Gaius touched the mask he was wearing lightly, somewhat uncomfortable with the face accessory that the members of the Mortal Light Dynasty’s delegation all wore. A simplistic black, it covered his eyes and most of his nose. A small crescent moon decorated the top right of his mask, something that the boy had added himself. It was the same type of jewel that was embedded into Countess Reinford’s protective accessories; it could take a single hit.

He had debated with himself on whether adding the crescent jewel, but after seeing the masks of the other delegates, he was convinced that adding it would do no harm. In fact, Gaius had to add some embellishments onto his mask to not stand out; such was the degree of how overblown the others’ masks were.

Glancing at his reflection one last time, Gaius turned away from the window. The Pinnacle had asked him to come along for the first day of the talks, since the Central Circle’s vault was directly below the Octagon, the building in which the Conference of the Four would be held in. When they had time, they would go down and pick out some fancy stuff, along with the other hopefuls from every other continent.

Someone tapped his shoulder. “This tailcoat looks good on you. You might be a bit short for it, but it actually makes you look more stylish.”

“Oracle,” Gaius bobbed his head. The second-in-command of the Mortal Light Dynasty was sporting a purple, feathered mask. The right eyehole was enclosed inside a twelve-sided crimson polygon. It was a unique mask, to be sure, but again, everyone’s mask was unique in their own right. A gown, in the same shade of red as her hair, completed the picture, and Gaius gave a mental thumbs-up.

“I think we’re familiar enough with each other for you to call me Galina,” she replied. “Right, Gaius?”

“G-Galina, then.” The boy smiled. “Are we not heading over yet?”

“As the convener of this Conference, we can only be on the dot,” Galina replied. “Too early, and we’ll be viewed as nervous. Too late, and we’ll be arrogant, disrespectful punks. We must be exact, just on time. Only then will we exhibit enough confidence to make the others take us seriously.”

“It’s that complicated?” Gaius asked. “Diplomacy is weird.”

“You’ll get used to it after a while,” Galina replied. “Power is an art. Wielding it becomes second nature once you see it in action. In fact, it’s possible to see how the other nations view the Mortal Light Dynasty based on punctuality. For instance, if a nation’s too early, they’re probably trying to show us their support and maybe ask for some aid.”

“And if they’re very late?”

“Isn’t that obvious?” Galina replied. “Just look at the great gods. None of them fancy our piddling little continent at all. That’s why they haven’t made an entrance yet. They intend to blot out our light.”

“How petty.”

“Not really, considering that we’re a mortal nation that has an ideology of opposing them,” said the Oracle. “In fact, the fact that they will come is more than enough to show us their fear regarding the Demon God.”

“I do at least know that much,” Gaius replied. “And I think they’ll be even more fearful once Xanadu shows those memories.”

His mind wandered off briefly. During the few days they were here, Gaius, Isabelle and Nakama had been playing with artefacts. The others, however, were busy fighting and killing snowpyres, and as a result, they had met soldiers from throughout the Five Lands. Rumours about the topics of the conference were flying wildly, and Countess Reinford was having the time of her life chattering about it.

After all, she was going to join the Western delegation when the conference began. It was a prestigious position, all things considered, and the Countess had somewhat reverted to her old ways in her recounting of how she was asked to show up.

Pinnacle Kolya walked out of a room. Gaius glanced at his attire, felt his face cramp, and decided not to think about it too much. Trying to look like Stoker’s Dracula was an event reserved for Earth’s Halloween, not a stately conference of the Five Lands.

“Fetching.” His eyes lingered on the Oracle, his smile revealing a set of very normal teeth. “The Brilliant Pinnacle sure knew how to decorate her diplomats.”

“Wait,” said Gaius, “this whole mask get-up isn’t your idea?”

“Surprisingly enough, no.” Kolya looked at Gaius, his gaze an appraising one. “This has been our traditional dress in every Conference of the Five…well, it’s the Four now, but you get my point.”

He cleared his throat. “Let’s go. It’s almost time. Now, where did Xanadu get off to?”

“She’s waiting at the door,” Galina replied. “And she’s also ready for a good fight, unlike you and me.”

“Can’t blame her, can we?” The Pinnacle shook his head. “After all, she is indeed part of the group that killed the Lifespring. We’re banking on hospitality to protect her — if the great gods want her dead, there’s not much we can do about it. The only thing going for her is that this whole shindig is broadcasted live.”

Gaius wasn’t sure why he was all that confident, when the Human God had publicly admitted to causing a genocide on a live broadcast. Killing someone probably wouldn’t be that high of a hurdle after that, but maybe the Pinnacle had something up his sleeves.

The other members of the delegation, which included the various ministers in charge of things like the economy, war and whatnot, joined up as Pinnacle Kolya led the way out. A few curious glances were directed at Gaius, but the boy ignored them all. His identity was meant to be a secret, after all.

“Alright, let’s go.” The Pinnacle glanced at the Octagon, which wasn’t too far away. “Don’t embarrass yourselves. And don’t be scared, no matter what happens later. And when the great gods make their mighty appearance, don’t even think of looking at them.”

