More residents were arriving now, all wearing flowing fabric that covered strategic areas while leaving very little to imagination, jewelry that accentuated rather than concealed, and expressions of genuine welcome.

The woman who’d first greeted us, flowers still woven in her hair, gestured toward the pavilions in the distance.

"Please, come," she said warmly. "The Elder will meet you properly, and offer proper hospitality."

We followed, because what else were we going to do, and I was carefully keeping my eyes on the path ahead instead of the people around us.

Void floated along happily, still eating something it had grabbed from the food table.

The realm was beautiful as we walked, soft grass beneath our feet, warm air carrying flower scents, golden light making everything look peaceful and inviting.

Then I saw movement to my left and made the mistake of looking.

Two residents, underneath a tree, completely engaged in what was definitely not a casual conversation.

I choked on air.

The sound was mortifying, but also completely unavoidable when you accidentally witness people having very enthusiastic sex in broad daylight like it was the most natural thing in the world.

They didn’t even notice us walking past, too focused on each other, completely unselfconscious about the fact that they were doing that in public.

"Oh," Henrik said, voice tight. "That’s... that’s very public."

"Extremely public," Mara agreed, and I caught the edge of dry humor in her voice. "I guess we know what kind of realm this is now."

I looked at Azryth, who was observing the scene with careful composure, something thoughtful in his expression that wasn’t quite discomfort but wasn’t exactly comfort either.

*This is a very open culture,* he said through the binding.

*That’s one way to put it,* I responded.

We kept walking, and I was desperately trying to look straight ahead, but it was impossible to miss.

More residents, in various configurations, on grass, against pavilion walls, in the open without any apparent concern that people were walking past.

The sounds were unavoidable.

I heard Ryota make a strangled noise behind me, and when I glanced back, he looked like he’d completely frozen, staring at something with wide eyes and an expression of pure shock.

"Keep walking," Mara told him.

"I can’t unsee that," he said faintly.

"None of us can," she agreed. "That’s the problem."

Henrik had his tablet out, probably for something to focus on that wasn’t the extremely public intimacy happening around us, but his hands were shaking slightly.

"This is their normal," he said, voice strained with analytical observation. "Complete openness, no privacy, no shame about physical connection."

"It’s a sex world," I muttered.

"Realm of Sacred Intimacy," our guide corrected gently, overhearing. "We celebrate union in all its forms, physical expression is natural and beautiful, why would we hide it?"

"Privacy?" I suggested.

She looked confused. "Why would intimacy require privacy? It is sacred, meant to be witnessed, celebrated."

I made another choking sound when we passed a group of what looked like instructors teaching techniques to very attentive students, complete with live demonstrations.

This was educational.

This was actual education happening right in front of us.

"I thought I’d seen it all," Mara said, and I’d never heard quite that tone in her voice before, caught between disbelief and reluctant fascination. "Dimensional rifts, entity fragments, mirror mazes, but this is new."

"Very new," Henrik agreed, still not looking up from his tablet.

Azryth’s presence through the binding shifted, and I felt something like careful observation mixed with diplomatic acceptance, he was processing this culture the way he’d process any foreign customs, with respect even if it wasn’t familiar.

*You’re handling this well,* I told him.

*They’re not hostile,* he responded. *Just very different.*

*Very, very different.*

Void made a pleased sound, apparently finding more food somewhere, completely oblivious to the cultural education happening around us.

We passed a fountain where several residents were engaged in what could generously be called water activities, and I heard Ryota make that strangled sound again.

"How much farther?" I asked our guide.

"Just ahead," she said, pointing to a larger pavilion that looked more formal than the others. "The Elder’s dwelling, he will be honored to meet you."

*I can sense the entity energy,* Azryth’s voice came through the binding suddenly, sharp with recognition.

I felt my attention sharpen. *Where?*

*That direction,* he indicated a temple-like structure beyond the Elder’s pavilion, more formal than the comfortable pavilions, radiating something that felt wrong against the realm’s warmth. *Concentrated, familiar signature.*

*The fragment.*

*Most likely.*

I looked at the temple, at the distance between us and it, at the residents around us who were being welcoming and friendly but might not stay that way if we just asked for their sacred artifact.

*We can’t ask directly,* I said through the binding. *What if they refuse? Or worse, what if it’s so important they turn hostile?*

*Agreed,* Azryth responded. *For now, we observe, learn their customs, and find an opportunity.*

*Steal it if necessary?*

*If necessary.*

We reached the Elder’s pavilion, larger than the others, draped in fabric that actually provided some coverage, flowers and offerings arranged around the entrance.

An older man stood waiting, maybe sixty, wearing robes that were revealing but somehow dignified, flowers woven into a crown on his head, kind eyes that held wisdom and warmth.

He saw us approaching and smiled in welcome.

