This time was, for Daniel, a moment of rest. He had decided to maintain his distance from the other aspects of existence, refusing to interrupt their cordial mingling despite his presence being what had caused them to reunite. The reason for that, to his dismay, were what he remembered to be one the most encumbering of human behaviors-the awkwardness of meeting someone you should have met much sooner, causing the eventual meeting to be filled with embarrassment.

A faint smile crept on his face. He had never expected that now, as one of the few deities standing among uncountable mortals, he would start being socially awkward. The thought was as annoying as it was amusing. Luckily, Daniel’s awkward behavior seemed to align with appropriate custom, for he was not only the strongest of the aspects present, but also among the highest ranking ones.

Soon enough, two individuals made their approach.

The first of the pair was a middle-aged man dressed in tattered pants, boots caked in mud, and a bright yellow vest with refractory stripes going down from his shoulders to the sides of his stomach. His exposed arms were bronze in color, and burnt by sunlight, with large hands covered in thick leather gloves blackened by soot. Under an odd looking helmet was a scruffy beard, a dirty large nose, and eyes narrowed into a semi-forced yet sincere smile.

He walked relaxedly but with purpose, as if no obstacle was meant for him to be kept from doing his job, a sacred duty that he begrudgingly fulfilled with a reward of self satisfaction, yet also with the hope of, one day, doing something better. In between his curved lips was trapped a cigarette, which he inhaled from to take the edge off from something he was not actually doing.

At the sight of this man, Daniel could not help but let out an amused smile. He knew who this entity was, and he knew that that appearance was usually not the one he would present himself with. He was a low-tier member of the pantheon, bound to little more than a fraction of all the action of men and animals, and he was known as the aspect of Labor-A being Daniel had heard to usually look like a dwarven blacksmith, but who had obviously changed his appearance into a look which Daniel could be more familiar with.

The second individual, clearly, had had the same intent.

While slightly more powerful and higher tier than Labor, the second individual was a mid tier aspect of existence. One born off of the limited domain of mortal domain, and whose reach was far below that of omnipresent entities like Fate, Conflict or Chaos, and more alike to the aspects of War and Law.

Dressed in a dark green flowery dress which covered most of her body except for her face, neck, hands and ankles, this entity presented itself in the form of a woman in her early sixties. Her appearance, while not too pleasing to the eyes, gave a sense of reliance and knowledge, causing others not only to trust her, but also inspiring them to learn what she knew.

Through a pair of brown cat eyes glasses, which did little to divert the attention from the enormous hairy mole that protruded by the side of her thin lips, she looked at Daniel with the eyes of a teacher, as well as those of a mother-One loving, severe, angry and annoyed, all at the same time.

She was known as the aspect of Learning.

Seeing the appearance of the two, Daniel realized that his existence had become common knowledge far sooner than he had anticipated, and that he had likely been spied on for the entirety of the two thousand years he had spent on the planet whose indigenous scientists called Terra.

Trying their best to copy what the two had believed to be representations of labor and learning which Daniel could recognize, the two approached together, slightly nervous, yet thrilled to finally make his acquaintance. While Daniel assumed that elation to be aimed at his persona, however, their state of mind was due to the natural curiosity of the aspects of existence. After all, their kind represented everything in existence, so novelty was more of a rarity than others could imagine.

Very rarely a new aspect of existence would appear, and when they did, more often than not, they were the reincarnation of their previous existence, killed by a superior aspect during one of their many wars. Daniel, however, not only represented an entirely new aspect of existence, but also a new path to their creation. One that took far less than several billions of years to come into fruition.

As the two reached just a few steps away, they bowed politely. Labor’s bow was much deeper than his female counterpart, as custom required, for Daniel, while oddly more powerful than his ranking predicted, was still considered an aspect of the middle tier.

“It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Karma.” The aspect of Learning uttered with a cold tone. A tone that was not meant to put pressure onto Daniel, but to express her authoritative nature.

Daniel finally stood up, approached the two, and outstretched his arm. “Mine.” he said while offering something the two had never experienced in the billions of years they had been alive.. A handshake.

Labor, compelled by Daniel’s seniority, immediately grabbed his hand, shaking vigorously.

The rough texture of Labor’s hand rested against his palm like a rock-filled leather pouch. It was clear to Daniel that, whatever texture the aspect of Labor had believed a mortal hand to possess, he was far off. “I must admit, I am surprised. I thought I was enemy number one among the aspects of existence.. And certainly did not expect anyone to come pay me a visit.”

