The Prophet looked at the men standing before him now.
To his right, a tall man with raven hair and pure black eyes was walking over to stand by his side.
Awakened Cor had become a close friend since the day they departed from Warden's group on the river.
The man was a few years younger than Prophet himself, and yet he seemed to command an authority far beyond his years. He had rarely spoken about what his life had been like before the spell first appeared, but Prophet assumed that it was a harsh reality the man was escaping from.
He may have only been the second in command, but Prophet knew the man would go on to do great things in the future.
He had seen it after all.
This young man was set to be an example in the world, inspiring both the mundane and the awakened for Decades to come. He only wished he could see it through his own eyes, instead of those possessed by others.
In front of him was the other man. This one was older than the rest of them, some by as many as a few decades.
Despite that, he had managed to become one of the most respected and feared Awakened of the First Generation.
Damian was an imposing man, to say the least. Even in his frail state, Prophet knew he had no chance of facing him in direct combat.
He doubted anyone could.
This conclusion was not baseless either. Whilst no other sleeper could indeed kill dozens of awakened monsters with a single strike, nor bring a Fallen Monster crashing from the sky, that was not why Prophet knew he had no chance.
It was simply because he had seen it happen.
After his ascension, his powers grew much stronger, and his visions became much sharper. It was only a few months after their miraculous victory that Prophet discovered a hidden secret within his aspect.
It was due to this that he had, in a way, gained a strange new ability, and his skin often glowed with a golden hue.
His Dormant ability allowed him to burn away inanimate objects by infusing them with Divine Flames. This greatly enhanced the strength of his memories and allowed him to shape the terrain to his advantage.
It was also by burning a tribute with these flames that he could glimpse into the future.
His Awakened ability was the inverse of his Dormant, allowing him to infuse the Divine Flames into living creatures and objects.
He could use this power to either empower himself or his allies, or burn away enemies to less than dust.
It was only after he decided to burn away at his own body rather than empower it. Using it as a perpetual sacrifice, he had earned his reward.
Pouring his essence into the strange spider-like mask, the golden hue of his skin grew brighter as his vision split in two.
Without Warning, Prophet rushed forward, summoning his mighty blade to his side, attempting to cleave Damian in two.
Despite his dire state, the older man easily dodged Prophet's attack and began to summon his own memory, whilst Cor was left motionless for a moment.
The battle was short. With Damian's ability to negate any attack by simply letting it pass through his body, he had no need to run away.
He simply chose his moments of tangibility to strike at Prophet's weak points.
In the end, the last thing Prophet saw was the end of a blade before it pierced through his skull. Killing him instantly as his lifeless body fell to the floor.
This path was the reason he knew how dangerous the man in front of him was. For not only had he heard of his exploits in Bastion, but he also had himself seen the man do what he did best.
Not that Prophet wished Damian any harm, so instead he chose a different path, gesturing to the seat on the other end of the desk for Damian to take. They had a lot to discuss, but not much time in the grand cosmic scale.
///
Damian took the seat gestured to him by Prophet. He was sure there was going to be a lot for them to talk about, and he didn't know how to start, so he said the only thing he knew for sure,
"Thank you, thank you for saving Jasper and me back in the woods."
Prophet waved his hand dismissively and shook his head slightly,
Damian wasn't entirely sure what he meant by this gesture, but before he could ask, however, Cor spoke up,
"He is saying not to worry about it. He is sure that if any of us were in danger, you would have helped us too. It's the least he could do."
Damain looked at Cor, then asked,
"Wait, you know what he's trying to say? Do you have a telepathic aspect or something?
Cor shook his head before answering,
"No, not exactly. One of my abilities grants me heightened senses. This means I can pick up far more subtle cues that others simply can't."
"That, combined with the fact that I've been stuck with him for so long, means I know him better than everybody else, apart from himself, of course."
"This is why I will be acting as his voice during our conversation. I'm sure that won't be a problem."
Damian smiled as he heard Cor speak. It was nice to know that so many people were finding new relationships and becoming closer together, even in the end of times as they knew it.
Damian's voice exposed his mirth at hearing these words as he continued,
"No, not at all. If anything, it's good to have you here, your insight is important as well."
Cor gave a courteous nod before Prophet made a gesture with his hands. This went on for a few moments before Cor spoke again,
"With those matters out of the way, let us continue with more pressing matters."
Watching Prophet, he spoke as the man continued his gestures and slight head movements, trying to keep up with what his leader wanted to say,
"First order of business, we would like to know what Warden has asked of you and Jasper, we are aware it has something to do with Awakened Nightwalker but we don't know specifics."
"Second thing to address is what you learned about the Whispering Woods. We have sent some of our own to investigate, but none have returned. Anything at all would be valuable."
"Third thing, we have some information which we would like to provide to you. However, we do hope for something in return."
"Fourth thing, we wanted to know if you knew anything that we don't about a strange function of the spell known as an 'Aspect Legacy'?"
Prophet and Cor finished speaking, leaving Damian to digest their words.
It took him a few long seconds before he answered,
"Regarding your first question, I'm not too sure if I am allowed to share the specific details with anybody outside of myself, Jasper, Warden and Nightwalker. However, what I can tell you is that we simply wish to make contact via the Dream Realm, that is our current mission."
"Concerning the second topic, I'm sorry to say, but your men are likely long dead by now. That perpetual fog which permeates those woods is a gargantuan Nightmare Creature. It has the ability to impose negative emotions and cloud judgment."
"On top of that, it has strange minions working from within the fog, which seem to feed off the memories and essence of the creatures inside. Leaving little to no trace of their existence behind. The good news, if there is any, is that its minions only seem to be able to eat the memories from when you first entered the fog."
"We only managed to escape, but I managed to trick it using an echo of mine, which can change its shape."
Damian could see the two men's faces grow more stern and pale as he spoke. They did not seem pleased about the news, and the idea of them sending their own men to their deaths, even without realising it, probably would weigh on their minds for a long while.
Looking away, Damaian added,
"Fortunately, you are not aware of what is going on within the fog, so as far as they knew, they died peacefully in their sleep."
That seemed to ease their troubled expressions.
"About the third and fourth topics you wished to discuss, I'm sorry to say, but I haven't heard of an Aspect Legacy before, so I can't help you out there."
"As for the information, what about it makes it so important for us to hear about?"
Prophet signalled to Cor, and even he looked troubled by what was about to be said,
"It has to do with the end of the world."