[ GLOBAL NOTIFICATION! ]
[ Sky Lord Aegis is the First Sky Lord to acquire a Divine Tier Follower! ]
___
[Admin_01]: Again? How are we going to live like this?"
[EternalWarrior]: DIVINE TIER FOLLOWERS?! That's impossible! This must be a system bug! Where did you find them, Aegis? Answer Us!
[FallenPaladin]: The Sea God is real! First the water, now a Divine-Tier Follower! Aegis, I beg you, come to my Island! I will be your personal servant!
[ThreeBeautifulPrincesses]: @FallenPaladin Do you have no shame at all?
[FallenPaladin]: I don't want to talk to bitches.
[DesertFox]: @Aegis, Your Grace! I have excellent knowledge of fortifications and construction! I am an engineer! Please take me as a follower! I need more water, and my island can provide stone!
[xX_GamerDad_Xx] @Aegis I don't care about followers, I just need enough water to keep my family alive for the next two days! I will give you all my BC!
[Firestarter]: The Sea God is collecting his elemental children! We are witnessing the birth of a new pantheon! PRAISE AEGIS!
[IronCladMiner]: I have raw Mithril ore, extremely rare! I will trade it ALL for a single Divine Follower or the blueprint to keep the Sky Predators away!
[Survival_Mom]: Please, Aegis! My children haven't drunk clean water in three days! I don't need Divine power, just life! Is the water listing still active?!
***
Aegis and his new companions could be seen walking toward the portal he came from.
The atmosphere was serene and beautiful.
While walking under the evening sun, Aegis noticed the trio's bodies were glowing. The Phoenix marks on their foreheads were also shining brighter. Their magical aura was also getting baptized.
It was like their bodies were sucking in the very Sunlight itself.
"Maybe, the Sun is their primary source of energy," he thought inwardly, noting the sharp difference between their fire element and his water element.
He decided to give them names, lest he confuse them later.
"Really, Papa? You want to give us names?" the first Phoenix descendant asked, her reserved demeanor broken by excitement.
"That's awesome, Papa. Give me a powerful name!" the second one said, cheering loudly.
"I want a cute name," the third one added meekly, widening her round eyes.
Though their looks and build were practically the same, there were clear differences in their core personalities. By now, Aegis understood their nature well: the first was cool and reserved; the second was energetic; and the third was a little meek and less talkative.
He gave them names according to their nature.
"Yes. From today, you will be Eterna," he said, looking at the first descendant.
"I am Eterna? As in forever in Papa's heart?" Eterna echoed sweetly. She was fully satisfied, revealing her pearly white teeth.
He then met the little eyes of the second descendant.
"You will be named as Flama, the Phoenix who shines the brightest."
"Flama?" Flama murmured her name in awe, then smiled brightly, twisting her soft chubby cheeks.
"Huhu, I like it very much Papa. Thank you."
Lastly, it was the third descendant's turn. She seemed greatly expectant. Aegis caressed her fiery red hair.
"You are the cutest, Diva. Just like an Angel."
Diva giggled, instantly delighted with her name.
Just then the Fire Slime jumped like boink boink, as if he too wanted a name, not wanting to be left behind by the Phoenix descendants.
Aegis smiled helplessly. "Alright, little one. You'll be called as Pyro from now on."
The Fire Slime jumped around in distress as if it didn't like the name at all.
"Take it or leave it," Aegis said, picking up the pace.
Pyro could only follow along reluctantly.
Very soon, they reached before the shimmering blue portal, which Aegis unveiled after removing the rocks he had placed to hide it.
The countdown was still going: 11 hours and 12 minutes.
He had nearly spent 13 hours on this Island, and he couldn't even tell how the time had passed so quickly.
They stepped through at once, each new follower filled with anticipation to see the Sea God's Palace Aegis had spoken about.
However, as soon as they arrived on the other side, they felt only elemental suffocation.
"Cough, Papa, I can't breathe..." Diva and the others clutched their necks, clearly struggling to breathe in the deep hydrostatic pressure of the Aquabyss Domain.
Only now Aegis realized his colossal mistake. They were fire-elemental creatures and land dwellers, not water type creatures.
So obviously the Sea God's Palace was not made for them.
"Naida!" he called out to his only capable companion.
Naida arrived at once, her silver hair swaying like an evening breeze. She looked at the gasping Phoenix Descendants and the choking humans and instantly understood the root of the problem.
"Your Grace, the Sea God's Palace is not made for them. Although I should have reminded you beforehand, you should have been a little more careful," she gently chided.
"I know..." Aegis admitted his mistake, his panic rising. "Is there no other way?"
Naida nodded. "There is. The Sky Predator Cores."
"You have Sky Predator Cores?" he asked, astonished.
"Yes. I have collected a few over the years when they were passing over our head. Their Cores have a strange power to adapt to any kind of environment they want. And that's what makes them most obnoxious. They can invade almost any kind of environment."
"Alright, you can tell me all of that later. First, fix them," Aegis said, looking at the pitiful, struggling bunch.
Naida immediately produced several small, dull gray crystals.
"These are the weakest cores I have. They can be absorbed by the Phoenix descendants and that Fire Slime to adjust their elemental affinity and allow them to exist safely within the Aquabyss Domain's water pressure and elemental environment," Naida explained.
"It will only take a moment. But you should also absorb one of the cores, Your Grace."
"Alright.. "
Aegis found no problem with it. Rather he should have absorbed it long ago. If he had, he wouldn't have to sweat hard in the Volcanic Island.
After distributing one each, he picked down the strongest Core.
[ System Prompt: Do you want to absorb Sky Predator Core? This will grant the ability to resist elemental and environmental pressures. ]
"Yes."