A being, or certainly, a woman, greets them.
It was a woman with crown-like golden-black horns with two pairs of small white wings on each sides of the head. The clothes she wear are plain and simple, but something exaggerated.
As if, the universe was her veil to cover her face, as if covering the secrets, inside is only plain white light to light inside. With the plain slender gown as if made of light and darkness itself.
She just standing still under the tree, but for Eruhaben and Raon, who are dragons themselves and sometimes interacts to the Gods, baffled at the woman's suddenly appearance.
First, they never feel her presence, as if she never existed. And second, since when?
The sudden pull of his group makes Cale baffled to sudden situation. They protect him from behind, and only he look at them with weird expression.
"…Why are you guys pulling me behind?"
"Human, that woman is dangerous!"
"We're protecting you as you are weak!"
"Noona is right!"
The children respond to his question.
"Even I live for 1,000 years, I still can't detect there's someone here." Eruhaben said, protecting the children and Cale from behind.
The way they protect Cale makes him speechless. Muttering in silent, "…Are you guys trying to throw your lives away?"
Of course, they hear him muttering. They shifted towards Cale, makes him flinched.
"Human, you're the one who's throwing your lives."
"What do you mean?" He's completely dumbfounded to Raon's sudden comment.
'Throwing my lives away? How would I dare to throw my precious life as my dream as a slacker still unfulfilled?' Cale scoff in thought.
"Don't worry." He put his hand on Raon's black hair, "That's the God who supervise the test."
[[Supervise to prevent suicidal ways, you mean.]] The woman, or the unknown God, sneer.
A sudden shiver occurs at Cale when he saw Eruhaben and the kids look at him viciously. But he ignore it. He pass them by, On tried to stop her guardian but she stop midway, letting Cale pass them until he reach to the unknown God.
"Here's the veil." He pass the veil towards her. Her white hand turn to transparent hand once leave inside the veil, she took it.
Once reach in her hand, the veil that seems to be maid of silk and thread shatters like fine glass. The fragments didn't fall, it stays floated in her hand.
[[Touch the tree in front of you to begin the 5th test.]] She said in neutrality, [[This time, the 5th stage is special. It is important power and also the most dangerous to hold.]]
[[Once you begin, there's no turning back.]]
Cale thought for a moment. He look at his group who is worried at him, especially the children. Then he look back at the unknown God.
He ask the question that bothers him the most, "You said that I will bring some people this time. But…why?"
[[You will know soon.]]
"…You always being mysterious." He clicked his tongue before he look back at the group, "Take care of the kids while I'm taking the test."
Eruhaben look at the Stoic Cale before he sigh, "…Unlucky bastard."
He ignores him before he went towards the tree. He look up to the branches that connects to the stars, then back to the trunk. As he was about to touch the tree, a sudden shout of a child called out,
"Human! If something bad happens to you, I will destroy our house! After I destroy our house, I'll destroy the continent! After I destroy the continent, I'll destroy the whole world!"
"After I destroy the world, I…I'll destroy myself! Yes! I'll destroy myself!"
'What a vicious 6-year-old!' Cale jerks in fright and just accidentally hurt himself by hitting his hand so hard on the tree. Light envelops him till he turns to specks of starlight, absorbed into the tree.
[[…]]
The unknown God just went silent till her other hand raise. With a slight tap on space, cracks forms and grows bigger, until pieces of fragments falls.
A scene shows through the cracks reveals in the eyes of the group. It was the scene outside the domain, and this happened in the Harris Village.
[[Time ha no concept in this domain of mine. But only a day happened outside.]] Said the unknown God. She enlarge the scenes where Geno was in the study room. [[You can see what happened to your world while waiting for the test end.]]
The average 9-year-old kids look at Eruhaben to confirm before he nods. They look through the cracks, showing what happened to the other side.
____________________________________________________________________________
Geno was skimming the papers on the study room, and besides him is a middle-age woman wearing a full set of black clothes.
"As the paper says…a fire suddenly started at the Maple Castle?"
"As the paper says."
"Then, did you secretly send the Ygdrassil Brigades to help the Whipper Kingdom?"
"They are on their way to help Toonka."
"Then…" Continuing skimming the information, he ask, "Did you investigate the Maple Castle?"
"Still in initial investigation as my troops still searching the origin of it. I suspected that there are still some bombs that didn't detonate." She said as she look at Geno completely checked the information.
"Thanks for the information, Freesia. I'll give it to the Lord once he came back." Geno gave her a gentle smile while Freesia internally shivers.
'Why is he smiling like that?' As an assassin, Freesia enable to distinguished the real and fake. The gentle smile that Geno gave is a fake one. She wondering who makes the right-handed man of their leader pissed for.
With his monocle glints in coldness plus the shadows under his front hair makes the Butler more vicious and scary. He only gently spoken, "You can leave now."
Without any time to waste, she hastily left the study room with no sound and traces left. Geno recheck the information before putting them along with his monocle under his suite.
Leaving in the study room, he went down to the stairs and left the Villa. Soldiers and builders are working to rebuild the Harris Village along the damages caused by the pillar of light that fall into the night sky a week ago.
While he passes by, everyone greets him in respect and goodwill, being close to him as a good friend. His white-gold ponytail flutters at the passing wind, contrasting his handsomeness.
After giving some instruction to the soldiers and workers, he left them do their work as he proceed. Walking in the dirt road till reaching in the wall separated from the Forest of Darkness, went to the other side, and proceeding to the forest.
Anyone may confuse to why the Butler like him entering to such dangerous place but to Geno, there's a reason to it.
Once Geno feel that he have gone far enough, he suddenly spoken, "Sir Ron, for what reason for you to spy on me?"
His piercing cold voice contrasting his stiff face. He slight turn, an old man ina Butler suite jump down to the tree and stand upright not far from Geno.
Ron, Cale's former Butler, also has a stiff face unlike his usual benign smile. He carefully look at the young looking Butler who serves the puppy young master after he left.
And just earlier, after Cale left, he can see that the young master trust the young Butler before he left.
While he spy Geno in the study room, he happened to hear Geno and Freesia's conversation about the Whipper Kingdom's status. That, he concluded…
Cale owned a large scale of forces of information gathering.
Ron knows that Geno already feel his presence, he follow him to the forest, and have a proper talk.
This time…
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<Behind the Scene: Order's Vers. + Author's talk>
Reality: Is it ready?
Order: *Nods*
Origins: Begin to take a break for a month?
Reality: *Nods*
Order: Everyone is. Cale agree to this too. He already take a break at home with his family.
Reality: Well, beauty rest is needed. Also, I needed to finish my modules.
Order: So, you're still busy…
Reality: *Nods*
Order: Come on, let's go.
________________________________________
Check out my new published book <The Golden Tale>, each chapter are introduction of stories that I plan to publish…
…or not.
There are just drafts that are collecting dust on my PC.
So let's meet again in a month…or much longer than that…dear readers.
Adios~
- GQuest_Creations