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(3rd Person POV)

"Hyosube Ichibe came to 'visit' today.", Yhwach said.

"What did he want?", Hades asked.

"He came to propose a non-aggression pact between the Soul Society and the Licht Reich. The Shinigami are the keeper of the balance between the three worlds and I should keep playing my game of being a king and let him deal with the important parts.

... and then he dared to call it a win-win for both sides.", Yhwach was angry. Hades could tell. He looked at the man who had grown up so much since he met him all those years ago.

"And what did you say?"

"I called him out on his deception. He basically called me a child, an ignorant stupid child. I asked him about the past. What happened back then, when Father split the world into three and basically created life and death.", Yhwach said and then looked at Hades.

"He tried to blame it all on the Soul King. That it was the Soul King who did those things. I asked him where one can find peace in this wretched world..."

"Did he show you?"

"... He did. He showed me my father. Or what is left of him at least. I saw what was left of him and the seal they imprisoned him in. Why ..."

"Why what?"

"Why did you never tell me?"

"Because this is for you to find out on your own. No matter how much I wish, in the end, you are your own person and you must make your own decision. Now we are here and you are ready."

"Ready for what?"

"For the truth, if that is what you are after."

"I want peace. I don't want others to suffer like I can feel that they do."

...

...

"Did he suffer?"

"*Sigh* It did. It is similar to being in a state between life and death. The agony he must have felt had to have been agonising. But the truth of the matter is ... more complicated."

"What do you mean?"

"You see. When I met your father, he had just come into being. He was a newborn in a sense. The longer we spent together, the more he developed his own personality. He always had this drive that set him apart from others and even me. He was here for a purpose and that is what he would see through till the end.

So when he came to me that day and told me what he wanted to do ... he told me that it was his final wish for me not to intervene in the process."

"What?! He knew this would happen?"

"He sure did. He knew everything would happen. Just like you have your Almighty, Rey has his own pair of them. He knew that I wouldn't ever let it happen, so he phrased it as his last wish."

"Then ... he wanted for it to happen the way it did? Why?"

"I guess it started out as his purpose. The reason why he was created. It was in his nature to see the world prosper and not get destroyed. He created the life and death cycle because he understood that there is no meaning to life without death. You value what you have the most when it is finite. Death is an important part of reality, never forget that Yhwach."

"But humans are in so much pain and they suffer. Why would he want that? How is this better than what was already there? At least you didn't have to be afraid of death before."

"You had to be afraid of Hollows consuming you. It's essentially the same. The cycle of Reishi didn't work, even the world itself understood that and it sent your father to counter its inevitable destruction."

.

"But what about Ichibe Hyosube?"

"He's one of the five pricks who sealed them."

"What about the other four? Where are they? Did they die?"

"They sure did. After a few weeks of having sealed your father, these assholes came to my place and wanted to seal me as well. Fear is a great motivator and makes you do stupid things. I killed them all and punished them with suffering. Ichibe is the only one still alive."

"And why didn't you kill him too?"

*Sigh*

"I wanted to ... but it was your father who told me to keep at least Ichibe alive. He of course foresaw his future role in balancing the three worlds."

"Listen Yhwach ... the truth is still different. Your father ... he is no longer alive. I never lied about that. Rey died a long time ago, and no matter what way I think about it, he almost had me. It took me a while to figure it out but now ... now I know. My friend died a long time ago. Don't try to go on a revenge quest. And if you do ... make sure you prepare beforehand.", Hades said and then left Yhwach alone to his thoughts.

.

.

(Hades POV)

I don't see a happy ending to this. And the truth of the matter is ... I have stopped caring. I am unhappy with the way things are going right now. And if something doesn't change soon, I'll go crazy or I'll break into the Soul King Palace and massacre the Monk and then steal Senjumaru away. She can get strong somewhere else that is closer to me. I haven't seen her in a millennium!!!

I got reckless last year. I should not have visited him ... I wonder why he agreed to my request. I guess he already knows what it is and who I am as well. It does make sense. Dude said one sentence and it almost killed me ... that was the thrill that I was talking about. I didn't get that anymore. I need something to happen now.

My future wife is getting stronger but I am stagnant ... and I don't like that. I managed this long due to being the god of death as well. But I want to see different things and explore. There are dead to collect and dimensions to explore.

*Sigh*

I wonder what Senjumaru will say when she gets to the Quest after finishing the 9th and final Special Quest and finds out what I did just to give her ... some perspective...

.

I think there is a good way for me to spend some time away. The Rick and Morty Universe is an interesting place to be and the poor bastard ... well he is miserable.

__________________________________________

[SPOILERS FOR RICK AND MORTY SEASON 7 IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT, THEN STOP HERE.]

[SERIOUSLY STOP IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GET SPOILED, IT'S NOT IMPORTANT FOR THE STORY IF YOU DON'T READ IT.]

[YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.]

____________________________________________

Evil Morty had his eye connected to the computer connected to the Omega Device. He was typing away and preparing to download the schematics.