Then his gaze fixed on me and Azryth, and his expression changed.

His eyes went wide, breath catching, and he stared at us like he was seeing something impossible.

"The Blessed Union," he whispered.

Then, with grace that suggested reverence, he knelt.

Right there, in front of his own pavilion, this Elder who clearly commanded respect in this realm, knelt before us with tears forming in his eyes.

"The Blessed Union has arrived!" he exclaimed, voice shaking with something like awe. "The Sacred Bond walks among us."

I froze, completely unprepared for this reaction.

Around us, the residents who’d been accompanying us also knelt, all of them staring at me and Azryth with expressions of wonder.

"What?" I managed.

The Elder looked up, tears streaming now. "Your souls, forgive me, I can sense them, bound together, merged in perfect harmony, I have never witnessed a union of this depth, this completeness."

*He can sense our binding,* Azryth said through the binding.

*And he’s crying about it.*

*Apparently it’s very significant to them.*

The Elder stood slowly, like he was in the presence of something holy. "Forgive my reaction, but to encounter the Blessed Union, it is a gift, a miracle, we must celebrate."

"Celebrate?" I asked carefully.

"A festival," he said immediately. "A banquet, the entire community will gather and we will honor your union, your sacred bond, this is the greatest blessing our realm could receive!"

"That’s, uh, very kind," I said, still processing the fact that an Elder was treating us like we were divine.

"It is nothing compared to what you have given us," he said earnestly. "The chance to witness perfect union, to celebrate your bond, this is sacred."

He gestured to the temple in the distance, the one where Azryth had sensed the fragment.

"And you, the Blessed Union, are worthy of our most sacred treasure," he continued. "The Sacred Pleasure, housed in the Temple of Union, only those who truly understand intimacy’s divine nature may approach it, and your bond proves your worthiness beyond question."

I felt Azryth’s attention sharpen through the binding.

The Sacred treasure, the fragment, the thing we needed.

And the Elder was offering it freely because of our soul bond.

"The Sacred Pleasure is significant to you?" Azryth asked carefully.

"It is our most holy relic," the Elder said. "Power itself, sacred energy, it has been with us since our realm’s founding, but it is meant for those who understand union’s true nature, and you, the Blessed Union, you embody that understanding."

This was working in our favor.

We didn’t have to steal anything, didn’t have to fight, didn’t have to navigate complex social politics.

We just had to participate in a festival celebrating our bond, and they’d give us the fragment willingly.

"We would be honored to attend your festival," Azryth said with diplomatic grace.

The Elder looked like he might cry again from happiness. "You honor us, truly, we will prepare immediately, the banquet will be tonight, the entire community will gather to celebrate the Blessed Union."

Residents dispersed immediately, excited voices discussing preparations, and the Elder gestured to the pavilion.

"Please, come in, we will bring ceremonial robes, refreshments, you must be tired from your journey."

"Robes?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes," he said, smiling. "The ceremony requires proper attire, you will be clothed appropriately."

I wasn’t sure if that was good news or terrifying news, given what this realm considered "appropriate attire," but at least it was something.

We entered the pavilion, which was mercifully private and relatively normal despite the realm’s general openness about everything.

Comfortable cushions, low tables, soft lighting, and most importantly, walls.

I sat down with relief, feeling exhaustion catch up with me.

The others settled nearby, and I realized they’d all been completely silent since the Elder started talking about the Blessed Union.

"You’re all very quiet," I said.

"We’ve been shocked into silence," Mara said flatly. "Between the public sex education on the walk here and an Elder kneeling at your soul bond, I’ve run out of reactions."

"Same," Ryota muttered.

"The Blessed Union thing barely registered after everything else," Henrik agreed. "At this point, worship seems normal."

"So," Mara continued, "we participate in a festival celebrating your soul bond, and they just give us the fragment."

"Apparently," I said.

"That’s unexpectedly easy," Henrik observed.

"I’m not complaining," I muttered. "After fighting ourselves in Tokyo, I’ll take a festival over combat."

Ryota still looked vaguely traumatized from the walk here. "The things I saw on that path are going to haunt me."

"Welcome to dimensional travel," Mara said. "Where every gate is a new kind of nightmare."

Void settled on my lap, making pleased sounds, completely unbothered by everything.

I looked at Azryth, felt his calm through the binding, the careful assessment of the situation.

*Festival tonight,* I said. *Then we get the fragment.*

*If the Elder is truthful about giving it freely,* he responded.

*You think he’s not?*

*I think he believes we’re worthy, but customs may require demonstration.*

*What kind of demonstration?*

*We’ll find out tonight.*

I looked at the temple in the distance, visible through the pavilion’s opening, at the fragment waiting there, at the festival we’d apparently agreed to attend.

This was still better than fighting myself.

Probably.