When Shiren, after the wolf guard let him pass into the huge construct, entered the great hall and just took a short look on everything briefly since nothing really caught his attention.

In his eyes this place looked like some kind of ancient city in the underground with all the houses at one wall and a painting on the other side. He never really saw any cities in the underground but if he would had to imagine one it would look pretty much like that.

The architecture made kind of sense. It was like a normal city but instead of the houses being next to each other, they are on top of each other. That way they used every space they had without making a giant mess on the ground.

It wouldn't have been his flavour of architecture though. He enjoyed having a garden next to his house like his aunt had and not being squished between other houses and live with as much space as he needs and nothing more. It was efficient but not pretty.

If he would had to guess about the functionality of this place he would suggest this to be the area where the most trade happened since it's a very large place near the entry of the entire structure.

But on the other hand, he did not think they did any trade with any other city in the first place. After all this was a secret place as far as he was aware of.

It clearly was some kind of entry for non flying creatures, so the snakes probably, according to what he knew so far. So he wasn't really able to be sure what this place was supposed to be. Maybe that all were just offices like those little one back in Lu Lan's training facility.

This lovely and charming pig who was the owner just had enough space to work in his little chamber. Thinking about this place already made him sick again. He had more bad memories than good memories in that one year he trained there. The people and the organisation were, except for the library and his class maybe, insufferable.

It also brought him back the memories about his old friend Huan he met there.

The one who betrayed him for his own little goals. He leaned that in war everyone shows their true faces and that friendship can last very short, no matter how deep it was.

He waved those thoughts away and looked at the entries on the offices for little creatures.

Those little caves where he would have fit in barely and the branch looking ways to climb up towards the other houses.

It would have made sense. This had to be the area where snakes, and every other creatures he they yet might not even knew about, entered and left the place.

His kind were good climbers and, even though he preferred the big doors, the entries here would have suited just right for him to enter or leave these houses.

Efficient but absolutely not his taste of environment.

Shiren thought about looking into one of those offices but he quickly got out there once he realised it was nothing but dark in there and there seemingly was nothing interesting in it on the first look so he focussed on the other side where the great picture was. Tigress and the professor already were inspecting it while Yong and Mantis seemed to have a conversation while sauntering trough the room. He did not see where Viper and Crane went but he did not worry. Two of the greatest warriors of this land wouldn't just disappear.

Especially when he heard them a few levels above him. They seemed to inspect a few of the more higher placed houses.

The picture showed how peaceful this life here have been before this place got abandoned for whatever reason. At least it's how he interpreted it.

And this place was hidden, rightfully so. The first snake ever left this place, as far as legends go, was betrayed along side with his family by the people in China. The people he fought for.

Maybe, probably the people found this place eventually and destroyed it. Shiren believed in this thought. It would be just like them: Showing dominance over those they fear, and forced them to accept their way of living or leave them to their fates.

Eventually this place was destroyed forgotten by them.

Shiren stopped thinking. He could have spend the entire day considering theories but without Lao this would have been a very lonely act so he kept exploring this place.

Since the wall and houses were already inspected by someone he went on and entered the left corridor at the end of the area.

And the only thing was the way forward.

There was something getting his attention. Something in a wall, seemingly shining but just slightly.

When he came to a path where he could have either went up stairs, walk left or right he saw something on the left side. He chose to go this way and look at what it really was.

It looked like there was a just slightly visible teal aura around a specific place.

He came closer to have a proper look at it. Something on a wall at the side. Once he stood right in front of it his view was getting more and more dizzy and teal, he heard someone approaching from the hall but he did not hear what he said.

When he blinked once the dizzying and teal view was gone and he was in an entire different place.

Shiren did not know when, or even what really happened when he switched the places.

Something he never have seen before. He was on an island, flying in the air where no ground has been seen. But the island itself was very familiar to him. It looked like some parts from earth were taken and put together. There was a way. A path. Such were normally leading to somewhere.

A place, a city or even lonely structures but he definitely never saw a path ending on the start of a mountain like it was missing stairs to go up.

Then there was an archway, on a rock of the mountain but barely standing in it's position and this mountain just stops after ten to fifteen meters.

Behind that the island ended. In general this place looks like it's a part from a forest with a high hill in it and a path leading from nowhere to nowhere. It did not make any sense.

But at all the entire place looked like how people described the spirit realm. Shiren heard if from some people talking on the sideways. He imagined some kind of chaos but was it really that chaotic?

