Blitz ate the Golden Apple, and with all his stats increased by +20, Rose and Alvin were shocked. Neither of them had expected such dramatic improvement from a single fruit.
"Well, I'm glad you're alright… and I am sincerely sorry about what happened," Alvin said as he patted Blitz's head gently.
Squeak.
Blitz squeaked, which meant Alvin's apology was accepted.
Now it was time for far more serious matters.
Rivera furrowed her brows. "Okay… now what do you mean by the Celestial Being, Lord Carmina, summoning me? This… isn't a joke, right?"
Alvin's face hardened, his tone heavy.
"No. It's not a joke. It's true. The Celestial Being has awakened and she has asked for you."
Alvin reached into his dimensional storage and pulled out an orb, which glowed faint blue, soft and ethereal.
"Hold it, sweetheart, and see for yourself," Rose urged softly.
Rivera stepped forward and took the orb; her hands shaking, she received it. It was neither warm nor cold - almost like holding nothing at all.
She stared into it. The moment she focused her mind, the orb warmed and began glowing, swirling with mysterious energy.
Then -
A voice came from it, ancient, powerful, and absolute.
"Come to me, my Dalmenton child.
Come to me… and bring your Magical Beast with you."
Rivera dropped the orb to the floor, her eyes going wide in shock as cold sweat trickled down her face and her heart hammered inside her chest.
"It's... it's really her. But why... why ask for me?" Rivera exclaimed, her voice trembling.
Although she had never heard Lord Carmina's voice before, she knew-instantly-without any doubt. Just hearing it filled her with overwhelming awe. It was a voice which could make any mortal crumble. An order tempered with joy and dread, reverence and fear all at once. The decree from a being who stood far above mankind.
"And not only that," Rose added in a soft voice. "She summoned your father, too."
"What? Father? But why?" Rivera's voice cracked.
Alvin exhaled a deep, tired sigh. His shoulders drooped as if the weight of mountains pressed upon them.
"I don't know… but if I had to guess, it must be about what I tried to do to Blitz yesterday. When she spoke to me, I felt it. She was… really furious."
The Celestial Sacred Sanctuary was the place where Lord Carmina resided and had been the holiest area for the Dalmenton family. It sat atop the tallest mountain in the Dalmenton domain - a place most people only heard about in stories.
So, for Lord Carmina to call Alvin there, of all people, was a surprising and amazing shock. Only those with Dalmenton blood were permitted entry into the sacred sanctuary by ancient law.
And Alvin - despite being the head of the family - had never once set foot inside it.
Because Alvin… was never truly a Dalmenton.