"That's exactly what a universe is," he confirmed, nodding in James' direction before turning to the other man who had spoken. "There are some interesting things out, but it can also be quite dangerous."
Even though his initial decision had been to solely talk to James, he made the quick decision to address the others in the group. Knowing more about the worlds that they came from could prove useful in the future. He was unsure how that knowledge would come into play, but having something that Ra didn't would feel good.
"What are the worlds you all are from like?" he questioned, looking at the others.
"Large, hot, and filled with war," Tasha answers brusquely. "Not really all that interesting."
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
Tavis said, "A land thrown into chaos. My kingdom has been under the control of a larger, more militant kingdom for years after they invaded us and murdered our king and queen. Their daughter, our true queen, heads a resistance group to win back our independence and her throne. I'm part of the rebellion." He put on a proud smile.
"Wow," said Seung, looking between his companions. "Maahes, I noticed that your, um, alias is the name of some ancient Egyptian pharaoh. Uh, if you know what Egypt is, I'm from that planet. Earth. But there was some sort of snowy apocalypse, and now the whole world is covered in ice and snow. We live in--I guess you could say fortresses now, to protect ourselves from the weather. Not many of us humans are in the world anymore. Not that we have contact with the rest of them, anyways."
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7
There was a slight pause as James realized he should probably answer the question, even though it didn't feel like it was directed at him.
"As for my world... it's filled with a magic that humans violently reject. And in a sense, that has put us at odds with the rest of the world. And even relations among the human kingdoms are strained."
He felt a small jolt of fear when he heard what James said about his world. Though he may have been curious about what Seung had said, it was the fact that he was in a world that rejected his very being that his mind could only focus on. He had become used to hatred for his actions; hatred for his true nature was something he was unaccustomed to. It sounded horrible.
"Oh," said Tavis. He swallowed, and glanced down at his hands. He had magic, and it wasn't completely a rare occurrence for a child to manifest some sort of abilities in his world. Then it wasn't a good idea to show it here, he figured, unless it was an extreme emergency. He would have to only rely on his swordsmanship.
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
James knew that they were all from another world, but when he saw all of their differing reactions, he realized that he hadn't exactly been thinking about them like they were. For some reason, he'd still considered what he'd just said to be common knowledge. But it wasn't to them. He stopped, turning to Tasha.
"I-I'm sorry. You're right, I should've told you sooner," he said apologetically, wholly genuine. "I wasn't - I wasn't thinking. Before. With... you." He looked at the others, clearly discerning their fear at knowing that magic wasn't welcomed in his world.
"Look. While magic in the eyes of most any human here is seen as evil, I am not that way. I'm, again, an exception. I don't care what kind of magic you have if you do, and you're free to use it as long as it's not in the presence of... well, let's just say a native of my world. Just to be safe. I don't want any of you to get hurt."
Wolfsbane growls at him, showing some fang but not taking any real aggressive action. Tasha just shakes her head. "It's done now, just don't make a habit of not informing me of things like that."
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
"I don't have magic," Maahes coolly said, disgust welling up from within the very depths of his essence at the lie, "so it appears that I won't have a problem."
He pushed on ahead and kept a neutral expression on his face. As a final touch, he pulled up his hood to prevent them from getting a good look at his face if his expression faltered.
James watched as Maahes passed him, trying to get a read on the much older, much different Maahes than he had known in the past. He frowned.
He knew a lie when he heard it, and he was accustomed to magic being a hidden thing in his world, but he didn't know why Maahes felt the need to hide it.
He continued moving forward, falling back into the front as he led the way.
"I don't have magic," said Seung. "I'm just a normal, powerless human being. But Maahes, you lived for thousands of years and you don't have magic? In the few stories I could get my hands on, probably all of the really long-lived creatures had some sort of magic or special ability."
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7
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