I took a deep breath and gathered my strength. As I tried to ignore the overwhelming thoughts of the gods, I spoke their true name the way Alice had thought me.
Out of nowhere I goth thrown out of the minds of the gods. I gasped for air and disoriented looked around.
There I saw time and space holding the gods down with a temporary seal.
Alice briefly glanced at me. "Are you okay?" She asked with concern in her voice.
"Y-yes. I guess I am." I managed to stammer.
"Good" She responded. "Space is currently trying to open the rift to our separate plane. This will safe us some more time than if we were to go through heaven again. Now that the gods are temporarily sealed their presence won't obstruct this kind of magic anymore."
I only nodded. Even when my wounds were healing at a rapid rate, I still had the idea that I could die at any moment.
After some time, space had opened up the rift and we flew through it whilst dragging the gods behind us. Right before the rift closed, I could see how the heavens were now dark and completely quiet.
Alice noticed my concern. "Don't worry. The future is a little clearer again. It will be exactly the same as before. Just without the gods."
Suddenly she froze as she stared at something in the grey area that she and space had created.
There in plain sight was as if a shadow had come alive and was walking towards us. The being left its usual trail of smoke behind it.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here? Seems like you really captured the gods. That was a lot easier than I had expected. I must say I heard your offer, and I couldn't resist. Being allowed to intervene and having a companion with me in what you call the void? That is just glorious."
With its usual cackling laughter, it stared to circle around us.
"How about I grant the demon permanent access so he can keep his gods trapped and I let the both of you in every now and then?"
"You can actually do that?" Space asked. Being the very definition of everything that exists in these worlds something that he couldn't even access at will was barely beyond his comprehension.
"Of course, I can do that." It said with a wide grin. "I can do everything as long as the creator allows it. And I know it's will better than everything. Well… except for the fragment that wanders the void. But that thing doesn't really count!"
As if ink was dripped onto the air darkness spread out behind it.
"Alright. You got your gods, their true names, the seal and the chains from time and space. Are we ready to go?"
"Wait!" Alice yelled out. "Are going to keep him there? Away from all that is real for all of eternity?" despite this being the best action that we could take, she still thought that it was not completely fair to me. And it was. But it was necessary.
Angels couldn't hold gods down for a long amount of time. Even if they were to rake turns, they would not be able to hold the gods secure for longer than a few years. That was why they needed a demon.
Therefore, they wanted to take my place every now and then. To at least lessen the burden. But if I was away from all that was real. What was the point in doing that?
"No of course not." The being of smoke and shadows responded as it tilted his head in a way that almost made it seem like it was broken. "He will be allowed to leave and enter whenever he pleases. Just like me! But I am afraid that, that is not the way that seal of yours works. Am I correct?"
He let out a deep sigh. "Yes, I'm afraid it is."
I walked towards the darkness along with the gods. "Well then. It has to be done, doesn't it?" I spoke with a sad smile. "I count on you two to tell my humans and that crazy dwarf what I'm up to."
With that I dragged the gods with me into the void. Here I would keep them away from the worlds and their own consciousness, so they could no longer harm anything including themselves.
Here in the darkness of the void where I held the chains of time and space, I found that this place was indeed not empty after all.
There were tiny lights that filled the nothingness. Like stars they spread out as for as my sight could reach. Each one of them was a small window that allowed me to see into the world behind it. One might say that this made my situation only worse. Being forced to watch the worlds that I could no longer enter. But in truth it was pleasing to watch. Like this I knew that what I did had meaning.
Suddenly there was something else. Something that was not supposed to be here. It shined in ever shifting colours like a small bright flame. A soul.
Still holding onto the chains, I slightly twisted around to see the world were my friends and family currently were. Here I saw that they were in a giant building. It was not a castle, but something closer to a church of some sorts. But it was not devoted to the gods… but to me?
There I saw everyone I knew together. They were performing a sacrificial ritual that the dwarf probably came up with. They were offering multiple types of animals and even a human. They were going trough this much trouble for me?
I smiled as I looked down upon them. I could barely wait for the time that either time or space came to replace me. Even if it could not be for such a long amount of time. But until then I was happy to see that they did not forget about me.