“That is preposterous!” Sacrifice blurted out in sheer anger. His eyes narrowed, glaring evilly at Daniel’s relaxed figure. “You may be able to store your power more efficiently, but you are still reliant on external forces to produce it, just like the rest of us.”

“I concur.” Deceit said, raising a hand in support of Sacrifice’s claim. 

Invigorated by Deceit’s words, Sacrifice turned towards the other aspects of existence hoping to find more support, only to find them delving deep into their thoughts. Too busy pondering Daniel’s words, considering the consequences of his existence, and the eventuality that more like him could be born at any point, to bother with Sacrifice’s outburst.

It took several seconds for the aspect of Authority to finish the transcription of Daniel’s theory, as well as the drafting of her own conclusions, and the recordings of her peers’ reactions to Karma’s words, after which, her head rose once more. As calmly as ever, she turned to her right, past the enormous aspect of war and towards the naked man.

“My lord, does he speak the truth?” She asked.

Instinct smiled. “What truth do you speak of, young one? That he believes that to be the most reasonable explanation for his odd nature, or whether the theory itself is based on reality?” The eyes of each observing aspect of existence turned in his direction, two of whom looked at him with far less respect and cordiality than the rest of them. 

“Both, if you mind.” Authority further inquired.

Instinct’s hands rose in a sight of surrender, then they fell. His body darted forward, upper body laying almost parallel over the table. A pair of reddish cat-like eyes dove into the depths of Daniel’s existence, scouring for what was not the truth, or Daniel’s truth, but Instinct’s own idea and opinion.

Moments later, his body relaxed, and he once again fell onto his chair, sitting as casually as he had before. His lips pressed together for a moment, then puckered. The other aspects of existence looked at him expectantly. Even Order, obsessed with maintaining a perfect posture and stoic demeanor, could not help but turn to his left, just enough for Instinct to enter his peripheral.

“He believes in what he is saying,” He added, “and unfortunately, so do I.”

Amazed gasps and moans of indignation roared within the hall in response, then the buzzing of chatter. The aspects talked to one another for a few minutes, sharing their thoughts and newly formed theories, bringing the trial to a halt, though not for long.

“Silence!” Order commanded, restoring a state of absolute quiet just in time for Authority to finish transcribing Instinct’s assessment.

Daniel looked on in amusement. He could see them reassure one another, hypnotizing themselves into thinking that his existence was an oddity, or come to terms with the events that, in their infinite lives, were soon to follow. “Now I get why you would want to hunt down the champions of Destiny for Fate. Perhaps they both knew this would happen from the beginning.” He could not help but say.

The eyes of the aspects of existence were lowered once again. His words painted them as foolish foot soldiers, used to eradicate their king’s enemy without being informed of the reason. Only when it was too late were they allowed to find out, just like they had now.

Their dismay was a great source of pleasure for Daniel, but he was still not satisfied enough. He quietly observed, letting his words burrow deep into their minds, then, when his words reached as deep as they could, he added, “I am curious about something, though.” His eyes brushed past the dismayed aspects of existence. “What will happen when a champion ascends into a spot that has already been occupied?”

While spoken softly, as if nothing but a fleeting and unimportant thought, this question unlocked a new worry that sent a shiver down the backs of the observing entities, or in case of the aspect of Fear, a lack thereof. In their minds new questions and doubts rang in a never ending sequence. What would become to us, were that to happen? Will we be replaced? Will we have to fight for our place, and if we had to, would we win? They asked themselves, allowing for their worries to be reflected in their furrowed brows, and nervous twitches.

At the sight of this Daniel’s smile widened, and he continued, “Perhaps one day one of your replacements will be born. In fact, I seem to remember meeting the current wielders of the war system and control system. Plus, I heard at least a couple of positions are vacant now.” His eyes lingered onto the woman in the red dress and the large barbarian, who stared at one another in hope for a comfort they never found.

“Enough.” Order said, “Stick to answering the questions you are asked.”

Daniel shrugged innocently, then laid back against his chair. His eyes moved onto the aspect of Authority who, unlike the others, alternated moments of absentmindedness with careful writing. Once done, she once again turned to Daniel, and with a clear and polite voice asked, “Lord Karma, the aspects of law, control and order wish to ask. Have you received any support from other members of the pantheon?” 

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“Which ones?” Authority asked.

“Was that always part of the question?” Daniel asked while stretching his neck up in a pointless attempt to catch a glimpse of what was written on the yellowed pages of the large green book. After a few failed attempts, he sat back down then added, “Do you have the authority to change questions at will?”

The woman was caught by surprise. To a mortal’s ears, Daniel’s words might have sounded as an attempt to stall for time, but to the aspect of Authority, they meant something much deeper. Her entire existence was composed of equal part obedience, and equal part control, and so it would stay, for her nature forbade both insubordination and initiative.

Daniel had seen through the very core of her nature, and with that bit of information, he locked her into a dilemma.

