Abraxas reached the Palace of Xarbo after a three day journey from Luminae to the Southern Ocean that separates the mainland Empire from Void Villages and acted as the residence of the entire Mermor race.

Mermors resembled humans but bore the blessings of the Elder God of the Sea, their amphibious nature allowing them to thrive both on land and beneath the waves.

And among the Mermors, their leader, who had been alive since before the Era of the Six Heroes, Olivia Denva was the most well known figure.

Her reason for being well known, even among other races, was her title. 1st Proxy of Xarbo, Goddess of Water, Peace and Medicine.

Being a pacifist and having the authority to null any desire for violence in a person, barring not even other Proxies or Apostles, she was an important figure in the working of this world.

And thus, she thinks of arranging the periodic Meeting of Proxies as her duty.

Inside the Meeting room of the Palace of Xarbo,

The Eleven Proxies were sitting on their respective seats in the meeting room, they were served with lavish amounts of food that would eclipse a Berserkers' Diner.

"Miss Olivia, there wasn't a need for such a lavish dinner," Hari spoke while devouring the food without stopping. Her actions earned a laugh from Olivia, Abraxas and Alceres.

"Hari, please eat slowly. The food isn't going anywhere," Olivia said calmly, smiling as she looked at Randolph, the 3rd Proxy of Obrax.

"Welcome to the Council of Proxies, Randolph. I am Olivia, the first Proxy of Xarbo." Olivia said with a smile and the other Proxies, except Hari, clapped.

"I want to fight." Randolph replied with a straight face, though he was pretty much scared at the sight of the other Proxies.

Each one present here is a symbol of power and wields the authority of their respective gods, each one was an insurmountable wall.

Hearing Randolph's strange introduction, laughs came out of the mouths of Joker (4th Proxy of Knarp, the God of Mischief) and Lilly (2nd Proxy of ÆRA, The Goddess of Wind and Spirits).

"You are similar to both 1st and 2nd Proxy of Obrax but you are not eligible. Come back when you awaken the authority, at the very least." Lilly said mockingly as she began eating the food on her table.

As for Joker, she didn't say anything to Randolph, choosing to eat in silence.

But Randolph wasn't discouraged, he looked at Abel who looked and felt the weakest from the feels alone. So he looked at Abel and spoke. "You must be Abraxas, 1st Proxy of Justifia.. I want to challenge you."

At the words of Randolph, the room went silent. Hari dropped the spoon from her hands and Lilly looked at Abraxas, waiting for something to start.

Abraxas looked into Randolph's eyes, smiling before he spoke. "Randolph, was it? Eat up calmly, don't challenge anyone here." He was warning Randolph as he was speaking unnecessarily.

"No, I want to fight you. You feel like the weakest one here." Randolph spoke with a serious look in his eyes.

At that point, every shadow in the meeting room began to shudder. It was like the world itself was being warped around as Abraxas spoke. "Do you not know when to remain silent.. child?"

But before anything could escalate further, Olivia stepped in. She tapped her foot on the ground and spoke commandingly. "Enough, Randolph. We recognise that as the newest Proxy of Obrax, you are bound to experience battles that push you to your death. But you are not allowed to challenge one of the Founders of the 'Council of Proxies'."

Olivia's words took Randolph by storm and Abraxas was silent when Olivia spoke. Not just Abraxas, every other Proxy went silent when Olivia raised her voice. It wasn't often that she spoke in such a high voice so it came off as a shock.

"Please eat what you've been served and I don't want any of you to waste precious food. The food on your table is exactly the amount you eat." Olivia said calmly, before she picked up the spoon on her table and began eating.

"Yeah, little Randolph. You shouldn't anger the founding members of the Council," spoke Felicia, the 4th Proxy of Ospirice, the God of Festivity.

Just this show of authority was enough to show Randolph that the highest ranking members in the Council were Abraxas and Olivia.

After everyone was finished eating the food, Olivia cleared her throat before she spoke again. "So Randolph, was the food to your liking?"

"Yes, it was filling. Thank you for welcoming me into the council and I would like to apologise for my insolent behaviour before." Randolph apologised, as during his time eating, he noticed how each Proxy respected one another.

From the liveliness of Hari to the Chaotic Playfulness of Joker to the calm personalities like Olivia and Alceres, each person was different and were not different from a normal person of this world. But they all were the enforcers of their god's will, just like him.

"Now let us start with the formal introduction. I have already introduced myself as Olivia, the First Proxy of Xarbo, The Goddess of Water, Peace and Medicine." Olivia said before she pointed at Alceres who began introducing herself.

"My name is Alceres. Nice to meet you, I am a Succubus from the Demon Realm and I'm the First Proxy of Phamis." Alceres spoke calmly, her voice was sweet and almost alluring despite not having intentions to seduce.

