Indeed, a God was physically before Xenos.
A Lower God...
Achlys Herself.
She wasn't of the pantheon, and She sure as Tartaros wasn't the Primordial Goddess of Eternal Night and Harbringer of Doom. No, She, once a mist of death, turned into being, eventually becoming a God.
Thankfully for Xenos's sanity and life, Her form, as one would expect, was hidden behind Her fog, leaving only Her thin figure and pulsating black eyes visible.
Because, of course, if he saw Her, death would claim him before he even realized it.
Eris, back in the station, was different; he didn't see the true Her, only a manifestation of Her.
Sure, even that would affect mortals, but perhaps that meant that Xenos had a resistance of some kind...?
Well, he wasn't focusing on that now.
A GOD WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM.
His mind experienced whiplash as if it were jolted awake.
Everything Xenos was forced to stare at those eyes, unable to leave them.
And those eyes stared back, something close to shock passing through them.
Was it due to his doing the impossible despite being the weakest of Runebearers?
Or did She, like Eris, see what She wasn't supposed to see?
"...You are of two Souls."
Ah, it seemed to be the latter.
"What are you?"
So very much the latter.
"Your current Soul is too large for a Seeker."
Her voice was low and grating...
"A Disciple's level perhaps."
A sound of death.
"How?"
One that had rumbled Xenos...
"Im..."
Though only for a moment.
"I'm no different than any other Seeker."
Getting his bearings about him, he shook his head and focused up.
"It's only that I've taken over this body."
She tilted Her head.
"How?"
He shrugged.
"I don't know, and I don't care. Our Souls must've fought or something, and I won, simple as that. Actually, to make it simpler, you can think of my Soul as a sperm cell that raced his, and I reached the egg, his body, faster than he did."
Achlys sighed, as did Eris in his mind, two Goddesses that he had confidently just uttered a sperm analogy to, for no other reason than because he could.
"That was unneeded, but I won't complain..."
And both of Them accepted that.
"You... you really won't think about him after today, will you?"
Xenos casually shook his head.
"I won't."
She chuckled at his quick agreement and asked:
"Your 'how' didn't explain the why. So would you tell me?"
Xenos shook his head once more.
"First, I need my reward for this trial."
"A Soul Glyph?"
"A Soul Glyph."
Achlys waved Her hand, forming tens and tens of Arcane behind Her.
"Choose your reward."
He looked at them, and yet...
—
[******]
[Description: ***************]
[******]
[Description: ***************]
[******]
[Description: ***************]
—
His Beholding Eyes told him nothing.
Yeah, it couldn't work for those too out of reach.
"Which one allows me to... edit my Runes?"
She tilted Her fog-covered head once more.
"Isn't that just tweaking your Arcane to get slightly different outputs? You'll learn that later on; won't such a Rune be a waste?"
"No, that simply changes the output of a Rune; I want to change the Rune itself."
If he could see Her face, he'd notice that She raised Her brows.
"That's a heavy thing you're asking for; I'd need to request more from you."
"Oh, and what might someone of your stature request?"
A red-eyed figure blinked in and out of existence.
"BE REASONABLE."
It seemed that Eris used the Divinity here for just that moment.
Waving Her hands at Eris's words, Achlys asked:
"You've saved the 'why' for this, haven't you?"
He nodded, and She instructed him:
"Your memories. Show me them."
Xenos grinned.
"I don't think you'll be able to handle it."
"Are you calling me weak?"
Her voice grew agitated, though he didn't seem affected.
"Compared to 'Them?' Higher Gods? Hah!"
Achlys got close, pausing just before his face.
"Do you want to die, BOY?"
Xenos didn't lower his eyes.
"No, I don't, you idiot."
Instead, he enraged Her further.
"I'll kill you, dammit."
Her fog rushed him from all directions, about to suffocate him, but—
"CEASE."
Eris interfered once more, Her figure quelling the fog.
"AND YOU! STOP TRYING TO MAKE HER MAD."
Xenos shrugged his shoulders a second time.
"I can't help it; it's not every day you can talk shit to a descended God."
Achlys sighed, giving up, and asked again:
"Will... will you allow me?"
"Bah, fine..."
Xenos sat down...
"Just don't say I didn't warn you."
And everything turned dark.