“New look?” Vikalos asked as Arkay stepped out from his little apartment. Behind the elder Decay Lord was an entity about the same size and shape as Arkay, but wrapped in gloopy, starry nebulae.
“Uh, yeah…” Arkay stuttered a little. “Just kinda wanted to be more armoured.”
“Makes sense…” Vikalos nodded somewhat understandingly, then turned back to the other entity. “Ksatah, this is Arkay, he is coming with us to have his own Azontan band made.”
Ksatah, the other individual, didn’t seem to smile, but their eyes lit up. “That’s good. Didn’t wanna be on my own.”
Arkay waved at Ksatah, shifting a little awkwardly. Vikalos gave another nod, then started making his way down the long corridor, taking both Arkay and Ksatah with him. The walk down the corridor wasn’t particularly interesting, but that was mostly because it was somewhat late, at least in the simulated time zone within Deathven Secor Ypsilon. There were doors scattered here and there, some of which led to apartments, for beings similar to the two small Decaylings. However, as they walked, Vikalos noted that, out of all of the apartments they passed, none of them were as unique as Arkay and Ksatah were.
“Wait, you are half Life Goddess too?” Ksatah abruptly asked.
“Yeah, kinda…” Arkay shrugged. “Don’t like it though.”
“Me neither. I hate the constant internal desires to push me into making a universe. Too much work, too much power. Don’t want that.”
Arkay found himself agreeing with Ksatah. “Binding yourself to a universe for several billion years isn’t as fun as it seems.”
“Totally.”
After about ten minutes of walking, the three beings reached what looked like a very mechanical medical bay. There were two empty beds, separated by a wall of curtains, which Vikalos swiftly opened.
“Please sit on the beds,” Vikalos ordered. “I shall be back in a moment.”
The elder Decay Lord disappeared around a corner, then reappeared, now wearing a pristine white gown.
“Uh, I thought this was just a band on my neck?” Arkay suddenly felt much more worried.
“It is, but there is a special needle which penetrates into your skin, holding it and your Life Goddess powers in place.”
“But… the medical stuff…”
“Just standard procedures. Have to keep everything sterile and safe.”
Arkay glanced over towards Ksatah, who didn’t seem shaken at all. “Does it… hurt?”
Ksatah shrugged. “Didn’t hurt me the first time, but Vetal complained that it stung a bit.”
“Who is Vetal?”
“Oh!” Ksatah exclaimed. “He’s, like, my room mate. Lives on the other side of the glass wall.”
“Oh, like how I have Kalis living on the other side of my place?”
“Yeah, basically.”
“Ah, that’s neat, is he a- ow!” Arkay jumped as he felt something pierce the skin on his neck, followed by an unusual, metal clamping sound. All of a sudden, everything felt a bit lighter and quieter. No errant thoughts about universes, no horrible voices, just… nothing.
Vikalos stepped back, waiting a moment. After a few seconds of brief monitoring for any potential allergic reactions, that familiar smile on Vikalos’s face reappeared.
“Could have warned me…” Arkay muttered.
“Trust me, it is better when you are distracted, it is over more quickly…” Vikalos explained. “Do you feel any better, Arkay?”
Arkay remained where he was, somewhat lost in thought. “I… I can’t hear them any more. The… urges are gone.”
“Good.” Vikalos watched Arkay a little longer, then turned his attention to Ksatah, removing the old band on his neck and swiftly adding a new one. Again, he watched Ksatah, checking for any potential issues, then smiled some more.
“All done.”
“Really?” Arkay felt a bit confused. “Is that it?”
“Yes,” Vikalos nodded. “All done. We will have to keep an eye on you two for the next ten hours though. Just in case you get any side effects.”
Arkay fell silent, then slowly began to smile. “I am so glad this worked. I already kinda feel like I’m going back to normal.”
“Good to hear!” Vikalos beamed, before helping the two Decaylings off the beds, then leading them back down the corridor. “I will take you back to your apartments so you may rest. If you have any issues, you can call me, at any time. Understand?”
Arkay and Ksatah both nodded as they reached their apartments, realizing that they basically lived opposite to each other. Vikalos opened the doors, leading them both inside.
“Hey, before you go,” Ksatah suddenly perked up. “Next time we get a social break, do you want to join us, Arkay?”
“What will you be doing?”
“Just having drinks with Vetal and Kalis. You should come too.”
Arkay blinked, then grinned. “That sounds awesome. Count me in!”