Might.
Within the world of Artroska, might is to be revered, the strong prey on the weak, such as the natural order of things.
Tribulations wreck the Earth, the mortals wail in despair, yet there is purpose and life sourcing through, the natural order of things.
For each tear, a smile shall pop up in the future.
But... that's not the case for all existences.
Within the endless expanse of the skies, several figures stood, seven individuals with exotic appearances floated, each of the seating on a throne.
From their seats, they overlooked the endless stars and the life within them.
They're the gods of this universe, all of them work together under a single banner.
The God of Creation, Artorsh.
From the beginning of times, he waited for those who the endless course of destiny deemed as the most qualified.
And within these figures, there is one that could only be categorized as the most unparalleled of geniuses.
A big golden head with shining eyes overlooked the seven individuals, his gaze remained mostly on one that unlike the others, had a bored expression and a lifeless gaze.
He wasn't the only one, beautiful lady also glanced at him with this same visage.
"Today's conference is finished... I will see you all again in another thousand years... go back to your respective realms." The God of Creation billowed and the seven figures stood up, each more exotic than the other.
God of Luck and Fate.
Goddess of Light and Hope.
God of Evil and Trickery.
Goddess of Happiness and Love.
God of War and Destruction
"Yes, father..." They said all nonchalantly, too used to this same session for aeons, using the respective techniques they retreated without even saying their farewells to one another.
Only two remained.
"Yaksha, I don't recall telling you to stay here too." The golden head addressed the lady with kindness, she approached the last throne where the handsome auburn-haired man with lifeless golden eyes sat.
"Sorry, father... I just... want to have some words with Morpheus." The lady bowed slightly despite her myriad power capable of destroying planets, she still had to bow in front of the creator.
The lady, a beautiful goddess with ten purple wings with dark glows right at the edges, covered her perfect body with dark robes and a cloak, she was holding an exotic staff that resembled the feathers of a golden crow.
Yaksha... the Goddess of Death and Inexistence, one of the oldest in the group is actually addressing the youngest in the group, but also, one of the most powerful Gods.
The Magic God, Morpheus.
Her golden eyes looked at the man with concern, and when she tried to move her hand and touch him, her hand phased through his body.
"What do you want, Yaksha?" His voice struggled to sound soft and kind, instead of disinterested.
"Aren't you even going to allow me to touch you? have I become so disgusting in your eyes?" She showed an aggrieved expression, and insisted, only becoming a little more depressed when he actually allowed her to touch him, not because of his own accord, but because she asked nicely.
"We have already spoken about this... it's been three thousand years... that's like three seconds for you..." His gaze finally moved towards her, struggling to show a kind visage, not because she did anything wrong.
Whatever it's happening between the two of them, it's totally his fault.
"Not three seconds when you're not with me... let me try again, okay? I will do better this time..." She didn't beg, rather... requested.
Because she knows that if she begs, he's going to accept, but not because he wants, only to make her contented.
"Yaksha, why must you be so...?" Sighing, the man decided that would be better for her, he stood up from the throne that disappeared in a spatial whirlpool and prepared to depart, but only then did she embrace his body, preventing him from doing so.
!!!
"Don't go... come to my realm... isn't that your home? haven't we lived there for hundreds of thousands of years? how can you leave everything so suddenly?!" She resisted, not willing to let go.
"..." In this position, he couldn't do anything else other than just remain like that within her paradoxically cold embrace, she's the death after all.
Her words resonated in his mind, trying to convince him and they were working, but Yaksha seemed to have lost her own purpose amidst her obsession.
The two of them had broken up three thousand years ago, and even then every thousand years in this reunion she always repeats this same scene.
"Yaksha... retreat." The Creation God's voice resounded, kind as usual but a little more firm.
"Father!!"
"YAKSHA..."
"..."
Biting her lips profusely she released her embrace the lady took her floating staff and threw him a glare, "I won't give up, Morpheus..."
*WWOOSSH!*
She disappeared in a wisp of darkness, already awaiting the moment she would see him again in a thousand years.
"My son..." The golden head sighed as if he had grown several aeons older, even when the concept of age and time don't apply to him.
"Thanks, father... she won't stop." the magic god sighed too, his feelings neutral, as much as he wanted to feel sad... he couldn't.
"Why can't you just consider it?"
"You know why, father... she won't be happy with me."
"But she's unhappy without you, son..."
"..." He would say, it's just a matter of time if three thousand years hadn't taken place already.
...
An awkward silence remained between them, it had been Artorsh who had requested Morpheus to stay after the millennium meeting finished.
"I'm sorry, my son... in order to assist you into becoming the sacred being that you are today, I might have sent too many tribulations... your way, you became an extreme genius capable of surpassing even Yaksha... but in exchange... you lost everything that made you, human..."
