The Holy Father and Basil, along with all of the other leaders thought that their food and drink had arrived, paused whatever it was that they were doing as they saw the parade of people that waited on whoever was behind the statue. It was a bit fast, they thought, as their soldiers had just placed their orders at the kitchen window that was quite a distance away from the seating area. They were all left stunned when the staff moved past them and lined up with covered dishes. Their thoughts raced and mouths moved as they addressed their translators and soldiers that had returned. Among them, the Holy Father had a look of incredulity on his face.
"Who is this individual? I cannot believe that the staff of the Shepherds have pulled out the stops for just anyone," the Holy Father received a handkerchief from Basil and wiped the blood that had accumulated on his lips.
"Father, are you alright," Basil spoke with a worried tone but did not overstep as one might have thought he would. He merely stood beside the Holy Father but did not reach out to touch him.
"I am fine, as I said, this was a backlash of my own doing. My soul simply could not handle the pressure of God's grace," the Holy Father stood up.
"I am curious, however. Who is that person over there? To be able to break the connection so effortlessly, they must be a well known spiritualist or member of the clergy of some well known establishment," he walked to the table that was being flooded by staff.
"Your eminence, are you sure that you want to interact with this person? What if they hold ill intent," Basil followed after his lord with faltered steps.
"I must see who this contemporary is," The Holy Father was truly interested in the person who sat there. That said, around ten steps away from the table, a soldier in striped yellow, red, and blue came by with two plates of food on a platter.
"Look, Father, the food is here," Basil noticed the approach of the soldier and spoke nervously. The second soldier that followed behind the first bore two glasses and two bottles of red and white wine. Basil saw this and sighed in relief.
"Your eminence, we should eat before our food gets cold," Basil was acutely aware that his lord was going to try and inject himself into whatever was going on with the mysterious seventh party. He also knew that his food was already cold but what could he do other than plead. He really wasn't mentally prepared to handle the old man's curiosity just yet.
"Yes, you are right Basil, let us finish our meal first, then I shall see who exactly is capable of breaking off a conversation with the lord," the Holy Father got back in his seat reluctantly and ate his steak with an unenthusiastic vigor. He wanted to eat fast to get to the other party but he also no longer possessed an appetite. It only took a few moments but now that they had gotten fuel into their systems the Holy Father and, most importantly, Basil had both gotten the strength to once again engage in friendly conversation. Basil, specifically, had time to prepare thoughtful responses and questions that he could ask on behalf of his lord. The Holy Father downed the last bit of wine in his glass and approached the seventh party within reception. Basil followed.
Both men immediately felt that something was wrong with what they saw. There was a statue- esque and dark skinned child with white hair and never before seen golden eyes evaluating the meals that were placed before him as if he were God incarnate. All of the staff nearby wore faces that said that his decisions were law.
Aaradhya frowned deeply as he tasted yet another sub-par dish compared to what he had been served on the Crystal Peak. He raised a hand and waved it away as a fourth dish consisting mainly of fish was placed on his table. Beside him was a notepad that had the words, "whatever I do not finish can be eaten by you all if you are hungry." As a result, every dish that was passed up practically went up for auction amongst the staff that had no problems eating after their lord.
With a sigh, Aaradhya ate a single forkful of the new dish before he placed his utensil down and shook his head. Compared to the salmon that was given to him for dinner just the night prior, this fish, whatever it was, was lacking in the flavor department. It also retained a fishy scent that ruined the experience. The servants that were not carrying a dish then played a tournament of rock, paper, scissors to decide who would get the food. Aaradhya noticed but did not say anything as he thought about his actions.
'Normally, I am not picky with food. I can only act like this because they brought me a little bit of everything and I don't want their efforts tk go to waste. As such, I might as well taste it all,' Aaradhya closed his eyes as he waited for one of the servants to come to a conclusion and remove the plate from in front of him. He was about to try the next dish that was in front of him when he met the gaze of a deceptively solid old man in a white cassock.
'That is quite the stacked old man,' Aaradhya thought as he tried the food. As was custom, he took a single bite of everything on his plate then passed it down to the staff that scarfed it down as if they were eating sacred treasures.
'His expression? Is he the one that messed with my test,' Aaradhya examined the old man and noticed a small droplet of blood on his cassock. He wouldn't have noticed it if it weren't for the all white that the old man wore. He got to his sixth dish as he scanned the old man.
