The sacrificial hall of Sorn City, in the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
The priest Zed held a grand ritual, and before the council members and the city-state's leading figures, Raphael descended onto the altar.
Everyone in the hall was caught up in astonishment and excitement. Since the Great Cataclysm, this was the first person they had encountered who came from the outside world!
A full three seconds passed before the priest dropped to his knees with a thud. "Welcome, Oracle!"
With a rustle, everyone around the altar knelt, including the three demigods!
Raphael smiled at them. This dramatic entrance really did have an intimidating effect!
He had also considered how the Dark Hut had granted him the ability to descend wherever he pleased. This seemed to be an ability associated with the Abyss pathway.
At Sequence 4, Demon, as long as the ritual was correct and the offerings were sufficiently evil or corrupt, one could project a portion of one's power to a distant location.
Other pathways required one to reach Sequence 3 to gain a similar ability, and the range of such projections generally did not exceed 300
kilometers.
It was thanks to the unique nature of the Abyss pathway that Raphael, who controlled part of the Dark Hut, possessed this flashy ability. Moreover, with the Oldest One's help, the Dark Hut had broken through the seal, allowing him to truly descend anywhere on Earth.
Raphael reckoned that the Fool, whose circumstances were much like his own, most likely did not possess such an ability.
At that thought, he gathered his wandering attention and said in Jotun, "Everyone, rise."
Everyone rose and stole glances at the Oracle. Seeing no signs of mutation on his face, their last traces of doubt vanished.
The priest Zed said respectfully, "We have