"... I'm not a human, I'm a God... I don't need feelings." Morpheus frowned and countered, unlike the other gods who enjoy themselves, he's always working...
He ascended to godhood a hundred thousand years ago, and he started his relationship with Yaksha even before that, his struggle and battle to become stronger remained within her mind, to the point that she descended to give him her blessing in his endeavour.
Morpheus has always been a good man, happy... always rejoicing at the smallest of details, but in order to become stronger, tribulations are needed... and the more talent you have, the more the universe will try to shape you into an amazing individual that will serve as the core.
Sadly for Morpheus, he was one in dozens of millions, and the more tribulations he went through, the more tribulations he surpassed, it only increased.
Sacrificing himself for his family that was in poverty, sacrificing himself for his beloved who died in his arms, sacrificing himself for the country that betrayed him, sacrificing himself for the planet that denied him.
A man's heart can only take so much pain before breaking.
In order to become the magic god, one must have great mastery over the rest of the laws of the universe, not enough to guarantee the title of 'god' but enough to be a demigod with each law.
And he had achieved this feat, with Yaksha's assistance and blessing, he had mastered his first law, Darkness.
Her infatuation for him increased the more he moved through the myriad stars, conquering them, healing them... always sacrificing himself for others, but never doing anything for himself.
She hadn't been the only goddess to show feelings for the promising man, but as the strongest goddess, the other goddess could only respectfully step back.
When Morpheus conquered what today is known as the 'Magic Realm' a gigantic cluster of stars that spreads through a region of the galaxy, it was the moment that Yaksha deemed correct, she descended from the Death Realm to marry him, and he accepted.
But by then, Morpheus' mind was more than skewered.
The alliance between the Magic Realm and the Death Realm became something impressive, a sight to behold, but deep within the house, things weren't that right.
It was a unilateral relationship, for Yaksha, Morpheus was the perfect husband, attentive, caring, passionate, strong... she couldn't have chosen anyone better.
But for Morpheus... the man is incapable of feeling love, and slowly but surely, Yaksha's infatuation would give way to realisation and see the forceness of his actions whenever they were together.
She didn't deem this as his lack of love towards her, for her, this is a disease that he has... therefore, like a dutiful wife, she tried everything she could, they had sons and daughters that grew up and left home, they had grandchildren, they destroyed realms and created new ones... but no matter what she did... those lifeless eyes wouldn't go away... her love would increase, but he would remain unexistent.
At some point, he thought that it is enough, and he left the Death Realm.
That was their first breakup, in order to fix it, she went to the Magic Realm to live with him, but the circle repeated once again and to the ridiculousness of their subjects, there was a period in which she resided in the Magic Realm and he resided in the Death Realm.
Enough was enough, Morpheus prohibited Yaksha from entering the Magic Realm and also forced her to prohibit him from entering the Death Realm.
That was three thousand years ago.
...
"I don't blame you, father... it's because of those tribulations that I became what I am... I'm proud of what I am today!"
"... I know... son, I think... it's time you take some holidays..." The head sighed, there is no worse patient than the one that doesn't want to be cured.
But, a cure is bound to appear eventually.
"Ah?" Morpheus doesn't understand.
"I know of a universe that's going through a severely dire situation... one in which the universe's vitality is swiftly decaying due to humanity's greed... the patron God of that multiverse lost contact with me aeons ago... if I send you there, I think you might find what you're looking for, my son."
"B-But father, I don't want to leave! The magic realm..." Morpheus' ten wings extended, each of them shining with a different colour, a different element.
"The magic realm will be alright..."
*RUMBLE!!*
!!!
Focusing his whole power around Morpheus, the God started to float as a portal appeared beside him.
"F-Father, you can't do this to me! after everything I have gone through!"
"It's because of that, my son... that I'm doing this... because you deserve to be happy, and I know you only find happiness in tribulations, you always liked solving problems, helping people... now that your Magic Realm is excellent, you need to find something else to entertain yourself with!"
"T-That... what about Yaksha then!? what's going to happen with her?!"
"Why do you care about Yaksha? I thought you couldn't feel anything..." The golden head furrowed its shining eyes.
!!!
"T-That... I'm just worried."
"Don't worry, since you're going to be away, she's surely going to find someone else, that's what you want, right? you want her to be happy!"
"... y-yes..." Indeed, that's what he wants, but... why does it hurt?
"Then be on your way, my son! I hope you will forgive this useless father of yours that destroyed your heart!"
*RUMBLEE!!!!!*
Even as the God of Creation, it took a lot of energy out of Artorsh to take the Magic God away from this universe, but it took a lot more effort, to take a big wisp of Morpheus' divinity.
