Arkay was supposed to have been meeting the other deities for a meeting about mortal matters, but Epani had sent Arkay yet another panicked message about yet another entity appearing at the northern entrance to the universe and had demanded that he deal with it immediately. Considering the recent intruders they’d had lately, this was somewhat reasonable. So that was what Arkay was doing, heading to the northern most point of the universe, where a metal platform and a large hatch had been erected. The hatch was normally locked up tight, but occasionally they did need to use it to eject matter that the universe needed to get rid of.
Annoyingly, Epani hadn’t described whatever was waiting for Arkay, she’d just told him that something had triggered her automatic security sensors. This meant Arkay was going in blind, and he’d put on some extra armour, just in case. Not that it ever seemed to do much, but it made Arkay feel better.
As Arkay opened up the hatch and stuck his head out, he spotted the creature currently terrifying the elder Goddess. It wasn’t particularly large, hardly taller than Arkay himself. Kinda looked like Arkay as well, at least in shape. The being was also perfectly still, hovering about an inch above the platform, as if it was intentionally not touching it.
“Hello, dear deity!” the being seemed to smile. It had dark green armour plating across its head, chest, groin and upper legs and arms, but its lower arms and legs were covered in an inky black sludge. On its back were a pair of demonic wings, the tips also covered in that black sludge. However its eyes were bright red and seemingly full of life. “May we talk? I know I am an unusual-looking being but…”
The creature trailed off as Arkay approached. It had realized that Arkay looked a bit like it.
“Hi, uh, are you Corruption?” Arkay asked, summoning his Elkayne Blade, a dagger made from his own blood, capable of killing anything corrupted. “Because we don’t allow that sort of thing here and I kinda have to kill you.”
“Oh, I understand that, but before we turn to violence, I just want to talk. I have no desire of harming or corrupting anything, dear deity. Do you have a name?”
Arkay eyed the creature, hesitating. He did want to just kill it and move on, but, well, this being hadn’t attacked Arkay and clearly stated that it wasn’t violent. “You can call me Arkay. Do you have a name, Corruption?”
The being repeated Arkay’s name several times, before answering with its own name. “I am Elthanios. While yes, I am… the child of Corruption, I am not your standard hungry, mindless monster. In fact, I wish to make an offer to you.”
Arkay crossed his arms and tutted. “Let me guess, you want to offer some sort of safety to one of our deities, allowing us to go and make another universe, while you consume this one. Because that’s what they ALWAYS say.”
Elthanios didn’t seem insulted. They smiled, revealing their teeth. They had six overly long fangs that stuck out from their top jaw, but one of the fangs was snapped and missing. “I can completely understand your frustration. After all, I am related to the horrible monsters that go around eating universes. However, I am here to offer some sort of defence against other Corruptions.”
“What… sort of defence?” Arkay continued to inspect Elthanios. Corruptions were definitely known to mimic other beings, but it didn’t look like Elthanios’s appearance was intentional mimicry. If anything, it seemed almost as confused as Arkay was.
“Well, dear Arkay…” Elthanios paused, again repeating Arkay’s name. “I apologise. I think perhaps an explanation is in order.”
“That would be a good idea.”
Elthanios nodded. “Indeed, dear Arkay. To cut an awfully long story short, I have always been a Corruption. Or, rather, half of one. I had a mortal mother, but my father was-”
Arkay blinked, realizing he had suddenly stopped understanding what Elthanios was saying. Elthanios noticed and swiftly apologized again.
“My father’s name is not… comprehensible to non-Diaphthoric beings. But, in words you can understand, my father is The Unending Ancient One. One of the earliest Diaphthoric beings to ever come into existence. It has been trying for aeons to end the tyranny of other Corruptions, as well as trying to find a way to reproduce without having to, well, destroy universes. I am one such experiment, a one-off, unfortunately. In the mean time, The Vast Unending One has been sending me and my fellow demi-Diaphthoric entities out to speak to universes and offer the best weapon one can use against Corruption.”
“What sort of weapon?” Arkay was curious now. Perhaps too curious. He clutched his dagger tightly, just in case. “Because, I’ll be honest, we’re doing pretty alright when it comes to corruptions. ”
The corrupted being continued to smile as they removed something from a satchel on their back. It was a glass box, containing a collection of teeth and bones.
“Diaphthoric beings exist on a hierarchy. The older the strain of Corruption, the harder it is to kill. So you simply need to possess an older strain of Corruption to kill whatever it is you face. The Unending Ancient One is, as its name suggests, one of the oldest strains in existence. And, thus, it makes my own strain of Corruption uniquely ancient too. While I can’t simply hand over a sample of my father, I can offer you my own bones, purified and made safe to use, for you to craft into weapons to protect your universe.”
“Huh… Is there a cost to any of this?”
Elthanios shook his head. “No meaningful cost. All I require is a DNA or blood sample from one deity from this universe.”
Arkay grunted. “That is… uh, why?”
“Simply put, I am looking for my mother. Or, at least, the universe that spawned my mother. I assume it is long gone, I managed to slip out when a cataclysm happened that completely and utterly twisted my universe beyond recognition. I seek my own origin.”
“I… I don’t really know if I can help you, mate…” Arkay frowned. “I mean, it’s kinda weird that you look like me, but you’re, well, a corruption, your kind probably ate the universe you were born in or something. And because you’re corrupted, your DNA probably won’t match anything.”
