The Other (An Overlord Ains x oc Story)

Chapter 3: Finally

Author's Note: I tried to make this chapter deliberately longer to make up for the shorter chapters prior to this one, so you'd better like this chapter (:-) Enjoy!

So Ainz waited for the night of the full moon, which was an extremely long wait for him, since when Aries had visited him, it had been the night of the new moon. He knew he was putting the other floor guardians and the Pleiades on edge, but he was just so anxious; on more than one occasion he'd snapped at them for breaking his train of thought, and had gotten Albedo so upset that she had fled from the room in tears, and wasn't seen for the rest of that day.

He would most certainly find a way to apologize to everyone, even if they, like the loyal servants to him they are, would say that he did nothing wrong.

And then, after so long, the night of the full moon came upon them. Ainz could hardly wait to see Miyako again, after all this time. He'd just finished a meeting with the floor guardians, who had each given him an analysis of what was going on their respective floors. The only interesting thing to be said was that Shalltear swore she had seen Pandora's Actor on her floor without him telling her he was going to be there, and Ainz made a mental note to talk to Pandora's actor about that. After the meeting, Ainz went to his business quarters and looked down at his Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown.

Even though Aries had made the means of getting to Miyako's guild sound simple, Ainz was still nervous. What if it didn't work, and he ended up stranded? But he had waited so long, a little bit of doubt wasn't going to stop him, so, throwing caution to the wind, he closed his eyes and thought of that one time he had gone to the guild, the day Miyako left.

When Ainz opened his eyes, he found himself in front of two tall silver doors with light gold branching through them, lacing the two doors together, and knew that he was here, in front of Nowg Laoo Snia, Miyako's Guild. Something about the atmosphere surrounding the place told him that it was invisible to the world.

Ainz hesitated for a second before gingerly knocking on the huge set of doors, and the next instant the gold untwined itself until it was on their respective doors, and the doors opened, revealing a long hallway with a high ceiling. Ainz took a deep breath (or whatever breathing was for a skeleton) before making his way through the threshold. As soon as Ainz entered, he heard the doors close shut behind him.

Ainz began to walk through the corridor. It was as silent as the grave, and he couldn't even see the end to it. After a while, it seemed as if the hall was never ending.

'Well, what if it is?' Ainz thought despairingly; he very vaguely recalled a discussion with Miyako around the time she had first started Nowg Laoo Snia about the different enchantments placed upon the structure, and he thought she might have said something about never-ending halls. It wasn't that he hadn't been paying attention. It was more that fact that it had been so long ago.

Ainz was just about losing hope when a huge shadow passed over him. Ainz looked up just in time to leap back as an immense black and white Barn Owl landed in front of him, from seemingly nowhere.

The Owl's eyes were large and pure ovals of black against a looming white face. Its long wings bordered its white chest, and its scythe-like talons clicked against the ground as it landed. The creature held itself upright, towering over Ainz, and looked down on him with an air of wisdom and slight arrogance.

"Ahh, a trespasser," The owl began to speak, in a slight drawl of a voice filled with grander. "Normally I would have already started attacking, but I sense an air of greatness from you, so I shall give you a small amount of time to leave, otherwise I will have no choice but to attack you."