Chapter 3: Heaven At The Ready

"Now that all of you are here, it is time."

"Yes, your Holiness!" everyone exclaimed in unison as they prostrate themselves in front of Lucent.

Lucent stood there watching everyone for a moment, in awe of his creations. He never thought of the day when he would ever be in a situation where he could converse with them. He thought of them as his family, he did modeled them after his foster siblings and foster parents after all.

Vlad reminded him of Vincent, his stern oldest brother. Atlas reminds him of Arthur, the second oldest and a gentle giant like their foster father Oliver who he modeled after Om. Lilith was modeled after Lucy, Keith's oldest foster sister, and like Lilith, that woman turns into a monster when crossed. Adam was modeled after Adam his youngest brother, a silent type who keeps to himself and likes reading books all day. Gabriel was modeled after their foster mother Gabbie; Keith saw her as a protector of the family. Romon was modeled after his fifth younger foster brother Ruel, funny enough he is also a priest and when angered could even rival their older sister Lucy. He looked fondly at his memories with his foster family, but a pang of sadness washed through him as the thought of not seeing them again crossed his mind. He quickly shook off the thought seeing that this was not the right time to wallow but rather the time to survive this whole ordeal.

Opeter and the rest watched their master the supreme being, Lucent Morningstar, tentatively. They could feel myriads of emotions in the air, making them nervous. They could not fathom why His Holiness was so deep in thought, for all they knew he was thinking thousands into the future about what they were to do.

Lucent had a thought cross his mind, 'What if I use the call option and try to see if there are others who were transported into the game like he was, or is this not the world of ROTHOF but rather a new world?' He decided that the former assumption was incorrect seeing as there were two suns in the sky, there was only one sun in the game. He tried calling one of his in-game friends with the user name 'TouchMeNot'. A reference to a literary book that one of his forefathers wrote back on earth. As expected, the call did not go through, at first, but suddenly it did. Keith was delighted and was filled with joy. 'Maybe there were other players after all!' he thought, only to be disappointed when the voice beyond wasn't TouchMeNot but rather Sebastian instead.

"Your Holiness, I was about to call you first but you beat me to it. I apologize for my tardiness."

He sighed and then answered Sebastian. "It is fine, tell me what you have learned."

Opeter and the rest observed the conversation between His Holiness and someone on the other line. Opeter suspected it to be Sebastian, remembering the conversation earlier in the throne room. When the conversation between His Holiness and Sebastian ended, He then addressed his subordinates.

"Everyone, I am glad that you are all able to make it," Lucent said with a deep voice. "Vlad the Impaler, the guardian of the first ring, the ring of Humility." Vlad rose and looked proud of his moniker and position. Lucent continued to call the guardians of the rings and they stood proudly as he called each of them by their name, moniker, and position. "Atlas, the second ring guardian, the titan who holds the sky, the ring of Generosity. Adam the wise and first man, the guardian of the third ring, also known as the ring of Chastity." Everyone snickered inwardly, it has always been a running joke amongst the guardians that the man, Adam, with his lore being the first man and who has started all of humankind would be given the ring of Chastity. But Adam heads it no mind, he is proud of his duties and as the guardian of the ring of Chastity. "The mother of all demon kind, Lilith, the first woman and the guardian of the fourth ring: Charity." Lilith stood as she lifted her vale, underneath was an otherworldly beauty. Lucent couldn't take his eyes off her she was that beautiful. He cleared his throat and continued. Lilith knowing that she could make the supreme being react that way because of her beauty, smiled, making her more stunning to look at.

"The fifth ring's guardian, the ring of temperance, the herald of nature, Om." Om stood, towering everyone. How he entered the coliseum with its doors far smaller compared to Om's size is a mystery. "The guardian of the sixth ring, the ring of patience, the Masquerader, Romon." Romon stood. "The last ring's guardian, the seventh ring, the ring of Diligence, the holy gatekeeper of heaven, Gabriel." Gabriel stood and an eruption of golden light burst from his back as a pair of golden wings protruded, emitting a holy glow similar but not as bright as Lucent's. "And lastly, Opeter, the overseer of all the Guardians, the World Breaker."

