OLD Chapter 202 (UPDATE AS OF 11/23/23 - These original chapters 195-210 will be pushed out to another future part of the book or recycled. New chapters starting at 195 are being posted after the original 210, and these original chapters will soon be removed. For now, skip ahead to the NEW Chapter 195 past old 210) (Patreon)

Chapter 202

The Abyss:  on the Outer Battlements of the Sanctified Grounds...

The path up the cliff was a long and treacherous one, with ghostly reminders of another age strewn about in the form of skeletons, debris from battles once raged, and traces of power fought between primal gods that still lingered in the stone.

“Just what is this place?” Riven whispered under his breath, picking up the tarnished but still resplendent body armor of the dead angelic paladin.  The body crumbled to dust under his touch where it’d been impaled against a wall, the ancient spear that’d kept it there was snapped in half - yet aside from the crushed breastplate, most of the armor was otherwise still intact.  A winged helmet made of gold and mithril kept the skull in place, its jaw clenched tight.  Similarly crafted gauntlets, boots and greaves with scrapes along the metal were also in good condition - items of relatively extreme power left to rot like garbage over the eons.

As he took the helmet off and deposited it into his bag of holding, the left wing of the skeleton shattered due to how old and fragile it was - and some of the vertebrae along the skeleton’s spine quickly went as well.

[Archangel’s Gauntlets: ???]

[Archangel’s Ruined Breastplate: ???]

[Archangel’s Winged Helmet: ???]

[Archangel’s Winged Boots: ???]

[Archangel’s Greaves: ???]

[Archangel’s Winged Pauldrons: ???]

[Archangel’s Ring of Fury: ???]

Even the breastplate was taken and stored in his bag, and he hoped to god that he could repair it one day.  The power emanating off these items, even if holy, was multiple steps above what he’d ever seen before - even in his own Gluttony-affiliated armor set ‘Messenger’.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Allie seemed to have the same thoughts, looking overhead to the flashing purple lightning in the sky while sprinting up the battlements of the cliff face towards yet another corpse.  “Riven!  Oh my god, we’re going to bring so much great stuff back with us!  This is just insane!”

The vampire yanked on a very similar corpse, this time only salvaging three of the pieces after the damage to the rest had been so extreme it’d not left more than scrap metal.  She grinned underneath her skull mask and picked up a demon’s skull where it’d bitten down on one of the fallen archangels, keeping the ruined helm in a vice grip where teeth had punctured the metal.  “And if you find any skeletons that are in good condition, take those too!  This is already our 8th find, and we haven’t even reached the first bell!  Just IMAGINE what kind of undead I can create with stuff like this!”

“Or what kind of elites we could foster one day with these materials…” Riven muttered, loudly slapping Athela’s curvy ass as she walked by and getting a yelp from his lover in the process.  He chuckled as she gave him a playful nudge and scowl, then threw another unidentifiable amulet into the bag with his clone body.  “Most of this stuff is way too good for anyone on Panu to even use yet though, or at least that’s my guess.  I put one of those rings on a second ago and it nearly burned my hand off, god forbid someone else try to use it.”

Releasing his soul clone from his control, the sin aspect of his other half took over and blinked rapidly.  “You got that right.  Please don’t do that again by the way, it really hurt.”

Clone Riven chuckled and flailed his still burned hand around, muttering under his breath and walking into another side alcove in the cliff face where he began rummaging through barrels.

Overhead and briefly  parting the clouds, gigantic wings of brilliant white light tore through the sky into the distance - thunder sounding across the heavens when another distant battle erupted between beings of enormous power.  Hidden from view by the ever-present storm, Riven could only watch in awe while explosions of magnitudes many hundreds of times beyond his own abilities clashed and reverberated across the endless plane of this strange existence.

Then, as a whisper through all of their minds, Fimrindle’s voice called out to them.  “Hide.”

Immediately upon hearing their spotter’s warning: Riven, Clone Riven, Athela and Allie all dove into the nearest cover and subdued their mana signatures to a bare minimum.  Within five seconds of the shoutout, a chilling ripple through the air washed over the landscape - causing brilliant white frost to form and cling to the walkways leading up, the battlements, and even the robes and staff on Riven’s person.

*WHOOSH*

The sound of flapping wings overhead reverberated with golden energy that began to illuminate their surroundings.  Slowly, ever so slowly, a pair of slender, bare feet glowing bright white against the surrounding gray stone began to descend.  Flowing, semi-translucent white-gold robes fluttered in the wind as a blonde angel with flashing eyes touched down on the stone walkway where they’d been moments before, and Riven had to hold his breath from underneath the table in the building he now hid in only fifty yards away.

