Klaus opened his eyes upon arriving in Higher World. The throbbing headache that usually accompanied his transportation was almost non-existent this time, but he noticed a strange sting in his chest. He pressed his hand against it for a few seconds before stepping off the podium, the pain gradually fading away like it typically did.

He found himself at the Golden Gate of the Exalted City, as usual. Glancing around, he walked for a few moments until he spotted Mia, who also seemed to have newly arrived.

Noticing Klaus, Mia turned and waved, catching his attention. "Hey, light boy," she said with a simple smile.

"Hey... arrow... girl," Klaus responded, his attempt at humor falling flat.

"Arrow girl?" Mia raised an eyebrow, more surprised than confused.

Klaus shrugged, knowing he couldn't really explain himself. Sensing the awkwardness, Mia continued.

"You seem to be in a better mood than usual," Mia observed.

"I guess," Klaus replied with his characteristic sigh.

They continued toward the Arena of Valor, expecting that was where they were needed. As they walked, their conversation flowed more naturally.

CONVERSATION

Mia: So... How've you been?

Klaus: Fine, I guess. Nothing too exciting since returning from Under World. How about you?

Mia: *heavily sighs* Honestly, I've been incredibly busy. For the past few weeks, I've been traveling all over Europe with my adoptive parents. It was their anniversary, and they wanted to celebrate by touring various countries, so I've been pretty exhausted from all the jet-setting in the private plane.

Klaus: You know, I always forget that you're rich. But then again, it makes perfect sense when I think about your personality.

Mia: Okay, ouch. I'll have you know that I have a refined and sophisticated personality, thank you very much.

Klaus: If you say so.

As they continued onward, Klaus and Mia eventually encountered Tyler, who was also heading to the arena. Noticing their presence, he decided to greet them.

"Sup, NightShade. How're you doing, Mia?" Tyler greeted them both.

"Hey... Tyler," Klaus responded, trying not to fumble another nickname as he had with Mia, despite having the safe option to call him Karma.

"NightShade?" Mia asked Klaus, raising an eyebrow.

"Long story," Klaus replied, not wanting to explain everything.

The three demigods chatted for a while as they walked towards the entrance of the Arena of Valor. Klaus stared at the building, realizing it had been a long time since he was last there. After a brief delay, he walked into the building and headed for the spectator's section, where the demigods usually gathered.

As Klaus entered, he noticed that most of the demigods were already there. A few had yet to arrive, which explained why they hadn't started.

Looking around, Klaus saw that some of the demigods looked different from the last time he saw them. Some demigods, noticeably Riley and Ace, had longer hair and had it styled differently from before. But the most noticeable change was the person walking towards Klaus.

"Hey, Klaus," Rose said as she stopped in front of him. "It's been a minute. How've you been?"

"Great," Klaus replied, staring at Rose.

Rose continued to talk, but Klaus's mind seemed to be elsewhere. It was clear to him that Rose's appearance had significantly changed. Her hair was shorter now, tied into a single ponytail that reached the base of her neck. Unlike Mia's sleek high ponytail, Rose's was a high messy ponytail. Her blonde hair still retained its pink highlights at the tips, enhancing her natural beauty.

Her new hairstyle and appearance made her look very different from before, but some would say it made her even more beautiful, an achievement that seemed impossible.

"You okay?" Rose asked, pulling Klaus's attention back to her.

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Klaus was shocked by her appearance. It wasn't that he was mesmerized, but rather stunned by how different she looked from the last time they met. It was clear he hadn't been listening to her.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening," Klaus admitted. "You look good, by the way."

"Oh," Rose said, surprised by his words. "Thanks. Cutting my hair and tying it up seemed to be the better choice for combat, but I'm glad it doesn't ruin my appearance."

She let out a friendly smile for a moment before another demigod suddenly cut into their conversation, hugging Klaus from behind.

"Hey, guapo. I've missed you," the person revealed to be Iris said as she leaned forward onto him.

"You really need to stop doing that," Klaus said, turning his attention to Iris.

"Oh, come on," Iris continued with a smile, "You know you missed me."

"That's not exactly what I'd say," Klaus replied.

Iris turned her attention to Rose, who remained in front of them. Rose stayed quiet, seemingly waiting for Iris to finish her shenanigans. This generated a smile on Iris's face as she attempted to capitalize on the situation.

"Oh, lo siento, mija," Iris said to Rose with a smile. "I hope you aren't too jealous of my proximity?"

Iris retained her smile, but Rose's expression remained neutral.

"Not really," Rose replied, then added, "But you do know you're being a bit too close to someone who has a girlfriend, right?"

