Arkay wasn’t sure what to expect as he approached the universe. It was ancient, and huge. But the Vast Skin that surrounded it was shielded by a vast about of black cloud, which heavily obscured it. That being said, there was one spot that glowed, clearly as some sort of beacon, and, judging by how Arkay had approached the universe, it seemed to be some sort of access point, similar to what his old universes had. In fact, everything about this universe felt familiar. Worryingly so.
As Arkay got closer to the hatch, that familiarity became stronger. He could sense a presence. Someone had detected him and was now waiting for him, almost beckoning him.
Turns out, they were. There was a very very large Life Goddess peering through that glowing spot. And once Arkay was close enough, they revealed themselves. They were gigantic. Moon-sized. With a gravitational pull that unintentionally tried to drag Arkay closer. They also looked a LOT like Kinisis, except dressed and in different colours.
“Life Goddess Syklas!” Arkay immediately bowed, making himself look as harmless as possible. “I mean no harm to your domain. I bring news.”
Syklas didn’t answer at first. She looked Arkay up and down, clearly inspecting him. But after a few moments, she seemed to smile.
“Veth Prime Arkay. It is nice to see you again.”
“Huh…” Arkay was confused for a moment. “No one’s called that in a very, very long time.”
“Understandable. It has been a long time. I am surprised that you are here though. I… I heard about what happened to Kinisis…” Syklas inched closer to Arkay. “You killed Kinisis, didn’t you?”
“I did, yes.”
“Understandable.”
Arkay blinked. “You’re not angry?”
“Not at all. Kinisis was always very… messy. I warned her many times about what she was doing, but she only cared about herself. She was destructive in her work, she created without thought but she also destroyed without care. Among the Coriatonmitron, the Daughters of the Mother, Kinisis was considered an outlier, an extremist, with little care in what she created. She wanted eternity, she wanted power, nothing would stop her from getting it. And unfortunately, that sort of thinking, in a Life Goddess of all things, it corrupts you. It ate her up, in the end, turned her into nothing but cancer.”
“Well, I completely agree…” Arkay hesitated. “You… knew Kinisis well, I assume?”
“She was my sister. We were twins, I believe. Cut from the same cloth but put on different paths. Stability and slow development versus an endless desire for more. The fact that I outlived Kinisis, at least in terms of being a Life Goddess, often vexes me. But I left the experimental Golden Paradise a long time ago. Long before Mother chose to have… far more children.”
Syklas fell silent, then inspected Arkay some more.
“I never liked how Kinisis worked. And I never liked what she did with you.”
“You… know what she did to me?”
“Of course I do. I used what she did to you to make my last god of death. But not with the needless agony. Kinisis believed that the means justified the end, she did not care who she hurt in order to obtain her goals. You meant nothing to her, or rather, you as a person meant nothing to her, so she had no problems hurting you over and over. I tried to avoid what she did. I like to think I did… an alright job. Mistakes were made the first time, but the second time? I think my darling Helkas turned out alright.”
“Well…” Arkay hesitated. “I am glad you mentioned Helkas because that’s mostly the reason I’m here.”
“Helkas is alive and well?” Syklas exclaimed. “My releasing him from this universe allowed him to live?”
“Yep!” Arkay perked up. “Me and my sect, we found Helkas, he’s nice and healthy and we’re going to train him to become a Decay Lord. He wants to learn how to use his Life Goddess powers to make pretty space gardens.”
The smile on Syklas’s face fell briefly. “So… I was successful in making an Of All Three?”
“Uh… yeah. We call ourselves Synaisthyns these days. But, as far as I am aware, there’s only me, Elkay, Panton and now Helkas. Although Helkas did mention there might be others.”
“Hm…” Syklas thought for a moment. “I would not know. Others I have sent out rather than entombing, they were not the same as Helkas, they were… normal, I believe. And they should not be an issue. But I assume, little Arkay, you want to ask me to make sure I do not make any Of All Three entities.”
“Actually, I came here to make sure that your universe is safe and all that. Helkas wasn’t sure and seems to have some memory loss, so I told him I would come by, do a check up and make sure you’re alright. Although… if you could… maybe not make more Synaisthyns, I’d appreciate that. We can be a bit… funny. Helkas is fine, but Elkay and I are… uh… let’s not get into that.”
Syklas went back to smiling. “Well, my darling, I very much love that you have stopped by to visit and I am very appreciative of the news that Helkas is well. You will look after him and cherish him, yes?”
“Of course. We have big plans for Helkas, and those plans mostly include making sure he is happy and safe. He’s already thriving.”
“Thank you. And thank you for remaining kind, despite the pain you have been through.”
Arkay bowed. “It’s the least I can do. Treat others how you wish to be treated yourself, am I right?”
“You are. But I must bid you farewell now, dear Arkay. I have work to do.”
“No worries!” Arkay bowed some more. “Thank you for being kind as well, and giving Helkas a second chance. He deserves it.”
“Not a problem. Farewell, Arkay.”
Arkay waved as he drifted off. “Stay safe, Syklas.”