Thankfully due to the natural, incredibly-high density mana in the air, his comparably puny amounts of power was nearly undetectable when surrounded by so many behemoths across the land.  He was like a bug to this beautiful woman that’d descended from the sky, and her exquisite, perfect, unshifting features stared down at something on the steps underneath her while eight radiant wings shifted in the air behind her.

Touching the ground with one hand, the angel sniffed her fingers, cocked her head as if in thought, then looked around.  Losing interest quickly she flashed forward into the sky again moments later, and the brilliant white frost that’d begun to encompass Riven’s body left with her.

He gasped, shuddering at just how infantile and pathetic he seemed in front of power like that.  His body began to shake and tremble, but a deep and calming breath came over him as the world began to turn gray.

His eyebrows rose in surprise.

It'd been a while since something like this had happened, but what exactly had triggered it?

Was he about to somehow die?

Had that angel seen him after all?

Time seemed to slow, and threads of fate began to weave themselves deeper into the atmosphere around them.  And as the world turned gray, those crimson threads of fate weaved around obstacles and shot into the mountainside through a series of alleyways - disappearing into a hidden door, before traveling deep into the dark interior of an ancient fortress.

The world froze over in that instant, but even despite this - and despite finding himself in a wraithlike body looking down at himself, he could sense Allie’s presence nearby.  His wraithlike apparition turned and glanced curiously at Allie’s own, where they both stared at each other wordlessly.

It was happening again, but for what reason neither of them knew.

[Malignant Prophecy has activated.

Desired Action: 77204A3aFF9327FhjAD.  SYSTEM ERROR.  ELYSIUM UNABLE TO INTERVENE.  Extremely High Tier Manipulation.  Current Willpower stat: 454.  Sufficient Willpower to perform desired action.  Performing this act will put your malignant prophecy on cooldown for significant amounts of time.  Do you wish to proceed?]

***

The Abyss: in The Temple of Time...

Lahn shuddered and woke up to a thud and pain along the right side of his face.  He opened his eyes and found himself face down on a cold green floor of an ancient ruin, inside a hall far larger than any he’d ever seen before - being hundreds of feet across and even farther in height.  He had been dropped there, still bound and slightly bloodied while an angel named Alfanz and his soldiers treated their wounded.  Moans and groans from the injured were met with swearing and hushed whispers as the others tried to keep their comrades alive, with flashes of Heaven and Grace sub–pillar abilities from the Holy Foundation being recognizable even to one such as him.  The dozens of angelic paladins, outfitted in flashy heavy armor with glowing golden eyes and platinum wings held variations of halberds and claymores - with many of their number sporting vicious wounds that leaked cursed energies.

How had he come to be here?

Where exactly was he?

One moment he’d been on Panu with his family, with Allie, and the next he’d been dragged into darkness by a giant maw.  Then that darkness had been illuminated by being of glistening white light, creatures that illuminated the deep black of his impenetrable surroundings, but his elation at being found had quickly dwindled when they’d tried to kill him by spearing him through the gut.

They’d tried to kill him, and had failed.

[You are part of a Gluttony oriented questline, and the great sin has protected you from harm until that questline is either completed or abandoned.]

That had been the message that’d appeared in front of his eyes before he’d been taken prisoner, but despite this otherworldly protection - he could still be tortured.  Perhaps death would have been better, but even if he wished for it - his wounds just simply healed no matter what kind of absurd abilities the angels had dumped on him.

Alfanz was by far the worst, an angel with a rather unique set of white wings that looked almost like elegant strands of hair sprouting from either shoulder blade rather than feathers like many of the others had.  He’d taken charge of the torture, demanding answers as to how a mortal had come to be here, but even that torture hadn’t lasted long when the sounds of primal screams and roars echoed through the dark halls - causing the angels to pick him up and run.

They were being hunted by monsters in the depths.

Eventually after numerous battles, twists and turns through corridors, and blinding displays of power from both his abductors and the creatures of the night - the angels had sustained losses but got away.  They now sat or stood in a hallway with it leading in either direction into a dark corridor Lahn couldn’t see down.  Aside from the minimal glow of the green floor, the torches the men held provided a decent amount of light but not far beyond the immediate area.

