《Symphony of gods》 A Dragons Dream All I write is fantasy. None of it is real, none of it will ever be real. And yet it exists. This world is full of wonder, never to be real. Yet it exists. Saji wandered through the twilight of the street. The sky was dark, the asphalt of the street wet from the rain earlier this evening. Countless lights of varying colors were reflected in the small puddles. Numerous advertisements filled the night with their alluring brightness. One sign marked the location of a popular fast food shop. Another lured bypassing people into a paradise of cheap clothing. They were like moths attracted by the attractive colors of hundreds of shining advertisement signs. Saji had no interest in them. She had already bought all the clothes she needed, fulfilled every desire she could fulfill at places like this. No, that wasn¡¯t true. There was one last thing left for her to do. She had to satisfy her desire for a strong drink and a small meal. She looked around. The fast food shop looked fine, but they had no alcoholic drinks in these kinds of shops. The small grocery store had some inexpensive wine or beer, but it felt cheap drinking on the street and it was pretty cold outside. In the end her eyes fell onto a more minimalistic shop, hidden between the bight fronts of two shops of major fashion brands. A light blue neon sign that seemed to have come from the 70ties said: A Dragon¡¯s Dream She felt like she had heard of this shop. If she remembered correctly it was one of these urban legends produced by drunk teenagers that swore they had seen supernatural things inside. If her memory served right, there was a rumor that the shop sometimes disappeared or that certain people could not find it again after visiting it once. It would only appear on wet and cool summer evening or something. Well it was summer, and the evening was wet and humid from the recent rain. So maybe the stories were actually true¡­ On the other hand, they also said that there were fantastic beasts hidden inside and beautiful nude fairies that would seduce you, so it was more likely to be a coincident. In truth 90 percent of urban legends could be traced back to the excessive drug consume of certain underaged individuals that felt cool doing illegal activities. ¡°People really shouldn¡¯t do drugs¡­¡±, Saji muttered with a small grin on her lips. Despite not believing in the stories she heard she felt intrigued. She thought for a moment. It would be fun to visit an urban legend and people said that the drinks and food inside were really good. There really was no reason not to enter the shop¡­ Saji made her decision and directly headed towards the black front door of the shop. There were no windows to the outside, only a single black door and a blue sign saying, ¡®A Dragon¡¯s Dream¡¯. She hesitated for a moment, then she pulled at the door knob and entered through the doorframe.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. From the inside a faint smell of strong alcohol and food entered her nose, followed by the faint sound of jazz music. The room was dimly lit, but it was enough to clearly see the interior of the pub. There were about ten or eleven tables of which four were occupied by customers, a bar counter was located somewhat further inside the room. Hundreds of different bottles crammed on the shelves behind the counter. At first glance Saji could tell that most were high quality brands worth multiple hundreds of euros. Her expression became awkward. This wasn¡¯t something she could afford with her meager allowance as a student of the local high school¡­ She was about to turn around and leave the pub when suddenly a voice came from behind the counter. The bartender, an elegant young man with dark brown hair, called out. ¡°Young lady, please stay! The drinks will be on me!¡±, his voice travelled through the room. A few of the guests looked up and spotted Saji¡¯s retreating figure. Muffled sounds of laughter rang out. Saji lifted her eyebrows. She was slightly embarrassed by the blunt expressage of the bartender¡¯s intention to pick her up and the humorous looks thrown at her by the other guests. On the other hand, how often would she have the chance to drink expensive alcohol on another person¡¯s tab? She slowly turned around and walked to the counter. A coquettish smile curled on her lips. The young man smiled back friendly. ¡°What would the young miss want to drink?¡±, he asked as she sat down on the barstool. Saji grinned. ¡°I will trust your judgment.¡±, she knew how to make the most profit out of occasions like this. The young man laughed. ¡°Fine then!¡±, he immediately grabbed a glass and turned around to choose a few different brewages from the huge number of bottles that filled the entire wall behind the counter. He chose three different bottles, each of them clearly extremely expensive and quickly mixed them into the glass. A moment later a light brown liquid with a large ice cube floating inside it was placed in front of Saji. The man reached beneath the counter and pulled out a plate with some snacks on it. ¡°I guess the lady are hungry?¡±, he asked gently smiling. Saji smiled appreciating and nodded. ¡°Very.¡±, she honestly was impressed by the young man¡¯s mannerism. He placed the plate in front of her. ¡°Sooo¡­ what has lead a young lady like you into this shabby place?¡±, his voice had a teasing sound to it. Saji looked amused. ¡°So, you won¡¯t even hide your intentions?¡±, her grin was flirtish. The bartender shrugged his shoulder. ¡°Why should I hide the fact that I am picking up a beautiful girl?¡± Saji laughed at the compliment. ¡°Won¡¯t the owner be angry at you?¡±, she asked curious. He grinned. ¡°I doubt so. I AM the owner of this small pub.¡± Saji didn¡¯t quite believe him. ¡°You are?!¡±, she looked at him doubtfully. ¡°Sure I am.¡± He turned away to make a second drink for himself. ¡°I guess you heard what they say about this shop?¡±, he continued to talk even while choosing the drink. ¡°A pub that appears and disappears in accordance to the weather and is filled with mystical beings?¡±, Saji answered surprised about the sudden question. He suddenly turned around. A bright smile on his face. ¡°EXACTLY!¡± Saji was seriously weirded out. ¡°Em¡­ excuse me?