Going through the portal, the Magic God was successfully exiled.
But the portal didn't close.
A stone sized shining stone floated, the magic god's divinity.
'When it is time for you to come back, I will give it back to you.'
...
"Are you sure about this, Yaksha...?"
"Yes, father... if it's not him... I don't want to live anymore..."
*WOOOSH!!!*
"Foolish child, to trap your husband like this..." The head sighed as the lady appeared amidst a black haze, walking to the portal that was still open, with a solemn yet warm expression.
"You should be aware father, he can 'feel' but he can't recognise those feelings, as if he's actively denying them... possibly because he was hurt so much that he can't bear to leave anyone the opportunity to hurt him again... I'm going to fix it."
"... It's going to be difficult if we're missing two gods." Another wisp of energy was released and he took away a big chunk of Yaksha's divinity as well.
Unlike Morpheus, hers is pitch black, like a black hole.
"It's our holidays, I think we deserve it... thanks for this, father..."
"No, It's me who should thank you... you're doing what should have originally been my responsibility... that brat really found a good wife."
Yaksha smiled and nodded before making her way to the portal, now she didn't have her ten wings or her staff, but her control over the laws of Darkness and Soul was as excellent as ever.
She's the Goddess of Death and Inexistence and a God is not made out of divinity it's made out of mastery.
Just like that, two Gods disappeared from this universe, heading to a world that's totally different from what they could possibly expect.
...
*WOOOSH!!*
But before the portal even closed, a wisp of crimson flames revered through this starry world.
"Hmn, Zekron? what are you still doing here...?"
"Father... give me those two stones~" A man with crimson red hair and golden robes lifted up a gigantic sword and exuded his entire divinity!
After taking away both of Morpheus and Yaksha's divinities, Artorsh was in a weakened state, but still, he's the Creation God!
"DISOBEDIENT CHILD! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN TRYING TO DO!?"
*RUMBLE!!!!*
The entire creation seemed to shake under the might of this golden head, but... the crimson man wasn't deterred.
He released his entire divinity as well and slashed through, hitting the portal and obliterating it!
"LET'S DO IT, FATHER!"
And just like that, amidst the departure of two of the strongest gods, the God of War and Destruction, Zekron, decided to revolt.
**
**
The Earth, United Kingdom, the year 2389.
*WOOOSHHH!!*
The alarms rang through several of this world's security measures the moment a foreign object was detected entering orbit, a meteor.
'Unknown object entering the orbit, proceeding with scheduled erasure.'
The automated protocols that detected this object worked together to erase it after its invasion of the atmosphere didn't result in its disintegration.
*FIUSSH!!!*
Dozens of heat beams shot straight through the skies towards it, hitting it... but they couldn't do anything!
The flaming object continued its trail.
*BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM----------------
That was until it was one of the tall shiny buildings.
**
**
Morpheus woke up, scratching his head slightly and stood up, flapping his wings a little.
"Father... was that really necessary?" He thought as his eyelids opened to regard the world that he fell in, but there was a prominent thought within his mind, much stronger than the sudden annoyance.
His chest hurt slightly, Yaksha... is going to be with someone else?
'It's better that way...' he concluded and sighed, perhaps wondering why is this thought still in his head.
After moving the thought of his wife away, he regarded the world he fell at.
Disgusting... utterly disgusting.
'So much artificial light, colours... what a disgusting place.'
It was so much neon light that it impacted his eyes as if he was looking at the sun straight, however, to him, the light of the sun is soothing, but this...
Almost inadvertently, he used a spell as the magic god he is.
<Lightless Albedo>
*RUMBLE!!!*
And then, thankfully, the annoying light stopped entering his sacred eyes.
In fact, every single 'light' that existed within two kilometres, ceased to shine at that moment, and for the first time after hundreds of years, this city knew what a 'blackout' truly is.
Sirens and panic permeated the district of Barnet in London as it had been several hundreds of years since this city experienced anything remotely close to a blackout."H-HELP!! M-MY HEART!!""W-WHAT IS GOING ON!?""EMP?!""I CAN'T BREATHE, I CAN'T BREATHE!!!""S-SOMEONE, HELP! UGH!!""SHUT UP AND GIVE ME EVERYTHING YOU GOT!"*BOOOOOMMM!!*Dozens of flying vehicles plopped from the skies, having the people that rode on them get panicked as everything simply stopped working, this is without a doubt a terrorist attack....As chaos reigned over the lands, the individual that caused all this floated peacefully amidst the beautiful darkness that was only bright due to a moon in the skies, a moon that if one noticed closely, seemed to not be shining as much as it should.&nb
Inside the alleyway, a scene taken out of an American movie took place, the Magic God stood with a bewildered gaze as two boys pointed at him with knives, weird knives that seemed to be shining."Take out everything you got!!""...""Is this some sort of robbery?" He asked, truthfully, these looked more like toys than actual knives... he even touched the shining part and felt the heat coming from it, surprising the two boys who glance at one another, 'Is this guy for real?'"Are you fucking blind!? or course it is!?""..."With no time for jokes, the Magic God lifted up his hand within this dark alleyway and cast a basic element spell.<Elemental Output: Fire>Within the next few seconds, the two knives started to heat up to the point they became red!*SSHH!!!!*"AHHH!!"
