I looked about the beach, taking in the enormity of the cliff faces that towered above me. Palm trees shot up from the ground, almost as if they were trying to block my way forward. In their midst I could see a small entranceway, almost hidden away. It was manmade, cut into the stone itself and adorned with intricate engravings that told some unknown tale.

My heart nearly leapt out of my chest at the hint of life in this forsaken place. Could it be? Had some survived the cataclysm that I had brought about? Cautiously my gaze traveled along the engravings, each line seemingly crafted by an experienced hand. The images appeared worn, yet still relatively recent.

I traced every line as I carefully made my way down the tunnel until finally I saw a glimmer of light at its end. As I emerged, I beheld a gorgeous valley laid before me, lush vegetation everywhere and the setting sun painting an impressive display across the sky. Every breath of warm air soothed my soul and for a moment I truly felt free again.

As I stared out into the horizon towards the looming city, my heart raced with a mix of anticipation and joy. Clad in nothing but my skin, I knew I had to make some form of clothing before I got imprisoned for public nudity.

I gathered my strength and commanded the more fluidic mana of the shallower regions. From the surrounding dirt, twigs, leaves and water, a set of clothing formed around me; rough brown robes and leather sandals being what would have to do for now from such materials.

With a wave of my hand, I conjured a reflecting pool so I could inspect myself. My long shaggy hair had gone gray in some places, there were wrinkles that I was sure wasn't there before, but all in all, I just looked like a wizened old man, which I guess in some ways was what I actually was. It seemed that the time underneath had weakened even the agelessness that divinity gave.

I descended the path with purpose, feeling a thrill of adventure surge through me. Every bird I passed seemed to sing melodies I had long forgotten, and I watched, transfixed, as an old powerful boar appeared before me. We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before I bowed my head in respect — to my surprise, it bowed back, before it started once again eating the red berries that seemed common within the foliage.

As I leisurely strolled along the meandering path, a small slime caught my attention. They were harmless to most humans, being nothing more than a minor annoyance to those of us with three or more years of life experience. But there was one type that could bring destruction to entire nations if not dealt with properly.

My thoughts drifted back to when I had faced such an abomination alongside Cassiopeia. She had almost killed me when I threw some of its gelatinous remains at her face, but she soon got her revenge when she pushed me into a pile of succubus corpses when we had nearly cleansed the abyss trying to kill her mother. I still remember the feeling of being completely drenched in blood and guts as I finally clawed my way out from under the corpses. What good times we shared.

The line of carriages seemed to stretch on forever and the air was filled with anxious murmurs. I hastened up to one of the coachmen, who was guiding an extravagant, gilded carriage. What had caused such commotion at the city gates? I had to know.

"Might some ill-fated events have transpired at the front?" I asked, hoping that common truly still was the most used language. The man looked a bit startled, not noticing me come up. "Perchance an accident?"

"Nothin' mate, just a general toll gate. You'll have to pay as well if you wanna get into the city," The man looked grinned proudly, "Not my passengers though!"

"Aren?" I heard a masculine voice come from within the carriage, "Is everything alright?"

"Yessir!" Aren said, "Just a man asking a question!"

A head popped out of the curtains of the curtained carriage. A gracefully aged man, with full silver hair and a beard of the fucking gods. "Oh? Good afternoon, good sir."

"Greetings," I uttered, "I had just recently arrived to this area and was unaware of the toll gate."

He nodded, before it disappeared into the carriage. I heard muffled conversation from within before his head popped out again with an offer. "Would you like to join me and my family? We'd love to have some pleasant company."

"Indubitably," I said, a bit confused but curious, "I would be most delighted to comply."

I stepped into the carriage, finding myself along side the man, and presumably his wife and children. The teenagers seemed extraordinarily excited to meet me. A brother and a sister.

"Greetings," I said, "My name is Valerius, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

My name brought about a peculiar expression on their faces, as if something wasn't quite right. But before I could ponder what it meant, the lady had bowed in greeting. "I am Melissa," she intoned with a practiced poise, and introduced her husband Phillipe beside her and their children, Alice and Arthur, just across.

I shook hands with each of them, taking care not to accidentally break their fingers. "So," Arthur, the son, said, "What brings you to our city?"

So they were nobility, as to I expected, their carriage was too opulent to be anything else. "To be candid, I found myself in the vicinity and considered that this was an opportune moment to converse with some sentient creatures again."

Alice scoffed, a smirk stretching her lips. "Well, I'm glad to be one of these 'sentient creatures,'" she said with overt sarcasm, "not sure why you chose to speak to my brother, since he hardly has any 'sentience' worth noting."

I felt the carriage sway as Aren began our journey. I sat back in the luxurious couch and watched the siblings' oblivious banter and the parents gentle flirting. They'd always look at me intently when I spoke, like they were eager to hear my words. Every moment was filled with an indescribable warmth that I didn't know what to make of.

Slowly, we made our way through the entrance with no problems, and As I surveyed the bustling thoroughfare, a sense of contentment washed over me. Normal people and the abyssal-born alike were going about their lives peacefully - Cassiopeia's dream had come true. A flood of nostalgia overwhelmed my senses as I thought of her. I couldn't help but wonder what she was doing now.

Cassiopeia surged forward with a force of will, her body radiating an aura of arcane power that made manifest a spectral golden dragon. The air around her crackled and sparked with energy as she almost shattered through the spells meant to hide her divine powers and shot off into the heavens. There was no doubt in her mind where she was going, the divinity burning within her like a beacon guiding her way. She was off to meet her old friend.