¡±, she shuddered, clearly feeling uncomfortable. The young man blinked. ¡°Ups, sorry I guess I got a little to exited. It¡¯s been some time since I did something like this¡­¡±, he suddenly began to mutter. ¡°When was it again¡­.no that¡¯s to long ago, there must have been another one¡­. Yeah maybe after that¡­ it should have been in 1768¡­¡±, he was talking about things Saji couldn¡¯t quite put a finger on. ¡°Anyway!¡±, seemed to have come to a conclusion. ¡°It¡¯s been quite a while since I since I did this, to be exact it¡¯s been over three hundred years and I was quite young back then, so I¡¯m not quite sure how to do things like this, but I will just be blunt. I am a god, and everything you heard about this pub is true!¡±, he theatrically flicked his fingers and a flame appeared on his hand, dancing around it in small circles. Saji just blankly stared at him. ¡°Uh¡­This¡­ is a nice trick and all¡­, but I think I should go now¡­¡±, she forced an awkward smile. He blinked for a moment. ¡°A trick?¡±, he stared at her. ¡°You think this is a trick?!!¡±, his voice got louder as he asked indignantly. At this point Saji really wanted to leave this place with it¡¯s extremely weird owner. She honestly wondered if he wasn¡¯t a psychopath. Saji was about to stand up when she suddenly felt someone tap at her shoulder. From behind her an elderly voice rang out. ¡°Excuse me could you please turn around? I don¡¯t think you have understood Ji¡¯s point¡­¡± Saji slowly turned around. She looked right at the head of the Asian version of a dragon. Long white whiskers danced in the air as it¡¯s body coiled in the air. Its red mane fluttered despite the lack of wind. She could see it¡¯s clawed front limbs and the sharp teeth inside its mouth. A shrill cry emerged from her mouth. Behind her the bartender called Ji laughed merrily. ¡°Welcome to a god¡¯s pub!¡± City of Gods and Spirits ¡°Lady, please calm down, no one here has any intention of harming you.¡±, the dragon faintly moved its jaw as it spoke. It¡¯s long whiskers that looked similar to the one¡¯s of a carp coiled in the air. It was a surreal sight, certainly crazy enough to make you question your own sanity. Saji did not stop her shrill cry, instead it became even more piercing and annoying. The god called Ji frowned a little. ¡°This reaction is more then I anticipated.¡±, despite his frown it was obvious that he found the situation to be hilarious. Saji¡¯s eyes darted around. The dragon was one thing, but the other mind-blowing creatures behind it were in no way better. There was a buddha, calmly drinking his tea while observing her with gentle, curious eyes. His wide orange robe did little to hide his astonishingly muscular body. This seriously was no buddha anyone would want to start a fight with! Next to the buddha sat a small person, reminding her of a gnome. His face was unquestionably ugly with deep wrinkles and disproportionate features. His long-curved nose only deepened the impression of an exceptionally ugly face Lastly there was an obese female with ridiculously expensive clothing. Gold and silver seemed to be little more then dirt in her eyes as she was clad in a ridiculous amount of jewelry. Unlike the other two Saji couldn¡¯t put her into a distinct category. Every single being in this pub was clearly out of the ordinary and the fact that those three figures had seemed like ordinary customers to her just a moment ago only served to testify that fact. She had absolutely no intention of staying here. Her long cry abruptly stopped, and she whirled around. A short dash and she had reached the door. Before anyone could do anything, she had opened the door and stepped outside. Her vision blurred for a moment. There was noise. Millions of voices, some deep others high. Piercing and gentle, whispering or roaring. They all came together to form a symphony of voices that filled the air and enlivened it with vibrant spirit. Thousands of languages came together in this unexpected and yet strangely familiar piece of music. They merged and emerged from the sea of other words, they refined themselves until in the end they were the same and yet different. Hundreds of sounds filled the air, some loud, others quiet. Steps on the hard ground, the sound of fabric fluttering in the wind, doors that opened and doors that closed. There was no way to identify each and every of that sounds and yet every last of them was a distinct part of what she could hear. Her eyes focused. There were lights. Billions of them, in every imageable color. They blotted out the sky, filled the vision with their unparalleled might. Some came from the millions of windows, others from the thousands of display windows that belonged to the unending number of shops. Hundreds of millions of colorful advertisements seemed to try to outcompete each other in terms of brightness and color. They filled everything that was no window or door, there was nothing that did not have the name of some foreign company or shop on it. This was not the street Saji had come from. It seemed similar, but the difference between both was almost unimageable.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. If one was earth, The other one was certainly the heaven! ¡°Sorry but I couldn¡¯t let you go this easily.¡± A voice suddenly came from behind her. But Saji did not turn around. Her eyes were glued on the sight in front of her. She was on one side of a long street. As far as she could see there was an unending line of houses reached towards the horizon. Her eyes wandered up and she saw the facades of the houses reached high up into the dark night sky. Hundreds of meters tall, high enough to reach even the sky, they lined the street in every shape and form. There was a Chinese pagoda with at least four hundred stories, bright lights shining from every single of it¡¯s white paper windows. Despite it¡¯s traditional and archaic look there were hundreds of glowing neon signs advertising for the hundreds of restaurants inside of it. On the other side of the street was a grey building. Like a wall it filled her view. Only unlike a wall it too was filled with small windows and an unimaginable number of advertisements. Buildings like this and others in every imaginable style lined the street and filled it with their unending flood of colors. On the multiple hundred meter wide street tens of thousands of creatures walked around minding their own business. White foxes walked on two legs as they ate meat skewers from a nearby stall. A tree flouted along the street, an old face on it¡¯s wrinkled bark talking with a young golden dragon. An immortal descended from the sky, walking on the air as if it was a staircase, and disappeared into a coffee shop only to come out with a paper cup filled with hot coffee. It was difficult to describe, but the world in front of Saji was too unimageable to be unreal. It was too unreal to be an illusion. Without even questioning it Saji had already confirmed that what she saw was the truth and not some kind of crazy hallucination. ¡°Lady?