It was yet another day towards Recognition Day. Butlers and Maids went to the rooms of the Leaders and Successors to wake up for breakfast. They all got ready for the day and went down to the dining room for breakfast. They all arrived for breakfast including Acheros and the Crystals, completing the table.
"I heard that you have received your music boxes?" Elizabeth asked, the Successors forgetting to get their music boxes yesterday.
"It seems you may have forgotten your music boxes behind, so we decided to bring it here." Aiden said, giving the music boxes from the bag they carried.
"They are really beautiful, Acheros..." Elizabeth complimenting him.
"I agree, the exterior makes it eye catching already." Ethan said.
The Leaders gave Acheros many compliments about his music boxes. Everyone agreed that they are beautiful, just from the outside it can pull anyone in. When opening, the interior is much more detailed and there's many to see. Each music box's interior is the Successor it's for in the middle going around a pop up surrounding as the lullaby plays. Acheros became humble to all his compliments and asks the servants to take them to the Successor's room. After the servants taking the music boxes, they continued with their breakfast.
"Breakfast is as always the best!" Alice exclaimed as they walk out the Mansion.
"Where should we go first time? Yours or Mine?" Adrion asked, referring to the Monster and Hybrid territories.
"I heard that the Monster territory is more active in the morning than in the afternoon." Francis said.
"We can go there first then..." Alistair said as the doors opened.
"That's a lot of flowers...When we came back at night, everything was covered." Adrion said, everyone looking at the flowers and plants being carried around.
"Have a good day, Successors." The guards said.
"You too!" Alice exclaimed, looking back.
The Successors walked to the gate, being greeted by the Hybrids and bowing to Alice. Looking at the many kinds flowers and arrangements around them. They reached the Main Gate eventually and entered the Monster territory. Once they step foot, they looked around and saw a massive obstacle course. The whole territory is like a playground, both with land and air sports.
"Greetings our Successors, Welcome to our Sports Festival!" The event committee of the Monster greeted.
"That's a very big obstacle course." Adrion commented.
"Well, Young Commander...Thanks to the help of the other territories, the obstacle course you see right here has been prepared beforehand and we made sure the entire structure is safe for everyone." The event committee explained.
"So, what kind of sports are you interested in? And we'll be the ones to recommend." The event committee asked.
"How about we see what you have?" Alice responded.
"Of course, Young Mistress. Follow me." The event committee said, the Successors following him.
"From this board here, the list of the sports we have here are written. If you wish to go and play the sport you're interested in, you just have to call the phone here and one of our coaches will bring you there." The event committee explained.
"So, where would you like to start?" The event committee asked.
The Successors looked at the board, many sports being written out. There are the casual sports such as badminton, dodge ball, volleyball, etc. There are also some other sports that are merge or put up to another level using flames, or more props. A while after, each Successor chose their sport. Francis chose frozen discus, a game where you have to throw the discus to the goal before it stops in mid-air. Alice chose the classic archery, but the target will be moving around. Alistair chose manipulated kingdom, a life-size game where you have to rule your opponent's kingdom using what cards you have and manipulating them. Finally, Adrion chose flamethrower, a game where you shoot fireballs into an opponent's basket that they wear on their back. The coaches under each sport they chose, met by the board and they guided them to their area of the place. The Successors were told the rules and after the necessary information, they were left to play with other creatures.
"The target really likes to move around, don't they?" Alice said, one of the creatures agreeing with her.
"I hope I don't hit someone, this game is dangerous." The creature beside her said.
"It does move in a restricted space. Plus we are in our own boxes so we should be fine. What we have to look out for is hitting ourselves." Alice said, getting ready to let go of her arrow.
"Woah! You got it!" The creature behind her said.
"You're good at this Mistress!" The creature complimented.
"Anyone can do it as long as they work on it. How about you try? Concentrate on the target's position." Alice said. Watching the creature.
"I-I got it! I got it!" The creature celebrated, Alice being happy and congratulating her.
Alice and the creature continued their archery, helping each other to hit as many targets as they can. With Adrion, he met the opponents and his teammates. They were all given fire-proof baskets and put on their respective sides. As the signal was hear, everyone started throwing fireballs at each other, trying to aim for the basket.
"Woah!" Adrion exclaimed, dodging an incoming fireball.
"These guys are ruthless..." Adrion thought to himself as he tries to shoot the ball on an opponent's basket.
"Team Adrion has earned point!" The coach said.
After the game, it was a tie but no tie breaker was given because the next set of creatures are scheduled to play next. All of Adrion team mates went up to him and congratulated their team for the team effort and hard work of everyone. Even the opponent team congratulated them and Adrion's team did otherwise.
