The First Night

"Remember the question you asked earlier," I say, "about the person I was speaking to?"

"Yes. Please forgive my presumptuous behavior, Master."

"No, that's not why I am bringing it up. I have asked a lot of questions of you, and I think it's only fair if I also answer one of yours."

"A master-slave relationship doesn't need to be fair, Master," Lohikaarmi says.

"You don't need to call yourself- You know what, just listen, alright?"

"Yes."

Since Lohikaarmi is the first and only person I've met so far after coming to Eden, apart from the unconscious little girl, I feel like I should tell her about my true origin, plus, from the sound of it, she probably won't care that much, anyway.

"So, basically, there are many worlds other than this one we are in right now," I start speaking and gesturing with my hands to better explain, "I arrived here from one called Earth this morning."

Lohikaarmi is expressionless as ever.

"Does that mean Master is not from here?" She asks.

"That's right. I am sure you were somewhat expecting of that, given my strange outfit and tools and all."

She nods and says, "Yes. I was curious about the tool Master used to heal my wounds."

"Right. On Earth, where I came from," I say, "the tools humans use are much more advanced than what is here and can do a lot more."

"So, why did Master come to this world, then?"

Ooh. Her question lands right on target.

"Because humans have destroyed Earth, and I am here to look for a new home," I say.

"So there are more like Master here?"

"No, I am the only one. Well, I guess there is also that person I am communicating with when you see me talking to no one."

"But I don't see that other person."

"Yeah," I say, "That's because of another one of our tools. Her name is Cisca, and she is on Earth right now, but I can talk to her from here through the tool."

"I see. I thought Master was communicating with the Goddess," she says.

"The Goddess?" I ask.

"Yes. Is there no Goddess on Earth?"

"No. Is this Goddess who the soldiers were praying to?"

"Yes."

Interesting.

"Tell me more about this Goddess," I say.

I guess we are shifting from answering her questions to asking more from her, again, but it doesn't seem like she minds it all that much. In fact, it doesn't seem like she minds anything at all with her constantly stoic face.

"I don't know much about the Goddess, as we dragons do not worship her. I understand her as an all-powerful being who watches over this world and interferes where she sees fit."

So deities exist in Eden? That's… I can't tell whether that's a good thing or not.

"How does she… interfere?" I ask.

"I believe there are many ways, but the only one I have witnessed is through the prayers Master mentioned. The Goddess will answer devout humans who pray upon her and grant them a wish within her reason."

The super-strength, lightning on command, and miraculous healing were all wishes granted by the Goddess through prayers? Cisca was pretty on point when she made the comparison to the Bible.

"How does one pray?" I ask.

"I am sorry, Master. A dragon like me would not be able to tell."

What a shame. I thought I was going to be able to try it out right here and now.

"Is that so? Is there anything else you know about the Goddess?" I ask.

"What I've told Master already is everything I know," she says.

"But humans should know more, right?"

"I believe so."

"Are there any human settlements around here?" I ask, "Where did the knights come from?"

"Where the knights came from I do not know, but I think there is a human village not far away from here. I can fly around and scout for its location if Master wishes."

"That'd be great, but you don't need to do it tonight. It's a little late, and I think we need some sleep. Tomorrow morning, we shall set out for the human village. How does that sound?"

"Master's wish is my command."

"Okay, Lohikaarmi. Let us get some rest."

"Yes, Master."

I grab a pouch of berries and use it as a pillow. Before I even have the chance to lie down, Lohikaarmi is already fast asleep. She closed her eyes while still sitting, and now she is lightly snoring.

Is that a power of the dragons? Out of them all, that is the one I wish I had the most.

I lie down on the hard rocks and stare at the cave's ceiling. The fire is all that I can hear now. Embers rise up toward the top and vanish into thin air. A performance of shadows takes place on the walls.

Rather than being transported into another world, I feel like I have been transported back in time, which I guess in a sense, is also true.

I brew in my own thoughts for a while before I manage to drift off into slumber.

…

It was a dreamless night.

I was awakened by the chirping of birds. I had heard them before during my visits to the zoo, but I never woke up to the sound of them. A strange, yet wonderful feeling it is.

I open my eyes to the same view of the rocky ceiling, this time flooded by morning sunlight. The fire has been extinguished. I sit up and look around.

The girl is still out of it, and Lohikaarmi is resting with her back against the rocks. If I ignore the horns extruding out of her head, she really just looks like a normal girl, a very good-looking one, at least.

I push myself up from the ground and stretch my arms and legs. The morning has arrived, and the birds have come back. I can't see them individually, but I can hear the symphony playing from the treetops.

The sky isn't the utter blue as yesterday. A few white fluffy clouds float around, but they don't fill me with the same dread as the smog did back on Earth. These clouds almost look… delicious.

Speaking of, I am reminded that I left the berry stew in the open last night. With the concentrated sugar content, it should have started to solidify after I removed it from the flames. I bend down to grab the helmet, and indeed, the stew has become a big chunk of candy.

I flip out the knife and cut the solid syrup out from the helmet. It's a hefty mass bigger than my hand. The whole thing doesn't quite fit into a pouch, so I slice it up into pieces, and now I have three pouchfuls of candies.

As I tie the pouches around my waist, I hear shuffling and the soft clanking of metal from behind me. I turn around, and it looks like Lohikaarmi has also woken up.

"Good morning, Lohikaarmi," I say to the sitting dragon girl with drowsily opened eyes.

"Good morning?" She tilts her head.

"Oh, it's just something we say where I came from. It's a greeting used during mornings."

"I see. In that case, good morning, Master."

There it is. I just wanted to hear her say "good morning, Master". It brings me back to when I had butlers and maids caring for me. Well, they didn't call me Master, but still.

"Ready for a new day?" I ask.

"Yes, Master."