"W-What are you doing?", Morty Prime asked him as he walked up to him.

Evil Morty didn't answer him. Instead, he finished his coding and opened the hatch that was below the screen, revealing a small core. He took it and then threw it into the Omega Device. A cloud-like bubble surrounded the core of the Omega Device and slowly shrank it, effectively destroying it or turning it off.

"Pretty cool visual ... you're missing it.", Morty Prime said.

"We don't have to talk, this didn't make us friends.", Evil Morty said.

At that moment the door to Rick Prime's control room opens and out walks a very very bloody Rick. The look on his face tells the story of his entire life's pain.

"There's our guy.", Evil Morty says.

"Rick! I-Is it over? I-Is he ...?"

"That's not exactly an 'alive' amount of blood.", Evil Morty comments.

Rick doesn't say anything and only looks back at Rick Prime's body.

.

"How does it feel? Better? No? Exactly the same? Yeah, it always does. I hope you're happy with your choice.", Evil Morty says.

"F*ck off."

"I'm gonna. Just don't force me to improve on the design.", Evil Morty says and shows a yellow hologram of the Omega Device, "I can end the Rick experiment, any time I want."

"Why threaten? Why not just do it?"

"Because using the weapon like this, doesn't get you left alone, Morty. Think I want a bunch of ... vengeful Summer's coming after me? You are a little different though Rick. Maybe I can use this someday."

Evil Morty opens a portal. But before he walks in he turns around one more time and gives Rick one last warning.

"Seriously though, f*ck you. Don't come after me, it won't go well.", after that ... he walks in and leaves the two alone.

"Are ... you ok?", Morty asks Rick.

"Yeah..."

Morty hugs Rick after that and exhales his stress out. That's how easy it appears to be for the boy. Just an oh man and that's it. He then begins to deal with what they just experienced in his way and begins to talk about it.

"Phew, man when those drones have cloaked back there, I was like ......"

However, Rick doesn't hear him. He has to deal with ... the emptiness that now is inside his heart. He experienced the next few hours like a movie. They just passed by him.

.

When he was in his secret layer underground he was about to shut it off, when someone spoke to him.

"You don't have to turn it down for good. I'm sure you will find other uses for it."

Rick turns around and sees Hades standing there with his usual get-up and the walking stick in his hands.

"Who are you?"

"You may call me Hades, Rick of dimension C-137. And I am here for you."

"And what would a god such as yourself want from such a-"

"... broken man such as yourself?"

"... something like that."

"I saw what happened. And I can see how you feel right now. You are the most miserable character in the show right now."

"W-what are you talking about? Listen if this is about my soul, then no thank you I have nothing to give anymore."

"Haha, it is indeed about your soul Rick ... just not in the way you think. You are dead inside right now. This is also why you haven't grabbed the device you have stored behind the wall there. You just don't care anymore. And if you wish ... I can help you."

"And what f*cked up story are you going to give me now? Are you going to tell me that I need to swear eternal allegiance to you o-o-or become a slave or something, because if that's what you want then I-"

"No. Stop dodging the question, Rick. Tell me what you want. Tell me!"

"Wh-what are you talking about right now? Stop that! Who the f*ck do you think you are? You know what? F*ck you!", Rick says and grabs the device that Hades was talking about before and fires it at Hades.

However, as it hits ... it just makes a small *poof* sound and then disappears.

"Very anticlimactic. Now ... I see that you aren't going to tell me what you wish, so I am going to ask you directly."

"No! Don't even think about saying it."

"Would you like ..."

"No! Stop! Don't say it anymore!"

"... for me to bring ..."

"STOOOP! I don't want to hear it!"

"... them back?"

"NOOOOOOO ... ", Rick screamed and he finally broke down. For some reason, he now finally broke into thousands of pieces and there was nothing there, no amount of intelligence or drive for revenge, that held him together.

But someone was there ... someone that shouldn't even be there right now. Hades was there for Rick. He was the shoulder that the nihilistic and broken genius cried on. What a weird scene. Unlike Morty, Hades understood that no words were necessary right now. Nothing had to be said and silence was the best thing right now.

They both just sat there. Neither of them said anything.

.

"I don't want to."

"Are you-"

"I said I don't WANT to!"

"You scared. Scared that the same thing might happen again. Scared that the weapon that was responsible for destroying Diane across infinite dimensions might do it again."

"..."

"..."

"... Yes."

"Well, then you have to ask yourself this. Is that risk worth having them back? Are you insecure about that?"

"But what about ... Beth here and Morty and Summer? What about them?"

"What about them? You're a portal travel away and it didn't bother you before to switch up families, so why would it now?"

"I guess ... I guess you're right."

"Also don't worry about the Eyepatch Morty ... we'll pay him a visit after this. Now tell me your answer Rick Sanchez of Dimension C-137.", Hades said.

Rick took a deep breath and then said it.

"I want..."

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Well, there you have it. This might be the cruellest Cliffhanger that I have ever created. I don't know whether this should even be published but ... I can't stop myself. All this power ... at my fingertips.