News At The Family Meeting

Amongst the countless stars in space, in a universe separate to that of Earth, was a peculiar place. Large swathes of clouds amassed in the emptiness of space and concealed a sanctuary within.

Piercing beneath the foggy veil, an incredible palace unfolded. Magnificent marble pillars reached into the heavens, supporting the structure's enormous weight. A golden pathway ran towards the entrance, cutting through azure-blue lakes and rivers, verdant-green forests, and amber deserts. Towering statues guarded the path, depicting human-like beings of different shapes and sizes: men, women, even a child. Each figure possessed a life-like aura and would invoke different emotions and memories within any passer-by.

A particularly striking statue was one of a rugged-faced man. He had a bald head, smooth like a polished rock. Every inch if his exposed upper body exuded a sturdiness that resembled the toughness of stone. His statue was placed directly before the entrance to the palace, its last bastion.

Through the grand archways and gates of the building's main entrance was a grand hall. The ceilings seemed to stretch on into infinity, even larger than the palace had appeared from the outside. Central to the main room was a large round table fashioned from some kind of radiant golden metal, about which stood several small thrones. Each throne possessed its own unique quirks and features and was intrinsically linked to those sat atop them.

Here, the basis for the statues that lined the pathway could be seen in all of their glory.

An explosive woman of around twenty-five with crimson-red hair that appeared to flicker back and forth wildly. A tall and curvaceous figure with skin lightly tinted red and matching red eyes that gleamed with a passion for violence.

Rather opposite, in position around the table and nature, was a relaxed man, reclined lazily in his seat. Turquoise flowing hair continually billowed from his head and onto the floor beneath. His eyes were calm and gentle, and yet, deep within, hid a dark crushing aggression.

Several others were also present. A young boy, fickle and naïve-looking who appeared restless in his seat, determined not to sit still. A bronze-skinned, toned beauty with short, spiky, silver hair who exuded an intimidating confidence. A vague, indistinguishable figure amidst a swirling mass of shadows, it's gender uncertain. A blonde, sweet looking young girl with endlessly bright, shining eyes. An icy cold giant of a man, skin smooth and reflective with a metallic sheen. A mature woman of around 30 with alluring red lips and vine-like sprawling green hair.

At the head of this eclectic gathering of individuals was the man whose statue guarded the entrance to the palace: the bald, steadfast man. With a guttural cough, the man began to speak,

"Thank you for gathering today, everyone. I know you're all very busy with the state of things. I've called you all here at the behest of our elder sister."

The man's words caused animated chatter within the room. Immediately, he was bombarded with questions,

"Really? Big sis? But she never comes to these things? I hope she pats my head like she used to" the young boy pouted.

"What does that bitch want from us now! She thinks she can just show up whenever she likes and demand things of us! To hell with her!" the spitfire of a red-haired woman raged and shot to her feet, slamming the table. Her hair and eyes began to morph, from the previous rosy red to a frightful blue and eventually to a glistening pure white. With each stage, her hair flailed more madly until it was entirely uncontrollable.

To her actions, the blue haired man couldn't help but chuckle,

"My, my Nissa, ever with the temper. I suppose you'd better settle things with a fight. What do you think? I'm sure dear elder sister would take pity on you if you asked nicely" the man gloated.

Enraged even further by her brother's words, the furious woman wished nothing more to beat him into the ground. She dreaded these meetings, repulsed at the idea of having to share a room with her intolerable sibling. But indeed, he was right. Were she to fight their elder sister, it wasn't a matter of who would win or lose, but a matter of if the older woman would be merciful or not. Eventually, the flames were cooled once again to a crimson red, and she reluctantly sat back down.

The man smiled in satisfaction at this, nothing brought him greater satisfaction than to see his little sister squirm.

Meanwhile, the rest of the room was smiling from the side-lines at the childish bickering of their siblings. All except the shadowy figure and metal giant that is, the first had no expression per se to read, and the towering man remained ever cold and stoic.

The bald man hammered his fist on the table, shaking to room with it into silence.

"Everyone, quiet. Just let her speak. Please sister."

From the empty space beside him, a figure emerged as if she had been there the entire time. Her age was incongruous, simultaneously appearing both young and old. Long, lustrous dark hair and captivating eyes that struck the soul. However, the deep abyss within them appeared cold, lifeless. Despite that, her small frame and petite features exuded a youthful and buzzing vitality, overshadowing everyone else in the room. When looking upon her, one couldn't help but get the strange sensation of life and death simultaneously.

"Hello everyone, it has been far too long since I've seen you all. I have missed you dearly."

As the woman began, everyone, even the abrasive red-haired woman, couldn't help but smile, even if she quickly tried to hide it. Despite their bickering, each of them were siblings, burdened with the great task of managing the universe in place of their father. An eternity together had forged intense bonds between them, and to not see one of their own for so long was a strain on each of their hearts.

"I have come here today as the messenger of our father."

Her words were provocative to the room. Their ever-present yet ever-neglectful father finally had a message for them. The room was abuzz with mixed feelings.

"Silence! Let her speak would you!" the bald man exclaimed, having to massage his temples from stress. He looked over to his twin, Gord, the metal giant. His expression hadn't changed, nor had he spoke a single word since the meeting began.

"If only the rest could be more like you, dear brother." the man sighed to himself.

