At the edge of the forest there is a large slope down to the main road. The adventuring party, I found out their party name is Shujinko Group, is chatting away about some random nonsense now that we're in the clear. They've mostly been discussing the new spells that Wakana got last night. Her spell is called Revive, which is weird, because mine has a different name; Resuscitation. It means the same thing so I don't think it matters.

  As for me, I'm still confused about what happened. I have no idea what that poison effect was all about. There might be some insanely effective poisons in this world that can have any number of effects. Just another reason I absolutely need to do some research on this place.

  "There it is. The city of Shibō."

  The swordsman, Kevin, is pointing to a huge circular city in the distance. It looks familiar somehow, almost like I've seen it a dozen times. Yeah, it's a typical Isekai town. This one is a bit different though, because it sits atop a large body of water with several rivers feeding into it, and flowing out of it. That's something you don't see everyday. It looks like it's just floating there.

  "That's where the adventurers guild is, and the inn we all stay in."

  "Cool. Why is it floating in the middle of the water?"

  "It was built there to help keep the monsters out." He replied in a rather snarky tone. I suppose I could have figured that out. It still looks weird though, unnatural even.

  "The 3 rivers that flow into the lake always remain separate." Wakana started talking, almost absent mindedly. "They never mix together, even in the lake itself."

  "What? How is that even possible?"

  "It was done this way by the Great Gods that watch over us from above. That way, the water and sewage systems in the city can function properly."

  "Ok. I guess that makes sense." I think. Also, does that mean there are more Gods in this world? Or is she just a religious weirdo? I assume there are. I know there's one, so why not more.

  "It is said that Oceana, the Goddess of Water herself, always maintains the separation of the three rivers."

  "Ugh. You would already know that if you weren't a hermit." Another astute observation from the bratty one.

  "He is but a humble traveler Mika. He simply doesn't know about our city, or about the Vaitarani, the Sanzu River and the River Styx, that keep it nourished with Mana Water."

  Uh… what? WHAT!?

  Why are all three of them "death rivers" that you cross in the afterlife? I know I died to get here, but damn. Isn't that a little on the nose?

  "Uh... Is it safe to go there?"

  "Ugh. What are you talking about? We live there." Whatever you say pinky.

  I guess it's safe then. I'm still a little afraid of those names but, they're just names, right? On the other hand, I am dead. Or at least I was. I thought I was reincarnated. Am I just stuck in purgatory or something?

  While I was lost in thought, Shujinko Group started down the hill along the path. I follow behind them, cautiously. While I'm catching up I see Cathina watching me from the side. Her head is turned to face me in such a way that I can only see one of her bright red eyes staring at me. I don't know if she's being cautious or if she's just curious. There's definitely something off about her though.

  "Are you afraid of the Gods?"

  She asked me rather bluntly once I caught up. Her voice is as quiet and lispy as ever, but her tone is a bit different. It's curious and almost hopeful for some reason. That's a bit weird to ask a random stranger a question like that, let alone with the hint of hope I hear.

  "Not really. I met one before, and she was pretty nice to me."

  She stops walking briefly, as if she is surprised by this. Maybe I shouldn't have said that. I don't know the relationships that people have with the Gods in this world.

  "Which God? If you don't mind me asking."

  "Her name is Adelika. I met her recently actually." Her already bright eyes brighten even more. Maybe she knows Adelika too. I never even thought about the possibility of other reincarnations. If I'm here then I might not be the only one, and if there are others, then they should also know her.

  "Ha! That's not any "God" I've ever heard of!" Mika chimes in again. She's then followed by the others.

  "That's not a name I've heard before either."

  "Me neither." Wakana is the last to respond.

  If the Healer Priest doesn't know her then, maybe Adelika is new or isn't well known. The only one that didn't respond is Cathina. She only stared at me silently for a second before turning her head and continuing to walk with the others.

  How curious. Maybe Cathina is the only one that knows Adelika. I could be looking too much into her behavior though. She isn't much for talking, so maybe she doesn't know. Either way I'll have to add the Gods to my list of research topics, especially Adelika.

  We get to the edge of Shibō Lake, shiver, in about 30 minutes. The water looks and feels ominous and other worldly. I know I'm in another world but it's still weird looking. The waters edge seems separate from the ground and next to it in such a way that I would mistake it for a texture issue in a game. The water itself is also unnervingly still and unmoving, despite the 3 massive rivers flowing into it. It's just a flat surface with no movement or depth of field, just unnatural stillness.

  "Is it being controlled with Magic? I can't even see it move." I spoke aloud, mostly out of confusion.

  "Yeah. That's Oceana's handy work. Impressive right?"

  Kevin speaks like an excited little kid while picking up a small rock nearby. He tossed it into the water where it sank without disturbing the surface at all. No splash, no ripples, just nothing. It simply vanished under the surface.

