Daniel’s senses spread forward, trying to catch a feel of the powers hidden within the pillars that surrounded him. Soon enough, his senses were met with eight more powers of existence, all pure and clear, and most of them of heights that reached far beyond what Sacrifice alone could ever achieve. One power in particular was oppressive, weighing heavily onto his senses the same way the aspect of Horror had in the past, but far less contained.

“Luckily, I did not have to look too far.” Sacrifice said in amusement. “You have more enemies than you would imagine.”

The first entity to emerge from the dark forest of stone pillars, almost as if on cue with Sacrifice’s words, was a man in his early forties. He stood at Der’s height, half a head past six feet, and was dressed in a spotlessly clean blue tailored suit, with a red tie piercing down his stomach and a lapel pin in the shape of a black rose, with edges sharp enough to cut flesh and bones of anyone who dared to grab it. 

His salt and pepper hair was styled in a neat classic taper which, paired with a clean shave, allowed for a large number of lines and wrinkles to openly mark his forehead and the corner of his eyes. By the sides of his mouth were two deep dimples, made even more visible by the wide and kind smile the man was sporting. 

He approached the table at a leisurely pace, as if allowing others to examine his well groomed appearance as well as attire.

By his side, trotted a plump sheep, heavy with white spotlessly clean wool, except for a dirty patch present on its stomach, which stained his coating as it dripped blood on the ground. It followed him around, and rested quietly by the man’s side in a canine’s fashion once the man unbuttoned his jacket, and sat comfortably on the chair placed on the left edge of the table, directly opposite to Sacrifice.

Every part of this man was odd to someone who had been born in medieval times, like Roley, but Der was somewhat able to get an idea of the man’s nature from the way he moved, smiled, and portrayed himself. Daniel, who on the other hand had lived and observed more advanced mortal civilizations than his two companions, immediately recognized the mask this man was wearing. That of a politician. 

His nature, however, was betrayed by the dust-like motes of power that surrounded him, revealing his identity as the aspect of Deceit.

“Greetings, friends.” He said with a pleasant and calming voice, only now widening the slits present under a pair of bushy brows and uncovering a pair of clear, gray eyes.

Der and Roley turned to look at Daniel, eager to see his reaction to the man’s arrival. What they saw, albeit underwhelming, was a face of reassuring indifference. The sort of indifference other aspects of existence reserved for mortals, barely sentient beings, and aspects of the lowest tier.

Sacrifice, on the other hand, nodded politely. He was of a higher standing within the numbers of the lower pantheon, but in a larger scale, they counted as equals. Additionally, he had no intention of scorning the existence of someone he had allied himself with. Not in front of their shared enemy.

“Sitting on that chair is going to cost you later, friend.” Daniel casually said. 

His words reached the ears of Deceit, causing his graceful rehearsed demeanor to falter. The sheep, unaware of the difference between its master power and that of the creature who had threatened it, let out a deep and long growl that had no business being birthed from a sheep’s throat. Its bright yellow eyes closed, and its head tilted upward as the man stroked its head, leaving the beast calm and content.

Before Deceit could mount a response, two more entities emerged from the edges of the clearing. Two women of similar appearance.

The first woman was young and beautiful, dressed in a tight and long red dress that split at her waist and over her chest, revealing a deep cleavage and a full view of her left leg. Her hair were long and black, and flowed down one side of the head, contouring an oval shaped face of outstanding features. Most noticeable of all being her mouth, brought to life by a lipstick color that matched the vibrant color of the woman’s dress.

She walked on high heels at an arrogant, somewhat angered pace, feelings reflected in the deep frown present on her face as she marched a step ahead of her companion. A woman of extremely similar appearance, but of a completely different demeanor.

Her body was covered in a more austere piece of attire. A dress with flowery pattern that covered her body in its entirety, leaving only a few inches of her ankles visible as she marched in a dignified manner towards her seat, her flat shoes binding her a few inches shorter than the other woman. Her dark brown hair were gathered in large braids, kept from covering a serious face plastered with less than a third the amount of makeup her taller companion was wearing 

As the pair moved, their skin unleashed green-colored lights, the first woman’s being of a much lighter shade than the second.

The two approached the table, ignoring the presence of Deceit and Sacrifice, and once they came upon the table, they split. The woman in the red dress sat by Deceit’s left side, while the other sat by Sacrifice’s right side. Their eyes only briefly glanced in Daniel’s direction, ignoring completely the presence of the other two aspects of existence. A common reaction to creatures of their standing when in presence of lesser ones, for they were the mid-tier aspects of Control, and Authority.

Their hostility towards Daniel was evident, but clearly not absolute, for their gazes lacked the killing intent Sacrifice had managed to internalize, and Deceit was struggling to keep hidden. Yet, as the two made their appearance, Daniel’s face turned sour.

