Not thinking much about it after that, Aeric slid down from Sylver, his boots clicking against the smooth stone ground as he landed on his fist.
'I am supposed to take you to the royal stables where the other beast companions are,' he thought, patting Sylver's sleek silver fur before gesturing for him to follow and leading him to the royal stables.
The stable master gave him a wary look as he secured Sylver among the other companion creatures. They were all majestic and dangerous, but Aeric could bet that none of them matched his Silverwolf. He could see how they reacted to the beast's presence, and Aeric knew he had made the right choice picking him.
He eyed Rosette's Owlbear which was secured directly beside the spot left for his, and after studying the beasts, Aeric turned around and walked away. One curious question was in his mind though; 'Can I also [Claim] the Beast Companions of others?'
As Aeric stepped away from the sables, he arrived at the grand doors of the Royal Institution of Divinity. Normally, with a big step like this, Aeric's old self, Dagwood would have been terrified, too nervous. But now, he was dripping with confidence, even though his heart raced with anticipation, he still had a smirk on his face.
Today the game begins.
Once he took a step to enter the Institution, the doors opened on their own and the moment he stepped inside, the halls consumed him in their grandeur. The ceilings were incredibly tall, soaring above, arched and baroquely detailed with numerous carvings.
Aeric could see the sigils from each region—Moonlight, Starlight, Dawn, Twilight, and Elysium Plains—hung proudly along the marble walls, their concrete colors and symbols catching the fluttering light from the crystal chandeliers overhead.
As his steps echoed in the large corridor, Aeric walked slowly, absorbing the sights with wide eyes, his thoughts churning.
'Damn, they really don't spare any expense here, huh?' he mused as he trailed his fingers along the cool stone walls. His eyes caught the shimmer of the Starlight Region's sigil, a single brilliant star at the center of a swirling nebula, with smaller stars encircling it in a spiral pattern.
He felt a strong sense of loyalty seeing it hanging there amongst the other flags. His eyes then moved to the decorations, gold plating on the walls and balustrades, even the tiles below had some gold etched into their surface.
'Jeez. Even the Castle of Starlight doesn't have this much gold.'
The corridor stretched ahead of him like a road to destiny, one tile seemingly made of silver, and the other made of gold, creating a pattern of white and yellow on the ground. 'This has to be the most exquisite hunting ground,' he chuckled to himself. 'I wonder if there are an—'
"Ahem," a sharp, authoritative voice echoed from behind him, breaking his thoughts.
Aeric spun around, his eyes landing on a woman so close behind him that he had almost rubbed her breasts with his face when he pivoted. Which begged the question; how tall was this woman?
He lifted his chin to see her face and could see that she was in her late forties but carried the grace and beauty of a goddess, but a very stern one. Her features were sharp and dignified, with high cheekbones, full lips painted a deep red, and silver hair elegantly pinned up in an intricate knot.
She had dark and calculating eyes, which were sizing him up with distaste and curiosity, and her lower left chin, near her jaw was a birthmark — a black dot.
She was wearing a regal gown of dark blue and silver that clung tight to her thighs and large breasts. The gown gave space for a lot of cleavage, the boob window had gold designs in its edges and the full gown embroidered with the sigil of the Institution. The gown stopped above her knees, and covering her beautiful long legs was a pair of tight black leggings. On her hand was an open book wreathed in flames, signifying knowledge and power.
'What a woman,' Aeric thought. 'She looks like a fucking amazon.'
"Are you going to stand there gawking, boy, or do you have somewhere important to be?" she said, her voice dripping with authority and impatience.
Aeric straightened up, a smirk forming on his lips. "Apologies madam. I'm new here so I don't really know. My name is—."
"I know what your name is!" she snapped, then her lips twisted into a slight sneer. "You are the Son, aren't you? The one who somehow slipped past the usual… prerequisites." She looked down at him condescendingly, eyeing him with disdain, her gaze traveling his body as if he were a particularly unimpressive specimen.
"I'm Headmistress Lysandra of Twilight. And as much as I'd love to stand here and chat about your remarkable birthright, you have an Assembly to attend. The Declaration of Divinity, as you should know."
Aeric's smirk disappeared. 'That's right, underestimate me. You are going to be one of the first women that I will [Claim]. In fact, you're going to help me get a lot of things done here, since you're the headmistress.'
Lysandra frowned, seeing that the boy's mind was elsewhere. "Hello! Are you even listening to me?! Stop being a fool and head on to the Assembly for your Declaration of Divinity."
Aeric blinked his eyes, but acted normal after that. 'Oh, that's right. The Declaration. I almost forgot.'
The Declaration of Divinity was an important culture in the lore of Erothyria. It was the ceremony where a Player's Affinity and Class would be tested and declared before a group of witnesses. The player's Affinity for Divinity would be measured by the glow of the Divine Crystal ball and then be revealed for all to hear, cementing them as an Awakened Player, ready to cultivate and perform Divine Quests.
Affinity for Divinity was simply how strong one's connection was to their God, Eros. Or another way to put it was how much Divinity they could harness. When a Player stepped up and placed their hands on the Divine Crystal, their Region's colors would radiate with varying intensities, a direct reflection of their power.
Higher intensity meant higher affinity, and lower intensity meant lower affinity.
Aeric was a bit worried about this, and as a result, his palms itched. Since he had the Celestial Depravity System, he had overridden the normal system of the game and therefore wouldn't truly be measured the same way other players were.
Also, he had the God Tyrant Class and the [Claim] Skill, if his Class was announced, wouldn't that just ruin all his plans? They would all know he could steal their powers and possessions by having sex with them. He might never have sex again because no one would want to risk it!
Aeric clenched his jaw, hiding his worry behind a cool facade. "I really don't know where the Assembly is. Can you lead the way?"
Lysandra gave him a dismissive look before turning, her long gown sweeping behind her as she ascended the grand staircase.
Aeric's eyes widened. 'Holy shit! What a grand ass!'
Perhaps it was the gown but the headmistress's huge butt was perfectly and beautifully shaped behind her. Round and curved in all the right places, straining against the fabric of her gown each time she lifted her feet to elevate up the stairs.
'I didn't notice all that at first and I wanted to fuck her,' Aeric ranted hungrily. 'Now, I really... REALLY want to have that.'
"Move along, boy!" Lysandra turned around and boomed at him.
Aeric after normal until she turned around and continued further. Then he facepalmed. Focus, Aeric, Focus.
They reached the Assembly Hall, and once he stepped inside, he saw a wide, towering chamber that took his breath away. Marble pillars lined the sides, holding up a finely designed domed ceiling with mosaics of Eros and his daughters.
Glowing light orbs floated high above, used to illuminate the room. There were rows upon rows of seats filled with the Daughters of Eros, all dressed in their elegant robes, and once they noticed his presence, their eyes all locked on him. Teachers, too, sat in the higher seats, their expressions unreadable but clearly judging him.
But all Aeric was seeing before him were large breasts and rotund asses wearing expensive clothes.
It was a room full of women… and apart from the Divine Speaker standing on the elevated center, he was the only man!