As she approached the end of the pathway, she began to hear voices; when she stepped off the pathway and into a clearing, she found herself at the foot of an imposing staircase made of gleaming, smooth stone that spiraled upwards.

In front of the staircase stood two figures—two deities who had not yet noticed her arrival. Their voices echoed throughout the atrium, sounding as though they had come from somewhere else. Ebonheim moved closer to them, stepping quietly and hiding behind pillars to listen to their conversation.

"...so there's no chance that this is just a ruse?" One of the deities spoke; her voice was melodious and enchanting, like wind chimes singing in the breeze, and her form shimmered with a radiant blue light. "Are you sure you haven't been tricked?"

Ebonheim stared in awe at their otherwordly forms. The female deity reminded her of an exquisitely-crafted string instrument. Her human-like form appeared to be carved from a singular piece of wood with graceful curves and delicate contours, and her face—while beautiful—seemed to lack facial features, save for two large shimmering eyes with irises shaped like a musical clef, a G-clef for the right and a bass clef for the left. A filigree of strings intertwined her body, glistening with a vibrant azure hue and quivering with each movement, creating beautiful tones in harmony with her melodious voice.

Her companion, an ethereal, translucent being with flowing silken robes of turquoise and aquamarine, tilted his crowned head to one side and gave her a placating smile. "Yes," he replied in a melodious voice. "I'm certain." As he spoke, his robes fluttered like windblown veils in time to the tune of his voice; a rippling aura of blue energy surrounded him like a soft halo that highlighted his translucent silhouette.

He gestured with a slender hand and conjured an image of the Celestial Hierarchy above his head—a diagram of the gods at various ranks—to prove his point. "No deception, no subterfuge; everything has been in order."

The female deity narrowed her eyes as she gazed at the diagram above her head. "Then it's true," she murmured. "We're really stuck in this cycle." As she stared at the diagram, her voice took on a bitter tone. "It's been over a decade since we've even had a chance at ascension."

The male deity lowered his head to meet her gaze; his expression was sympathetic, but firm as he spoke to her with a voice full of resolve. "That doesn't change our duty to the mortals." He gave her a sidelong glance and let out a long, thoughtful breath before continuing. "We must ensure the integrity of the System—for their sake as well as for ours."

The female deity scoffed, then turned away from him to gaze up at the staircase; her eyes roamed over the shining quartz surface with a troubled expression. After a moment, she shook her head, then turned to face the translucent deity again, her voice soft and apologetic. "I'm sorry—you're right, of course."

As she spoke, she rested a hand on the translucent deity's shoulder. "It's just..." She paused to gaze up at the ceiling; a cloudy haze obscured the constellations on its surface as she trailed off. After a moment, she shrugged as she turned her attention back to him again. "I suppose we have no choice but to wait."

The male deity nodded in agreement. "As always," he replied with a solemn smile, his voice warm and comforting.

They lapsed into silence after that; Ebonheim didn't want to interrupt their conversation by announcing her presence, so she waited a moment longer before clearing her throat to get their attention.

The female deity turned to look at her as the translucent deity glanced in her direction; they exchanged confused glances as they regarded her for a moment before the female deity spoke. "Hello." She gave her a polite nod, her tone even and neutral. "Who might you be?"

Ebonheim bowed deeply before the two deities as she introduced herself. "Well met. I am Ebonheim," she replied with a cheerful smile as she straightened up again. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Perfect execution. Those lessons of etiquette with Engin had paid off. Although she felt nervous talking to other deities for the first time, she had managed to speak politely and not stammer; as long as she remembered to maintain eye contact with them and speak clearly, she should be able to navigate any social situation. She made sure to keep her posture straight and her voice even and calm—that was another trick she had learned from Engin: how to portray a confident, welcoming demeanor despite being unsure or anxious on the inside.

As Ebonheim spoke, the two deities exchanged puzzled glances again; she paused to study them for a moment before clearing her throat awkwardly. "Forgive me if I have interrupted something," she said as she inclined her head to them in a gesture of respect, then gave them a curious look. "What were you two discussing?"

"Nothing important," replied the female deity; as she spoke, she gestured for Ebonheim to follow them up the staircase, then began walking towards it without waiting for her to follow. The translucent deity shrugged at Ebonheim and walked past her; they both followed the female deity up the staircase as she led the way. "You have come at a good time—we were just about to head to the auction." She tilted her head at Ebonheim. "Are you here to bid on something as well?"