He had already guessed that some of the aspects of existence summoned by Sacrifice would not be of the lower tiers, but in his mind, he had hoped their strength would span from the lowest of the low, to the mid tier. Now, that hope had been wiped out as Control and Authority, powerful aspects of the middle tier, joined the table early, leaving plenty of space for more terrifying creatures to make their appearance next.

Had it not been for his familiarity with the primordial aspects of existence, Daniel might have guessed that the seat of honor had been reserved for one of them, in which case, he would be in too deep trouble to get out of.

“Lady Authority, it is always a pleasure to see you.” Sacrifice said with a deep and elegant bow to the woman in the flowery dress, the aspect of a power the essence of sacrifice was distantly related to. His tone was as polite as his actions were, more so than when he turned to the second woman, now separated from him by two sections of the table and a few feet of empty space in the middle, and added, “Lady Control.”

“Quit the boot-licking.” the aspect of Authority ordered. “We never agreed to join your crusade. We are here to answer questions, and decide based on the answers.”

“Questions? For me?” Daniel asked. His upper body bent forward, both arms lying parallel to the dirty table. “What questions do you have for me, little ones?” He further inquired, purposely putting a bit too much emphasis on the insulting part of his question.

Once again, the aspect of Authority looked at Daniel with a hint of hostility, but as they heard his unapologetic tone, they looked down. His eyes of pure gold, and the lack of the now notorious golden sparks of karmic power they had heard he could store endlessly within his body, terrified them. He belonged to the high tier, and they weren’t.

“I guess I will have to wait.” Daniel said, once again resting against the back of his chair in a relaxed posture.

The group remained seated for a few minutes, gathering their thoughts in preparation for the arrival of the higher aspects of existence, and the beginning of the meeting. Daniel, however, was not of the same mind. The theatrical pace at which these people were showing up was getting on his nerves.

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One by one faint quakes shook the ground, announcing the arrival of a creature in particular. An enormous individual, thirty feet by the most conservative of estimates, and bulging with enormous bronze muscles.

The only clothes this enormous man wore were strips of leather and fur fashioned into a headdress, bracers, a loin cloth, and large boots. His facial features were hidden underneath a mask made of the muscle of an even bigger creature, and in his hand he held a cartoonishly big battleaxe, far bigger than the man should have been capable of carrying. As he marched through the forest of pillars, his free hand gripped at their delicate shapes, tearing them apart with sheer brutal strength.

Unhappy with the destruction of his beloved sanctuary, Sacrifice dared not speak. His eyes lowered, and mouth closed shut. He did not want the large man to know of his disapproval.

Once clear of the pillars, the barbarian’s body began to shrink, reaching a size that could fit one of the chairs that had been reserved for him. His seat was that at the right of Authority, which he approached with surprisingly swift steps.

As his large body moved aside, accompanied by the blindingly large beads of orange power which lingered around him, another entity was revealed. It hid quietly, behind the massive figure of the barbarian, hiding his presence and power within the large man’s shadow and escaping the senses of each of the aspects present.

Contrary to the other aspects of existence, this creature was not a human, nor was he an alien or a beast, for the matter. Its appearance was that of a simple black and torn robe which floated two feet above ground as if possessed by a ghost. From underneath his baggy hood, as well as the bottom hole of the floating robe, came a faint purple mist.

The barbarian did not react to the sneaky entrance of the ghost-like aspect of existence, for he had always known he was there. Or perhaps, he did not care. As he moved to the right, the ghost moved to the left, taking a seat at the left side of the aspect of Control. 

Before either of the two could seat, Sacrifice sprung up on his feet, and with a deep ninety-degree bow he said, “Lord War, Lord Fear, thank you for coming.”

Fear ignored Sacrifice’s greeting, or the presence of Control and Authority, for the matter. They too were aspects with whom he shared the mid-tier within the members of the pantheon,  while of a lower standing. Nevertheless, his lack of manners escaped the gaze of the surrounding entities, for he had no body with which to express them. Not unlike the aspect of War.

Since his arrival, the eyes of the aspect of War had never left sight of one entity. Daniel. He stared at him with large orange eyes that promised evenings of death and massacre.

“Do you also have questions for me?” Daniel asked, unbothered by his open hostility.

The giant scoffed, and battleaxe, now as big as a normal human, slammed heavily onto the table, cracking its clean surface. His voice came out deep and powerful, like a low-tone battle cry, as he said, “Before this gathering comes to an end, my axe will have tasted your blood, mongrel.”

A grin appeared on Daniel’s face. “We don’t need to wait that long. Go on.” Daniel said, causing the hand of War to tighten around his weapon’s handle.

The legs of the giant twitched in preparation for a devastating charge when a voice suddenly echoed across the gargantuan cave the hall had been dug from. “Stay seated.” Said the disembodied voice of a man that sent a shiver down the spine of not only the aspects of existence present, but Daniel as well.