"Thank you Saxum. Our father has spoken. With the treachery of our brother nearly five thousand years ago, and the growing might of the Voro Race, he has decided to take matters into his own hands. He shall shortly be leaving his seclusion and wishes me to urge you all not to panic at the state of things. While things may look dire as of now, things shall be swiftly dealt with upon his return."

The brief mention of their elder brother brought a stifling atmosphere to the room. An eerie shadow seemed to creep into the hearts of everyone present. Expressions of pain, sorrow and grief marred everyone's countenance and teeth were grit. Even Gord was no exception, his face was ever blank, yet his fist was clenched so tightly that minute cracks began to form in the surrounding space.

Noticing this, the shadowy figure, the only one whose reaction to the words was completely unreadable, placed out its incorporeal hand and placed it upon Gord's shoulder. As the arm reached towards the giant, it seemed to extend infinitely until it could reach atop the giant. Gord stared back at the swirling mass of shadows and felt oddly comforted. Uma always seemed to have that effect. He gave his brother a short nod and unclenched his fist, space slowly stitching itself back together in the process.

Once they all got passed the mention of their brother, the room was soothed at the thought that their father would be personally taking action. It seemed things with the Voro race would smooth themselves out. They could rest assured that their father would take care of things. After all, was he not the Supreme God? Master of all the universe? How could the Voro race with their mere Half-Step Supreme God Matriarch face such a thing, and in his home turf no less?

Thinking of that vile woman, the members of the room were filled with disgust. Their universe had been safe under their rule for eons until that wretched monster appeared. Breaking the boundary between universes, her and her race of insatiable beasts devoured anything they could get their grubby claws on. As they consumed this universe's energy, they would absorb fragments of Domains, and with them, gain great strength. What had begun as a minor pest had quickly grown into a universal pandemic, threatening even the Gods' existence. And at the head of it all, was that creature.

Hiding under the guise of a human, she appeared as a seductive human beauty. Long dark hair tinged with a vibrant purple and with matching violet eyes that bewitched the heart. Every inch of her body was full of deception, from her sweet pink lips to her mesmerising figure. However, the Gods were not to be fooled. After all, a little over five thousand years ago, they instigated a full-scale war with the Voro and, amidst the death and chaos, her true form had been revealed.

The five eldest children of the Supreme God, including their elder sister and brother, took up the mantle of leading the fight. With their father being in uninterruptable seclusion, they had no choice. They fought valiantly, but being only Major Gods whilst the Matriarch neared the Supreme God Realm, the battle was hard fought, and they had only themselves to rely on. Their younger siblings, who were present at the current meeting, were but Minor Gods, and were needed to hold off the vast legions of Voro that poured towards them with every second.

During the fight, the Matriarch was forced to shed her façade and revealed her true form. A humungous mass of tentacles that encompassed the entire battlefield. In the middle of it all, a gaping maw that, with each voracious breath, would engulf large swathes of space and matter. Each second that passed, the Matriarch regained some strength from the Domain fragments she devoured, turning the fight into a brutal battle of attrition.

Eventually, seeing her armies depleted continually whilst her own fight came to a stalemate, she decided to retreat and recoup her forces. However, she didn't leave without first leaving a lasting blow. Channelling all of her remaining energy, she conjured a mighty pillar of destruction towards the most dangerous of her assailants: the God Of Death, Morax.

Being among the hardest to kill of the five due to his Domain, Morax survived the blow with some light wounds and heavy fatigue. The same couldn't be said about the universe; however, as countless star systems were erased from existence in that short moment. The Matriarch, drained and exhausted, then left promptly after. The Gods did not pursue her, for all of them were equally weak and weary.

Thankfully, the first war had ended in the Gods' decisive victory. A collective sigh of relief was uttered in that moment, but they shouldn't have celebrated too early. After all, it was only a few hundred years later, little different to days in the lifespan of a God, that their brother betrayed them.

Their father, in his care, had imposed that the Gods were to work together and love one another. Thus, when he created his children, he deprived them the ability to kill each other. Despite this, he couldn't do such a thing to Morax. To prevent him the ability to kill was little different to sentencing him to death, his Domain incomplete and volatile. In the end, the Supreme God accepted this. Morax had been one of his first children, and the most ardently loyal. He placed his full trust in his zealous son.

The Supreme God's trust backfired, however. While never confirmed, the God's supposed that when the Matriarch struck Morax, her energy brought with it a corruptive power that seeped within him. Over the years after the war, he was slowly converted until he himself was little different to a Voro. His new race brought with it a great malice and quenchless hunger that led him to challenge his triplet brother: Vita, God of Life.

What was proposed as a friendly duel quickly became a life and death battle with Vita on the backfoot. When death was all but certain for him, their triplet sister, Reina, interfered. The duo together stopped Morax's advances; however, when the situation appeared to calm, the unexpected struck.

"You'll regret this day!" Morax bellowed, before striking himself down, signalling his death. All that remained of his body was ashes.

All of the Gods were in shock that day, and now, over four thousand years later, the topic was a large taboo amongst them.

With the message delivered, Reina decided to excuse herself from the meeting. Turning away from her siblings, she uttered,

"As I said. You need not worry about anything. Everything is under control. I'll be going now; it was nice seeing you all again."

With that, she vanished as suddenly as she had appeared.

Little did the others know; however, that shortly before leaving, a malicious grin spread across her face.

For a moment her eyes flashed an ominous violet.