In a different part of the Myriad Worlds, somewhere that could be regarded as the complete opposite side of where the Great War was taking place, several worlds shook in resonance.
The trembling was not as simple as an earthquake nor was it cataclysmic in nature. Nonetheless, the denizens of these worlds still looked anxiously to the towers that stretched beyond the skies.
The Tiered Worlds is what this particular group of worlds was known as. And much like the worlds that have emerged into the Great War, they were not actually neighbours in a physical sense. Instead, they were connected through the towers they called Tiers.
Using the Tiers allowed one to circumvent the vastness of space and move from one world to another as long as the Tier was present in both worlds. And whichever world a Tier is in, there would always be eight other Tiers with it.
Together, they make up the Nine Tiers of God.
All the Tiers were accessible to everyone in order to give them strength through challenges. All but one, that is.
The formation of the Tiers had always been the same throughout history.
The frozen white tower of the north, Tier Mirim.
The blazing tower of the south, Tier Flaurum.
The unrusting tower of the west, Tier Caeden.
The pale white tower of the east, Tier Sailas.
The dark blue crystalline tower of the north-east, Tier Luomus.
The stormy tower of the south-east, Tier Heiram.
The bloody tower of the south-west, Tier Neuyen.
The silent tower of the north-west, Tier Kaulen.
And finally, the tower, larger than all eight combined, in the very heart of the formation, Tier Tweyen.
But despite its size, Tier Tweyen was usually hidden from the view of the people. After all, the purpose of Tier Tweyen was very particular and fundamentally different from all the other Tiers.
If the other Tiers give the people strength by having them climb the towers and facing the challenges within, Tier Tweyen could be said to be the one dictating the operations of every Tier.
And yet, even such a description falls short of its true nature.
One would wonder how such Tiers came to be and how it was possible for them to give power to the challengers that climb them. The answer was simple. There were beings who created and controlled the Tiers.
They were existences who were known to the people of the Tiered Worlds yet were hardly ever seen. But despite this, even only by virtue of the power they give the challengers, they have earned the unconditional trust of the people.
And so, like always, the people looked to the Tiers to assuage their anxiety not really expecting anything like always. But this time, they were all surprised to see the rulers of the Tiers appear.
Seven beings appeared all at the same time, their gazes locked onto the singular tower that was still hidden from the eyes of the people. But they could see it clearly, the braziers that lined the base of Tier Tweyen burned with languid black flames whose lethargy seemed infectious.
And the moment they saw this, the seven beings rushed to enter Tier Tweyen.
The people of the Tiered worlds, regardless of which world they were in, all saw the exact same thing. The rulers of the Tiers flying off into the distance.
Of course, they could only see the ruler of the Tier near them since the Tiers were spread far apart to encompass the entirety of the world, whichever world that is. And so, only seven regions really knew that the rulers of the Tiers have come out of seclusion after ages.
Meanwhile, the people near Tier Luomus remained silent. Its people returned to the calm they had just moments ago before they had felt that tremble in their world, not knowing what was going on in the other parts of their worlds.
Within Tier Tweyen, the seven rulers stood around an altar placed in front of two thrones.
Floating just above the altar was a blood red orb that depicted the image of a man standing alone in a sea of black flames. His eyes were unfocused and he seemed to only be a husk of himself.
The seven instantly recognised who he was. Although his name might possibly be different, there was no mistaking him.
In the first place, there was only one person who would ever be shown through this orb at all times. The purpose of Tier Tweyen was that of a throne and a symbol of defiance against the heavens themselves.
The history of the Tiers had always been that. And the one who led this rebellion was the greatest gift to the Tiered Worlds, Ten-winged God who leads the Tiered Gods.
The two thrones in Tier Tweyen represent the seats of the Hallow-throned God and the Abyss-crowned Goddess, the King and Queen of the Tiered Gods.
