If there was a way for me to go home, I figured out that I needed two things.

One was enough money. The other was the golden eyes man. Living like a caged bird inside the temple, with the eyes of the temple guards fixed on me whenever I walked about didn't help me. I realized that I barely knew anything about the world I was in. I didn't know the currency. I didn't know about the religion, their customs and their habits. The only thing I knew was about their food and I still didn't know form what they were made with. So one day I took courage and said to Zharu.

'I want you to teach me about your religion.'

Zharu stared at me, surprised. I had always avoided their religion. But religion was the foundation of a society and their culture. It determined what people valued as important.

'You are finally interested? Isn't it better to ask from your mother, or from another priestess?'

'My mother barely talks to me. The priestesses have biased views,' I said. 'I want you to teach me.'

Zharu nodded, 'As you wish.'

It was like learning about Greek mythology. There were so many names, so many characters and gods and goddesses. Their belief say that their gods and goddesses ascended and decided not to come back once they have realized that mankind can look after themselves on their own. Obviously, there were more cities other than Malhawd. But those cities were so far apart that it was almost a suicide mission to go from one city to another. Due to the population of different type of fauna in the world, humans seemed to be in the bottom of the food chain. Hence a person might as well spend his or her life entirely in one city, never leaving due to fear of death. Only a few daring merchants would go from city to city, to exchange their goods and it seemed to be only a profession for the brave and hence they are paid very well for their services, in addition to selling their goods.

Also, most cities were located underground. Malhawd was an exception due to its natural barriers around.

Each city was devoted to two deities. No two cities were devoted to the came deity, as each city was founded by the said deities. Saying that the city was founded by deities made it seem as if there were actually once alive.

'They took human form when they descended,' said Zharu. 'Most of them married humans and thus their descendents still thrive. That is why prayers sent through the high priestess are considered to be affective.'

I was in a heap of confusion by the time he was done. I almost wanted to argue that the stories didn't make any sense; then again, my current situation didn't make any sense either. In the end, I decided that trying to make sense of things one didn't know entirely about was fruitless.

To my surprise I learnt that it was considered taboo for a woman to take a life. If a woman ever takes a life, even for self defense, she was considered unfit to carry a child as a woman was considered to be an existence that is able to give life. The same goes for a mother whose child died at childbirth. She will be labeled unlucky for the rest of her life. Such mothers usually enters the temple as priestesses to atone to the sins they had committed in their past lives. Also, mothers with still-born babies usually are chased out of their families. Being infertile is also considered to be very unlucky, almost a crime.

After hearing that did I realize what my biological mother was trying to tell me, to be a social outcast for the rest of one's life. I almost shuddered. I decided that if would figure out a way to leave the city or return home if that happened as I was quite certain that I didn't inherit the Gift of Prophecy.

My next course of action was to gather information about the golden eyes man. I could not ask from mother. For one thing, she was unapproachable and I couldn't ask during lunch or dinner since Syanaam stopped insulting me in front of me now that I understood what they were saying. Syanaam didn't speak a word to me yet.

But it got me thinking. The high priestess knew about the existence of other worlds. When I asked Mara about other worlds she frowned. As she fixed my hair with braids, she said, 'There are stories of people from other worlds. I don't know much. It's taboo to go to another world.'

'Why?' I asked.

'You will be arrested, it seems.'

I frowned, 'By whom?'

Mara shrugged as she inserted a pin into my hair, 'warriors from other worlds sworn to prevent traveling between worlds.'

This made me even more confused. If traveling between worlds was taboo, then what was that golden eyes man doing for his job? He basically transported me from one world to another as if I was some object to be delivered.

If a normal person like Mara knew about other worlds, I figured that maybe Zharu knew about it as well. The moment I asked, his face changed.

'I thought you knew about that,' he said.

'About what?'

'About the alqua.'

I raised my left brow, 'What is alqua?'

Zharu looked around, afraid as if someone might hear. 'Another world... Or to be precise, another plane of existence.'

Like a... realm? I said to myself.

'Don't you know?'

I shook my head. 'I've learnt of the existence of another world only when I was abducted from my home.'

'You were abducted?' said Zharu. His face changed even more.

He led me to the library and closed the door before continuing to talk.

'No one must let anyone know that you are from another realm, child. If those from the Order hear about it, both your mother and you will be in big trouble.'

'What Order?'

'The Alqua Order,' Zharu said. I translated it to something easier to remember, like, Realm Order because Dimensional Order sounded weird.

'Okay,' I said. 'Are they the warriors who arrest people who travel between realms?'

Zharu nodded. 'Who told you?'

'Mara.'

'I see.'

Zharu walked to the deep into the library, carrying a torch as he did while he spoke, 'They arrived to this realm ages ago, just when the ancient deities ascended. It quite created an uproar, but we were already told that there were other world more than this in other planes of existence so it was a matter of fact of waiting for the other-worlders to arrive.'

'So, your people already knew they existed?'

'Yes,' said Zharu, 'But we were warned never to search for it, for it was taboo. The Realm Order arrived and signed a treaty with the Emperor of the Barren Age, swearing that the people of our world will never try to attempt to create anything that can help one travel through realms.'

'Oh,' I said, amused. 'Then?'

'Then that's that,' said Zharu, his long fingered searching through each of the realms. He took out a tablet and showed it to me, only for him to remember that I didn't know how to read it.

'This contains the record of the other-worlder's visit. The contents of the signed treaty are somewhere here as well. There is a copy in each city.'

'So... no one broke the taboo?'

Zharu shook his head, 'The Realm Order is more knowledgeable about the universe than we are. They do not wish to share their knowledge for they believe that each world should run their course. Their machines almost seem like the mystic forces, very different from the powers of out deities.'

'Then what about the man who brought me here?'

Zharu looked at me, his face grave, 'Your mother contacted a group of outlaws to find you, as bringing you here was breaking the Law of the Realm Order.'

'I see,' I said. 'Then how did I go to another world, if it was taboo?'

'Honestly child, I do not know. Only your mother knows. Your mother hides a lot of secrets. The Realm Order had been here only a few times, that is, to catch any immigrants from other realms who have arrived here. The people think you were found and brought here from another city to where you were abducted. Keep that story in mind. No one must know that you came from another realm.'

Well, I think that explained why the golden eyes man wanted his ship to be invisible. They were like pirates in a sense. Inter-dimensional pirates.

'What's the price for breaking their laws?' I asked out of curiously.

Zharu sighed as he placed the tablet back at its proper place, reading a few lines as he did, 'Death.'