With a soft thud, Erad appeared in the arrival room of his current office. It was a pretty nice, large room, with cream toned walls, a large mahogany desk with no drawers, covered in scrolls, books and parchment, and also what seemed to be a three feet tall stack of paper, a large, golden cushion, where the silver maned lion could sit to work, a big clock with various moon phases and symbols on it, and a weird, vertical contraption underneath.

Erad had a strange expression on his face, while he slowly accosted said contraption. He put a paw on it, and the machine shirred, then beeped.

“We really really hate Moondays” the lion mumbled, clocking in for their turn in the Eidos office branch. Since the restructuring of the otherworld system, and the introduction of bureaucracy, stuff seemed to flow smoother, according to the present Numens. Unfortunately, an increase in productivity came with an increase in stupid clerical errors. Like a zero less. Or a zero more. Overshooting the delivery of a prophecy meant for a tenth birthday by ninety years. Ninety - damned - years, Erad did not even know if this would cause issues in the long run. Well, they did their best as they could, gave away the lance of Und-erstand-ing and all that. The lad seemed spirited, if well along his years, so maybe the tool will help him learn how to move, cast magic and make new friends that would help him along his quest. He hoped their superior wouldn't make their life difficult because of a clerical error. A clerical error his superior made when he was still a clerk and not a manager. Stupid nepotism and being the grand grand grand grandson of the current Numens.

The silver lion hoped with all their heart that the new administration would be better. With or without a new Night between the two.

He got out of the room, and entered the cubicle's prairie.

It was a vast expanse of space, almost barren save for the sparse trees, some wandering bush, and the pearly white colored cubicles of the interns.

The lion started slowly walking towards one of them.

“Hey François, how is the new revelation coming along?” Erad said, nodding toward a floating arm made of iridescent birds.

“I just have to animate a couple more wolves and we should be done here!” chirped back the arm. “Ten more minutes, tops.”

“It's coming along well, it seems! The chief will be pleased, even though I liked your earlier works more, I really think this one will put the fear of Numens on the soul receiving it.”

“I know it will!” continued the arm “This is pure’ you need to repent or your life will be forfeit’ kind of prophetic dream. I just hate that now that we started using the Canvas Standard I only have three models of wolves to choose between! Sure, once I had to do everything freehand, but how glorious it was!”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“At least now you won't make them with weird heads or more eyes than they should!” shouted a backward sock with what seemed like cat prints that stuck to the wall of one of the cubicles.

“You’re always trying to limit my artistic side, Khyuful! They all had the number of eyes I thought most significant! They were like small nuggets from other future prophecies! Anticipations, if you want to call them that! And that, my unfriendly neighbor, is called style”.

“Khy is right, François”, commented Erad, chuckling, “there is a thing as too many eyes. And seeing infinite numbers doesn’t mash well with mortal minds.”

“I learned my lesson after the third week of educational courses on mortal interactions! I would not do it again!” the arm became a feather “You're clipping my wings!”

“Sorry guys, We have to go and give my report to the big sky boss.” stated Erad “Love you. Pray for me.”

“Good luck friend! Hope you don't end up like the twins!” shouted the sock.

Hushed voices could be heard from other parts of the prairie, carried by the strange wind that suffused the place.

“What happened to the twins?”

“You don't really want to know”.

“I heard they were incarnated”.

Someone seemed to almost choke.

“What? Did they really agree to that?”

“Not that they had that much choice in the decision, since the bet was witnessed by-”

“Yes, I remember that. Staking so much behind a clearly bad prophecy…”

“I hope they'll be able to come back before reincarnating too many times. My uncle did and she was not the same when she came back.”

“Your Aunt just used that as an excuse because your parents are awful, dude”.

“What did you say about my parents?”

The voices faded in the background as Erad entered into the elevator stuck in the middle of the prairie. Its glass doors closed behind them, and a weird lounge music started playing, while it went up in a painfully slow fashion.

It was weird for timeless beings to feel the weight of time but divines! Did the three minutes, thirty three seconds and thirty three milliseconds weigh as eras did. Especially with that Numens-awful music

Getting off from the elevator, the silver lion greeted the secretary, who looked at them from behind the desk. The living chair had their eyes glued on Erad, as if she knew something they didn't. She made a welcoming gesture with one of her arms.

“Lighting is waiting for you in its office, Erad.”

“Do I need to prepare myself for a pay cut?” they asked, half-jokingly.

“I really hope it will only be that. It seemed furious. I could not get near the door without being scorched a little”, she lamented, shaking a bit of molten lacquer from her cushions, “but maybe it was mad about something else. I don't know. Good luck!”

Erad sighed, and walked, slowly towards the door. The corridor seemed to stretch infinitely, even if it just took a couple of seconds to get to their boss office. The plaque on it read “Assistant manager of quadrant 333” but the rest was burnt away with utmost attention. The lion knocked with their paws, thrice. The thunder inside answered.