“He’s so unhappy, Kairos…”
The Whenvern and the Allbirther perched on the small, crystal platform, floating high above the desolate island, peering down at the tiny house and its lone occupant. They had been watching for a few hours now, splitting their time between spying on the lonely being and having mind-blowing steamy sex sessions while invisible, and right now the two deities were on a quick break while Kairos regained his stamina.
“Who? Him?”
Yisini glanced over the edge. “Yeah. Little Arky. We got something special. He needs someone special. He needs to get laid. He needs to lose his virginity or he’ll never be happy.”
Kairos sighed. “You can’t make him do that.”
“And why not?” Yisini frowned, twirling the end of her tail between her fingers. “He wouldn’t even need to be conscious. I’d just sneak in, give it to him then get out again and he’d be none the wiser.”
The Whenvern’s tone very suddenly changed. “Yisini, no. Please, don’t ever even… think about that.”
“Why not?”
Kairos picked himself up and sat in front of Yisini, so she couldn’t look down at the little house any more. “It would… It would be catastrophic.”
“What is the worst that could happen?” Yisini tried to look past Kairos, but Kairos kept on moving and blocking her view.
“Yisini, don’t even consider it.”
“Why?”
The Whenvern sighed, pulling Yisini close. “I… I do not normally give people Future Snippets. They’re somewhat dangerous and not completely accurate, but they are accurate enough for me to alter time threads to avoid these catastrophic scenarios and… well, I can show the rest of you if a time thread needs alterations via your actions…”
“I… I don’t follow…”
Kairos grunted. He delicately coiled around Yisini and placed a hand on her head.
Suddenly, as far as Yisini was concerned, everything seemed to be on fire. It was clearly some sort of visual thing, because the Allbirther couldn’t feel any heat on her skin. Kairos was no longer visible and neither was the crystal platform they had been lying on.
“Uh, Kairos?”
“I’m still here. Just watch and listen.”
Yisini blinked, then rubbed her eyes. Everything was still burning. The ground was smouldering and charred. The world around her had changed into that of one of Yisini’s old bases, except utterly ruined. Just past the flames though, something was moving.
The Allbirther hesitated, then lifted herself up, looking over the fire. Her hands passed through the flames and smoke harmlessly as she tried to get a better glance at what was going on. What she saw though immediately made Yisini lurch and fall backwards.
The flames abruptly cleared, clarifying what Yisini saw: her own body, covered in blood and gore, its head missing and a massive gash running down her chest and stomach. She couldn’t tell whether this other Yisini was alive or not, but she was closer to death than to life.
“What…”
A faint whimpering could be heard. Whimpering combined with heavy, laboured breaths. Again, Yisini tried to get closer, to see what it was. Then she wished she hadn’t.
Behind the body, soaked to his skin, was the Thantophor, the source of the heavy breathing. He was slumped on the ground, his legs outstretched and his hands lying in his lap, a cold, blank stare in his eyes. Yisini swore she could see cuts both in Arkadin’s tail and across his hands and arms – he had slit his own wrists with a bloodied blade.
“What… is all this?”
Everything suddenly disappeared and Yisini found herself disorientated but thankfully back on the crystalline platform. Kairos was back by her side, holding her gently.
“That is one of the best case scenarios, should you force Arkadin into any sexual activities against his will. You take him against his will, he loses his mind and attacks you, leaving you for dead and committing suicide by your bleeding body. This is one of the few scenarios in which you live.”
Yisini shuddered. “And in the other… scenarios?”
“Everything from him murdering you and turning evil to him flat out turning into Arkidetelos from the shock and fear of what you did to him.”
“All this from…”
“Yes. From sexual assault. He’s not mentally prepared for consensual sex, Yisini. Forcing yourself on him will break him.”
The Allbirther sighed, then curled up in the Whenvern’s arms. “You should have shown me this sooner. Would have saved us so much trouble.”
Kairos nodded. With a wave of his tail, the crystal platform began to float way. “I know, I know. We both messed up. But we know better and we have each other now. Everyone from now on will be happier…”