'I just wanted to try and connect with the Verdant while I waited for my food but to think that this old man would try and contest me. Maybe there was some type of backlash when I released my control,' Aaradhya squinted, a bit annoyed that his hard work had come undone the moment that he figured out how to attract the Verdant to his location. He sighed heavily as he ate his seventh bite from a new dish.
'I sat here because it was the most reclusive location within this reception area, why are they all headed here,' he was then surprised to see a few other individuals approach his table from a distance.
'The way these people are dressed? Are they some of the guests that the council is supposed to be meeting today,' Aaradhya shifted in his seat and adjust his.posture to make himself look bigger.
'I guess the servants and I got here just before these people, otherwise, I would have seen them when I was coming in. No, I guess I should have seen them then if I was paying attention to the bodies that were showing in the Verdant,' Aaradhya closed his eyes and viewed the spiritual level of the eight people that were on either side of the stone wall that he situated himself behind. Of the eight, they were all awakened but the four at the front possessed a thick blue and golden light around the heart and heads that left the other four looking like fireflies next to the sun. Aaradhya opened his eyes and really took in the identities of these people.
'These people are important, especially the ones who are at the front,' he looked at the people who followed the men in the cassocks. There was a monk with beads, a shrine maiden, and a houngan as far as he was aware. Behind them were four more people but they had a much smaller effect on the Verdant as far as Aaradhya could tell. Not to say that they were weak, it was the opposite in fact, it was just that each of the leaders at the front of the pack were simply radiant in their spiritual energy.
'They are observing me,' Aaradhya hopped down from his chair without touching the eighth dish that was placed there and walked before the twelve people that were observing him. The other four that were awakened remained seated at their tables but their heads were most definitely looking in his direction. They couldn't directly see the boy but they could see his spirit in the Verdant and it inspired them. Aaradhya snapped his fingers and held out his hands. The servants rushed to his side with a notepad and pen.
"Welcome to my Island, It's a pleasure to meet you all...", he wrote. The translators of the world leaders of different religions immediately got to work as they recognized the language that the child used.
"If you are wondering, I am around three months old, give or take a week or two...", Aaradhya nearly finished.
"I am looking for allies that can help me shape the world. If you would be so interested, please stay on the island for as long as your schedules allow," he smiled as much as his face would allow without it hurting then nodded as he walked back to his food.
"What do you mean by your island," was a question that came out of the mouth of the dark skinned man that had a beard but was without a mustache.
"How are you only three months old, you look at least two or three," The woman shook her head in disbelief.
"The child is already on a path of enlightenment," the man with beads around his neck couldn't control his eyebrows. They shot up and danced around in confusion and excitement. There was much he wanted to say to this scion of life but right now it was impossible with how everyone followed the boy to his table.
"Have you been sent by God," the Holy Father did not raise his voice as he remained calm and collected despite feeling agitated. He directly addressed Aaradhya. Unexpectedly, the dead language that he used was something that one of the other champions also knew in their life so it was something that Aaradhya could respond to without a translator.
'Lord Death uses the abbreviation G.o.D in the system when I receive points from an achievement that belongs to their domain. I guess it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to say that this old man is talking about the same divine being...', Aaradhya thought about it for a short while then nodded.
"I am God's Champion here on Earth," Aaradhya made sure to write in the dead language, which made Basil almost lose his lunch when he read it. The translators of the other leaders received a punctual reprimand as soon as the language was changed since none of them understood the dead language.
"Father, maybe we should...", Basil was about to suggest taking a step back so as to not feed into weird ideas but he was shooed away as the Holy Father smiled and laughed with zeal.
"Who are you, child? As a Champion of God, you must have a name or a title that I am familiar with," the Holy Father smugly side eyed the other religious leaders and got the child's attention. As an awakened individual, and one so young, it went without question that the boy in front of him was a notable figure within the Shepherds. In fact, it would make sense if their announcement today concerned the boy that was before them. That's how important it was to be spiritually awakened at such a young age. It meant that his future was limitless.
"I am Aaradhya Masih, Lord and Scion of the Shepherds of the Golden Horn," he wrote with a steady and fluid hand. The Holy Father raised an eyebrow in confusion.
