The weeks passed rather happily in the Sky Citadel after the three managed to learn World Sight. This new energy didn’t show an immediate influence on their lives, but I had faith that it would be able to help them in the long run. I had become distracted enough enjoying a vaguely normal life that I had even forgotten about the time.
Tsubaki had told me about the new great chef that had begun serving the rest of the Greater Pantheon, and how she had been learning some new cooking techniques herself under him. When she asked me if I wanted to visit him, I politely declined. Rather than going to the greatest chef, I felt like it was more than enough to enjoy what Tsubaki herself made. Though, it did explain why her cooking had become so much better after I had descended this time.
Before I knew it, the world around me had completely frozen in the middle of our dinner. Once I realized what was going on, I let out a mental sigh, my mind going to the food now on the table. It would be several days before we got back here to finish this meal, so I was somewhat bitter about having to go. But more than that, I was happy due to what I could expect.
The warm light wrapped around me, bringing me to the Admin Room. There, I could see everyone already gathered, wearing various suits and dresses. There was even a black suit hanging up on the wall that seemed to be for me.
With a smile, I snapped my fingers, the suit flying at me and instantly replacing the clothes that I had previously been wearing. “Do we have anything for the other three?” I asked, and Terra nodded her head.
“They’ve had it ready in their storage items for a few days. Once we get to the meeting, we’ll find somewhere for them to get changed.” She assured me, causing me to let out a sigh of relief.
Manipulating the menu, I chose to bring the three girls along with the rest of us as we left for the annual Keeper Meeting. As usual, a golden door appeared along our wall, opening to allow us entry. We wasted no time in passing through, greeted by a surprised Tsubaki, Lifre, and Dana on the other side.
“My Keeper…” Tsubaki began, but I simply shook my head.
“Sorry, I lost track of the time.” I apologized sincerely, to which she offered a low bow. As we turned and walked towards the ever-growing city created for the Keeper Meeting, I felt someone brushing up against my side as they passed us by, the back of their hand tapping against my own.
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Donna has transferred 1 point to your balance. |
I turned my head to look at the black-haired woman that quickly passed by the group, confused by the random point. However, before I could say anything, Terra placed her hand on my shoulder. “It’s a way to identify people.” She said subtly, causing my brows to furrow.
It took several long moments before I realized what must be going on. Talon said that she was going to hire someone to keep an eye on BloodBrother during the meeting. Did that mean that they were just going to shift through the crowd like this, brushing against everyone until they managed to transfer a point to BloodBrother himself?
It was a… viable strategy, I guessed, and allowed them to find someone who may have an irregular form. Either way, I shook my head. There was no need to dwell on that subject. One way or another, I would be able to find out the details from Talon later.
For now, my mind was more focused on the upcoming event. We had already discussed our plans together as a group. First, everyone would gather to share a meal together, before the ceremony itself was held after we found the venue.
It was, admittedly, somewhat backwards compared to weddings in my old world, but I felt that was okay. It had been a long time since everyone gathered together to have a meal, and even Chel had appeared to join us for the ceremony. The only people still left in the Admin Room were Ashley’s new team, who were receiving several days of free vacation.
Thus, the group quickly made our way towards the restaurant that always seemed present in these meetings. As expected, we saw quite the crowd moving in the same direction, everyone wanting to sample the dishes prepared by the system itself.
Once inside, we were guided by one of the serving staff to a large table that seemed to almost be prepared specifically for us. Once we arrived at it, the ‘privacy’ filter was lifted, and we could see a white cloth covering the table, eighteen sets of silverware neatly laid out. I gave a small smile, sitting at one side of the table with Terra to my left, Irena to my right, and Ryone right across from me.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I made our order in advance.” Terra said with a mischievous look on her face, her tail coming up to wrap gently around her wrist. “System Companion perks and all.”
“And you were able to get away with that?” I retorted, unable to hold back the chuckle that escaped me.
“It didn’t involve invading anyone’s privacy or providing information that you weren’t allowed to have, nor did it empower your world in any way.” She stuck her tongue out as she said that.