"I'll be off, take care grams.""I told you to call me Rachel! *sigh* come back later alright?! and don't accept advice from strangers!"The exasperated grandma could only look as the handsome boy made his way through the shiny hallway, a little bit exasperated.The boy resulted to be sweeter than she could ever hope, but the lack of knowledge also suggested one thing, naivety.'How come that boy is still doing well with such a massive lack of knowledge?!' She took the plates that he used and prepared to clean them.More than being curious about his background, she felt worried.In this dog-eat-dog world, anyone that doesn't have basic information such as who the group V2 is.. is bound to be eventually eaten amidst the barrage of wickedness in the streets.That's why she told him to come again, perhaps that would be her way of self-reassu
The authorities personated themselves to the commotion, two hours later...There they checked the registries and noticed that the robbers were from the 'Red Blood' Gang... however, they were bewildered to find that all of them were dead in the scene...'What the hell happened here...'One of the officers, Chief Richarson of the Barnet district walked through the crime scene with an expression more than a little confused.He gave those crooks the green light to steal this bank, what he never expected was to find the dead corpses in the scene with the money missing.They're supposed to give him 60% of the entire loot, who the hell is he going to take the money from now?!'Those bastards didn't even pay for the logic bomb goddammit, now I have to confiscate it and use it as proof in the case.' He grits his teeth and awaited the moment he'd get the report from th
"Do you have anywhere to sleep, Morpheous? Where have you been sleeping all this time?" With the god eating the last of his dish, she prepared to take the stall back to her house."Hmn, you don't need to worry, Rachel, I'll sleep on top of some building or anything." In truth he wouldn't even sleep, he could if he wanted, but he didn't need to."How can that be acceptable!? Come to my house, I have a room available!" If he had all that money surely he can go and pay for a hotel room... but... if he does that she won't be able to watch out for him..."But..." If she's so insistent, he won't be able to reject... his next objective is just to try and analyse those chips."No buts! you're coming with me, come on, I can't allow you to sleep in the streets... don't worry, only I and my granddaughter live in the house, come come, help me take the stall... I won't accept a no for an answer!" She took the sta
Rachel woke up the next day after having slept soundly, within her mind were not the thoughts of what happened yesterday, just that it had been a long time since she slept this nicely.Her chipset re-started and she opened her interface to look at the amount of digital cash she had, together with what she had in cash, would be enough to cover the expenses thanks to Morpheus.She didn't forget to give a single prayer of thanks before tidying up and departing her room.****What she found at the other side of her room, wasn't so surprising.For one she saw Sarah sitting on the couch with her legs crossed and two swollen cheeks, the thing is... they looked recent.And humming in the kitchen with an apron was Morpheus, cooking something, and what he's cooking smells incredibly nice."Good Morning, Rachel... excuse my modesty for using
After that, he helped her take her stall to the main road."Why don't you stay with me today? I'll work just half of the day today as I have some things to do outside, then you can come with me and see the place, I will guide you!" She requested him as they prepared her stall, she really likes his company moreover... those guys... they should be coming today to take the 'fee' nothing has happened so far, but she'd rather have him close.The Magic God considered her words, he truly has nothing else to do aside from just studying that chip, apparently, everything in this world can be accessed through the 'internet' but in order to access the internet, one must have a chip and therefore, he can't extract information out of there unless it's relayed by someone else.He refused to get his body dirty with any of those things."Okay, I'll accompany you, how about this? we can cook together..." He decided to
The moment Rachel moved inside her room, it was immediate, both Sarah and the man lunged together at Morpheus, but it was just as hopeless.For a while, he just blocked her fist and his knife, the two of them weren't able to push him back at all.*CLAANG!*His palm clashed against the knife and much to the surprise of the two of them, it was the heat knife that was deteriorating!*BOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!------That surprise caused a flaw that was more than enough for Morpheus to take advantage of... not that he needed to.He kicked the man's chest precisely when he was aligned between the open door and him, sending him flying straight out of the house and crashing on the streets."Ashton!!" Sarah yelled to her boyfriend only to notice how a palm was straight in front of her face.*SLAAAPP!!!*This sla