He wanted to get an answer to his next question, "what do you mean when you say that you are the lord," but Basil cleared his throat and said, "Your eminence, the other leaders are getting frustrated. It is best for you to leave the child to his meal now," Basil didn't wipe the sweat that had accumulated on his brow as he addressed the Holy Father.
"Ah, you are right Basil, where have my wits gone," the Holy Father clapped his hands together only for his nose to scrunch in thought as another pressing question came to the forefront of his mind.
"Aaradhya Masih, that name is familiar. Do you know where I may have heard it," the Holy Father addressed the child as he stepped away.
"That is also my dad's name, have you heard of him," Aaradhya raised the notepad so the old man would notice it. He took a bite of the ninth dish so his staff would stop looking at him with puppy dog eyes.
"Your dad huh, the man I am thinking of doesn't have a child, at least not publicly. He is also not affiliated with the Shepherds to my knowledge," the Holy Father pursed his lips in thought.
"That is unfortunate then. Thank you for the information sir," Aaradhya bowed his head slightly then addressed his servants as he looked at the last three dishes that were available to him. All three were deserts and his least favorite as they were all sweet treats. A sundae, a pie, and a coconut cake. He decided to try all three as he waved his staff closer as he wrote in his notepad while it was on the table. He was pleasantly surprised to find the coconut cake the best despite not liking desserts.
"Now who among you can tell me what they said. I know that they asked me questions based on their tone," he lifted his notepad to the group of less than a dozen servants and waited for a response.
"My leader would like to know what you meant by saying that this is your island," the man in the kufi spoke before any of the staff could get back to him. The man spoke in the same general language that was used during the initial meeting so all of the translators cleared the air with their respective lords and lady.
'Ah, he must have read what I wrote. It must have been difficult to read it upside down,' Aaradhya wasn't upset that his people were slow on the uptake. Instead, he answered the question without much delay as he finished the coconut cake before he realized it.
"This island belongs to the Shepherds of the Golden Horn and the Shepherds belong to me so it goes without saying that the island is mine," he wrote succinctly.
"Who are you to the Shepherds that you can claim that the entire faith is yours child," the man with the beard and naked upper lip got his translation of what the child wrote and shook his head as he spoke. The child in front of him was just too ridiculous.Once again Aaradhya responded but this time he looked directly at the dark skinned man rather than the translator as he held his notepad up.
"I am their Lord and God," He wrote in bold letters.
"What about you two, were there any questions that you had," he raised his palm and pointed to the maiden and the monk. The dark skinned man stood there in silence as he swallowed the boisterous statement of the child. He scoffed and shook it off as the rampant imagination of a child that was raised in the confines of a cult. He thought that the child was most likely raised to be the next High Priest of the faith.
"My lady would like to know how you are only three months old when you look at least two or three. She is also curious about your education. What was it like for you to get like this," the woman that spoke for the priestess threw in a little bit of her own ideas but it wasn't like she was coming from nowhere. She knew the woman that she worked for and understood that her second question would be something similar.
"I had to use some of my power to preserve my life for an extended period which accelerated my growth. It's why I look bigger than I should be. As for my education...", William thought about it for a moment and decided to tell the truth.
"I am mostly self taught but some of my knowledge has been granted to me by powers greater than myself," Aaradhya revealed a little bit about his previous life and the truth that he lived as a Champion and nodded when the woman looked utterly baffled. The woman reported what he learned to the shrine maiden and was about to ask yet another question on her behalf when the soldiers of each faction interrupted. They walked up and informed the second in command of each religious world leader that the transport that had been arranged, had arrived.
Basil, being amongst the first that were informed, stopped fretting and immediately put on a solemn expression.
"Father, I know that this child may be awakened in the eyes of our Father God, but it is time to leave. The elders of the Golden Horn are waiting and we have to be at an event in less than two days," Basil said.
"Alright. Excuse me Aaradhya Jr. It was a pleasant experience speaking with you," the Holy Father smiled at the child and followed Basil after he received a nod from the child. Everyone else inside of the rest area also stopped focusing on the interesting child, and looked outside. Through the glass walls, they could all see two sleek and shiny black limos pull onto the airstrip and park outside. Leading them was a snow white extended hummer with golden rims.
Mrs. Lagrange stepped out of the white vehicle at the front of the convoy and held a bullhorn.