¡±, the voice once again spoke. Finally, Saji was able to avert her eyes from the scenery in front of her. She turned towards the voice. It was the ¡®owner of the pub¡¯, the bartender who clamed to be a god. From what she had heard from the dragon he seemed to be called Ji. ¡°¡­Where am I?¡±, after a moment Saji asked. Ji seemed to have expected the question. ¡°City of gods, the city of eternal night, City of a milliard opportunities, City of a billion names.¡±, he listed a couple of names. ¡°This city has as many names to it as there are beings living inside of it and it is up to you how you want to call it. What is important is that this is a city of gods, spirits and demons. Everything you heard about but never experienced, everything that you could seek, is located somewhere within the boundaries of this city.¡±, his words seemed to contain some sort of attraction as they made Saji feel more and more excited the more the heard. Saji was quiet for some time. ¡°You said it wouldn¡¯t be easy for me to leave?¡±, she asked. ¡°How cloud it be? You are my guest and I want to show you a lot of thing before I can allow you to go.¡±, The same friendly smile remained on Ji¡¯s face. Despite that his words were rather despotic. It made his smile feel more like a mask then an expression of his true feelings. Despite that Saji did not feel that the smile was repulsive. It was like a beautifully painted work of art. Something that was supposed to sooth the minds of others without carrying any evil intentions. This young god did not show his true face and hid behind the mask of a friendly smile. But somehow Saji knew that it wasn¡¯t because he had any evil intentions. At first Saji did not know what to respond. She did not know what to do. In fact, right now she knew nothing. Yet for some reason she couldn¡¯t help but smile. It was a genuine smile, no mask, but instead her true face. This was a world she didn¡¯t choose to enter. Some crazy god abducted her out of a whim and introduced her into this crazy reality without leaving her any freedom in the matter. Yet it was exciting. She knew that from this moment on everything would change for her. There was no telling what would happen, she did not know what she might encounter in this magical world that had suddenly opened itself to her. She only knew that from this moment on, everything would change and that it would keep changing for an indefinite amount of time, maybe even forever. ¡°Then show me, oh mighty God Ji, just what wonders are hidden within this city!¡±, her bright voice reached Ji¡¯ and merged into the endless sea that was this city. For some reason Ji¡¯s expression changed for a moment. Saji did not seem like a young woman that had been brought into an unfamiliar world. In this moment she was like a fish that had returned to the water after living her live on land. She really wasn¡¯t what he had expected. And that made it even more exciting! A bright smile appeared at Ji¡¯s mouth and a strange light shone in his eyes as he made an mannered bow. This time it was no mask and his elegant politeness was no show. He was the owner of the pub ¡®A Dragon¡¯s Dream¡¯. He was a young god who had lived for multiple centuries. He was Ji! ¡°It will be my honor!¡±, his smile was genuine and warm. Dangers of a Gods world While the two of them stood right in front of the pub¡¯s entrance a bypassing creature suddenly sniffed a few times. Its nose inhaled the cold air and all the different smells that it contained. The faint but always present smell of white foxes, the strong aromatic smell of the coffee an immortal was carrying a few hundred meters away, the delicious smell of roasted meat and another delicious smell that was very rarely smelled within the city of a billion names. The creature¡¯s footsteps abruptly stopped. It had a small humanoid body with green skin. Its body looked mangled and thin, while it¡¯s limbs were meager and fragile. An ugly face and a long green nose completed the repulsive appearance of the goblin. Yet, despite its weak appearance and thin frame the goblin had the abilities of a real predator. As it inhaled the cold night air a certain smell entered its sensitive nose and caused it to shiver in delight. Its ugly face twisted in a strange mix of hunger and excitement. It turned its head following the source of the smell and stared at Saji. The goblin¡¯s mouth opened slightly, revealing its surprisingly sharp teeth. A drool leaked through his open mouth and tainted the brown cloth it had wrapped around it¡¯s skinny body. ¡°A human.¡±, it said, a slight tremor in its voice. The creature¡¯s eyes were blood shot while it¡¯s expression became wretched. ¡°A HUMAN!¡±, it was unable to restrain itself and pounced towards the two figures standing in front of a black door. Within a moment it had crossed tens of meters, displaying power that shouldn¡¯t be possible with its malnourished body. Strangely its muscles seemed to have inflated and its sharp fangs had grown by a few centimeters. Its appearance was still small but other then that it was still something that could haunt people in their nightmares. Heads turned around, attracted by the creature¡¯s shouts and the sudden burst of power they could sense from it. Some were curious, others surprised and some just as hungry as the green creature. Hundreds of eyes fell onto the small greenish figure that was darting towards the two humans on the side of the street. Yet before any of them could move to do anything Ji had already stepped forward, blocking the green creature¡¯s way. Disdain flickered in his eyes as he looked at the incoming creature. ¡°Know your place, lowlife.