Ahkron was glad to see that the Voidborn inhabiting this universe was smarter than most. After seeing what Ahkron had done with the universe’s main deities, the Voidborn had taken this universe’s head deity, its Personification, and sealed it away deep within a heavily fortified castle, guarded by a combination of Voidborn-Clones and Living Tenta-Forests, For Ahkron to get inside, it would be a little too much hassle, but Ahkron didn’t want to get inside anyway.
“Why have you attacked this universe?” a squeaky voice demanded as Ahkron approached the main gate. Blocking the entrance was the Voidborn itself, a somewhat young one by the name of Kenon. Hovering around it was the ghostly visage of the Personification, a being Ahkron had learned was called Kinisis. “You Voidborns are supposed to be GOOD beings! Not corrupt little pricks!”
Ahkron smiled. “Ah, little Personification, I am not attacking this universe, I am preserving it, as I have preserved so many others. In Forty Eight of your universe’s hours, your universe will become perfectly frozen in time and space and thus made immortal and eternal. But I am offering you a deal you cannot refuse.”
“I don’t care what you’re offering! Give me my children back!” Kinisis demanded. Her squeaks and screams though were quietened by Kenon, calmly telling her to let him deal with the situation.
“Voidlord Ahkron, do you offer us a way to return to our normal universe or…”
“Oh no. Your universe is damned!” Ahkron continued to smile. “You allowed the creation of a Decayling, so I must preserve this universe and destroy its flow of time before said Decayling can be allowed to exist. That is most unfortunate, but I can allow its major denizens, i.e. yourself, your Personification and perhaps a few others, to be able to start again.”
“So what is your offer?”
Ahkron raised his hands. He summoned two items. To his left was the chained up body of this universe’s Goddess of Life, a beautiful little being, struggling to get free and getting nowhere. To his right was a white, otherwise featureless cube with gold edges.
“In exchange for killing your two elder children, your Space God and your Death God, and handing your Life Goddess over to me, I will return to you your Time God. The three of you will be free to leave this universe and go off to create a new one.”
Kenon glanced at the essence of Kinisis that was twisting and twirling around him.
“Why does he want Epani dead and why does he want to take Yisini?” Kinisis whispered, looking and feeling very concerned.
“I assume Epani is your Space God?” Ahkron interrupted. “You wish to know why? Because currently Time and Decay are being passed through your Death God, and that pathetic little Decayling may be cowardly enough to force those onto Epani, who would instantly perish and would utterly destroy this universe. You kill Epani, you kill the Death God and your universe becomes perfectly preserved.” Ahkron turned back to Yisini, smiling crudely at her. “As for your Life Goddess, normally she would have to die as well. But she is such a splendid one that I can preserve her… if you betroth her to me and allow me to replace the divinity you gave her with my own.”
“You know this is utterly unfair, yes?” Kenon growled. “This universe is innocent.”
“As long as a universe has a death god in it, it is not innocent. I am sparing you from a horrible fate. A perfectly preserved universe and the freedom to rebuild via my hand, or agonizing death via your pathetic decayling.”
Kenon sighed, looking to Kinisis for guidance. The Personification though had little to give.
“Can we… have time to think about it?” Kenon finally answered.
“You mean to try and stall for time?” Ahkron grinned. “Of course. But in 48 hours, your universe will be preserved, whether you are free of it or not.” With a flick of his golden, armoured wrists, both Yisini and the white and gold cube disappeared. “Possibly less, considering how… weak your little Death God is…”
With a laugh and a roll of his eyes, Ahkron disappeared, leaving the two deities to their own devices.
After a very long, awkward silence, Kinisis finally spoke.
“Why didn’t you attack him?”
Kenon sighed, lowering his weapon. “You do not attack Ahkron. You can not attack Ahkron. He is one of the most powerful Voidborns known. To attack Ahkron would be suicide.”
“So what do we do?”
“We…” Kenon hesitated. “We wait. We wait and pray that Epani and Arkadin can do something, while we try to think of our own futures…”