Chapter 16: The Pavilion's Summit

Somewhere in a distant realm, a vast domain was floating in a starry void. Despite the seemingly uninhibited realm, that one domain was not formed naturally. That was man-made; an artificial floating castle and garden. This realm belonged to the gods, which supervised and controlled the new world. Each god had their own domain, which they created as they pleased, and this particular domain belonged to none other than Ardion.

The castle and its garden seemed like a nice cosy area to rest. It could have been the property of any normal lord; however, there were some small differences, such as the size. Ardion's domain was much larger than the new world. The castle alone was taller than any mountains that man had ever seen, and it was white as snow.

The garden which surrounded the enormous caste was filled with magical herbs, plants and trees. Due to the high density of power in the domain, mortal would be evaporated in a second, but that power allowed these plants o grow and evolve. Some plants managed to evolve to such a degree that they developed consciousness. However, the owner was not interested in these special plants, not even in those which have managed to develop consciousness. The whole garden was only for show.

In the centre of the vast garden, there was a slight pavilion. The structure was alone; nothing else was around it; not even a path was established. The structure was made of white stone-like material, and it was emitting a dim light. The pavilion was of a much smaller size than the castle or the garden; in its current state, it could host, at best, a dozen standing people, along with eight sittings, as in its epicentre a circular table and around it eight chairs was placed. Everything in the pavilion was made of the very same material, even the furniture and its base.

The structure was quite minimalistic in terms of design, as it only had twelve pillars, which held its roof. However, its glory was not from its circular shape or simplistic design but its material and its purpose. It was established to hold meetings between other gods and serve as a link to their realms.

Two of the seats in the pavilion were already reserved and were being used. Ardion, in his usual attire. Besides him, a seemingly young child sat. She was sitting right next to Ardion and was even leaning onto his shoulders. The girl was wearing a Gothic Lolita, which was mostly black mixed with a slight orange colour. The girl had long, straight red hair and an innocent but joyful smile. She had her closed as she used Ardion's shoulder to rest; she was Ardion's wife, Lusstul.

"Ardi, don't you think you mislead that guy, Solo? I kinda feel sorry for him. " Stated the girl with a slight giggle.

"That might be true, but you do know how much I like playing; also, don't say that it was only me who had some fun... You are no better than me! Although your actions were not direct, his life will be greatly influenced by it!" Replied Ardion with a smug smile as he looked at his wife.

"Hmp... Have you already figured it out? You seem to pay very close attention to that man; however, I only made his life more... Pleasureable." Replied the girl with a wide smile.

"Yes, I can see that, but it may only be pleasurable for you. I don't think he will enjoy that you have slightly altered every single follower he has... You love playing Cupido, that I know, however, he is an important figure, so I do hope that despite your little trick, he will do what must be done... After all, not many men would be able to resist..." Mumbled Ardion with slight annoyance in his voice.

"You know how difficult it is to hold back, especially your new when it comes to your new toys. After all, I am the Goddess of Love! And you are the God of Games." Replied the girl with a childish tone.

"This is not a laughing matter... He is no simple toy; he is our valuable asset; some minor plays and tricks are acceptable, but we need him... He is the reason that the others, hopefully, will come as well." Replied Ardion coldly, and he glared at the girl's head.

At that moment, the Goddess's eyes widened as she felt Ardion's gaze. That girl was filled with fear from that simple gaze; Ardion didn't do anything but simply look at his wife, and she was terrified to the point that she wasn't able to move or even speak.

"I hope you understand what I said... I gave him a little push, but we must aid him; otherwise, my brother would win... I can already tell that a Spawner has been planned to test Solo... Although I am sure that he will be fine for now, he still needs to grow!" Stated Ardion kindly and ceased his gaze.

"But Ardi, if he still needs to grow, why did you choose him and not someone else?" Asked quietly the now sweating girl once she calmed down.

"Let me ask you this; why do you think I chose him if he needs to grow?" Replied Ardion and looked at the top of his pavilion with a smile.

"Because he is cute? Perhaps?" Answered the girl with a slightly mischievous grin but quickly covered her mouth with her hands.

"Not funny!" Muttered Ardion and gritted his teeth.

"Fine, fine! Because he was the first one to challenge you in your little game?" Assumed the Goddess and snuggled closer to Ardion.

"You only see the surface, nothing more! He alone did that, while others failed even with large groups... You see, every character which they could choose from had a secret ability, which needed immense work to attain... He was the one and only one who noticed that and completed the requirements to unlock that skill. But of course, that was only a portion of my reason..."

"I could have waited many more years to find others who would find it... The main reason I chose him was due to his special trait... He can grow... That is why I said he needs to GROW. In his mind, he is still a human being, but his body is that of a level 155 shadow with great powers... From what I have gathered, although that was nothing but a game, he was able to adapt to the situation."

"Once he grasps the four main elements, he will be of great help to us... But he needs some motivation. I have called today's assembly for that very reason... Our guests are quite late as they usually are... I should have expected as much, but still..." Explained Ardion.

At the end of his explanation, Ardion took a deep breath, and then his wife, Lusstul, stopped using him as a pillow and finally sat up.