"That was a good game, Commander." One of the creatures said to him.
"It really is, you guys did great!" Adrion complimented.
"You too!" The creature responded.
"You going to be sticking around for the next round?" one of the other creatures asked, Adrion drinking some water.
"Yeah, me and the others plan on staying here until lunch so we can maybe try another sport if you guys are up for it?" Adrion said.
"You should try Spear Foot. A game about kicking your spear to reach the farthest." One of the creatures recommended.
"Seems interesting, I'd go for it." Adrion responded.
Francis has been trying to see how to get his frozen discus further than his record. While he was trying to calculate how long the discus will move with how strong he can throw it. After a while of thinking, he tried again. He flung the disc again and he was surprised that he surpassed his goal. While he was getting his disc, someone beside him cheered.
"That was amazing!" The creature cheered.
"Oh...Thanks." Francis said, not knowing how to react.
"Can you teach me how to do that too?" The creature asked.
"Of course! But where are your parents?" Francis asked, seeing that he's a kid.
"Oh, my parents are at the sides there, see?" The kid responded, pointing to the side.
"Oh, alright then. Let me show you." Francis said, starting to explain how it works.
After a short explanation, the kid tried to execute it under Francis step by step guide. A few tries later and the kid was amazed by how far it went. The kid celebrated and Francis smiled. The parent of the child congratulated him and the kid said that Francis helped him.
"Thank you for helping my child, Young Doctor." The parent thanked Francis.
"No need, I just wanted to help the little guy." Francis said humbly.
"Let's play together Sir!" The kid exclaimed, Francis accepting.
So the kid and Francis played together, both trying out different techniques to get their disc to the farthest distance possible. They also talked for a while when they decided to take a break. A few more throws of the discus, the parent called the child.
"It's time to go home dear..." The parent said.
"Aww....Okay mom." The kid said, bummed out that he has to go.
"It's alright, we had fun today right?" Francis said, making things more positive.
"Maybe we can see each other again? Then we can hang out!" Francis said, the child feeling better.
"Okay Sir!" The child said happily. Saying goodbye to Francis as they left.
Francis took their discs and went out of the area to see if any of the other Successors are on break. Him and Adrion seeing each other made them walk together to the board and took a seat. Adrion have him a bottle of water and Francis took it. They looked up and saw that Alistair and Alice were still playing. Alistair in particular was still in the game of Manipulating Kingdoms. He and his opponent have been on it for a while now. The opponent was trying to get things back because of the attacks Alistair has given. IT was Alistair's turn next and he mercilessly left nothing for the opponent to defend and the 1st game was finally over. The opponent and amazed and was relieved it was over. The coach of the game came up to Alistair and wanted to talk to him.
"You have great skills in the game, Sir Alistair." The coach said, giving him a pat on the back.
"Thank you...It's my first time though...Maybe I just got lucky." Alistair said, thinking his victory was just pure luck.
"How about we test that? You vs. Me, are you okay with that?" The coach asked, Alistair thinking about it.
"...Sure..." Alistair accepted, the board resetting.
The kingdoms were rebuilt and the cards were distributed to them. Each had 7 to start. Alistair looked at his and he saw that he has to play defense for this one, unless he can draw attack cards to get things going while having and array of defense to use in case he needs major repair to his kingdom. Both of them looking down at their kingdom, a die was used to choose who makes the first turn. The coach was chosen and he thought of what he can use. After thinking, the coach used a triple match attack which should make great damage to Alistair's kingdom. Alistair used his double defense in hopes it would work. Unfortunately, it still did damage and the defense only lessened it in a very little extent. They both draw their next 2 cards and Alistair is next. Knowing the rules, Alistair took a while thinking what to use. After a while Alistair used all his cards, seeing that he can use it.
"Double defense on the frontlines, with the attack of undead warriors, level 80 and mystical mages of magic level 67 using power ups and upgrades," Alistair said, dropping his cards.
The coach was caught off guard seeing his kingdom getting destroyed to the ground, even the triple defense he had didn't work much and he was at the verge of losing. They draw 2 cards again and the coach was still holding on well. After a while, the coach had to accept defeat and forfeit his kingdom. The coach was happy that he was defeated and see how Alistair is good at playing.
"You are very good at this! I haven't seen such move for a long time." The coach said.
"T-Thank you..." Alistair said, being embarrassed.
