Lucien leaned back slightly in the throne of blackened stone, the abyssal fire in his eyes faintly glowing as he surveyed the Outer Gods around him. Malthior and Veloria flanked him like shadows that were almost as real as him. Xerathion, still processing his own words, remained seated a short distance away, the mantle of stars across his shoulders flaring faintly.
Lucien's voice cut through the chamber, calm, absolute.
"You've wondered what makes me… me," he began, gesturing lazily to the council. "You've seen my army, my will, the inevitable. But to understand, you must first understand where we are."
The chamber itself seemed to pause in attention, the very spires and floors echoing the weight of his words.
"We are in the Transcendent Seat Beyond Dimensions," Lucien continued. "A layer built to host entities who exist above normal cosmology. Here, the rules of mortal, god, or even outer-god realms do not apply. This is a meeting ground anchored between the roots of the World Tree and the Primordial Void itself. Nothing mortal, not even divine, can move freely here without acknowledgment from the council… or me."
He paused, letting the words settle.
"Now… the dimensions themselves. There are nine known primary dimensions, each stacking upon the next. 1st to 3rd dimensions are the base: matter, space, and time. 4th to 6th are higher: probability, causality, and entropy begin to flex. 7th to 9th are abstract-dominant, where concepts of existence and nonexistence are tangible. A creature that resides in the 9th dimension…" His gaze briefly met Xerathion's, quietly acknowledging the truth of his past. "…can erase entire universes without effort."
The chamber rippled. Even the Outer Gods present felt the subtle chill.
"You've seen the Planet Eater," Lucien continued, his tone casual, almost as if discussing the weather. "A 5th-dimensional predator. Strong, yes… but laughably weak compared to what exists beyond the 9th. There are layers above it, levels beyond comprehension: the 10th, 11th, and higher. Beings there can fracture realities with thought alone, consume abstract powers, and collapse entire multiverses as casually as we would crush a stone."
A murmur ran through the council. The lesser Outer Gods exchanged uneasy glances. Xerathion, pale, allowed himself a small nod. He understood better than anyone that this was no exaggeration.
Lucien's smile widened faintly. "And me? I stand at the apex of the known and unknown. The Primordial Void — the realm I command — stretches beyond all dimensions you know. I am absolute there: space, time, causality, dualities, entropy, potentiality, nonexistence… it all bends to me."
He leaned forward slightly, eyes glimmering with amusement and inevitability.
"Even the 9th-dimensional beasts that once destroyed worlds? Laughable before me. Their hunger is trivial. And the layers beyond the 9th? I could walk through them as easily as stepping into the sun. I do not merely exist in the dimensions. I control them."
Malthior and Veloria exchanged a glance. Malthior's jaw tightened under the helm. Veloria's eyes sparkled with unrestrained admiration. Even Xerathion, hardened by eons and tragedy, felt the weight of absolute inevitability pressing against him.
Lucien's gaze swept the council again, casual, almost bored, yet every word carried the force of existence itself.
"So you see why I do not lie, why I do not need to. I will not deceive. I will act as I must. And anyone… who thinks to oppose me…" His smile widened, calm but terrifying. "…will find that their definitions of power are laughable."
A shiver passed through the chamber. The council of Outer Gods, beings of incomprehensible strength, finally understood the scale of the Sole Exception.
And somewhere, beyond the edges of mortal comprehension, higher-dimensional beasts stirred, feeling the tremor of the one who now walked among the transcendent, the apex of all known and unknown.
Lucien leaned back again, expression softening slightly, as though speaking to children. "And now… let's see who dares speak again."