[b]"It’s good to see you here, Goddess Oao."[/b]

From behind the pillar she peered up at the one who addressed her. Ral, the young god of treasures. His very gaze burned her with the way they fed on the light, staring into her precious darkness in the hopes of revealing what laid beneath to said light. The could almost literally feel the sensation of his eyes looking upon her all over as though he were some all encompassing beholder. This form was little more than a humanoid wisp but even through her shroud her discomfort was unparalleled.

Despite this she felt emboldened by this fear. The feeling of possibly being seen despite how impossible it was in this state fed into her, her dominion over fear feeding upon her own fears like a snake consuming it's own tail. She felt emboldened by this repulsion towards their horrible prying eyes. The energy that filled her felt like electricity, an almost physical excitement that made her chest swell up as though she were caught on her last breath. At least, that was how it was for her physically. This form of hers in this realm of dreams hardly differed regardless of her emotional state currently.

Ignoring the remainder of what he had to say the shifting darkness emerged from the comfort of her shadow. The edges of her hair, her fingers and the tail that her legs formed into flickered and swayed like the body of a candle's flame. The faceless black slate where a face should of been stared back into his own eyes, her hatred for them nearly as intense as the fear they elicited from her.

"Ral... You..."

In a sudden motion swifter than the time it takes for light to leave a doused torch her long needle-like claw that was her finger had passed into the space where Ral's eyes should have been. He felt no pain however as the fingers remained briefly, the tips just barely deep enough to skewer his eyes upon them. They did not however. She retracted her hand, her finger tips no longer overlapping the space Ral's eyes occupied.

"Hhh... As I suspected. You're not real. This... This is just a dream."

Her meager voice's intensity waned as she lost interest in the two who were present. As it was a dream it seemed they were naught but phantoms to one another, visible in sight and sound but intangible to the touch. She slowly turned towards the great bi-chromatic doors which barred their path into the rest of this strange palace.

"Younger gods may not have dreamed for so long but we... Those of us who remember our origin have seen this before. In dreams, no matter how often we revisited this same dream it's gates were always closed to us. So close yet unattainable... Until now."

She reached out towards this magnificent door, her claw just shy of grazing it's surface when another familiar voice drew her gaze back towards the three that were gathered behind her. This time it was Gammaton, going on about some odd theory of greater beings threatening their lives. She would have answered but a sudden noise from the door immediately snapped her attention back upon it.

_
The massive doors shifted, slowly opening inwards as they parted. Beyond them a great hallway laid in full view. The architecture was nothing like they had ever seen before. Neither the palaces of Hyperion nor the chambers of Ferron were so ornate nor so massive. The roof was nearly identical in make to the arches outside but instead of being an open aired pavilion each space between the pillars contained an alcove, the roof connecting to the floor to form a semi-oval wall overlooking each recess.

The entire floor was one perfectly smooth surface. It held a black and white checkered pattern with not a single square larger than any other. It was vaguely hypnotic as this pattern repeatedly all the way down the hall which almost seemed to stretch on forever. Despite it's length the entire area was quite well lit despite there being no origin to this diffuse illumination.

The crowning feature of this hall however were the pedestals which stood inside each and every alcove. Each pedestal was formed of the same white stone shaped into a small pillar of greco-roman design despite this form of architecture having never before been seen within the world of Tabrasa. Atop every single pedestal was an orb of transparent material which resembled glass at a glance. Inside each of these spheres were a wide variety of materials and effects. Most notable of all was that inside many of these spheres were Divine Cords.

These containers covered a wide variety of themes. One such container held a Divine Cord that was surrounded with burning embers which stormed about inside like a burning blizzard. Another contained a Divine Cord which sat upon a masterfully shaped metal bar comprised of a truly dizzying medley of different metals. Another one held a Divine Cord that radiated a brilliant glow. There was one that held a Divine Cord that gleamed with a dark crimson glow which sat within a measure of boiling fluid which held the rich scarlet pigment of blood. There was even one that contained a strange white Divine Cord which rested within a small tome that sat within the sphere, the Divine Cord acting as a bookmark to remember which page it was on.

_
Unable to resist the temptation Oao had drifted into this strange gallery of sorts. Only after she had proceeded inside did it strike her. Not only did these contain Divine Cords, these spheres contained Divine Cords of elements that belonged to the deities that walked the face of Tabrasa. That light, the radiant shimmer contained within the sphere, she was absolutely certain that it was Hyperion's own light.

"Hh... How?" She pondered aloud, gazing upon the surfaces of these strange containers. Quickly looking across the many she looked for those belonging to the deities that were in her company. She saw a sphere which contained strange treasures. There were many golden coins, almost all of which were imprinted with the faces of kings that had yet to be born. The container also held a golden chalice of unparalleled craftsmanship, the sides just below the rim studded with large gleaming jewels of almost every variety. There was also a crown which sat upon the pile of coins, it's make no less impressive than the chalice and similarly adorned with many gems. Unlike the other containers however it did not contain a Divine Cord.

There was a container that held a single sheet of some sort of paper. Written upon it's face in a strange mystical ink which made it almost impossible to not read was a contract. The nature of this contract seemed to detail the duties of one's godhood. It detailed the necessity of maintaining order within the recipient party's domain, numerous clauses referencing events identical to the spiral tower event she had witnessed. Signed at the bottom of the contract was Gammaton's own name, his signature written in his exact handwriting. This container also did not contain a Divine Cord within.

There was another container that was empty of a Divine Cord. This one contained an old log upon which a strange moss grew. Blooming upon this moss were delicate white flowers with pink tipped petals. These flowers contained a special pollen that could eliminate pain and bring health to those who ingest it. The product of this mold was likely quite familiar to Hayim.

Lastly her gaze fell upon a seemingly opaque black sphere. It was so black within that nothing could be seen within. Before long however a strange sickly grey mist rose from the bottom, swimming in the liquid darkness as it mixed about in wispy thin grey tendrils. Looking into the darkness she could feel it looking back at her, preying on her deepest fears, gnawing at her mind with it's inescapable dread. This confirmed many questions this hall had created but it also formed many, many more.

Looking down the hall it seemed there were many, many more spheres. Most of them held Divine Cords. Some of them did not.

"If these spheres do not hold our own cords then why do others hold the cords of our kin?... Are they...?"

_
Down the halls as though echoing from the heart of the palace itself a great repetitive ticking noise could be heard.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
[hr]
Relevant to:[@Stern Algorithm][@Duoya][@Noodles]