Dragonball M, Chapter 5: Clarion’s Call! The Signal! The Fate of the Universes!

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Praxat gets up. Takes off her blindfold and wrings out the blood from it. As she does, she squints her eyes. She then wipes the blood off her face and puts her blindfold back on over her eyes.

With her eyes now cover back in darkness. Praxat stops squinting. Praxat seems to look calm, but if one were to look closely they could see furious anger in Praxat's tiny body movements.

[grampagen]

With the end of the combat, Zaofan took a moment to take in the airs, finally still of violence. The Martial Chef's stance finally folded, and in his exhaustion allowed his guard to drop for a moment from standing in defiance, and he stood with his hands on his knees.

It's over...this is good...isn't it?

"...What right do you have to seek his attention." Etrina asked abruptly, tone empty save for the chime of the temporal power. "You left him broken, all for the crime of wishing to understand you. While you spit on others for choosing to kill you nearly did so with the one person who least deserved it....and now you wish to speak with him?"

Etrina took a deep breath, and released.

".....I want this over as much as anyone, but I'll not see him suffer as our martyr...he deserves far more then that. Speak to him if you wish but I will not accept any more harm coming to him."

Born from the fragments of a twice-dead thing, who had suffered from the designs of both Gods and Monsters. An entity... a deity. The First Unbound.

A God of True Magic.

Still kneeling. This new, and at the same time familiar entity, eyed Ochazuke curiously with golden-eyes. When she finally responded, her voice was soft, unsure.

"Hope?"

A trickle, then a stream of energy seems to slowly build up as the Genki gathers once more, the Threshlings once more giving all they had.

A faint silver butterfly lands on Zaofan’s shoulder and warmth blossoms through him as energy pours into him from distant Earth.

Gulping down deep breaths, it was as if Zaofan had gone under and he'd only just now realized it. Yet with every inhale he felt a slight choking where the air passed the knots bundling from his throat down to his heart and his eyes burned.

Despite what had transpired with his brother, with Jack, and the change that had come over Inanna, all he could feel right now was a great weight upon him he was struggling to keep stready. His shoulders rounded, palms sweaty, cold, and radiating a shiver as he struggled to contain himself.

What have we done here?

With the Channel Focus of the ascendant Mistress on one shoulder and the Silver Butterfly upon the other, it was almost a comical sight, were it not for the panic welling within him.

Time, and Fate, Gods and Mortals. He'd stood gathering the spirit bomb, but the sheer magnitude of what had transpired suddenly hit him all at once and filled his head.

The end...and what days come after...

All around, fields of dust stretched before them; Past Inanna, where the Reshlan capital once stood, a stark plain illuminated by a rising Heka storm. Ochazuke'd only used this technique once before; that was during their last time here. No matter how it looked on this world, across the universe, a should quickly becomes a whisper.

Will this never end?

Shakily, he lift his head, eyes moist as he passed his view upward briefly to where Illargi hung in the distance. Like prickles in the back of his neck, he could sense the residual energy of the Threshlings who would live to see another day.

Even if everything they had built lay in ruins before them.

Slowly his hand crossed to the opposite shoulder and held the Proxy Etrina close in his thin fingers.

"You did what you had to, I think I understand now," he said with a small smile, though the thin, rapid breaths betrayed his vulnerability. "Even if it wasn't for anything else but this moment, you believed in me."

Yet strangely, despite the Silver Butterfly having brought the bulk of strength from a place he'd hadn't expected when the critical time had come, as soon as that passed, despite Evangeline's little messanger lingering, its presence had grown strangely silent. Sweeping a sleeve over his face to dry his eyes, he hastilty tried to cobble together his veneer, and reached out to the thing, as if he could somehow read the energy of this scrying projection.

"Um...hello?"

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Parsley had remained silent, and impatient, ever since Inanna refrained from erasing her sister from existence. How quickly things devolved still boggled her mind, but she couldn't avoid laying at least some of the blame at her own feet. Her pragmatic approach to everything, combined with the elevated stress of having the fate of the universe in their hands, led to some questionable decisions on her part. Decisions like deciding to kill Inanna when talking things out would have settled things more peacefully. That was supported by the erroneous - but plausible at the time - assumption that she was going for the kill, as evidenced by her trying to kill Ochazuke right away. Interesting that she chose to use lethal force with him initially and no one else.

