Maeve nodded. "You can also inform us beforehand when you'll be coming so we can be prepared for the visit," she responded with a smile, nodding once more at the Princess of the Garden as Orion took her into his arms and soared into the sky.
Maeve observed them for a few more moments as they swiftly exited the vast hall. "Though I knew they were in a relationship, I never expected it to be as beautiful as this," Maeve said, shaking her head tiredly.
She was sure that she had learned a lot about Orion and the Princess of the Garden today, things that no one else knew.
…....….
Village
Within the Village Chief's compound
"Four of you will guard the Village Chief's compound and switch places with the other four on standby after your assigned time. Then, you are free to survey the entire Village and ensure order with the rest of the warriors before going to rest for the next day."
"Remember, though we are under Aegis of the Arctic Deity's protection, there is no telling what might happen in the Orion's Cities," said a warrior, standing near the giant sundial in the centre of the Village Chief's compound as he looked at the eight warriors before him.
The warriors nodded in understanding.
"You can all leave for your positions. The rest of you remain within the Village Chief's compound for your turn," the warrior added firmly.
Once again, the warriors nodded. They all vanished from view, heading towards their assigned positions.
After a few minutes, the ground below the giant sundial trembled silently, and suddenly, a large dark hole emerged around it. Rather than sinking, the sundial shook, tilting from side to side until a broad, giant, inky dark eye with five shimmering pupils filled the hole.
It looked around as though trying to grasp and understand its surroundings. Numerous scaled, inky, dark, tentacle-like arms began to emerge around the edge of the bizarre, enormous eye, slowly stretching towards the huts around it.
…........
Third Border City
Garden
Beneath the Divine Lake Essence
Aegis of the Arctic Deity peered outside his Divine barrier, his expression marked by a deep frown. Though he couldn't discern what lurked within the Vylkr-infested clouds, observing them from afar made him uneasy.
Suddenly, a sharp, gnawing pain pierced Aegis of the Arctic Deity's mind as if something ruthlessly severed his attempt to recall his memories. He swiftly halted his thoughts, recognizing that whatever he sought to remember remained sealed within the depths of his mind.
In an instant, Aegis of the Arctic Deity's perception spiked, and he vanished from his current location. He reappeared within the Village Chief's compound, placing his previous thoughts behind his mind.
Aegis of the Arctic Deity's eyes widened in astonishment as he beheld the giant eyeball with its five peculiar pupils scanning its surroundings, seemingly absorbing every detail with an insatiable curiosity.
The tentacle-like arms, which looked similar to the Vylkr vines but adorned with scales and ten fingers on each, sent a shiver down his spine, signalling that this was entirely different.
"What in the world..." Aegis of the Arctic Deity muttered under his breath; his gaze fixed on the mysterious entity before him.
He sensed a powerful surge of raw Vylkr energy emanating from it, mingled with another unfamiliar energy that had initially drawn his attention.
Suddenly, a realization dawned on Aegis of the Arctic Deity, his eyes widening like the starry night sky. He remembered the nature of the other strange energy.
"Primordial energy," Aegis of the Arctic Deity's eyes widened in shock as he observed the tentacle-like arms encroaching upon the VillageChief's huts, swiftly demolishing their walls with alarming speed.
Instantly,Aegis of the Arctic Deity's gaze sharpened. He waved his hand at the entity and said, "Whoever you are, you are not welcome here. Leave!" the countless tentacle-like arms outside the enormous dark hole disintegrated into thin air.
At that moment, the entity within the darkness sensed Aegis's presence. Its pupils contracted strangely before widening, and numerous tentacle-like arms swiftly emerged from the darkness, hurtling towards Aegis of the Arctic Deity.
Reacting swiftly, Aegis conjured a protective barrier around the sundial, shielding the mortals nearby from harm.
"Since you don't seem too keen on leaving, be prepared to meet your death!" Aegis of the Arctic Deity declared.
While he wasn't certain of the entity's capabilities, he could sense that his divine energy surpassed its own. As for its Primordial energy, though insignificant by comparison, still threatened mortals nearby. Thus, he resolved to resolve the situation before it worsened.
His pixie dust emerged from his wings shimmering with a bright rainbow hue, and surged toward the bizarre, enormous eye and the various tentacle-like arms. Instantly, they all began to shrink, reducing in size until they were barely the size of a needle.
Despite their diminished form, Aegis of the Arctic Deity could still clearly perceive the entity, even though not only had its mass decreased, but its strength had also reduced to a minuscule level. Without hesitation, he tightened his fist telepathically, crushing it until it ceased to exist.
The bizarre entity was dead.
And just like that, the battle was over as swiftly as it had begun.
Aegis of the Arctic Deity shifted his attention toward the portal and promptly sealed it shut, erasing any trace of its existence. Surveying his surroundings, Aegis of the Arctic Deity couldn't help but frown.
Besides the minor crater where the portal had opened, nothing could indicate anything strange had transpired here, particularly on the sundial. Considering the entity's unrestrained rampage, it was also supposed to have some damage at least.
"Something isn't right here," Aegis of the Arctic Deity muttered, his brows furrowing with concern. With a wave, he returned the area to its normal state before landing before the sundial.
Aegis of the Arctic Deity stretched his hand and touched the sundial, perplexed. He couldn't sense anything unusual about the seemingly ordinary giant stone used to tell time in the Village.
