Passing into Yggdrasil was different for each realm. Each light, each branch burned with a different color. Passing into the Branch of Asgard always singed golden light into Xerxes' eyes.

But in the following instant, his feet once again grazed across the ground.

Xerxes' body shivered for just a second. 'God, I'll never get used to that.'

"Hello, hello, Mister Agnes!" a voice immediately called out.

Xerxes turned to a young, dark-haired man. They stood at nearly the same height, just inches above the human average. His thin and black hair was tightly combed and shaped, just like his dark blue suit, firm, pressed tight against him with space for a single wrinkle.

It didn't take more than a moment to process who he was. Yoichi Agawa, Xerxes' partner for the meeting. The only other human representative.

"My name is Yoichi Agawa. You may call me by my first name, if you're willing," he said with a slight smile and not-as-slight bow. "I would say I'm at your service, but in this case, we're on the same level, are we not?"

"I... I guess." Xerxes did nothing more than extend his hand. "Just call me Xerxes. Respectfully, I'm not going to bow back to you. I've had back problems since I was... Well, since I was your age."

Yoichi laughed, just as Xerxes remained still and stale. That wasn't a joke.

Yoichi quickly shook his hand with firmness and strength, still smiling. "Well, I would love to continue our conversation, but it seems we must do so as we walk." And with nothing more, he walked off towards the massive structure before them.

It was the doorless gate to the city. The gate rose a dozen meters into the pale blue sky, built almost entirely of laid bricks of marble. Carved columns sat in its facade, surrounding each of the three arching pathways that stood before them and led into the walled city.

But atop the meters and meters of marble bricks, sat pure gold. It was carved and molded with ornate designs and intricacies, rising with level upon level, stacking its levels of precious metal. It rose and peaked with a tower dressed with pinnacles and finished with a spire.

It was always a beautiful sight to see, but one associated with poor memories. Nothing particularly bad had occurred to Xerxes on this realm, just many headaches and annoyances. But for Yoichi Agawa, for his first time on Asgard, he couldn't control the slight gasp that left his lips in amazement.

He quickly shut his mouth as soon as he realized Xerxes stood next to him.

"You're... quite emotive for someone in your position." That was all Xerxes could note aloud.

The following sound was the ringing of Yoichi's bright laughter as they passed through the marble archway. "Yes, that's just the way I've always been, you see. I was a great annoyance to my parents and my superiors in any field," he said, letting out more chortling. "But if anything, that just proves that I was chosen for this position based on merit alone."

Xerxes nodded ever-so-slightly. "Yeah, I suppose."

With just a handful of more steps, they passed into the city and towards the cathedral their meeting took place in. At this point, nothing else was notable to Xerxes. It was all the same to him. Gold and marble and crystal and silver.

Sure, one could think it was beautiful. But it got tiring for Xerxes, and every human before him. And every human after him. The beauty wasn't true. It was forced and fabricated, being beautiful for the sake of being beautiful. Glimmering for no true purpose.

But for now, all he was focused on was drowning out Yoichi's exclamation.

"Oh, yeah, that reminds me," Yoichi said without a single prompt or reminder. "Why isn't the Paladin here?"

"Huh?" Xerxes asked.

"Charles Archibald was here last time, wasn't he?"

Xerxes nodded. "He just... didn't want to come. It's a hassle for everyone, but at least it's optional for him."

"I see," Yoichi said, spitting out a sigh. "I was really hoping to see Charles Archibald in person. I'm... a fan of sorts."

It was finally then. Xerxes chuckled.

"Mister Agnes, you laughed!"

It was only a light chuckle, but Xerxes quickly quieted down. Not because of Yoichi, but because they had finally reached the top of the steps, they had finally reached the entrance for the home of the Grand Order.

"Listen up," he said, facing forward at the grand doors of the building. They were carved, polished, ornate entryways built of wood. "There's a procedure for these things. As soon as you walk in, a scanner will detect your presence and identify you. Don't move for three or four seconds."

Yoichi gulped down his saliva and nodded. The doors swung open and Yoichi did as he was told. It wasn't as complex as he had expected. Just a moment to identify the person and to grant entrance.

That was all that was necessary to enter the lavish building of the Order. Once again, Yoichi's eyes widened at its beauty. But once again, Xerxes' eyes remained stale.

He pushed his glasses up and kept moving, digging his hands in his pockets as they rushed through a small golden staircase and headed towards the massive dual doors of gold.

Xerxes turned to his partner. "Don't be nervous. At least, not yet. Things are only going to get worse from here."

"What do you mean?" Yoichi asked, turning to face Xerxes. But as he was focused on his human companion, he didn't see the massive creature before him.