¡±, he reached out with his hand and directly hit the creatures head. The sound of an explosion rumbled, and something shot across the street until it crushed into the wall of a neighboring building. The small body of the goblin had disappeared, leaving only a couple of bloodstains on the other building. If one looked closely they could see a few bits of flesh scattered across the street. For a moment everything was silent. Then the dozens of eyes averted themselves and the spectators dispersed, each of them minding their own business and heading towards their own destinations. Some of them, those who had also felt the same hunger as the green creature hurried to distance themselves from this place. Yet in their minds they couldn¡¯t help but yearn for a little piece of that delicious human. Within a moment everything had gone back to normal and no one cared about the goblin¡¯s miserable death. The only difference was that there were some new bloodstains on the ground and the wall of a building. Saji¡¯s face paled as she saw a small piece of flesh being picked up by a small human child. It opened its mouth and simply ate it. After chewing twice, it swallowed it. The child nodded its head seeming satisfied. Suddenly it turned it head towards Saji. Two red pupils surrounded by black eyes stared at her, filled with the desire to feast on her tender flesh. A creepy smile appeared on its childish face. Saji paled even more. She felt a strong desire to vomit. Ji turned his gaze towards the ¡®child¡¯. As it sensed his gaze on its body it began to tremble, obviously fearful and apprehensive of the god. ¡°Fuck off.¡±, Ji said coolly and turned around. The small ¡®child¡¯ instantly darted away, fearful of the consequences it would have to face if it was too slow. ¡°Follow me.¡±, Ji said to Saji while walking back into the pub. Saji hurriedly followed him. Staying out without Ji obviously wasn¡¯t a good idea, considering that she was almost killed only a few moments after arriving at this strange city. Right now, she painfully had to realize that this city, however beautiful and amazing it might be, was no place for ordinary humans like her. Without someone like Ji protecting her there was no way for her to survive in the world beyond the pubs door. As soon as Saji had entered the building the black door closed itself behind her. The glamorous city of gods had disappeared and been replaced by the gentle twilight of a god¡¯s pub.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. A hand gently grabbed her shoulder and pulled her further into the room. Ji looked a little worried as he looked into Saji¡¯s eyes. As before his expression was a little to perfect, his concern to realistic to be real. Maybe he wasn¡¯t able to show emotions any other way. The thought appeared in Saji¡¯s mind. ¡°Everything alright?¡±, he asked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that your first experience in our city ended so badly. Unfortunately, it really isn¡¯t a place where humans like you can go without taking some precautions. There are a few creatures there that enjoy human flesh and all of those are beyond a human means to handle.¡±, Ji apologized. Saji was still a little shaken and remained silent for a while. Finally, she shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. You protected me after all.¡±, she seemed thoughtful. Despite its numerous marvels the city out there was dangerous, yet for some reason Saji really wanted to go back there. It was unreasonable and defied any logic or natural instinct. It was a world that should have been unreachable for her, yet she could experience it. Maybe it was because of this that she couldn¡¯t help but carve to know more about this world. Ji read her expression and knew what she thought. He smiled relieved. He suddenly went over to the counter and began to search in one of the shelves¡¯ departments. ¡°I will make you a charm that can protect you from these type of being even while I am away. It will be able to ward of most beings you would normally met on the streets.¡± Saji nodded thankfully. ¡°That would be great.¡± Then she looked around the pub once more. The four customers from before were still around. But unlike before they did not sit around the table anymore. Instead they circled around Saji and curiously observed her. Even the Buddhist monk took glances at her body. ¡°He certainly has taste.¡±, he commented. ¡°Of course, he has, not everyone is a monk like you.¡±, the obese lady replied laughing. The monk shrugged. ¡°The almighty buddha does not forbid the pleasure of the flesh.¡± ¡°She truly is a fine lady¡±, the dragon interrupted with a strangely thoughtful expression. To be honest Saji found it more amazing that a dragon could have such human like expression than the fact that it could speak. ¡°Would it not be politer if we introduced ourselves before taking such liberties with the young lady?¡±, the extraordinarily ugly man asked in a formal tone. The other three who had been cheerfully chattering suddenly froze on the spot. ¡°Thu truly forgot about it?¡±, the ugly dwarf asked amazed. The dragon looked especially embarrassed. He stepped forward first. ¡°My name is Long Tian, the first of the heavenly dragons. I greet you.¡±, he too suddenly talked formal. Next came the obese lady. ¡°I am called the sleeping lady. Those from the island of honey worshipped me long before the first civilizations arose in your homelands.¡±, she made a gentle curtsy. The monk followed her. His hands formed a formal Buddhist greeting and he made a deep bow. ¡°Amitabha. This lowly monk is called Raja. May the great buddha rest within your heart and help you find peace in this world.¡± Lastly came the ugly dwarf. ¡°It is my pleasure to meet thy lady. My name is Ronald Sherevile.