[???] "Let us rejoice, brothers and sisters!"
A voice filled with authority boomed across golden halls.
[???] "Raise your cups, for tonight is a night of celebration!"
Multiple luxurious glasses were raised in response, yet there was no cheer on the faces of each being in that room.
Of course, that was because one specific deity was missing.
The one at the front of the room frowned, displeased with the lack of enthusiasm from his pantheon.
It would be unusual for anyone ordinary not to have a smile in such a room, with gold-plated walls, expensive wines, and glass cups crafted by the finest; this place seemed to be a breeding ground for laughter and joy.
Among deities, though, there was no joy.
But as the sun rose higher and higher, hints of excitement began spreading across each deity's face.
No matter what their king tried or did, there was always one person in the pantheon who could outperform him.
Brilliant rays of light shone from the sun with more brightness than could ever be called normal. Even with the supreme body of a God, some had to avert their eyes to prevent damage to their irises.
That didn't stop their bodies from reacting to such warmth; feet began shuffling to an ever-growing choir.
Their singing, the sun, everything seemed perfectly organised for Lumi's entrance.
A feeling no God could name, but a feeling every God could feel, Lumi was known as the God of joy by humans. The most rebellious of them all, of course, was that same God.
It was insanity, really, to even think that a God would go against their pantheon leader's wishes, especially on multiple accounts.
Then again, it was also insanity that anyone could outshine Sacriel, the angel who formed the largest pantheon in the universe.
Everything about Lumi was insane, especially the feeling that entered the hearts of everyone around him.
That quiet crowd raised their cups higher, and finally they rejoiced,
"Hail Luminel, the first of the day!"
Their chants curved Lumi's lip upward.
Finally, the fire in the centre of the room began roaring.
It was as if his presence triggered the feast, although it couldn't be further from the truth. In actuality, Lumi had planned this entrance, as he always did.
Yet, the fools under him, deities or not, failed to recognise this every time. Blinded by the bliss that humans called "Joy."
[Lumi] "Calm down, you aren't humans, stop worshipping me as if you were!"
A laugh came from Lumi's mouth, and of course, the crowd followed him.
They always did.
Sacriel glared at him in envy. All Lumi did was give him a wink back.
Much regrettable to Lumi, he wasn't able to share his ability with the pantheon leader, but that went the other way as well.
It was due to Lumi's interference with the contract deities signed to enter this pantheon; it was only allowed due to his status as a God.
Still, it was very irritating that he wasn't able to share with Sacriel.
Alas, it was for the best. If Sacriel were able to harm Lumi, he wouldn't have these opportunities to share his glorious light with his fellow brothers.
Clink!
Multiple glasses clashed against each other at once, and a loud ring was the product of those clashes.
Loud enough to snap Lumi out of his reminiscence.
Finally, he descended down to the floor to grab a drink.
[???] "Look who finally decided to come down!"
It was this guy again.
Lumi scoffed internally.
Although they were technically friends, there was only one thing that Lumi couldn't stand about the God in front of him.
Aziel, the god of life and nature, was an extremely tall, lean, and athletic-looking person. Oftentimes, you would see him in a very tight black shirt that revealed his plethora of grown muscles, a choice that Lumi could never understand.
Their contrast was very stark, to say the least. Lumi was dressed in all white and gold, elegant robes and a cape were hung over a jester-like attire. All his clothes revealed no skin or muscle underneath, whereas Aziel wore all black and purposefully boasted his body.
When he wasn't gloating about his muscles, he actually was someone Lumi preferred to be around. Clearly, even Aziel couldn't resist Lumi's attraction either. Every deity which noticed his presence became incredibly… Huh. How could he put this? Joyful?
Using human words to label deities, how ignorant of Lumi.
He had been spending far too long with mortals anyway; the whole point of coming to this party was to get away from them.
So, to distract himself, He took one shot of wine. The flavour of cherry, the notes of floral ingredients which just soothed the mouth and nose, and of course, you couldn't forget the magnificent texture.
It was so good, Lumi even personally complimented the artist behind such a masterpiece.
It was also so good that Lumi had a second.
Then a third.
By his eighth glass, Lumi had lost track of time.
But after thousands of years of living by the sun's time, his body already subconsciously knew what to do.
Without a trace, Lumi took one more glass with him and disappeared onto the streets right outside the banquet.
He had a little hideout nearby; it was always handy to have some sort of concealment magic whenever the sun was to fall, in case any harm should fall on him.
Drunkenly, he stumbled through empty streets. Statues of figures like Sacriel, the god of sacrifice, the god of envy, or Azriel, the god of life, and showing off, surrounded the beautiful city.
Lumi laughed at his own thoughts; the god of showing off should have been Azriel's actual title. It certainly fit him.
Speaking badly about his friends, Lumi caught himself there; he was trying to work on that. If he had any complaints, he shouldn't speak behind their backs–
Gag.
Splat!
Vomit hit the floor.
Whatever was in that wine must have been stronger than usual.
He could clean himself soon enough, though; he just had to find the door.
Ah, yeah, he forgot.
There was no door.
[Lumi] "Lumera!"
Light began reflecting in unnatural ways, bending in ways it shouldn't.
The sight didn't help Lumi's nausea, but it couldn't be helped.
A doorway without a door.
Lumi laughed again.
He should get another door.