What was done was done. It couldn't be changed, nor should it have been. Time wasn't something to be meddled with to correct every petty and costly error. Besides, things turned out better than they would have had "peace" been pursued with gusto. The being standing before her was a never-before-seen marvel, if the tears running down Caliban's eyes were any indication. Powered by True Magic, she may very well have been the most powerful creature in the universe. A far cry from the fractured, tormented soul that had been standing there just moments earlier.

She approached Caliban from the side and stood a short distance from him. "Things have escalated to an extreme degree," she stated in reference to Ochazuke's revelation that multiple worlds had been destroyed very recently. "Sakin has used this distraction to his full advantage. Based on what you know of him and his Cabal and what you've seen just now... can we win?"

It was a simple question that had little to no bearing on the battles ahead, but all the same she found herself dreading his pending answer.

Caliban cocks his head and thinks.

“There’s always a chance, girly. More, now, if this….Goddess of True Magic aids you. But…..Eldfen and Sakin and their ilk are dangerous. And old, and with age comes craftiness. You don’t get that old without being dangerous, and after this……”

He gestures to Reshlan.

“I think Sakin won’t be underestimating ya’ll anymore. Any hope of that is gone now, ya here?”

He looks at her, eyes narrowed.

“Aye, there is a chance. But maybe………”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

With the end of the combat, Zaofan took a moment to take in the airs, finally still of violence. The Martial Chef's stance finally folded, and in his exhaustion allowed his guard to drop for a moment from standing in defiance, and he stood with his hands on his knees.

It's over...this is good...isn't it?







Gulping down deep breaths, it was as if Zaofan had gone under and he'd only just now realized it. Yet with every inhale he felt a slight choking where the air passed the knots bundling from his throat down to his heart and his eyes burned.

Despite what had transpired with his brother, with Jack, and the change that had come over Inanna, all he could feel right now was a great weight upon him he was struggling to keep stready. His shoulders rounded, palms sweaty, cold, and radiating a shiver as he struggled to contain himself.

What have we done here?

With the Channel Focus of the ascendant Mistress on one shoulder and the Silver Butterfly upon the other, it was almost a comical sight, were it not for the panic welling within him.

Time, and Fate, Gods and Mortals. He'd stood gathering the spirit bomb, but the sheer magnitude of what had transpired suddenly hit him all at once and filled his head.

The end...and what days come after...

All around, fields of dust stretched before them; Past Inanna, where the Reshlan capital once stood, a stark plain illuminated by a rising Heka storm. Ochazuke'd only used this technique once before; that was during their last time here. No matter how it looked on this world, across the universe, a should quickly becomes a whisper.

Will this never end?

Shakily, he lift his head, eyes moist as he passed his view upward briefly to where Illargi hung in the distance. Like prickles in the back of his neck, he could sense the residual energy of the Threshlings who would live to see another day.

Even if everything they had built lay in ruins before them.

Slowly his hand crossed to the opposite shoulder and held the Proxy Etrina close in his thin fingers.

"You did what you had to, I think I understand now," he said with a small smile, though the thin, rapid breaths betrayed his vulnerability. "Even if it wasn't for anything else but this moment, you believed in me."

Yet strangely, despite the Silver Butterfly having brought the bulk of strength from a place he'd hadn't expected when the critical time had come, as soon as that passed, despite Evangeline's little messanger lingering, its presence had grown strangely silent. Sweeping a sleeve over his face to dry his eyes, he hastilty tried to cobble together his veneer, and reached out to the thing, as if he could somehow read the energy of this scrying projection.

"Um...hello?"

A faint, exhausted, reply reaches him.

‘Yes. I….remain…..’

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Caliban cocks his head and thinks.

“There’s always a chance, girly. More, now, if this….Goddess of True Magic aids you. But…..Eldfen and Sakin and their ilk are dangerous. And old, and with age comes craftiness. You don’t get that old without being dangerous, and after this……”

He gestures to Reshlan.

“I think Sakin won’t be underestimating ya’ll anymore. Any hope of that is gone now, ya here?”

He looks at her, eyes narrowed.

“Aye, there is a chance. But maybe………”

The moment their Fusion caught sight of and identified that black butterfly as Sakin's means of scouting the events on Reshlan, she knew that he was well aware of everything they were capable of. Actually, she had been of that mind ever since she and Sarada were taken by Night in an attempt to "delay" them. As Caliban said, any hope of them having the element of surprise, so to speak, or being able to catch him off-guard was gone. "Whatever we showed him will have to be enough. Weaponizing the hope of the universe itself is a mighty trump card."