Yoichi crashed into a giant. Quite literally, at that.

Before him stood a ten-foot-tall being. Musclebound and cerulean-skinned, the giant had crimson hair and massive teeth. Fangs sat on his lower jaw, growing past his lips and sitting outside his mouth.

Scars were visible throughout his body, barely obscured by the pale robes that dressed him, loosely wrapped around his arms. He rested his arm on the hilt of a massive sword that sat on his thick leather belt. More and more sheathed blades were tied around his waist.

Once again, Yoichi swallowed his saliva.

This man must be a warrior, he thought.

The giant glared down at Yoichi, his eyes beginning to glow with icy light. But before either of them spoke, Xerxes burst out into forced laughter.

"Laudred, your greatness, you must forgive my friend. Humans are always unaccustomed to your grandeur," he said between his chuckling. "Yoichi Agawa," he said, motioning his palm at the giant. "This is the gracious and grand ruler of Jottunheim. The King of Giants, Laudred."

"It's good to see you, too, Xerxes," the giant laughed, flashing his ivory fangs for a moment.

"I'll see you inside," Xerxes said, letting out a loud laugh and a flashy smile.

With that smile still plastered on his face, he turned to Yoichi and spoke to him in his native language. "He's also a huge piece of shit. I've seen him kill. So don't trust him, and don't take his small acts of kindness to mean anything. Understand?"

Yoichi nodded. "I didn't know you spoke Japanese, Xerxes."

"I can speak a dozen languages. But I can only read and write for half of those."

"That's still impressive. So... The Giant actually knows English, then?"

"Nope. Magic translates each realm's language. But for realms that have multiple dialects, like ours, they choose a specific one to automatically translate. They chose English for us." He faced Yoichi. "Haven't you seen this kind of stuff before, though?"

"No, sir. This is my first time away from Midgard."

"Oh." Xerxes kept walking. "Lucky you."

It wasn't long before they reached the double doors built of gold, reaching 4 meters in height. The gold was ornate and designed with animals surrounding a massive tree.

Yggdrasil.

As of now, the doors were opened and spread apart, but Xerxes could never forget that sight. The gold was cast in the Age of Gods, after all.

Sun was shining down upon the tree of life, the tree of the world. Behind it, there was nothing. No clouds nor a clear sky. Without the sun that illuminated everything, it was all empty.

But even then... The foreground was where everything stood. A single snake was wrapped around the trunk of the tree. And in all the grandness of the massive evergreen, only two branches stood bare. They were only covered in the royal creatures; a single eagle and a single crow.

Other than that, shrubs surrounded the landscape, vines hung from the trees. And everything- Everything was ornate with its infinitesimal details. The fur of the wolves, the feathers of the birds, and the scales of the snakes. It was all brought to life with extraordinary craftsmanship, dedication, and work of dozens of people.

It all culminated into what Xerxes felt when he had first touched the golden doors, when he had pressed his fingertips against the bark of the golden Yggdrasil. This was true beauty.

But as unfortunate as it was, that beauty was a relic of an age long gone.

By contrast, Yoichi didn't pay much attention to the doors as they passed by, hardly noticing the designs. He was already waiting for the meeting to commence. Quiet chatter echoed in the chamber from amongst the delegates, and even from talking to themselves.

Xerxes didn't have to say anything, but Yoichi already knew to follow him.

The chamber was a circular room, built underneath a massive glimmering glass and silver dome that could be seen from kilometers away. Pillars and colonnades stood surrounding every bit of the circular wall and surrounding the singular desk.

Frankly speaking, Xerxes only felt annoyed by it. It was a single, massive desk; dark wood carved into a perfect and hollow circle. Other than a transparent divide of inch-thick glass, there was no separation between each realm's delegates.

The assigned chairs to each delegate were personalized for each realm. Alfheim's sat on a throne of wood, while the King of Giants would be seated despotically in his chair built of solid ice.

Dwarves also chose to sit in simple seats of stone, but humans...

Humans were always changing, always wanting new and different things. Better things. Leather chairs, furnished with polished Yggdrasil wood and lined with wood.

But not Xerxes. He always requested the same pleather chair. Simple and black plastic.

The only confusing part was the fact that Yoichi's chair was exactly the same. He turned to his partner.

Yoichi immediately spoke. "I was notified of your request at the same time I learned about the personalized chairs. I figured you knew better than I did, so..."

A thin floated onto Xerxes' lips. "Smart choice," he said. "It's not exactly comfortable, but... Comfort isn't something we need in our line of work. It's always best to be uncomfortable. It keeps you alert."

"I'll be sure to remember that," Yoichi said with a smile.

He quickly seated himself as other delegates entered one by one. Just a moment after Laudred threw himself onto his icy throne, the elven delegate entered.