“I am aware of this, dear Arkay, but I still wish to try…” Elthanios pulled something else from their satchel, some sort of electronic device with a digital screen on it, as well as several buttons. The buttons were all labelled in a language Arkay couldn’t read. The corrupted being also held several test strips, as well as a sealed needle.
“So… in exchange for material which can kill you, you just want a drop of blood?” Arkay felt uneasy about all of this. “How do I know your, uh, bones, actually work?”
“I understand your reluctance, dear Arkay!” Elthanios smiled again, letting go of what it was holding, allowing it to just float in mid air. “Would you like to see a demonstration?”
“Yes, please.”
“Very well.”
Elthanios reached into their satchel yet again, and revealed a small, glass jar. Inside was a sample of live corruption, a black, inky mass, desperately trying to break out. Elthanios opened up the glass box and removed a particularly sharp bone, which he then forced through the lid of the jar, straight into the trapped corruption. It immediately screeched and evaporated into nothingness.
“Satisfied?”
“That was… very effective. Also, you clearly have no problems killing your own.”
“Of course. We are Diaphthofic beings, we deserve to be extinguished!” Elthanios beamed as they tidied everything up. “Now, will you offer a sample of your blood? If you wish, to settle your unease, I can do the test I require your blood for right here, in front of you.”
“What is the test?” Arkay only felt slightly less uneasy.
“Nothing much, dear Arkay. It is just a test to compare your DNA with my own. In the hopes that I might find a trace of my mother’s universe. Although, after so long, I have very little hope.”
Arkay sighed, then relented. After all, it was a simple request, and Arkay had always been worried about losing the one dagger he had that had a 100% success rate against corruption. “Alright, fine. But I’m not using your needles. Pass me one of those test strips.”
Elthanios did as requested and handed Arkay a strip. Arkay proceeded to bite his finger and allow a drop of blood to land on the strip. His wound immediately healed up, and Arkay handed the strip back to Elthanios. The corrupted being continued to smile as they placed the strip inside the digital device and waited.
After a couple of seconds, the device beeped. However, the look on Elthanios’s face changed, to one of stunned silence.
“Well?” Arkay queried.
Elthanios didn’t answer. Instead, they showed the screen of the device to Arkay. This was pointless though because Arkay couldn’t read the corrupted language.
“Uh… You’re going to have to translate or something.”
“It is… a 50%… match to… my own DNA…” Elthanios was stuttering. “But… not… not my… father’s… side… My dear Arkay, it seems that we are half-siblings.”
Arkay let out a low growl, feeling almost insulted by Elthanios’s statement. But after a deep breath, Arkay closed his eyes and tried to think back, to the time before he was a deity. He only had the vaguest of memories, just a handful of names mostly.
“Our mother, his name was Kayel Theanon. He was a Threan-type Rethan, a member of the L-Class Ksa. He had seven kids, you were the oldest. Your name isn’t Elthanios, it’s Elkay Theanon. I was supposed to have killed my other siblings, at Kinisis’s request, but I refused and you all disappeared. The Deitic, the four Time Drakes, and whatever you were. Never realized that you were, well, somehow still alive. Especially since it’s been like 16 billion years.”
Upon hearing his original name, Elthanios’s body began to change. The black sludge all crumbled away, the teeth in his mouth looked slightly more normal, and he took on an appearance much, much similar to Arkay, except slightly more muscular.
Elthanios bowed, then went back to smiling. “Well, dear brother, I really must thank you. This has been… an experience. A pleasure, perhaps. For your time, for your words and your knowledge, I feel I must offer more than just my bones…” Elthanios went back to his satchel and started rummaging around once more. After a little too long, he retrieved a small, black crystal which sparkled in an almost nonsensical way. He gave this to Arkay, gently placing it in Arkay’s free hand.
“What is this?” Arkay asked.
“A beacon. If you ever come across a corruption you cannot kill, simply hold this gem tightly and call for aid. I will drop everything to assist you, dear brother. And, of course, you can keep this trove of bones as well.”
“What about you though?”
Elthanios looked Arkay up and down. “What about me? Dear brother, you have lifted a weight off my existence. I thank you for that. But I must continue on my journey, to visit young universes and offer them protection. Although there are very few of them around here, I have noticed.”
“Yeah…” Arkay knew the reason why, but he didn’t want to burden this being. “Well, I guess I’ll leave you to it. I wish you safe travels, Elkay.”
“And I wish you a safe universe, dear Arkay. Farewell!”
With that, Elkay disappeared, taking his belongings with him, but leaving the glass case full of bones. Arkay stared blankly where the being once stood, before finally snapping into gear. He tucked the black crystal into a pocket in his armour, then picked up the glass case. Arkay climbed back into his universe, sealing the hatch behind him, then reached for a small, silver disc, which he tapped on three times.
“Hey, little Arkay!” a pink, holographic visual of Sini popped up. “Everything alright?”
“Yeah. You all still waiting for me for this meeting?”
“Of course. Is the problem Epani wanted you to deal with all sorted out?”
“Yeah… Definitely sorted out. I gotta drop my dagger back at my place, but afterwards, I need to talk to you about something in private.”
“Oh?”
“Yep. I think I… found a more permanent solution to the constant corruption problem…”