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Fiere and Aeolus soon brought me to a large hall. There were many statues of what seemed to be Gods all surrounding a beautiful spring, where glistening aquamarine water flowed everywhere.
In this spring, there were three Goddesses which seemed to resemble… mermaids? They were all playfully swimming through it, jumping, and chasing each other like children.
They looked young as well…
All of a sudden, the three of them stopped playing around as they greeted me, eyeing me with their bright eyes.
"Ooh! Look!"
"That girl… isn't she Aquarina's friend?"
"She is! She is!"
Wait, what? Aquarina?
"You've met her?" I asked.
"Of course!"
"We have!"
"She's our bestie!"
"Aquarina… came here before me?! Oh god, I hope you didn't scare her!" I could not help but say.
"She was very scared…"
"She even cried a little bit…"
"But we apologized for scaring her, and she got through it."
The three mermaids always spoke continuously, as if their minds and thoughts were connected.
"Oh, these mermaids know your friend? Aquarina is a girl that came here just a few hours ago. She's also a Heroine… but she didn't join the Sunshine Pantheon, these three Goddesses are only visiting this place because they like our spring… they belong to the Ocean Pantheon," Fiere explained.
"Nice to meet you! We recognized you straight away! The name's Amatheia!"
"I'm Amphinome. It's a pleasure to see you."
"Aquarina is a cute girl~! Also, my name is Amphithoe!"
"These three girls are only three of the fifteen Nereid Goddesses. Think of them as Fairies of the Sea, although their actual names are Nymphs. They come in all sorts of forms, some attain divinity by being born as Spirits, while others are born from the love between various Gods… these three girls and their other twelve sisters are all children of Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea," Fiere told me.
"Oh… I almost get it, I think," I said in response.
"Fiere, you don't need to bore the girl with so much info!" Amphithoe could not help but tell her.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're so boring…" Amphinome agreed with Amphithoe, letting out a sigh.
"W-What?! You mischievous girls, head back to your Pantheon already. Your older sisters will begin to worry about you three, you know?" Fiera could not help but let out a sigh after that.
"Indeed! Go, now!" Aeolus nodded in agreement.
"Ugh, they're right…"
"Okay, bye!"
"See you some other time, dearie~!"
The three mermaids then jumped into a portal made of water that emerged out of nowhere in the middle of the air. After passing through it, they were gone, just like that.
"Ahem. It seems that Aquarina is your friend, no? I suppose all children of the Heroes are being given the title now…" Aeolus could not help but mention.
"Indeed. It's quite sad to give them the titles at such a young age, but it is necessary. The titles of Heroes help a human grow strong fast and develop faster. Seeing how the remnants of the Demon King still remain and are multiplying through strange methods, while the new Demon King is already being created by the world… we must help them grow quickly," Fiere said.
"T-The Demon King is already being created?" I asked.
"I suppose your parents have already introduced you to that being…" Aeolus replied.
"It's not a matter that can be discussed lightly… for now, let's step in. We've made our Lady wait for too long," he added not long after.
The two gods looked at each other after that and nodded before pushing the golden door open. Soon, a large palace hall greeted our sight, a massive area filled with verdant green plants in golden pots. There were two rivers of sparkling spring water flowing from both sides of the center of this hall, where there was a large golden throne at the end of it.
A beautiful and… tall woman sat over a throne made of gold. Her figure was so bright that it was almost blinding to look at her. The sun shone over her body and created a halo of myriad colors.
Her appearance was quite captivating as well, with there being several other figures around her. I don't know if they were Gods or Spirits, actually. Nevertheless, they were serving her, bringing her fruits, water, and other things as she was sitting there gloriously.
"You're finally here, my dear Heroine," she said to me in a motherly voice.
Her slender body seemed that of a young woman. Her skin was a fair and healthy white, while her eyes were flashy and bright, like two suns. Her hair was long and golden, extending around the room as if it were a sea of liquid gold. Topping it all off, she wore a simple white dress, having many golden accessories all over her body.
Her smile seemed tranquil and serene, and she seemed to also be extremely sharp, as if she could look right through me and all my secrets in an instant. I felt a sudden fear, as if I was being overlooked by something I could barely understand.
Don't they think this is a bit too much for a young little girl such as me?!
"My name is Theia, the Chief Goddess of Sight and Heavenly Light," she proclaimed.
Sight… I see, is this why I felt like she was looking right through me?
"Nice… to meet you," I said in response.
"Sylph, this is our Chief Goddess. Her stature is taller than us because she's a Titaness," Fiere said.
"All 12 Chief Gods have been created by the Titan God, one of the Four Original Gods the Pantheons serve under. Don't worry, though. Our lady is benevolent and motherly with her children," Aeolus added.
"Geez, you two are already introducing me… Anyways, Sylph, let's not be so formal around friends. Come with me, dear. Sit on my lap."
After saying that, Theia suddenly waved her hands as the embrace of heavenly light carried my tiny body closer to her vast embrace.
"Uwah…!"
"Don't be scared. We're here for the ritual. My girl, I've called you here for the task of saving this world alongside other Heroes. You're the chosen one amongst another eleven more. Twelve Pantheons, twelve Heroes. Got it?" she asked.
"Y-Yeah…?" I muttered.
"Then…? How do you feel about being a Hero? The guardian of humanity against the threat of the Demon King and the other fiends of the world?" she asked.
"Honestly… I don't like it. Can't you choose someone else…? Pretty please?" I said in all honesty.
"…"
"…"
"…"
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