Light. The hallway was so bright. That was the only thing I could think of as I sat outside my dad's office. Today was a little strange. My dad never formally invited me to his office. I suppose there was nothing to be concerned about the invitation, but I couldn't be sure. Anything my dad did was usually significant. Probably because he was a god.

As a child of a god, I was pretty significant too. Well, I would have been if I was born during the first millennium of his reign. He's already been around for a few thousand years so I kind of think the novelty of god's children has worn off a bit to mortals. My dad helps oversee thousands of planets, so I suppose some worlds are more surprised than others when someone like me decides to visit.

My dad isn't the only god that's helping take care of mortals. There are many other gods out there who help govern and judge the worlds. Some are more "committed" than others to fulfilling there roles. My dad's told me about some of the other gods who only pursue their own interests, which doesn't surprise me. I wonder if he's going to start involving me with some of his plans.

My reverie was broken by steps coming from down the hallway. I looked down the hall and saw my older sister walking towards me. She was tall and lithe with silver hair. She didn't appear muscular, but she was a lot stronger than most people her age. She was a kind person, to her family. Outside of our family circle, she was known for her sass. It's probably why she didn't have many close friends.

"Hey Chandra, did dad call you to his office as well?" I asked as she drew near.

"You too little Jalen? Has he told you what it's about?" She responded.

I may have been approaching 300 years old, but I was short. Some people call their younger brothers little, but that's more of an age thing. I was short. Like 5 feet 2 inches short. I think my sister had about 8 inches on me. She's been having small growth spurts the last 50 years. I'll grow eventually.

"No, he just sent me an invitation to have a meeting with him. It was kind of weird. Usually he just comes down and talks with me, but this time he sent a messenger."

"Hmmm, I think I may have a clue, but I don't want to ruin the surprise… although it is a little early," she finished thoughtfully.

"I'm not sure if you actually know or if you're just messing with me Chandra. What were you up to earlier? Have you been visiting anywhere interesting of late?"

"Well you may or may not believe it, but I got to visit a recently deserted world. It wasn't at all like you'd think. Instead of harsh environmental conditions, it was lush green jungle everywhere. After being there for a few minutes I think I understood why. The amount of monsters inhabiting it was overwhelming. I only stayed for an hour or so, and for most of the time I stayed at a higher altitude to avoid all the trouble on the ground."

Chandra was referring to was expeditions to other worlds that we as godlings were sent on. Usually they were mandatory, but occasionally some of my siblings voluntarily went to interesting places. There were a number of tasks that we were asked to do. Anything from destroying monsters to acting as messengers to the inhabitants of the world.  My sister had recently started going on expeditions. It seemed to be good for her. She had been a lot more outgoing since.

She had first left when she was about 400 years old.  The first time a godling visits another world, they underwent a test. They would have to live there for a minimum number of time. It varied depending on the world and the potential to grow, but usually it ranged from 10-50 years. If someone didn't grow enough, they were stuck there forever.

"Look's like you're up," my sister said.

I hadn't noticed it, but one of my father's messenger was walking towards us and looking at me. It was always interesting to see these messengers. I wondered where they came from. I doubt that they were my father's children, but I'm not sure if my dad would employ the children of other deities in his household. Maybe they were the children from his spouses' previous mortal marriages. My dad would only marry widowers from other worlds, and sometime they already had children.

"Master Jalen, your father is expecting you, please follow me," the messenger announced.

I got up to follow the messenger, but felt a tug on my clothes as I was started walking away. I turned around and saw my sister with a grin and a wink on her face.

"Good luck little bro. Don't worry, I think it could be exciting."

I chuckled as I turned and strode away.  I shouldn't be too worried after all. After some thought and more walking, I decided that the most plausible reason my father wanted to see me was that he wanted me to mentor some of my younger siblings. I had mentored a few in an informal manner previously, but never in an official capacity. I'd only heard of people becoming official mentors after they passed their expedition or "test." It could be about my educational pursuits, but I felt like I was excelling in that arena so I didn't think so.

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As we got nearer to the office door, I could hear some raised voices inside. If I were to guess, I imagine it would be my mother and father arguing over something. My father was always careful to not upset my mother, so I couldn't imagine what they were talking about.

The messenger reached the door first and quietly rapped his knuckles on it. Suddenly inside the office was quiet. I could imagine them both looking at the door.

"My lord, your son Jaden has come as requested," the messenger stated formally.

"Send him in," my father said from behind the door.

The messenger opened the door and with a sweeping motion of his arm ushered me into the room. I passed by him and looked towards my father's desk where my parents were sitting. My father was a large man with a barrel like chest. He had radiant golden hair and blue eyes, and at the moment a funny looking mustache that twirled at the end. I got my hair from my father and my eyes from my mother. My mother was short and delicately well built, with silver hair and blue eyes. My father's eyes were more of a deep ocean blue, while my mother's eyes were like the sky, which is what I inherited. I suppose it was a blessing to have pretty eyes, although sometimes I got unwanted attention from the opposite sex.

