it's not like anything unfavorable will occur from it." 

"I guess you're right."

"Ah, but did you ever hear from Syalt? He told me that he wouldn't use his powers to cause destruction to the world."

"He doesn't have the time nor the will to do that. Even the world's strongest human can get sick of something. Killing is no exception."

"What did you mean by time?"

"Oh, it seems like he didn't tell you this one. Or you probably weren't watching his last moments before he killed himself. But I still vividly recall it. He proclaimed that he would only live for one year. And after that, he would seal his soul." 

"Did he now?" 

"Might you tell me more about this?" 

Suddenly, a voice came from the direction of the "stage." 

The gods were seated in a semicircle formation, and directly in the middle of said shape was a small area where visitors would appear. 

Golden energy, much like when Syalt first appeared, started to gather on the stage. As if there was a fierce wind blowing, the energy started to form into sharp leaves that glided through the tempest. 

And just as soon as it came up, the gust of wind started to weaken, and the energy that had formed into sharp leaves had once again started to change their appearance.

This time, they took on the shape of flower petals. They were pink in color, and resembled that of cherry blossoms. 

"What brings you here, Dragon Empress? I don't recall angering any of your kin during my frequent visits to the dragons' nests." 

"It is not you I have come here for. Tell me, did a man by the name of Syalt pass by here?" 

"Oh? Well then you just missed him. It's only been a day, but Earth is quite a considerable distance away, you know? Too far that even a dragon, with their protective armor, will not able to withstand the cold reaches of space for very long." 

"Mortissus, is this…?" Tresroot, who had been silent this whole time, suddenly spoke up. 

Tresroot looked at the girl up and down. She was barely even tall enough to be considered an adult. Her body looked thin and frail, and her horns seemed smaller than most dragons she had seen. 

"This is Ayana, the Dragon Empress. I believe she was Syalt's lover."

"Take that back. My name is not to be uttered in the same sentence as him. He is someone who is higher than myself." 

"And as you might have guessed, she has an undying loyalty to the man. It's like a… what did they call it back in your world?" 

"You must be thinking of the word yandere, Mortissus. Though I believe she borders more on the loyalty part, and not just straight up obsessiveness." 

"Right, right. That."

"I can see that she holds a great deal of respect for Syalt. As a former earthling who once resided there, I believe I should talk to her about the place Syalt is now living in." 

"Alright, I guess I'll leave you two here."