“Eve. Where are you, my cute granddaughter?” James shouted.
The White Goose glared at the noisy old man who had come to the lakeside. It was currently swimming in the middle of the lake, with a sleeping girl on its back. Seven ducks slept beside the little girl, encircling her in a protective formation.
The Seven Ducks whom she had cared for since they were young were now full-fledged adults. These ducks would attack anyone who dared to hurt Eve, and bite their noggins if they were a boy.
Because of this, Eve’s playmates were only girls. James and Mordred didn’t have any complaints with this setup. Anna would shake her head from time to time because of how overprotective the men of their family were towards her daughter.
“Oi! Goose, bring my granddaughter here!” James ordered.
A second later, James heard an annoyed voice speak inside his head.
“Shut up, old man. The Mistress is sleeping. Tone down your words and stop shouting.”
“Then bring her here now. There’s an important guest that wants to see her.”
The White Goose frowned before wading towards the lakeside. It had enlarged itself earlier because Eve wanted to play in the lake while on its back. However, after playing for a while, the calmness of the lake made her sleepy, so she decided to take a nap on the White Goose’ back along with her ducklings.
The white Goose stepped on land, but still retained its size. If possible, it didn’t want to wake the sleeping girl on its back and simply glared at James as if it wanted to peck him to oblivion.
James looked at his adorable granddaughter with a fawning gaze. Seeing how peacefully she slept, he decided to just wake her up after they returned to the residence.
The old man and the White Goose walked sided by side as they headed towards the direction of Lont. A guest had arrived, and James hurriedly looked for Eve because her presence was needed.
It didn’t take long before the two arrived at the Ainsworth Residence. As if sensing that she had returned home, Eve’s eyes fluttered. Half a minute later, she opened them and looked at her surroundings, while still half asleep.
“Grandpa?” Eve asked as she saw James walking beside the White Goose.
“Good Afternoon, Eve,” James said with a smile. “Someone came to visit you.”
Eve’s drowsiness went away when she heard that someone came to visit her. There was someone she misses very much, and she hoped to see him soon.
“Big Brother?”
“William? No. It’s someone else.”
“Who?”
James smiled and pointed at the entrance of the Ainsworth Residence. A beautiful lady dressed in ceremonial garb stood near the doorway. The moment she saw Eve, a gentle smile appeared on her face.
The guest of the Ainsworth Family walked towards the White Goose to have a better look at the girl that she had come to see for the first time. She had not met Eve before, but she and William were good friends.
There were times when the red-headed teenager would talk about his cute cousin in the countryside. That was how she knew Eve’s name. She just didn’t expect that she would be sent to William’s hometown, to take the little girl under her tutelage.
Eve looked at the beautiful lady and felt a strong connection to her. This connection was hard to describe, especially for a little girl. Because of that, Eve said the closest thing that she could to describe the feelings welling up inside her heart.
“Big Sister?”
“Yes. From now on, you can call me Big Sister.”
Ariadne smiled and patted Eve’s head affectionately. Now she understood why William kept on bragging about his cute cousin.
Eve was probably the most adorable little girl that she had seen in her lifetime. Also, the powerful Divine Energy emanating from her body was proof that she was destined to be an Apostle of a God.
A few minutes later, James, Mordred, Anna, and Eve gathered in the garden where they all had afternoon tea and snacks.
Ariadne had waited for everyone to gather before she spoke of her reason for coming. Mordred and Anna exchanged a glance at each other in disbelief. James, on the other hand, frowned. He then placed his tea cup on the table before speaking out his mind.
“Are you going to take Eve away from us?” James asked. He spoke casually, and yet, his words seemed to contain an underlying challenge.
It was as if he was telling Ariadne to “You won’t be taking my darling granddaughter away from me under my watch”.
Ariadne smiled because she already expected this outcome.
“Eve is still young,” Ariadne replied. “I can’t bear to take her away from her family. This was why I have decided to stay here in Lont while I teach her the duties of an Apostle.”
Mordred and Anna sighed in relief. Being chosen as an Apostle of a God was an honor, but it was also a heavy responsibility. Eve was still young, and they didn’t want their daughter to leave them at this stage.
James hummed and nodded his head.
“Very well. I will allow you to teach Eve, but you have to make an oath that you will not secretly take her away, while we’re not looking,” James said. Although he knew that Ariadne was an Oracle of the God William followed, he still couldn’t trust her because of the fact that he kept on forgetting what she looked like!
‘What a troublesome ability,’ James thought. ‘No matter how hard I try, her face slips away from my memory.’
Eve ate the cookies on her plate with gusto. She looked at Ariadne from time to time, and the latter would smile back at her each time the lady sensed her stare.
Unlike her family, Ariadne’s ability didn’t work on her. Even if Ariadne were to wear normal clothes and was tossed inside a crowd, Eve would be able to recognize her right away.
Ariadne had said that she came here to teach her how to become an Apostle.
Eve didn’t understand what an Apostle was. But, for some reason, she felt that being an Apostle wasn’t a bad thing.
Ariadne sighed in her heart. She was someone that could see glimpses in the future, but she couldn’t see the future of certain people. The Oracle of the God of Shepherds knew that her duty was not an easy one.
For some reason, she was feeling uneasy. She kept on dreaming about a man with black hair, and eyes. He sat on a black throne, surrounded by beautiful women and a little girl sitting on his lap.
Behind him, several powerful beasts stood as if waiting for his command to unleash havoc across the land. Above him, a Black Phoenix had its wings spread wide as if to usher a new Era.
Ariadne’s hand trembled as she remembered the scene in her dream. That man looked at her and smiled. Although she couldn’t remember what he looked like, she could still remember the words that he had told her.
“I walk in the darkness so that others may see the light.”
Yes. That man decided to walk in the darkness.
However, in doing so, he also covered the entire world in darkness.