When he was about to move in order to investigate this place he heard a voice from somewhere:

"Oh, hello there, stranger. Where did you came from suddenly? I wasn't expecting anyone to show up here."

Shiren looked around until he found a comodo dragon with a strange looking aura. Some blue like light surrounded it's body but at all his cloths looked like some kind of spiritual guy. He was looking up from maybe some meditating or bein in thoughts and quickly rolled it in again.

Shiren came closer to that person. Maybe he had some answers on what this place was. He asked politely: "Greetings. I suppose you can give me a proper answer on where I am here? Why everything looks off place?"

The comodo dragon now actually turned at Shiren and looked around and started explaining.

"Well, you are, or rather, we are in, at least with our mind, in an anomaly. Oh, yes, that's nothing common for your like. My bad."

He tried another start: Let's just say, ehm…" He visibly thought for a moment and continued speaking more to himself than to Shiren: "You are in the lands of the gods, as far as I assume? Only place logically for someone ever entering here for the amount of trouble so far. So you also have access to their responsibilities, which shouldn't exist any more to be honest. Or you found an alternative route to this place you shouldn't have figured out… Oh, sorry. It's very complex and bad to explain. Let's start with something more easier. Maybe I should explain what this place is for you, for me and in general:" He started explaining more slowly and clearly. Shiren was just listening to that creature speaking about weird things that made no sense in his mind. At least yet.

If he was up to leave this place eventually he had to learn what is was so he continued listening.

"To make a long story short: Whenever something is happening in your world that is not naturally supposed to happen, an anomaly is created. Something that slowly takes your land apart.

Now imagine you are, like, a gatekeeper and you are supposed to make sure the gate you are guarding stays closed.

If it opens something bad will happen, for example, a big giant monster or something will escape and starts terrifying your land. A literal one man army. Maybe the name Kai says something to you. Imagine that but a bit worse. The anomaly is the named power, trying to open the door, or rather, the source of the cause of it tries to open it. As I said, hard to explain. I, for my part, try to keep it closed. So when you are already here chilling out, would you eventually mind maybe helping me by locking the gate for good maybe?"
Shiren was confused and didn't get everything this comodo dragon just said. And the parts he understood he forgot very quickly again.

He wondered and asked: "An anomaly?" he looked around. "This does look more like a way to a village which got buried by a hill."

The comodo dragon wondered: "A what? Here? Hm… Oh, I see. Yeah, didn't I say I wanted to explain that to you? Well, the only way I can explain your imaginations of this place to happen is that it's not supposed for mortal senses, such as yours. So whatever you see or feel here is actually something entirely different your brain isn't able to fabricate properly. So it makes a picture of what you would see as most like this place. Just a minor comparison. Does it make any sense? Do I look like a doctor? Maybe just a theorist. Anyhow.

For example, if you would not know what a boat is, you would most likely see a float or something big you know can swim on water. Maybe a leaf. And so it will feel like one even though it's definitely a boat. You know, one of the bigger ones."

Shiren interrupted the monologue of the comodo dragon. He felt like he was talking to Lao. A lot of things nobody from both sides understood.

"I think I get what you are trying to describe here. Everything I see is just an imagination from myself trying to sense what's possibly here, taken the pictures from things I already know. I have no clue how this is supposed to work but I guess I play along with it. Now the next question I have: Why am I here?"

"If that would be a question I would be able to answer that easily, I would have already known the answer but yet I do not. Most likely you got teleported here when you inspected the anomaly on the place it was located in your world."

"I think you misunderstood my question. I asked why, not how."

"Hm… I could give you an answer alike to the previous one to that. Even that wisdom is out of my comprehension since I barely have any guests. I guess we'll find out while we are trying to fix this, if you are already here.

In order to do that you need to connect the crushable A with… I mean… your… whatever you see here."

Shiren looked around and took up a part of a very long rope.

"Well, I must admit I do not know what you mean by crushable. But maybe you mean this thing here?"

"Yes, exactly. That's the first component which got thrown apart from his counterpart of this security system."

"It's a rope."

"I must say it's hard to tell when we both see different versions of this place, isn't it? But we'll get past this quickly I assume. Now take this rope and connect it to the one on top of the elevator. Or… you said, this is a mountain, right? Then on top of the mountain."

Shiren stopped for a moment and wondered.

"I know what an elevator is though. We use such to lift people or objects up or down with by having something heavy to fall on the other side or have muscle power to lift it up."

"That's interesting. Then I'm wondering why you do not see such a thing. Maybe it's another kind you can't digest."

