"Talking about a plot twist…" I mumbled to myself. If that was the fate for the winner, then the deaths of me and my students in my previous life, died for nothing. We made it to the top and yet our fates ended in death. Our consolation prize was our lives... to think of it as that, made my whole sense of view demoralizing.
Roha, who was eyeing me, caught onto what I was feeling and returned the comfort that I gave to her. She scooted her chair closer to mine, the side of her chair scrapped mine when they collided. She held my hands in hers and rubbed them. Her eyes were soft as she gazed into mine.
{"Look at the loving couple,"} snickered Lucifer from my side. {"Our little princess has found someone and as an uncle, I couldn't be more proud. It seemed like it was just yesterday, when we last saw her and she was only the size of a loaf of bread. Why do kids grow up so fast. My daughter as well, one minute I was holding her in my arms, cradling her to sleep and the next minute, you see her sleeping with more guys than there are fingers on my two battle worn hands… isn't that right honey?"}
Lucifer looked to his wife who gave a little chuckle.
{"I couldn't believe my little baby could handle all those men. It sure was a sight to see. I just hoped, as a mother, that one day she would find someone, just like I did, settle down and bear me some grandchildren. The feeling is the same for you too, my sweet little princess."}
Lilith flicked her eyes from her daughter to Roha as she spoke.
Roha blushed at Lucifer and Lilith's words but Lucilia didn't.
{"Father! Mother! What are you guys saying?! I can't believe you two would say such embarrassing things, in front of master, little princess and everyone else in this great hall!"} Lucilia hastily blurted out in an attempt of damage control.
Her face was bright red, almost crimson as she tried to catch her breath.
Both girls had a different shade of red, Lucilia showed a deep hue of red whilst Roha showed a heavy blush of pink. Even though both was embarrassed by what Lucifer and Lilith had said, the feelings of embarrassment behind the blushes were complete opposite.
Roha was embarrassed but took it as an compliment whilst Lucilia took hers as an insult.
"Not to disrupt this interesting conversation and really, I find it fascinating but I have a question?" asked Tavish who leaned back on his chair a bit. Roha responded with a nod and he asked, "what's this game you keep talking about? I'm intrigued by it."
{It's a series of challenges. I don't know what the challenges consist of since the games changes every time. Gods who decided to participate in the games with their chosen champion or champions will display their skills in the challenges. Which ever gods and champion makes it to the coliseum will battle it out in a final duel to take the crown. Champion versus champion, god versus god for the crown. My grandparents under all odds, won.}
"Wait. If the winner becomes the new leader of the gods, then how did your grandfather take the role? Shouldn't the position be given to your grandmother?"
{Yes, the role was given to my grandmother but, to the shock of all the gods in the council, she told them, that her goal was only to stop Razu's plan on the destruction of the human realm and that this accomplishment couldn't be achieved without her champion, Lofis. So, she gave the role to my grandfather. Of course there would be an uproar but my grandfather handled it like a true leader.}
"I guess that makes sense… So if that is the scenario, then that would mean boss will compete in the games and if he wins, you will be the next leader of the gods? But from how I interpreted the meaning behind your words, you have no desire to become a leader. Tell us, what do you want to achieve with boss by your side and with us as his support?"
{You're very clever, Mr Tavish. You saw right through, everything.} Roha bit her lip before taking a deep breath. {My true intentions… is that I… I want my family back. They took my parents. They imprisoned my father and I have no idea where my mother is.}
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she tried to wipe it away but every time she did, the stream of tears would still continue to flow.
In a moment of vulnerability, she let heart talk.
{When I found my parents missing, I ran to the council in hopes that they would help me find them but they all just laughed. They said that my father had to pay the consequences for my grandfather's actions and that when a new leader is crowned, no mortals shall be able to enter the God's realm again. They said that my family is the poison that had corrupted the sanctuary of the Gods. They said…}
Her voice wavered as she bit down on lips so hard, it looked like she had drawn blood.