Alice and Alistair played a few more until they got tired and had to take a break. They went to the board and saw the other two on the bench, talking to each other. They called out to them and bought some drinks from the booth near. They also sat down and they were talking about how their games played out and what will be their next game to play. After their break, they all chose one game so they can play against each other. They chose Game of the Gods. A strategy based game where you have to build your tower and use the tower's power to break down your opponents. They waited for a while and the coach in charge of that came and guided them to the play area. It's life size and you will act like a god, using the cards to make your tower much more powerful than your opponent's. The coach explained the rules and after that, everyone went to their places on the board.
"Are you all ready to start the game?" The coach asked the Successors.
"Yes!" The Successors exclaimed.
"Let us begin the Games of the Gods!" The coach exclaimed, the game board starting.
The board showed all four lands separated and they were asked to choose what kind of tower it will be. The options were the 4 territories of Furroko, so the Successors chose their territories. After the selection, each player was given 10 cards to start, and the rest in the middle of the board, separated into 5 categories: Build, Destroy, Attack, Upgrade and Defense. Fusion cards will be mixed in with all of the 5 categories. A player can be able to put in a max of 3 cards of any combination. Order of players' turns will be decided by the highest number drawn. Alistair was the first, then Adrion, Francis and Alice. Before starting to attack each other's tower is that they need to build their base, picking a build card from either their hand or from the stack. After that, they will all start to compete who will be called "God of Gods".
"This game is hard...You won't be able to get your tower strong enough unless you get the right cards...You can't even play certain cards because of the consequences you have to stick with." Francis thought, looking at his deck.
"How can you get more defense...A fusion card would be useful right now." Adrion thought.
The game continued on having to see that Adrion's and Alistair's towers were being pulled to the ground. Both of them haven't had a good card to use and eventually Adrion's tower was fully destroyed. This meant he was out and Alistair needs to do anything he can to make his tower stay up. To no success, Alistair was also out and leaving the two to see who will be victorious. Francis was strategizing any way he can, guessing what kind of card patterns Alice has and planning his every step. Alice on the other hand was having a plan but it's a loose one, giving it some risks every now and then. Francis soon after, starts to get ahead though Alice doesn't mind. This made Francis think she has the upper hand even though her tower is getting lower, causing him to overthink his plan and mistaking Alice's carefree gameplay into a bluff to make her win. Eventually, this overthinking made Francis' plan go unorganized and Alice won in the end.
"Awww...I thought you were going to win, Francis. You had a good plan for a while." Alice said.
"I overthought it, I guess...How did you manage to still go on? It looked like you already had your plan beforehand." Francis asked, Alice giggling.
"Yes, I had a plan...But I didn't really think much of it. It was your overthinking that got me up to be honest." Alice responded, making Francis shocked.
"You weren't bluffing!?" Francis exclaimed.
"No...?" Alice said, not sure how to react.
"I mean, she was pretty chill the entire time." Adrion said.
"Is that so..." Francis said.
"I don't really know Alice that much...I should really try to get to know her by now..." Francis thought to himself, the coach coming in.
"How was the game, Successors?" The coach asked. The Successors giving positive feedback.
"Do you wish to buy the game? It might not be life sized like this, but it's in a considerable size for home use." The coach recommended.
"We can have a rematch again sometime, you guys up for it?" Adrion asked.
"That would be alright..." Alistair responded.
"How about you guys?" Adrion asked Francis and Alice. Both giving the thumbs up.
"Alright then! I'll go ahead and get the set ready for you guys." The coach said, all of them going back to the board.
"How much is the set, sir?" Adrion asked.
"Since this is still not released, it's expensive for early order." The coach said, the Successors not minding.
"We don't mind at all!" Alice said.
"Well then...That would be 3000 Tribians for the entire set. We apologize for the lack of discount." The coach said, Francis being shocked at the price.
"That's fine for us. Are we gonna split sis?" Adrion asked, Alice nodding.
"What about us?" Francis asked.
"Oh, it's alright! We'll pay for this one." Alice said.
After Adrion and Alice payed, they looked up to the sky and it's the afternoon, meaning lunch is almost there. So they decided to leave the Monster territory, thanking the coach for the game and going back to the Mansion. While they walk there, the same announcement was heard and Francis asked about the game.
"If the game here cost 3000 Tribians, how much do you think that would be in the other world?" Francis asked.
"Most likely around 6000 Quillas...Since 1 Tribian here is 2 Quillas..." Alistair said.
"T-That's a lot..." Francis said, being a bit baffled at the thought.
"I haven't really had that much before." Francis said.\
"Me too...But I'm alright with that..." Alistair said, both him and Francis looking at Adrion and Alice.
"How about you guys? I mean...You're both already rich sooo...We just wanna know." Francis said.
"How much is your allowance?" Alistair asked.
"Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Or Annually?" Adrion asked back.
