Chapter 219: Trouble is coming.
"Dina." Sol called her from the portal gate waiting as Sara went through while guiding Uriyu and Gia. "Do you want to stay behind?" He asked jokingly then raised his head in shock when Dina vanished from in front of Eve like a phantom and appeared at his side clutching his arm tightly and pouting.
"That is not funny." She huffed waving at Eve once more as the gate began closing before them.
"I'm in way over my head here aren't I?" Eve smiled as she saw the swirling mass of energy close silently and then fizz out in a pop.
[You will be fine, you need only adhere to your agreement with master, I will tell you if anything important happens, as I said before you have been marked as an ally thanks to your friendship with Dina.] Alpha disappeared from her sight and spoke through the window to her.
"If they are all the organisation was, then what does that make me who wanted to be a part of it?" She asked and for a moment Alpha was silent.
[You are a good person, Eve, and I do not mean that based on your name turning blue recently, I am easily able to read the hearts of individuals and discern their true nature, you are an ideal candidate for acting in their absence.] Alpha replied while Eve left the estate seeing the doors, windows and other entrances close off while the staff was on the retreat.
[Before leaving, Dina had suggested you fill their role.]
"I'm only human though!" Eve snapped in terror as she thought about the responsibility that was suddenly being left in her lap. "I can't do what they do-"
"Not now, no." Alpha walked from behind a tree and continued walking next to her. "You will not be alone, I have carefully selected other candidates across the globe who would be of great help to you, all major decisions are going to be made by myself as the acting power that be in master's absence, you will simply be the face of the organisation, while I monitor everything from the shadows."
"You have the right to refuse and live your own life, it was only a suggestion, though if not you, I do need someone else with knowledge of what is out there to keep the earth in check." Alpha added and Eve stared at her watching the gates close slowly behind them. "What is your choice then, Eve?"
"Can I at least think about it?" Eve rubbed her forehead.
"Of course, I will give you until the end of the week before I choose another candidate and begin their briefing." Alpha smiled at her and then disappeared again.
***
"The hall, the hall!!" A man ran out of the Hall of Heroes on D'ol alarming the visitors entering as well as the guards while others evacuated as well. "Something is happening, the statues of the heroes are looking at us!"
"Looking?" A guard asked, seeing more and more people leaving in a hurry before one woman ran out and stopped at the entrance panting. "Ma'am, are you okay?" The guard asked her and she smiled at him.
"It is just as before, sir, I was here that day when they returned, I remember it well, I was one of the lucky architects commissioned to make those statues alongside others by the god of creation; Adonai.
The glow in the eyes predicts the appearance of the heroes back to Arkadia!" She grabbed the guard's collar and shook him excitedly. "Lord Vestic, Queen Ikaris, Lady Levina, Lady Amastacia, and Lady Takae have all returned!" She grinned at him seeing his excitement slowly rise before those who heard her took off towards the only place they expected the returning heroes to be.
"Is there a riot?" Eris stood on the balcony of her palace staring down at the gathering crowd by her gates a few hundred metres away. "Go and find out what's happening." She turned to a maid next to her, taking her child as the woman curtseyed and left calmly.
"Milady!" The maid rushed back into Eris's room excitedly and following her was none other than Usami, who came to a stop as soon as she saw the half-elf in her grasp.
"Ikaris, you never mentioned that she had a baby, what the fuck?" Usami looked around and began walking again, making space for a heavily pregnant Ikaris and then the others, as well as a man she didn't recognise who had a little girl on his shoulders.
"I wanted to keep it a surprise." Ikaris laughed at her shocked face.
"What's..." Eris stood stiff staring as they all approached her; Dina arrived and hugged her first while the maid took the child to the corner of the room and secured a seat. "What's going on, why is everyone already back here, is Earth..." She left her question unfinished as she stared at Ikaris's belly. "It's only been two months you're a balloon!"
