The slap took their breaths away.
Their eyes widened and they sat in silence.
Akio suddenly woke up from the trance, finally realizing what her actions may start, he didn't care anymore and screamed as he stood up.
And to everyone's surprise, the world slowed down.
Akio could feel his lips and knees moving at an awkward and slow speed.
The surprised looks of his brothers and sisters slowly appeared on their faces.
Diana also noticed the change in the world.
But more than anything, Cayn, was raising his head.
Slowly, with his hair falling and covering his eyes.
His hand fell from his face.
His head finally leveled with Diana.
His eyes met hers.
No, Diana knew, while they fell on her, they weren't staring.
Lifeless.
Cayn's eyes were, without a soul.
Diana's heart almost broke.
Before her mind ran any further, a colossal bloodlust came from Cayn.
They all saw, death.
A monstrous dark and goldish skeleton head behind Cayn, opening its mouth.
Death.
It was death.
The world breathed no more.
Their bodies froze in time.
Whether it was universes or dimensions.
All creations and beings, all planets and stars, stopped.
It was death.
A death that will be before all.
It was destruction.
It was the end.
---
A figure of a fragile man sitting cross-legged, opening his eyes as he shook in fear from his seat.
The figure of the creator God.
His prophecy was wrong.
The end was coming closer than what he had forsaken.
He thought he would be the one to turn into the monster.
But Cayn went ahead. And there is, no stopping him.
Even himself, who had already accepted his death in a mere second as he felt this energy.
Yeah, it wasn't scary.
He could only laugh.
Even the other creator Gods who wanted his head and power never thought they would disappear this way.
He closed his eye.
He could only feel pity, for Cayn.
If he ever wakes up, whether tomorrow or in a billion years, or merely a few seconds after erasing everything.
Will he be fine, alone?
---
Only a few like him could maintain their consciousness in this state.
And weirdly enough, Diana could too.
She could feel the knife in her other hand cry and shriek as if it was in pain.
Yes, in pain.
She thought.
If a small knife like this carrying few of his power is howling in pain, what about Cayn?
What about her man?
Why did he have to take responsibility for the lives of his people in his first life?
Why did he have to take responsibility for the peace of the worlds and fight even more for billions of years?
Any other person would either lose themselves or give in to their emptiness. Any other person would just leave and live in the shadows, all alone at least.
Why would he have to fight it if it meant growing into the monsters he killed all this time?
Why would he fight everything head-on, fight to protect all these people who never knew how great his sacrifice is?
Why? Why? Why? Diana's mind was running wild as she stared in the face of death. Not even in the least worried about her fate. Staring into those soulless eyes her heart broke down.
For her, she never thought of his struggles with his inner self as a weakness. She never thought of his tired self as weak. For a man who never wished to live, to fight to protect people he had no relation to at such a young age, and keep fighting for billions of years for even more who will never know of his name, fight his introverted self to stand in front of them and smile at them, to let them know they were safe.
To let his family know they were safe, he smiled at them.
To let her know, she was safe, he smiled, at her.
Cayn wasn't smiling now.
Cayn wasn't there.
Merely this lifeless body in front of her.
Diana's eyes were so red and teary as if she was about to cry blood.
She felt the black knife still crying. She realized she could move while still feeling the massive bloodlust.
Then she realized, the knife wasn't only reacting to Cayn's power. It was also fighting it and protecting her from it.
She stared at it for a moment.
She remembered what he was murmuring.
They were coming.
He wouldn't be producing killing intent if it was his siblings.
As much as she was curious she didn't want to care about that now.
Cayn could kill her before she can even react.
But she realized something after slapping him. Even more when his eyes could look in her direction without seeing her. Her knife may even be hiding her presence from this enraged beast.
She stood closer to him.
His eyes didn't move from where he looking.
Yeah, his body and eyes only faced something that touched him, not exactly her.
Diana decided.
"Can you hear me?" She spoke in an irritated voice at first.
She saw his eyebrows twitch.
"Stop this."
The bloodlust disappeared.
Everything went back to normal as if the pause the world experienced never happened.
"Okey," she spoke softly.
"Wake up."
This time nothing happened.
The ten figures behind them could finally stand up, followed by the appearance of the sweating Malik, they all stared at this scene in silence.
"Will you make me say it again? You know your woman is not that patient, don't you?"
Akio and the other turned to look at each other in confusion. But Malik was there to shake his head affirming to them. She was his woman.
Their eyes fell on her once again.
With the world and stars getting back their bright colors from the dark bloodlust they could finally see her fully.