"Maybe daily...?" Francis asked back at them.
"100 Quillas is the minimum we get on the daily." Adrion answered.
"Oh...I didn't expect that much." Francis said.
"We may be rich, but we're taught to be content we have at hand, especially money." Adrion said.
"Of course, of course. Sorry for asking." Francis said, apologizing.
"No need to apologize for that, you just wanna know." Adrion said.
They soon arrived at the Mansion and were greeted by their parents talking to the servants. They entered the Mansion and went on their way to living room to sit down. Nothing else wanting to disrupt their rest before lunch time, just sitting down, some small conversations and only hearing the chatter from around them and the breeze outside the window. A few minutes of lying around and a couple of small conversations, they're being called to lunch at the dining room. As they all gathered once again for lunch, they were given a much simpler array of dishes as per request by the Leaders beforehand. After lunch, the plates were taken away and they are allowed to go and do what they wish.
"Today's lunch was different, isn't it?" Alice said as they went out to see the flora around them.
Just from a glance, you can see the abundance of flowers. All coming from different places all around the world, assorted and brought to the Hybrid territory of Furroko. One of the most experienced in handling rare flora, from preservation, multiplication, and creating them. The Hybrid territory of Furroko was the biggest holder of all plant and flora in the world. This Recognition Day, they have decided to hold a display of all flora and plants, the most common to the rarest of its kind. All of them were made into one big garden. A city of nature's flourishing beauty, open for all to see and experience. As one walks around the arches of evergreen with hints of vibrant colors, reaching the most extravagant displays done by the most skilled of artists. As the Successors take their first step on the Hybrid's land, the aura of beauty and tranquility is already felt.
"This is beautiful..." Francis said in awe.
"Oooohhh! The fairy lights are being lit up!" Alice exclaimed.
Alice walked up to one of the displays, entitled "Peacock's Wintery Spring". The flowers were arranged to resemble a peacock's feathers draping over an arch. Other peacock's are also around them, their feathers replaced with different arrangements of flowers. The fairy lights, arrangement of flowers and use of different color palettes makes the entire piece like it's a clean transition from winter to spring. They decided to look at other displays around and the one beside the display Alice saw was entitled "Dead Flower". Showing statues of a beautiful woman wearing long drapes of white silk, her face showing gentleness just from her soft smile and emerald eyes. Another statue was a man, standing in front of the woman as if he's trying to reach out to her, having the face of despair. The statues were surrounded by many types of flowers, cascading at the woman's shoulders down to her feet, covering the man's lower half up to his waist, leaving the rest of the flowers to continue rising up from the ground and float around them, eventually forming the woman's halo and wings.
"They all have descriptions for each display, right?" Francis asked.
"Mhm! The Peacock one symbolizes that there will always be someone to watch and guide you, no matter how the world turns out to be. We may never know who it may be at times, but we'll feel their presences when we need them the most, sometimes not even realizing it." Alice said, explaining the description of the piece.
"This one is a bit...sad...Dead Flower is a short story of a husband and wife...But to the husband's disbelief, his wife suddenly got ill and eventually dying from a mysterious illness. He knows that she's still alive. That's why the man always try to keep his reach to her, because he doesn't want to believe she's gone. The wife, who is alive but is i a far away place just looking at him with sorrow but trying to hide it with a smile because she knows she will come back to him but doesn't know when that time would be. Giving the message that death is one of the most heartbreaking barriers between two people who promised to love each other...Forever..." Alistair said, reading the description.
"T-That's deep...I would just guess that the man was mourning her death." Adrion said, feeling a bit down.
"How about we look at the other pieces? To break off the sad moment? Hey! Look over there!" Francis said, trying to get them out of uncomfortable situation.
They continued on their way and found another display entitled "Colors with Pride", where the entire piece except the hands were made of flowers. Where a pair of hands hold a box that is open. What's coming out of the box is two rainbow ribbons forming a heart and continuing to grow out and back in the middle of the heart to create another. There are also other boxes that have the colors of different sexualities inside coming out as well.
"Very well made, just like all the others. Don't you think too?" Francis said, the other Successors agreeing.
"This is a Pride Exclusive. Made to represent all colors of sexuality. It's good to know that people here don't discriminate because of sexuality." Alice said.
"Unlike back to where we are, people assume things that aren't even true to all." Adrion said.
"We have our own societal flaws back where we were. There's also some here but when it comes to respect, here is much more prioritized than back to the other world." Francis responded to Adrion's comment.
"I mean, considering the state of the world before...With all the continuous racism and discrimination...I just hope people learn that respect is important..." Alistair continued.