I looked at my father and mother more closely as I approached. It appeared that my mom wasn't looking very happy about the topic of conversation and my father was doing his best to appear calm.

"Hi mom and dad, how are you doing today?" I asked as I gave both of them a hug.

"We're doing good son," my dad said while my mom snorted in exasperation.

"Some of us are doing good," my mom responded. "Your father has a crazy idea that I think is unwise. I'm going to go talk with Chandra while he tells you all about it. Come see me afterwards. I have a few things I want to show you," she finished as she walked out the door, closing it behind her.

"Did something happen I should know about?" I asked with concern.

"No, don't worry about it. I'll explain everything shortly. Please take a seat. Would you like anything to drink? I do have some bread and spicy yellow cheese if you're hungry."

I moved to sit down in the chair facing my father. " I think I'll take some water. I 'm not really hungry, I made some lunch before coming. I don't suppose you have any mint root do you? I could really use some to chew right now."

He grabbed the pitcher on his desk and poured some water in a cup. As he handed it to me he said "I don't have any more actually. I gave the rest to your sister Rachel. I do have some berries if you like?"

"I'll be okay," I responded.

My father rested his arms on the armrests and brought his hands together in front of him, resting one against the other. "Son, I have something important to talk to you about. Before I tell you, I want to let you know that I've been thinking about this for sometime, and I feel the time is right to bring it up. Your mom doesn't necessarily agree with me, but I think she'll come around. You are her youngest son after all, so I don't feel offended. What I wanted to talk to you about was having you start your test this year, shortly after your 300th birthday."

Holy cow! Doing my test 100 years early! That's insane! I hadn't even taken any classes on preparing for my test. My dad had continued talking so I tuned back in.

"I know that it may be quite a bit early to consider your test, but I've seen how you've been progressing in your classes and practical training. You're more than just a step above everyone else, you're in another league. Not only that, but you're a natural leader. I've seen how you work with other people. There's not another person as ready for the test as your are."

I held out my hands in disbelief. "Dad, I haven't even taken any test prep classes. The only thing I know about the test I have is the stories that you, mom, and my siblings share with me. It seems to be a different experience for everyone, so the stories aren't necessarily helpful in preparation either. I'll only have about 5 months to prepare. Usually people have like, ten years!" I exclaimed.

"I know, I know. It's not a typical situation. I just feel like you're ready for this. Something you should know is that the purpose of the courses you've been taking your whole life is to help you become a well rounded person. They aren't specifically to prepare you for your test. The test prep courses are seen as mandatory, but they actually aren't necessary. They just help you become acclimated to the world you'll be going to. You'd learn things about the world's politics, economies, culture, people, along with other things."

"So I'd be going into my test blind? That only happens to people when they're visiting an unknown world," I stated with a hint of frustration.

"Look, I understand why you may be unhappy about this. It may seem unfair, but I have complete faith in you. I wouldn't send you out early unless I knew you could handle it. The situation might be unique, but I have my reasons for why I want you to go now. I also want to remind you of the benefits of leaving early. You'll be able to grow your powers that much sooner and start ranking up in my service upon returning. There are some risks involved, but the rewards are exponentially greater."

What my dad was talking about was unique to his children. While we may gain knowledge and expertise in weaponry and crafting among other things, we didn't gain power living in this realm. When godlings went to other worlds on expeditions, they somehow were able to gain different skills and attributes. I've hypothesized that we must take energy from other beings as we defeat them, which makes sense why we don't grow here, since my dad doesn't allow sibling fights in his realm. Mortals on other worlds are able to grow in power, but they're potential for growth is much smaller than that of godlings. I've wondered if we take power from the environment as well, but I haven't found any evidence that we do, or can. Maybe I'll be able to look into it on my test.

While I wouldn't call the collection of my father's representatives an army, they definitely had a militaristic side to them. They did other things than fight, but they were organized like an army and most often were involved in subjugation of my father's enemies or exploring unknown worlds. Once someone completed their test, they would be granted first rank in the organization. Ranking up brought greater responsibility and power, and you know what they say, power has its privileges.

My father continued, " You'll be going to the world of Relosa. It's a rather large world with a lot of land and ocean. Something unique about the world is that they have dungeons. I think you've heard about them before, but each world is a little different I don't have time to tell you about all of it right now. You should take some time to familiarize yourself with the world. We'll meet again before you leave. I'm sorry to surprise you like this, but I think it'll be a great experience. I'll try and answer any questions you might have the next time we meet. I have to take care of the preparations at the moment, so you're free to go."

I got up and started walking out without saying anything, my mind racing. I attempted to think of what to do next as I started walking out of the office, but my mind was a big jumble of confusion. Relosa? I hadn't heard of that world. I was going to be busy researching these next few days.

"Remember Jalen, your mom wants to speak with you. She should be in the garden. Good luck preparing."

I stopped for a moment as my father reminded me about my mother and then continued leaving. I wasn't sure of what to do next, so I decided I might as well go see what my mother wanted. If I were to guess, I'd imagine it would be her attempting to boost me up and make clear where she stood on the whole situation. Who knows, maybe she'll even be able to help me prepare for my test.