She was, too beautiful, too dignified even with her teary red eyes, but that mad look on her face was enough.
Enough to let be swayed by her sharp look and curvy body.
Men and women, even Malik who didn't see her only for a year and a few months, were bewitched by her beauty and charisma.
She changed.
The way she spoke to this killing machine was unafraid of her death.
Yes, she wasn't. Because even if Cayn's eyes couldn't see he could still just destroy everything alongside her.
She wouldn't lie about how she got carried by her madness and slapped him.
This entire time it's always a gamble. Even now.
"Cayn, wake up," her voice grew softer as she approached him raising her hand.
Before she could place it on his cheek a voice suddenly resounded in space.
"I am sure he can't hear you, woman."
Diana's fingers froze.
Everyone looked in a certain direction, where slowly a dimensional crack appeared.
A man with majestic wings appeared. As if he was light itself. As if he was, salvation. A young man with snow-white skin and grey hair appeared followed by a few others.
Those behind him didn't have wings.
Some even had the bodies of a man but heads of animals, some were old men, and some were women with more than two eyes.
Their presence was weaker than the front man.
Everyone staring could feel it as they met these beings' eyes.
Breath wrong. You die.
This wasn't bloodlust. Just that the difference in strength, was that obvious, their bodies, already gave in as the prey.
Diana covered Cayn whose back was against them.
He was still staring ahead, like a standing corpse while Diana stood next to him facing them.
"Who are you?"
"Me?" He started laughing. "That ticking bomb's dear friend."
Diana's eyes widened. "His... rival and... friend??"
He laughed hysterically as if he found what she said sarcastically. "Oh is that what he calls me? Poor man. Well, I wouldn't be dropping my act if he didn't break before the plans. But it works just fine now. This act was growing to be boring either way. So it works, just, fine." He smirked.
A vein almost popped on Diana's forehead as she clenched her fingers forming punches.
"Were you, playing him into this?"
"wowowo, I didn't play him. He always thought of himself as a tool to achieve peace. I just made that dream true. Look at him, isn't he now, more like a tool than before he broke down? Ha?" The man started laughing again with teary eyes as if this was the happiest day of his life.
"Ah, AAAHH FINALLY. THE GREATEST PAWN. THE GREATEST SOLDIER. IS IN MY HANDS. I SHALL RULE OVER ALL. I WAS LUCKY TO DECIDE TO COME HERE EARLIER TO CHECK. I WAS LUCKY HE BROKE DOWN."
His eyes turned to Cayn not caring about Diana's furious reaction.
"Now puppet. Come to me. We shall overthrow all those creator Gods and stand above all."
But Cayn's remained standing emotionless.
The man stood there for a moment.
"Hmm, I forgot I have to control you first."
He was already in front of Cayn before he finished his sentence. Leaving everyone still staring at where he was standing until the sound of his voice changed locations.
Diana reacted too slowly, as soon as she turned she saw her knife in that man's hand as he was checking it.
"Hmm interesting, I guess you stopped his bloodlust talking to him while holding this huh? To be honest I almost thought I would die too so I thank you for that."
"Hmm, that's why I will let you live. You can leave. The rest will die after I control this beast."
Diana stood there without saying a word.
"Diana," spoke Malik.
She finally looked their way. Counting their number... It was them.
Malik confirmed with his head.
Diana's eyes turned to the man once again.
"Oh you know them?"
"I wasn't planning on leaving even if I didn't." She didn't even bring up her swords knowing full well she will die moving a muscle.
"Oh, sense of sacrifice. Reminds of this man right here. a fool who decided to drug himself to be able to love his family. To be able to find emotions again."
Diana's hands let go, her eyes widened. "W, what?
"You know about the drug huh."
"I know it was your idea."
"Oh it is, the billions of years of slaughter broke his mind. He became truly terrifying. The real reason he became like this, is because he is unable to control all the memories of those billions of years that he sealed. Even I would have lost it. I am glad I only watched from afar. Poor Cayn. Always on the front line alone."
"All those memories were sealed away. Of course, his power is too. The drug helped him, keep his human side. The real Cayn, after the endless lifetime of slaughter, is numb to all emotions. I guess it's more or less also a billion years since he started taking that drug to be able to smile."
Diana felt her knees weak.
"Well, I do chat a lot when I am happy. To think this beast would be my tool to achieve my dreams so soon."
"Well now, goodbye."
He raised his hand.
The ten siblings and Malik saw a blinding light.
And everything turned white, for Diana who was standing so close.