¡±, he was by far the most polite and formal of the four. Saji quickly returned the greetings and soon that had engaged into a conversation. The four ¡®people¡¯ had many questions to ask and despite being obviously very old they were very curious. On the other hand, Saji also carved for more knowledge about this new world she had walked into. She found out that all four beings were at least over two thousand years old. How old they were exactly they couldn¡¯t or wouldn¡¯t tell her, but from what they spoke of while telling their old stories they had been around during the time of the ancient romans and the first Chinese dynasties. (The first Chinese dynasty was the Xia-dynasty although it¡¯s existence is debated by historians, the seconds dynasty is called the Shang-dynasty and lasted from 1600 b.c until 1100 b.c) Mr. Sherevile, the ugly dwarf claimed to have been a close friend of a certain famous english king and his elderly wizard mentor. Furthermore, she found out that the sleeping lady and Raja had been mortal humans before somehow ascending to become gods, while Tian and Mr. Sherevile had been born as immortal beings and with the power of a god. As for how a mortal could become an immortal god, none of them talked about the topic. It seemed like they weren¡¯t really willing to share this secret to her. Saji did not mind. It would have been strange if they just told her how to become immortal after meeting her only one hour ago. Of course, there was no way for Saji to verify their age or claims, but there was no real reason for them to lie. Especially Tian, the dragon, was incredible enough even without talking about his age or experiences. During the conversation she also found out that Ji was the youngest of them. It was unknown how old Ji exactly was, but it seemed that he had only become a god in the last millennia. After almost an hour Ji suddenly interrupted the conversation. He finally came out from behind the counter, carrying a flat stone in his hand. He placed it onto the table in front of Saji. The stone had a very flat surface and was snow-white. There was not a single impurity on it¡¯s perfectly smooth surface. On one side hundreds of fine black lines combined together and formed an unfinished circle. It was almost perfect, only a small gab between the two ends of the line hindered its competition. Despite the simple form the lines that formed it were extremely complicated. ¡°This talisman is capable of creating two familiars that will listen to your commands and protect you from harm. You have to press it against a part of your body. Which one is up to you to choose. Once the tattoo is placed onto your skin you will be able to control the two familiars I sealed into them. They are powerful enough to ward off most of the beings you can stumble upon in the streets! Of course, there are still powerful beings in the city that could harm you despite the protection of the talisman, but those shouldn¡¯t attack you without reason.¡±, Ji was slightly proud of the talisman. ¡°As long as you do not provoke those beings you should be fine.¡±, he concluded. Saji looked at the stone. ¡°Thank you.¡±, she looked up to Ji and thanked him. Then she took the stone into her hand. It was slightly cold and felt like any other rock you could find outside. Yet this one would change her live. A power she couldn¡¯t even dream about until now would be hers to use. A world she couldn¡¯t have dreamed about was ready to be explored by her! Saji gathered her resolve and abruptly pressed the stone against the backside of her lower arm. She expected burning pain or at least the sensation of small needles piercing her skin. Instead she just felt the smooth, cold surface of the stone. Surprised she removed the stone and looked at her arm. It was slightly irritated, a red hint on the pale skin. The small tattoo of an unfinished circle now adorned her lower arm. Hundreds of intricate, fine lines that formed one simple symbol. Black paint on pale white skin. Dangers of a Gods world While the two of them stood right in front of the pub¡¯s entrance a bypassing creature suddenly sniffed a few times. Its nose inhaled the cold air and all the different smells that it contained. The faint but always present smell of white foxes, the strong aromatic smell of the coffee an immortal was carrying a few hundred meters away, the delicious smell of roasted meat and another delicious smell that was very rarely smelled within the city of a billion names. The creature¡¯s footsteps abruptly stopped. It had a small humanoid body with green skin. Its body looked mangled and thin, while it¡¯s limbs were meager and fragile. An ugly face and a long green nose completed the repulsive appearance of the goblin. Yet, despite its weak appearance and thin frame the goblin had the abilities of a real predator. As it inhaled the cold night air a certain smell entered its sensitive nose and caused it to shiver in delight. Its ugly face twisted in a strange mix of hunger and excitement. It turned its head following the source of the smell and stared at Saji. The goblin¡¯s mouth opened slightly, revealing its surprisingly sharp teeth. A drool leaked through his open mouth and tainted the brown cloth it had wrapped around it¡¯s skinny body. ¡°A human.¡±, it said, a slight tremor in its voice. The creature¡¯s eyes were blood shot while it¡¯s expression became wretched. ¡°A HUMAN!¡±, it was unable to restrain itself and pounced towards the two figures standing in front of a black door. Within a moment it had crossed tens of meters, displaying power that shouldn¡¯t be possible with its malnourished body. Strangely its muscles seemed to have inflated and its sharp fangs had grown by a few centimeters. Its appearance was still small but other then that it was still something that could haunt people in their nightmares. Heads turned around, attracted by the creature¡¯s shouts and the sudden burst of power they could sense from it. Some were curious, others surprised and some just as hungry as the green creature. Hundreds of eyes fell onto the small greenish figure that was darting towards the two humans on the side of the street. Yet before any of them could move to do anything Ji had already stepped forward, blocking the green creature¡¯s way. Disdain flickered in his eyes as he looked at the incoming creature. ¡°Know your place, lowlife.