Unknown Universe. Unknown Earth. In the midst of the seemingly endless vivid green plains, there was a small shack. The last orange-tinged light shone through the rustling leaves of the single tree close, revealing three women sitting on a creaky chair, grasping long silver threads that shimmered in the twilight.
All things considered, the women were unusual, and there was an air of disorientation around them. It felt as though the women were meant to be a single entity rather than a triad.
They were the Kindly Ones; the Hecateae; the Erinyes; the three witches; the Norns; the Moirai; the Furies. Their names, titles, and aspects were numerous, so numerous that some were lost in the long river of time.
However, they have a famous moniker that is known to all.
They were the Fates.
Clotho, a young lady with wavy blonde hair and a tight pink gown, spoke with a creak of the chair, her voice squeaky.
"Triumphant."
"Stronger," murmured Anatropous, a scruffy witch in rugged and dusty robes, her voice croaky, the worn and wooden staff in her hands striking the ground.
"Defiant," remarked Lachesis, a plump woman with spiky hair and a loose blue gown, a subtle smile across her lips.
"""As expected.""" They continued in unison. Their voices were perfectly synced, sounding like one rather than three. The air became weird and dreadful, and the orange tinge receded all the more.
"The Morningstar seemed to be interested in him," Clotho stated, her voice still squeaky.
"However, it doesn't really matter." A crooked smile decorated the Anatropous' cracked lips.
"Many wish to witness the demise of the fate breaker." Lachesis beamed, her hands spread out, holding a glittering thread that was tearing in the middle.
"The Morningstar can't always keep the fate breaker safe." Clotho continued, her squeaky voice becoming less clear.
"The fate breaker's greatest reliance shall turn out to be his own achilles' heel." Lachesis croaked out, proclaiming.
"And the fate breaker shall fall, one way or another, under the dark claws of the August Star of Heaven." Anatropous licked her dry lips with her parched tongue, pointing out a black scissor and cutting the golden thread in front of her.
The thread snapped in the centre, splitting in two and falling to the ground. The fluorescent orb that had been setting on the horizon has vanished. And then there was complete darkness.
"""The fate breaker will fall."""
The darkness was instantly shattered, sinking into utter chaos.
________________
Titan, Saturn, Home Universe.
The once-prosperous moon, home to a brilliant and burgeoning civilisation of Eternals, was left in ruins coated in blood and fire. The last cries of sorrow, pain, and hatred permeated the ruins, only to be smothered out.
A pale woman wandered across the wreckage. Her dark hair. Laurel black, burnt in color. She was dressed in a goth gown, with a sigel of life hung on her chest and a black umbrella in her hand.
(Image Here)
The pale woman went amid the remains of the rich civilisation, witnessing its demise, into the maelstrom of misery and hopelessness.
Suddenly, everything froze. Time froze. The crackling fire and flowing blood slowed to a halt. However, the pale woman appeared unaffected, turning to face Earth, her black irises mirrored on the running figure of Phoebus Apollo in the broken sky.
She watched through it all, her brows raised in surprise at the falling figure of Apollo.
The pale woman then resumed her journey. She arrived at the city's centre, where there was a massive square filled with bones stacked on top of each other to form a hill. On top of that, there was a bone throne studded with skulls. It was a throne meant for her.
Someone appeared before her; there he was, the Mad Titan, Thanos, clad in his golden-purple armour, holding a pure white ring in his hands.
The Mad Titan asked, his voice indifferent, but still didn't hide the deep infatuation laced within it for the pale woman.
"Will you finally do me the honour?"
"Oh…" The pale lady sighed. "You are a stubborn little one, aren't you?"
She shook her head. "My answers remain the same."
Thanos stared at the pale woman in silence, watching her turn back after answering him.
"Why?" He asked, "Give me a real reason!"
"Reason?" The pale woman turned and spoke bluntly. "I am not interested in you."
She continued, noting his obstinate gaze. "Even if I was, the relationship between a endless and a mortal is forbidden."
Then she was gone, vanishing into stillness.
Thanos sat on the ground, his figure drenched in the dusk of the sun, staring at the white ring in his hands.
He finally laughed, his gaze resolute, gently grasping the ring. "I am a mortal? huh?…"
__________________
Delphi, Greece.
Apollo rose from the crater, his body quivering and his golden iris dimming, his steps trembling. He moved out of the crater, each step actually becoming more firm.
In the quiet, he turned and looked at the python, which was dead with his head severed and clear burn marks apparent across it.
Then Apollo kept on walking, eventually stopping in the shadow of a tree, his back against the trunk, a hiss from his lips.
He used all of his strength in his final move, leaving him exhausted and collapsing. But, a brilliant light flashed down on him, penetrating through every pore of his body and healing him. His diminishing eyes gradually regained their radiance, and his pale face returned to normal. He will be healed in at most 13 minutes without any repercussions. He is God, after all.
His final move. The move reversed time across the Milky Way.
It was inspired from Barry Allen, The Flash, who often reverses time or even timelines by breaking through the speed of light using speed force.
However, he didn't have speed force but the authority of light, which enabled him to travel at the speed of light from the start.
He had tried to break through the light barrier throughout his attempts into the concept of light, but he failed every time at the last step. Still, he didn't give up, and he attempted again and again.
When faced with death, he gave it all everything since it was the only chance, the only hope, to break past the light barrier and transcend the speed of light.
He succeeded. His restrained feelings suddenly overflowed his heart, like a dam breaking, and his sparkling eyes darkened in a haze.
Death…
Looking up at the sun, a cluster of anxiety and sadness filled his chest, a sardonic smile on his lips.
He actually prepared for every possible scenario before entering this bout. He was aware of its significance. He even thought about gods from various pantheons meddling.
But what followed after him was something beyond, something otherworldly.
A deity, or even a primordial, cannot rip apart the fabric of reality that holds the universe together. Their strength is inextricably linked to reality; without it, all of their abilities are rendered meaningless.
Yet it was easily capable of doing so, coming for his life with full malice.
Cosmic Entities? Elder Gods? Dimension Rulers? Celestials?
Apollo's memory flashed back to the last image he saw before closing his eyes. The silver threads wrapped around the tail like a puppet on strings. After sifting through all of the knowledge about marvel and mythology in his head, a guess formed in his mind.
Apollo took a deep breath and rose to his feet. The sun was shining down on him. He started walking towards Delphi.
He didn't continue to wallow in despair and hopelessness. It was completely pointless.
Without any sufficient power, he can only face it as it comes. The truth was cold and cruel. He is not even completely sure of who they are.
Power…
I'm still too weak....
He squeezed his hands tightly. His eyes were turning firm. As he decided before, there was no holding back anymore.
The sun shall become his crown at the first opportunity. He wanted to be cautious and take things slowly, but not anymore. He can no longer give up on the possibility of hope.
Apollo raised his eyes to the sky, his figure gleaming in the light. He finally focused on the python's corpse, which he didn't slay until the very end.
Someone actually helped him…..
"Your excellency." A melodic voice came from his side, prompting him to turn to the side without any surprise.
A woman in green robes stood there, her long silver hair falling to her hips and her striking violet eyes peering at him. Her hand extended to him, holding a silver cup filled with pure water.
She was the High-Priestess of Delphi.
_________________
A/N : I always welcome constructive criticism, but someone here commented that I was an idiot and accused me of insulting ancient culture just for making Apollo's hair brown. It ruined my already bad day.
This is just a fan fiction. If you want a perfect novel, you shouldn't be in this section at all. I earn nothing from this.
And I am not going to change it. If you don't like that, just drop it rather than leaving such comments.