Chapter 264: Facing Demacles and The Thirteen.
The blazing sun bathed the grand Sun Temple of Solaris in radiant light, the intricate carvings on the golden monument shimmering like a living flame.
Tessa, holding the hands of her one-month-old twins, Justin and Jordan, at either side, approached with an air of unshakable resolve.
They crossed into the huge area where the monument, the sun temple dedicated to Solaris was built.
She carried not just the legacy of her Kaelrian heritage but also the forbidden knowledge inherited from the deceased Time God, Zorath. This knowledge was her key to the hidden planar ladder—an arcane bridge to the higher realm where Solaris, the Sun God, and Lunara, the Moon Goddess, resided.
Few knew of the ladder's existence, not even Solaris or Lunara themselves. Such was the nature of a Time God's secrets: elusive, profound, and layered in mystery
As Tessa crossed the threshold of the temple grounds, a ripple of divine energy surged outward, disrupting the sacred rituals of the Kaelrian attendants.
Bells tolled in alarm as a group of thirteen lesser gods emerged, their presence like a storm front descending.
This caused the Kaelrian temple attendants, who were currently carrying out the temple rites, to leave and check out the cause of the commotion.
In front of the sun temple was a sort of stand off. Tessa and her twins stood at a side, while Demacles and the remaining 12 lesser gods stood at a side.
At their forefront stood Demacles, his towering frame radiating power, though his demeanor carried a practiced veneer of diplomacy.
"Hello, Princess," Demacles greeted, his voice rich and smooth. "We mean you no harm. My name is Demacles."
Justin, resting against his mother's right leg turned his baby-blue eyes toward the imposing figure. "Now, what do these overgrown potbellied wastes want...?" he quipped, his innocent, babyish voice slicing through the tension like a blade.
Justin with his baby voice, causing shock to spread throughout the crowd, followed by laughter.
"Justin, behave," Tessa said, feigning sternness. But the corner of her lips twitched in amusement; she was secretly proud of her son's audacity.
Demacles, unfazed, pressed on, his calm demeanor masking his irritation. "So, Demacles, what do you want?" Tessa asked, her tone dismissive, as though speaking to a subordinate.
Gasps erupted from the crowd of temple attendants and onlookers.
"She dares address Lord Demacles that way?" one whispered. "Is she mad?"
"Don't you know? She's Lord Solaris's daughter," another murmured.
The murmurs grew, with tales of Tessa and her sons spreading like wildfire.
"I heard her son killed six of King Rhopgin's sons and injured Ambassador Dzek in one blow!"
"No way!"
"It's true! My cousin saw it!"
Amid the chaos, one of the lesser gods flanking Demacles broke ranks. His face twisted in outrage as he pointed at Tessa, "This..."
The discussion continued in a gossip budding fashion.
"I'm dead serious, I saw her take out the base agents at the gate and her son, specifically that boy, he killed six of King Rhopgin's sons and also severely injured ambassador Dzek in one move..."
"Hogwash.."
"It's totally true, my cousin also told me this story. It happened a few hours ago..."
Another of the 12 lesser gods, beside Demacles couldn't take the disrespect and shouted at Tessa.
"That is Lord Demacles to you... Show some respect." He tried his best to look intimidating.
Before Tessa could respond, Jordan, her quieter twin, tilted his head curiously. "Justin, what's up with that guy's face? He looks like he's gonna puke."
Justin giggled. "He must've eaten a spoiled egg for breakfast."
"Yeah," Jordan added, nodding sagely. "Definitely a bad egg."
The crowd erupted into laughter, their voices ringing out against the sacred silence of the temple grounds. Even Tessa had to stifle a laugh, a delicate snort escaping despite herself.
Demacles was getting angry but he remembered the reason why he came, which was to do the bidding of Erodius, to invite Tessa to side with him and take over planet Kaelria.
"I have a proposal for you, from my master... He promises quite a lot of benefit. You see that all the people behind me are now lesser gods, a year ago, they were all mundane— everyday commoners, but my master had changed all that, he could do the same for you and even more..." Demacles started to pitch and even some in the crowd were moved by his words and were curious about the identity of this unknown master.
Some others in the crowd leaned in, intrigued by the offer.
Justin's tiny voice, sharp and clear, cut through the silence. "Another errand boy, huh?"
Jordan chimed in. "The best his master can give is, what, 180,000, or rather, 220,000 Kaelrian Joules of energy? Pathetic."
Justin grinned. "He's like someone trying to sell fabric to a cloth maker."
"No, no," Jordan corrected, his baby face solemn. "More like selling gold to a miner."
Their words sent the crowd into peals of laughter once more, the sheer absurdity of the twins' casual banter undercutting the gods' aura of authority.
Their small voice somehow could be heard by all around them clearly.
Demacles' patience was wearing thin, his calm mask beginning to crack. He squared his shoulders and locked eyes with Tessa, his voice rising above the laughter.
"You mock me, but my master's offer stands," he said, his tone hardening. "Join my master, Princess. Align yourself with me, and together we can reshape Kaelria."
Tessa's gaze turned steely, her voice cold. "First of all, who is your master?"
Demacles couldn't say outrightly, he didn't know how Tessa would respond to such knowledge.
The silence in the temple was deafening, the weight of Tessa's dismissal still rippling through the crowd like an aftershock. Demacles' jaw tightened as he stepped back, the confidence he once exuded now visibly shaken. He opened his mouth, struggling to formulate a response, but the words eluded him.
"You can't even tell me the name of your master," Tessa said, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. Her smirk widened, a subtle yet potent reminder of her superiority. "Just tell him to keep his scraps—I'll manage somehow."
Her words struck like thunder. The crowd stood frozen, their collective breath held, as if awaiting the storm that was sure to follow.
Justin and Jordan, oblivious to the charged atmosphere, exchanged whispers loud enough for all to hear.
"Do you think he'll cry?" Jordan asked, his innocent curiosity tinged with mischief.
"Definitely," Justin replied, his tiny finger pointing toward Demacles. "Look at his face—it's turning purple!"
The crowd couldn't help it. Laughter, stifled at first, erupted like a dam breaking, echoing across the temple grounds.