Felix the hedgehog let out a resounding grunt, and a portal opened behind him. A bunch of people walked out of it. They were grown-ups, seven couples, to be exact. Meanwhile, the other liaisons used magic to bring seven tables and chairs to the garden. Each of the seven couples was asked to occupy a table. They seemed to be under some spell, so they followed the general commands of the liaisons. The adults all wore swimsuits as well. 'What's with the swimsuits?' Pan wondered. 'Is everyone expecting to go to the beach? Why am I the only one left out?' He was about to ask Jewel when the hedgehog spoke up. "As Managing Liaison, I will take this opportunity to explain the rules of the first test," Felix began. "The purpose of the God of Love is not only to create new matches but also to mend broken matches. It will be easy for the successor of Eros to do so once they have received the divine powers. But can they fix painful love through human abilities? Let's find out." "Each co

Origin of the Universe The Liaisons Council sat in a closed circle. Nobody spoke a word for several minutes. They had provided the candidates with refreshments for the time being while the liaisons excused themselves to evaluate performances. Felix, the hedgehog, was in deep thought, tapping his tiny claws on the sandy ground. "I had no idea he had the flame," Jewel croaked. "I swear in the name of the gods!" Felix glared at the frog and said sternly," You have landed us in a lot of trouble, my friend. Such an incident had not happened over centuries!" Jewel sighed and hung his head. "Umm… What is the flame?" Coco the parrot asked. She was a fresher liaison and unfamiliar with ancient history and godlore. Felix wrung his hands and spoke up. "Fine. I will explain everything for the benefit of everyone who does not know. I'm getting old, so I'll depend on Jewel and Fluffy to fill in the gaps in information if I leave anything out. They are the only other seniors who have be

"Hey, wake up, sleepy head," a velvety voice said. A warm hand touched Pan's cheek. He stirred with his eyes closed and held the hand against his face. "It's so warm… Mom…" he murmured and smiled. "Wake up, Pan..." the voice repeated. "I'm not your mom." The boy opened his eyes. A beautiful girl's face loomed over him. Ash-blonde hair cascaded down like dunes in the sand. Her blue eyes were so serene that they made Pan drowsy again. The boy lowered his eyes and saw a tight bust pressed against spandex. "Penelope?" he mumbled. "Yes, it's me. Penny. You were talking in your sleep. What happened to you? Why did you pass out?" "I… uh… I don't know. I don't remember. Did you guys see anything?" She shook her head gracefully. "Felix had magically censored everything happening at other tables. We were told you scored high on the test but passed out, probably due to exhaustion. But what actually happened at your couples table, nobody knows." Penny brought forth a tissue and wiped

“Alright,” Felix the hedgehog began. All the candidates seem to have arrived through the portals. I’ll explain how this rung works shortly.” The liaisons had transported the boys and girls into what appeared to be inside a cave. They stood in a narrow, winding tunnel with dingy stone walls surrounding them. It was dark, but Felix had conjured an orb of light with magic. “Do not be alarmed,” the hedgehog insisted. “We are in the heart of Filo mountain and closer to the summit than earlier. If any candidate feels uncomfortable or has trouble breathing, let me know. We will portal you right back. However, remember that would be considered a forfeit from the contest.” The candidates nodded. The contests were getting weirder. “What sort of test will you conduct here?” Blaze asked. He was so tall that his head almost touched the tunnel’s roof. “In the last rung, we tested whether you could re-ignite love through your words. In this one, we’ll test if you can resist love.” The ca

Pan was taken aback by the question but was glas to answer. "......." the boy replied. "What was that?" "Penny…." "Oh, yeah! Nice choice! Perfect boobs and ass," Blaze said, scratching his chin. "She would be my first choice if she weren't so preachy." "Don't get me started!" Cory exclaimed, throwing up his arms. "I thought I was the only one. In raw numbers, she could be a supermodel. However, she seems too holier than thou. The girl reminds me of my parents." "Perhaps she is truly kind and not pretentious like you think," Pan suggested, but nobody else was paying attention. "What's the deal with your parents, man?" Zete asked Cory. "You were pretty vocal about them earlier. Do they beat or abuse you or something?" The freerunner spat on the ground. "I despise them. Fucking snakes! Let me become a god first. I'll make them suffer hell on earth!" "Damn! That's some deep-rooted hatred right there," Blaze said with a wave. "Anyway, I hope it is clear to everyone now that