¡±, he reached out with his hand and directly hit the creatures head. The sound of an explosion rumbled, and something shot across the street until it crushed into the wall of a neighboring building. The small body of the goblin had disappeared, leaving only a couple of bloodstains on the other building. If one looked closely they could see a few bits of flesh scattered across the street. For a moment everything was silent. Then the dozens of eyes averted themselves and the spectators dispersed, each of them minding their own business and heading towards their own destinations. Some of them, those who had also felt the same hunger as the green creature hurried to distance themselves from this place. Yet in their minds they couldn¡¯t help but yearn for a little piece of that delicious human. Within a moment everything had gone back to normal and no one cared about the goblin¡¯s miserable death. The only difference was that there were some new bloodstains on the ground and the wall of a building. Saji¡¯s face paled as she saw a small piece of flesh being picked up by a small human child. It opened its mouth and simply ate it. After chewing twice, it swallowed it. The child nodded its head seeming satisfied. Suddenly it turned it head towards Saji. Two red pupils surrounded by black eyes stared at her, filled with the desire to feast on her tender flesh. A creepy smile appeared on its childish face. Saji paled even more. She felt a strong desire to vomit. Ji turned his gaze towards the ¡®child¡¯. As it sensed his gaze on its body it began to tremble, obviously fearful and apprehensive of the god. ¡°Fuck off.¡±, Ji said coolly and turned around. The small ¡®child¡¯ instantly darted away, fearful of the consequences it would have to face if it was too slow. ¡°Follow me.¡±, Ji said to Saji while walking back into the pub. Saji hurriedly followed him. Staying out without Ji obviously wasn¡¯t a good idea, considering that she was almost killed only a few moments after arriving at this strange city. Right now, she painfully had to realize that this city, however beautiful and amazing it might be, was no place for ordinary humans like her. Without someone like Ji protecting her there was no way for her to survive in the world beyond the pubs door. As soon as Saji had entered the building the black door closed itself behind her. The glamorous city of gods had disappeared and been replaced by the gentle twilight of a god¡¯s pub.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. A hand gently grabbed her shoulder and pulled her further into the room. Ji looked a little worried as he looked into Saji¡¯s eyes. As before his expression was a little to perfect, his concern to realistic to be real. Maybe he wasn¡¯t able to show emotions any other way. The thought appeared in Saji¡¯s mind. ¡°Everything alright?¡±, he asked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that your first experience in our city ended so badly. Unfortunately, it really isn¡¯t a place where humans like you can go without taking some precautions. There are a few creatures there that enjoy human flesh and all of those are beyond a human means to handle.¡±, Ji apologized. Saji was still a little shaken and remained silent for a while. Finally, she shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. You protected me after all.¡±, she seemed thoughtful. Despite its numerous marvels the city out there was dangerous, yet for some reason Saji really wanted to go back there. It was unreasonable and defied any logic or natural instinct. It was a world that should have been unreachable for her, yet she could experience it. Maybe it was because of this that she couldn¡¯t help but carve to know more about this world. Ji read her expression and knew what she thought. He smiled relieved. He suddenly went over to the counter and began to search in one of the shelves¡¯ departments. ¡°I will make you a charm that can protect you from these type of being even while I am away. It will be able to ward of most beings you would normally met on the streets.¡± Saji nodded thankfully. ¡°That would be great.¡± Then she looked around the pub once more. The four customers from before were still around. But unlike before they did not sit around the table anymore. Instead they circled around Saji and curiously observed her. Even the Buddhist monk took glances at her body. ¡°He certainly has taste.¡±, he commented. ¡°Of course, he has, not everyone is a monk like you.¡±, the obese lady replied laughing. The monk shrugged. ¡°The almighty buddha does not forbid the pleasure of the flesh.¡± ¡°She truly is a fine lady¡±, the dragon interrupted with a strangely thoughtful expression. To be honest Saji found it more amazing that a dragon could have such human like expression than the fact that it could speak. ¡°Would it not be politer if we introduced ourselves before taking such liberties with the young lady?¡±, the extraordinarily ugly man asked in a formal tone. The other three who had been cheerfully chattering suddenly froze on the spot. ¡°Thu truly forgot about it?¡±, the ugly dwarf asked amazed. The dragon looked especially embarrassed. He stepped forward first. ¡°My name is Long Tian, the first of the heavenly dragons. I greet you.¡±, he too suddenly talked formal. Next came the obese lady. ¡°I am called the sleeping lady. Those from the island of honey worshipped me long before the first civilizations arose in your homelands.¡±, she made a gentle curtsy. The monk followed her. His hands formed a formal Buddhist greeting and he made a deep bow. ¡°Amitabha. This lowly monk is called Raja. May the great buddha rest within your heart and help you find peace in this world.¡± Lastly came the ugly dwarf. ¡°It is my pleasure to meet thy lady. My name is Ronald Sherevile.¡±, he was by far the most polite and formal of the four. Saji quickly returned the greetings and soon that had engaged into a conversation. The four ¡®people¡¯ had many questions to ask and despite being obviously very old they were very curious. On the other hand, Saji also carved for more knowledge about this new world she had walked into. She found out that all four beings were at least over two thousand years old. How old they were exactly they couldn¡¯t or wouldn¡¯t tell her, but from what they spoke of while telling their old stories they had been around during the time of the ancient romans and the first Chinese dynasties. (The first Chinese dynasty was the Xia-dynasty although it¡¯s existence is debated by historians, the seconds dynasty is called the Shang-dynasty and lasted from 1600 b.c until 1100 b.c) Mr. Sherevile, the ugly dwarf claimed to have been a close friend of a certain famous english king and his elderly wizard mentor. Furthermore, she found out that the sleeping lady and Raja had been mortal humans before somehow ascending to become gods, while Tian and Mr. Sherevile had been born as immortal beings and with the