"Two months on Arkadia, is nearly six on Earth, Eris." Usami spoke directly to her and the healer froze and lowered her head. "It's been seven years since I last saw you, or rather... Eight, since you didn't see me off." She approached and stared down at the shorter woman. "How have you been?"
"Usami, I... um," Eris fumbled with her words when Usami held her hands. "I'm sorry." She slightly shuddered. "I'm really sorry." She pressed her forehead against Usami's collar when she hugged her.
"Don't sweat over it, it's in the past, and I'd prefer it be buried there for good." Usami held Eris tightly and then looked over her shoulder at the others who shared a warm smile. "You're still such a crybaby, I thought you'd be a whole different person y'know."
"I-It's not that easy to change!" Eris sobbed in her embrace.
"God... stop already I want you to meet them." Usami released her from their hug and gestured that the two come forward. "Eris, this is my little brother Uriyu."
"Ten years..." Eris wiped her eyes and smiled up at the man before her. "By the gods, you're already an adult!" She took his hands and then pulled him into a hug as well.
"Is this okay?" Uriyu asked looking over Eris's head at his sister.
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"Of course it is." Usami raised a brow at him.
"Is this your daughter, Uriyu?" Eris looked at Gia who was a tad uncertain about her as a new person, holding Usami's leg and hiding behind her. "She is adorable..."
"Um... I'm here uncle," Uriyu answered and Eris's eyes almost bulged as she snapped back up and looked at Usami with her mouth agape."
"Holy shit, how old is she?"
"She just turned six a few months ago," Usami answered still slightly perplexed by the topic. "Her name is Gia..."
"I thought you said you'd never have kids, but here you are with a beautiful little girl, I hope her father is-"
"Eris, I'm sorry to break up your excitement there, but this isn't a casual visit, we have a serious problem." He interrupted her from saying anything further while she observed Usami's expression grow sombre and somewhat dark as her hero crest pulsed a menacing crimson as opposed to the blue light it once had like her Dina's and Ikaris's.
"Usami, your crest..."
"We can talk about it later." Usami looked at the door along with everyone after Sol walked off.
"Let's go, Dr'ul's waiting for us."
"Me too?" Eris stood in the middle of the room watching them leave.
"I wouldn't have come here first if I didn't want you to at least know what's about to happen, there's a chance that even you will have a crucial role in the future." Sol answered from outside waiting for everyone to leave and then walking behind them.
"Sol." Dr'ul stood at the bottom of the stairs waiting for them along with S'mael the god of Destruction, Ana'el the goddess of Love, Renia the goddess of Chaos, Samu'el the god of Time, Ashera the goddess of Beasts and Adonai the god of Creation. "Ikaris!" She stared at Ikaris, shocked. "What the cosmos..." She mused reaching out and taking Ikaris's hand as she descended the staircase.
"You called urgently, was this the issue, is there a problem with..." She gestured to Ikaris's belly.
"Ha-!" Sol almost started laughing when he realised that it had indeed started after Ikaris's first complication with the baby, but with the gravity of the situation he closed his eyes and cleared his throat, regaining his composure while they all looked at him.
"Straight to the point then." He gestured to the seats in the lounge, waiting for them all to sit before he took a seat opposite Dr'ul next to Ikaris.
"What is this urgent matter you mentioned upon arrival, which requires the immediate attention of the gods?"
"There's been something of a disastrous development, for you, Dr'ul, Renia, and others like Gadriel and Gabriell." Sol gestured to them.
"By others you mean the gods who are fragments of Ikaris?" Renia asked, hitting the nail on the head with her first guess. "Are we in some kind of danger?"
"Yes, actually," Sol replied, taking a breath and looking at Ikaris who nodded. "To begin with, it's come to our attention that Ikaris is not a goddess, not in the traditional sense of divinity, she is a higher being known as a Celestial, and you; her descendants, are all in danger."
The room registered silence as Dr'ul's eyes slowly widened upon this bomb dropping in her lap.
"What?"
"Trouble is coming, power like we've never seen before.