"Please calm down, my lord. Right now, our concern is young Dimori. After such a long fight, he will be very hungry once he wakes up."
"..."
Temporarily pushing aside Indra, Shiva agreed.
"Alright. Take us home."
"At once, my lord."
.
|DxD|
.
Mount Kailasa
.
Igor was slowly awoken by stray beam of sunlight that penetrated through the gap in the curtains. Before he even opened his eyes, his senses subconsciously already spread out. By the slowly forming frown on his face, he could feel that he was in an unfamiliar place.
"?"
Opening his eyes, Igor sat up and found himself in a simple, but fairly large bed. The room he was in was also normal, if not somewhat spacious.
[Where am I?]
Just from spreading out his senses prior, he couldn't detect anyone within a few kilometres around him apart from a few animals. Even then, those animals seemed to have more lifeforce than a normal human's.
[Some sort of barrier is preventing me from sensing any further.]
He found that after a few dozen kilometres, his senses couldn't expand any further. Like waves against a wall, the subtle sonar of ki released would rebound.
"Huh?"
He quickly sat up, his fatigue completely vanishing. At this point, he was deeply confused and his wariness was steadily climbing up.
Standing up from bed, he figured there must be a-
[Someone?!]
As time grinded to a halt around him, his eyes zeroed in on the door that was gradually opening. On instinct, he swiftly assumed his Suppressed Demigod Form. He ignored the hollow feeling in his stomach and remained on high alert.
When the door finally opened, a beautiful woman with a very motherly figure entered. She was adorned in a beautiful red sari dress, her long black hair cascading over her shoulders.
But Igor dared not lower his guard. Seeing past her beauty, his instincts SCREAMED that this woman was dangerous. She gave off the same feeling as Amaterasu, a feeling of extreme danger.
Seemingly unaware of Igor's wariness, the woman calmly spoke.
"Oh? Pardon me. I was so busy that I forgot to take care of you. How are you, Igor?"
"..."
Suuuuu…
His hair flopped down as he ended his transformation. She wasn't a threat…hopefully. Even if she was, Igor could feel she wasn't something the current him could defeat. So rather than needlessly remain apprehensive, it was better to casually enquire about the situation.
"You're a god, aren't you?"
He tiredly asked. Even as she stood in front of him, he could feel absolutely nothing from her. But it was because he felt nothing that he was sure she was a god.
"Little old me? Why yes, Igor. I am the Goddess of Motherhood, Harmony, and Fertility. I am also Lord Shiva's wife, Parvati. But since my husband has taken you in, you can just call me aunt or aunty, alright Igor?"
"..."
Igor didn't know how to feel about the way she spoke to him. It felt like she was treating him like a child. The way she looked at him…he didn't know whether it was condescending or something similar, but her eyes sparkled too much.
"Call you 'aunty'? Isn't that too much? How about I call you Lady Parvati-?!"
Igor didn't blink. He could swear he never blinked. One minute, Parvati was standing by the door. The next, she was standing in front of him, her soft hands cupping his cheeks.
"Don't be afraid to be familiar with me, Igor. I will be taking care of you soon so I want us to get along."
"..."
Slowly, Igor felt weakness enter him. It wasn't quite a weakness, but a warmth that made him want to close his eyes and bathe in the feeling of her warm hands on his cheeks-
"What the?!"
Opening his eyes, he zeroed in on one of the animals and instantly used his Instant Transmission.
Tswii!
Immediately, the scenery changed from a modest room to a forest filled with absurdly tall trees. As astounding as the sight was, Igor had no time to appreciate it.
"What…what was that?!"
He was on the verge of panicking. It was a simple touch, but the warmth he felt from her almost reminded him of…of his moth-
"You remind me of my little Ganesha when he was young. Always so rowdy and energetic."
"?!"
Suddenly, he felt her place her hands on his shoulder. She wasn't even grabbing him, but he couldn't move.
"What…the hell?!"
This was impossible. He couldn't access his ki!
"What…what did you do to me?"
"Language, Igor. As for your question, your ki is dangerously low so I sealed it. Now come. I prepared some good food for you that I'm sure you will love."
Slowly, her hands went around his waist as she hugged him. He felt that warmth once more and it made him panic. He didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.
"Hey! Let me go, goddamnit!"
Parvati ignored his requests as she flew along with him.
"No, no. We must get some food in you before you can go out and play, Igor."
"?!"
Her words struck a chord within him. This gentle chastisement evoked long dormant memories-
[No!]
He buried them again. This was not the time nor place. He tried to shake himself free, but her arms were more unyielding than iron.