"And when has that ever stopped me?" Iris continued, her smile unwavering, as if she refused to lose the verbal battle.

Rose let out a soft sigh. "Of course not," she said, placing her palm on her face in slight disappointment.

Noticing the slight tone of seriousness in Rose and Klaus's expressions, Iris softened her smile before letting go of Klaus.

"I'm kidding, relax," Iris said. "You guys are no fun."

In the background, it seemed that all the demigods were finally present, with the exception of Ash. XVII decided they could commence.

"May all the demigods walk closer to the stage of the arena, please," XVII announced.

Hearing the announcement, Iris heeded the call and moved forward, leaving Klaus with Rose as the rest of the demigods began to move closer as well. Klaus also wanted to move closer but had a question in his mind that he had to ask Rose first.

"How did you know I had a girlfriend?" Klaus suddenly asked, grabbing Rose's attention once again.

Hearing Klaus's words, Rose's expression suddenly changed.

"O-Oh... you actually did have one?" Rose asked Klaus in disbelief. "I-I just said that to get her off you."

Rose's face began to turn red as she looked around, slightly flustered. It was as if she was panicking. Klaus stared in confusion, surprised that Rose was not aware that he was dating Avalon and had only guessed.

But before he could say anything, Rose's expression returned to what it was a few seconds before, the redness on her face subsiding almost as if on command.

"I'm just messing with you," Rose said with a taunting smile. "I could tell you had one because your emotions seem to be significantly brighter than usual. It made it kind of obvious."

Rose turned her attention to where they were needed and before heading there, she smiled once again at Klaus and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Also, happiness is a good look on you," she said before joining the rest of the demigods.

Klaus was stunned by Rose's expression and composure. He had initially assumed she would be bummed by the news that he was dating Avalon, but seeing her reaction made him smile softly.

He remembered that Rose had said she was going to be working on controlling her emotions when they last met over a month ago, so he was impressed by how far she had come. After a brief moment, he finally walked ahead, joining the rest of the demigods.

As all the present demigods gathered around the front of the arena, XVII began his announcement.

"Welcome back, demigods," XVII began. "I hope you all are well."

A few demigods nodded in response before XVII continued.

"I understand that you were all called here on short notice, so I would like to begin immediately," he announced, stepping aside. "A God will be with you all shortly."

As XVII concluded, a familiar force enveloped the arena, causing the demigods to kneel as usual. Soon after, the typical entrance occurred with a bright luminous light descending from the skies, revealing the presence of a God.

"Arise, demigods," the God commanded, easing the force that had been applied to them.

As they stood, all eyes were on the God clad in black armor with intricate designs and adorned with a crimson cape. His blond hair fell to his shoulders, a stark contrast to Siege.

"Dad," Rose murmured, revealing the God's identity as Zeal, the God of Mind.

As the demigods rose, Zeal glanced around before greeting them with a smile.

"Greetings, nephews and nieces," Zeal began, turning to Rose. "And my lovely daughter, of course."

Rose smiled at her father as Zeal continued.

"I am glad to see you all once again and to see that you are well," Zeal announced. "As XVII mentioned, I understand you were summoned on short notice, so I will begin immediately by explaining why you are here."

All the demigods focused on the mighty being as he began with a commanding sentence.

"The Gods have decided to disclose all necessary information to you."

If Zeal hadn't captured their full attention before, he certainly had now. Each demigod harbored questions about their existence and the nature of their divinity, recognizing the gravity of his words. As all eyes remained fixed on him, Zeal continued.

"We will start with a topic that many of you seem curious about: the ranking order among the Gods."

"Ranking?" Riley asked.

"Precisely," Zeal confirmed. "To begin, you need to understand that the Gods did not appear all at once but rather in successive batches."

This revelation surprised all the demigods, except for Klaus, who was already familiar with this information. The origins of the Gods had always been a critical topic, sparking questions about the very beginning of existence.

"While this information might not be new to some of you, we recognize that you all deserve to know everything," Zeal explained.

With that, Zeal began to reveal the details to the attentive demigods.

"The first generation of Gods consists of two beings who represent the necessary duality of reality. Reality can only exist in either Light or Darkness, and thus, the first Gods to exist were Sol and Abyss."

"So Sol and Abyss are the first Gods?" Tyler asked in awe, echoing the sentiments of the other demigods.

"Wait... so if Sol and Abyss are the first generation of Gods," Quinn began, "then by birthright, the first generation demigods would be Shade and..."

"Klaus," Rose interjected, finishing Quinn's sentence.

All eyes turned to Klaus, who remained silent under their gaze, his expression as composed as ever.