"Don't force yourself to say anything until your ready. Just let your feelings out first and then talk." Tavish tried to console her. "Boss, I suggest you should lend your shoulder for her to cry on."
I did just that and pulled her in. She pulled herself in closer, closing the gap between us, if there was one and I could hear the soft inhales and chokes as she cried.
"You don't need to hold yourself back or hide when your upset, let yourself feel the emotion, I promise you, you will feel better afterwards. I said the same thing to my daughter and she cried until she couldn't cry no more."
"What happened, why was she crying that hard?" Asked Marlos eyeing Tavish who just brushed off what Marlos was trying to imply with his question.
"Her mother left us for a new life. That bitch left my daughter all alone when I was at work. She walked all the way to the palace to find me. Thank god, the guards knew who she was since I sometimes bring her to work on my day offs. She was only eight at the time. I raised her all by myself until she was old enough to join us. I planted myself full force into my work to support us. I wanted to do a good job so I could give her the life she wants. Which was why I was the person I was before boss changed me. Changed me back. I was like two different people back then. A loving father to my daughter and a mate to my friends but when I was on the job, I changed, not around my teammates but by the job itself. You saved me boss, you took away that side of me and for that, I thank you. Not only that but since I brought up this topic, I'm planning to bring my daughter into our fold, for her to join Baihu. Is that alright, Boss."
"Of course, all she has to do is pledge her loyalty."
I saw a faint smirk on his lips for a split second and wondered why was it a smirk and not a smile. I see all my companies as an one big family so if anyone's relatives would like to join, I have no problem with it. I wondered if Tavish had another motive for her joining…
"Now that the weight has been lifted off my shoulders, I will now say my thoughts on this matter. And also I will be brutally honest about it. Goddess, from what I gathered and pieced together during this meeting so far is that everything your telling us is true however, your not telling us everything. You don't have to tell us right away, you can just listen to my question and nod or shake to answer. The reason, for your punishment, was not because of recent events was it?"
Roha instantly froze in my arms. I couldn't see her face but I could feel an aura coming from her. She didn't move from her position or say anything but only shook her head to answer Tavish's question.
"How did you know about that?" I asked. Roha told me about her being in solitary confinement when we first met, when she first told me about the mastermind system. I was also in the hospital ward at the time.
"I've overheard your conversation with the goddess back at the hospital." Tavish admitted as he scratched the back of his head. "I didn't mean to ears drop but I felt it was like fate back then as it solidified my resolve."
{I'm glad for your resolve.} Roha finally spoke. She was not on my shoulder anymore and was now sitting up right, her face showed an expression of seriousness. {And you're right, I've been withholding information.}
Roha turned her head to me but her eyes didn't meet mine. She was looking everywhere except on me. Her eyes however did wander to my hand. She trailed a finger along my hand and smiled.
Her eyes suddenly looked up from my hands to my eyes.
{I broke one of the most sacred rules in the gods realm. The cheating excuse was a mis truth.}
"What rule?" I asked as I felt a sharp pang in my soul.
{I meddled in the fundamentals of life. I changed history.}
"Oh?" My eyes widened.
{Like how my grandmother observed my grandfather, I was observing you. I watched in hopes to choose you as my champion. I watched you and your students climb the tower and I watched your deaths. From my observation of you, like the history of my family, I've grown an interest in you. I couldn't bare to see you die so I did the one thing that would've collapsed the whole entire God's Realm and that was to use a part of myself to do a soul rebirth.}
"Soul rebirth?"
{Yes, you were reborn back into the moment you came to this world.}
"And what's the consequences for such a feat?" Asked Tavish.
Tears fell from her eyes as her lips quivered.
{It tears my heart to say this but…" she lifted my hand and placed it in between her breasts, to the middle of her chest but shifted a bit to the left, directly over where heart is and I felt how quickened her heart beats were.
{You're now bound to this world, you're bound to me. You can never return back to your world…}