Seated on a Throne carved from dark stone, Bast suddenly opened her deep blue eyes. Rare fear and shock churned in her pupils.
She felt the instant the fragment of her consciousness she had left on Earth was utterly erased. It was as if one of her fingers had been severed at the root. Pain and emptiness surged through her, making her divine body sway slightly in its seat.
"On Earth..."
Bast's voice was low, carrying a dread she had not felt in millions of years. "To think such a terrifying human could appear..."
She slowly rose. Beneath her golden crown, her face flickered in the palace's dim light. She tapped the armrest twice, then turned and walked toward a massive closed door deep within the palace, its surface covered in patterns of the sun.
"I must inform the gods at once..."
Bast soon passed through the sun-carved door and entered a space older and more solemn still.
Golden Temples floated in the void. Pyramid-shaped buildings rose at different heights, reflecting an eternal Glory beneath the starlight.
In the central plaza, Thrones carved from dark gold stone stood in a ring. Upon each sat a figure radiating an ancient presence.
On the tallest Throne at the center sat a majestic deity whose head was formed from pure golden light. An unending halo of sunlight surrounded him.
His robes seemed woven from lava and heavenly fire, every fold rolling with heat.
His left hand rested on the armrest, fingertips lightly tapping the dark gold stone. His voice was deep and resonant, like magma rising from the heart of the earth:
"Bast, your presence has weakened considerably."
Bast stopped before the ring of Thrones and calmly swept her gaze over the familiar faces.
Set, god of the desert, had cracked skin like