With long robes that trailed onto the floor, and even longer silver blonde hair that went past their waist, the elf moved quickly and silently. Not a sound left them; not their footsteps nor their breath.

Quickly sitting down, they finally made a sound, letting out an audible sigh. Their eyes had been shut as they walked, and yet, each step carried an air of elegance and style with it.

Their eyes burst open, exploding with their verdant hue, instantly meeting eyes with Yoichi. A thin smile grew on their rosy lips, in contrast to their fair skin, slightly bowing their head at him.

Yoichi flashed a wide grin and did the same.

In the next second, he nudged his chair towards Xerxes and leaned closer to him. "She's beautiful," he whispered, his eyes still fixated on the elf.

"...That's a man."

Yoichi's eyes widened. "...Wait, really?"

"Thorendel. That's the King of Alfheim."

"Oh..." he spat out. "So... Are all elves just... like that?"

"Honestly, yeah. They're a beautiful race. They, as well as their society and realm, are naturally beautiful. Not like this forced garbage on Asgard."

"I see..." Yoichi mumbled to himself. He moved back to his seat in silence.

Confused for a second, Xerxes leaned over to Yoichi and whispered. "Just some advice. Don't try to marry an elf. They may be beautiful but they'll ruin your life. Elf women are just..." Xerxes couldn't find the proper word for it, but even without thinking, his body shuddered as he thought of the only female elf he had met in person.

Yoichi couldn't help but smile. "Got it, Xerxes."

Xerxes once again focused on the chamber. Golden sunlight cascaded down from the dome and filled up the room with warmth. His eyes squinted and scanned over the other delegates.

Each of them was finally arriving. As usual, the three Dark Elves of Svartalfheim were late, but always managed to get inside before the doors closed. The Fire Giants of Muspelheim and the Souls of Niflheim each arrived separately, at their own pace and time, yet still before the bells clanged out.

And when the bells rang, when the sun sat directly above the crystalline dome... The golden doors began to shut.

Xerxes stared at the two seats opposite from him. They were empty. And oddly enough, they were from two separate realms. Of course, there were times that a realm couldn't send a representative, but Xerxes had never witnessed a time with two of them missing.

The two divine realms. Asgard and Vanaheim. They each held a single seat, and now... Both seats were empty.

That is, of course, until a blond man sat down in the chair of Vanaheim.

Xerxes furrowed his eyebrows. Vanaheim's seat was practically always reserved for the king.

The golden-haired man cleared his throat. "My name is Erling," he declared.

The Grand Order fell silent and turned to him, as if his singular introduction was enough to make sense of his presence.

He had pale skin and even paler eyes. This 'Erling' was muscular and tall, wearing a loose and colorless tunic. Golden bracelets sat on his wrists and jingled as he raised his clenched fist to his mouth.

Erling cleared his throat once again.

Xerxes had never seen another Vanir other than King Yulius. Erling's appearance reminded him of an ancient hero, like a demi-god from millennia past.

The Vanir man spoke once again. "I am the attendant of King Yulius. He apologizes for his lack of presence." He paused.

"What's the word...?" he mumbled to himself. "Absence!"

The Grand Order's eyes remained on him.

Erling clenched his jaw. "The King apologizes for his absence. I will partake in this meeting in his stead, if necessary."

The Elf King dismissively waved his hand. "No, I'm sure that won't be necessary. We can handle this without him."

"Are you sure?"

Thorendel nodded. "There's no need for you here, unfortunately. Of course, you can stay if you would like, but-"

Erling didn't wait for Thorendel to finish. He pushed his chair out. It squeaked as he dragged its legs against the pale floor. But Erling remained silent and stood up, immediately heading for the door.

A simple knock on the side was enough for it to slightly be pushed open. The light of the outside streamed in for just a moment, and with a slight bow, he dashed away and out.

That concluded the delegate of Vanaheim. But the absence of Asgard still troubled Xerxes.

As unfortunate as it was, the Grand Order had officially begun. For Yoichi, however, it was fortunate. The young man was brimming with excitement.

After what felt like a handful of hours, after what was just twenty minutes of plain bureaucracy, Xerxes finally took control of the conversation.

This was finally the time to bring to light the Golden Dawn. The plague on the World.

And that's exactly what he did. He stood up and spoke, silencing the others as he described what they had done, what they plan to do, and what they seek to gain.

The summoning of the Princes of Hell on Midgard was just the beginning.

The attacks on Vanaheim were nothing in comparison to what wrath they would bring into the World.

