"Wait!"
One of the gods stepped out and called for Alex, who immediately stopped and looked over, wondering what the god wanted.
"What is it?" Alex turned around to give the god his full attention, folding his arms over his chest. "I thought this little test was over."
"Ah, no." The god shook his head. "It has nothing to do with the challenge. I just have a question for you."
Alex wasn't blind to the change in attitude. While all the gods arrived together in their arrogance, not all of them had condescending looks in their eyes. A few kept to themselves, only observing what was happening.
Nyxen, the minor God of Shadows and the Unknown, was one of them. Alex had noticed how this particular god had a very minimal presence, something he understood had to do with his divinity.
The god had an ethereal, shadowy body that seamlessly blended with the darkness of space. This god was from a race Alex identified as Umbrith — shadow-walkers who exist partially in the ethereal plane.
Their features were hard to remember or define, and they walked without making a sound. They were mysterious and often misunderstood.
"Go ahead."
"Right." Nyxen took a calm breath and straightened his posture. "When we sensed Drakmor's presence, we paid no mind because we thought he only came here with his apprentice. None of us could sense your presence until you revealed it.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to know how that was possible." As the god of shadows and the unknown, this was very unsettling for him.
Nyxen and his patron god were in tune with the fabric of this universe, capable of seeing and sensing everything hidden within all its planes. Of course, with the exception of the Supreme One and each god's private domains, supposedly.
However, being exposed in outer space like they were at the moment, he should have sensed Alex's presence with the chief as soon as they appeared. Nyxen had mulled over this for several seconds and couldn't find a reasonable explanation.
Naturally, he knew he was asking for someone's secrets, but he couldn't help his curiosity. This was his nature: to hide in the shadows and discover everything unknown.
"..."
Alex did not immediately respond. This was his personal ability, and he was under no obligation to tell anyone. However, telling them wouldn't matter either.
There was no way they could counter something that existed outside the system when they were incapable of interacting with it.
Alex's eyes roamed the glimmering backdrop of the space, appearing as though he was deeply considering the enquiry.
"In a way, you could say I am walking my own path." Alex replied with a gentle smile on his face. "When I ascended to a fully realised god, I realised I became my own person… You could say… I became my own system."
"System?" Nyxen muttered, a bit confused. "I-I don't understand."
"Well, that's for you to figure out." Alex replied, his eyes roaming around knowingly. "Your master should know what to do with that, right?"
"!"
Nyxen's eyes widened in shock, and so did many others. The majority of the divine senses honed in on this location didn't think Alex could sense them, yet here he was, calling them out.
"A-ah, yes." Nyxen smiled nervously and disappeared.
"And you guys?" Alex turned to the other gods. "Do you have a question for me as well?"
Without a word, the others disappeared, the divine senses following soon after. A few, however, decided to stay around.
Alex shrugged, not minding their nosiness. He turned towards the dragon and his apprentice.
"Shall we?"
"Of course," Drakmor replied, snapping out of his thoughts.
Just like everyone else, he pondered on Alexander's response. But try as he might, he couldn't figure out how that made Alex different.
Drakmor's celestial robes changed into normal ones, and Andrew's clothes changed as well. He gestured for the human to follow as he flew forward.
The trio flew straight for the vast expanse of land, quickly reaching their destination in under a few seconds.
...…
"So what do you make of his response?"
In a place considered sacred, even for most gods, was a divine gathering of major gods who watched the recent event with their person of interest.
None of them were in their physical forms, merely a projection of their humanoid bodies. No meetings were scheduled, but these gods quickly gathered to discuss the strange veilwalker.
"He is interesting." Another god said. "To be able to hide from us in Universe Prime is supposed to be impossible."
"Agreed. There's something about his ascension that isn't adding up. We need to know what it is."
"Well, we don't have to worry. He's here now… leaving won't be so simple."
"Didn't he just tell us why he's different?" A female god said, looking at her companions in confusion.
"Becoming his own system? How exactly does that work? He's just like all veilwalkers across the multiverse. We all draw our powers from the multiverse, Alexander is no different.
"Becoming his own system would mean being an anomaly that does not originate from our reality. And that's impossible. Not when…"
The god left that hanging, but everyone knew what that statement meant. What made Alexander different had to be rooted in his unique energy. And the only variable was his method of ascension.
"Here's an idea…"
A god with his presence mostly obscured due to their divinity suggested in a malicious tone, drawing the attention of the others.
"Since this Alexander fella can't be probed directly, we can go straight to the source."
"Straight to the source? What's tha— oh…" The realisation hit soon after. "I see what you mean."
"Mm, it's a good idea. A couple of our people should be able to handle this."
"What makes you think he hasn't put countermeasures in place?" Another god asked sceptically. "The Supreme One invited him over so we can understand what makes him different. Until we understand him, it's best to avoid angering him."
"And there it is… the ever-cautious one." A god ridiculed that suggestion. "Well, you don't have to worry. We'll handle everything ourselves. Unlike you, we aren't afraid…"