Arkadin woke up on a cold, eternally black and somewhat dusty floor, his mind confused and his stomach contents unsettled. Acidic drool sprayed out of the Thantophor’s mouth as his godly powers returned to him, alongside the almost endless screams of the dead and dying.
Scurrying to his feet, the Lord of Decay tried to work out where he was. All he could tell was that he was within void space, as there seemed to be no magnetic fields giving him a north or south feel. Behind him were four strange, mechanical chairs filled with chattering sounds and blinking lights, each made for a specific being. While Arkadin’s former seat was empty, the darkened forms of the other three deities remained in place, utterly motionless.
“What… what the fuck…”
“Quiet.”
“What…”
“Be quiet and listen.”
Immediately, Arkadin recognised that voice. It belonged to Kenon, the God of Nothingness. As did the glowing, pale blue eyes that hovered vaguely in the darkness. With a sigh, Arkadin dusted himself down and straightened himself out, despite his dizziness, and faced the pair of illuminated orbs. After all, there was nothing else but darkness.
“Are you paying attention? Because I do not have much time.”
Arkadin nodded.
“Good. Because I am deeply concerned that Kinisis will not keep her word. She has imprisoned your consciousnesses in mortal bodies and will not let you go until you learn arbitrary lessons. I do not know what you have to do to satisfy Kinisis specifically, but in her own words, she needs Kairos and Epani to respect mortals, Yisini to work hard and honest and for you to find love.”
“What… there’s no-”
“Quiet.”
With a sigh, Arkadin did as he was told.
“I know such a task is nigh impossible for beings such as yourselves, but in my telling you this, I hope that you can at least steer yourselves in the correct direction, in order to please Kinisis.”
“But…”
“I will not try to force you to find love, but a conscious effort is needed for all of you. I would much prefer that you all at minimum attempt to fulfil Kinisis’s desires, because I do not wish to go enter conflict with your consciousnesses on the line. As it stands, your godly forms are unharmed, but I cannot tell you how death would affect your minds. So I do not recommend getting your mortal bodies killed.”
Arkadin rolled his eyes. That was obvious.
“I am trying to convince Kinisis to let you all come home, but you may be stuck for a few more weeks. Please, be careful.”
“What? I’ve already been carefu-”
“Do not speak. She will hear you. And if she hears you, she will act. Now, I must put you back in your mortal body.”
As the pale eyes faded away, massive, shadowy tentacles exploded from the gloom, wrapping around Arkadin and forcing him back into the empty chair. Arkadin tried to resist at first, but quickly realised that there was no use fighting back. Kenon didn’t want to attract the Allmaker’s attention and, truthfully, neither did Arkadin.
Before Arkadin could say or really do anything, he felt all sorts of wires plugging into his body. Soon, everything went… grey.
…
Arkay woke up in shock, sweaty and weirdly tired. He glanced around the room, trying to work out where he was. There was nothing around, just his normal, slightly messy little bedroom. But the haunting words of his dreams still lingered in his mind.
“I should probably tell the others…” Arkay grunted as he climbed out of bed, his mind still spinning with confusion.