As the sensation of spatial teleportation faded, Death Consul Azik felt his feet touch solid ground. He began to observe his surroundings.
It was clearly an isolated, enclosed space that had been tastefully decorated, resembling a large garden. However, it was more than just a garden; it had the feel of a palace. From Azik's perspective, he couldn't see the entire "garden," but he could spot some symmetrical corridors, pavilions, houses with green tiles, artificial hills, and various blooming flowers. This style differed greatly from the Tudor Empire's architecture he remembered.
Azik found himself on the outskirts of the "garden." Due to his short stature, he couldn't see far into the distance or the other people in the garden. It was unclear whether others hadn't arrived yet or were standing in places he couldn't see. Upon entering this space, Azik realized he had transformed into the form of a seven or eight-year-old child.
Having seen descriptions of this phenomenon on the invitation, Azik wasn't too surprised. He looked down at his short arms and legs and at his now-small, ornate robe, feeling somewhat amused. As a naturally mythical creature, Azik had never truly experienced a childhood form. He had mostly maintained a mythical creature form in his youth and adopted an adult form once he mastered his abilities. This was his first experience in a child's form.
Azik's main impression of this form was its shortness. In his feathered serpent form, he never worried about height, but now, as a child, even slightly taller plants and trees blocked his view, making him feel almost "blind." Even standing on tiptoes offered little help.
Moreover, Azik noticed that his powers seemed restricted in this space. It felt like the Prohibition of Beyonders powers from the Justiciar Pathway, yet different. His powers weren't entirely sealed but rather in a dormant state. If needed, he could still use them. This was clearly Lynn's doing, inspired by the incident where Amon was shrunk, adding special features to this space.
In this space, everyone's Beyonder abilities were somewhat limited, though still usable, with Lynn being alerted whenever someone used them. Essentially, everyone had a limiter and an alarm attached.
As Azik pondered his next steps, he suddenly heard footsteps. From behind the shrubs emerged a figure, also appearing seven or eight years old, who quickly ran past him into a nearby artificial hill.
Azik blinked, recognizing the child. He had seen this child form before. It was Amon. Shortly after, another figure emerged from behind the shrubs, with long red hair and similarly colored eyes, holding a burning flame and cursing under his breath.
Azik blinked again, studying the boy. After three seconds, he matched the boy with a war angel he remembered: Medici, the War Angel who followed the True Creator. This War Angel had perished years ago, but recent reports suggested a possible resurrection. Azik had been skeptical until now, seeing Medici in person.
'So, Medici had really been resurrected, likely by Libert...' Azik speculated. Unlike the Death God Salinger, who was unaware of Lynn's true identity and believed him to be Bethel's son, Azik, who had hosted Lynn during his visit to the Balam Empire, knew that Libert Abraham was more than just Mr. Door's son. However, he had never shared this with Salinger.
While Azik pondered, Medici seemed to have noticed something and chased after Amon into the artificial hill, seemingly attempting to "kill" Amon. Given Amon's role in the Red Angel Medici's demise, Azik wasn't surprised by their relationship but was puzzled. Even if resurrected, Medici should only be at Sequence 2, while Amon, as a King of Angels, shouldn't be easily bullied, even in play.
"That's because I secretly placed a restriction on Amon. As long as there's no life-threatening danger, Amon is just an ordinary Sequence 2 here."
A gentle voice with a chuckle came from behind the shrubs. Lynn, with his golden shoulder-length curls and ash-gray eyes, appeared. He was also in a child form, wearing an unfamiliar yet elegant white robe with round sleeves and crossed collars.
"Beautiful, isn't it? I specially made this outfit for this gathering," Lynn said with a smile, pulling out a box with a similarly styled black-and-gold outfit. He handed it to Azik, saying, "This is called a Hanfu. I made one for you too. Let's go to the changing room."
Azik was momentarily stunned, remembering that Amon and Medici had also worn similar outfits in different colors and styles.
"I originally considered a Western-style theme for this first tea party, but I decided to make it special and memorable, as it would mark an important event in the history of the mystical world."
Lynn led Azik into the "garden," taking numerous turns before arriving at an ancient-styled pavilion.
"This is the dressing area. You can change into this outfit if you want, though it's not mandatory," Lynn said, handing Azik the Hanfu. "Then we can meet the others. People haven't arrived yet, and there's still some time before the official banquet. You can explore in the meantime."
(End of Chapter)
If you want, support me on Patreon and get access to 30 translated chapters in advance:
p@treon.com/IHaveNoNamingSense