"And so... We must find the leaders of the Golden Dawn. From what we know, they have a headquarters in each of the Nine Realms, with the exception of Midgard. They are hiding under our very noses and we must-"

"I think..." Thorendel interrupted, his smooth voice echoing in the golden chamber. "...I've heard you ramble about your delusions for quite long enough, Xerxes Agnes."

Xerxes clenched his jaw. "These aren't delusions."

Londr, a Dark Elf, laughed and slammed his crooked dagger into the wooden desk. The crashing boom echoed and the others of the Order turned to him. He had stark white hair, in complete contrast with his dark hair. His eyes were a lilac-violet and his ears just as pointy and long as Thorendel's. His clothes were ragged and somewhat dirty, made of leather and loose cloths, tied and sewn together, just as each of his companion delegates wore. Underneath the mass of black leather, were brown harnesses for weapons and a single purple shirt, peering through the other layers of his clothing.

He spoke: "Isn't it... I don't know, somewhat suspicious that they don't have an HQ on Midgard?" he said, his tongue slurring from his mouth as he spoke. "Or am I the only one thinking that?"

"I genuinely hate to say this," Thorendel began. "But the Dark Elf is right. Why is that so, Xerxes Agnes?"

Xerxes opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Londr's ear-piercing voice. He grabbed his dagger and twisted it off of the desk, ripping it away and pointing it at Thorendel.

Elves and Dark Elves always stood at odds. "Why do you hate to say it, Thorendel?! I thought we were friends!"

A sigh left his lips. "We will never be friends," the Elf King said, his verdant eyes gleaming as he glared. "And leave your tongue in your mouth, fool. It's disgusting to look at it."

"Disgusting?!" Londr cried out, shooting up to his feet and slamming his free fist into the table. The wood cracked under his fist. "I think you'll find the sight of your own blood more disgusting, Thorendel!" he shouted, pointing his crooked and wavy blade at the elf.

Thorendel grit his teeth. With his eyebrows furrowed, his jaw clenched, he clenched one fist and flattened his other hand onto the desk. In his four hundred years of life, he had never shed blood. His skin was pure and untainted, never healed because he never had the need to be healed.

"Your threats do not sway me, knave. But if you must-" His lips curled with a slight smirk. "Go ahead and try. Let's count down the remaining seconds of life you have left, shall we?"

"Gentlemen!" Xerxes yelled.

They fell silent, their attention turned to the human. And the only sound was the booming cackling of the king of giants.

"Why'd you stop them, Xerxes?!" he said, still laughing, his eyes shut and his mouth agape with his resonant and low-pitched voice. "Londr has killed thousands with his bare hands! And Thorendel has yet to be injured by a single being of this World! An unstoppable force against an immovable object! How beautiful their clash would be!"

He finally stopped laughing, opening his eyes and staring at Xerxes. "I won't forget that you deprived me of the beauty that would come from witnessing their clash."

Xerxes let out an exasperated breath. "Laudred. With all due respect, shut the hell up."

Laudred's icy eyes shifted into anger, twisting as he glared at the human once again.

"The Golden Dawn remains a threat to the World. They have already destroyed the peace we have experienced for the past 200 years. And if we, the Grand Order, are not at peace, how can we hope to bring them down? How can we hope to regain that peace?"

The giant laughed, his massive fangs twisting with his echoing chortles. "You think you can preach to us about peace? Humans are constantly at war with each other, especially on Earth! That's what happens when the entire species is divided against itself!"

Xerxes pushed his glasses back up his nose, his frames glistening in the light of the pale flames. "Surely, by contrast, Jotunheim is more peaceful. Especially with how you describe it."

The giant fell silent, his jaw clenched as Xerxes continued.

"The notion that a realm is peaceful based on unity to a single power is absurd. Your realm proves that. After all, you gained power after a revolution against the previous emperor. Just as the previous... thirty-three rulers did, correct? I'm sure the same will happen to you in a matter of... Well, just under a decade if your history proves consistent."

Xerxes remained standing. "The fact that none of you can see the problems permeating into each of our realms, each of our homes is revolting. The Age of Tribulation has already begun! How long until you can realize that?! Do elves have to starve for you to see? Does the entirety of Jotunheim have to crack apart?!"

Once again, the representatives of the Grand Order sat in their own silence.

Each of them were rulers, leaders, kings, and officials. They lived with comfort, oblivious to the death and destruction seeping through and taking hold of the World. Thorendel, in all his wisdom, didn't know of the floods and torrents that destroyed the farms of the south.

No one understood what was coming. But they could feel it in their bones.

Thorendel swallowed his saliva, placing his palms over the mahogany desk. "I..."

He was interrupted. A rumbling had come out of nowhere, shaking the room and the very dome in the ceiling. That was all it took. And the whole of the Grand Order turned to face the sealed golden doors.