In the middle of the Grand Order, in between Xerxes' words, and during each person's focus...

A rumbling had already begun shaking the room, the very dome in the ceiling. That shaking of the earth pierced the thoughts and the minds of each delegate, each representative, and each member.

The doors were opening. That was all the trembling was.

Two fire giants forced themselves to stand on instinct.

From Xerxes' experience of the meetings of the past, they hadn't spoken a word aloud. Much less interacted with action. But whatever was causing the rumbling, whatever was behind that door...

The giant warriors drew weapons that ignited with flames in an instant. The same flame that stood wrapped their colossal and scarlet-skinned figures. Their armor was heavy, crimson and already gleaming with the ornate designs and metals it was constructed with. Their appearance was in stark contrast of the giants of Jotunheim. But even though they were related, the king of their sister realm remained seated, only staring at the golden doors as they began to open.

Their coal-dark hair was tied back and forced into their embellished battle helms. Even throughout the meeting, they hadn't removed their protection, their armor. Just as the others remained seated, the Fire Giants stood ready, poised to fight for their lives if they had to.

But...

The grand doors spread, unveiling the golden light of another corridor. A single white-haired man passed through. He was tall. Unnecessarily tall, but that was always reasonable for an Asgardian, Xerxes guessed.

And the warriors seated themselves. Fire Giants don't need to intake or output oxygen to survive, but... The sight of the skinny man, his hands in his pockets and a slight smile on his face, was enough for them to realize there was no threat.

Rather, it was enough for them to let their guards down.

His hair was shaggy and unkempt, just as his glistening and golden eyes curled with his crooked smile yet perfect teeth. His skin was pale, just like the shirt under his black suit.

That was the strange part. His clothing was strangely human. Even if the same type of clothing existed between the realms... the Asgardian man was dressed with human colors, human style, down to the clacking of his shoes on the marble floor.

He finally froze when he noticed the others were staring at him. Well... some stared. The others only glared. His eyes scanned over them all before fixing themselves onto the only one that stood.

The human, Xerxes Agnes.

"...Oh. Am I interrupting something, Mister Human?" the Asgardian asked.

Xerxes spat out a sigh. "Well, yes... but it's fine, I suppose."

"My apologies, Xerxes Agnes," he said, reading off the nameplate that sat on the table before Xerxes. "I'll seat myself immediately," the man spoke, briskly walking towards his grand leather chair.

As he moved, Xerxes' eyes followed him. He furrowed his eyebrows. 'Wait, I've never seen him before. Have I?'

He unconsciously shook his head. He hadn't. But... Something about this Asgardian was awfully familiar.

Just as the man sat down, he glanced around the room. Everyone's eyes were fixed on him.

He gently bowed his head as his eyes met Madam Hel's. "Madam," he said in a low voice, winking at her.

For the past three thousand years, she had been the monarch, the sole ruler of Niflheim and its sparsely populated realm. It was a population of 'Souls', physical manifestations of spirits. Some were spirits of those that have been long dead, others were pure beings of the realm. But in all cases, Souls were complex beings to understand, and from Xerxes' perception, beings that cannot truly be trusted.

And yet, despite her age, she remained as beautiful as ever. With skin so pale it became grey and a bony frame that pierced through her flesh and even her pitch-black dress... it was strange to find someone like her truly 'beautiful'. And yet...

Something about her very being stood to engage and stun all those who met her with their eyes. Her gaze was still enchanting, her skin was still striking. Her hair was plain and straight and dark, her eyes ebony and sunken over her visible cheekbones.

Madam Hel was a near eternal being, cut from the same cloth as the Vanir and Aesir. But even as they faded from the World, she remained. Her life extended past the very death she carried.

The Asgardian's eyes shifted from Hel and focused on all of the others of the Grand Order.

"I suppose I must introduce myself," he muttered to himself, letting out a light sigh under his breath.

He flashed his crooked grin once again as he gripped his nameplate.

The whole time, the golden plate faced towards the seat. That was the custom, after all: To turn the nameplate when they were ready to present themselves.

"Yes, you see..." he said. "I was elected in this same year as viceroy of Breidablik. A similar situation to Midgard's Mr. Agawa," the Asgardian said, aiming his hand at the human. "And I was already chosen to attend our Grand Order. Isn't that something?" he asked.

"Although... I am much older than my face shows. I'm actually 83," he said with a laugh.

Xerxes clenched his jaw. Something about this man wasn't right. His magic energy wasn't extraordinary for an Asgardian. But something... Just a single thing, just a single feeling was settling in Xerxes' gut.

In all likeliness, it could've been something he had eaten earlier, stabbing at his stomach and springing unnerving nausea. But right now, he couldn't deny the feeling he got as the Asgardian man displayed his name.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Arnold Norr. It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."

"Xerxes," Yoichi whispered.

But Xerxes remained fixated on Arnold Norr. He had never heard of that name, he had never seen that man. But the feeling of unease remained in the pits of his heart.

