The Young Lord

A few hours earlier…

A young boy hopped as he walked through a hallway, humming to a tune as he bounced along with excitement. The boy had a happy demeanour with short, curly blond hair that matched to give his smooth fair face the spotlight. This lad was simply handsome.

As he went about his business, he came across a figure a distance ahead of him. In excitement, he jumped and waved enthusiastically at the female figure walking towards him.

"Adonisaaaa!" he exclaimed, continually waving his arms like an expectant child.

Hearing her name, Adonisa's heart skipped as she now noticed the little boy's presence, having been lost in thought as she was walking.

"Huh? Lord Er—" her eyes grew extra wide with surprise, "Lord Eros?"

The boy with curly blond hair moved toward her, quickly closing the gap between the two of us. Before Adonisa could say another word, the little boy had circled her in high-speed motion, nodding and humming as he examined the high priestess of Venus.

Adonisa could simply stand and stare cluelessly as Eros spun around her like a child on a sugar rush, her eyes blinking several times in a second as her long hair danced to the wind generated by Eros' movements.

"Lo-Lord… E-Eros?!" she blurted out before the young lord halted in front of her and rubbed his chin in curiosity.

"You look lost, Adonisa," Eros mentioned and in the next instant he bounced up with his eyes sparkling with even more curiosity. "Did you…? Did you find interesting people this time, Adonisa?"

Adonisa was struck speechless by Eros' energy that she could barely keep up with the boy. She glanced at her young lord and then smiled.

'Is this what the maiden priestesses meant by him disturbing for some information on the climbers?' Adonisa thought, recalling the piece of information that had been relayed to her before going to meet the climbers that appeared on the first floor. Had it not been for Venus' special request, it would have been one of the maiden priestesses doing so, per usual, but the goddess needed them in her service for a moment.

Eros clenched his fist and threw his hands frantically as he grew impatient with Adonisa's silence. "Tell me! Tell me!"

Adonisa dramatically put a finger on her lips and looked upwards, raising Eros' anticipation as he waited for an answer. "Umm… let's see…"

"Uh…"

"Come on, I'm sure there's at least one or I will be disappointed," Eros interrupted.

Adonisa chuckled, seeing how Eros had gotten to the edge of the cliff with his patience. 

"...About 8 of them or more, Lord Eros. There are quite a number this time around," she said with a slight bow.

Adonisa goes on to give the young lord of the first floor the reports of her observations and findings about the climbers currently on the Floor of Love.

The young blond-haired lord paid particularly no heed as Adonisa spoke. Nonplussed, he listened to the high priestess until she made mention of something that struck a nerve.

Eros' lips curled up into a smile. "A troublemaker?" he muttered before bursting into laughter and rubbing his tummy.

"I'd love to meet that one, hahaha. He must have been really troublesome for the rest to want to kill him."

Adonisa responded with a carefree shrug and bowed, maintaining the position. "Forgive me, Lord Eros. I have to hurry now."

Eros stepped aside and extended his hand forward as a sign of his permission to her leave.

As Adonisa walked past the young lord, she couldn't help but wonder why he was so excited and interested in knowing about the climbers. From what she had been told, it seemed like it was a game of fun to him.

"One more thing, Adonisa…" Eros stopped the high priestess.

"Yes, Lord Eros?"

"Don't tell anyone where I'm off until I'm down there already, agreed. Well, except for mother since I know you cannot refuse her. Got it?"

Adonisa bowed again. "As you wish, Lord Eros."

"Good."

The young boy continued to hop on his way through the hallway, humming excitedly in anticipation of his descent to where the climbers had been kept on the first floor.

"I hope they are fun!"

*********

At the cafeteria…

"What is your name?" Eros asked the young man who had helped him with his indecision.

Although hesitant at first, Daniel finally decided to answer to avoid prolonging the conversation.

"Thanatos."

'Just like the death god's, hehehe! No wonder the death god mask. Is he a worshipper?' Eros' head danced frantically as he smiled. "Thank you for helping me, Mr Thanatos. My name is Eros…"

Eros' speech was halted midway with his lips parted as Daniel walked past him. The climber had no care in the world for what he was about to say next.

As far as Daniel was concerned, his chat with the young lord of the first floor had ended.

Eros shut his eyes and took in deep breaths and just in a few seconds, his eyes were forced open sparkling with admiration. He was surprised that Daniel paid him no attention whatsoever because that behaviour in itself was rare.

Gods, like himself, were used to people fawning over them for what they could offer.

'What an interesting guy! I wonder if his attitude will change once he finds out who I am,' Eros thought while standing still and observing Daniel walk away from him. 'Maybe I will make him one of mine… my priest.'

As Daniel walked through the rows of seats arranged in the cafeteria, his eyes searched for free spaces until he found one to occupy.

'What a weird boy,' he thought, sneakily glancing toward Eros' direction, his mask perfectly hiding his gaze. 'At the same time, the aura around him isn't ordinary. Seems like freaks of every kind have been gathered here.'

Daniel looked around the cafeteria, observing the different kinds and races of persons that surrounded him. Had David's recording not prepared him beforehand, he might have been shocked at seeing all these races in one place at the same time.

Thud–!

Daniel lifted his mask up to his nose to expose his mouth and as he was about to eat, a loud thud made sure to distract him.

The climber looked at the culprit and sighed. 

"You again?" he said, subtle frustration hinted in his voice.

Eros flashed him a grin and nodded repeatedly. "I have something to ask you."

"..And what's that?" Daniel responded, his lack of interest clearly expressed in his tone.

The young lord leaned forward. "Wanna play a game?"