She turned her head to look at the new goddess. Her help would be invaluable. She doubted either of the GoDs in Sakin's employ would be able to stand up to her, even though she intended on taking Cancer on herself. After everything she and her slaves did to her family, she deserved to die by Parsley's hands. How that would take place was anyone's guess, but it would happen.

"We couldn't give Inanna a good enough reason to help." How much of those efforts were hindered by her mental state at the time was unclear. "It's more than worth a chance." She wasn't, after all, in a position to reject anyone's help, or ignore any potential allies. There was so much more was at stake to let simple pride dictate action.

She returned her attention to the god and found him looking up at her. "Any help you can give will be appreciated."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

The moment their Fusion caught sight of and identified that black butterfly as Sakin's means of scouting the events on Reshlan, she knew that he was well aware of everything they were capable of. Actually, she had been of that mind ever since she and Sarada were taken by Night in an attempt to "delay" them. As Caliban said, any hope of them having the element of surprise, so to speak, or being able to catch him off-guard was gone. "Whatever we showed him will have to be enough. Weaponizing the hope of the universe itself is a mighty trump card."

She turned her head to look at the new goddess. Her help would be invaluable. She doubted either of the GoDs in Sakin's employ would be able to stand up to her, even though she intended on taking Cancer on herself. After everything she and her slaves did to her family, she deserved to die by Parsley's hands. How that would take place was anyone's guess, but it would happen.

"We couldn't give Inanna a good enough reason to help." How much of those efforts were hindered by her mental state at the time was unclear. "It's more than worth a chance." She wasn't, after all, in a position to reject anyone's help, or ignore any potential allies. There was so much more was at stake to let simple pride dictate action.

She returned her attention to the god and found him looking up at her. "Any help you can give will be appreciated."

He nods slowly, before glancing around.

“I have something. Maybe. Can’t while Sakin is watching though.”

[bruceleegreyhulk]

( So, Sakin is watching us, and if Sakin is the one who destroyed my homeworld Qaceria. Come hell or high water. They will pay) Praxat thought as she tightly clenches her right hand.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

He nods slowly, before glancing around.

“I have something. Maybe. Can’t while Sakin is watching though.”

Parsley nodded once. Any help they could receive before the fated battles was crucial and anything hindering that needed to be dealt with promptly. The last she remembered, the butterfly he had been using to spy on them was fluttering toward where Etrina was situated. That had changed and he had been watching long enough. "I'll see about getting us some privacy. His voyeurism has continued long enough."

She set her hyper-focused gaze skyward. As she looked for the butterfly, a single prick of black ki began forming on her index finger.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

After the Saiyan Monarch had stumbled off, numb to the immediate- the Goddess before her, formed from the remains of the wife she abandoned- and focused on what happened light years away; She had set her focus to what transpired on Reshlan.

First, the Stoic, had seemingly channeled and focused the Heka Flow had set it loose, stirring what remained of the defiant Universe to lend their spirit, and pledge themselves to the cause. On the heels of speaking to a lesson about 'hope', She could only assume this was what he'd meant.

The Chef she could sense, was reeling from the end result of his hard work. Focused on the devastation wrought in the name of preservation, and wondering if in the end that the ends justified the means.

Food for thought, from both humans who had played a hand in her creation...

But what of the other Saiyan?

She set her hyper-focused gaze skyward. As she looked for the butterfly, a single prick of black ki began forming on her index finger.

Ultimately unsurprising given what could be recalled from Inanna's memories.

As she watched the Saiyan 'Princess' begin charging up to dispatch the scrying eye of those who stood opposite their aims however, there was a measure of curiosity to be had at the nature of said opposition. When both sides relied on force to see their will manifested after all, the only real difference between them was simply a matter of who was stronger. So as Parsley attempted to seek and destroy the Butterfly... 'She'... reached out to it, and spoke to whomever it was listening on the other side.

"If you are listening, Sakin. Eldfen... whomever. I would know what your goal is, truly. Is it simply to reshape the Universe to your liking, and rule over what results?"

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

After the Saiyan Monarch had stumbled off, numb to the immediate- the Goddess before her, formed from the remains of the wife she abandoned- and focused on what happened light years away; She had set her focus to what transpired on Reshlan.

First, the Stoic, had seemingly channeled and focused the Heka Flow had set it loose, stirring what remained of the defiant Universe to lend their spirit, and pledge themselves to the cause. On the heels of speaking to a lesson about 'hope', She could only assume this was what he'd meant.