Sweat was already dripping down the side of Yoichi's neck. From the looks of it, no one else sensed it. It had nothing to do with magic. Yoichi was hardly a magician, to begin with. The only reason they understood in unison... was because they were humans.

Humans were hardly supposed to be the dominant species of their realm. Over thousands upon thousands of years, their instincts had built themselves and forced development to this extent. All it took was a look, a single glance to see who Arnold Norr truly was.

Pure malice, rage, even killing intent. They couldn't sense any of that. All they knew... All they felt... was the dry shadow of death.

"Now, Mister Agnes..." Arnold said, finally sitting down. "Please continue."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Xerxes cleared his throat and drowned out his instincts. That feeling... was just that.

'A feeling,' he assured himself. He had no reason to fear the regional governor of Breidablik.

"Well... As I was saying... The World is already dying. It's called the Age of Tribulation. That's the general name, at least. On Asgard, it's known as Ragnarok. I'm sure you've heard of that, Mister Norr."

Arnold smirked.

"It's the very thing the Golden Dawn started. And the very thing we must stop."

Thorendel raised his hand, like a student at a lecture. His bored and stale gaze shifted to Xerxes. "We Elves do not have such extinction myths. I'm aware of Ragnarok due to its scale and grandeur, but... What has the Golden Dawn done to make you come to the understanding that they initiated such 'measures'?"

"They have burned cities," he spoke through his clenched teeth. "They have killed people! Our Magecraft Association sent Hunters after the God Crystal on Vanaheim and they failed to retrieve it. Precisely because they chose to save civilians. Without their help, the entirety of the walled city of Khasmic would have been reduced to ruins! Why do you think King Yulius couldn't even be here?!"

Arnold cleared his throat with a light cough. "Excuse me, but what is this 'Golden Dawn' you speak of? I do not recall hearing about them before now."

Mumbles echoed throughout the chamber.

Arnold's words were all it took. One of Asgard's leaders hadn't heard of such an organization. If that proved anything... It was that they didn't exist. Asgard was supposed to be the forefront of Worldly knowledge.

In any case, no one else had seen or encountered the Golden Dawn.

And now... The silence they sat in only meant one thing to Xerxes.

His case had already fallen apart.

Yoichi Agawa shot up in an instant. He slammed his palms into the desk before him and shouted out, "What of the earthquakes on Nidavellir?! Jotunheim is supposed to be a land of ice, but their current winters are shorter and warmer! Does that mean nothing to you all?"

That silence turned into mumbles and murmurs among each realms' delegates. But...

"Then why has nothing happened on Asgard?"

The voice that spoke was Arnold Norr. Once again, it all broke to pieces with the words that left his lips.

His head was drooping over as a sigh left his lips. With a quiet grumble, he raised his head and met Yoichi's.

Yoichi quickly began to tremble, even with just the sight of Arnold's stale, golden eyes. He clenched his fist, forcing his body to be still, forcing himself to speak through his fear.

But even as he opened his mouth, no words came out. Even if he could speak, there wasn't anything worth saying. He didn't have an answer.

A thin smile spread across the Asgardian's lips. "You see, not a single bad thing has happened on Asgard in the past year. In fact, the crime rate has gone down. More jobs have been created in our working class, just as their wages have improved."

He turned to the Giant King with a whisper. "Mind you, our working class is far better off than those of the same class on different realms, mind you."

And just like his human counterparts, he stood up and continued to speak. "I have seen the reports you mentioned; those of Vanaheim. And yes, a great calamity occurred on my Sister Realm, and it pains me to see the devastation that has occurred. I have no greater desire to find its culprits and put them to swift justice. If it truly is the organization you speak of, the Golden Dawn, then I will dedicate myself and my power to assisting you. But... The truth remains, you have no proof it was them, do you? Until you do... My hands are tied, as you humans say."

Arnold sat back down with a swift breath. "You must find proof of their existence, Sir Agnes. And then, connection to the proof of their actions. In any case, I'm sure a coalition of each realm's strongest would be enough to combat them, no?" He smiled and motioned his hand at the two humans before he continued.

"After all, Midgard alone has the Twelve Paladins. And I'm sure we are all aware of the strongest Alfheim has to offer. Truth be told, I would include myself in such of my realm's strongest." For just a second, his eyes glimmered with golden light, just a slight glow as he pressed his hand against his chest.

Xerxes clenched his jaw.

It had hardly been five minutes after Arnold Norr had arrived. And even with all that Xerxes had said, it all meant nothing to the Grand Order. It had become a fruitless argument to the group of individuals who all couldn't wait to head home.

But the one time Xerxes came with a purpose, the one time he had to do his job... It had all fallen apart in the blink of an eye.

He sat back down. And Arnold continued speaking.

"I trust that that covers the topic of this 'Golden Dawn', this enigma that may very well be an illusion. What else is there to discuss?" he asked aloud, turning to Thorendel.

The elf stared down at the papers before him. They had all he had to know about the meeting. Everything to cover, everything to say, and understand. None of it, save for the Golden Dawn, was worth talking about. Everything else was menial, tedious, and unnecessary.

