Kenon watched as the little deities scuttled around, busying themselves with their plans to kill their own father. Really, Kenon wasn’t too surprised. He had treated them as pathetic little insects, because that was what they were. Dumb critters too insecure to properly use their godly powers. Unfortunately for Kenon and in spite of their insecurities, they had decided to work together in order to kill Kenon.
What was worse was that, for once, they might actually succeed in killing him.
Everything was in place. The time loop that stopped Kenon from escaping. The death blades that stopped him from moving. The black holes stopping him from regenerating. The biting bugs and parasites that were stripping his senses.
All Kenon had left was his voice.
“Before you kill me… I must inform you all of several lies that you have been told…” Kenon’s voice trembled. He was in pain. But the pain was fading. Maybe he actually was beginning to die.
“You mean you’re going to lie to us several more times before we kill you!” the voice of Kenon’s youngest son echoed through Kenon’s prison. “No. No more. All you do is cause damage to this universe.”
“Arkadin, he’s going to die, maybe we should let him have his last words.”
Out of the four deities, Epani was the one Kenon hated the least. She may have seemed cold on the outside, but she both cared and used logic.
Yisini and Kairos both seemed hesitant, but both quickly relented.
“Fine, ‘dad’, what do you want to tell us?”
“Everything she told you was a lie. We are not family. We are not related. You are not part of this universe. You are pathetic little nothings that stupid bitch took pity on in her previous universe.”
The deities looked at each other. All of them sighed.
“Maybe we’ll have to drag Kinisis into this after all…” Kairos muttered.
The second her name was mentioned, Kinisis appeared in a blinding flash of light and sparkles.
“WHAT IN THE NAME OF ME ARE YOU ALL DOING?” Kinisis screeched.
“They are trying to kill me, dear…” Kenon attempted to explain, only for Kinisis to continue screeching over him.
“YOU ARE TELLING THEM THINGS! THINGS I TOLD YOU NOT TO TELL THEM! YOU HYPOCRITE!”
“So…” Kairos shrugged. “What he said was true? We’re not family, we’re not related to one another and we’re basically the survivors of another universe?”
Kinisis took a long, deep breath in a vague attempt to calm herself down. But the deep breath did nothing to help her mood. Instead, she grew larger and more angry, smashing apart the black holes, time loops and death blades that were keeping Kenon in place. She took one remaining black hole in one hand and Kenon by the throat in the other.
“I will rip your head off.”
“Do it then. I am prepared. They have been told the truth. So do what you must.”
“Before you do…” Epani interrupted. “Maybe you and Kenon could clarify these truths a little?”
Kinisis stared at Kenon, still growling. “He is only half correct. He is correct in that none of you are related to each other. You are all separate entities with nothing in common and no genetic relationships. But it is not completely true that you’re all… from that place…”
“That place?” Arkadin asked. “So the dreams… they’re somewhat real?”
The Goddess of All took another deep breath, then slowly loosened her grip on Kenon. “He’s right, I did screw up the last universe. And Kenon and I saved Kairos and Arkay from its destruction. Because they were part of what made that universe amazing, and we wanted them to make this universe amazing too.”
“WAIT!” Yisini butted in. “What about me? And Epani?”
“I made you two to be mirrors. Kairos and Arkadin embody destruction, Epani and Yisini embody creation…”
“You control them though, Kinisis. You do not trust them!” Kenon interrupted. “They are worthless puppets in a worthless universe.”
“Why do you think this universe is worthless, my dear?” Kinisis sighed, letting go of Kenon and drifting off. “We built it together.”
“And you ruined it with those fools.”
Kairos flapped his wings angrily as he growled at Kenon. “This universe would be absolutely fine if you weren’t constantly causing mischief! In the last few days alone, you have caused more chaos than the last ten Corruption attacks! You judge this universe as worthless while intentionally making it worse!”
“Because none of you are smart enough to know what needs to be done. This universe needs to die. Because you are all worth-”
The Voidborn stopped abruptly. In a single, decisive move, Arkadin used the strength of a black hole to crush Kenon’s body, shrinking him down into a tiny speck. The Thantophor then picked up the speck and placed it inside a small, glass jar. The container glowed with a dark, red, ominous energy, which Arkadin swiftly absorbed. Inside the jar, Kenon bashed fruitlessly against the glass, his Voidborn energies stripped away.
“Are you alright, bro…, uh Arkadin?” Yisini asked. “That didn’t look good for you.”
Arkadin shook himself down. “It had to be done. That energy will hurt me for a while, but it’s for the best.”
“He would have killed us otherwise…” Kairos sighed. “But what about… all of this?”
The Thantophor glanced at the jar, then gently placed it in Kinisis’s hands.
“Kill him if you want, Kinisis. That’s up to you. But I won’t let him hurt this universe any more.”