Lahn sat up and shook himself awake, trying to relieve himself of the throbbing headache he had by squinting really hard.  It didn’t work.  His wrists were bound behind his back and his ankles were bound in similar fashion with thick rope.  The frown on his face betrayed his feelings on the matter as Eiman, Alfanz’s right hand man, walked by with a glance Lahn’s way.

“Not enjoying the ride?” Eiman said, chuckling slightly, feathered wings flaring out to the sides as he hovered over the corridor’s stone floor.  His eyes flickered around anxiously as an unfamiliar noise came from down the hall.  Everyone else stopped as well to watch, but after nothing happened for some time they all went back to treating the wounded or resting.  Eiman turned back to Lahn.  “I won’t be carrying you any longer.  I’m going to cut your bindings now that you're awake, but if you try to run you’ll have another blade in your back quicker than you can scream, tainted mortal.  And if I really have to, I’ll just skewer you through and carry you that way for the rest of the trip.  I know neither of us want that.  Got it?”

Without waiting for a reply, Eiman took a shimmering platinum knife and cut the strange, magically-infused ropes at Lahn’s feat and wrists while Alfanz watched from not far off.  The ropes had rubbed away portions of Lahn’s skin and left painful bruises and scrapes - but these too quickly healed shortly after the bindings were gone.  Putting his joints through a range of motion Lahn was relieved to have them off, but he immediately cowered at the approach of Alfanz.  He didn’t speak until Alfanz had walked past and avoided eye contact completely, and shuddered when a spark of golden lightning struck the ground underneath the angel’s feet.

Lahn gulped, eyes wide.  “W-Where are we?  Who are you?  Why are you doing this to me?”

Eiman’s armored head turned, and the angel’s white lips let on a smirk.  “You truly don’t know, do you?  I don’t know how that’s possible, but I’m starting to actually believe it.  This is the Abyss, tainted mortal - and you were brought here by none other than one of the great sins.  Which that is I cannot tell, but we feel its presence on you like a cancer.  No doubt you are a heathen, but we will need to take you to our lord and escape these halls before your eternal judgement can finally come.”

The strange noises from down the hall started up again.  Creaks, groans, and the sound of rocks grating against one another echoed into the ears of the hall’s residents and caused the angels to tense up and draw weapons again.  Flashing elegantly crafted halberds and sparks of energy lit up, wings flared out to the sides of the angelic paladins, and they took a defensive stance while waiting - staring out into the black side by side.

Eiman shifted uncomfortably, forgetting Lahn completely and trying to peer out into the gloom like his comrades, but the darkness around them was not natural.  Even the angel’s might, which could likely match even Riven’s own, was not enough to look into the depths of the ruin they found themselves in.

“Coming here was a mistake…” Lahn heard another angelic warrior whisper to his comrades nearby.  “We should have never left the skies.  It was a suicide mission from the-”

“Quiet!” Alfanz hissed angrily, continuing to wait with an enormous halberd of his own held in both gauntleted hands, feet planted firmly on the stone floor.  His winged helmet glinted against the light his body naturally produced, and his face was stern.

Red eyes flashed in the dark, only to blink out again a moment later.  Then more eyes followed, dozens and then hundreds of them as one of the angels took in a sharp, shuddering breath.

“Heavens protect us.”

The hallway suddenly shook and trembled as the groans and grating became a barrage of thuds that were progressively getting louder.  Scraping claws against stone echoed through the halls, and roars began to bellow out in a reverberating cry as a sea of black and red bodies rushed through the distant hallway - coming directly towards them.

Lahn wet himself, his eyes went wide, and felt his heart rate pick up and tried to maintain balance on the shaking floor while many of the other men left their injured friends and allies just as their new enemies broke into view.  Out of the darkness, in front of the oncoming swarm, emerged fifteen large obsidian knights with purple demonic tails whipping out behind them - each of them easily twenty feet tall and all of them heavily decked out in thick black plate armor.

“DRAK BERSERKERS!” Screamed one of the angels, thrusting a claymore forward to meet the oncoming brute that’d appeared almost out of nowhere in a mad rush as the combatants began to blur.

A huge axe smashed into one of the injured angels furthest down the hall while he screamed in agony, losing his lower half as his torso was cut off from his legs before his skull was crushed mercilessly by a heavy plated foot.  Silver blood was plastered across the floor, and the light in the angel’s wings quickly faded away.

