Taking a deep breath, he spouted "Okay, I'll accept it"
Airi was once again in the middle of an everlasting starry space. Both the lion and the man were also there. He grinned at Airi in his declaration.
"There's no turning back to this..."
"I 'am well aware" he said confidently.
The man beamed at him and stood up from his throne for the first time that Airi saw him did. He advanced toward him as Airi looked at him with determined eyes.
"Why? What changed your mind? I thought you don't like the idea of it?" He asked.
"Do I really have a choice?"
"I gave you two" He said as he raised two fingers
Air however, didn't see it that way. He was somehow confused that he said it was choices when there's not really any difference between the two. And so, he asked,
"What's the difference? The results will be the same either way. And besides, it's such a waste to not accept it...I mean, I don't wanna waste dad's effort." He said, not looking in the man's eyes. "And another thing, the Celestial kingdom won't be going through that much effort to survive for nothing. And I know that you haven't told me anything, but I'm sure something might happen if the Celestial Kingdom suddenly ceased to exist."
"I'm impressed! You really are such a bright child." He said with a grin as he ran his hand through his hair. "You see, when the humans found out that they can't use the children's magic for themselves, they decided to just get rid of it without even thinking about the consequences of doing so. They were all self-centered. As such, you're the very first one to actually thought about it. Even the previous head of the Darkrose only did that out of pity. You might actually be my favorite one."
"Favorite? I thought that your weird, but you really are weird..." Airi said in disbelief of what he just heard. "...just what are you exactly...?"
The guy looked at him for a moment. "You've asked that question already before, and I didn't answer it. Do you actually expect me to answer that now?"
"That Airi isn't me and I still don't remember that child being me at all, so consider this my first time asking you that question. And didn't you say that I was reborn?"
HAHAHA!! The guy burst out laughing in his reply. "Of course, of course, I shouldn't be telling anyone about this, so listen well..."
"Whoa! You're actually telling me?!" Airi was astounded.
"Isn't that what you want?"
Flustered, "I--what--no, t-that isn't what I meant. Y-you don't have to tell me, I-was just...you know...I was just kidding."
"It's fine" the man assured him. "I am a deity"
"Deity!? I thought they weren't real!?" Airi gaped at him.
"Deities are real and every world has one except for Harmonia. I 'am the god of the Celestial realm, it's ruler. I 'am known as Astraeus, some refer to me as Tianhuang, while others call me Amatsu-Mikaboshi. I 'am both the first two, but the third is me but not me."
"What do you mean?" Airi asked in confusion.
"Just call me Astraeus, I much prefer that."
"Your asking me to call you by name?" he asked again, starting to feel it improper. Astraeus however, thought otherwise.
"Yes, and only you"
"Why?"
"Child, you ask too much questions"
Airi sighed, "I don't know what you guys see in me, but fine, I'll let you off for now." He said that despite knowing that it sounded ridiculous.
As he pondered for a short moment; a question struck his mind. "Wait, how many deities are there exactly? How come Harmonia doesn't have one?"
"Harmonia doesn't have one because it was artificially created by magic. Technically, Harmonia would be the sixth world and it was real, but it was still created by the combined powers of the ten races that were still existing. As for the other deities, there was a total of four. The deity of the world of knowledge, Tenjin, or Wenchang Wang, or whatever names they call his or her. The deity of death and the underworld, and I. The fourth one was the goddess of fate, known as Clover. She is but a secret, no knowledge about her is known, and not even the god of knowledge itself know anything about her. But it is also believed that there was a fifth, the greatest one of all they said."
Airi continued to stare at him, unimpressed. He thought that the guy was ignorant and did not even know about his fellow deities.
"I like you a lot, but don't stare at me like that." He warned him. With a sigh, he decided to explain things to him. "Having too much information about the other gods will disrupt the order. Especially the fourth and fifth. The only we can get is as far as their names, what they're capable of, or what their world was like was out of the question. We may be allowed to have connections with the world of Clover, but the valley was out of bounds, and going there was as impossible as a normal being for us. As for Harmonia, it doesn't have any god, so learning about it was just as easy. And for that same reason as well, that we, the other worlds can have connection with it. As far as you've already known, some individuals in Harmonia can have access to the world of knowledge, and the Celestial children are here as well." His expression turned grim all of a sudden "The hell is here as well."
Airi just looked at him with baffled expression. He clearly doesn't understand the whole different worlds, deity, and boundaries mean. Astraeus understood though, he did not expect the child to understand the things that was beyond his comprehension. After all, they are taking about different worlds here, different universe, and just some different planets in a galaxy.
He placed a hand on the boy's cheek and the latter merely looked at him.
"From this moment on, you will not be only as a child of the Roses. You shall raise your head high and stand both as a Rose and as a Celestial child; their newly crowned prince; Leo."
In his words, the golden lion gracefully bowed to him and glowed as it disappears somewhere inside of him. Airi's eyes glimmered and turned into a vast, limitless galaxy with thousands of stars glistening with the sign of Leo. Airi glowed brightly, illuminating the limitless place.
"May you not regret this decision. The path you shall take and the future is never easy. I 'am warning you to be careful, something you do not desire shall happen sooner than you expect. Be vigilant..."
"Hey, wait!"
Airi called out, but the place started to disappear and he was once again awake from his dream.
He was at his room and it was already evening. The sky outside was darkening from orange to dark purple. Sitting up and staring at the window, and scowled.
"Damn you self-proclaimed king! You're always leaving me hanging!"
*have respect, I 'am now also your king from now on*
Astraeus voice rang in his head. Accepting to become Leo gave Airi a connection of telepathy with him that he can speak with the boy whenever he likes.
Airi though didn't like it. "GET THE FREAKING OUT OF MY HEAD!!"
***
"Milady, the young lord truly accepted the Celestials' power."
A hooded man said, bowing to the lady before him who was looking out of the window.
Her lips forming a beautiful arc, she said. "Very well, you are dismissed."
"Yes, Milady." The hooded figure disappeared instantly in the shadows.
Airi, you sweet child....I pray that Clover shall not make you regret this decision. I cannot be with you as I thought I could, but I wish that the three of you will take care of each other, as the children of Roses, and as the rulers of this vast empire.
The lady thought as she continued to look through the window.