"It seems even the Dungeon fears me. It's doing everything it can to keep me from entering."
In Labyrinth City, Orario, inside a tavern called the Hostess of Fertility.
A young man with hair like a sky strewn with stars rested both hands on the back of the sofa. A wooden straw between his teeth, he spoke in a nonchalant tone.
Across from him sat a white-haired, red-eyed boy.
The boy looked thoroughly bedraggled, his clothes already covered in the scars of battle.
Though it was midnight and the tavern had hardly any customers, he still looked out of place.
Their dinner was simple: a bowl of stew and a piece of coarse bread to stave off hunger.
Even so, the white-haired, red-eyed boy ate with relish, as though he hadn't eaten in ages.
Hearing Thor speak, he quickly chewed and swallowed his food before asking, "Lord God, I heard the gods aren't allowed to enter the Dungeon. Will you be punished for venturing so deep inside?"
Thor gave a cold laugh and pushed the bowl of stew he had barely touched toward the boy.
"My dear child, Bell," he said, "the gods are merely a relatively more civilized race in my eyes. They strain themselves just to look upon my form. What right do they have to give me orders?"
Bell's red eyes shone with adoration.
Thor relished the boy's admiration. He adjusted his posture, crossed one leg over the other, and continued.
"Listen well, Bell. I am the will that created the Starry Heavens, an ancient being who roamed the void before the stars were born. The firmament you see above is nothing more than the ashes I scattered carelessly along my eternal journey."
"The gods? They're nothing but mayflies, huddled in a corner of the star chart I wove, thinking they've glimpsed the truth of the universe."
His fingertips tapped absently against the table. The drink in his cup rippled with tiny points of starlight, as though it held an entire miniature Milky Way.
"When I roamed the path of star creation, every myth you know had yet to hatch. My breath wove nebulae; a mere thought of mine could set a dying sun ablaze... Heh. And as for this so-called 'Dungeon' beneath our feet?"
Thor let out a faint, almost pitying chuckle.
"It may be able to trap prisoners who call themselves gods, but to me, it's no more than a slightly unruly pebble. It might get underfoot, but it couldn't even slow my stride."
He leaned forward, a supernova's light flaring and fading in the depths of his pupils.
"So don't worry about the rules and regulations of those mediocre gods. If they dare try to constrain the sun with the glow of fireflies... I won't mind reminding them what it feels like when the heavens come crashing down."
He was Aurelion Sol, the one who had created the stars, but he was also not Aurelion Sol.
More precisely, he was Aurelian Thor III.
In his first life, he had been the supreme being who created the stars. In his second, he had inherited neither the abilities nor the memories of his first life, and had lived an ordinary human life in the modern world.
And now, in his third life...
At first, he hadn't remembered anything either. Then one day, he came into contact with the stars and recalled everything from his first two lives.
He had regained all the knowledge of the sun and star creation from his first life, but his power was worlds apart from what it had been then.
As Bell listened to Thor describe the grand vision of creating the world and forging the stars, of looking down on the gods, he felt as if he were witnessing the miracle of stars being born and spreading through the void. His chest swelled with indescribable excitement and adoration, and his ruby-red eyes sparkled.
"And for that reason,"
Thor's voice pulled him back from his reverie, his tone carrying an unquestionable authority.
"you, Bell Cranel, are my sole Familia member in this world, the first reflection of the light of the Starry Heavens in this realm. Remember this honor. Your back must be straighter than the mountains, your will more brilliant than diamonds. Your pride is my pride, and the foundation of the countless star-born Familia members we will have in the future!"
"Yes, Lord God!" Bell replied excitedly, his voice trembling slightly with emotion. He nearly leaped out of his chair to stand at attention and salute.
Just then, a shadow fell over their table.
The tall, muscular proprietress, Mia Grand, walked over. She rapped her thick fingers against the table, making a dull thud and shattering the epic atmosphere.
"Hey, you two 'big shots,'" she said, her voice flat but carrying an undeniable pressure. "Are you done talking? If you are, pay up and get out. We're closing."
At her words, Thor glanced at the clock on the wall and said, mildly surprised, "Hm? Has it already grown so late?"
Time seemed to lose all meaning while he was immersed in his grand declarations.
Seeing this, Bell hurriedly shoveled the last crumbs of bread into his mouth, afraid to waste even a speck.
Thor turned gracefully to Mia. "Then, fair lady, how much do we owe?"
"Two bowls of stew, two pieces of coarse bread, and your special 'Starlight Mint Water.' That'll be 600 Valis."
Mia named the price without a change in her tone.
In Orario, 50 Valis was enough to enjoy a filling meal at a street-side eatery, yet Thor had ordered a drink that cost 200 Valis by itself.
Thor gave a light laugh, as though 600 Valis were no more than dust.
With a flourish, he took out his rather old-looking coin purse and flipped his wrist, spilling its contents onto the table with a clatter.
Then the air went still.
A pitiful scatter of Valis copper coins and a few small silver coins lay on the tabletop, as if silently mocking them.
Thor and Bell both froze. They instinctively counted the money together.
"F-Four hundred and twenty-one Valis..." Bell's voice trembled.
The disdainful smile on Thor's face stiffened.
He couldn't help sitting up straight. He clasped his hands and rested his chin on them with practiced elegance, trying to salvage some dignity as he asked Mia, "Ahem... Could you put it on my tab, in my name? I'll repay you double someday."
Mia said nothing. She merely raised her thick arm and jerked her thumb decisively over her shoulder, pointing toward the kitchen.
There, a mountain of dirty dishes nearly reached the rim of the sink.
Mia's meaning was clear.
Any attempt to run up a tab was futile. No money? Then pay with labor!
Thor looked at the mountain of dishes and gave an even colder, more disdainful laugh. He sprang to his feet and swept at some nonexistent dust, still as dashing as ever.
He beckoned to Bell, his voice loud and full of purpose, as if they weren't going to wash dishes but were setting out to conquer the Dungeon's deepest master.
"Come on, Bell! It seems tonight's 'Great Feat' won't be in the labyrinth, but here! Let's complete this... trivial trial!"
His impassioned manner made him look ready to march off to the ultimate battlefield. Anyone unaware of the truth would never have guessed that the "work" and "trial" he spoke of meant tackling a mountain of greasy dishes in the kitchen.
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