Unholy met holy as powers clashed, and the oncoming swarm of canine-like creatures now showed themselves in more detail behind the berserkers as they picked up speed through the halls; towards the light.

Black fire met white lightning.

Sparks of enchanted blades clashes amidst the cries of battle.

Lahn scrambled backwards and yelled in terror as he too turned to run amidst an onslaught of carnage that was being carried out behind him.  These enemies were enormous and just upon first glance he could tell that there was no way for these angels to win against the new threat.  The only option was to run.

“SON OF A BITCH!” Lahn screeched as his weak malnourished body wouldn’t react as fast as he had wanted.  He was panicking, and he ran as fast as he could behind the rest of the fleeing angels while some of their comrades stayed behind in a fight for their lives.

The screams of the unfortunate wounded left behind continued to haunt him as his breath became haggard and rapid.  One step after another was all he focused on amidst the continued shaking of the hall - the sounds of still pursuing giants behind him spurred him on to greater lengths and he did not look back for fear of what he would see.

Into the dark, he followed the other wounded survivors.

Lahn ran and ran until a hand roughly took him by the shoulder and swung him behind a corner at a crossroads and into a small crevice that opened up into a hidden and barren room.  He would have certainly missed it and continued going if Alfanz hadn’t pulled him inside.

The intimidating angel kept a firm hold over Lahn’s mouth while eight other paladins tried to catch their breath, dimming the light of their bodies, decreasing their auras and ignoring the continued screams of their comrades.  They were attempting to be extra quiet as the huge demon berserkers and swarming dog-like creatures raced past them into the other hallways, and eventually one of the paladins let out a shuddering sigh of relief.

“This is a place of nightmares…” Eiman muttered as Alfanz let go of Lahn and thrust him further into the dead end enclosure.

Alfanz angrily snarled.  “This is NOT how things were supposed to be!  Your presence, MORTAL, is what attracted these hellspawn to us!  WHICH OF THE SINS SENT YOU HERE!?”

A blazing white blade shot out of the angel’s hand and smashed itself into Lahn’s chest, burning the young man and causing him to scream through the gauntlet muffling his cries.

Alfanz didn’t care, taking his anger out on the boy with a sneer.  “How am I supposed to become the everseer if I’m DEAD before I get to it!?  DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE BY COMING HERE!?”

Cold dread washed over the party, and a primal aura of hunger flashed through their minds.  The echoing voice of the great maw began to whisper to Lahn in a language none of them understood, deep-seated evil imbued into the masked words it spoke, but it was apparent to Lahn as he screamed that even the angels could hear it.  Sweat beaded on the Eiman’s face and Alfanz began to tremble with anger, visibly shaking as he stood there in a quiet rage.

“We are almost to the keeper…” Another other-wordly, feminine voice said soothingly from the beyond, with an aura completely opposite of the oppressive essence of Gluttony.  “Patience, chosen one.  The birth of the everseer will come soon, remain where you stand.”

Alfanz withdrew his flaming dagger and took a knee, bowing his head as the other angels did the same.  “Yes, great commandment.  I apologize for my outburst.”

But the group of nine startled and all turned as a circular golden inscription began to glow and intensify on the wall behind them along the dead end room.  The marking was the size of a volleyball and radiated heat.  Three semicircles enveloped the original markings and turned at varying intervals until each of them stopped at a staggered position.  Loud clicking commenced that sounded like gears behind the walls were turning, and seconds later the floor beneath them gave way to a staircase.

The presence of Gluttony and the ‘commandment' quickly vanished after that, and the angelic paladins all stared down the obsidian steps in gawking curiosity.

At the end of the steps leading down was a door.  Much taller than any other door Lahn had ever seen.  It was many, many times taller than he was.  The door handles alone were gigantic and there was no way he’d even be able to reach them if he tried.  A mural had been painted onto the metal with fine detail to every square inch, showing creatures of myth and magic that Lahn didn’t recognize.  The light that had drawn all of them there was a small white lantern that hung from a cord off one of the door handles.

“Open...” Alfanz hesitantly whispered, lifting his hand and letting golden light radiate away from his palm - infusing runes along the metal as gadgets and clicking sounds echoed from behind the barrier.

Immediately, the ground began to shake and the enormous door began to grate against the ground in a sickening ear splitting screech of metal on metal.  Light blasted forward to blind them and they all had to cover their eyes as the interior of the room was revealed.

Gradually their eyes adjusted, and shortly afterwards the absurdly loud screeching of metal grinding on metal came to a halt.

