I'll Be Back

For a moment, silence reigned in the room as neither Endyr nor the Almighty spoke. To "His" side, Serapis remained as still and silent as ever, his gaze untraceable because of the shadows. As Endyr gauged the distance to the eye, and her chances of reaching it before the Almighty smote her to death, "He" spoke up softly.

"So you are the one I sensed. How an Abomination got to the heart of my sanctuary would be an interesting story, but I'm not quite in the mood to hear it today. I have a very busy schedule ahead, after all. Hmm, but I suppose I'll have to punish Sepherene and Rapelt for not detecting you on the way out anyways...sigh, and they say being a God is easy."

The Almighty spoke like "Her" was only talking to "Himself" and the entire time, Endyr felt "His" gaze never actually settle on her. Instead, "He" scanned the roof and walls with a warm built aloof temperament. Endyr almost felt that she wasn't even detected, until the Almighty turned to Serapis and pointed "His" hand forward. 

"Remove the beast, Serapis"

At once, the chapel turned dark and gloomy. The golden sunlight that shone through the ornate glass vanished in a heartbeat, and shadows that did not previously exist made themselves apparent. A cold chill blew in from somewhere and Endyr felt all her energy and body heat dissipate with it. Despite rousing as much of her Infinity energy as possible, there was barely an difference. Whispers in an unknown language grew from the corners and Endyr felt her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Trying to take a step back, Endyr found her body unresponsive, and suddenly realised her limbs felt like blocks of soaked wood. 

Looking down, her pupils contracted as she saw her scales losing their lustre at a speed noticeable to the naked eye, and several began to fall out. The flesh underneath was pale and shrivelled, like an old mans. Snapping her head up to see Serapis calmly standing in the same spot, but the shadows behind him writhing like a sentient monster. When she was that, the whispers grew louder, and Endyr felt her pounding heart begin to slow down as fatigue gripped her from no where.

'No...good...He's...killing me!'

Endyr was not ignorant to what was going on. Serapis was quite literally killing her from a distance, slowly turning her state into a corpses' until she became one. This was done by directly applying the Concept of Death to her, meaning neither Mana nor Infinity could help her. Only Authority, which allowed one to wield Concepts, could combat Authority. This was why the System ruled the Main Universe, not the Denizens of Infinity. In the Infinite Universe, that seemed to be the case too.

As Endyr found it harder and harder to string together coherent thoughts, she didn't even notice herself falling to her knees. As her lungs struggled to draw each breath, she realised that if nothing changed then this run was over. While that wasn't such a bad thing, since she had already located what she needed, failing so close to success sent a wave of anger through her, rousing her dwindling spirit enough to buy her a few more seconds. This boost was not missed by Serapis, who tilted his head a degree to the side before going back to normal. Endyr had just given herself a few more seconds of life, but nothing had changed. She was still on the verge of death. 

Clenching her teeth (and noticing several had fallen out at some point in time), Endyr was left with no other choice but to ask for help. 'System, what should I do here?'

[...]

"Hmm?" 

The Almighty turned "His" head, stopping admiring the walls and looking at Endyr for the first time since "He" entered. At once, Endyr felt an unbearable weight settle on her as her very soul cried out from the burden. Looking at her silently, the Almighty made no other motion, almost like he was waiting for something. At the very least, Endyr was. 

'System! What do I do!' Endyr shouted in her mind, feeling desperate for the first time in a while. She was not confidant she could reach the room much faster than she did this time, and that meant she would likely be caught by the Almighty no matter what. This would ensure a dead end loop, where Endyr could never succeed by taking this path. Furthermore, the revelation about the war between the Main and Infinite Universes made her more anxious than she knew, and she did not want to waste any more time in this Quest. 

[Just give up and die]

Endyr was struck speechless by the causal words of the System, and so she didn't immediately notice when her body stopped turning into a corpse, and that a different shadow was being cast over her. Craning her neck upwards, she saw the Almighty standing directly over her, his nonexistence eyes boring directly into her. Being under the scrutiny of "Him" was only marginally better than Serapis' and she could already feel her cells cringing away from "His" body to avoid cancer. Not that it would do any good.

"What was that presence just now?" the Almighty asked slowly, chewing on "His" words as "He" spoke. Endyr stayed silent as a new level of fear swelled up inside her: the Almighty had detected the System. Orvonia had its own W System in place, but that one was barely functioning properly, and Ascenders were only able to see their own Status but not use any other features. Furthermore, it was said not even a God could sense when another person was looking at their Status if they hid the signs. Endyr's System was even more special: it was (seemingly) connected to the Main Universe, and thus allowed her greater options than the natives. One of the perks of her reincarnation, she supposed. 

[A/N: Check out the glossary page for a reminder of the types of System.]

"What's the matter? Don't tell me you're too afraid of me to answer? Oh right, Abominations can't talk anyways. Sigh, if only Zephaniah was here. Well, no matter. Serapis!"

The God of Death perked up at the Almighty's command as "He" continued speaking. "Bring the Abomination to Bartholomeus for study. I want him to dig up every secret he can, focusing on that strange presence first. Tell him he can use my materials if necessary. Hurry back before the festivities begin: I need you at my side for the speech." 

Having coldly decided her fate without a single bit of consideration, the Almighty turned "His" back to Endyr and made to leave the room. Serapis bowed as "He" went past, and then started walking towards Endyr, but without reactivating his Authority. And this would prove to be a mistake. 

Hearing what was to become of her, a sharp glint passed in Endyr's eye as she glared at the leaving Almighty. Sensing her murderous intent, "Her" paused and turned "His" head just in time to see Endyr be swallowed by purple light, which spread across the rest of the room in the blink of an eye. Reacting with another sigh, "He" put out "His" hand and pure white light poured out, swallowing the purple with ease. Yet before "He" could relax, a premonition of danger caused "Him" to grasp Serapis and pull him back.

Two seconds later, a violent explosion vaporized the Abomination, and everything around it.