The Chef she could sense, was reeling from the end result of his hard work. Focused on the devastation wrought in the name of preservation, and wondering if in the end that the ends justified the means.

Food for thought, from both humans who had played a hand in her creation...

But what of the other Saiyan?



Ultimately unsurprising given what could be recalled from Inanna's memories.

As she watched the Saiyan 'Princess' begin charging up to dispatch the scrying eye of those who stood opposite their aims however, there was a measure of curiosity to be had at the nature of said opposition. When both sides relied on force to see their will manifested after all, the only real difference between them was simply a matter of who was stronger. So as Parsley attempted to seek and destroy the Butterfly... 'She'... reached out to it, and spoke to whomever it was listening on the other side.

"If you are listening, Sakin. Eldfen... whomever. I would know what your goal is, truly. Is it simply to reshape the Universe to your liking, and rule over what results?"

A moment, and the butterfly form shifts and a slightly staticy vision of a balding, blue skinned man with a strange staff appeared. His form shimmer a bit, the image straining.

He eyes her, before bowing his head in acknowledgement of who and what she is.

“I intend on ruling, and making these universes….better. Fixing all the mistakes that other celestials have made, and it has been shown to me, now more than ever, that you cannot fix what’s broken. It needs to be replaced entirely, a fresh start. A new….heh, Genesis.”

He leans on his staff and watches her.

“You…..are quite a sight. A truly, in totality, unique being. How….fascinating.”

“Is it though?”

A smoke cloud puffs into existence next to the image of Sakin, and a miniature wish dragon appears made of smoke before forming into Grinthorn.

The oldest dragon looks at her and smoke curls around him.

“Heh, a non divine mortal making a wannabe Wish Goddess. How profane.”

His eyes flick towards Ochazuke.

“I want my full freedom. Your…ally’s here have hidden my Dragonballs. Until I get them back, I’ll help Sakin tear the place down and build it back up.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Parsley nodded once. Any help they could receive before the fated battles was crucial and anything hindering that needed to be dealt with promptly. The last she remembered, the butterfly he had been using to spy on them was fluttering toward where Etrina was situated. That had changed and he had been watching long enough. "I'll see about getting us some privacy. His voyeurism has continued long enough."

She set her hyper-focused gaze skyward. As she looked for the butterfly, a single prick of black ki began forming on her index finger.

The new goddess found it and is now addressing Sakin and Eldfen.

[grampagen]

A faint, exhausted, reply reaches him.

‘Yes. I….remain…..’

Huddling he butterfly behind his cupped hands, Zaofan held on to this piece of the Guardian's essence as if he were guarding a fire from cold winds. This, especially, had been something he'd been wary of since last year, and though he'd like to think his skills had grown since then, resurrections were not something he'd like to have to grow familiar with - not like this.

So when Evangeline's voice, quiet, small, and so very far away reached him, he'd wanted to clamp his hands down on it.

"You remain...ha! No, no, that's some good news," he blubbered, "Really good...!"

Tipping his hand over, the shade pronounced the silvery light all the brighter in the darkness that wreathed the small thing. She'd been there for them countless times, and now - in his mind - nothing could take that light away ever again until they knew what they had to do.

Only...nobody had ever done anything on this scale ever before from the outer reaches of the entirety of the universe. Planet to planet, star system to the outer reaches, the preparations had been made for something that had not been ever attempted until this very moment. In that instant of realization, Zaofan felt just as small as the butterfly he'd cloistered upon his palm, and with it, increasingly anxious in his desperation.

Then, looking towards the Axis of Heka Ochazuke had cultivated, his view looked down to Evangeline's butterfly. One flap of its wings a hemisphere away...

Taking off in a haggard sprint ambling over rock and dust, he moved to his martial brother's side.

"Zaofan...?"

"You've reached into the Cosmic Leyline, ha ha!" The longer Martial Chef had been stretched today, the more his countenance seemed quite mad. "Yeah! Tell them, Eva! Say it again! "

Even if everything was hopeless, he would continue on to fulfill his promise any way he can.

I can't expect you to have all the answers...but I can amplify your voice and make sure you're heard!

"Tell the people of Earth! I remain! After all, that's what a Guardian does, isn't it? Spread the word, carry it to to everybody in the entire cosmos!"

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Huddling he butterfly behind his cupped hands, Zaofan held on to this piece of the Guardian's essence as if he were guarding a fire from cold winds. This, especially, had been something he'd been wary of since last year, and though he'd like to think his skills had grown since then, resurrections were not something he'd like to have to grow familiar with - not like this.

