The Dreams Of A Goddess - Chapter 0.3

Yume was ready to be loved and learn the things that she had missed out with her father except…

But that was wrong. Totally wrong. When Yume thought she would be doted on and told to accompany her father on some tasks, down came crashing devices that restrained her powers from becoming chaotic (meaning overtaking the throne power because in this case, Yume may be considered a hybrid) and being tied to her own courtyard along with being assigned a personal servant to accompany her wherever she went.

Yume was very disappointed with life that she thought she could throw away and turn a new leaf but it never happened. Her father just left her and Yume and her personal servant spent time all by themselves in her courtyard being awkward in silence, staring at the pond in the middle of the courtyard.

“You know, let’s get out of this courtyard for a while,” Yume prompted after two months had passed inside her own courtyard.

Yume was getting tired of seeing the same scenery so escaping was the only way to relieve the boredom she was plagued by. Scratch that. She had meant besides having to read, write, and manage the four arts without needing to use it, it became too boring and more of a daily task to do. It wasn’t even necessary anymore since she knew about it from the back of her hand.

So, Yume convinced her personal servant to escape for the day and wander the streets that were bustling with gods and goddesses with a dab of old cultivators for some sightseeing. Yume was now six after the few weeks of chaos at the Cold Palace and was wanting to see the days that she missed out in society.

She wanted to see the people, how people conversed and what they learned. Yume knew her knowledge were surface deep so getting the gist of the people and knowledge was something that she was looking forward to.

They had walked for at least two hours seeing the delights of street food and souvenirs that Yume constantly observed. They were very meticulous in creating the marbles and Yume enjoyed the rest of the time on the streets looking at foreign things that she never saw before.

She then ended up resting in the biggest hangout place where all the deities go to converse with fellow friends and family. Yume being little, she just ventured near the kids but not too close to cause any discomfort.

Yume’s personal maid knew that she was very nervous because of Yume’s position on the bench where Yume’s figure was barely sitting on the bench. No one really noticed Yume’s presence except a few who looked at her weirdly.

Of course, Yume did not know if anyone was watching her because she was indulging herself in her nervousness. Those few people that looked at Yume were, in fact, kids her age but never hung out with normal deities that just wanted to communicate and climb the social ladder. More than that, those kids only wanted the company of someone who could indulge them into insight, enlightenment and even more, interest in certain subjects.

And all those fit Yume’s description. Yume was the example of mystery but a woman with a sad past but nevertheless strived for knowledge.

Yume became the targets for the group and she soon was confronted by four young kids that held themselves high and had the aura of nobility.

The kids were boys but to them, Yume, though a girl, was someone deemed worthy to be in their group. They were the God of Fortune, God of Longevity, God of Music, and the God of Wine: Bai Ran, Su Lin Feng, Chang Su, and Ju Ren Lei.

All of them were born of high status and their family were very close but they could not decipher who their children would grow to like and marry so they were very observant of their friends that were girls.

Luckily, there weren’t girls they had to watch out from but worried if they liked the opposite sex until their children started walking towards a new figure near the resting place.

They had seen the little girl fidget nervously as she sat on the edge of the bench, very cautious of the environment around her.

She had not noticed the children slowly walking to her like prey before a maid came up to her, whispering in her ear.

They could see the change in her expression from delight, doubt, happiness until it went pale.

Yume was not happy. Or she was waiting for her father to track her down. She was glad that her father was worried for her but when she heard her maid talk about punishments, she regretted ever meeting her father.

Yume did not like her punishment as she was to be locked in her room for a whole week before she could resume her life but with more guards surrounding her courtyard.

Her eyes resonated the panic she was feeling and she wanted to dash back home and go receive her punishment but she did not have time to analyze that four boys were in front of her, staring at her interest. Yume did not want to drag behind her time but politely greeted the boys.

“Hello, is it okay for me to pass? I need to go home. My father is waiting for me,” Yume’s eyes darted everywhere in haste while the four boys knew that whatever the maid said had put off the girl in some way.

“May we ask your name?” one of the boys asked. “I’m the God of Longevity, Su Lin Feng and I wish to be your friend.”

Su Lin Feng had a calm appearance that looked tranquil and wise, contrasting his mentality from his age. Yume felt like his aura could influence someone’s behavior but she could not be rude to his questioning.

“My name is Yume, Goddess of Dreams,” she spoke after feeling rather calm listening to Su Lin Feng speak to her first.

“Yo, Su Lin Feng, you can’t leave us behind in the conversation,” a boy with a hyper personality spoke in excitement while he jumped and wrapped an arm around Su Lin Feng. “I’m Bai Ran, the God of Fortune. Nice to meet you, Yume.”

Bai Ran, as Yume could see, liked breaking formality barriers and talk casually for the sake of comfort. Yume smiled at him due to him trying to be cool and a show-off.

“Such casualty is fine,” Yume confirmed after Bai Ran was eager to call her his friend.

“Don’t leave me out,” another voice interrupted in the back of her and the boy walked towards the group and turned around to speak to Yume face-to-face. “I’m Chang Su, the God of Music. I can play whatever you would like to hear if you ask for it.”

Yume saw the unfairness flash in Bai Ran’s eyes but she just giggled and greeted Chang Su back in a way that would soon inspire him to write songs…

But anyway, after Chang Su was the last boy that kept staring at me before it was his turn to talk and he had just nodded his head.

“I’m Ju Ren Lei, the God of Wine. It does not necessarily mean that I’m drunk but usually I’m called that because I make good wine. I own a winery to sell good wine to the people,” the boy spoke softly, quietly lulling Yume to sleep but her personal maid stepped in so Yume could escape quickly from the long conversation.

“I’m sorry but Yume cannot stay here longer. If you want to visit Yume on your free time, please drop by her courtyard in the Palace and if you need access just try to sneak in from the courtyard. You don’t need to greet in the front so I suggest you wait for a week before coming. I can see that Yume does seem to look at you with a hopeful gaze for being her friend but her father will not be happy to see Yume outside longer than she has to. I hope to see you all when you feel prepared to meet each other and bond. Please excuse us,” Yume’s personal maid carried Yume into her arms and teleported her quickly back to her courtyard, making sure that the Jade Emperor will not punish Yume for looking at souvenirs.

…

While Yume left, the four boys looked at the direction in which Yume had fled, all of them flashed a genuine smile, finally knowing the answer to the girl they wanted to know of. Staring off into the direction of where they left for a long time, their families gathered near the dazed children and prattled on about different topics, knowing that what the children experienced would change their lives for a lifetime.

And for the rest of the week, the children’s’ one thought was: I’ll see you next time we meet.