The night deepened, and the stars blinked to life above the canopy like distant lanterns hung from the heavens.
The campfire had died down into glowing embers, casting a softer, amber glow across the clearing. Crickets chirped rhythmically, the sounds of the forest returning to their natural pace, though the presence of the stranger still weighed heavily on everyone's mind.
A sat cross-legged beside the fire, his white toga catching the gentle breeze.
The warmth of the bowl in his hands was welcome, even if he didn't feel hunger. He had accepted the food out of courtesy—he remembered that much from the world he once knew, even if everything around him now seemed like a waking dream.
The aroma of stew clung to the air, mingling with the earthy scent of pine and smoke.
Selene was the first to speak again, her tone cautious but more open than before. "You asked where you were… Well, this forest doesn't have a specific name. Most people just call it the Outerwood. It stretches along the western trade route that connects smaller settlements to Orario."
A's head tilted slightly. "Orario… You mentioned that before. The city?"
Garron gave a grunt of acknowledgment and reached for the map he had earlier. He unrolled it over a nearby flat rock, placing a small lantern beside it to provide light.
With a calloused finger, he pointed to their current location.
"Right here," he said. "We're about two days west of the city on foot, assuming no monster trouble and a decent pace. If you follow the eastern ridge and keep to the animal paths, you'll eventually hit the Eda River. Cross that, and the main road to Orario is another half day's walk."
A leaned forward slightly, examining the markings. The map was crudely drawn but functional. Symbols of mountains, rivers, and settlements were scribbled in charcoal ink.
Orario was marked with a bold circle and a strange, spiral-like symbol next to it.
"What's that?" A asked, pointing to the spiral.
"That," Garron said, "is the Dungeon."
Selene inhaled softly at the mention of it, and the children visibly perked up—except for Ronan, who only tightened his jaw.
"A massive pit beneath Orario," Garron continued, "filled with monsters, secrets, and the kind of danger that gets fools killed. Adventurers enter it to grow stronger, earn fame, riches. It's the heart of the city and the main reason Orario exists."
A's luminous eyes narrowed. 'Adventurers.. they're humans who battle these creatures?'
"A dungeon… That spawns monsters?" He
"Endlessly," Selene added. "The gods claim it's a divine creation, the monsters are kind of a natural phenomenon and capable of spawning without the gods influence."
A blinked slowly. "Gods?"
There was a short pause.
"Gods... walk here?" A's voice tightened. In Dragon ball, deities like the Kais observed from afar, their interventions rare and veiled.
The idea of them carousing with mortals felt absurd. 'Impossible. Unless these aren't gods at all.'
"You really don't know about the gods?" Lily asked, eyebrows raised in disbelief then she giggled, her earlier fear dissolved into curiosity.
"You've really never seen one? They're all over Orario!"
A straightened slightly, suddenly more alert. "No. You mean… actual gods?"
Selene nodded, unsure how to explain something so taken for granted.
"Gods and goddesses," she said. "From all sorts of pantheons—Zeus, Loki, Hestia, Ganesha, Freya… They've descended from the heavens to live among us."
A's expression froze.
The words hung in the air like a jagged bolt of lightning. Gods? Pantheons? Living among mortals?
He had lived in a world where the term "god" was used often, but in a very different sense.
In Dragon ball, they have Supreme Kais, deities of creation.
Destroyers like Beerus, who wielded cosmic power over universes. But never had he heard of Zeus or Freya in any Dragon Ball anime.
His eyes drifted to the fire, and a flicker of doubt twisted in his chest.
Was he truly not in the Dragon ball universe?
'Have I been sent somewhere else entirely?' he wondered. 'Another realm? Another timeline?'
He spoke carefully, voice low. "You're saying these gods… walk among mortals. As people?"
Ronan leaned forward, his dagger glinting.
"Where are you from? Even backwater villages have patron deities."
"A place where gods don't meddle," A said carefully.
"They've sealed their divine powers to live here," Garron said. "Not entirely, but enough to be on a more level field with us. They form Familias—groups of followers, adventurers, warriors. The gods grant them blessings, power, guidance."
A didn't respond immediately. He was lost in thought.
That's not how it worked where he came from. The gods like the one from the Bible and pagan gods from other religions never interacted with humans.
At least not in modern times.
Supreme Kai's didn't walk among mortals—they observed, governed, selected few—destroyed. They didn't live in tents or grant power by touching your back.