power of a god. As for how a mortal could become an immortal god, none of them talked about the topic. It seemed like they weren¡¯t really willing to share this secret to her. Saji did not mind. It would have been strange if they just told her how to become immortal after meeting her only one hour ago. Of course, there was no way for Saji to verify their age or claims, but there was no real reason for them to lie. Especially Tian, the dragon, was incredible enough even without talking about his age or experiences. During the conversation she also found out that Ji was the youngest of them. It was unknown how old Ji exactly was, but it seemed that he had only become a god in the last millennia. After almost an hour Ji suddenly interrupted the conversation. He finally came out from behind the counter, carrying a flat stone in his hand. He placed it onto the table in front of Saji. The stone had a very flat surface and was snow-white. There was not a single impurity on it¡¯s perfectly smooth surface. On one side hundreds of fine black lines combined together and formed an unfinished circle. It was almost perfect, only a small gab between the two ends of the line hindered its competition. Despite the simple form the lines that formed it were extremely complicated. ¡°This talisman is capable of creating two familiars that will listen to your commands and protect you from harm. You have to press it against a part of your body. Which one is up to you to choose. Once the tattoo is placed onto your skin you will be able to control the two familiars I sealed into them. They are powerful enough to ward off most of the beings you can stumble upon in the streets! Of course, there are still powerful beings in the city that could harm you despite the protection of the talisman, but those shouldn¡¯t attack you without reason.¡±, Ji was slightly proud of the talisman. ¡°As long as you do not provoke those beings you should be fine.¡±, he concluded. Saji looked at the stone. ¡°Thank you.¡±, she looked up to Ji and thanked him. Then she took the stone into her hand. It was slightly cold and felt like any other rock you could find outside. Yet this one would change her live. A power she couldn¡¯t even dream about until now would be hers to use. A world she couldn¡¯t have dreamed about was ready to be explored by her! Saji gathered her resolve and abruptly pressed the stone against the backside of her lower arm. She expected burning pain or at least the sensation of small needles piercing her skin. Instead she just felt the smooth, cold surface of the stone. Surprised she removed the stone and looked at her arm. It was slightly irritated, a red hint on the pale skin. The small tattoo of an unfinished circle now adorned her lower arm. Hundreds of intricate, fine lines that formed one simple symbol. Black paint on pale white skin. Sha the white fox A young woman wandered the empty and dark side streets of the large city. Despite the sparse light and many dark shadows that obscured much of her appearance it was without question that she had quite the good looking face and a sexy mature body that would attract many males. There were few people aside from her in these desolate parts of the city and the few people present in this remote area of the city were predominately male thug-like figures that enjoyed spending their time drinking in the dark alleys. Some looked human like, others had strange limbs filled with power. One had a fish head, with the rest of his body being humanoid. Another one was a member of the intelligent white fox race that was present all across the city. All of them, no matter their race or appearance threw longing gazes to the young lady as she passed their group. The fox even went so far as to change his form, one of the many skills they inherited as members of their race. A leave seemed to have appeared from nowhere and fluttered down onto the foxes back. As soon as it touched its white fur, a cloud of white smoke exploded out from the fox¡¯s body and hid it from view. The smoke dissipated as quick as it had come and revealed a young man with white hair and stunningly sharp eyes. He was clearly handsome; his facial features were enough to make him a top model in the outside world. There were only two things that were slightly offsetting. One was the strong red eye shadow that surrounded his eyes, while the other was the strange from of his eyebrows. It seemed like they had been trimmed until there was only a small roundish patch of hair on both sides. Two bright yellow eyes glittered with vivid colors as they looked onto the receding figure of the young woman. The other hoodlums whistled approvingly, many grinning lewdly in response to the fox¡¯s clear intentions. The fox did not care about the others or their thoughts, his mind was preoccupied by his plans to make this young lady fall for him. He could tell by her smell that she was a human, but unlike most lowly spirits and weak demons the fox race did not enjoy the taste of human flesh. Rather they looked down onto those who practiced this sort of barbaric behavior. What he was after was truly just the girl. He wanted to seduce her and have fun with her. When he made his move all the other beings in the street gave up on their own intentions regarding the girl. Sha Tawa, as the fox was called, was the unrivaled boss of this area and none of those low thugs could compare to him. Since this ¡®influential¡¯ figure made his move none of them would dare to have other thoughts. Sha put on a friendly smile and walked towards the girl. She was truly quite the beauty, wearing her white top and a short skirt. For a moment he wondered why such a beautiful human would come into this dark desolate place. Or rather how could she have come there¡­ His expression changed as he noticed something. How could a mortal human woman have come to this place without being raped, killed and eaten?! He realized this too late. The young lady was only a few steps away from him and had already noticed his arrival. She turned around and shot a glance at him. She saw the red eyeshadow and the strangely formed eyebrows combined with the white color of his hair. A small smile blossomed on her nicely curved lips. ¡°A fox hm?