"About our world...I wonder how things are there. I'm sure people might be wondering where we went. We haven't even graduated." Adrion asked.
"We can ask the Crystals later about that...Because I'm still not sure how things are between our worlds." Francis responded, Adrion nodding.
They continued on their way, looking at all of the other amazing flower displays, the breeze of the wind going around and the sounds of chatter from the crowd makes the place feel lively and calming. They stumbled upon a café nearby and decided to take a bake from the walk. The sun has been going down and it's almost nighttime, so they decided to get some small snacks before going back to the Mansion for dinner. They were greeted by the host and were given a seat at the highest part of the café. They were guided up to the very top and that part was full.
"It seems this place is full sir..." Alice said.
"No worries, Young Mistress...You will be having your meal right here." The host responded, showing the extension that had the 'reserved' sign.
"This is exclusively for you and the other Successors, Young Mistress." The host continued, bowing.
"Shall we enter?" The host asked, the Successors nodding.
As they took step onto the platform extension, it had a hood going up to the platform and lights, illuminating the table. It was an exquisite view, the sunset being seen from the distance. The platform being translucent with built-in rails for safety. They were guided to their seat and given the menu. The host stayed beside them until they were ready to give their order. They ordered a small sweet and savory platter with Milky Way Tea. The host nodded, repeated the order and asked for anything that they may have forgot. Before they said yes, Alice said that they'll also get a take-out box of assorted mini cakes to give something back to their parents and the Crystals. The host added the mini cakes to the order and told them to wait for a while.
"You guys sure milk tea is good?" Francis asked, not having to try one before.
"You don't to worry about anything, it's not poison." Adrion said.
"Am I the only one who hasn't tried milk tea?" Francis asked, everyone nodding.
"Don't worry Francis! Now you can try it with us!" Alice said happily.
"Y-Yeah..." Francis said embarrassingly while blushing.
"The sunset is...Really beautiful...Don't you guys think...?" Alistair said, all of them looking at the sunset.
"It is..." Alice said, smiling.
The Successors looked in awe at the sun setting down to the horizon. As the sun slowly disappears, the sky gets darker and the stars start coming into light. Their snacks and tea have arrived and they indulged until the night sky was completely shining with its stars. After their milk tea and snacks, they paid for their order and took the box of mini cakes back to the Mansion. They soon arrived and they still had time before dinner.
"We got something for you!" Alice exclaimed, The Crystals, parents and Acheros smiling.
"You didn't have to Dear...We were going to have dinner." Elizabeth said.
"We can have it tomorrow!" Alice responded, Elizabeth giggling.
"Like mother, Like Daughter, Am I Right son?" Ethan said going beside the boys.
"Yep." Adrion said.
"Why don't you go ahead and help your mother and sister with the cakes." Ethan said, Adrion nodding and walking away.
"Soooo...I heard that you two like my kids?" Ethan asked, smirking.
"O-Oh! Uhhh...." Francis immediately tried to be defensive. While Alistair was looking down and blushing.
"Hey, no need to be defensive...I just wanna know if you were serious in wanting to be in a relationship with my children." Ethan said.
"If you 2 get to win the hearts of my kids, I hope you can be able to take good care of them, alright?" Ethan requested, smiling. The two nodding.
"Anyway...You 4 will be the next Leaders from now on, so I hope there isn't anything you feel uncomfortable about." Ethan said.
"We don't have anything to be uncomfortable with sir." Francis responded.
"That's good...It took us a long while to see if you were perfect for this world. You all are gifted in many ways...And look to where you've all been through, you haven't graduated college and you're all Leaders of a Land." Ethan said.
"Not to mention that you all don't seem that hopeless when the Wilders came in." Finn said, walking along with Leon.
"Hi Dad..." Alistair greeted.
"Heyo Bud! How was earlier afternoon?" Leon said, asking his son.
"I enjoyed it." Alistair responded, smiling.
"How about you, Francis?" Finn asked.
"It was fun!" Francis responded.
"Now that we found you, it's time for dinner." Finn said, everyone going to the dinner table.
They all gathered around for dinner, the meal was as luxurious as they expected. They all talked about their day, having the lively atmosphere roam around the dining room. The Successors' big day is vast approaching and everyone is excited, but the Successors feel pressured now that the big day is almost there. So close yet still far, the Successors felt the pressure on their shoulders, and the nervousness within them as they will be entering their new life, as Leaders of a Land. They were all feeling happy and confident to take on the challenge before but now is the opposite. Dinner was finished and they all got ready for bed. They separated in pair like always, but they were all restless. Adrion and Alistair decided to look to through the window for a while, sitting next to each other and holding each other's hand.