  "Huh. That's a neat trick."

  "That's no mere trick. It's an awesome display of magical prowess by the amazing Goddess, Oceana!" Says the fanboy.

  "Yeah that's awesome. Pretty spooky too. I wonder what else she can do."

  Off to the side I can feel Cathina staring at me again. I'm starting to get a little creeped out by it.

  "Ugh. She's a Supreme Goddess. She has the ability to control all the water on this planet." Pink Tsu just brought up something interesting.

  "What do you mean by Supreme Goddess?"

  "Of course you don't know. You're just a hermit that lives in the woods and talks to false gods."

  Yep, I should definitely be careful when talking about Gods from now on. Whenever "false gods" is used in conversation it's never a good thing. I need a vacation already.

  "Supreme Gods are the oldest and strongest of all the Divine Beings.” This time it's Wakana speaking. I suppose the priest should know all about this. "They're the ones who created the world and all the lesser gods that maintain it."

  Stolen story; please report.

  "Interesting." My reply is a bit short because I'm distracted by the view of the city as we cross over the drawbridge. The city itself is just as unmoving as the massive lake it sits atop of. There is a huge wall that encircles the city so tall I can't see any buildings behind it even though they are also quite tall.

  Through the gate is a bustling metropolis full of hundreds of thousands of people and thousands of buildings. The city is amazing, even the smaller buildings are several stories tall. It almost looks modern with all the glass windows and large lit up shop signs, probably as a result of magic. The buildings themselves though, are made up of almost entirely stone. Several different types as well, making it look far more colorful and beautiful than a city in my old world. There are buildings made up of redstone, layered sedimentary stone, dark gray stone, and even what looks to be obsidian. I can see one in the distance that looks like it's made entirely out of colored crystals.

  The cobblestone road we're walking on matches the rest of the city in both color and luster. Despite the heavy traffic of dirty carts and boots, the stones look freshly carved and polished.

  The people walking on them are just as varied and unique. An even mixture of several colors, body types and physical features. There's green, red, blue, and black skinned along with everything in-between. Most of these more colorful individuals look like beast kin of all kinds. From cat people and dog people, all the way to giants that look like elephant people.

  Now that I look more closely, I can see that some of these buildings have floors and entryways more than double the size of the rest. They must be built to accommodate these giants walking around. Some of them are at least 15 feet tall, and they look incredibly strong. Everyone here looks pretty strong, and they're all wearing armor of some kind.

  This must be where all the adventurers hang out. All of the shops nearby appear to be weapons and items shops for adventuring, and it's right near one of the main gates. I heard there are three of them from Kevin, so this must be the one adventurers mainly use.

  Speaking of Kevin, he and the others are waiting next to one of the larger buildings made of layered sedimentary stone while staring at me.

  "It's a great city, right!?" He seems proud to just be here, and be a part of it. "This is Advos, the adventurers hall. Anything an adventurer needs can be found right here."

  Is he advertising for them, or what? He's pretty enthusiastic about it.

  I catch up with the group only to feel Cathina staring a hole through me again. What is it with her? Why can I feel her eyes on me at all times?

  "This is where you go to register as an adventurer and get paid for your deeds." We started making our way inside as he talked. "You don't have to register but it's much easier if you do."

  He was looking straight at Cathina when he said that last part. She ignored him and lowered her head slightly. Is she not registered? Maybe it's against her ninja code or something.

  "On the lower floors there are shops and crafting areas. The upper floors are where the rooms are that you can stay in."

  "Wait. Lower floors? Like… inside the lake… under the city?"

  "Yeah. Some go all the way down to the lakebed. Blacksmiths, crafters and enchanters use the Mana rich water and mineral rich bed for making items and weapons."

  "Oh wow. That's pretty cool." This Lake of Death gets more confusing the more I learn about it.

  We made it to the front desk at the back of the large reception hall. There's an entire row of receptionists all across the back of the main room, with smaller rooms directly behind each of them. The hall is about 200 feet wide and long, with tables and guests sprinkled throughout.

  "Are you going to register?" Wakana broke my concentration.

  "Uh. I don't know. Maybe."

  It was then I saw Cathina staring at me again. I can feel her presence and her pressure lurch over to me. It's as if some unseen force is pressing on me from all sides, squeezing me in place. All feelings, all thoughts and all instincts in my mind have been replaced with abject terror. The feeling disappears as soon as it arrives though, followed by her shaking her head ever so slightly.

  Wh… What the hell was that?

  "Uh… Maybe I'll do it later. I have a lot of other stuff to do first."

  "Ugh. The creepy hermit doesn't want to register, huh?"

  "It's ok Mika. He doesn't have to do it now." Kevin jumped in. Leaving Mika with her typical "hm!" Response. "You can still turn in all those goblins for payment down below."

