23 End Of An Era

Stunned silence rang louder than any wailing or shrieking ever could. Everyone could only watch as the terrible beast devoured their fated enemy, and for some, their very own King. They just stood slack-jawed and with frightened expressions as shed divine ichor flowed in streams and rivers and as the world around them slowly mended itself. The sky reformed and the cratered ground started stabilizing.

As the tyrant disappeared into abyssal maws, his energy started dissipating from reality itself. Time started flowing normally once more and the clock that rested beyond the horizon started shattering like glass. That was not all however, as the energy should've normally disappeared in motes of light, formed a curious little bright ball of purplish energy.

It was flipping and turning endlessly, like a little energy gyroscope. And from within the little construct, spoke a familiar voice.

" CURSE YOU!!! ... ZEUS!!! I CURSE YOU! BY THE LAST VESTIGES OF MY POWER, I DAMN YOU TO A FATE WORSE THAN YOU CAN EVER IMAGINE! AS I DID MY FATHER, AND YOU TO ME!! YOUR VERY OWN KIN SHALL BETRAY AND OVERTHROW YOU!!! " Kronos had used to very last remaining traces of his divinity in this world to curse his youngest son, Zeus. As the construct finished relaying it's last message, it shot faster than the speed of thought, entering the body of Zeus.

Gods and Titans looked on with mixed reactions. Zeus himself was livid at the fact his insane father would spend the last traces of himself to just spite him. Zeus took this omen with a grain of salt, not believing Kronos had that kind of prophesizing power.

" YOU FOOL! DO YOU NOT REALIZE WHAT YOU'VE POSSIBLY DON-- "

" Wait! Sister, it is not as we think! " Clotho interrupts the seething Atropos as Lachesis watches with neutral eyes.

" What else could it possibly be! This mindless beast had just- "

" Hissss! Choose. Your. Next. Words. Carefully. " The Hydra warned, not letting this aged deity just lecture them on something they didn't do.

" But they didn't indeed! You yourself should've felt it Atropos, Kronos is not dead! " Clotho convinced, as the spinner of fate, she had just now felt the new changes in Kronos' fate, he was not destined for death just yet.

" Kronos. Is. Not. Dead... Hiss!.. That. Is. Far. Too. Easy... " They explained, uncaring of the effect of their words. The deities could only shiver as they thought about what the beast thought as a 'just punishment'.

" Now. He. Can. Never. Leave... Forever... Suffering. " They continued, voices rumbling and reverberating throughout the atmosphere creepily.

" You are aware of the consequences yes? Alive he may be, this was not his original fate... " Lachesis suddenly chimed in, staring unflinchingly into the beast's many eyes.

" Yes. " The Hydra chorused, unaffected by the devastating effects they knew they caused. And when everything seemed to finally calm down, a new frightening development ocurred.

They felt it within their very being, from the very depths of the ' In-between ' down to the tip of their tail, the Chaos energy was reacting to the new foreign prisoner in their kin's body.

" Badump! Badump! Badump! " steady beating rang and rang, and faintly, it resembled the tolling of the evening bells, as if something was assimilating within the beast.

Inside, the fallen King was currently suspended within the vast sea of stomach acid, forever burning and burning, only to heal and experience it once more. Suddenly, the Chaos stirred within their being, and it started interacting with Kronos' faint divinity.

It was as if Time and Chaos had come to an agreement. Time started to leave and exit the suffering form of the tyrant, and started to assimilate with Chaos. It seemed Time had deemed Kronos unfit to continue looking over the everlastingly flowing River of Time. The divinity coldly left the suffering King, abandoning him in favor of keeping the natural order and flow of the world.

Outwardly, the Hydra had looked on in wonder and curiosity as their previously broody gray colored scales had suddenly gained a very interesting addition. As if gilding their natural armor, longer and sleeker scales of a lighter purple lined their body, faintly resembling feathers, but not enough to be recognized as such at first glance.

It grew and decorated their many necks, lining it like a beautiful display. It also grew along their spine, tail and even their claws and limbs. The most prominent growth though, was the elegant crown of feather-like scales that nested behind their heads.

If before the Hydra was a cruel, monstrous and superior being of immense prowess, then now it was that and incredibly regal, elegant and kingly. The new additions made a breathtaking combination along with the elaborate system of radiant veins.

The Hydra had now been officially crowned their rightful place it seemed. The deities present could only gawk and stare as the beast was recognized by Time as it's new guardian, directly after eating it's previous wielder! This wasn't even supposed to be possible!

" We greet the new rightful heir of the legacy of Time. " The fates chorused, just as surprised, but they kept it in long enough to gather themselves and show their friendliness. It was a baffling sight, the control freaks - or more formally named sisters of Fate had scrambled themselves and greeted a beast respectfully rather than just berating and scheming how to put it in it's place, as if they knew something the others present didn't.

" RAAHHHHH!!! " Five sonorous, booming roars echoed throughout the Western World and beyond, declaring their newly-earned domain. Gods and Titans alike could only tremble and buckle in the face of such power, such dominance.

Speaking of Titans, most of them were now bound and seriously injured. Though, the Olympians were in a similar state as well, minus the chains and bindings.

Uncaring of their audience, the Hydra took once last look at those present, lingering on the slightly-interesting Zeus for a little longer, and left in a mighty sonic boom. It was absurd how a mountain sized creature was able to move so fast.

--- To Be Continued ---

( Remember to support the novel if you like it. Power stones, comments, reviews especially, anything is appreciated! That's all bye! )