Chapter 2: Valoran

As anticipated, Orario's peace was shattered by the Dark Faction.

Fortunately, Sol's Familia remained relatively unaffected. With only 20 members, he managed to keep Riveria's true level a secret, sparing them from grueling assignments and major expeditions. If they were ever to reveal an LV6 in their ranks, the guild's expectations—and demands—would shift dramatically.

In contrast, Familias relying on sheer numbers struggled daily, weighed down by the heavy cost of feeding and outfitting so many. With their weaker individual members, these large groups became prime targets for the Dark Faction. Attacks on Familia members were frequent, and some headquarters were even raided. Fear crept through Orario's streets as the once-safe city fell into panic.

To protect his people, Sol ordered his Familia to limit their outings. Having a small Familia had its advantages; Sol, who had a knack for hoarding supplies in his past life, had long stockpiled enough provisions to sustain them comfortably without venturing out. After all, his elven members were the Dark Faction's prime targets, and he would not allow these "little treasures" of his to be hunted by the villains.

Sol preferred to prevent danger before it could manifest rather than seek revenge afterward.

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In the villa courtyard, Sol sat with his eyes closed, but this time he wasn't resting; he was deep in thought, communicating with the parallel consciousness he had created within his mind.

The divine rules decreed by the Council of Gods prohibited any use of divine power in the mortal realm, with violators promptly exiled back to the heavens. To navigate this restriction, Sol devised a parallel consciousness capable of wielding divine power on his behalf—an artificial intelligence, in a sense, created to handle tasks he couldn't openly attend to.

The parallel consciousness existed with a singular purpose: to assist him in building a Familia of elite talent. Initially, Sol had struggled to find suitable recruits, until one day, inspiration struck.

Since there were few high-quality candidates in this world, he would create his own! 

As the inheritor of the Star-Forging Dragon King's power, Sol possessed the godly gift of creation. Despite his young age in divine terms, his power was enough to begin creating a world from scratch—albeit slowly. He set about reconstructing Valoran, the original realm of the Star-Forging Dragon King, and handed the monumental task to his parallel consciousness.

World-building, however, is no simple feat, and Sol heard nothing from his parallel consciousness for years. Had it not been for the ongoing drain on his divine energy, he might have assumed that the consciousness had, like him, adopted a leisurely attitude.

Now, at last, the consciousness stirred.

"Have you completed your mission?" he asked.

"The continent of Valoran has been constructed to a preliminary stage, current completion at five percent," replied the voice.

"Only five percent? Are you slacking off?" Sol shot back.

"Well, Aurelion, don't you think creating a world is a bit more complex than waving your hand and saying, 'Let there be light'?"

It dared to talk back… a mere parallel consciousness! 

The real Sol, still seated with his eyes shut, shivered slightly, feeling as if his own creation was mocking him.

"Alright, I get it..." Sol resigned himself with a sigh.

Why bother being annoyed at his own creation?

"How can you be so impatient?" his parallel consciousness chided. "You've done well just to get things started! Once the framework is in place, progress will pick up quickly."

"When can I summon the children of Valoran, then?" Sol asked eagerly.

"You can initiate a summoning now, but only one at this stage."

"Oh? Any one I choose?" Sol's eyes sparkled.

He imagined the powerful champions of Valoran—heroes like Bard, Ornn, or Soraka. With such figures in his Familia, he could dominate Orario with ease.

"Not quite. I've just finished Bandle City, so your summoning options are limited to a random yordle."

"A yordle?"

Sol's enthusiasm waned for a moment, but he quickly perked up again.

Even yordles were formidable compared to most of Orario's current adventurers. Characters like Gnar, Poppy, or Kled could make excellent additions to his Familia's frontlines—something he desperately needed, given his mostly magic-based, elven crew. A durable, damage-absorbing warrior would be invaluable. Finding a warrior among elves was as rare as discovering a mage among dwarves.

Then again, Veigar wouldn't be a bad choice either, Sol thought, his mind drifting into daydreams. Orario's dungeons were filled with monsters that would let Veigar stack his abilities endlessly.

"Summoning successfully. Summoned champion is the Fae Sorceress, Lulu!"

Sol stifled a groan, feeling thwarted. After all that hoping, he was left with… Lulu? His hints had gone completely unnoticed by the parallel consciousness.

"Lulu's here! Now behave yourself," the consciousness instructed. "Make a good first impression."

Admittedly, Sol conceded, Veigar might be mistaken for a member of the Dark Faction and attract unwelcome attention. Lulu was probably the wiser choice for now.

Accepting the situation, Sol watched as space twisted before him, and from the distortion emerged a pointed witch's hat. Shortly after, a small figure about a meter tall peeked out, clutching a staff almost as tall as she was. Hovering nearby was an even tinier, sprite-like figure, barely the size of a palm—Lulu's fae companion, Pix.

The moment Lulu's gaze settled on Sol, her face lit up with a delighted recognition.

"Are you… the God of Creation?" she asked, wide-eyed with wonder.

"You can just call me Sol, my dear," he replied, doing his best to convey the calm authority of a god, though the thrill on his face was hard to hide.

After living so long among the laid-back gods of the higher realm, Sol had grown indifferent to decorum. The gods here had always been casual and tolerant with their Familia, leading relaxed, carefree lives. Putting on airs now felt a bit strange.

Fortunately, Lulu, in her innocence, seemed oblivious to these subtleties. Her expression glowed with pure admiration as she gazed up at him.

"Please let me join your Familia, Sol-sama!"