"Fufufu~. So cute~ Relax and I will take care of you, Igor. I promise you will love my cooking. Nandi did tell me you love chicken."
"..."
Igor felt extremely embarrassed. This woman genuinely treated him like child didn't she? Being held like this was extremely embarrassing. But just because his bone age said he was ten didn't mean he was actually ten!
"Goddamnit! Let me go, woman!"
"Such a rowdiness. My husband told me you'd be difficult, but I didn't think it'd be this much."
She ignored his grumbles. The house was already coming into view but Igor's expression remained scrunched like a squeezed lemon. In only a matter of touches, she completely restricted him from moving and even sealed off his ki.
Still, he wasn't willing to give up. It was one thing to suppress him through might. But sealing off his ki was something he could never accept. That was HIS power. No one should have the capability of sealing it off.
"HAAA!"
GRUU!
Completely taking Parvati by surprise, he immediately assumed his Demigod State and let himself fall towards the ground.
Doof!
As soon as he landed, he was about to vanish once more when he was suddenly grabbed by the scruff of his collar.
"The food will get cold if you keep being disobedient, Igor."
Despite his power being boosted a hundred times over, he still couldn't see, nevermind sense her.
"Alright, alright. I give up, aunty. I give up. Happy now?"
"..."
Gu!
Like the sound of gun, she flicked his forehead and sent him crashing into a tree.
PA!
"Such an unruly child. But don't worry. I will soon turn you into a splendid young man worthy of being a god. Now come, Igor. I left the stove on and I don't want the food to burn."
"..."
Weakly, Igor could only follow. He was unwilling to endure defeat like this, but he could only grit his teeth as the seal over his ki acted once again.
That and…that last outburst really made him hungry.
"Yes…aunty."
He was unsure why Parvati was hovering over him like this, but he would definitely fling her against a tree in the future…the far future.
.
|DxD|
.
Very few things could be used to bribe Igor. One of them was a good fight, and the other was good food. Eating like a man should, he tore into the chicken leg. The fork and knife on the side were as clean as ever, showing that ever since he began eating, Igor had not once touched them.
Sitting on the opposite side, Parvati used a spoon to savour her vegetable soup. Occasionally, her eyes would flicker towards Igor with intrigue. From the looks of things, she didn't seem bothered by his voracious eating habits and in fact, found them endearing.
"Did you like the food?"
If the large bowl filled with bones wasn't obvious enough, then his groan of contention was obvious.
"Ohhhh…"
Leaning back into the chair, Igor held his stomach.
"The best, aunty. The best."
"Wonderful."
Parvati had completely pacified him through his stomach. But Igor couldn't be blamed. He had eaten some good food before, but Parvati's pot was something else entirely. He was so full that he didn't even notice how he casually called her 'aunty'.
"Now then, I know you're curious as to why you're here. I will do my best to keep it short for you, alright?"
"..."
There was that tone again. She was really treating him like a child, wasn't she? Igor was tempted to flare up, but he knew he'd be suppressed very quickly. He could only swallow his grievances.
"I'm listening, aunty."
For now, he would endure. At the very least, until his base power reached Supreme Class.
"Very good. Besides bringing you here to recuperate under my care, there is another reason. Now, I'm sure you know that my husband has decided to make you his heir candidate. Do you know what that means?"
Igor answered noncommittally.
"He wants me to become the next God of Destruction."
"Indeed he does. I am also aware that in a year, you will come here to begin your training. While my husband will train the physical aspects, I will nurture your mind and instill the proper behavior of a god upon you. For example…"
With a gesture of her finger, she made Igor who was slouching on the chair sit upright.
"...as a God of Destruction, you must be dignified at all times. You must not only establish power, but authority. You are destruction incarnate. The masses must not only fear you, but respect you. This title is a title that comes with its own requirements not only in terms of power, but in dignity as well."
Smiling warmly, she appeared right next to him.
"While you have met my husband's requirement in terms of power, your mannerisms leave much to be desired, Igor."
It was unknown where he got the spine, but the blonde spoke without a filter.
"What use are manners when I'm stronger than everyone? Even if I act like a hooligan, it won't matter because anyone who comments on it will be afraid I'll kill them."
"Fufu~."
Parvati found Igor's thoughts to be rather cute.
"Tell me. When you look at my husband, what do you feel?"
"..."
Igor would never say this out loud, but Shiva was…cool. He was always so stoic as if nothing could ever faze him.
"I think I understand, aunty."
"Fufu~"
She seemed to have seen through his thoughts.
"Maybe you do, but you will gradually understand in the future. Until then, I look forward to the end of this year. I have so many things to teach you."
.
AN
.
In Igor's defence, he was hungry. Let him maintain some of his face.