What they saw caused all of their jaws to drop, even Lahn’s - who was still clutching his chest where the singed hole was closing shut.

“By the elder gods…” Alfanz whispered to himself while peering into the well lit room with his one good eye.  “What is this place?”

Lahn couldn’t help but agree with the sentiment.

They had come upon an ancient treasure trove.

Mountains of strange ethereal crystal were scattered about a room that opened up into a vast cavern.  All about them and below them the sheer amount of crystal present was mind boggling.  Lahn was relatively certain he could have built many castles made purely out of the substance if they had truly wanted to.  Within the mountains of crystal there were vast collections of weapons, armor, golden trinkets, books, skeletons of various species, statues both big and small, and even the wreckage of a couple of odd-looking airships.  The ceiling was filled with beautiful crystals reaching downwards each the length of a house emanating a soft yellow light.

But in the center of it all were two large creatures wearing immaculate crowns.  The stone thrones they sat on gave them an egotistical glower.  Between them an even larger humanoid figure with a white halo over his own crown, covered in burning golden flames and sitting cross legged - hovered a couple yards above the ground.  He was no angel, nor was he demon, but he was a construct - a golem of some kind, created from gilded metal with the inner workings of his body on full display.  Cogs, gears and radiant cords of magic connected to various cubes, polygons and web-like patterns - summing into one large humanoid form.

“Welcome to the vaults of the Temple of Time.  Though I am afraid you probably do not have the necessary requirements to pass this trial,  I will still test you at the behest of the keeper.  Perhaps you will prove yourself worthy despite your lacking characteristics.”

The unfamiliar voice boomed out all around them and an unseen force flung them inwards to land on their faces in piles of nether.  The door swung shut behind them with a crash and the two smaller crowned mechanoid giants turned heads to look at the intruders simultaneously.

The paladin Eiman let out a brief shudder and blasted into the air, turning to charge a crackling lightning strike in one open palm alongside a few of the other warriors.

“COMING HERE WAS A MISTAKE!  YOU ARE A FOOL ALFANZ!” Eiman cried out just as he reached the door and began ramming against it to try and nudge it open again.  “I DO NOT WANT TO DIE HERE FOR YOUR ASININE ASPIRATIONS - BE IT THE WILL OF THE COMMANDMENT OR NOT!”

Alfanz, however, had gotten up alongside some of the others and blankly stared at the triplet kings.  The golem kings hadn’t moved to get up, despite having summoned large swords of crackling light several times the length of any man.  The blazing golden figure in the middle also only stared, watching the newcomers with an expressionless, mechanical face partially obscured by the golden mana of his body.

The two groups stared at each other for more than a minute.  Eiman continued to try and figure a way out, scanning the perimeter of the treasure trove and finding no other option.

“Come.”  The golden figure lifted one hand and all eight angels rose further into the air - their wings snapping and rigidly clamping down against their backs as they began to scream.  Levitating them and pulling them towards him, the golden fiery personage placed his fingers together and calmly observed the struggling captives held out in front of him via telekinesis.  Lightning strikes discharged and holy fires roared to life, but the magics and miracles only sputtered and died mere feet away from where the angels were now being held.

“I am disappointed.” stated the middle of the three kings, frowning slightly even despite the metal creating its face.  “If you cannot even tear yourselves away from this, how is it that you think you would become everseer?  You of the eternal conflict are always so prideful, ever sending your younglings into peril without the proper requirements.  As you can see from the remnants of many before you, the attempts across the eons have never even once been successful, and due to the restrictions of this temple their souls will never reach a form of nirvana after death.  A true tragedy undertaken for pride and greed.  And what is more, these sins are not restricted to the demons even despite their kind being the keepers of these sins.  It is both humorous and sad.”

A golden hand motioned out towards the mountains of nether, particularly towards one pile with a large number of broken angelic and demonic skeletons that were collecting dust.  Some of them still had ancient rusted armors and weapons upon their bodies - or trinkets of vast power.  Alfanz, Lahn, Eiman, and the other angels were all shocked into blank silence - unable to think of a reply.

“Do you disagree?” asked the golden king.  “Perhaps another foolish attempt by the commandments and sins to place spies within the temple will be orchestrated next year too?  We outclass those who are allowed into the temple by system protocols in every way.  Your elders cannot come here, so why send anyone but those with the needed requirements?  Do you truly think forcing yourself inside will do you any good?  I fail to see any purpose behind fighting us as it is.  The end result will always be failure.  Has the commandment that sent you been blinded by the prospect of power?”

