After the Scream - 1 Billion Universes remaining
Jason and Orion then set off into the vastness of the universe for what they knew would be the beginning of a long journey. Orion's overflowing optimism seemed to be contagious, as Jason too began to smile while admiring the beauty of the surrounding universe.
"Do you know the location of a nearby gate?" Jason asked his traveling companion.
"No," he replied. "It seems I've lost part of my memories," he added, rubbing his temples.
"We need to find an intergalactic empire large enough to have one and that will allow us to use it," Jason added in a darker tone.
They traveled through the void of the universe, teleporting from star to star, searching for signs of a civilization advanced enough to have what they were looking for. During their journey through the universe, they witnessed some of its most magnificent offerings: from the creation of stars within nebulas, to massive black holes swallowing all surrounding light, to supernovae illuminating the universe at the death of a star.
After two days of this relaxing voyage, Jason spotted a peculiar aura on the horizon. It seemed to extend over the entirety of the galaxy from which it originated. It was a galaxy of a blazing red intertwined with a deep purple, gracefully shimmering in the starlight. It spanned about fifty light-years and housed a reasonably sized black hole at its center, compared to what the universe had to offer. This aura carried a barely contained sense of blood and madness. Jason now knew that the monarch from whom the aura emanated must have a title corresponding to one of these two elements. This monarch seemed to have developed an empire extending only over their own galaxy, which reduced the chances that they were aware of the location of a nearby gate. Nevertheless, Jason remained confident since most Monarchs had left their universe at least once in their existence.
The two travelers then approached the planet that seemed to serve as the capital of this empire as well as the residence of the Monarch. It was surrounded by a massive metallic ring that housed most of the capital's residents, leaving the available space on the planet to political power and the military. This ring also seemed to serve as protection in case of an intergalactic attack at the cost of its inhabitants' lives.
All that was left was to meet this monarch to obtain the information they sought. But there was a problem: how were they supposed to meet this monarch when in their current state, neither of their auras matched that of a monarch?
Being gentlemen, it was out of the question to teleport illegally onto the planet and intimidate their host to get the desired information. Jason hoped that honesty and respect, two of his core values, would allow them to get an audience with the Monarch. They approached the ring surrounding the capital, allowing themselves to be detected by the various presence sensors scanning the surrounding space. After a short minute, a ship docked with them. Jason could sense on board two auras matching those of Eternals, the rest being mere mortals. Sure, these mortals possessed sharp, murderous auras and must have formed an extremely powerful and experienced squad on their own, but they were negligible compared to the Eternals beside them.
All the mortals and one of the two Eternals then exited the ship, holding various weapons. Among the variety of weapons before his eyes, Jason could admire a sniper rifle about ten meters long, a translucent sword with a remarkable sharpness, and an obsidian-colored axe that must have taken several blacksmiths hundreds of years to forge. Jason and Orion's auras matching those of harmless mortals, the mortals of the squad looked at them as mere prey, their gazes filled with arrogance and barely concealed bloodlust.
The Eternal who had left the ship was a woman of resplendent beauty with clear blue eyes that cast such a cold gaze that it seemed to crystallize the surrounding void. Lifting with one hand a several-meter-long violet sword, she asked them:
"For what purpose do you come here, simple mortals?"
Her voice was as clear as the surface of a lake but concealed a deep, icy rigidity.
Jason thought that honesty and respect would allow them to get a meeting with this Monarch as long as they did not seek trouble. He then launched into the most respectful tone of voice he could form:
"Hello honorable Eternal, we are here to, if possible, meet the resplendent Mona…"
"But you are saying, big brother, that the lady is an Eternal? So that means she is really super old! Do you think she can crumble at any moment?" Orion interrupted, expressing his curiosity with childlike innocence.
He continued, "Hello ma'am, can I call you mom? Excuse me, maybe you prefer grandma, can I call you granny?" he asked, trying to widen his eyes to resemble those of an adorable animal.
'I didn't see the values of honesty and respect in that sense,' thought Jason, sensing a slight setback approaching.
A silence then settled following the words spoken by a man who physically seemed to have lived at least thirty years. The different soldiers of the squad seemed to want to execute them on the spot without any form of trial given the murderous intent they exuded. Despite their murderous impulses, they were soldiers first and foremost. They remained silent, awaiting their superior's order. She was also silent, though her gaze had intensified. The void around Orion and Jason even began to freeze under her gaze.
'Luckily for us, the cold has had no effect on our bodies for a long time,' thought Jason, seeing the void beside him solidify.
'With a bit of luck, we might even manage to explain ourselves and get everything back in order.'
The silence that had stretched on for several long minutes could have lasted several hours if Orion hadn't reopened his mouth to shatter all of Jason's hopes:
"Granny, I'm cold. You wouldn't have knitted a wool scarf to warm me up?" he asked innocently.
Jason sighed inwardly seeing a blizzard forming in the Eternal's eyes. He now knew that their situation was not going to evolve as he wished. She then uttered only two words with the intensity to freeze a star:
"Take them away."