(The Eternal Garden, Maurissâs POV)
Once Mauriss found out that Raymond had ducked his formal invitation to meet, it instantly made him even more suspicious of the young man, as he headed straight to the Eternal Garden to talk about it to Raymondâs father, Kaelith.
Yet, to his astonishment, the instant he tried to cross the threshold of the Eternal Gardenâs divine realm, the domain itself rejected him.
As no matter how many times he attempted to force his way through, the barrier shimmered coldly and denied him passage.
"Kaelith... What kind of twisted jest is this? Open your gates at once, or I swear I will cut this wretched garden apart!" Mauriss thundered, his voice ringing like a blade, though the silence that answered him only sharpened his irritation.
What many did not understand about the Eternal Garden was that it wasnât simply a floating rock in the universe like Planet Granada, but rather a domain skill created by Kaelith himself.
The Eternal Garden was a skill move.
A paradise that Kaelith created for himself, and hence it was solely him who controlled as to who could and could not enter the space.
It was also precisely because of this reason that Mauriss did not believe that anyone could steal the moonshine flower from under his watch, because the entire domain was simply born out of his will, and stealing even a grain of sand from inside there was impossible unless Kaelith allowed it to happen.
"Alright, since you wonât allow me entry, Iâll chop this entire bloody domain downâ" Mauriss cursed, as he unsheathed his sword, when suddenly a small hole appeared in the barrier, granting him access to enter.
"Was that so hard?.... Thank-you....."
Mauriss said in frustration, as he sheathed his sword and made his way in, only to be surprised when he saw both Kaelith and Raymond standing side by side up there.
"Well, well, well.... If it isnât the little rascal who ignored my personal invitation...." Mauriss greeted, as he stuck out his tongue and began walking towards Raymond with a menacing spring in his step.
"Well, well, well.... If it isnât the bare chested god with no hygiene or dressing sense, that I did not invite here, but he rudely came anyway..." Kaelith snapped back, his voice just as thorny as the menace in Maurissâs step, as the two glared into each otherâs eyes.
For a moment, neither of them backed down, as Kaelith looked at Mauriss with fury, while Mauriss stared back without backing down, as for a change, he knew he was in the right here.
"Did you know your son avoided a personal invite from me?
Is that how you have raised your children?
Taught them no manners?" Mauriss accused, as Kaelith coughed in protest at the comment.
*Cough*
"Oh please, Iâve raised them well....
Iâm not an idiot, Iâve taught them since a young age to not trust Mauriss The Deceiver.
I say he did pretty okay to avoid your invitation.....
Why did you want to meet him anyways?" Kaelith asked, as he raised an eyebrow that made Mauriss chuckle a humorless laugh.
"Youâre going to play innocent even now? Boy I thought Helmuth has the thickest skin amongst the three of us.
But itâs really you, isnât it? Eternal Sovereign?" Mauriss accused, as immediately the facial expression on Kaelithâs face soured.
Maurissâs attitude and the righteousness in his tone could only mean one thing.....
And it was the one thing he desperately wished to hide for as long as possible.
"My apologies, Lord Mauriss. It wasnât my intention to avoid your invitation.
Itâs just that my father has instructed me to come seek his permission first before meeting other gods, so I simply came here today for the same.
And guess what, he did allow me to come meet youâ" Raymond said, as he intervened between the Two Gods and tried to defuse the situation before it escalated any further.
"Oh is that so? Is that why you were here boy? Really?" Mauriss said in a sarcastic tone, as he threw his hands up in the air as if he could not believe that this drama was still going on.
"What is it Mauriss? If you have come here with a specific grievance, say it now.
If not, please leave us alone.
Like my son said, I already permitted him to come meet you in private later.
So if thatâs all youâre here for, you can leave....." Kaelith countered, as Mauriss perked up his lips and began clapping slow thunderous claps.
*Clap*
.
.
.
*Clap*
.
.
*Clap*
He deliberately took his time between each clap, as he tried to stir as much drama as possible, while alternating his gaze between the duo.
"You got me Kaelith. For once, I truly canât tell if youâre just ignorant or oversmart.
But for your sake, Iâm praying youâre just ignorant.
Because if you know that your son is a Demi-God, but are still trying to play innocent.... Then I guess thereâs no other option for me and Helmuth but to raise our weapons against youâ" Mauriss accused, as immediately the sun died out from above the Eternal Garden, plunging the entire domain in pitch-black darkness that was only broken by the rolling thunder overhead.
*THUNDER*
*THUNDER SOUNDS*
"What nonsense are you spouting Mauriss..... My son is not a Demi-God, heâs just a Monarch, so unless you have concrete proof of his ascendance, Iâd suggest you remove yourself from my domain right now.... Or we will have a war between ourselves today," Kaelith threatened, as he retrieved the origin metal daggers from his soul space and grabbed them tight in his palms.
"Youâre a literal master of aura yourself Kaelith, whether your son is a Demi-God or not, you only have to ask to confirm, for if he lies, his aura will turn black.
Yet, if youâre too proud to do that, then Iâm not going to be bullied around either.
If you want war... youâve got war...." Mauriss replied, as he unsheathed his own sword and held it in his left hand, before retrieving the unrefined slab of Origin Metal and holding it in his right, as he reminded Kaelith that he was no longer the only god in the universe with an Origin Metal object in his possession.