A few adjustments later, and the robes Dorusc wore now sparkled with gilded fringes. Given the importance of the matter at hand, he hadn't the patience for more thorough preparations, but it was still necessary for appearances when meeting with the Lord of Deities. Even if their terms weren't agreeable, given certain circumstances that may or may not have placed him on the Lord's bad side.

Faerie hovered close to Dorusc, but an outstretched hand from the diety bade her stay.

"Faerie, you're to remain here."

"My lord?" questioned the Fairy, surprised by the gesture.

"Have you forgotten what it was like when we first came into being? The years flow easily, just as the waters of the river around us. That is not true of their sophistry, Faerie, or their prejudice."

The glowing orb bobbed in acquiescence, "I haven't forgotten, my lord."

Dorusc raised a hand to snap his fingers.

A shockwave expanded from the epicenter of the sound. Ripples formed in the scenery around Dorusc and his servant, warping the mountains, the valley, the river, and the cottage until they all faded from view.

What appeared in their place was a blue sky, which extended infinitely in all directions. Thin strings of white resembling clouds floated in lazy circles, with apparently no destination in mind or any wind to propel them. Ambient light reflected off their surface with seemingly no source or origin but lent a golden gleam to their surfaces.

In the distance, immaculate round towers of marble floated. Almost impossibly so, suspended by golden chains anchored somewhere in the expanse above. Where they terminated, Dorusc couldn't fathom, just as one couldn't fully comprehend the power of their architect who dwelt in the towers they maintained. From afar, the entire structure resembled a circular fortification without walls or keep. At its center, an amphitheater hung from the same that housed the grounds for the Exodus.

The deity's fingers clicked once more. The reverberations of the sky blotted out the ambient light of the sunless realm.

The terminus of his teleportation was a stone corridor. On the walls to the left and right hung tapestries depicting monsters and demons, contorted into deathly poses while slaughtered by a lone figure. Dorusc knew this figure to be Majestic. The Lord had a fondness for the hunt, and these artworks portrayed the ego behind that passion. Perhaps not purposefully, they bore the subtleties of the decline of the Realm. With little else left to be done, now that order reigned in the mortal realms, immortality became a bane to a god's existence. It could be said that the deities of the Realm were decaying from the sheer boredom of their lives, but with no end in sight, they could only partake in trivial pastimes. Majestic's just so happened to be an example, his most recent example related to him by Faerie.

"What purpose has brought you here, Aloof One?"

A voice met Dorusc's arrival inside the castle. It radiated unfettered malice, which the deity feigned indifference toward as he approached its owner, who was stationed outside Majestic's chambers.

"I come bearing news of importance. Notify his majesty that I wish to speak to him."

The guard was one of the more peculiar residents of the Realm of Deities, more specifically in Majestic's castle. Golems, created by none other than the Lord himself. Gifted with fragments of the Lord's power and consciousness, they served as guards and various other tasks throughout the Realm, interceding on their master's behalf when tasks unbefitting his time arose. This golem seemed to be a favored creation of his, considering its humanoid form. Eyes that glowed orange, sallow skin that gleamed with artificial quality, and an outline unmistakably feminine.

It glared at Dorusc, a certain intense distaste for his presence readily apparent, "His majesty will not see you."

Undeterred, the deity brushed past the golem and reached for the handle of Majestic's chamber door. He did not have time to bandy words with one of his puppets, not when the very reason for their existence stands at the brink.

A streak of red passed close to Dorusc's face, impacting the door with a loud thud as the fiery lance embedded itself into its wooden frame.

"I repeat, his majesty will not see you."

For several seconds, the deity stood motionless, his hand latched to the horn-shaped handle of Majestic's chamber door.

"Did his majesty forget to instill basic etiquette in you? Regardless of my standing, I am a guest. You should treat me as such."

His head turned to face the golem. If Death had the gift of expression, it would have been Dorusc's at that moment.

"Or is he willing to make me his enemy?"

He pulled open the door, ignoring the golem's hateful stare.

The decor inside Majestic's chamber wasn't that different from the corridor outside. In fact, it appeared to serve as an extension to his tapestry collection, for inside his chamber hung the remainder of his immense collection of exploits, covering every wall. On the ceiling was a mural, a chronicle of an intense battle with a horde of four-headed hounds; Cerberus. No doubt his latest addition.

"For one given to lectures of etiquette, you were quite willing to overlook a simple knock, Aloof One."

