The Grandmaster observed as the other gods “played” with the mortals. Many of them rounded up to see a war mainly influenced by the possession of Heroes. It was a local conflict on a remote planet. The top seven Heroes from  each opposing faction were possessed by the gods and purposely instigated war.  Foot soldiers and other warriors were fighting on an equal ground, but Heroes were decimating their opponents left and right. A level of fighting expertise that commoners had never seen before. After all, it was not the Heroes fighting themselves, but they were mere proxies for the gods. 

During a battle, one Hero utilized magic that was long forgotten by the people. It managed to invoke elementals to poison the fields. Likewise, the opposing god granted one of his personal weapons and bestowed it to his Hero. The fight was intense. After the complete annihilation of one side, the gods resumed their lives in the heavenly realms completely oblivious of the deep social and psychological damage they had inflicted. Not only did they resurrect long-lost forbidden magic, but the level of war that was enacted was horrendous enough to traumatize an entire species. Meanwhile, the triumphant god enjoyed his victory, while the losing god was subordinated to the winner.

“Why do gods go through all the trouble of looking for these “heroes” just to engage in battles?” – Asked Gnosis to the Grandmaster

“Truth be told, the amount of Ether a god is able to gain determines its powers and places us in the social hierarchy” – He replied – “We might be high-order beings, but the way we have organized our society is as primitive as a Level-1 civilization where power is might” – He concluded

“It is not like in the forgotten old days when the Celestial Council ruled in harmony” – Said the Grandmaster

“And who is ruling now? – Asked Gnosis

“That is a difficult question. Not too long ago, every god was directly fighting with each other, however, it seems that since possessing heroes has become the norm, things are somehow more peaceful now. at least within the gods. The difference now is that ether is at stake within the heroes rather than within us.”

“I understand… But is there a ruler now? Who has the most ether?” – Gnosis questioned.

“Since ether is easier to steal away now, via our proxy wars, the ‘strongest’ gods are always changing, depending on the outcome of the battles. However, there are 7 gods that have peaked in possession wars, it is said that they have acquired the most powerful heroes in the universe” – Answered the Grandmaster.

Gnosis was utterly surprised upon listening to this fact – “Who are they!?” – He exclaimed.

“It is said that the number one god has the title of “Zephyr”, as he has good manners and is gentle like a breeze. In the second position, it is a god under the title of “The Equilibrium”, as it is said that she lives in perfect balance. In the third position, is a god under the title of “The Autocrat”, I can only imagine the type of being that is. In the fourth position is a god under the title of “Joker”, it is said she has a ‘particular sense of humor. In the fifth position, it is a god under the title of “The Stoic” due to its immovable nature. In the sixth position, is a god with the title of “the Narcissist”; I’ve heard he’s insufferable. And finally, last but not least, in the seventh position, a god under the title of “the Phantom”; very little is known about him, and he is hardly seen, thus he gained that title.” – Explained The Grandmaster

“Impressive, you sure have your information” – Said Gnosis with a surprised tone.

“Of course, you should understand now why I am referred to as the “Grandmaster” – Smirkingly replied.

“Now, there are two important pieces of information. First: It is said that each one of these gods controls one of the mightiest heroes out there. Second: I introduced these gods in a hierarchical order, but there it is by no means static. This means that amongst them they are always fighting and constantly surpassing one another. However, it is said that only Zephyr has been unmatched so far” – Explained the Grandmaster.

“If you may humor my enquiries, what is it that you are trying to achieve?” – curiously asked Gnosis.

The Grandmaster laughed, took a brief pause and said: “I just want to bring peace to everyone”.

Gnosis looked baffled. “I am sorry, sir, but even if you are a supreme being with the title of ‘Grandmaster’ changing the status quo simply does not seem feasible, even less possible with the seven gods at the top of the hierarchy in your way! Standing against them would imply possessing heroes, which necessarily involves waging wars in the mortal realm! How are you going to achieve peace without leaving a trail of blood behind you?” – said Gnosis

The Grandmaster pondered the question and raised a pawn from the chess game pointing it at the mysterious being that had previously emerged from a space distortion -aka portal-. –“There might be someone around who could help” – He said

The mysterious man who emerged from the portal saw most of the gods “playing” in their fields, engaging in battles, but it was the Grandmaster who caught his attention. He was the only god around that was not interfering with the lesser beings, but rather playing an innocent game – chess. Thus, he approached him.

“I have not seen a game of chess anywhere in the universe, rather than on a small, isolated, planet called ‘Earth’” – said the mysterious man – “Who are you?” – He asked.

“They refer to me as ‘Grandmaster’” – Said the Grandmaster – “But rather, who are you? Not only do you know about an ultra-niche game such as chess, but you seem to be able to distort the fabric of time and space… something most of us gods  are unable to do”.

“That is my ability, thus I have gained the title of ‘Nomad’, just as your ability is the unprecedented knowledge of the universe which led to your title of ‘Grandmaster’. Someone like you already knew the existence of someone like me, am I wrong?” – Smirkingly said Nomad
.

The Grandmaster laughed and laughed – “My, my, you are not ignorant yourself! And yes, I have heard tales about such a god as you… perhaps this meeting was a gift of lady luck. You see, I have a vision, a scheme, and you and your abilities may help.” – Said the Grandmaster – “May I have a demonstration of your capabilities?”

Nomad also laughed at the Grandmaster’s comment by appreciating his clever speech. – “Of course,” – He said, to fullfil his request. Nomad extended his hand and an orb started to form from the top of his palm. Strong energy began to distort the space surrounding the orb and generated shockwaves that startled Gnosis.

“This is not your regular god” – Thought gnosis to himself with a terrified expression.

Opposed to Gnosis, the Grandmaster was thrilled – “This! You see Gnosis! This is how I may achieve peace!” – He said to the dragon – “Nomad, you and I have a long chat ahead of us!”