“Hmph.”
“Is something wrong?”
Kinisis’s sudden appearance nearly made Kenon react. He was not one to jump or otherwise be shocked by the abrupt appearances of others, but Kinisis had nearly managed to cause Kenon to, well, move. Kenon though was busy, working on one of his many plans and backup scenarios.
“Define “wrong” for me, Kinisis?”
Kinisis flittered around Kenon’s head, having taken a very small, pixie-like form, fluttering around on cute little dragonfly wings and leaving a trail of sparkles behind her.
“Well, you seem vaguely annoyed, and I don’t know if you’re annoyed with me or if your experiments are going wrong or something like that. You’re such a dark nothingness that it’s hard to tell how you are feeling and why.”
The Voidborn put his experiment to one side, collapsing it into a small, black box and placing it gently in a Void Pocket for later observations. His eyes tracked Kinisis’s flighty positions in the darkness, until she settled down just out of sight, perching on Kenon’s left antler.
“That is somewhat understandable. Do you wish to hear both reasons why I am not at optimum happiness or just one?”
“Both, please!” Kinisis beamed. “You’re unpredictable when you’re not happy.”
Kenon grunted, then summoned his favourite red, leather chair to sit down in, complete with gold trim, recliner and massaging settings. Kinisis remained where she was, humming to herself, waiting for Kenon’s response.
“The first reason is that my own experimentation in converting mortals into immortals is not going well at all. I managed to accomplish this in our previous universe, but something is throwing my calculations off here. I had assumed that the Thantophor’s existence was causing this, but even with the Decay Lord removed from my calculations, I am still looking at complete functional collapses. I do not have a single working attempt yet, and the only true non-deitic immortal mortal is that stupid little half-child of yours, who retains immortality in a completely unconventional matter and as such is not viable for permanent, macroscopic immortality. Thus the failures of my experimentation have caused me much grief.”
“So you’re pissed off because your immortality experiments aren’t working.”
Kenon nodded, forgetting that Kinisis was perched on his head. She didn’t seem to mind.
“We achieved immortality so much quicker last time.”
“Only because we placed parts of ourselves inside others. It wasn’t true immortality, and with the right tools, all the immortal life we created could have so easily been destroyed…” Kinisis sighed, then gently patted Kenon on the head. “What else is bothering you?”
Kenon paused, wondering whether to speak or not. “Um. Your, uh, punishment for our children. That is also bothering me.”
“Why?”
“They do not deserve it.”
Kinisis tutted. “Yeah they do. Especially Kairos. None of them have much faith in mortals.”
“Arkadin has always heavily respected them. More so than perhaps even you and I.”
The Allmaker shrugged, then jumped up and landed on Kenon’s other antler. “Perhaps, but without Arkadin, his siblings would have been utterly lost. Then again, that would have made for a much more… entertaining scenario.”
“I disagree. This punishment of yours is too harsh.”
“It’s not just punishment!” Kinisis smiled. “This is… persuasion. Something to kick-start their work. To get Kairos and Epani more involved in our goals. When they understand just how hard it is for mortals, they will want to push onwards, to work towards immortality the way we do.”
“So you wish to coerce them into working harder?”
Kinisis shook her head. “No, not at all. I want them to know what it’s like if they fail and if we fail with our task to create true immortality. To show them what the stakes really are.”
Kenon pondered Kinisis’s words. “Fair enough, my dear. Now, may I ask for you to leave? I have… test subjects to find and source…”
The Allmaker flittered off Kenon’s antlers and hovered in front of the Voidborn, gently hugging his face.
“Of course, my dear. Don’t work too hard, okay?”
Kenon smiled ever so slightly as Kinisis disappeared, his mood having perked up. “Do not fret, Allmaker. I know what I am doing…”