Chapter 39 The Opening Ceremony Part 2, Emotions

Chapter 39 The Opening Ceremony Part 2, Emotions

After the music, the audience gave a thunderous applause.

A few beads of sweat had appeared on the foreheads of the three women, but they had a look of satisfaction.

Dark and Lino's hearts were beating loudly in their chests.

Their fantasies of dancing with Damien had been partially fulfilled and their lips were curled upwards.

They first bowed to the audience before turning around and doing the same to the people above the stairs.

Dark's eyes unintentionally shifted towards Damien. One of the reasons her heart was beating rapidly was because she was eagerly anticipating what he had to comment about their performance.

A thumb was raised in their direction. Damien was praising them.

Lino, was ecstatic while Dark simply smiled.

Itetia was happy about the thumbs up but now that she had woken up from dreamland, her worries had come back in full force.

"That was a good performance, now, let my manager do the ribbon cutting and then he will give you a tour." She suggested.

Damien stood, nodded towards the the god queen and proceeded down the stairs.

'What statement should I offer in praise?...hmmm...good job!...nononono...you were gorgeous....that doesn't work either...'

His pace unconsciously slowed down as he neared the lower potion of the stairs.

Their performance had been memorable but what had managed to move him had been only the song.

But since he wanted to recognise their efforts, he wanted to come up with something that would make them satisfied.

Lino and Dark looked like cute dogs waiting for their master to pet them as their gazes were directly on him.

"The three of you were beautiful!" He complimented as he passed in their midst. That was the best he came up with. It made it seem like he didn't know that it all was for him.

A sliver of dissapointment passed through their expressions(Lino and Dark) but they buried it and resumed calm expressions.

"Your voice was heavenly! Miss..." Damien praised the singer.

She was calmly evaluating him.

"These two love you it seems?"

"Hah!?!?" Three exclamations were heard behind him.

"You can just call me, Heart!" She completely ignored the artillery she had just launched.

"Am suddenly curious about you. Would you mind me following along?" She asked.

"Sure!" He agreed. He wasn't fazed by his bomb and its impact point.

"You three! Follow along!" She ordered.

'Too bossy!' Damien dissaproved in his mind.

He hadn't donned his signature glasses and his hair had finally returned. It was trailing down his back.

Them walking side by side created a feeling as if they were looking down upon everyone.

The guests unconsciously made way for them to pass.

The trio was following behind. Dark and Lino were staring at his back. The dance had dragged out their yearning and they were having trouble controlling the impulse to walk over and hold his hand.

'So, they fell in love! With him! How come I didn't know!' Itetia had many questions but she couldn't mouth them off here. All she could do was stare at the two lovestruck idiots at her side.

"Hey!" Heart called out.

"Hmm?" Damien turned towards her only for her to poke his side with her right index finger.

He paused for a moment before a grin appeared on his face.

"You three! Pick up speed! This is the most important moment in my life!" He turned his head back and said before turning back and rushing forward.

Dark almost tripped and Lino's eyes widened. That grin on his face was geniune!

"But, how can this be!" Itetia covered her mouth in shock.

The other two women had revealed Damien's circumstances to her and she also managed to see his demeanor during the last sun cycle.

But this! It threw all of them for a loop.

They looked towards Heart, she was the most suspicious. His change was definitely related to her.

She just shrugged and raced to catch up with Damien.

"It is an honor for me that all of you have taken time to come to the opening of my project!.." The moment Damien reached the ribbon, which had been tied between the gates of the palace walls, he turned around and started to give a passionate speech.

'The light in his eyes...the slight curve of his lips...he's happy!' Dark looked at the current Damien and was mesmerized.

"Is it the him now the best version...the one you yearn for?" Heart asked as she stood with the trio.

"Yes, but..."

"No! I want the original!"

Dark was fumbling but Lino refused.

"This version might be good but, he seems fake!" She explained.

"It would be better if the emotion am seeing on his face now was because he found it himself!" She continued.

Dark, who had been wavering was speechless upon hearing that.

'And I thought I loved him...'

She was disgusted with herself.

"...now its time to show you the masterpiece!" Damien declared as he took a pair of scissors from one of the helpers and cut the ribbon.

"Go and explore!" He said to the crowd.

They filtered through the gate and each went to explore, leaving Heart and the trio plus Damien who was looking out to the guests.

"Damien!" Dark called out.

"What are you doing here! You should also go!" He said. The excited gleam in his eyed hadn't yet faded.

"Turn him back!" Lino demanded.

"Okay" Heart snapped her fingers and the light faded from his eyes.

"Hmmm!? That was me? Heart! Don't ever do that!" Damien said.

"Okay! It was an experiment, anyways."

Lino patted her chest as she let out sigh of relief.

"Anyway what is your divinity? I don't think its music." Damien asked.

The trio also gazed upon her with curiosity.

"Emotions."

"So such divinities can exist." Damien simply commented nonchalantly.

"But don't ever manipulate my emotions, or else..." Bloodlust could be felt from him.

"It doesn't matter now! My interest in you has subsided." Heart's voice took on a cold tone.

"What's with the sudden cold treatment? It was your fault in the first place!" Lino mumbled resentfully.

"Watch your tongue, little demigod. I am naturally like this. The emotions I show are mimics of the people I have met."

"Hahh!?" Itetia, Dark and Lino were floored.

"You see, even though I am the goddess of emotions, I myself don't have them. To put it in easier terms, am logic incarnate."

"That's...sorry!" Lino apologised.

"No need to. I simply chose to be like this. Emotions are simply a means to an end. I wanted to see what a flawless being was like so I severed the emotional parts of myself!"

'Crazy!' That thought passed through Damien's head while the three women became speechless.

"Don't look at me like that! I have seen too much of the consequences of having emotions. And if I were you, I wouldn't seek them." She directed the last statement at Damien.

"So this is how boring it is like without something to interest you! You have given me more reason to find something to move me. The current you must lack a goal." Damien shook his head.

"Isn't everyone's goal to become a god emperor/empress?"

"Most...yes...but you, are simply like an artificial intelligence. You are following the previous directives of the emotional you from the past. Is getting stronger your goal or did you set it before you became emotionless?"

Damien's question threw Heart for a loop and she went into deep thought. They left her standing there and proceeded to join the guests.

Damien opted for it since they might have questions and since he was the manager, he had to be there.

"Damien, didn't you yearn for that version of you she turned you into, even for a brief moment?" Dark asked.

"Dark, if that version of me fell in love with you, would you accept it even knowing its fake?" Damien asked without even turning his head.

He was walking in front with the trio behind him.

"You make a good point."

She finally managed to remove the feeling in her heart which were yearning for the cheerful, emotional version she saw.

If she knew that someone had done that, she would have insecurities.

Did he really fall for me?...or is this fake? Such a conundrum would make her unable to have a happy love life.

"Am just glad that this you is back." Lino was smiling happily.

"What are the qualities he possesses that made the both if you fall for him?" Itetia asked.

Even Damien wanted to know.

"When you fall for someone, it isn't because he has something which attracted you, you just do!" Lino was like a sage who had received enlightenment in love.

Itetia almost imagined a halo of light enveloping her when Lino answered.

'She's too far gone.' She thought as she looked at Lino's warm gaze towards only for Damien.

"When will I fall in love? It truly is lonely here in Pantheon city. Sometimes I crave home!' She directed her lonely gaze upwards while surrounded by these people who had something anchoring their emotions.