As I was wondering what she had ‘ordered’ for us, I saw the door to the ‘kitchen’ opening, a golden-haired kitsune walking towards our table wearing a black and white suit. “Is that..?” Aurivy asked with wide eyes, though Terra shook her head.
“I just asked for someone with a similar appearance and style. This isn’t just any dinner, after all.” She said with a soft chuckle, the waiter soon approaching and entering the ‘privacy filter’.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.” He said with a polite bow. What confused me the most was that he did not seem to have any dishes with him. In fact, he didn’t have anything from what we could see, making it look like he had come to take our order rather than deliver it.
That is, until he started moving his hands. Tears in space seemed to open with his movements, streams of light coming out of them to dance together. First, these streams of light rotated in circular patterns, flying like frisbees to each of our eighteen seats. When they landed, the lights seemed to shatter, turning into fine metal plates with a flowery pattern along their edges.
Next was a swirl of silver lights that spun around the table, depositing tall wine glasses for each of us. I widened my eyes at the realization that this was as much a dinner as it was a performance. The man seemed as though he were conducting an orchestra, the lights dancing and humming with his every move.
White, pink, and red lights came together, swirling and mixing into a cloud before him. I could see traces of yellow and brown added in, before the cloud moved over the center of the table. First, a large metal plate was formed, before the cloud began to… create rain?
Red liquid poured down from the cloud in scattered droplets, falling onto the plate before rolling off to the side and stiffening, looking like a ring of red icing. Thunder resounded in the cloud as the rain mixed with white and brown, showering the plate like a true storm.
As the liquid fell this time, it seemed to dance together like watered down paint, the white liquid moving to the edge and forming a ‘fence’ that kept the rest of the liquid in a circular shape. This fence rose higher and higher as the storm continued, but my eyes were drawn to the smiling kitsune.
His hands were already moving again, black and white lights intertwining to form four figurines that stood at the far edge of the table, near Tryval. Of the figurines, there was one male in a black suit like myself, a winged woman in a beautiful black dress like Irena, a catgirl in a white dress like Terra, and an elf wearing a red dress like Ryone.
The first of the figures to move was the one representing myself, who moved towards the large metal plate as if he were walking. No, in fact, he had truly become animated. As he neared the plate, some of the white liquid seemed to spill over, forming stairs for him to climb.
The further he climbed, the further the pool of solidifying liquid rose, until it had become at least six inches thick. At that point, the brown rain ended, the liquid solidifying into what seemed like a soft texture. The last of the white rain poured over to form a solid layer, before it too ceased, leaving only the red which had begun to decorate the sides.
Once the male figurine had arrived at the top of the structure, he turned, holding his hand out towards the three women. Without hesitation, they began walking forward in unison, their dresses trailing behind them on the table. They reached the icing stairs, climbing it just as the male had done, and stood with him at the top.
Finally, the four figures walked to the center, surrounded by a red circle and numerous heart-shaped patterns, and joined hands together. As soon as they did so, the scene seemed to freeze, the figurines no longer animated. They stood atop the chocolate cake, smiling at one another and linking their hands together.
I sat there, stunned as I watched the scene. It was honestly breathtaking to see an artistic presentation like that, and yet the kitsune did not seem to be finished. “Since we have the cake prepared, shall we get to the main course first?” He asked with a smile, a gentle fog washing over the table.
Where this fog passed, food seemed to simply manifest on our plates. Admittedly, the servings were not large, but that was likely to make sure that we all were able to enjoy the cake. For myself, there was a single thick sandwich with a small side of fries. Looking over at Irena, she had a softly shining spiritual pasta. Terra had… unsurprisingly, a fried fish. And Ryone had a nice salad.
Finally, in each of our glasses was a sparkling clear liquid, no doubt some form of wine for us to enjoy. As such, before we ate, I stood up at the table, lifting my glass. “Before we begin, I’d like to say a few words.”
The kitsune waiter stepped back, leaving the privacy barrier now that his job was done, while everyone else directed their gaze towards me. “First, I would like to thank everyone for joining me here today. I know that each of you has your own interests, your own goals that you would normally be seeing to at this time, so I want you to know that it means a lot that you all came here without hesitation.”