His fingers tightened slightly around the bowl.
"And people accept this?" he asked. "That they're… truly gods?"
Selene shrugged. "Some do, a small number don't. But the power they give is real enough."
"Too real," muttered Ronan under his breath.
A looked up. "How can you tell they're not imposters?"
Everyone turned to look at him.
It was a genuine question—but simple people like them don't really look too deep into things.
"Because…" Lily began, then hesitated. "I mean, who else could do what they do? Only a god could give someone the ability to shoot fire from their hands or heal wounds with a prayer."
A digested this slowly. He had never met any beings who claimed divinity.
He lowered the bowl to the ground and looked toward the sky. The stars were different—he had been certain of that earlier, but now it was unmistakable. He wasn't in Universe 7.
This was no alternate Earth. It was an entirely new world. A foreign reality.
He stood slowly, brushing his toga.
"Thank you," he said. "For the food. For the answers. I should be going. If Orario is east, I can find my way from here."
But as he stepped toward the edge of the firelight, Selene stood abruptly.
"Wait," she said, her voice more urgent than before.
He turned, surprised.
"You shouldn't travel at night," she said. "Not in this forest. Even if monsters are rare out here, there are still beasts. Thieves. Bandits."
"I'll be fine."
Garron stepped forward now, frowning as he studied A's face in the flickering light. His brow furrowed.
"You're… not like other children," he said. "There's something about you. Something I've only seen in temples."
Selene nodded slowly. "Your looks, He gestured at A's emerald skin, his ethereal poise. "Gods sometimes sire children. Demigods inherit their... 'trace'"
A blinked. "What?"
"You could be the child of a god," she said. "Maybe one of them sent you here. Maybe you just haven't found your Familia yet."
A scoffed, though not disrespectfully. "I'm not a child."
But most definitely divine.
"You look barely older than our son," Garron said. "But you speak like a scholar. You carry yourself like a priest. Maybe even a noble."
"Maybe a god's kin," Selene whispered.
A looked between them. Their eyes were serious—genuine. They believed what they were saying.
"I'm not a god's child," he admitted. "I don't belong to anyone."
Even so, the family refused to let him go.
"Stay the night," Garron said finally. "Leave in the morning with us. It's safer that way."
A hesitated. He didn't feel threatened, but their insistence stirred something cautious in him. Still, he nodded.
Traveling blindsided was not a safe course of action. Especially when he didn't feel any ki earlier. But my strength should be enough… for now.
"Very well."
The family visibly relaxed. Mina even offered him a tiny smile before being ushered toward the tent by her mother. The girls were tucked into a sleeping roll, and Ronan sat just outside their tent, his dagger close at hand.
Garron stretched his arms and let out a tired sigh. "I'll take first watch."
"I'll stay out here," A said quietly.
Garron turned to him, surprised.
"You sure?"
A nodded. "You're protecting your family. I won't make them nervous by sharing a tent."
There was silence between the two for a moment, then Garron gave a quiet nod of approval.
"I respect that," he said. "I'll be nearby."
With that, the family retreated into their tents one by one, leaving A alone by the dwindling fire. The embers pulsed softly, like a heartbeat, and the shadows stretched long beneath the moon.
A sat once more, legs crossed, arms resting on his knees. He closed his eyes for a moment, listening.
Gods among mortals… Dungeons… Blessings. Is this place shaped by gods who play at being rulers? Or rulers who pretend at being gods?
He looked skyward again, eyes tracing the unfamiliar constellations.
If they truly are gods, I must understand them. Their power. Their influence. If not… then they're tyrants wearing divine masks.
The wind whispered through the trees, and his white hair swayed with it. His mind turned toward Orario—the city of adventurers. The Dungeon. The gods who lived among the people.
He would go there.
He would see for himself what sort of world this was. Whether it was ruled by genuine deities or charlatans who preyed on belief. Either way, he would learn the truth.
And when he did, he would decide what to do with that knowledge.
A closed his eyes and let the night wash over him. Tomorrow, his journey would truly begin.
Dawn approached, painting the sky in lilac streaks. A's resolve crystallized.
The tents stirred. Garron emerged, sword at his hip.
"Ready?"
A stood, the forest's breath at his back. "Lead the way."
As the family packed, A memorized the horizon. Somewhere beyond those trees, orario awaits.
End of Chapter 4