Allen felt a distinct sensation of being observed from a higher existential plane. It felt as though a three-dimensional being were examining a two-dimensional painting; beneath such a gaze, all the struggles and schemes within the picture appeared flat and uninteresting.
No wonder this group of untamable "monsters" had obediently retracted their fangs.
"Gentlemen."
Four voices and four distinct timbres—the weathered croak of an old man, the cold indifference of a young man, the playful banter of a child, and an indistinguishable, chaotic murmur from the shadows—strangely overlapped, forming a reverberation that struck straight to the soul.
"This meeting has eight topics on the agenda."
Augustus's four faces and eight eyes swept over every Minister present.
"First, a briefing on the battle situation in the Gray Channel.
"Second, the approval of the special research budget concerning the 'Void Whispers' anomaly submitted by the Observation and Prophecy Department.