"Greetings everyone. Our lord welcomes you to his humble island. He wishes for everyone to maintain their best behavior lest they incur his annoyance," Mrs. Lagrange spoke to the world's religious supergiants without so much as a change in her expression as they stepped outside. Her words were carefully decided on after a lengthy deliberation.
"This woman looks familiar," the Holy Father paused his steps as he examined Mrs. Lagrange.
"Where have you seen her from father," Basil raised an eyebrow as he side eyed his lord.
"I can't place it but I am sure that I have heard her voice before," the Holy Father stepped forward to get a better look.
"Holy Father of the Church of God, your vehicle is right over here," Mrs. Lagrange scanned the crowd for faces that she knew and hummed a pleasant tune upon seeing the Holy Father.
"Priestess of the Way of the gods, this way please," Mrs.Lagrange, with new outfit and an unseen bandage on her leg, ordered the leaders into one of the two limos. After being directed, however, none of the leaders moved since they were all looking at the white vehicle with solid gold rims.
"Who was that vehicle for," they all thought.
"Why are none of us to be seated in that vehicle," the Holy Father was the only one to outright ask.
"Ma'am, who is that vehicle for? The Holy Father would like to know why the groups are to be forced into two vehicles," Basil was about to translate for his lord but he paused upon further deliberation and decided to change the wording. Seeing that the leaders were not moving and that one chose to ask a question, Mrs. Lagrange cleared her throat.
"The lord requires transport and I have decided that he need not share…", she said before anyone else could complain about being placed with another world leader. All of the translators repeated what Mrs. Lagrange said to their lord or lady.
"I mean no offense when I say this but your God, gods, spirits, ancestors, or spiritual beliefs hold absolutely no authority in the face of our lord who has descended from the heavens to guide us...", Mrs. Lagrange said without a change in her expression. The translators paused, unsure of if they should reiterate what was just said
"This island and all the people on it are at our lord's mercy which includes you as our guests," she waited for translators to say what she said in their own way. She waited for the leaders to make a fuss, saying that they wanted better treatment or that they disavowed her lord's authority. She waited for something but it turned out that the translators had better wisdom than she had expected as they all said something that she didn't understand. She was about to continue with her praise of her Lord but Aaradhya, seeing her expression as he walked out, raised his hand and motioned for Mrs.Lagrange to bring it down a notch. She looked intense. Rather, she looked ready to rip the hearts directly out of the chests of anyone that would raise their voice in discontent.
'Could she get away with killing any of these leaders that are here if they say something? As far as I know, this island is completely struck from any maps or charters. It is a place that simply doesn't exist for the world at large...', Aaradhya frowned.
'At least not yet,' he looked to the side and noticed that if she truly did anything against these leaders, their people would make the island known to the world by calling in the attack on whatever private radio channels that they had set up in the hours that they had arrived beforehand.
The translators cleared their throats and went to work. They tried their best to get Mrs. Lagrange's message to come across without sounding disrespectful or changing the words too much but it did not sit right with the leaders.
"Blasphemy," the Holy Father looked back at the child that was behind the group and spat out an obscenity after saying as much as one word.
"How dare you disregard the spirits," one of the two leaders that held their tongue during the first meeting of the Holy Father and the rest of the leaders and held their curiosity when met with an awakened child, spoke out loud for the first time.
"Our gods will smite you and your so-called deity," the only woman amongst the leaders scoffed at Mrs. Lagrange's statement.
"A God in the flesh is nothing more than another person. Its unfortunate that the Golden Horns are filling this child's mind with nonsense," the other silent and reserved leader that had held his tongue this entire time, shook his head and looked at Aaradhya as if the boy were pitiable.
"Alright everyone settle down...", Mrs. Lagrange heard the complaints of the leaders and understood them. It didn't matter that the translators, Basil included, chose not to share their lords and ladies' responses. She knew all of the languages that were used by the leaders. The translators were so taken by their lords and ladies' responses that none of them heard Mrs.Lagrange.
"Mouths make the men when steps break them," Mrs.Lagrange turned the bullhorn to its loudest setting with a gentle smile as she spoke. The spiritual leaders did not know the language the woman used but they all knew the phrase regardless. It was a warning that if they continued speaking, they would die. They knew that it wasn't a light threat either since other people have been murdered by the Shepherds regardless of their status.