Hi there! Oatmeal speaking, I ask you to check the author's notes whenever you see a "*" symbol. It explains certain ideas that might be confusing to the reader. Please and thank you!
The sun was rising, spilling light onto a bed in the middle of a room equivalent to that of royalty. The bed was large and elaborate. The mattress was soft and comfortable, the blankets were white with golden trims, and the pillows were the same. The bed frame was made out of pure gold and other precious gems. It was designed to look like dragons meeting each other in harmony. The tails wrapped around the bed and the heads of the dragons bumped into each other with a look of peace and love.
If this wasn't exquisite enough, the bed was floating. Well, that could be easily explained once you saw who was sleeping inside.
A man of his prime slept soundly inside, his hair a mess and eyes shut tightly. He had soft skin tanned to the colour of wheat and long, thick eyelashes. His hair was a golden mess, reaching to his shoulders and was skewed all around him. His lips were colourless and the bags under his eyes gave him a sad sort of look.
The man opened his eyes slowly and began to get up from bed. He looked around, observing the familiar room. A large window with yellow curtains gave the room a honeycomb hue. Books were lying on the ground and there were stacks upon stacks of scrolls and papers sitting on his desk.
The man sighed, "I guess my absence made the pile bigger…" He sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed. He walked over to his mirror and stared at his reflection. A pair of eyes with the colour of the galaxy stared back. His hair was a bird's nest and his complexion was sickly-looking. His nose was fair and straight, and freckles dotted his cheeks and bridge of his nose.
The man raised his hand and all of a sudden, a faint golden light began to shine around his hair. When the shine faded away, his hair was neat and proper. It was cut at an appropriate height, and the bags under his eyes had disappeared. His lips were full and filled with colour. His face was back to his handsome and sharp appearance.
Ah yes, the man we were talking about was back in his original form. It was none other than the god of all gods, Kline Gue himself.
Kline switched into his formal robes and slipped on white gloves with the heads of two dragons joined together embroidered on them. He put on his shoes and walked leisurely out of his room and into his palace.
The corridors were lined with large windows reaching from the floor to the ceiling, displaying the entirety of the main city of Heaven: Praie. It was literally named after the word "pray" for the simple reason that previous gods were not very creative.
The windows had yellow curtains and beside them were banners, each one depicting a different scene from previous marking events in history—at least, every single event caused by gods and goddesses. The floor was made out of smoothed-out quartz with a pastel yellow carpet stretched out across the beautiful and shining stone. On the sides were plants, vases, statues, and decorations of all kinds.
Along the way, there were also many different doors, each with its own style. One could be all flowers and butterflies, while another could have flames and spikes shooting out of it. And beside each and every one of them stood an unwavering guard. Maids, butlers, and housekeepers strolled around cleaning, helping, or fixing things in the palace.
However, one thing Kline noticed was that every time he greeted someone, they would always give a shaky or quiet nod and continue on what they were doing—almost as if they were panicking… but quietly? Kline found this all truly very bizarre, but he brushed it off in the end and continued down the hall.
He was making his way outside only to suddenly hear a voice call out to him. A woman's, at that.
"Your Highness!"
Kline turned around slowly to face the figure that had called out to him.
She was beautiful. She had long brown hair, and big striking blue eyes. She wore an elegant pastel green and white gown, displaying her long legs and powerful figure, with vines and chrysanthemums decorating the cloth. She had high cheekbones and plump, cherry-red lips. She had pale skin and a crown made of flowers and leaves perched atop her head.
This woman was Orthis Tark—the goddess of life and peace. Famous for her medicine and tranquil demeanour, she gives life and harmony to those who pray to her. Also because she was one of the "Big Five Deities." She was the weakest, but she played a crucial role in the health and well-being of the world.
"Your Highness! Thank goodness you're back!"
Kline looked at her with a confused expression. "Why do you say that?"
"Well… uhm… heh… follow me and you'll see."
She started to walk towards the door, the scent of flowers and strawberry fields flowing into Kline's nose as she passed. A guard opened the heavy door for the two of them before bowing.
The two stepped out of the palace and made their way down the three thousand stairs that led to the village of Praie. It was bustling with minor gods and goddesses laughing and making deals with each other, spreading gossip and drinking alcohol.
As the two passed through, everyone smiled and gave polite hellos and bows. The dancers laughed coyly and said sweet words to flirt with Kline before giggling like mad. Kline smiled and waved to everyone as he passed through, charming all that saw him—gods and goddesses alike.
"Come, through here," Orthis said.
She took him through an alleyway, a couple of blocks forward, until they reached a barrier. A manic one.
"What's this? I don't remember this being here," Kline asked.
"That's because it wasn't."
She stretched out a fair, pale hand to touch the golden wall. A small entrance opened to show the edge of heaven.
"We normally don't barricade this bit, but this is why."
Kline looked down, and his eyes widened with shock.
"What… What happened?…"