1 Chapter 1: Dinner with the Old Gods

Zreiouys was bored. He had heard his uncle's stories a thousand times before, and he knew them by heart. He knew how the old gods came to be, how they ruled over the higher dimensions, how they created and destroyed countless worlds and civilizations with their whims. He knew how they were immortal, invincible, and indifferent to everything but their own existence. He knew how they had three genders: the its, the hes, and the shes. He knew how each of them had unique and incomprehensible powers and abilities that defied logic and reason. He knew all of this, and he didn't care.

He wanted something else. He wanted to feel something else. He wanted to explore the lower dimensions, where life was diverse and unpredictable. He wanted to meet other beings who had emotions and passions, who loved and hated, who dreamed and feared. He wanted to experience their dreams and nightmares, to share their joys and sorrows, to understand their hopes and desires. He wanted to be more than an old god.

But he couldn't. He was bound by his nature, by his race, by his uncle. Graiouys was the old god of time and memory, and he was Zreiouys' guardian. He had taken him in when he was a youngling, after his parents had perished in a cosmic war. He had taught him everything he knew, and he had protected him from the dangers of the higher dimensions. He had also kept him isolated from the lower dimensions, fearing that they would corrupt him or harm him.

Graiouys loved Zreiouys in his own way, but he didn't understand him. He didn't understand why he was different from the other old gods, why he had human emotions and curiosity. He didn't understand why he was fascinated by the lower dimensions, why he wanted to visit them and interact with their inhabitants. He didn't understand why he wasn't content with being an old god.

Graiouys was a floating eyeball that moved by levitating above the ground in air. He had no mouth or ears, but he could communicate telepathically with anyone he wished. He could also see everything that happened in any point of time and space, past or future. He could manipulate time itself, slowing it down or speeding it up, reversing it or stopping it. He could alter the memories of anyone he chose, making them forget or remember anything he wanted.

Zreiouys had a human body and could walk on two legs, but he was not human at all. He had alien organs inside his body that performed functions beyond human comprehension. He had no need for food or water or sleep or air. He could also communicate telepathically with anyone he wished, but he preferred to use words and gestures. He could see everything that happened in any point of time and space as well, but only in dreams and nightmares. He could alter, create or step inside anyone's dreams and nightmares, making them pleasant or horrific as he pleased.

They were having dinner in a grand Roman palace that was floating in oblivion. The palace was one of Graiouys' creations, a replica of an ancient human civilization that he had admired for its art and culture. The palace had no walls or roof or windows, only columns and arches and statues that surrounded a large courtyard with a fountain in the center. The fountain spewed water that changed colors every second, creating a rainbow effect in the air.

The dinner consisted of various dishes that Graiouys had conjured from his memory of human cuisine: roasted meat, baked bread, fresh fruits, cheese, wine, etc. Zreiouys didn't eat any of them; he only pretended to do so out of politeness. He knew that his uncle enjoyed these things; he didn't.

"So," Graiouys said telepathically as he sipped his wine with an invisible mouth. "How are you feeling today?"

Zreiouys shrugged with his shoulders as he nibbled on a grape with his teeth.

"I'm fine," he said aloud.

"Are you sure?" Graiouys asked.

"Yes," Zreiouys lied.

Graiouys looked at him with his single eye.

"You know you can tell me anything," he said.

"I know," Zreiouys said.

"Is there something bothering you?" Graiouys pressed.

Zreiouys sighed with his lungs.

"No," he said.

Graiouys frowned with his eyelid.

"You're lying," he said.

Zreiouys looked away with his eyes.

"No"