"Perhaps we share the same words but different meanings?" Shiren guessed.

"Which would mean we both have elevators that have the same purpose but a different kind of functionality, structure and energy source."

"Yeah, it most likely works with some kind of invisible power I can't see. … I meant visible power…"

"I got you. If that is assisting your way to understand anomalies I'm sure you will get passed this the way you see it. But that also does mean you need to carry the crushable, means, your ribbon, up the elevator, means the mountain, all on your own."

Shiren wondered why he wouldn't see an elevator how he knows them but he did not question this worlds rules. After all, all of that is pure theory. But before he tried to do what this comodo dragon wanted, he asked:

"Before I do that though, can you tell me what do I have from that?"

"You mean any special reward? I do not think I can give you something physically, not that I would but isn't saving a part of your world price enough?"

If this would be a key to send him back to his own realm, he would maybe did it right away but he had the feeling he was going to do something different. Something he had nothing from.

"Not really. I asked what I have from that, not what my world have from it. I do not understand why I should bother trying to save it."

"Well, if you are not sent here to help, the exit is where you got in, I would suggest, so I wouldn't force your collaboration.

But even if this part of the world would never notice you helping it, you wouldn't even recognise each other if you see it and it would not even know you saved it, it is just one part of a higher threat and leads to an opening of more anomalies. More pressure for me until I can't hold it any more. When too many anomalies are opening, I suppose the only logical solution would be the destruction of everything you know. Many people wouldn't dare such things to happen. At least from what I have heard. You do not sound like you're one of them. Well, could you do it then for me please? It's very exhausting to hold this back and keep the balance of the universe."

Shiren got confused and looked at this comodo dragon. "Hold on. You say you're saving our world the entire time? Or at least keeping it? But these people do not even know you. Nobody knows you're there. What is it to you?"

"I would be scared actually, if everyone I save would know me. The fact we meet is an actual miracle. You know, I like my position and don't need people to appreciate it. Let just leave it with that."

"If you say so. It's not like I came to help but so far you haven't been in my way, other than this anomaly."

"This is a good argumentation I should note in my list. Anomalies are apnokshious, Sounds about right. If you need me, I'm right here, helping from the back. Doing more is not a real option, I already hold the chaos back which takes a lot of concentration."

"You do not have to explain. You can't help, that's fine with me."

"Right. Then I'll no longer disturb you for now."

Shiren looked around to inspect the surroundings and see the ways he can go trough this area. In all it did not seem very complicated. There was a coiled rope on the bottom of the hill and most likely one on top of it and he had to connect those. He put up the rope again and started moving up the hil.

It wasn't particularly hard. He was used climbing and always was a good climber. Having to carry something like a rope with his tail was nothing disturbing him or anything. The ground was dry and there were no real obstacles on his way up.

When he was half way done the comodo dragon said: "You're doing great. With your strict capabilities and living powers you make good progress."

"Are you trying to cheer me up or something?" Shiren asked and paused his progress to look down to the comodo dragon.

"I wouldn't normally, yes. But I'm watching a mortal like you working with objects far above your comprehension. That's noticeable."

"Like, connecting two ropes?"

"Far above of your comprehension, yes. What you see might be actually small, but what you do in reality, is very huge. Try to remember that everything you do actually never really happens the way you see it but the way it exists in reality."

Right before Shiren reached the summit he paused again and asked: "You called me mortal, right?"

"Yes, that's true," the comodo dragon answered like it was a normal question.

"That would make me suggest you are not mortal," Shiren guessed.

The comodo dragon nodded."That's true as well."

"So you are a god?"

He waved away and answered: "Nah, I wouldn't say that. I would say I'm me. I never built up your world nor do I fix anomalies. If you would be immortal I would call you god right now. But quite interestingly this depends on how you specify the word god on itself, right? Probably a flying dragon."

"So you're not a god? I didn't know there were more than dragons, and the normal pleps."

"I have an interesting counter question: How would you see yourself? Or others or your kind? You are descend from the dragons but not one of the ones you called plebs."

"I… have never thought about that. But at all that are just myths and legends. As I see that it's just something making us worse than we really are."

"Well, let's just stick with the theory that your ancestors were indeed descends from dragons. Just to keep things more simple for now. So you won't call yourself a half god or anything like that.

May I ask if you are alone right now? And with now I actually mean from where you came from before you entered this realm."

Shiren hesitated in wondering if he got the question right but then he answered: "No. I'm not alone. Why are you asking?"

