Sooner or later, Otorine and the young Nassus were now moving along at a realm that would be very comparable to the likes of a cryptic nether world. Everything was ridden in corrupted blight and crimson blood that would look truly awry.
"This place...is something else...",
she said while she was feeling a cold shoulder. Strangely enough, her attention was caught. As she saw that there were floating rocks and landforms that would defy the law of physics. Some of them looked-like levitating walls with plants sprouting of bad omen. The sky was in a limbo of the dusk in a frozen time and warped space. As they continued on their way, her skin felt that the place was too silent that turned the place to be truly eerie. Suddenly, Otorine sensed a presence from the plane of the malevolent abyss. Then, she heard its whispers from the dreadful night,
"At last...you've come...".
Her spine felt the chilling pessimistic vibes yet, the presence dispersed in an instant later on. As soon as the two of them arrived at a dead end. Otorine just sighed with a tiresome look,
"I wonder how can we move forward.".
For quite some time, Otorine was touching her lip, thinking of what to do next. While for little Nassus, he was somehow curious of the floating wall to his left. When Otorine turned around,
"Say Nassus...I think we should—",
Otorine looked dumbstruck and worried as little Nassus wasn't behind her anymore. Thereon, she glanced around abruptly. Thankfully, she saw her little Nassus but, she was quite filled with surprise. Her eyes witnessed that the youthful Nassus was standing on the floating wall. She touched her own cheek with her index finger and tilted her head,
"Huh? What the? How come you're not falling Nassus?".
Little Nassus just made a dumbfounded gesture and reaction. Otorine just stopped being too suspicious,
"Nevermind...hmmm maybe...".
Later on, Otorine went to the floating wall, where Nassus was standing at. Without any second thoughts, she jumped and stood on the other side beside her little Nassus. As Otorine landed on the wall with her feet upright, she felt that she was just standing on another floor,
"Hmmmm this is really strange. It seems the laws of interdimensional planetary realm physics is bent here as well.".
Yeah, and how come you know those complicated things huh? Honestly, these Goddesses might look naive but, they know something beyond human intellect. A while later, the two of them trudged through the twisted floors carefully. While they were jumping on the said platforms and levitating walls that defied the law of gravity. For some strange reason, Otorine felt like she was having fun,
"Hmmm this is pretty fun actually. Maybe me and Yumi can make a copy of this place's design in our world...".
Don't even think about it you strange Goddess. In turn, they were travelling the place in a very unusual way. Thankfully, it was just a one-way path of strange proportions. After a while, they were seeing a sheet of a pure indigo waterfall above that was flowing in a unique direction. Since, it was flowing forward that was similar to a moving curtain of water. A little while later of their weird journey, they arrived at the edge of the floating floor again. As Otorine glanced around, there were no more floating platforms near their range,
"Another dead end...".
She stretched her arms and brought out two ice cream cups that were still chilled. She gave it to little Nassus and the two of them had a short snack. Really though, these two don't even have a sense of danger in this twisted place. As little Nassus was eating his snack, he was looking around and saw an adjacent floor that had a huge gap of doom. Senku's echoing voice of an annoying host was heard afterwards,
"Hello hello! Glad you two were able to make it this far! Oh and I can't believe you two are havving a picnic in this scary place.".
He clapped his hands,
So what do you think Ori? Do you like this place?".
Otorine replied straight,
"No I don't. I'm just hungry that's all...".
Senku's sigh was heard throughout the mystic atmosphere,
"By the way, there are some amazing things around here. In which you'll find it awesome!".
Otorine responded with a little bit of sarcasm,
"Yeah and we hit at a dead end...".
Senku grinned,
"Really now, well here's a hint...".
He took a deep breathe and said with poetic vibes,
"The ark is where the unseen could be settled upon. That would only be existent beyond the physical senses of immortals and mortals, as it is the den of gap.".
Otorine just felt her forehead as she was about to have another migraine again,
"Sigh...another riddle...".
Senku told his regards,
"Yeah, I know it sucks but, meh...I hope it helped ya. Honestly, Shiro writes better riddles than me.".
Then, Senku remembered something and switched his focus to little Nassus,
"Oh yeah and Nassus...".
The young Nassus took notice and Senku's illusionary imagethat appeared beyond the gaps next to them. There after, Senku tried to piss him off,
"You're a chicken...".
In an instant, the little kid fumed with anger and jumped-in to punch the holographic replica of Senku floating above the void of no return.