“I could not fight you even if I wanted to, Lord Karma.” Said the scruffy man while politely retracting his hand. “In the pantheon, my position would be somewhat subservient to yours, and a few others.”

Interested by the topic, Daniel tilted his head to the side. “I do lack knowledge in this field, I am afraid. I did not have much time, nor the opportunity, to study the hierarchy of the ‘pantheon’, you’ve called it? Tell me more, please.”

As Daniel requested for further information, his body started to emit a faint green light. A power of existence that perfectly matched the power that Learning’s body was emanating, and which soon detached from his body to happily linger around hers.

Thrilled by Daniel’s show of interest, the aspect of Labor began to explain. It was not often that a superior aspect of existence would entertain a conversation with him, let alone one that was as powerful as him. “You see, our nature only partially collides, as not all labor is a source of karma. Yet, that is enough for me to owe you a degree of respect. My primary superior would be High Lord Order, Lady Duty, and.. Lord Sacrifice.”

At the mention of sacrifice, the aspect of Labor turned to look back to the small crowd, where a young man in loose red robes was being witness to the conversation between two other individuals. The aim of his eyes, however, was directed at Daniel, piercing through the darkness of space like a pair of bloody daggers.

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“None that would be worth mentioning, young one.” She responded with a matter-of-fact tone. “My liege is also High Lord Order, but being a mid-tier aspect myself, I only call him Lord Order. The two of us share a similar standing, although I admit, I cannot boast a power as vast as yours.”

Through the pair of glasses she wore, she could see how well defined the cluster of existential power Daniel possessed was. It wasn’t a mist that lingered around him like the rest of their powers, but was contained inside his body, causing him to shine with a golden light, similarly to a light bulb.

This alone made it obvious that Daniel’s existence was different, and they both wished they could learn how. “About your birth, may I ask a few questions?” The woman continued. Her odd desire to learn was characteristic of her nature, but very uncharacteristic of her personality, as there was little she did not know.

Unfortunately, her thirst for knowledge was destined to go unfulfilled, as Daniel, since a few seconds past, had been staring past the two, and towards another aspect of existence. An old lady, who sat on a wooden chair with knitting needles in her hands, caring for the other aspects of existence the same way a grandma would have their sleeping grandchildren.

“Excuse me.” He said before brushing past them, with steps leading him in her direction.

Noticing his approach, the lady smiled kindly. Like he had, she had recognized him. The young cultivator who had challenged any law of nature to barge into the underworld, searching for the lost consciousness of the woman he loved. “Lady Death,” Daniel said before bowing politely.

However, as Daniel stood in front of her, something in her gaze changed. “You have little left of the boy I met but a few moments ago.” the old lady said, slightly disappointed.

Aware of what she meant, Daniel responded, “More than a few moments have passed.”

“That is what makes you different from us. Two thousand years, for us, are little more than that.” It was only at this point that the old lady finally stopped knitting, and rose up to her feet. She then bowed gracefully while uttering a single word, “Karma.”

Daniel was taken aback. Death was a high ranking aspect of existence. One whose nature was absolute to any form of life, and was therefore of a higher standing.. To bow in front of them was already far more courtesy than courtesy itself among aspects of existence required.

Nevertheless, as the woman bowed, Daniel suspected that the person whom she was bowing to was not the aspect that stood in front of her, but the human she had aided all those years back, who now was gone, unable to find a death of his own.

“Your body carries far more deathly essence than most other aspects of existence. Is that why you have come here?” She asked, clearly bothered by Daniel’s decision to meddle in mortal affairs, as well as directly take the lives of others.

“I am not here to take lives this time, but to protect them.” Daniel responded. He did not fear the aspect of Death, as despite her higher standing, her influence within this universe granted her a power somewhat inferior to the karmic power he had accumulated and stored in his body. That, however, did not mean that he did not respect her.

She had played a part in the events that led to his birth, and therefore, he felt that he owed her that much.

At the same time, the thought of preventing death was not opposite to the nature of Death herself. After all, death was inevitable. Had Daniel chosen to protect each and every living being present within the universe, at some point they would all still die eventually. For that reason, she had come to appreciate the idea of life, as well as the thought of protecting it, since just like her twin sister, life was far more feeble than death.

“Protecting who? And from whom?” she asked curiously while brushing her leathery hands together.

“A few remnants of my past.. From him.” These few words were spoken particularly loudly. Loud enough to reach the ears of the aspect of sacrifice, who responded by narrowing his eyes, and clenching his jaw shut.