“Each of you has helped me throughout the years, and I would like to take a moment to recognize that.” As I said that, I turned to look at each of those gathered here in turn. “Tryval, you were willing to go against the wishes of your own people to help stabilize the relationship between the centaurs and halflings, and helped your daughter behind the scenes with the establishment of Sher Dien.”
“Tubrock… you single-handedly created the Sky Citadel, an icon recognized by the entire world as my symbol. Whenever we have needed something, you have been there for us. Your golems have become an important part of our world.”
“Bihena, you have been helping to manage the relationships of countries throughout the various worlds since your first appearance. The country you established still lives as one of the three great empires of humanity. Where others might shy away from confronting me about their issues, I know that you will always be willing to tell me your mind, and I am thankful for that.”
“Aurivy, your work in managing the dungeons has allowed our worlds to develop in ways that I had never imagined. Just the existence of a being like Tower was completely outside of my expectations. While you may be mischievous at times, I can honestly say that I don’t know where I would be without you helping me.” Aurivy gave a small grin, flashing a thumbs up at that.
“Ashley… not only did you have to get adjusted to a new life as a companion, but you helped me by managing an entire world. More than that, you have gone above and beyond to help me with the system of our world, and are still working to improve upon it.”
“Leowynn… you were with me personally for quite a while. It is no exaggeration to say that you have died for me. Twice, in fact. We shared our journeys together, and I am overjoyed at the thought of sharing even more adventures with you in the future. Just try not to overwork yourself too much.” Leowynn dipped her head shyly, though I could see her bright smile.
“Scarlet… you haven’t been with us very long, but you have perhaps been following me longer than almost anyone. The daughter of my blood, who built an entire empire and ruled with dedication to her people. When I told you what it would take for you to join me, you did so without hesitation, showing me just how much you wanted us to all be together.”
“Chel, you may not be a deity for our world, but you are by no means unimportant. Your research together with James has reshaped the lives of every person living within our realm. I am proud to call you a friend, and hope you will continue working together with us in the future.”
“Tsubaki, Dana, Lifre… the three of you have worked hard to maintain the world from the mortal side. Tsubaki, I have legitimately lost count of how long you have been with me. Your presence has just become so natural that I can’t imagine you not being there, waiting for me when I descend. Dana, your innovations in magic design have helped improve our lives, and frankly have helped keep Tsubaki sane. Lifre, what can I say other than the fact that you have breathed new life into the Citadel with your sheer energy?”
“Keliope. You keep your achievements mostly hidden, but I know that you have helped foster the growth of martial arts in every world. The signs of your work are evident to anyone that knows what to look for. Without you, I truly believe that martial arts would have fallen to the wayside in the face of all of the different classes available.”
“Accalia, our huntress. You have personally trained me time and again, ensuring that I was strong enough to stand against whatever enemies I may face. Whenever I encountered a dangerous situation, I knew that I could count on you to help provide me with some insight.”
“Udona… I know how hard it was for you to take on the mantle of God-Queen of Deckan. You, who would prefer to spend your days in relaxation and enjoying various games, taking on such a major responsibility for your friend. You paved the way for divine rulers across numerous worlds, and the honest effort you have put in has brought no end to my joy.”
After saying all of this, I turned to the only three people left at the table whom I had not addressed. “Terra… you were the first person I encountered when I became a Keeper. At first a silly maid-like personality, you quickly grew into my most trusted companion and guide. Even when you left me to my own devices, I could always feel you watching over me, ready to protect me if things got truly dire.”
“Irena, Ryone… the both of you are well aware that I instilled feelings in you for me at your conception. However, even after this realization, you continued to foster those feelings on your own. It would have been so easy for either of you to turn away from me, but you didn’t. Both of you waited, continuing to help me in any way you could. Ryone with her magic research, and Irena… I did you a great disservice by asking you to remain in the Underworld for so long. The fact that you never resented me for that both warms and befuddles me.”
“I am glad to be able to share this day with each and every one of you.” As I said that, I took a drink from my glass, finally sitting down.