He slowly raised his head and turned to Arnold Norr. "Well... I suppose that concludes this cycle's meeting," Thorendel spoke.

Xerxes turned to the king and furrowed his eyebrows. "Wait..." he muttered.

"The Grand Order is adjourned."

And with nothing more, he raised his long robes and carried them as he stood up. He had nothing else to say and headed for the door.

It wasn't long before the others followed suit. And within the matter of a minute, only three remained inside the hall. The two humans and Arnold Norr.

Xerxes sat in stillness, his head drooping over as he quietly breathed out. His parted hair was curtained over his forehead, falling into his glasses. But he was too lost in thought to care.

"Xerxes, are you alright?" Yoichi asked, grabbing hold of one of his shoulders.

"Last time..." he uttered out. "The Council told me it was too soon to discuss the Golden Dawn. We had to amass information. Evidence and proof. Which we have. But it doesn't completely connect. An organization of some kind exists. The World is falling apart. And to be fair, no one had real proof that the God Crystal manifested. We only found out because... Well, it's complicated."

An exasperated sigh left Xerxes' lips. He gripped the arms of his chair and forced himself to stand. "Well... That's life. I'll just have to go to each delegate directly. With facts that correlate with their own realm."

"I'll gladly help with that, Xerxes!" Yoichi shouted out as he stood up. "We'll handle this together."

"Uh... No. You're Japan's Secretary of Defense. I'm the chairman of an international organization dealing with magic. It's kind of my job to do this alone."

"Oh. Yeah, that's fair."

Arnold's shoes clacked against the floor as he raised one of his hands in a greeting. "Sorry for my words back there," he said, smiling at Xerxes. "But in the end, politics is about making your beliefs known and understood, isn't it?"

"How about you stick with your realm and I'll stick with mine?"

Arnold laughed. "Well, I'm trying but you keep bringing up this Golden Dawn, so..."

That wasn't what Xerxes meant. Even then... His stale gaze turned upward at the Asgardian.

They stood just a foot or two apart. And those instincts that sat at the back of his head, those instincts that stood in the pit of his stomach... They were still screaming at Xerxes.

He could even see the agitation in Yoichi's face as he grit his teeth.

"Has nothing really happened on Asgard?" Yoichi managed to muster out.

Arnold Norr turned to him. "No, nothing special, thankfully. Not even anything remarkable. Which is unfortunate, to be honest. I've been wanting something special to occur for a while. But in the end... We just have to wait and see, don't we?"

Xerxes' amber eyes glared. "Uh-huh."

The Asgardian once again faced Xerxes. His lips curled with a slight smile, and another of his slight bows.

"Now, then..." he said, letting out a sharp breath. "...if you'll excuse me, I must meet with Madam Hel. I have never met a Soul in person, and I'm sure it'll be quite the experience."

He quickly stepped away and headed for the door.

Yoichi turned to face Xerxes. "Did he mean that sexually?" he asked.

"I don't know, maybe," Xerxes said. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a carton of cigarettes. He picked one out and clenched it with his lips.

Xerxes glanced up at Yoichi. On instinct, he passed the carton to him.

"Oh, I don't smoke," Yoichi said, refusing with a shake of his head and the crossing of his hands. "But thank you."

With an understanding nod, Xerxes Agnes raised a single finger to his cigarette. The finger ignited with a thin and small flame, glowing with orange and crimson.

It ignited and Xerxes quickly let out a puff of smoke.

Yoichi was staring at him.

"What?" Xerxes asked. "It's not like it's a fire hazard or anything. It's allowed," he said, speaking through his pursed lips.

"Oh, no, I have no problem with it," Yoichi said with a smile. "I've just never seen magic used so plainly. It's always grand and spectacular, especially with fire." As he spoke, that smile turned into a light laugh.

"Right." Xerxes couldn't help but smile, his lips still pressed together with his cigarette. "Y'know, I could've been a Paladin. I just decided not to pursue a career in magic." He took a step forward and began moving, heading towards the golden doors.

Yoichi quickly followed behind him. "Oh? Why's that?"

"It's just not secure. Not concerning safety, honestly. I don't care too much about that. The pay isn't secure. Since most of it is based on what you do and accomplish. Besides, there are thousands of magicians fighting monsters and entering Gateways. But... someone has to deal with the frustrating nonsense of jobs like mine. That's my gift to humanity, I guess. Dealing with the boring, so others can deal with the dangerous."

Yoichi caught up to him as they passed through into the main building.

"Well," he said. "I would've loved to try it out at least." Yoichi laughed. "My magic energy is naturally too low to use properly. It's like having anemia!"

Xerxes' smile remained as they walked and spoke. "We should get going at this rate."

"I think I'll stay for a while," Yoichi said, pausing to himself for a bit. "I've always wanted to try Asgardian cuisine."

"Don't bother. It's not worth it," Xerxes told him. "Let's get back to New York. I'll buy you something."