The venerable old man, who also served as the guardian between the Kingdom of Light and the Kingdom of the Passive Element, welcomed the three visitors into his realm.
"Welcome to Apollo's Kingdom of Light," he announced, revealing an endless vista of buildings painted in white and yellow.
"Wow, everything here is completely different from our kingdom," Alain remarked, taking in the surroundings.
"Yes, I haven't told you yet, but the civilizations across the kingdoms are vastly different. The Kingdom of Light is the most advanced of them all."
"You mean our Kingdom of Light, Lady Ann," the old man interjected, correcting her gently.
"Yes, I mean Apollo's Kingdom of Light, not Ra's."
"There are two Kingdoms of Light?" Aden asked, surprised.
"Oh, what? They don't know?" the old man smiled with curiosity.
"Don't mind that," their mother quickly changed the subject to focus on the matter at hand.
"No problem. In any case, I will assign two guards to escort you to one of the city's most luxurious hotels, where you will wait until you receive an invitation from the kingdom's rulers. This should be quick, considering you informed them ahead of time about the meeting."
"Excellent! Thank you very much for your help."
As they proceeded, Alain and Aden repeated in their minds the name of their mother they just heard from the old man: "Ann."
They hadn't remembered it until now, and even now it didn't sound familiar.
The two guards accompanied the trio toward the hotel room. The guards themselves wore elegant clothing in white and yellow like nearly everything in this kingdom.
"The buildings here are truly impressive, Aden. Look at this!" Alain said, walking along the streets.
"Yes, the houses in our kingdom are much less impressive.
By the way It seems they were all built by people who control the Earth element. Am I right, Mom?"
"Yes, Aden. Our kingdom is among the less advanced, but it's the most stable in terms of construction and comfort, because many of our people control earth and water to manage everyday life effectively."
"And what about us, Mom?" Alain quickly interrupted. "Do we have any special powers?"
"Hmmm... I suppose by the end of the day we'll be able to return to our kingdom. On the way back, we'll stop somewhere so you can learn more about your abilities."
Aden and Alain were excited. This was the world they had lived in so far, but everything felt new. A sense of admiration and wonder filled them as they took in their surroundings.
---
In an 80-story building on the top floor, there was a large, tall chamber about 150 square steps in size.
Inside gathered 20 people responsible for the kingdom, known as the 20 priests of Apollo's Kingdom of Light.
"I heard the witch from the Kingdom of Gaia has arrived," one said as they all sat down.
"Yes, she sent a letter saying this matter is urgent and of the utmost importance."
"Who does she think she is? The utmost importance? We're in the middle of a war against the Kingdom of Darkness. We don't have time to waste on other kingdoms right now."
"Don't worry, I'll handle her. I'll meet with her and find out what she wants," said one of them, a young man, about 25 years old.
"Good. Tamiel, we trust you to manage this."
Tamiel bowed respectfully and took his seat.
---
Ann and her two children arrived at the entrance of the hotel where they were to stay.
The two guards entered with them and led them to a small chamber made of light, where they were told to stand.
Once everyone was inside, the guards raised their hands, and the chamber began ascending until it reached a certain floor, where it stopped.
"Wow," Alain exclaimed.
He marveled at the guards' ability to control light and the kingdom's power to shape light as if it were solid.
One of the guards formed a beam of light from his palm, which solidified into the shape of a key. He used it to unlock one of the doors in front of them.
The door glowed and opened, revealing a spacious room.
"Please enter. You will stay here until you receive permission to meet the priests."
The three entered, and the guards left.
"Wow, Aden, did you see how they controlled that light? That was incredible."
"Yes! I wonder how much time and skill it takes to reach that level."
Their mother, who had been listening, decided to explain.
"They're probably at least level B in Hesmirion. Otherwise, they wouldn't be guarding the border between our kingdoms."
"Hesmirion?" Alain asked, confused.
"Yes, Hesmirion - the secret fabric of creation governed in eight ways."
"There's so much we need to learn about this world," Alain half-joked.
Ann smiled softly.
Aden seized the moment to ask a question that had been on his mind.
"Mom, who are these priests you're going to meet?"
"The priests are the 20 individuals who collectively govern the Kingdom of Light. They change every few years based on the residents' elections or respected royal lineages in the kingdom."
"So not all of them are truly wise or powerful enough to rule?"
"You could say that. Some inherit their priesthood through family ties and aren't necessarily chosen by the people. So not everyone is wise or strong enough to lead. But that's not really our concern."
---
As evening approached, Ann and her children arrived at the private office of Tamiel - one of the city's priests.