Arkay sighed as he picked himself up off the floor, being careful not to step in any of the broken glass scattered across the kitchen. He hadn’t been doing too well over the last week or so, and the randomness of his budding Life Goddess powers were starting to piss Arkay off.
“Do you need some help, kiddo?” a friendly voice asked from the doorway. “Actually, you go check yourself for any cuts. I will tidy this up.”
“I don’t need help, Vikalos…” Arkay grunted. “It’s just a glass.”
Vikalos smiled, patting Arkay gently on the shoulder. “Maybe. But you seem rather upset about it.”
“Yeah of course I am! I have all these dumb secondary things…” Arkay stopped mid-sentence, paused, then took a deep breath. “I hate my Life Goddess side. I hate it so much.”
The elder Decay Lord smiled some more, then lifted Arkay out from the puddle of glass shards, gently placing him in the doorway behind him. Vikalos then summoned a small, hand-held vacuum device. He plugged it into the nearest socket, then started sucking up all the glass shards.
“Did you see the lights flicker?” Arkay abruptly asked. “It… seems to be happening a lot lately…”
Vikalos glanced up at the light, then down to his vacuum cleaner. “Unfortunately, as far as I am aware, there have been some power issues though out Deathven Sector Ypsilon. Tech crew says they are already working on it.” Once he was finished hoovering, Vikalos turned back to Arkay. “Why do you hate your Life Goddess side?”
“Because it’s not who I am!” Arkay snapped. “It’s not me! I don’t want to be like that! And I absolutely hate both the constant noise in my head telling me that I’m not a Decayling and pushing me towards any sort of reproduction. I hate the damn noises in my head!”
Vikalos tilted his head to one side. “Hm, how loud is it?”
“It takes me ages to go to sleep because I need to turn off the constant static…”
“Hm…” Vikalos thought to himself for a moment. “Well, we do somewhat have a… temporary solution that we already use on Decay/Life hybrids. I am just uncertain where you would like it, or of it would make you feel trapped.”
“What is it?”
Vikalos de-summoned his little vacuum cleaner, then turned properly to Arkay. “Normally, we try to use medication to nullify non-Decay Lord powers, but hybrids like yourself can subconsciously overcome them. This is what you have been doing lately, without realizing it. The next best option is an Azontan band, which you’d wear around your neck as a collar, and completely nullifies Life Goddess energy.”
Arkay blinked, then stamped his foot angrily, more angry than he had meant to. “You have a collar that turns off Life Goddess shit and you didn’t tell me? That is exactly what I want!”
“I was concerned that you would feel more like a prisoner with-”
“I just want these damn things gone so I can be normal again!”
Vikalos shrugged, then summoned a tape measure, a pad and a pen. The tape flittered from his hand and quickly measured Arkay’s neck, before disappearing. Vikalos jotted down a few numbers, before turning his attention back to Arkay.
“Are you sure this is what you want, Arkay?” Vikalos finally asked.
“Yes. I hate feeling like a hybrid and a hypocrite.”
“Understandable. I will sort this out for you as soon as I can. Is that alright?”
Arkay nodded, feeling somewhat glad. “Yes, that’s fine.”
With one more smile, Vikalos excused himself. “Very well. I will get back to you shortly. In the mean time, do you want a new glass?”
“I have some in the cupboard, thanks…” Arkay replied with a bit more confidence. “Thank you.”
“No worries. Once the Azontan band is ready, I will give you a call. Have a good day.”
Arkay waved as Vikalos closed the door behind him, then slumped up against a nearby wall. “Fuck, I should have asked him about all of this sooner… Would have saved me so much hassle…”