Renher slowly crossed over the door, the ethereal light of the chamber casting long, distorted shadows that danced around him like phantoms. He came face-to-face with the little girl.
The little girl turned to face him, her eyes sharp and knowing, "Sit down now, Emperor of Skairus," she commanded, her voice surprisingly firm for one so young.
A flick of her delicate hand, and a plush, ornate chair materialized from thin air, a testament to the raw, untamed power that crackled around her like a living aura.
Renher, his mind a whirlwind of confusion and fear, maintained a semblance of calm, a demeanor honed through years of ruling, a mask against the chaos within.
He went ahead and sat on the chair, its soft cushions a stark contrast to the unforgiving ground of the battlefield he had previously been.
It was then, up close, that he truly saw her eyes.
They shimmered like a miniature night sky, with countless tiny specks resembling distant stars, constellations swirling within their depths, a breathtaking display of cosmic wonder.
Apart from that, every other physical trait of the girl made her no different from an eight-year-old, even her clothes were something Renher had seen previously, somewhere in the recesses of his memory, a fleeting echo he couldn't quite grasp.
She turned to her left and told the tall man standing beside her, "Go to the garden and pick the finest petals of osmanthus."
The man bowed politely, his movements graceful and composed, "I will get it done, Lady Aydra."
Renher watched the man leave through the same shimmering door, his movements as fluid as flowing water, a picture of serene grace.
The man was like a refined butler through and through, never showing any ungraceful movements, a silent sentinel of perfect composure.
With her attendant gone, the little child turned to face Renher, "How are you doing, Renher?"
Renher was puzzled over such a question; he was not expecting such a mundane inquiry in this otherworldly realm. He replied, "Feeling dead from the inside."
The little girl looked over at Renher with serious eyes, then burst into laughter, a light, tinkling sound that belied her true nature. She looked like a small cat, completely powerless, but Renher knew firsthand that look was very deceiving, a facade hiding immense power.
The little girl started talking, "Before going forward, let me introduce myself. I am known by many names throughout history and universes. Some call me Celestial Arbiter, some call me God of Balance, but you can call me Aydra."
Renher looked over with curiosity, "So should I call you god or a goddess?"
Aydra looked back at Renher and said, "Call me anything you like, it won't matter. This appearance is influenced by your thoughts, what lies deep in your heart affects how you see me."
She continued, "To you, I might look like a little girl, to someone else, I might look like an adult man with a beard and muscles all over his physical body, but it's irrelevant for now. It is the essence that matters, not the form."
Renher spoke again, "So, Goddess, what am I doing here?"
Aydra replied, "Don't say goddess, only Aydra. And to answer your question, you have died. Your body perished, but your soul has been called to this place."
Renher gave a puzzled look, lost in thought and confused beyond explanation. Dead? My soul? What does it all mean?
A gentle thumping noise brought him to his senses. He looked towards his back and saw the butler enter the room, carrying a delicate tea set.
The aroma of freshly brewed tea leaves permeated the room, a fragrant, soothing scent that seemed to calm his frayed nerves.
Aydra looked at the butler, a slight nod conveying intention from both sides, a silent exchange of understanding, a wordless communication.
Aydra introduced her butler, "He is my attendant, or we could say my angel."
Renher was anticipating more words from Aydra, hoping to get a name, but they did not come. An angel without a name? he wondered, his curiosity piqued, a silent question hanging in the air.
While Renher was thinking, the butler was serving the tea to Aydra, his movements elegant and precise, a dance of refined service, a picture of perfect composure.
After serving the tea to Aydra, the butler turned to face Renher, "Sweet or no sweet?"
Renher, replying absentmindedly, said, "Your name."
The butler turned his gaze back to Aydra, awaiting instructions, his expression serene, a blank canvas of obedience.
A sudden realization brought Renher back to his senses. Right, tea, he thought, his mind still reeling from the shock of his death.
Before Renher could reply, Aydra shook her head helplessly, "Add extra sugar in it, he likes sweet things."
Although he did not completely like sweet things, except perhaps the sweetness of his memories with his wife, he still gave a nod of approval to the butler, not wanting to cause a fuss in this strange, ethereal realm.
The butler was serving the tea to Renher and saw his confused look and spoke, "We don't have a name, our only purpose is to attend to the goddess."
The hot tea poured down the teapot spout, steam brimming from the cup, a fragrant wisp rising to the air, a comforting scent.
To this, Aydra gave a little nod, just to quench Renher's curiosity. After pouring tea for both of them, the butler returned to his original position, a silent sentinel, a guardian of the tea ceremony.
Aydra was sipping the tea, enjoying every sip, the tall man standing next to her, ready to pour anew at any moment, a picture of quiet servitude.
Renher was about to ask some questions to Aydra, but before he could, Aydra started speaking.
Aydra, while looking over the horizon, started speaking, "I know you would have a lot of questions, but the time is nigh."
Visible frustration was written all over Renher's face. But the powerless Renher could only accept the situation, so he went ahead with it.
Aydra spoke, "Ask only the questions which you feel are important. A sudden phenomenon has occurred which caused our meeting to be reduced short."
Renher, unbothered about the phenomenon, started, "What is the situation on the battlefield? I heard a loud noise of an army and also a bright light before coming over."
Aydra gave a serious look to Renher and spoke with a hopeless tone, "I asked you to inquire only the essential, and here you are asking all the irrelevant questions."
Without waiting for a reply from Renher, she started, "You have perished due to a slight oversight of the gods."
Renher, feeling profound sadness and a surge of anger, was about to say something when Aydra interjected.
"Fear not, we would provide you with another chance, as the Goddess of Balance, everything I do is fair."
Renher sighed, "Can I know what oversight?"
With a flick of Aydra's finger, a screen floated in front of Renher, a tall man was seen bowing in front of something.
Renher immediately identified the man, "It was the orc chief, and the big object was a totem which I had seen in my dreams."
She continued, "The orc chief was influenced by the outer gods, something which none of us thought could happen. The influence was greater than we had expected. The influence of outer gods resulted in the orc chief getting easily influenced, resulting in the fabric of fate getting twisted."
Renher nodded slightly, understanding the argument.
Aydra continued, "So due to that and many other things occurring due to it, your death came before it was forecasted."
Sadness was visible on Renher's face.
But Aydra continued, "Fret not, Emperor, we would give you another chance at life, with all your previous memories intact."
Renher definitely felt something was off about this whole "another chance." "So what is the catch in this whole situation?" he asked, giving another shot at life with all memories was definitely a scenario too good to be true.
Aydra gave a condescending smile, "Yes, there is a small catch to it. As we all are giving you a favor, we want it to be returned."
Renher said to himself, "It was your own fault for my death, and now you want a favor from me? That is hypocrisy."
Aydra, with a flicker of her hands, brought some cards from air, only their backs were visible, each alluding some form of air or power.
Renher's brow furrowed, and he turned a puzzled gaze towards Aydra.
She said, "You would want these in your next life. Each one of them has some sort of power that you would be bestowed with, so choose one of them."
With a flick of her wrist, a table materialized from thin air, its polished surface gleaming. On its surface were different cards, each having a different pattern on its back.
..Renher gave a close look at each one of these cards, his gaze lingering on the intricate patterns etched on their backs.
Each card seemed to pulse with a faint, internal light, a subtle hum of latent power. He felt a strange pull towards them, a sense of destiny intertwined with these mystical objects.
With a deliberate movement, he picked out one of them from the stack.
The surface of the card was smooth, cool to the touch, almost silken.
As soon as he turned it over, a stark video ran before his eyes, a vivid scene unfolding before him like a window into another world.