Orion observed as the Pixies dispersed into the air, resuming their daily tasks, with only a handful remaining alongside the royal family.
High King Eldric nodded at the remaining Pixies before shifting his attention behind him. "Let's go," he said, flying forward with the assistance of High Queen Rowena.
Meanwhile, Orion followed suit, guided by the two guards aiding him through the air. As they advanced, Orion surveyed his surroundings. Although he had assisted in relocating a portion of the Garden from the mountain to its current location, the Guardians of the Garden and the Princess of the Garden had overseen its reconstruction, restoring it to its former glory.
Orion nodded in approval as he observed the Pixies tending to the trees, flowers, and lush greenery that flourished despite the snow, which appeared to be growing heavier each day.
However, with a large portion of the Garden still nestled within the mountain and sustained by a fragment of the Divine Lake essence, he chose to wait until they had fully settled within Orion's Cities and addressed pressing issues before introducing another Garden before the remaining Divine Lake essence within the mountain didn't expire and run dry.
After several minutes of flight, Orion finally glimpsed their destination, several towering, vibrant flowers standing at about 1.2 meters (4 feet) tall, resembling sunflowers. Yet, these flowers boasted a girth nearly as thick as a tree, with some appearing even larger.
Various small homes were neatly arranged on different parts of the flower trunks, which appeared to have been hollowed out. They were suitable for someone of his current size to live in. Observing the vast grassy plain, teeming with hundreds of thousands of these homes, Orion realized that the Pixies had successfully rebuilt their residences.
Upon reaching their destination, they made their way toward a tree at the far end of the flowers. It stood about 5 meters (18 feet) tall, adorned with various jewels and crystals like the other trees in the Garden.
Just beneath the tree's canopy was a miniature castle-like structure with various other miniature homes below it, similar to the miniature homes on the other flowers.
High King Eldric landed on the castle-like structure with the assistance of High Queen Rowena, while Orion and the rest of the royal family followed suit.
When they landed on the side of the castle-like wooden structure, Orion noticed a large door flanked by two Pixie guards dressed in the same leaf attire and carrying the same weapons as the guards who had escorted him.
The two guards flanking the large doors slightly bowed in their direction before straightening their backs and pulling the doors open.
Immediately, two rows of what appeared to be Pixie servants lined up on each side, facing each other, then lowered their heads in respect. "Welcome back, your Highnesses," they all exclaimed loudly.
High King Eldric and the other royal family members nodded
in response.
"Follow me, Mr Orion," High King Eldric said, regaining a bit of
his strength through the flight as he gestured for Orion to
follow him.
Orion followed alongside High King Eldric as they walked
through the hall and entered a hallway. After a few minutes of
walking through numerous corridors, Orion realized that the
rest of the royal family had dispersed, as none of them were
behind him anymore.
High King Eldric continued walking until they finally reached a
small room. Inside, there was only a carpet, a table, and two
chairs positioned on both sides. Beside it was a wide window
and a small veranda, which gave a view of the high flowers and
miniature homes of the Guardians of the Garden below.
"I normally come here when I want to be alone and clear my
mind. Please, have a seat, Mr. Orion," High King Eldric said,
gesturing towards the chair opposite him as he took his seat.
Orion settled into the soft cotton-like pillows that adorned
the chair and took his seat as well.
"So, you really want to know why we want to meet with Aegis
of the Arctic Deity?" High King Eldric's voice carried a solemn
tone.
Orion nodded firmly. "Yes," he replied. That was precisely why
he had come all the way here.
"Very well, then listen closely," High King Eldric said, sighing
heavily. "Are you familiar with the 'Great War'?" he asked.
Upon hearing the mention of the Great War, Orion nodded
solemnly. "A conflict that spanned for several unknown years,
involving fifty thousand races and fifty thousand gods, of
which only a few survived," he responded. "While I know some
of it, I don't know much. So, please, enlighten me, High King
Eldric."
High King Eldric nodded solemnly. "As you may have already
guessed, my Pixie race was among the few survivors after the
Great War. This was all thanks to our god, god Aerendir, the
god of wind, illusion, and nature. It was through his efforts,
alongside his chosen divine apostles, that we secured a
passage through a stellar gate and found refuge in this world."
"However, this salvation came at a great cost. Our god fought
tirelessly to protect us, sustaining severe injuries in battles
against other divine beings. By the time we reached this
world, he was already at death's doorstep. Some of his chosen
apostles died before reaching the stellar gate, their bodies too
damaged to receive a proper burial. Only one managed to
make it through," he explained.
"And when we passed through the stellar gate, instead of what
we were promised, we encountered an icy, chilling blizzard on
the other side. Though all of those who survived at the time
weren't weak by any means, the survivors were all injured,
rendering many unable to protect themselves, let alone
others."
"As a race that had emerged victorious in the 'Great War,' for
us to face our extinction in such a way was nothing short of
ironic. Fortunately, we had a god," High King Eldric explained
with a heavy sigh, opening his lips.