And right now, their King was undergoing the worst tribulation of his curse. This was what they all feared back then. And that was why they were fully prepared to respond to it.
Their Queen, the Abyss-crowned Goddess, had created this orb to monitor her husband's status in his reincarnations. But she could not help worrying.
In the end, she left the orb to the other seven Tiered Gods and reincarnated to follow her husband. As she was the Fate-bound Goddess, she would always find her way to him through the guidance of Fate. She would be able to respond.
The only thing for the Tiered Gods to do was to wake her up and return her power to her. Understanding what they must do, the ruler of Tier Sailas spoke lightly.
"I swear, this man is an expert at attracting trouble. Let's begin, everyone. If we're even a second late, Sister-in-law will rip my ear out."
The ruler of Tier Sailas stretched out his right hand, pouring his mana into the orb. On the back of his hand, a mark representing the Furis, the King of the Elves, glowed in bright emerald light while a pair of earrings on his pointy ears shone a beautiful silvery blue.
Following his words, the other Tiered Gods did the same. And sensing their wills, the Tiers all responded. All eight Tiers, including Tier Luomus, glowed brightly and each shot a beam of mana and Divinity toward Tier Tweyen.
The mixture of mana and Divinity gathered into the orb which shone in bright scarlet light. But to the outside worlds, all people could see was the giant tower that suddenly appeared looming over their worlds.
They have all heard the legends of the Tiers. They all knew there were actually nine of them, but they never really understood the significance of such a thing until this very moment.
Now they knew why the ninth Tier had always been hidden.
It was simply too massive, too majestic, too divine for them to even dream of stepping foot into.
And now, that long hidden tower had finally shown its presence once again.
There were very few people left alive who had lived through the time when all nine Tiers were awakened. In fact, this was only the second time that all Nine Tiers have shown any movements at all.
The last time was when the Ten-winged God reclaimed his throne in Tier Tweyen and became the Hallow-throned God. But it has been ages since any of the Tiered Gods have appeared.
Now, these few people who have witnessed it again could not help but kneel in worship and reverence. Under the guidance of the Tiered Gods, they have known nothing but peace and prosperity.
But they all knew that peace could not last forever.
And these were the words of the Hallow-throned God himself.
This peace they enjoy now was meant to let them grow and to prepare for the war that was to come. And now that the Nine Tiers have awoken again, they know the time was nigh.
Then under the gaze of all the Tiered Worlds, the Tiered Gods appeared outside of Tier Tweyen. This was the first time that they had seen seven of the Tiered Gods in one place. In fact, for most, this was the first time they were seeing a Tiered God at all.
They could not help but gaze at them with awe and gratitude, but to the few who had lived a long time, they could only be confused.
Why were there only seven? And among them, the two most important Tiered Gods, the King and Queen themselves, were not present. Their eyes landed on each one.
The Blood-borne God, the Light-scorned Goddess, the Void-touched Goddess, the War-forged God, the Hell-cursed God, the Sky-rent Goddess, and the Mana-scorched God.
And as though understanding the confusion that their actions had created, the Void-touched Goddess hummed a beautiful melody that calmed everyone. Once her singing had ended, her husband, the Mana-scorched God spoke.
"Do not be frightened. What happened today has long been foretold. However, now that we have reached this point, it is finally time for you all to know the truth.
The Ten-winged God and the Fate-bound Goddess are not in Tier Tweyen. They have been gathering allies and amassing forces in order to prepare for war. A war that we have long been fighting.
What happened today was a signal. And it means that we all need to prepare.
Know this, there is no running from this war. Because our enemies are the heavens themselves."
If any member of the House of Grace were to hear those words, they would instantly recognise it as the same war they had been created to fight against.
But unlike the House of Grace which seemed to have grown complacent and stagnant, the Tiered Worlds have been constantly growing. However, none of the House of Grace could care about it.
Because at this moment, they could only gaze at the bejewelled crown that hung beneath the scarlet light of a red moon.