The walls of the room were made of expensive materials that came from a place farther than the universe. The roof was supported by high columns serving as pillars.
The room followed a specific color scheme, with the walls pure white and the fabrics, such as the drapes and tablecloths, vibrant red.
The ambiance was that of riches and delicacy; appearances meant the most in such a place. People wore expensive garments and fancy accoutrements in a way that conveyed power and influence more than anything else.
Solatin was also a fan of such things, preferring to wear flamboyant attire instead of simplistic ones, even though them being of high-quality fabric.
For the occasion, He decided to put on some of His best pieces of clothing. The Sun God was relatively well-known in the Fourth Heaven for His stylistic choices and extravagant personality, in contrast to Uqlurius who rarely attended those events and preferred to keep to Himself.
At Solatin's side stood Longel, who had absolutely no knowledge of these events, as a matter of fact, She had no experience concerning anything in the Fourth Heaven!
Therefore, Solatin had to guide the androgynous figure throughout the banquet not to cause any trouble.
While They marched through the crowds, Solatin noticed a lot of distracted gazes towards Them. A lot of them are focused on the angel at His side.
Solatin chuckled while looking at some of the regards towards them, making Them shy away.
Most of the Gods in the Fourth Heaven had a deadly fear of the Sun God's chuckle. While He may be considered a failure when compared to other Gods with similar symbolisms, He was still a God with powers beyond what most could imagine.
It was most common for Gods to have access to 2 or 3 dimensions. Solatin currently had access to 5 of them, which proved a certain degree of superiority.
Of course, Gods could acquire more than what they had, but the process was too complex, often having to be done during a particular period or condition.
Solatin looked to the long table to His right, where multiple people stood beside and sipped wine and ate delicacies, while talking about various topics.
As He tried to look more into the conversation, He noticed a particular person amongst the group.
Valeria Gloire…
Solatin chuckled in silence as He observed the short-haired woman talking with confidence to a small crowd of people.
In a similar fashion to Solatin, Valeria possessed a certain amount of status amongst the "newer" Gods.
Her scarlet eyes locked in with His golden as He made a sarcastic smile and waved at Her with a clear sense of fakeness.
Valeria was a God born during the same era as Solatin and Uqlurius. The three of them were all part of a semi-prestigious group called the Thirteenth Hour.
Valeria made a bitter smile at the Sun God, showcasing their "amazing" relationship.
Funnily enough, most members of the Thirteenth Hour did not really care for it, as it was mostly an honorary title with no benefits except for fame and recognition, which could be considered to be a solid gift for most, but not for the members of this group.
"Master, could this lady perhaps be a member of this so-called Thirteenth Hour?" Longel tried to ask with secrecy to Solatin, pulling Herself closer to His ear.
"How did thou come to learn this name?"
"It was written in the corridor." She pointed to further down the room, towards the hallway.
"Thou art right, Longel. This lady would be the Goddess of Victory, Lady Valeria Gloire."
Solatin did not even look down to His angel to respond, understanding that Longel did not want to attract too much attention with Her questions. She knew Her master told Her She could ask as many questions as She wanted, but She still did not dare to do too much.
"And who are the thirteen members?"
"We are but twelve in the order." He finally looked down at the androgynous lady.
To Longel, this answer indeed seemed stupid. Why would a group use the number 13 if there were only 12?
But She guessed there was probably a deeper meaning to the name Thirteenth Hour than She could observe at the moment.
"My apologies, could you perhaps tell me the other members?"
"If that is what you wish, my dear angel." Solatin brushed His shoulders and led Her to a quieter corner.
The twelve members of the Thirteenth Hour were all mighty young Gods, such as Solatin and Valeria.
Uqlurius was also a member of the order, though He preferred not to appear often and keep to Himself.
Then would be the God of Silence, Kushi Bellert. A God slightly older than the three previous ones. He did not have a particularly high amount of political influence, but His strength spoke for itself, similar to Solatin.
His looks were as far as looking like an influential figure. He was a tall and not very muscular man with long white hair and dark eyes like the night.
The Goddess of War, Derma Krig, was born shortly after Solatin. She was the member with the most influence in the Fourth Heaven. Unlike Kushi, She was a beautiful woman with hair the color of fire and a confident and proud posture.
The Goddess of Memories, Zixot Armeni, was a very mysterious figure. Solatin could only remember a single instance where both of Them saw each other. He still remembered that She was stunningly beautiful, but so was every other God.
The Devil of Love was a man whose name was unknown to the Sun God. They had only met each other briefly, as He was a very recently born in the Fourth Heaven.
The God of Freedom was currently absent, not to say dead, since the concept was irrelevant for Him.
The Goddess of Spring was a fascinating woman. She was one of the few ones Solatin genuinely thought to be worth His time and attention.
The Moon God, Lumis, was the total opposite of the Sun God, but They, weirdly enough, respect each other quite well.
The Error Devil was the only one Solatin had never met in person.
The Devil of Trust, Prymel, was… Interesting to say the least.
"What is the difference between a God and a Devil?" Longel looked up at the Monarch's face.
"The difference between a God and Devil thou say? There is none when looking at both; the true difference is in how both of Them are born."
"A God is born from the beliefs of other beings. A Devil is born from the life of a being."
Longel still looked perplexed at Her master's answer to Her question.
"What is the difference? I am not sure if I have grasped it well enough."
Solatin chuckled. "Do not worry, for it is normal. I shall reformulate my answer. Imagine a collective or a group of people believing in the existence of a certain entity. With enough time, this entity would become a God in the Fourth Heaven."
"But on the other side, a Devil would be born from a human ascending to a pseudo-God. This pseudo-God, at His death, would proceed to become a Devil, a non-pure form of divinity."
Footsteps approached the tall Monarch.
"I see we're playing professors now." The woman stood more than a head shorter than Solatin and had beautiful blond hair swaying around Her face.
Her crimson eyes pierced Solatin's and Longel's golden eyes.
She wore a knightly robe, a mix between a combatant's and a queen's attire.
"Who is she exactly?" She nodded towards the angel at Solatin's side.
Solatin waited for Longel to speak up. "I am Longel, Angel of the Remote." She bowed respectfully to the Goddess of Victory.
"No! Why are you already resembling Him? Only a single day and you already start to talk like this!" She seemed so desperate it was almost funny.
Valeria truly despised Solatin's way of talking, so much so that She started to use more common speech patterns to turn the Sun God back to normal.
"It seems even newborns adopt the Monarch's speech. Isn't that right, queen?" He said in a mocking manner, clearly making fun of the lady in front of Himself.
She pouted and left suddenly as Solatin laughed madly.
"Thou never cease to make me appreciate this life of mine, Victoria."