"Show off," Opeter whispered so only Gabriel could hear. Gabriel just smiled at Opeter and chuckled lightly.

"You might be wondering why I have brought all of you here, I have a question to ask… what do you think about me, let us start with Vlad moving up till we reach Opeter."

Everyone looked at each other before Vlad started.

"You are the most powerful Supreme Being." Vlad the Impaler said with a Serbian accent. "No other beings can best you." He continued.

"I see…" Lucent hummed in contemplation.

"You are the best strategist, everything that you do has a purpose," Atlas said in a rumbling bass voice.

"His Holiness is a wise ruler of Heaven," Adam said.

"You are the most handsome being that I have ever laid my eyes on," Lilith said with a slightly flirtatious look on her face.

"Your Holiness is gentle like mother nature but could be as ruthless as her as well, so His Holiness is a force that far exceeds nature," Om said.

"You are kind and generous your Holiness, earlier you gave me water thinking I was parched, A true sign of a great ruler. A ruler that I would gladly lay down my life for." Romon said bowing deeply.

"I may be called the protector of heaven by you your Holiness but the true protector of Heaven is you," Gabriel said with a surprising British accent.

"And lastly, Opeter, what do you think about me?" Lucent asked, smiling at Opeter.

"You are the sun that shines bright into these lands and our hearts. You are a majestic being that embodies strength and power, at the same time humility and kindness, I see you as Heaven itself your Holiness." Opter said with a deep bow.

"Thank you for all your answers, I am truly honored to be your master."

Everyone looked happy at hearing these words from their master, even Vlad couldn't suppress a faint smile. Amidst their elation, they pondered the purpose behind His Holiness's unexpected query, but their contemplations yielded no answers. They really can't fathom the mind of a supreme being. For Lucent, a sense of relief washed over him, realizing he had struck gold with his idea. Two birds with one stone. It was a stroke of genius, serving a dual purpose: firstly, seeking the NPCs' perceptions to guide his own behavior, to act accordingly; and secondly, observing their interactions to glean insights into their dynamics. He keenly noted Opeter's jest towards Gabriel and the subtle snickers at Adam's expense, all part of his strategy to unravel the intricacies of his surroundings, vital for his survival.

Right then, Sebastian made his entrance into the arena. With purposeful strides, he approached their Master and offered a respectful bow before joining His Holiness at his side, leaning in to whisper what he had observed transpiring outside. Everyone sneaked a glance at each other before putting all their attention back to their master as He spoke.

"As expected," Lucent said with a sigh. "Sebastian, relay to them what you have witnessed outside."

With a nod, Sebastian started to speak.

"We are no longer at Fenrir, as you might all have surmised," Sebastian announced, earning a confused expression from Lilith and Om, gesturing towards the sky. "We now find ourselves under the gaze of two suns, in addition to the one that reigns at the center of heaven." Everyone looked up including Lucent.

Heaven, a celestial realm comprised of concentric rings encircling a white dwarf star similar to a Dyson sphere, though not as vast as a true white dwarf, still commands a formidable presence, akin to the size of a moon. Within this celestial domain, night is unknown, as the city basks in an eternal day.

"Beneath us lies not the familiar sea nor a sprawling expanse of fertile lands, but rather a vast empty vacuum of space –we are in space." Sebastian continued.

"This can't be!" Vlad exclaimed.

"What does this mean?" Lilith asked to no one in particular.

"There must be a good explanation," Romon said.

A slew of whispers and outcry could be heard from the guardians.

"I demand SILENCE!" Lucent roared making everyone fall silent immediately. A moment of silence passed then Lucent continued. "As what have Sebastian said, we seemed to have found ourselves transported into a different world." Lucent sighed. "Romon, as a specialist in espionage I will task you to gather more information, I'll employ Galilei the imperial astronomer to find what's out there, work with him," Lucent commanded. "Adam, heighten the security and fortify our defenses, you will be working under Opter as we are on high alert for attacks."

"Yes, your Holiness." Adam and Opter said and bowed in unison.

"I ask you all for your input on how we should conceal our presence," Lucent asked his guardians.