So when Evangeline's voice, quiet, small, and so very far away reached him, he'd wanted to clamp his hands down on it.

"You remain...ha! No, no, that's some good news," he blubbered, "Really good...!"

Tipping his hand over, the shade pronounced the silvery light all the brighter in the darkness that wreathed the small thing. She'd been there for them countless times, and now - in his mind - nothing could take that light away ever again until they knew what they had to do.

Only...nobody had ever done anything on this scale ever before from the outer reaches of the entirety of the universe. Planet to planet, star system to the outer reaches, the preparations had been made for something that had not been ever attempted until this very moment. In that instant of realization, Zaofan felt just as small as the butterfly he'd cloistered upon his palm, and with it, increasingly anxious in his desperation.

Then, looking towards the Axis of Heka Ochazuke had cultivated, his view looked down to Evangeline's butterfly. One flap of its wings a hemisphere away...

Taking off in a haggard sprint ambling over rock and dust, he moved to his martial brother's side.

"Zaofan...?"

"You've reached into the Cosmic Leyline, ha ha!" The longer Martial Chef had been stretched today, the more his countenance seemed quite mad. "Yeah! Tell them, Eva! Say it again! "

Even if everything was hopeless, he would continue on to fulfill his promise any way he can.

I can't expect you to have all the answers...but I can amplify your voice and make sure you're heard!

"Tell the people of Earth! I remain! After all, that's what a Guardian does, isn't it? Spread the word, carry it to to everybody in the entire cosmos!"

There is a long pause, and for a moment, the butterfly seems so, very, fragile.

‘I…..I will try…….’

The butterfly goes dangerously translucent for a moment, and then Zaofan feels a chord being struck. Feels a thrumming in his bones as the butterfly starts to glow.

And then a dozen more appear around it.

A silvery trail of butterfly seems to shoot up from Zaofan, glimmers of Heka flying from the axis Ochazuke has gathered. Each wisp makes the butterfly fly faster, taking a faint golden hue. Power gathers, the likes of which has only been touched twice before, and with the Heka available, with the hope in Zaofan, Eva responds.

———————-

On Earth, Kai and Nunlil fall back a step as Eva floats into the sky. Her face is tear streaked, her eyes blazing with silver and gold energy, and an aura of possibility surrounds her. Her body, to Kai’s eyes, resonate with a harmonic chord.

———————-

Maiz, you hear Eva’s voice and can feel that power starting to build in Eva. It’s a strange power, that odd harmonic chord that resounds in your head. Something……..unique, divine.

———————-

The image of Sakin narrows his eyes and his head turns towards where Zaofan and the butterflies are.

“What is that Kami doing?” He hisses out, staff gripped tightly.

———————-

Across the universe, hundreds of butterflies on hundreds of worlds appear, they flutter and float and from each butterfly, Eva’s voice rings out. It is the voice of fate, of resistance, of hope.

“I Remain.”

The butterflies fly out, the voice ringing clearer.

“I REMAIN. I RESIST. I WILL…..NEVER……SURRENDER. I AM GUARDIAN OF EARTH, AND TO THE UNIVERSE……I SAY…..FIGHT! RESIST! WE ARE NOT THE PLAYTHINGS OF FALSE IMMORTALS! EARTH WILL NEVER FALL UNDER THAT TYRANTS SHADOW EVER AGAIN.”

On Earth, as her message spreads across the universe, with a shudder, Eva vanishes into a flurry of ephemeral butterflies, leaving Kai and Nunlil alone on the Lookout.

———————-

Manifesting in a swirl of glowing butterflies, a tired and staggering Eva appears next to Zaofan.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

A moment, and the butterfly form shifts and a slightly staticy vision of a balding, blue skinned man with a strange staff appeared. His form shimmer a bit, the image straining.

He eyes her, before bowing his head in acknowledgement of who and what she is.

“I intend on ruling, and making these universes….better. Fixing all the mistakes that other celestials have made, and it has been shown to me, now more than ever, that you cannot fix what’s broken. It needs to be replaced entirely, a fresh start. A new….heh, Genesis.”

He leans on his staff and watches her.

“You…..are quite a sight. A truly, in totality, unique being. How….fascinating.”

“Is it though?”

A smoke cloud puffs into existence next to the image of Sakin, and a miniature wish dragon appears made of smoke before forming into Grinthorn.

The oldest dragon looks at her and smoke curls around him.

“Heh, a non divine mortal making a wannabe Wish Goddess. How profane.”

