Leon stared in mild amusement and confusion as the blond boy quickly put aside his discussion with the two boys he was speaking with and raced after Elena.
“Elena, do you know this guy?” Lance asked the obvious as he and Elena came to a stop in front of Leon.
“Yes, I guess you can say so.” Elena nodded. She did not know Leon all too well, as they had just met that day at the Mercenary Association. After that, she had been busy with the competition and they were not in the same Zones even.
“You guess?” Lance gave her a skeptical look.
“We only met before Divinity’s Bout started!” Elena pouted and defended herself. “Anyway, hi Leon.” She beamed.
Leon quirked a brow because he was left speechless for a moment.
“Hello. It’s good to see you survived. This is your friend?” Leon did not know how to act all of a sudden, and he felt the air was a bit awkward with the blond boy glaring at him. So he simply rubbed his nose and asked a question.
“Oh, this is Lance. He is a friend I made during Divinity’s Bout.” Elena introduced Lance. The boy simply folded his arms and continued to stare at Leon.
“Nice to meet you, I guess.” Leon shrugged as he saw Lance was not in a chatty mood.
Just then, the space ahead of the group shimmered. With a suddenness, three people appeared in front of the group. One person stood at the front of the other two, and he was familiar to Leon and Jet.
Michael had appeared with two other Gods beside him. All three of them were Minor Fate Gods, but amongst the three, he was the one with the most power and the highest standing. The three of them were responsible for overseeing the proceedings of the Tower of Trials in this Bout, so they were the ones who had set up the floors and the boss. That was also why Michael was able to use his Divinity to craft a boss specifically for Leon.
Silence reigned as everyone regarded the Gods that had appeared before them. To others, they already knew that these people were Gods because of the pressure they felt from them, and because they had already known about it from the teachings passed onto them before. Leon, however, aside from the pressure, was able to tell their identities because of Michael’s presence. The God ignored him, though.
“Participants of Divinity’s Bout. Congratulations. You have proven your worth in our eyes, and surpassed trials untold in order to snare our attention. You already know the procedure. You can make any wish to us, and it will be fulfilled. There will be no loops to your wish being fulfilled, and we shall grant your heart’s desire.” Michael took the lead. He opened his hands and looked at the participants as he spoke. “You may choose to speak one on one with us, or announced your wish for all to hear.”
After that, the three Gods floated backwards and thrones appeared behind them, which they sat on, waiting for the chosen ones to make their choices. They knew that they would have to wait a while, but they did not mind. After all, what was time in front of a God? If days and weeks could pass by in a moment’s notice to them, then what was a few minutes?
As the Gods retreated, the chosen people began to deliberate amongst themselves. Before long, a lady who looked to be alone floated forward. When she arrived in front of the thrones, she went down on one knee and expressed her wish to the Gods. No one was able to hear what she wished for except the Gods.
“Hermina Starling. She is an upcoming star in the Bluestar Peninsula. Only C rank, though.” Richard nodded in admiration. It seemed he also held some respect for the woman. As he spoke, Moses floated forward as Hermina left her position. Then he took on the same position as her, only that he did not bow his head.
With his head held up proudly, Moses proclaimed his wish for all to hear. “I wish for the innate talent and strengths of the Vampire race to be strengthened!”
Moses had always kept the advancement and the good of his race in heart. Even though he was not accepted by them for his affinity for Light magic, he did not hold it against them for some reason. His statement shook the hearts of all who heard it. The Vampire race was already a very powerful race. For them to be strengthened again would change the delicate balance around the world!
“Your wish shall be granted.” One of the Gods nodded and waved his hand, sending Moses away. A few others went forward one by one, before Elena turned to go up. Her wish was private, so Leon was not able to hear what it was. After a while, only Leon and Richard were left. Even Lance had gone up.
“Alright, I’ll go up now. We’ll meet again after this whole thing is over.” Richard gave Leon a mock salute and floated forward. When he arrived before the three floating thrones, his entire demeanor had changed. His pride had all but vanished, and he had a subservient look to him as he went down on a knee, head bowed forward.
“I wish for my mother to come back to me, well and alive.” Richard spoke in the most solemn tone he could muster. His shoulders were slumped forward in a kind of defeat that made him look vulnerable.
“Your wish shall be granted.” Michael spoke with a neutral tone. After speaking, Richard stood up and floated back with a solemn look on his face. That playfulness that always lingered around him was nowhere to be seen.
“Just you left.” Michael looked at Leon with a questioning expression. He was waiting for Leon to come up and make his wish. As he was the last one left, there was no need to waste time.