During their journey to Orario, Enkidu observed the changing scenery, the diversity of flowers, and the towering trees that reminded him of his own era.
In fact, this world was not so different from his. It was still the age of the gods — the gods themselves walked among mortals, having sealed away their divine powers.
This intrigued Enkidu greatly, as in his own world, the gods would never do such a thing. They kept their distance from humans, viewing them as theirs to command and inherently inferior.
Lost in thought, he didn't notice that Alfia was glancing at him from the corner of her eye.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked.
Her question pulled Enkidu out of his thoughts. He looked at her for a moment before answering.
"I was thinking about the differences between the gods of this world and those of mine. It's quite fascinating that the gods here would descend to live among mortals, even with their divine powers sealed."
"Though they do it out of boredom — they see us as entertainment," Alfia replied with a disdainful smile.
Enkidu looked at her and noticed the anger beneath her expression.
"Humans are ever-changing creatures. They grow, and it's unpredictable how far they can go or how high they can evolve," he said with a smile.
"Gods, at least in my world, are beings that were never born; they simply existed with their personalities already set. They do not evolve, they do not change."
"They are, in simple terms, immutable," he added, sharing a piece of his world with Alfia, which intrigued her.
"They don't change? But everything has to change. It's a natural law of the world. Change is essential to life itself — even the gods here have changed over time, even if only a little."
Alfia spoke from a perspective that left Enkidu deep in thought. It was only natural, since he — like the gods of his own world — did not change, being what he was. And he himself did not change, for he was nothing more than clay.
While they spoke of such things, Enkidu noticed a towering spire that seemed to pierce the sky. Alfia followed his gaze and looked at the tower, a complex emotion flickering across her face.
"That's Babel Tower. It means we're close," she said as she took Enkidu's arm, and they began to walk.
Enkidu looked at Alfia's arm entwined with his. It wasn't something she normally did — at least, not in the time he had known her.
He could sense the nervousness and anxiety growing inside her as they drew nearer to the city.
After another half hour of walking, they finally emerged from the forest.
Alfia stopped, crossing her arms. She observed in silence, her expression hardening.
"You're not alone," Enkidu said, as if reading her thoughts.
She lowered her gaze for a moment… and for the first time in years, her steps didn't feel quite so heavy.
"Come on, before I change my mind."
And so, they descended the hill, side by side, toward the place where their story would truly begin.
---
After walking for a little more than an hour, they finally reached the outskirts of the city's imposing walls. Enkidu noticed that the walls were built in a rather strange way.
"These walls are constructed in a way I don't quite understand, Master. Why did they build them backward?" he asked as Alfia beside him counted the coins needed to enter the city.
"They're not to protect the city from the outside," Alfia explained as they got in line. "They're meant to contain the monsters that the Dungeon creates — to keep the world safe from what lies below."
Enkidu nodded, finally understanding their structure. He observed the inhabitants of this world, whom he had never met because of his isolation with Alfia.
There were women, men, and children of different races — some very short, others with cat ears, dog tails, wolf features, fox traits — so many differences that it left Enkidu amazed at the diversity.
Alfia noticed his brief reaction and smiled as she watched some faun children playing in the line.
"They're Beastmen. People with animal traits, as you can see."
"I understand. What interesting beings."
"They don't exist in your world?" Alfia asked, watching the line advance.
"The closest would be the spirit species — but they're essentially separate from humans. You could think of them as ghosts," Enkidu explained.
Alfia opened her mouth at his words but then closed it, realizing that everything that came out of Enkidu's mouth about his world only left her more and more amazed.
Sighing, she noticed their turn was near and moved forward with Enkidu.
Soon they reached the front, and Alfia approached the guard, who she recognized from his emblem as belonging to the Astraea Familia.
"Welcome to Orario. What's the purpose of your visit?" the guard asked.
"To become adventurers — we want to grow strong," Alfia lied with an indifferent face.
The guard accepted her answer easily — after all, that was what most people came to Orario for. After a few more questions, Alfia paid the fee for both of them, and they finally entered Orario.
As they entered, they were immediately struck by the bustle of a city in constant motion. Merchants sold fruits and vegetables from their stalls, along with quick meals that Enkidu didn't recognize.
Most interesting of all was the large number of people carrying weapons — swords, spears, hammers, katanas. Enkidu caught sight of weapons of all kinds as he walked with Alfia.
And strangely, in nearly every passerby, Enkidu glimpsed a small fragment of divinity — almost everyone carried the same-sized fragment. It was insignificant, but still there.
They walked for a while before sitting on a bench in the park.
"What do you think of Orario now that you've seen it for yourself?"
At her question, Enkidu didn't answer right away. He observed each person quietly.
"I like it. It's an interesting city. I'd like to see the Dungeon," he said with a smile.
Alfia nodded with a small smile and looked up at the sun high in the sky before turning to Enkidu with a grin.
"Do you want to try Orario's food?"
Enkidu smiled and nodded.