¡±, her voice was gentle and smooth. Yet Sha felt cold shivers running down his spine. He had realized his mistake. A young beautiful human female in a city of gods, spirits and demons. There was only one way she could have appeared at this place¡­ She had a powerful backer or some sort of magic that could protect her! His mood rapidly turned sour. His plans had failed, there was no way he would try to seduce a woman that could probably kill him with little trouble. Of course, he did not show his thoughts on his face. In fact, his smile only became wider and he replied friendly.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Young lady is right, I am a member of the white fox race!¡±, he made an elegant bow. His expression seemed to be filled with confidence, but in truth he was furiously searching for a way to escape this predicament. She laughed. ¡°You don¡¯t have to hide it, I know that you wanted to seduce me and play with my body before getting away. It¡¯s what you foxes try to do every time you see a woman that fits your tastes.¡±, her eyes seemed to pierce right into Sha¡¯s mind. The smile on Sha¡¯s face disappeared as his expression rapidly turned ugly. ¡°I-i don¡¯t know what lady is ta-¡­¡±, he wanted to defend himself, but the woman interrupted him. ¡°Nothing you have to be embarrassed about. It¡¯s in your very nature to do so.¡±, she stocked. ¡°Unfortunately, I cannot allow a lowly fox like you to sully my body, but I do have a little job for you¡­¡±, she smiled mysteriously. Sha calmed down as he heard her words. It did not seem like she would hold a grudge again him. His expression changed once again, this time turning into a serious, solemn one. This was business and he would treat the lady as he would treat a business partner. ¡°How can I help this lady?¡±, he asked. The woman chuckled slightly. ¡°This is more like it!¡± Her eyes turned sharp. ¡°I need you to go to a certain pub on the main street. There you shall meet a young human female around 20 years old. Don¡¯t try anything on her, she has the backing of a powerful god. It won¡¯t end well for you if you try anything fishy. Your job is to help her find a proper style fitting for this city.¡± ¡°A proper style¡­¡±, Sha repeated confused. ¡°You want me to help her choose an outfit?!¡±, his voice turned a little high. Once again, he had an ugly expression ruining his fine looks. His pride was hurt. ¡°Exactly!¡±, the woman confirmed. ¡°If you do a good job I will help you get a Tibetan fairy for your collection.¡± ¡°How do you know about that!¡±, Sha exclaimed in shock. The more this lady spoke, the less he could fathom the extent of her knowledge and the less he could understand her. At this point he was very sure that this lady was no random human female! Only few people knew of his fancy for collecting various rare creatures and keeping them as pets. Those who knew about this and knew that he was missing a Tibetan fairy in his collection were even less. Yet this unknown lady knew about it! Furthermore, how could a random person he had just met know this much about him? She clearly had come searching for him! ¡°I understand.¡±, Sha nodded obediently. ¡°I will do it.¡± Not to mention helping some random human girl to pick her outfits, to get his hands on an Tibetan fairy he would even sell his own body and become a prostitute to an ugly old man. There was no way he would miss this opportunity. The lady¡¯s smile brightened. ¡°I thought you would answer so, Sha Tawa. Search for ¡°A Dragon¡¯s Dream¡±, she will be in there. Tell her that ¡®the sleeping lady¡¯ has send you.¡± As soon as the lady said her words, Sha paled. His face became pure white resulting in an even greater contrast to his red eyeshadows. ¡°Y-you are the sleeping lady?¡±, his voice trembled in terror. His eyes were wide open and bloodshot, fear flickered inside of them. ¡°Oh, I forgot to mention that?¡±, the lady laughed. Suddenly her figure blurred. Her slender body grew and lost its form, changing into the body of an obese woman. Strangely her clothes grew with the rest of her, avoiding the unpleasant experience of them ripping apart. Finally, the beautiful lady had transformed into the obese sleeping lady. Her smile still curled on her lips and her eyes remained amiable and calm. Yet Sha was freaking out and trembling. Now that she had reverted herself into her original form she clearly wasn¡¯t a mortal human anymore instead the awe-inspiring presence of a god swirled around her. ¡°The form I took right now was that human females appearance. With this you should easily find her.¡±, the sleeping lady said, ignoring the obvious fear Sha was showing. ¡°I should go now¡­ I expect you to meet up with the girl within the next five hours!¡±, with this the sleeping lady averted her eyes from the trembling Sha and looked into the dark street behind him. ¡°I really don¡¯t understand why someone like you would surround yourself with these hoodlums¡­.¡±, she shook her head. ¡°But I shouldn¡¯t meddle in your families matters.¡±, she sighed and walked away, disappearing into nothing after a few steps. Sha was left behind, still trembling in fear. His body was soaked in sweat as he cursed his bad luck. What had he done in his previous life that some random girl he tried to pick up would end up being a powerful goddess? He sighed and shook his head. Then he glanced towards his friends in the side alley. He thought for a moment and once again shook his head. ¡°That old wrench is right.¡±, he muttered and turned away from the alley. This type of people truly did not fit his identity. He had only stayed around them to have some fun and pass the time. Now it was time to cut his ties with them. His had a wry look on his face. Who would have thought that he would one day end up as a lowly thug? He shook his head, a look of resignation appeared on his handsome features. Yet inside his eyes a hint of ambition glittered. He walked towards one of the main streets. Lights became more frequent and more and more shops appeared all around him, their advertisements luring with all kinds of fancy slogans. But he did not notice them. He wondered. Just what was that human female that a goddess would go this far just to get her some nice clothes? Why would she even get him to get the job? There were plenty of professionals in the city, millions of experienced beings she could choose from. Why choose him? He did not understand. But of course he had a suspicion.