The next in line was Hari. "Hello! I'm Hari, the Second Proxy of Haruna, The Goddess of Prosperity and Happiness." She smiled before the next Proxy began her introduction.

"My name is 'Voice', and I'm the Second Proxy of Lyra, The Goddess of Music and Entertainment." 'Voice' spoke before expecting others to continue.

"The name is Felicia. Fourth Proxy of Ospirice, The God of Festivity," Felicia said with a smile. "It's nice to see that the Seat of Obrax was filled so quickly."

Then the next one spoke, "My name is Xavia, Eighth Proxy of Mary, The Goddess of Marriage and Loyalty. It's a pleasure to meet you, Randolph."

"Lilly, Second Proxy of Æra, The Goddess of Wind and Spirits." Lilly spoke with disinterest in her voice.

"My name is 'Joker', and I'm the Fourth Proxy of Knarp, The God of Mischief. Funny, right?!" Joker said excitedly. Though she had finished all the food she was served, she hadn't picked up the spoon or her fork, neither did she remove her mask nor her gloves. So how she ate was a mystery and it felt like the rest of the Proxies were understanding of her weird ways.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"I am 'Seeker', Second Proxy of TiciLi. Feel free to approach me if you need any help.. I'll take books as payment, thank you." 'Seeker' said with a smile on her face. Her left fang was peeking out of her mouth, showing her Vampire lineage.

Then spoke the final Proxy present at that meeting.

"My name is Abraxas Nouveriër De'Zua, The first Proxy of Justifia. It's nice to meet you, Randolph," Abraxas said with a smile before Randolph stood up and bowed to the ten of them.

Olivia smiled at seeing such a sweet gesture from Randolph but her smile disappeared as soon as he spoke.

"Please fight me."

Hearing this, Olivia shook her head in disbelief since Randolph clearly wasn't over the thought of fighting anyone.

"I ask you—don’t deny me this fight. I know I might lose but I want to see what makes you all better than the traitor, that my Grandfather — The 2nd Proxy of Obrax was."

Randolph spoke before he looked up, wanting for at least one of them to accept his challenge.

Berserkers are known for their humongous build, valor in battle and traditions like 'A Berserker King should have at least 50 children', but they were also known for their hatred for the Barbarians.

(Note: Barbarians are the outcasts from Berserkers. They are hated and openly hunted by Berserkers because they break the 'Code of Honour'.)

Randolph, being the newly crowned Berserker King was no exception to it. He was 7 feet tall, which is considered small among the Berserkers', but he was still chosen by Obrax as his Proxy.

Upon hearing his sincere plea, Olivia sighed. "Who should I choose so you don't die while sparring?" These words left her mouth subconsciously and even after realising, she didn't try to hide it.

After all, Randolph was still very young and had not yet completely inherited the Authority that the previous Proxy of Obrax held.

Out of the other Ten Proxies, Five of them just can't fight Randolph since they are mainly supportive or bureaucratic in nature.

But before Olivia could think about the other five, Abraxas raised his hands.

"You said, you wanted to fight me right? Because I am the weakest looking here?" Abraxas spoke calmly as he stood up.

Seeing him, Lilly and 'Voice', who were the strongest fighters among the Proxies, chuckled.

"You are going to keep the tradition of 'fighting each and every Proxy of Obrax' alive, eh?" Lilly spoke with a hint of interest in her voice. To her, being silent and watching small battles from the sidelines is the most fun.

It has also been a while since she saw Abraxas on a battlefield. Her last time was when he fought the 2nd Proxy of Obrax, to force him to join the Council.

'Oh, what battle that was. Physically the weakest person here and yet winning against Proxy of Obrax.. It's worth complimenting,' Lilly thought to herself as she licked her lips, twisting her body as she leaned forward to watch how Randolph will take this invitation.

"Abraxas, I will remind you that Randolph is still a child so go easy on him," Olivia said with a hint of worry in her eyes.

"Randolph, I will have to warn you that Abraxas is the person who fought Obrax in the past. Please, step down when you are unable to fight."

Olivia added before she stood up and along with her stood up every other Proxy in that room.

"If you have already decided to spar then I will lead you to the Trial Grounds." Olivia said before she began walking with every other Proxy, including Abraxas following her.

"Follow me." Abraxas said calmly to Randolph, who nodded before quietly following him.

The walk to the trial grounds was a bit long, and along the way, Xavia and 'Joker' indulged in a conversation with Randolph, while Abraxas was talking with Lilly and 'Seeker', who seemed curious.

Out of the Eleven Proxies here, only Olivia knew what truly happened in a fight between Abraxas and Obrax. Though 'Seeker' and Lilly have bothered Abraxas in the past to know the details but they have always been turned down.