Ebonheim shook her head as she matched their pace, walking a step behind them as she spoke. "I am here to observe," she replied with a smile; she had been worried about what to say when she approached them, but the words flowed naturally from her mouth as she spoke to them. "I have never been to one of these before."

At that, the male deity turned to give her a puzzled look. "What do you mean, you've never been?" He paused and turned to give her a polite smile. "Ah, you must be new." As he spoke, he motioned for her to walk beside him; she did so without question and fell into step beside him. "Welcome then...to the Sanctum of Divine Mandala."

She returned his smile with one of her own; even though he seemed a bit intimidating—his air was calm yet powerful—his voice was warm and soothing. As they continued walking up the staircase, she mused to herself how their forms were not dissimilar from her own: they had the same body structure as a human, and their faces were reminiscent of a human's, although theirs had very little features to speak of besides what resembled eyes and a mouth—if those were even considered features on a divine form.

The female deity, on the other hand, was beautiful to behold; even though she didn't appear to have any facial features, she radiated grace and poise, and Ebonheim couldn't help but wonder how such a deity could be so captivating. Even her voice was bewitching; the musical tone of her voice reminded her of the nightingales that lived in the forest near her village and the notes she sang as she spoke made her feel as though she were in a trance.

As the three of them reached the top of the staircase, they stepped onto a wide platform with an expansive view; in front of them was an intricate, gleaming mandala engraved on the floor, its inscriptions glowing with a soft blue light. Ebonheim gazed at the beautiful mosaic in awe; from this angle, the inscriptions almost seemed to be moving, as though the pattern had a life of its own.

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"Beautiful," she breathed as she marveled at its intricate design. "What do the inscriptions say?"

"They tell a story," replied the female deity, her voice echoing across the empty chamber. As she spoke, the blue hue around her shifted to a faint teal; Ebonheim noted with amusement that the color change seemed to coincide with the deity's emotions. "A record detailing the fables of all divinity that has ever existed." The female deity shook her head. "Unfortunately, most of these stories are lost to time now."

Ebonheim tilted her head at her as she studied her; the deity's face, as far as she could tell, was expressionless, but her voice revealed a note of sadness and longing. "Why is that?"

As if sensing Ebonheim's curiosity, the male deity chimed in to speak to her. "When a god perishes, their fable ends." As he spoke, his eyes roamed across the vast chamber, pausing to stare at the stars on the ceiling above them. "Although no longer existing in the present, their fable is kept within the mandala itself—an eternal testament to the divinity they once were." As he spoke, his gaze drifted to the glowing inscriptions on the floor; his voice had a note of reverence to it as he continued. "They are inscribed here to ensure that their memory is preserved and their actions are not forgotten."

They lapsed into silence after that; Ebonheim couldn't think of anything to say—there was so much to take in. For a moment, she forgot where she was, her thoughts only occupied with the stories and memories of divinity etched into the floor beneath her feet. When she snapped out of her reverie, she realized they had been standing here for quite some time; as she glanced at the two deities beside her, they seemed to be deep in thought as well. Ebonheim cleared her throat as she spoke, hoping to get their attention. "Are we going to start the auction soon?"

The two deities glanced at each other, then looked at Ebonheim; after a moment, they nodded at her and began to walk towards the center of the chamber again. The male deity took the lead, gesturing for them to follow him. "Yes—let us head to the auction space."

They walked through a wide doorway at the edge of the chamber; Ebonheim followed them through a hallway that was lined with intricate sculptures made of glass and crystal. As they passed each one, Ebonheim found herself gawking at their intricate details—each sculpture seemed to tell a story of its own—and couldn't help but marvel at their craftsmanship and beauty.

Eventually, they came to a stop at a large amphitheater surrounded by a hovering dome of translucent crystal. As they stepped into the arena, Ebonheim stopped to admire the view. Around them was an expansive view of the Sanctum of Divine Mandala, including its various floating islands and glittering spires that floated within a nebulous expanse of swirling mist.

The nebulous expanse shimmered with an ethereal glow as the stars sparkled in the distance; the air around them hummed with the same spectral static Ebonheim had felt earlier when she had first stepped onto the platform where the inscriptions had been displayed. There was a weightlessness to this place—the pressure of being here at all made her feel like she was floating. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine she was flying—the sensation was so vivid, she had to open them again to take in her surroundings once more.

