Everyone sat silently on their chairs, with nothing to block out the clamour and bustle of the crowds outside the temple. While the atmosphere in the city was vibrant and joyous, the room where they resided was anything but. A morgue would be more welcoming, as the air gradually grew static with tension and unspoken unease. Shooting a glance at the figure beside her, Tamar couldn't help but curse Mirage in her mind for the fifth time.
The boy in question was silently staring at his shoes, not daring to raise his head or make eye contact with the Almighty staring him down. Everyone else's reactions was varied: Zephaniah shot him sympathetic looks, Belgemir was glaring with barely subdued anger, Rapelt and Sepherene were both impassive but thin beads of sweat betrayed their discomfort while Serapis...was as unmoved as a corpse. He had always put her on edge, though she would never admit it. While no one said anything, everyone felt that there was something wrong with Serapis. He felt artificial, or inorganic, and no one could stay in the same room as him for more than ten minutes.
'Does anything even exist behind those shadows?' she thought as she discretely observed the cloak of darkness that was cast over his facial features. Only his chin, jawline, mouth and nose could be faintly seen, while his eyes and forehead were obscured.
"What is taking Bartholomeus so long?"
The Almighty spoke up quietly, but Tamar felt the room temperature drop several degrees. And that wasn't a figure of speech: frost started to form on the legs of the chairs. While the others hadn't noticed yet, as the Goddess of Weather, she was more more sensitive to temperatures than anyone else. Excluding the Almighty, of course.
With an audible gulp, Mirage wrung his hands as he parted his lips. "I assure you Sire, I sent word to him to bring the Abomination fifteen minutes ago. Last I saw, he was heading towards it from his lab."
"You didn't stick around to see that he successfully brought the beast?" the Almighty pressed, "His" eyes locked on Mirage's trembling form. Sparks of pity flickered inside Tamar's heart for the poor fool, but she was quick to adjust her attitude when the Almighty glanced her way. 'He has been pushing the line lately anywhere' she excused her sympathy. 'This lesson will be good for him. It's not like he'll die anyways.'
Mirage took a breath before responding. "I believed Bartholomeus alone was sufficient for the job. The Abomination was just down the way from his lab after all. I...have no idea what could delay him so long-"
"Lies."
The single word overturned the entire room as Zephaniah gripped the arm rests at the sudden increase in air pressure. Rapelt and Sepherene both started struggling to breath as Belgemir's complexion began to pale. Tamar was relatively better off, but she broke out into sweat as the Almighty unleashed a smidgeon of "His" Sky Mana. Only Serapis was unperturbed, though she noticed a very thin layer of black smoke forming a shield around his body. Of course, as the target of the pressure, Mirage had it the worst.
With a loud gasp, he tumbled from the chair and onto his knees, clasping his hands as he prostrated before the Almighty. "What did you and Bartholomeus do with the Abomination?" "He" asked slowly, paying no mind to Mirage's begging body posture. He struggled for a moment before caving in under the Almighty's crushing aura.
"When we reached the Abomination it was dead!" he gasped, causing everyone but Serapis and the Almighty to jolt. "Dead, you say..." the Almighty repeated softly. Mirage nodded desperately as he tried to plead his case. "Yes, but I didn't do anything! It was dead when I got there, I swear it! Bartholomeus...yes, it was Bartholomeus' fault! He didn't check up on the beast and took too long reaching it!"
Tamar's eyes turned cold as Mirage deflected all he blame on someone not here. This was Mirage's biggest flaw: he was a complete coward. As soon as any consequences or repercussions came around, he would be the first to flee and deny. And Tamar was not alone, as Sepherene and Rapelt also gathered themselves and looked at him with disdain. Mirage was certainly aware of this, but did not care. He had the thickest skin amongst them after all, and he was long used to such looks.
Contemplating silently for several seconds, the Almighty eventually turned to Serapis and spoke to him. "Go and bring Bartholomeus and the Abomination here" "He" ordered. Standing up, Serapis gave a bow and sunk into the shadows, vanishing from sight. Silence occupied the room once more as Mirage stayed kneeling in subservience, the Almighty blankly looking down on him. "He" was definitely annoyed by what was happening, and Mirage would suffer a harsh punishment for wasting "His" time. Not execution or torture no, Mirage's lineage was too prestigious such barbaric things. But "He" would hurt him, and badly at that.
Just as the ticking of the clock on the wall was beginning to scratch her nerves, Tamar noticed the shadows in the corner bulging and expanding, rising up to reveal Serapis. He silently looked around, not speaking for several seconds as he seemingly struggled to get his thoughts together. Such a thing was so incredibly out of character for him, Tamar instantly knew something was wrong. Seriously wrong. And she wasn't the only one.
Belgemir's eyes started twitching while Rapelt and Sepherene both looked ready to throw up. Zephaniah was silent, though the nervousness in his eyes could not be hidden. Mirage's reaction was the worst though: he seemed to sense his imminent doom.
The Almighty beckoned Serapis closer an spoke in the flattest, most neutral tone Tamar had ever heard. "Well? Where is the Abomination?"
Instead of answering, Serapis silently waved his hand and caused an object to be spat out of the shadows. No, it was not an object, Tamar realised, but a body.
It took her several seconds to realise she was looking at Bartholomeus' punctured corpse, his eyes wide and the shock still visible, buried deep within them. As everyone took a collective breath, the Almighty calmly observed the corpse of "His" subordinate before looking up at Serapis. "There was no sign of the Abomination?"
Serapis shook his head. "There was a trail of blood that lead towards a side exit and to a path down to the city. I believe the Abomination is either there, or has already entered the walls. Since basically everyone is deserted, it can easily hide amongst the empty houses and buildings."
The Almighty let out a sigh as "He" gently stood up, facing everyone else in the room. "Find the beast" "He" instructed. "Find it, and bring me its head."