“This is insane!” Arkay repeated constantly as the three older Veth circled him, attaching goodness knows what to his body. “How the fuck is this even happening?”
Continuity looked up at the young Veth Prime as he tightened a belt around Arkay’s leg. “Kinisis has faith in you. I have faith in you.”
“This isn’t about faith!” Arkay whined. “This is insane! You’re letting a completely inexperienced being run the entire universe! Why aren’t you doing this, Continuity? Or those two?”
The other Veth rolled their eyes. One of them, a green and silver Veth, tutted.
“My job as the Historian is to record, not to run,” the Veth sighed.
“But Istoria, Syklos and myself will assist you, Arkay!” Continuity tried to be optimistic. They all knew that Arkay was not ready for this job, that he was too small and too young. But they had faith in Kinisis. She knew what she was doing, and even if Arkay was young, he was open-minded and powerful enough to hold out for a few days.
“Oh great,” Arkay growled. “That way, if I fuck everything up, you’ll write it all down so everyone knows… What is all this stuff you’re strapping onto me anyway?”
Once again, the Veth sighed.
“How long have you been here?” Syklos, a purple and blue Veth, grunted.
Arkay thought to himself. “Uh… What date is it?”
“What date format?” Istoria asked.
“The localized date system I used as a Rethan, the Post-Deitic War, if that’s possible.”
Istoria stopped what she was doing and pulled out a pad and pen. “It is the fifteenth of May, 2017 PDW.”
“Well, I’ve been here for about 38 days. Including the time spent running away from you all.”
Suddenly, Syklos threw down the belts and strapping he was holding. Continuity and Istoria both backed off, giving the enraged Veth some room.
“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? YOU’RE NOT EVEN TWO MONTHS OLD?”
Arkay smiled slightly. “You see why this is insane?”
“I THOUGHT YOU WERE A YEAR OLD. THAT YOU’D SPENT MOST OF YOUR TIME TRAINING OR SOMETHING. YOU’RE A FUCKING BABY! That does it. Put these straps on me. This idiot can’t do it. I should do it.”
Istoria shook her head. “I would, Syklos, but I can’t. You don’t have the capacity to do this. You will melt away into nothingness in under an hour. Arkay’s Prime status means that, despite being so young, he can last at least a month before it all overwhelms him and dissolves him.”
Arkay blinked. That sounded particularly bad. “Um… are there not any older Veth Primes you can use?”
Istoria rolled her eyes. She clearly did that a lot. “When a Veth Prime loses their Prime, they either get relegated into normal Veth or get absorbed into Kinisis completely. Syklos used to be a Veth Prime.”
“And I did a better job than this damn runt will ever do…”
“That’s harsh,” Istoria sighed. “He hasn’t even started yet.”
Continuity smiled weakly at Arkay and finished strapping everything on. Last but not least, he attached a collar around Arkay’s neck.
“That should stop your head from exploding,” Continuity muttered.
“You’re not making me feel any more optimistic…” Arkay whimpered slightly. “This is all so terrifying to me… I mean…”
Before Arkay could finish, he felt a tingling feeling up and down his back. The rings of light on his body faded and were replaced with stars, galaxies and nebulae. His eyes glowed bright with cosmic energy.
“Woah…”
“You still here, Arkay?” Continuity asked, waving his hands in front of him.
“Yeah. I’m here. This is… Kinda painful. Just awkward. I’m… What am I supposed to be thinking?”
Istoria pulled a book out of nowhere. “According to Her instructions, you’re doing all the main functions subconsciously. Things like star births, galaxy formations, dealing with supernovae and the like are on hold right now.”
Arkay grunted in pain. He was feeling things he could barely comprehend. Hot and cold. Trillions dying, yet trillions being born at the same time. He tried shutting it all out, the screams of newborns and the death all crying at the same time. Finally, he managed to get it all down to a reasonable mutter. Beneath it all, he could hear Kinisis’s voice, whispering to herself. Arkay wanted to know what she was saying, but as soon as he managed to pinpoint the sound, it faded completely.
“How are you feeling, kid?”
Arkay looked at the three Veth. They still towered over him, but they seemed so small and tiny. Insignificant yet important simultaneously. Everything in Kinigi, perhaps even the universe, was his to command.
With a shudder of pain, Arkay tried to push that thought away. He wasn’t in command. He was protecting this place, making sure that everything continued as normal. He wasn’t a leader. He was just a vessel, letting existence flow through him, guiding it in the right direction. He needed to stay calm. He could do this.
“Arkay?”
Finally, Arkay answered, a flicker of a smile on his star-dusted face.
“This isn’t as bad as I thought it would be…”