Again, there was no answer.  Sweat began to bead along Lahn’s forehead and he struggled to regain a hold on his own movements, but was unable to do so.

The golden personage sighed loudly.  “If you do not give me the answers I seek, I will simply take them from your minds.  Indulge me and converse with me.”

The angel Alfanz spat at their captor and sneered.  “Your decision to remain neutral in the eternal war has cost us trillions of lives!  Your kind is a taint, a traitorous wedge that needs purging!  What do you mean we’ve fallen to the wants of greed and pride?!  We choose to seek power to prevent such things!  You, time keeper, are the very definition of a fool and a hypocrit!  I will NOT be chastised by a blood traitor such as you!”

There was a long pause as the golden king considered the angel’s words.

Slowly the golden figure turned its head to Alfanz.  “No.  We are not blood traitors, we were never on your side to begin with.  Just because we were born of the holy foundation does not mean we are bound to your cause.  We are the caretakers of this temple and serve the Essence of Time - while the Time Sub-Pillar itself is that of the Archaic Foundational Pillar.  Do not try to play the moral high ground, it would do you no good.”

“YOU SHOULD BE HELPING US!!!” Alfanz head nodded towards his chest.  “TAKE A GOOD LONG LOOK AT WHAT YOU HAVE ALLOWED THE HELLSPAWN TO DO HERE!  THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!”

There was obviously a lot Lahn didn’t understand concerning the backstory of these two sides, and he was having a hard time following along.  But what was said did fascinate him, even despite his predicament, and it made him wonder just how this ‘eternal war’ the angels kept talking about had started.

The central king paused, suddenly became alert and unfolded its legs to stand on solid ground.  The golden flames died down, and his body shrank to reveal a mechanical man not only colored platinum and gold, but it seemed that his body was actually created from these metals entirely.

His halo cast brilliant light on the glittering crown underneath, a light that dimmed while he approached, and he the golden garments of a monk with wrappings around his forearms shimmered to form around his body.  He bore no weapons.  A hood formed under the crown and halo and connected to the rest of the monk’s robes; while a black symbol of three serpents, each eating the tail of another to create a circle, was stamped onto the front of his robes next.  The man’s mechanical head shifted into a slowly spreading smile, and he approached Alfanz with intent - or at least Lahn had thought he was approaching the angel.

But at the last minute, the golden king turned to face Lahn instead.  “Well.  Isn’t this a surprise.  The dragons of past and present.  You are connected to two of the keys… How, and why?”

The angels all went rigid, and their eyes shifted in their helms to gawk in poorly surprised shock at the mortal man they’d taken prisoner.

“The keys of past and present?” Alfanz muttered under his breath, becoming simultaneously excited and frantic over the course of a single moment when he registered the words.  “WE HAVE BROUGHT THE KEYS TO YOU!  BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO BE THE EVERSEER!  IS THAT NOT BLATANTLY CLEAR?!  WHY ELSE!”

The overly eager paladin screamed as he writhed in the air.  “The essence has CHOSEN ME!  IS THIS NOT PROOF TO YOU!?  Now LET ME DOWN!”

The golden king gave the paladin a bemused expression, held up a finger and Alfanz’s plate armor, and pressed.  It broke into a million tiny pieces, floating down to the floor in a spray of dust.

Lahn watched as mana burst out from the angel’s chest and connected with the golden man’s forehead, and flashes of what could only be memories rapidly flew by Lahn’s eyes in an exchange of knowledge.

Whispers of undecipherable dialect were exchanged between the golden man and the two other kings behind him, and seconds later Alfanz dropped to the ground along with all of the others.  The whispering between the golden man and the other kings continued for many minutes, and then all went silent save the rapid breathing of the angel.

“How fascinating…” muttered the central king as he rubbed his chin deep in thought - halo pulsing above his head.  His eyes hit the floor and he was lost to himself amidst the sputtering questions of the angel Alfanz.  “Well, well, well… my name is ‘Keeper.’  I am the keeper of this temple.  I have been for the past three billion years, hence the name I have chosen for myself, and aside from the titan residing here - am the most powerful servant to the future Everseer.  I am pleased to make your acquaintance.  Has Zix already spoken with you then?  If the hellspawn… if they find out, they will make a full on assault to try and lay you in an early grave.  We can’t allow that to happen.”