Even from across the room, while seated at a silver desk, Majestic was an imposing figure to behold. Braided locks of blood-red fell to his shoulders, and upon this was a crown of fire. Wisps of flame that originated from the crown intermingled with the deity's red braids, giving the appearance that they possessed a life of their own. It was the golden eyes that crowned his appearance. They glowed intensely with a molten fervor, as one would notice of the metal in its liquid state.

The regal deity rested his head on the flat of his hand. Although the relaxed posture he assumed spoke of nonchalance, his narrowed eyes told another story. They held the same unfiltered contempt for Dorusc's existence.

"It's bold of you to show your face here again, Aloof One."

"Is it?" Dorusc paced about the chamber, scanning the intricate mural above with interest.

"Impertinent fool. I suppose you have forgotten everything already. As foolhardy as you are, it wouldn't surprise me if you had."

"Not in the least, your majesty. I would have done the same, given another opportunity."

A tongue of flame arced from Majestic's crown and receded back into his braids, "They're deceitful, treasonous creatures. That you would harbor one so readily is tantamount to heresy!"

"Faerie is not the same, your majesty."

"And what proof is there of that?"

"My word alone, though that's of no value to you, is it?"

The Lord lifted his head from its repose, leveling his gaze at Dorusc, "What is it you want? Surely you didn't come out of hiding to merely trade blows."

A particular section of the mural caught Dorusc's attention, enticing him to stretch upward to get a better view, "I underwent a Contemplation and discovered that one of the realms under Lira's supervision faces rather dire straits. Given your authority, I believed it necessary to inform you of her wanton disregard of Logius."

At these words, Majestic rose from his silver seat. Dorusc knew all too well that this would pique the Lord's interest. To see his prediction come true only made the moment that much more enjoyable, now that he danced on his palm.

"Are you certain?"

"Without a doubt. I'm sure you understand that the future does not lie, nor do the eyes that see it." As though to prove the point, the red mist manifested once more to float around his eyes.

However, that was where Dorusc's moment of glee ended. Majestic looked upward at the ceiling at the reproduction of the battle.

"Tell me, Aloof One. Let us set aside our differences for once, and tell me. What do you think of the Realm?"

Dorusc turned his attention away from the mural to look at the pensive god, perplexed, "Your words elude me."

The Lord sighed, "Do you see how we deities have fallen from our previous glory? What was once our golden time, when the vessels were quite young, has now become our drudgery. Even the Exodus has fallen into silence, with nary a god to emerge. It's as though we have no purpose, that in our stagnation, the Exodus has abandoned us."

The fingers of his right hand clenched, as he raised it up towards the mural.

"The Underworld was my respite from the melancholy in my heart. I indulged myself in the slaughter of the demons and beasts that flow forth from its depths. Yet even there, there is no meaning. Aloof One, we have lost our way, without realizing it." His fist opened, and a ball of flame bloomed into being, "It was my belief that Logius was meant for preservation, that we deities could not destroy the very things the Exodus meant for us to watch over. The foolish, the arrogant, the prideful, and the inexperienced couldn't harm what was the mortal's birthright. But it only became our shackles in the end."

Dorusc watched Majestic intently, "Meaning?"

As though anticipating this response, the Lord smiled, the flames intensifying as his grin grew wider, "I have found that meaning. What would happen, if the vessels of mortal existence, were to disappear?"

"Only moments ago, you spoke of heresy. What you speak now amounts to blasphemy."

"Perhaps, but I am more than willing to blaspheme even the Exodus if meaning could return once more to our realm."

"You're insane!" Dorusc advanced on the Lord, his eyes flaring crimson, "The Exodus will surely reproach you! What will you bring upon the Realm if you defy it?"

"I take it we have yet another disagreement then?"

"Naturally!"

Majestic's smile faded. Another sigh escaped him as he mildly caught Dorusc's fist with his free hand.

"Of all within my rule, you are the second to oppose my plan. I sometimes wondered what purpose the Exodus intended for you. Ironically, it seems it was for you to be a perpetual thorn in my side. That will not stand any longer!"

With alarming speed, the flame in Majestic's hand altered its shape into a lance and flew straight and true. It pierced through Dorusc's midriff. Golden fluid erupted from his mouth as the force of the blow propelled him into a nearby wall.

"Your title fits you well, Aloof One, perhaps all too well. Not once have I divined your intentions, let alone whatever idle ambitions you hold dear," Majestic spoke softly. "It is an unfortunate thing, your power would have been worthy of the kingdom I envision, but I will have to rid the Realm of you. You are, after all, the Aloof One. The one that dared side with our mortal adversaries."

The body of the Aloof One crumpled to the floor, vapor rising from the rapidly regenerating hole in his stomach.

"Golems, seize this traitor!"