Xanadu was waiting for them at the ground floor. She was wearing her combat attire — a form-fitting black suit with purple streaks. A visor of sorts was now covering her eyes, and when Gaius looked at her hips, a few dangerous-looking artefacts were hanging off a belt. He could vaguely recognise the hilt of her plasma-esque blade, which, if not used, was probably the best-case scenario.

She was, after all, one of the Lifespring’s killers. As to her companions, especially the Demigod that had shown up to crush the remaining two Constellations, no one knew about them, not even the Oracle. He’d tried asking a few times, but she too had no answers.

“Xanadu.” Pinnacle Kolya inclined her head. “Ready to let the world see the truth?”

“Naturally,” she replied. Her voice was cold, frosty, and Gaius immediately understood that she was psyching herself up for the public address she would make to the Five Lands in the hour to come. Being able to fight off and murder great gods didn’t necessarily translate to being good at public speaking, and especially since she was used to being in the shadows.

Probably.

In silence, the small entourage headed towards the Octagon, Gaius spending most of the journey to admire the smooth, glossy floor. The Demigod that had killed the last of the Constellations was behind this shiny makeover, although the boy knew that such soil could not longer harbour any crops or livestock. It was a waste of land, and a reminder of what mighty individuals could do to the Five Lands if left unchecked.

“The great gods have arrived,” Pinnacle Kolya said. “Be careful; don’t look up.”

Gaius’ heartbeat began to echo in his ears as multiple, incredible existences appeared around the Central Circle, energy billowing madly around them. Simply being in their presence was enough to make the boy wince, but his body had been strengthened over long periods of hard work. Unlike the others, blood wasn’t dripping out of his ears or anything, but it was still an uncomfortable sensation.

Of their little party, the only ones who had taken the great gods’ appearance better than him was Xanadu, Kolya and Galina. Xanadu, in particular, was still walking forwards without any apparent effect on her. It was to be expected, but Gaius couldn’t help but feel sore at how she took their presence so much better than him.

“This might drive everyone present onwards on the path of cultivation,” Kolya said quietly. “Paragons — and Demigods, by extension — are mortals who have carved their own path. In a sense, they represent a Bounded Presence of sorts in the mental domain.”

“Equals of the great gods, in a certain sense,” Galina added on. “Of course, their bodies are far from equal, their weaknesses. But even Paragons of the most common ideals are qualified to stand with the great gods, make no mistake.”

The others clenched their fists in response. There was nothing they could do but to trudge onwards, withstanding the overwhelming might that came by simply being in their presence.

Gaius gritted his teeth as the five presences — the three remaining elemental gods, the Human God and Aldnath, the Dragon of Time and Fate — continued towards the Octagon. Thankfully, as the great gods began to approach, they began to rein in their power, and before long, the oppressive atmosphere had vanished.

The others heaved a sigh, as did Gaius. For Gaius, this was the first time he’d felt the full might of a great god. The Human God’s descent onto his familiar spirit, during the battle of the Holy Temple, paled in comparison to the real deal. Granted, he was occupying the Last Star’s body right now, but even then…

Shaking his head, Gaius followed the others as they queued up. They had arrived at the security stations, and even with the Pinnacle around, rules were rules. The staff sitting on the tables processed person after person, and the boy began to look around curiously while waiting for his turn.

He had caught sight of the great gods — or at least their familiar spirits — at an adjacent booth, and the boy covered his mouth to hide a grin. At least their underlings knew how to respect safety precautions. But before he could count how many familiar spirits were in the queue, it was Gaius’ turn to register.

With the identity the Pinnacle made for him, the boy got past the security station easily. There wasn’t much to it, all things considered. It was just a simple check between the list of attendees and a proof of identity.

Still, the great gods sending out a list of attendees from their Divine Kingdom? I wonder how the recipients of that particular reacted. Gaius rolled his eyes and followed the others into the Octagon, where a cold gust of freezing air made everyone else around him shiver on the spot.

“Three minutes before we enter,” said Pinnacle Kolya. “Everyone’s prepared, right?”

“Yes.”

“Ready for a speech whenever!”

“Alright, let’s do this!”

Gaius watched as the other ministers of the North’s State Council riled themselves up. He looked around, and then shifted over to Xanadu, who was staring at a bracelet on her right hand.

“Something wrong?” He asked.

“Just nervous,” she replied.

“Don’t be,” said Gaius. “You took out a great god. There’s nothing you need to fear.”

“But there is,” Xanadu said. She looked at Gaius squarely. “What happens after this? If everything goes well, what should I do next? With all my goals met, what should I do?”

“What should you do?” Gaius repeated. “Be yourself. Find things you want to do. Maybe help out when the demons invade. Go to school before that. Find some friends.”

“You. Are you reading off a list?”

“I’m not. But once you’re done with it, I think you should try living for yourself. Got it?”

Her unwavering gaze made Gaius flinch slightly, but before she should reply, Pinnacle Kolya had gathered everyone once more. With the pep talks done, he began to lead the way into the conference venue. The Phantom Blade gave him a shaky smile and followed the others as they delved deep into the Octagon.

The Conference of the Four was about to begin.