In the comforting solace of the basking sunlight, the county of Lord Nobless sits right in between the Vilushka Lushes, and the declining Magic Empire. The Armageddon Kingdom was once a territory of the Magic Empire itself. However, due to the Magic Empire's receding influence, it dared to break off. Unexpectedly, its rebellion was met with little resistance. The empire was very ready to cut a portion of itself. Since it was already on fire, it might as well discard it. Indeed, the Northern Prefecture, now Armageddon Kingdom, was already long suffering from years of poverty, desperation, and economic collapse. Ever since the Magic Empire's major loss against the Ageless Faction, the Northern Prefecture, of which consisted most of the troops sent by the Magic Empire during that war, was the one who lost the most resources out of all the territories of the empire. Despite becoming independent, the problem still persisted. Armageddon Kingdom is still suffering from its previous problems.
The Nobless county is the farthest territory of the Armageddon Kingdom. With livelihood centered around the exploitation of resources around the Vilushka Lushes, most of the dwellers of this region live a simple life.
In the bustling streets of the central market, a curious kid playing by the side of the street noticed a man entering an alley. Normally, he'd never notice anybody entering that narrow street. The street has a dilapidated sign that says "Vanish thee, eyes are hidden." Occasionally, he'd notice adults holding bottles of alcohol fall off here and doze off , or people who are relieving themselves. Other than that, the alley leads to nowhere.
A man, in the clothing of an inconspicuous merchant, entered the alley. Curious, the kid followed the mysterious man. However, by the time he turned a corner, the mysterious man was gone.
Aser entered a door by the side of that alley. The moment he turned the knob, his human form lost its integrity and scattered into trillions of small bugs. As if a magical force existed in that door, the hole in the doorknob sucked all the insects in. All the kid saw was a beautiful butterfly fluttering in the air.
At the other side of the door was a magical place, stretching thousands of kilometers wide. The place is almost like the scenery of heaven itself. Green grasses litter the mounds that exist everywhere. A pristine river flows from mountain to mountain towards a big lake. White clouds occupy the peaceful blue skies. Pinecones plaster the greens with a pint of brown hue, and trees of various shades of summer bring variation to the peacefulness. All would have been perfect except the existence of animals, critters, and all are anywhere but present.
'Huh, it seems the Gardener is still as lively as ever,' Aser thought to himself.
Aser trudged forward towards a palace at the backdrop of the only lake in this place. As he neared the palace, eight pairs of huge pillars welcomed his view. Atop the pillars were gigantic statues that are even taller than the pillar they stand upon. One can only wonder how heavy statues could stand on such dusted pillars.
"Verifiying identity…"
Suddenly, a whirring cold voice emanated. Along with the resonant sound, are mechanical gears snapping into existence. The statues suddenly came alive.
Hnnggggg…
The first mechanical statue sported the look of the creature Aser once encountered. A mammothic sabertooth. Large, brooding, and domineering, the sabertooth statue scanned Aser.
"Identity confirmed. Welcome, Aser Gurbellin. The Hidden Gnome, Ruler of Small Insects. Please proceed to your seat. The meeting is about to proceed."
Aser nodded to himself. The other mechanical statues simply stared at him.
Even though Aser has seen this scene many times, he still can't help but gulp. The weakest among them, the mammothic sabretooth statue, could easily rip him to pieces if it wanted to. It is many times stronger than the sabertooth he encountered.
As he walked among the gigantic pillars, Aser once more felt small in the face of these wonders. Just a few months ago, Aser was confined to the small world of his boundary, the world of small insects. He ruled that world with grace, and the nobility of a rightful king. Under his rule, insects and bugs earned value and found sanctuary. It wasn't until a mysterious faction attacked his small world. The canon of his world was shattered, and the world cracked open. His trusted aides sacrificed themselves to carry himself over to this world. Fortunately, these enigmatic people did not pursue him.
As he saw his own home crumble in front of his eyes, Aser, a member of a peacemongering, and noble-hearted race, felt anger and hatred for the first time. His eyes burned with the desire for vengeance.