As Order noticed the woman’s state of mind, he turned towards Daniel in anger. “It is my question, I allow it.” He said. “Now answer.”

These few words were quickly able to pull the aspect of Authority out of her pensive state, but for a reason none of those present had ever expected. Her book suddenly closed, and she said, “I cannot allow that, Lord Order. Your demand is denied.”

The man’s helmet turned to the side, piecing white eyes landing on her slightly trembling features as he asked, “You what? On what grounds?!”

“My Lord.” The woman said with a shaky yet clear voice. “Book of Trials, chapter one, rules and guidelines. First rule, ‘All questions must be submitted prior to the beginning of the trial’, and rule number three, ‘Amendments meant to alter the original purpose of the questions are not allowed. Any answer to such questions, provided willingly or extorted, will not be put on record, nor will they be verified by the lord seer assigned to preside over the trial.’ Thus was stated by High Lord Fate.”

Order let out a low growl, then turned away. Like any other aspects of existence, he detested the idea of being defied, especially in front of others. Yet, this time, there was nothing he could do. Ignoring rules established by the primordial aspects of existence was considered a capital sin. A crime few had been found trialed for throughout the years, all ending in an execution. And even if the woman did not speak on their authority, he would still be forced to abide by the rules. After all, rules were made to uphold order, and breaking them would only bring chaos.

“Fine. Move on.” He said.

Authority let out a deep sigh, letting out all the stress and worry she had felt while defying the man’s orders. Then, she reopened the book and turned to look back at Daniel.

“Will I ever be allowed to ask questions of my own?” Daniel asked.

“I am afraid not, Lord Karma.” Authority said. “The purpose of this-“

“Interrogation.” Daniel interjected.

“.. Is to ascertain your disposition towards the pantheon at large. Whether you will be part of it, or become a common enemy.” The woman continued, ignoring Daniel’s interruptions.

Daniel’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Is that something I would be able to refuse? What makes you think I would want to?” He asked. 

Suddenly, the aspect of instinct burst into an earthy laugh. “Haha!” he bellowed, attracting the attention of the surrounding aspects of existence. 

“What is so funny?” Daniel asked, struggling to hold a laugh of his own. A simple question that, however, fueled the man’s laughter even further, bringing him close to tears.

“What is the matter with you?” Sentience asked, infuriated by his companion’s odd behavior and lack of professionalism. But, alas, he too was ignored.

The man’s hysterical laugh grew even louder. His shoulders bobbed up and down, while his hand was brought down onto his knee in a series of loud and crisp slaps. “Hahaha! I can’t breathe, hahaha!” he said in between fits of hysterical laughter.

“What is he doing? That seems highly irregular.” Daniel contributed with feigned ignorance.

Suddenly, a wave of white power emerged from within Order’s platinum armor. “ENOUGH!” He commanded as the greens of Control and Authority, the reds of Sacrifice, War and instinct, and even the blue of Sentience, were all washed away by the white wave along with any thoughts of defiance.

“That was unnecessary.” A startled Instinct said while awkwardly adjusting his posture.

Order’s head turned slightly towards him, allowing appearance back into his sight. “Why were you laughing?” He asked, aware that anything that would cause a reaction in Instinct would be something worthy of notice, and that the bigger the reaction, the more important that thing would be.

“Because he was making fun of us. He asked several questions after being told he was not allowed to ask any.” the man in the towel responded.

Order’s gaze shifted to Daniel, who was now staring back at him with a malicious grin. His instinct told him that Daniel had just wanted to create chaos as a personal attack towards him, but decided not to act on it. After all, he was the aspect of Order, and few were the times when he would act on instinct. Instead, he once again turned towards the aspect of Instinct, and asked with uncharacteristic patience, “Why is he doing that?”

“He is buying time for something.” Instinct answered, once again inspecting his long nails.

“Tell me what he is buying time for!” Order growled, his patience running too thin for Instinct’s careless attitude.

“Lord Order!” Lamented the woman in the flowery dress. Her book once again closed, and her gaze solemn yet worried. “Rules and guidelines, rule two. All questions must be directed at the defendant.” Her body shook visibly, as she quietly prayed that her insubordination would be forgiven for a second time, and hopefully forgotten.

Despite her state of mind, the aspect of Order did not appear angered. Instead, a faint smile had appeared on his face, barely visible through the vertical slit in the middle of his shiny helmet. “Rules and guidelines, rule number five. ‘In absence of a clear line of questioning, the preliminary phase of the trial will come to an end, and the reading of the charges will commence’ Correct?” 

Shocked by Order’s words, the aspect of Authority could only nod in confirmation.

The smile on the man’s face grew wider for a moment, then disappeared. His back straightened, and his demeanor turned grave and solemn. “Aspect of Karma. You are charged with the unjust murders of the aspect of Horror and Equilibrium. What do you have to say in your defense?”

Daniel’s mind, for the first time, drew a blank.