In the afternoon, at the top of the horizon, where the clouds stretched like a soft, expansive carpet for the gods and goddesses to walk on, and the magnificent and vast Kingdom of the Gods stood.
There lived a large, muscular, tall, and handsome young man, also the crown prince of the kingdom, named Kaze. Kaze was not a friendly or gentle man. He was easily irritated and unforgivingly fierce. Even his words were sharp, and he was extremely proud, especially when it came to romance. Kaze considered romance to be nothing but a frivolous and unimportant thing, a waste of time. He even once vowed never to marry in his life.
But fate deviated from his expectations and was beyond his plans/predictions. He swallowed his own words, and there was no wind or rain. He suddenly found himself with 13 wives and was forced into this marriage because of a duty given by his father, which required him to descend to the mortal world (Earth) to maintain its balance. This was also the origin of Kaze's many wives.
But his 13 wives were no ordinary women, but 13 guardian goddesses who guarded their respective eras, maintaining balance, order, and harmony. From the Ediacaran to the Quaternary, they loved him deeply, even to the point of worshipping him, even though Kaze himself was often embarrassed to the point of blushing like a boiled crab to admit it and hide it (yikes). Their joyful cries still echoed in Kaze's head.
"Kaze-samaaaa!!!" his 13 wives shouted in unison when Kaze had just returned from his duties at the border. They greeted him joyfully, then immediately surrounded him.
Kaze, watching them, sighed with a tired expression. "You guys, I just got home, and you're already swarming around me like ants."
His 13 wives giggled mischievously and kissed Kaze on the cheek. Some put away his belongings, and others massaged him. "Kaze-sama, we're all so glad you're back. When you're not in the palace, we feel lonely," one of his wives said gently and caringly.
"What lonely?! I was only away at the border for two days, not two centuries!" Kaze snapped, turning his face away, trying to hide the faint smile that almost showed.
"For those of us who love you, every second without you feels like an eternity of emptiness," one of his wives said gently, placing her small, delicate hand right on his large shoulder.
Kaze snorted softly and quickly turned his face away, keeping the soft hand on his shoulder. "Your words are indeed sweet and easy to seduce."
Then, Kaze went to his room and sat on the sofa to rest, while his 13 wives began to do their respective tasks. Some tidied up Kaze's clothes and belongings, others brought him cold drinks and snacks, and still others massaged his body to relieve his fatigue. They sat beside him, leaning back affectionately. Seeing this, Kaze sighed with a small smile, but he kept his tone stern and fierce to hide it.
"Come on, get me some hot water. I'm so hot," he ordered in a fake, fierce tone, even as his hand discreetly stroked the head of one of his wives, who was massaging her body.
The goddesses glanced at each other and chuckled again. They knew full well that, beneath his tough exterior and sharp words, Kaze was a man who would do anything to protect them and the world they guarded.
To be continued...