Randolph himself was also curious as to how a mortal could survive after fighting Obrax, the very God he is the Proxy of.

..........

287 years ago,

"Will you just stand down and take my blessing, you brat!" Obrax shouted at Abel before punching him in the face.

Their fight was taking place in Obrax's Spirit Space. That's why Obrax was so happily using his full strength, throwing Abel around like a ragdoll.

Originally, Obrax arrived here by controlling the body of his First Proxy but Abel not only refused to take the blessing that was being given to him by Obrax but also fought against his Proxy and won.

At that point of time, Abel was no different than a mere insect for Obrax and for an insect to defeat his most prized warrior, was an insult that Obrax couldn't take.

"You are a nobody. Why are you not accepting the gift from me?!" Obrax said while gritting his teeth.

He could see why his Proxy lost to this nobody, though this vampire was physically very, very weak. He was just that much stronger mentally.

His spirit was being thrashed around by Obrax in this Spirit Space, but he stood up no matter how much he threw him around.

Obrax, at first was impressed by Abel's dedication to turn himself from a fat nerd that he was into a well built warrior that could take on armies despite being as physically weak as ever but now he respected him, because he stood up after receiving blows that even his Proxy would die from.

"I will give you credit. You have improved much more than I imagined." Obrax shouted before throwing Abel's spirit once again.

Obrax is the God of Flame, War and Plague. He who has seen and participated in every war whether past, present, future or otherworldly.

As a god, he can see every action one takes to improve their ability for violence and that's why Berserkers were his favourite race.

A physically strong race that worshipped Obrax and dedicated their lives to honing their ability for war, even hunting those who break the 'Code of Honour'.

It was only occasional when someone other than a Berserker peeks his interest, let alone being so proficient that makes Obrax want to hand out a blessing.

And here was a mere mortal vampire, who rejected that offer. Obrax hadn't seen anything as preposterous as this in his existence.

But just as he was about to punch Abel's spirit again, a sword made of Pure Darkness manifested in Abel's hand. That sword absorbed the force behind Obrax's punch, bending to an impossible degree to keep Abel's spirit safe and being successful at it.

Seeing the sword, Obrax laughed. He knew what it was at a first glance yet it was so ironic.

'For a person rejecting the blessing and yet transcending it. This is much more interesting than I initially thought.' Obrax thought to himself as the bent sword repaired itself almost instantly.

As for Abel, he was shocked. He rejected Obrax's Blessing because that was a restriction he put on himself. He needed to win against THEM without the strength of another being, but this new strength was his own. It was not based on any existing god.

It was truly worth being called 'Divine Art'. Though he could not manifest the entire concept that was in his hand yet, it was still an impossibly strong ability.

"So you know what that is," Obrax said as he threw a flurry of punches at Abel. "Let us limit test it.. I haven't seen an awakening of Divine Art myself."

And with that Sword in his hand, Abel tried to block Obrax's hits but he could only stop two or three before the sword broke.

But no matter how many times he was beaten to a pulp, he always stood up. And by now, Obrax was enjoying himself too. As not only did this vampire awaken a Divine Art without a blessing as its base, he was also able to block his blows though not all.

And they fought and fought and fought in this space, where Time held no meaning. The only sound was a Sword of Darkness clashing against the fists that could reshape the very fabric of space.

Clash after clash, Abel was barely living, his burning soul almost phasing out of existence at every hit while his mind was being corrupted by plagues that were so obscene that even Obrax himself considered it to be overkill.

But after what felt like thousands of years of unending torture, they exchanged their first words after Obrax was completely satisfied. "You are strong, I will give you that."

Hearing that Abel smiled before he fell to the ground of the Spirit Space, he could no longer continue and seeing this, Obrax called back all the flames and plague in the area.

"I give you the authority to bear my name. This is an honour, I haven't given it to anyone, not even my Proxy."

Abel chuckled as he was just about to fall unconscious and then he would return to his physical body.

"Your name was Abel right.. I give you the right to bear your name with mine. Your name will be.. Abraxas."

That was the last thing that Abel heard before his soul disappeared from Obrax's Spirit Space.

Obrax was satisfied with this. There had never been an existence who he would give his name to, until today.

That very fact changed today. He gave the right to bear his name to a Vampire that was not even his Proxy. But he was satisfied.

'I wonder what kind of war that guy will lead in the future.. But it will surely be interesting as I can't see it.' Obrax thought to himself before letting out his laugh that echoed throughout the infinite space.

He couldn't see what kind of war Abraxas would lead, even though he knows of every war that will happen. This made him happy, that there was some kind of war that he didn't know about.

Just what kind of war would it be, what kind of brave souls will fight in it.

And most importantly, just what would this person who possesses not only an untainted Divine Art but also the Heart.