A long time ago, during the Era of Gods where the Gods still walked the world in plain sight, things were a lot more different. Fanaticism choked the air, and the crazed cries of believers rang through the air at all hours.
Dibella only vaguely remembered her name. She used to go by Rebecca, but her moniker was Lady Black. She used to be a follower of a God until she fell out of favor and her entire family paid for it. Then she had turned her back on all Gods and joined an organization that reached out to her.
“Did you come alone?” A hooded figure asked Rebecca in a dark alleyway.
“Yes.” She nodded.
“Good, follow me.” The person told her and turned around, leading her deeper into the alley. They had only taken a few steps in when a heavy pressure suddenly focused on them. Rebecca choked, but the figure suddenly raised his robe, and a darkness washed over her.
“Oof!” Rebecca grunted as the world spun around her for a moment, then she fell to the ground, landing on her back. That had been teleportation, but one that she was not familiar with. It operated on completely different principles.
“Welcome to Tome Town.” The robed figure said and pulled down his hood, revealing a dark skinned human. He reached a hand out to help Rebecca to her feet, which she graciously accepted. “Sorry for the rough ride. A God had spotted me.” He smiled.
Rebecca’s eyes widened. So that was what they oppressive feeling had been.
“Follow me.” The man said and turned around. He then led Rebecca through the busy underground town. She marveled at how strange the place was. Glowing stalactites stuck out the the absurdly high ceiling of the cavern where Tome Town was hidden. There was a subtle buzz in the air that hinted at the presence of magic. High level magic.
Most people in Tome Town wore dark colors. A sort of silence hung over the town, but it was not gloomy. Rebecca could not place her finger on it, but it was as if everyone here was of the same mind.
‘How strange…’ She thought to herself and pushed the thought to the back of her mind.
Tome Town was not large in any way. It was rather modest in any way one looked at it. Complexity of the houses, or the number of people that lived within it.
“The name is Darwin, by the way. As your point of contact, I will turn into something of a mentor to you.” The man turned to grin at Rebecca. His smile made her feel a lot calmer about the situation. She had just turned against the God that she had been raised to revere all her life. Her mind was rolling with turbulent emotions and thoughts. How this man’s smile managed to calm her completely eluded her. He turned back to the front and Rebecca felt the charm that lulled over her mind fade away.
“Sorry about that. I used to serve the Goddess of Love, Asteria, so my passive ability to charm people is rather high.” He apologize with an awkward chuckled. It seemed he had noticed what had happened too.
“I-It’s fine.” Rebecca ducked her head and smile shyly.
“But…” He spoke up again, “I do think you are beautiful.” He continued, but did not turn back this time. Rebecca pursed her lips and smiled. What could she say in response to that? She had no idea, so she remained silent.
After a while of walking, they got to the center of Tome Town. There, a large, but modest looking palace was erected. Darwin led Rebecca into the palace and she wondered where he was taking her. She did not see anyone around the palace. There were no guards to protect whoever lived in this place at all.
The main hallway was not winded and did not have any corners. It was just a straight corridor that ran straight forward. When Rebecca stepped into the large throne room at the end of the hall, she felt it. That mute feeling that blanketed the whole of Tome Town. But it was much denser here. Was this the source of that mana?
But she did not have enough time to follow that train of thought. For her attention was captured by the majestic figure sitting atop a large throne made out of some sort of white marble material. A young man was seated atop the throne. Silvery gunmetal hair waved in the air as the very fabric of space around him seemed to bend and shiver at his presence. His silver brows were scrunched in concentration, and Darwin held up a hand to signal to Rebecca that she should remain quiet.
The two remained motionless for over ten minutes. It lasted until Rebecca began to feel uncomfortable. She had questions. Who was this person? How was he so powerful? Did he rule over Tome Town? Why did Darwin show so much reverence to him? And most importantly, why did his presence feel… divine?
Rebecca was a strong person. Any kingdom would pay a lot of concessions to have her on their side. If she went by the official ranking scale, then she would be ranked somewhere in A rank. She was strong enough to control the reactions of her body. And with that control, she was able to stay as she was for over two hours.
Just when she could not take it anymore, the eyes of the silver haired man snapped open, revealing blue eyes that resembled the sea. As his eyes roamed the throne room, a palpable pressure similar to the one Rebecca had felt right before Darwin had teleported them there settled upon her shoulders and she gasped. She understood now… This man… was a God!
His sea blue eyes settled on her. He smiled. His smile seemed to be all knowing. “Welcome to Tome Town, Rebecca. I have been expecting you.”