Nearing the door, Aser pushed it open with all his might. There, the light from the outside illuminated the grandioseness of the palace. A ceiling that could not possibly be scaled, and walls that stand erect like castle walls. Despite how small it looked outside, the palace seemed to have expanded in size when viewed from within. Linted glasswork littered the higher peripheries of the structure. Even though the place looked so vast, it was visibly bright. Perhaps it was because of the geniusly-engineered corners of reflecting walls that bounce off the lights, brightening the interior.
Despite how large it is, however, ornaments are rare. No paintings, potted plants, vases, or even fancy furniture. Aser looked towards the front, and there he saw. The palace contained only one table, one ridiculously large, round slab of marble that plastered itself perfectly right in the middle. Surrounding it are twelve grand chairs. It looked to be a place to confer meetings and initiate some kind of gathering. The most conspicuous one is an enormous throne a bit of a distance away from the round table.
The throne sports an icy, and cold look. Yet, despite its immeasurably hard exterior, it exudes a woody smell, one that causes tranquility to those who inhales it. It is made out of an unknown material that looks to be a mix of agarwood and marble, but one can't be too sure.
Despite it looking empty, the throne exudes a feeling of dominance, and looking at it for too long might possibly incapacitate one's eyes forever.
Aser could not help but shrug his chills. He found his seat, and sat, then waited for the others to come.
As time ticked by, the second attendee arrived. The grand doors creaked, and opened. There, a youth stood, possibly not even fourteen years old. One would wonder: what could a child be doing here? Aser once asked this question to himself, but after joining many meetings of this mysterious organization, Aser accepted that fact and even mumbled to himself that he would not be shocked if an infant were to even join the meeting. Of course, he was just joking. Little did he know at that time that an infant is indeed one of the members of this organization.
'Sigh, it's still a big shocker to me,' he mumbled to himself.
"Good morning, Hidden Gnome," the boy greeted.
"Morning, Innocent Fairy," he replied succinctly.
There were no more words exchanged. Soon, the others arrived.
Figures of all stances and beings entered one by one over a stretch of time. Wise Elf, Thrifty Goblin, Humble Giant, Great Leviathan, Steadfast Human, Masterful Dwarf, Ingenious Tinman and the leader of the gathering, Lofty Half-God.
The gathering consisted of a total of ten members. After Lofty Half-God arrived, a mild rumble shook the palace. The statues standing on the pillars left their resting abode one by one, moving all around the palace. As if pre-programmed beforehand, the statues casted some kind of magical spell and a barrier was erected, weaving in and out of range of the palace.
Right then, everyone felt an aura descend. The feeling could not be described in words, nor an ounce of thought. It's a combination of all feelings at once: dread, fear, awe, majesty, praise. The top of the palace suddenly shined brightly. The interior of the structure gleamed ever so brilliantly, and a massive pressure descended. It's as if the air stood still, and everybody's sense of time was warped to stop.
Soon, it fell. An illusory figure taking the form of a ghostly man was seen sitting on the large throne. Nobody dared to look. 'He' simply could not be looked at. Almost as if 'He' was the law, and the law follows his every movement. 'His' very existence could not possibly be described in full. 'He' just is, and that's how 'He' has always been.
'He' then greeted everybody at the table,
"Great morning, children of the Godless."
"Morning, Sir Ungodly," everyone stated in unison.
The statues outside the palace were holding the barrier strong. Turns out, the barrier was not erected to protect the palace from external threats, but rather from its maker.
Sir Ungodly, is a deity-level existence. Already a very rare group of individuals ever since the gods, and deities were culled in large numbers during the Last Heavenly War. Gods and deities became a longstanding myth. However, there are still many who remember the old era. Ungodly, is one of those who are from that era.
Ungodly looked at everyone for a brief period of time, then 'He' stated in a raspy, frozen voice:
"I have received news, that this world's canon has collapsed."
Everyone in the table gasped in extreme shock and agitation.