"What if we use an invisibility spell to conceal heaven," Romon said.

"That would be too costly, it will cost us 10 high-grade data crystals per 30 minutes to cover the entirety of Heaven." Opeter countered.

"Adam has an idea your Holiness," Vlad interjected, hearing his name, Adam jolted and shyly looked at everyone.

"It is just a silly thought your Holiness don't pay it any mind." Adam said shyly as he scratches the back of his neck.

"It is for me to decide Adam, now tell us this plan of yours." Lucent said fondly at Adam.

"I just thought that maybe we could use fog as cover or in this case, space dust, to obscure Heaven from preying eyes. It won't cost as nothing since it's already there, I'm pretty sure that Om can guide the clouds to cover us." He said with a shrug.

"You dare suggest that we sully the perfect clean streets of Heaven with dust!?" Lilith shouted.

As the lore of these two goes, they don't get along. In the story of Eaden, Adam and Lilith were the original man and woman, equals in every way. However, Adam's desire for dominance over Lilith led to her defiant departure from the Garden of Eaden. 'It's intriguing how the narrative I penned seems to have woven its way into their lives, shaping their interactions as if it were their own tale unfolding before us.' Lucent thought.

"Enough, I will judge if Adam's suggestion is worthy or not," Lucent exclaimed, silencing Lilith.

"Yes, your Holiness, I apologize," Lilith said downcast.

"You do have a point Lilith, but I shall allow Adam's suggestion. It is the most feasible solution right now to our immediate problem."

Lucent said with a glint of happiness in his eyes. He never thought of the day that he would be asking his NPCs for strategies, he is delighted to know that they really do have a mind of their own. But his happiness soon was shattered with a feeling of nervousness. If they can think for themselves, how long will they follow him? He shook the thought out of his mind. 'This is not the time for that, I'll let future me handle that can of worms.'

"That will be all, the rest of you, go back to your respected rings and await any further notice."

"Yes, your Holiness." The all said in unison and knelt down.

With that, Lucent teleported away from the arena into the throne room. No one inside a player's domain can teleport, this was made so that no players could automatically reach the heart of another player's base without any permission. In Heaven, only a select few are able to teleport inside the realm and that include the Ring's guardians.

As his Holiness teleported away, They all breath a sigh of relief. Opeter stood and the rest followed.

"That was amazing!" Lilith excitedly cooed. "Did you see His Holiness' aura? So intimidating and so powerful!"

"As expected of a Supreme Being, He is indeed something to look up too," Om said

"He was also so kind too, He gave me water thinking I was thirsty after fighting that earth dragon!" Romon exclaimed.

"Did He? I'm so jealous of you right now Romon." Adam interjected.

"Oh, please Adam, stop whining." Lilith said.

"Enough you two," Vlad interjected before the two of the fought.

"She started it!" Adam pouted.

"It was really a sight to behold," Gabriel said, fondness in his glowing eyes.

"It really was." Atlas and Om concurred.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your musings everyone but since my work here is done, I shall go back to His Holiness' side." Sebastian said.

"Yes, you do that," Opeter said. As Sebastian bowed to everyone and walked away, Opeter looked at everyone. "Now everyone, you all have received your orders from His Holiness, make haste in accomplishing it," Opeter said with a stern look on his handsome face.

"Yes, Opeter!" Everyone exclaimed except for Lilith.

"Is there a problem Lilith?" Opeter asked raising an eyebrow.

"None, your Highness" Lilith said venom in her voice.

Lilith had always been jealous of Opeter, as He spend more time than the rest of the other guardians with His Holiness.

"If none then leave!" Opeter said smugly. When Lilith did not move, Opeter said it once more but allot more authority in his voice. The ground shook and the pressure in the air seemed to double, making everyone shake including Lilith. "Do I make myself clear, Lilith." Opeter said still applying enormous pressure on everyone, the pressure got so strong that Adam and Romon had to knelt down.

"Yes, Opeter." Lilith said defeated.

As if it were all a dream the pressure was no more and everyone could breathe easily again.

"Defy me next time and I will be not as kind as I am today."

With that, everyone left.