"NASSUS!",
Otorine tried to catch him but, she failed. Thereon, she left out a sudden tear. Suddenly, little Nassus didn't fall down into the endless abyss. Instead, he was standing on a floating platform that appeared in a snap for some reason. Otorine had stopped being filled with worry,
"Hm?".
Thereupon, Otorine was absorbed in her thoughts once again,
"I guess this must be what Senku's riddle is all about, some invisble platforms...".
After that, she pounced and went to the young Nassus who was on the next platform. Then, they took another jump again and another floating floor appeared mysteriously, saving them from their demise. As they were continuing to move forward, they had to jump on invisible platforms. While they had to move sideward and downward in a weird way that broke the laws of gravity as well. When they landed on a vast floor that had overgrown plants unearthed from the trenches of the abyss. The plants shimmered as they were fragments of the moonlight.
"I wonder what will happen now.",
she asked. The next moment, Otorine can't move her body. More so, she heard another mysterious voice from the depths of the nether world,
"Let me show you...the truth hidden in the fragment of the carnival of chaos...".
Not much soon, Otorine's saw a flash of light in front of her. Her vision was getting blurry and dizzy,
"What's going on?".
Not only that, she felt that her body was becoming weaker and then she fell into deep slumber down on the corrupted ground. As the youthful Nassus witnessed that his Goddess Otorine became unconscious and poured out a crimson liquid from her closed mouth, he felt the chills of sadness, loss, and shock,
"Ori onee-chan?",
He tried to wake her up but, it was no use. In turn, the little kid started to weep out miserable tears as his Goddess didn't respond,
"Uwah! Ori onee-chan! Ori onee-chan!".
His endless tears of a pathetic kid continued to flow, as his small fragile heart was on the verge of breaking. Sadly, all of his expressive sorrowful tears were no use. It appeared Otorine looked dead in an instant. Suddenly, the young Nassus overheard Senku's voice, as the mastermind himself was pissed as well,
"Tsk! So that guy is truly desperate huh.".
There after, Senku had stopped talking to himself and exclaimed at little Nassus seriously,
"Hey kid! If you want to save your Ori, come here and bring her to me.".
A cosmic white portal swirling with black stardust appeared near the slumbering Otorine and the little Nassus. Although, little Nassus brought out his arms out wide, protecting his dear Otorine from Senku,
"I DON'T TRUST YOU!".
The young Nassus's expression was a brave pup who would protect his beloved one to the ends of the earth even though he knew that he's weak. Though, he still left out a tear. Senku felt stressed but, he just sighed. Then, he told the young kid straight,
"I knew you'd say that. So enter this portal to meet me instantly. If ever you want to save her. Please, she doesn't belong in that other forsaken realm...".
Little Nassus gulped as he was given a choice. For some reason, Senku's tone didn't have the air of the menace anymore. Rather, his action was filled with concern to his enemy somehow.
Meanwhile, in Otorine's unsual situation, as soon as she opened her eyes, she felt that she was lying down on a black stone slab. She looked around and the place wasn't some bright fantasical realm. Rather everything looked ruined, as the sapphire marble pillars were down and had crumbled inside an enclosed room.
"Where, am I?",
she asked herself and sat on the stone slab. When she glanced around, she saw Yumine, Lilieth, Weissia, Ira, and lots of Goddesses sleeping on different colored stone slabs as well. Thereon, she was filled with doubts,
"Why is everyone asleep...".
She tried to pinch herself but, she felt the pain, as everything was real to her senses. Soon enough, the glass door opened and she saw Senku and adult Nassus coming inside. Though, they were wearing suits clad in the colors of black, white, and gold for some reason. Senku nudged at the adult Nassus non-chalantly,
"Yo Nassus, she's awake now. Finally, one Goddess down and more to go.".
Soon, Nassus approached her and bowed nobly,
"I'm glad you're awake now, Otorine".
"Ummm, what's going on Nassus and Senku?",
she asked. Nassus held her hands firmly in response,
"Otorine, please listen to us.".
Otorine just replied unsurely,
"Okay...".
Senku crossed his arms and looked down with a disappointed look,
"You see—.".
Though, Nassus took the initiative and continued to tell the next words,
"Everything you've experience was just a dream...".
Then, Nassus caressed her head and looked at her straight in the eye, with a concerned look on his face,
"You're dreaming Otorine...".
Otorine was widely shocked,
"What?!".