The New Elemental God

About to lose his temper at being left out of whatever was going on, the Playboy strode up to the table and crossed his arms.

"We just got here. Meanwhile, these folks have been working non-stop since Hikari arrived yesterday." Calder said in his usual overly friendly manner, giving the sheep-like person a few heavy pats on the back. The gesture was clearly unwelcome.

"These are the History Professors from the University," Hikari stated formally, then gestured toward the figure with curled horns, who turned to Adam, revealing feminine features that also resembled a sheep. "This is Professor Jwala and Professor HouLing." On last name she signaled to the curly haired person.

Both professors bowed to Adam, sending him into a mild panic. He waved his hands frantically for them to stop.

"Call me Adam, please." Realizing that bowing seemed to be the correct cultural response, he quickly returned the gesture.

"They were just about to share what they've found so far." Hikari said, shifting the conversation.

Professor HouLing was the first to speak.

"According to our initial research, there are no official records of any deity predating the First Gods."

Her voice was strong, her gaze unwavering as she met the eyes of each god in turn, showing none of the usual deference the other residents displayed.

"However, there are mentions in ancient human myths and songs from our world of a 'Lord of Gods' who supposedly created the Earth and everything on it."

HouLing paused and glanced at her colleague, who took over.

"We studied our own myths first…" Professor Jwala's voice was softer, more timid. When she met Adam's eyes, her breath hitched slightly, and she quickly looked down at the papers spread before her. "Since they were more likely to contain clues about locations that could hold the Xenothar…"

"And?!"

Anxious, Adam wished he could finish the sentence for her.

"Hm…" Jwala hunched her shoulders, her fingers beginning to fidget aggressively.

Noticing his posture was too intense, Adam relaxed his stance and took a step back.

"I'm sorry. I'm just worried. Please, continue," he said, bowing slightly and forcing himself to stay silent.

"It's okay…" Jwala's fingers stilled slightly as she continued. "Hm… There's no specific mention of a prison, but there is an ancient song from the Merine people that speaks of portals to another world."

Silence fell over the group. It seemed that was all she had to say.

"And?" Adam pressed, struggling to make sense of the information.

"There are no known portals here besides the Gods' Gate," Shu remarked, levitating in a sitting position. "Do you see the problem now?"

"And how do you know the song is referring to a different gate?" Adam challenged.

"Because no one is supposed to know about any gates." Hikari interjected, her tone sharp with frustration. "We are forbidden from revealing any information about ourselves to mortals. What we're doing here—this research, this discussion—is highly inappropriate and a last resort."

The Fire Goddess covered her face with her hand, exhaling heavily.

"So, he told someone." Adam concluded. "Which means he has help."

The entire table murmured in agreement.

The more he learned, the worse it got. It wasn't just an ancient, overpowered God—they were dealing with someone who had followers. For a second Adam wondered what kind of people would want to free such ruthless creature.

"Had? Has? Who knows at this point?" Calder muttered, collapsing into a chair.

"And who wrote this song?" Adam asked, surprised no one had thought to question that.

"There's no way of knowing." HouLing replied, folding her hands neatly in front of her. "The song is part of an ancient oral tradition. The Merine people had very little access to paper until a few centuries ago. This song could be hundreds of thousands of years old."

The weight of that realization sank into everyone at the table. Adam scanned their faces, hoping for another lead, but no one would meet his eyes.

"That's all we have?" He slammed his fist onto the table, rattling everything on it. "A random million-year-old song and nothing else? The most powerful being on this planet is running loose, and we have no idea where he could be?"

Frustrated, he pounded the table again before turning away. If they couldn't find his mother, then what could he do?

"He's probably in another dimension—if he got out at all." Calder said, cutting through the tension.

Adam turned back, intrigued for the first time since the conversation started.

"His aura was the same as ours." Calder explained.

The Gods exchanged glances, reflecting on Calder's wrecked condition when he first arrived at the Gods' Gate.

"I know I got beat up." The Water God admitted. "That happened because I made the mistake of holding back. He didn't."

Skepticism flickered across their faces. Calder stood up, sensing their doubt, and continued.

"Here's what I think. He only used some of his energy, which makes me believe he's still trapped. Otherwise, he would've killed both me and Adam without breaking a sweat."

A cold shiver ran down Adam's spine as Calder looked him in the eye.

"And that's why he took your mother." Calder continued. "He needs her."

Adam's arms dropped to his sides as he leaned over the table.

"For what?" His mind spun with horrific possibilities of what she could be going through. "Why her? She's no one. She wasn't even supposed to be there if it weren't for my stupid death!"

"He knew you were going to be there." Hikari said, lowering her hand from her face.

Around the table, the professors shrank into themselves, wishing they could disappear. The weight of the conversation bore down on everyone—especially Adam. He already knew the answer to his own question. He just didn't want to be the one to say it.

It would be too painful to admit.

"But if he knew Adam would be there, why take his mother instead?" someone finally asked.