When she glanced at the two deities beside her, they had taken their seats and were gazing at her expectantly; they seemed to be waiting for her to do the same. With a start, Ebonheim realized they expected her to sit with them, so she quickly hurried to do so. As she sat down between them, she felt herself relax; there was something about this place that put her at ease—maybe it was the vast openness around them or the quiet hum of the air itself or even the warmth she felt radiating from them as they sat there. Whatever it was, she didn't want to ruin the moment by speaking too soon; she wanted to enjoy this experience to its fullest.

The male deity had already begun to speak as she sat down. "It appears that I have neglected to introduce myself properly." He inclined his head at her, his voice soft as he spoke to her. "My name is Aetheron, god of Silvaria." As he introduced himself, his aura glowed an electric blue as though responding to the emotion he was feeling.

Ebonheim wondered if most deities did that—the female deity's aura had been teal earlier. Maybe her own Divine Aura would change color, too, if she was upset or angry about something? The thought made her curious. Maybe she'd have to try and change her Aura colors on purpose just so she could see what it was like. As she pondered this, she turned to the female deity. "May I know who you are?"

The female deity turned to her, her eyes twinkling as she replied. "My name is Ariastra." She bowed her head at her, her voice lilting as she spoke. "I watch over the city of Byllais." As she introduced herself, she gestured with a delicate hand; a melodious tune rang out in the air as she did so. "I am intrigued to meet you."

As they spoke, the amphitheater came to life with activity; several more deities entered through the wide doorway, their voices echoing throughout the chamber as they conversed with each other. Ebonheim watched as they passed by.

One deity looked like a towering statue of polished alabaster carved into an elegant humanoid shape, her gleaming form contrasting against the blue backdrop around them. Her countenance was sculpted into a stoic, expressionless face with two twinkling star-like eyes; her irises and pupils were pure white and illuminated her face with a faint, luminous glow that made her appear to be glowing from within. There were small crystalline protrusions on her face—a delicate crown—that glinted in the light, and her hands had long, slender fingers that moved with a fluid grace as she walked.

Aetheron greeted her with a polite nod and the being smiled at him in turn as she settled into her seat across the aisle. Across from her slithered a god resembling a giant, lumbering worm with slick, dark cobalt skin and a translucent body that rippled with bioluminescent patterns. Its long body uncoiled in an elegant arc as its head came to rest on its body, then began to vibrate with a deep, rhythmic hum before coiling itself around its seat. It glanced at them briefly before returning its attention to the god who had sat down next to it.

Another god that entered the amphitheater was composed entirely of a translucent crystal-like structure in the shape of a humanoid figure with four elongated arms. His eyes, devoid of irises, were pools of golden light that seemed to glow as they reflected the lights around them. He regarded Ebonheim with a silent stare as he settled into his seat, and she found herself feeling oddly scrutinized by him.

A few more gods entered after that; Ebonheim watched them take their seats and began to study them as well, noting the differences between them and how they acted. Some sat close together while others chose to sit alone.

The last god to arrive appeared to be made entirely of solid, unyielding stone, resembling a towering golem with glowing fissures forming a complex network of luminous veins. As he strode into the arena and took his seat, his granite-like body crunched and ground together like gravel as he sat down.

Ebonheim tried to catch his gaze as he took his seat, but he didn't seem to notice her. His face was an expressionless mask as he stared straight ahead; the only thing she could make out on his granite visage were two glowing golden eyes that flickered with an eerie intensity. Even though he was sitting a few rows ahead of her, the power she felt emanating from him made her shudder—she could only hope he wasn't annoyed by her presence here.

The amphitheater fell silent as everyone settled into their seats; then, as one, all the deities turned their attention to center stage. Ebonheim followed their gaze and watched as ethereal bands of light shimmered to life in the air above the stage and formed into glowing words:

[The Divine Auction will now commence]

[Sixteen Divine Abilities and five artifacts will be offered]

As the words dissipated, a platform of iridescent light emerged from the center of the stage; hovering on top of the platform were five objects and sixteen floating screens that flickered with divine light. Ebonheim blinked as she gazed at the display, then turned to Aetheron. "Are those...?"

Aetheron nodded in response. "Indeed—those are the Divine Abilities." As he spoke, his aura glowed with the same electric blue hue as earlier; Ebonheim guessed he was excited about something. "Those screens will provide further information about the abilities." As he finished speaking, he turned to Ebonheim again and winked at her. "Now, let us see what is to come."