"Okay, with the ones that company you… are there other snakes?"

"There is actually one other snake, yes," Shiren answered. He did not see any reason right now to not tell the truth. If there is any chance he would get some new information, its from this comodo dragon who already started his next question already: "Are you siblings or related in some other way?"

"No. Not that I'm aware."

"Hm… Yes."

"What?" Shiren asked confused but the comodo dragon did not answer that.

"I don't know. Maybe I'll think about that for a while."

"What about you? Do you have someone like family or something?" Shiren simply asked. If he was asking about Shiren's relationships, he thought about asking the same. But the answer made him wish to not have asked that question.
"I can tell you I'm on my own for decades."

"Hm… That's…" Shiren went back to getting the rest of the job done. It was quite easy for him so far. Just getting up a rope up a stony ascent.

"It's going to be alright, trust me. Now, back to the task," the comodo dragon ended that conversation.

Shiren now saw the place where he was supposed to put the rope. And it was not just another one he had to connect with this one he had.

It was more a stilt like in ports where the people make sure the ships aren't swimming away.

But when he was up to connect both points the moment he came close the rope acted on itself and entangled itself around the stilt.

Actually he was glad it did. He would have never trusted one of his own knots to hold something like that anomaly together.

"That's done! You've fixed this anomaly. Thank you. It's one burden less on my shoulders."

Shiren didn't notice anything happening but he guessed this comodo dragon knew what he was talking about.

"One burden less?" Shiren asked while coming back to the ground.

"Nothing in particular you have to be concerned about. It's, let's call it, part of my job. Things I'm doing all day. But before I return to duty, I bet you want to go back now, with this anomaly fading away now?"

Shiren truly wanted to go back but on the other hand this world was way more fascinating than the other one. A lot of things to discover here he wanted to learn about. "But there are still many questions I want to ask."

The comodo dragon waved gently and smiled. "As far as I see you have more problems in your own world than you have here. It's not my decision to do. Ask the universe about it if you want to learn more about this. Trust me, if you are needed here again, you will find your own way, just like you did here. And when you do so, I see forward to talk more with you. Quite fascinating, speaking with someone. Until we eventually meet again, Shiren."

Shiren wasn't even able to say goodbye on his own as the island faded away and the comodo dragon just vanished.

He closed his eyes and felt cold ground under his body again. Cold and rough one. He opened his eyes.

Shiren returned to the Land of the gods and he still stood where we was before transferred to this anomaly place.

He blinked twice and looked around. The weird aura vanished. It was gone.

The place was nearly unchanged. He noticed Viper on his left side. She looked out of a window into what seemed to be a garden. Of course it was a wild garden, no matter what it was in the past. He supposed some kind of meeting area for traveller maybe right after the main hall. She realised him moving and turned at him and asked: "Oh, are you awake again?"

Shiren wondered. Awake? For them he must have been in some kind of trance. Or was he sleeping? No, his body stood up when he came back.

He decided to not question this but he asked: "I was asleep? How long?"

Viper looked downwards her view slowly turned back to the garden when she said: "Long enough to scare us. After we weren't able to wake you up, the professor decided to leave one here while the rest is going onward and maybe figuring stuff out."

Shiren wasn't able to imagine them looking at him standing there at the wall.

The imagination was too strange for him, other people looking over him like a doctor, trying to figure out what's wrong with him while he wasn't even realising any of that.

"And you stood back to watch over me?"

"Well, someone had to. I did not want to stay behind but I understood it was important. Yong was voluntarily but Tigress insisted she stayed in front. She seems very impressed by your friend so far."

"I guess I offer you a thanks in that case. It would be hard to find the rest of the group here on my own."

"Don't trouble yourself," she said with a sharp tone.

"Very well." Shiren was unhappy with this answer right the moment he said it.

Viper obviously appealed to his behaviour with saying Don't trouble yourself the way she did.

He knew they didn't appreciate it but if Shiren had one last thing for himself it was his pride. At least some kind of pride. The one that was thankful for what others did for him.

Viper didn't hurt him this time, she did not have to wait here or anything.

For what she did he had to be thankful. But maybe it was her tone of voice that made him just agreeing to her.

"I guess we should go find the others. They went up the big stairs."

"Sounds like the professor suggested it. Big pictures before the little pictures."

Viper left without another word to him with an expression like My job here is done, now I shall leave you with your own stuff.

He was surprised she did not even ask what happened to him or why.

While following the tracks of the others, he realised: He was actually lucky she didn't ask.

He would not have a proper answer.