  "Ah. Ok. That sounds good."

  "Alright. We have to take care of things here at reception, but Cathina can show you the way."

  "Uh. Are you sure about that?" Miss Darkness whistled out a small response.

  "Yeah, it's fine. Just meet back up with us when you're done, ok."

  With that, me and the cloaked one started off down the massive hall to the left. Once we make it to the end of the hall she presses her hand against a weird shape on the wall. It looks like two arrows layered over each other, one of which lights up. A down arrow. After that, the wall splits open and slides into the surrounding wall. Not like a regular sliding door, like two wood panels fusing with the wall on either side, leaving no trace of their existence.

  Magic is hella weird in this world. Also, this is definitely an elevator. I'm starting to get dizzy from all this weird stuff back to back. I wonder if they have cars too, since they are capable of this.

  I step into the magic elevator with Cathina ready to ask her questions as soon as the door closes. She beat me to it though.

  "I want you to answer me honestly. Where are you from?" So stern, almost threatening. "I know you're hiding something. There's no point lying to me."

  Her eyes flashed bright red again. This time they were bright enough and defined enough for me to make out a certain feature. Her pupils are vertical slits. I don't have enough time to analyze that though since that pressure is back. That all encompassing fear, it's almost enough to choke me.

  "Uh… I don't think you would believe me if I told you."

  Maybe she does know who Adelika is. I can't be sure though. Even if she does know, I don't know what her stance might be on the topic. I've already learned the hard way that I can't make assumptions about this world.

  "Why do you want to know so bad?"

  "I don't trust people who are too friendly with the Gods, especially one I've never heard of."

  That answers one of my questions. I still have more but I have to be careful with her. She seems dangerous.

  "I'm not exactly friendly with her. I only met her once and it wasn't that long."

  "I see." Her pressure eases just a little bit. "You still haven't answered my question yet."

  "Like I said. I don't think you'll believe me. Let's just say, I came from very far away."

  "Hmm? If that's how you're going to be, then let me ask you this instead." She stepped closer to me and darkened the shadow under her hood. Even though she's inches away, I can't see her eyes anymore. "What religion do you follow?"

  Ah fuck. Not a question about religion. I don't know enough about this world to say I'm the "right one" for this particular area. Nor do I know what they do to atheists or people that refuse to answer. I'll have to wing it, but I don't know how exactly.

  "Um… the same one as you. Kind lady." I hope that didn't come off as sarcastic. I was trapped in a box. Literally.

  "Is that meant to be a joke?"

  That fear, carried by the darkness, is wrapping around my heart again. She extends her very shadow out from under her dark cloak and wraps it around me. I don't know what type of magic this is but it's terrifying. I can feel it creeping all over my skin, and even under my skin, like she's scanning my entire being while also intimidating me with her power, her anger and her fear all contained in her evil shadow. I no longer see a cloaked girl with a cute lisp, but a horrifying monster.

  "No! Not at all. I just don't know what the major religion is in this world. Or which one I should follow."

  "In this world?" Uh oh. I fucked up, and she caught it. "What do you mean by that?"

  "Uh, well… you see.."

  Ding

  The elevator opened. Maybe I can get out of this.

  "We should really hurry and finish up here. Right?"

  "Are you from another world?" Fuck, there's no getting out of it.

  "Uh.. y-yes. I came from a world called Earth." My voice barely came out and I'm expecting her to freak out. Much to my surprise though, she steps back from me and walks away. Pulling that horrifying mass of darkness back under cloak, along with the terror inside of it.

  Holy shit. I really need a vacation.

  "Wait! That's it… you don't care about that?"

  "No. Not really. I've met reincarnations before. They're not so bad." So I'm not the only one. I knew it. "They're usually pretty stuck up though. Thinking they're some sort of blessing on this world sent here to save it.”

  "Yeah that makes sense. I'm not like that though, if you're wondering." She ignored me. I guess that's that then… wait. "How come you've never heard of Adelika before?"

  "She must be new."

  "A new Goddess of Reincarnation? What happened to the old one then?"

  She stops and looks at me again in the middle of the hallway. There are people passing by so she steps closer to me and whispers. "That one must be dead. So forget her."

  I'm stunned for a moment as she walks away. Even the Gods can die in this world? Who killed her then, and why? I'm so confused and I have so many questions, but I'm mostly struck with a powerful realization of how unsafe this world truly is. I've nearly died from my own ignorance, I nearly got myself into a battle with that same ignorance just now, but worse than all that, even the Gods of this world, that should be eternal, can still die.

  In the City of Death even the rulers of death may die.

  So, even I, who has already died, have nowhere to hide.

  In this, the City of Doom, that floats on death and never moves.

  Can I, the man with new life to lose, ever find life anew.