His eyes flick towards Ochazuke.

“I want my full freedom. Your…ally’s here have hidden my Dragonballs. Until I get them back, I’ll help Sakin tear the place down and build it back up.”

Sakin, and Eldfen both appeared, their reasons for this crusade separate and yet... convergent.

One wished to birth a new Universe, free from the stagnation and strife of the Universe before. The other... simply wished to be made whole again, and the consequences to achieve such were of little concern. Things she both could understand, and sympathize with, yet... the burden that had laid heavy upon her shoulders, and a destiny that had all but suffocated her no longer held their sway. Looking at these goals from the outside now, there was no mistaking the flaws in the former, and the naivete in the latter.

So She addressed Eldfen, first.

"Even were Ochazuke willing to return the Dragonballs to you, the location of at least one- information known only to Inanna- was never revealed to him. Should Sakin attain his ends, that knowledge will die with me; and if you believe Sakin will not capitalize on your weakened state to enslave you... you are a bigger fool than Inanna. I do sympathize with your desire to be returned to who you were- and were meant to be, however. It was after all, what drove Ishtar insane; and contributed to the death of Inanna." There was a pause, as She let her statement hang in the air, before she turned to address Sakin.

"You, however... are your dreams truly so... banal?" There was a lull, as she considered how best to properly express her thoughts; and when she had it was in the end quite simple. "By shaping the Universes you wish to rule, do you truly think there will be satisfaction in it? In my eyes... ruling over a Universe known down to the atom, seems a hollow thing. Or do I not see the bigger picture? Your bigger picture?"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

The new goddess found it and is now addressing Sakin and Eldfen.

A moment, and the butterfly form shifts and a slightly staticy vision of a balding, blue skinned man with a strange staff appeared. His form shimmer a bit, the image straining.

He eyes her, before bowing his head in acknowledgement of who and what she is.

“I intend on ruling, and making these universes….better. Fixing all the mistakes that other celestials have made, and it has been shown to me, now more than ever, that you cannot fix what’s broken. It needs to be replaced entirely, a fresh start. A new….heh, Genesis.”

He leans on his staff and watches her.

“You…..are quite a sight. A truly, in totality, unique being. How….fascinating.”

“Is it though?”

A smoke cloud puffs into existence next to the image of Sakin, and a miniature wish dragon appears made of smoke before forming into Grinthorn.

The oldest dragon looks at her and smoke curls around him.

“Heh, a non divine mortal making a wannabe Wish Goddess. How profane.”

His eyes flick towards Ochazuke.

“I want my full freedom. Your…ally’s here have hidden my Dragonballs. Until I get them back, I’ll help Sakin tear the place down and build it back up.”

It didn't take long for Parsley to find what she was looking for. The pitch black butterfly, the perversion of Eva's scrying and communication technique she learned from her predecessor, shifted forms into a holographic figure.

Sakin.

He... was much uglier and pathetic looking than she would have thought an Angel would have looked. He certainly looked non-threatening with his hairline in constant retreat from his forehead. With a bow, he explained his plan to the being formerly known as Inanna. To rule, to correct the mistakes of his contemporaries - undoubtedly with Asha'rah at the top of that list - and improve the universes as he saw fit. Things as broken as their universes couldn't be fixed, so he intended on shredding them down to their last atoms and building news, teeming with life that knew not what came before, but only what lay ahead.

Grateful creation.

She knew that Sakin had escalated his intentions while they dallied on Reshlan, but to that degree... it was unfathomable.

"...no..."

To die... to have to watch everything she had fought so hard to build for herself and everyone she cared about be stripped away by a mad tyrant. It was a horrible nightmare come to life.

"No."

Then the Eldfen pitched in, declaring his intentions to aid in burning everything to the ground until he got what he wanted: his hidden dragonballs so he could regain his full freedom.

"NOOOOOOO!!" Her scream of defiance echoed through the flattened ruins that had once been Reshlan's capital. "A delusional god didn't get what he wanted and now he wants to destroy everything. Straight out of Cancer's and She Who Stalks' playbook, and every other tyrant that tried their hand at oppression and was soundly rebuffed. How many times will we see this pathetic and petulant strategy played out?" It would be the last time. Even if she had to die to ensure it, she was going to make sure Sakin and the rest of his petty Cabal were wiped from face of the universe.

The pinprick of ki that had been forming on the tip of her finger quickly expanded until it filled the palm of her hand. "I don't know how, but I will make sure you die."