"In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion."
― Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays
"Now this is what I call an offering of power!"
The broken void around Ven's transformed body spiralled away, pressure removed as the coin drank in the Devil's attack. All of the tainted ocean in sight followed suit, twisted into a single point by the hungry consciousness of the Titan Lord.
"I can taste the blood of an angel… which cursed follower of that broken god DARES to enter my presence!"
Flesh knit around the runic coin, a body that resembled Ven's giant. It carried an uncomfortable weight, the pressure of its voice enough to fracture space. It raised its hand and pinched, a simple gesture that trapped Lucifer in place.
"Ohhhh! It's you!" The Titan bellowed as the Devil was dragged before him. "Sorry, I thought it was one of your brothers!" He released the fallen angel and squinted around. "Where the hell are we?"
"That's my win," Ven glided next to the suppressed Lucifer. "My summoned beast has crushed you, a clear victory!"
"Hmmm," the Titan tilted its head. "You're the guy from earth, right? Is this your doing?"
"Yup," Ven shrugged. He'd actually expected the coin to tank Lucifer's attack, not release this eccentric fellow. "I told you I'd set you free!"
"Sure…" the Titan laughed, a wave of force that shattered Ven's bones. "AH, sorry!" The volume lowered, enough that space was able to settle back into place. "I'm not used to talking these days."
"CAN YOU KEEP IT DOWN UP THERE," a golden blade rose like the sun, a dawn that pulled free of Cain's realm. A projection of Brull followed the sword, aggravation on his armoured face. "That last attack almost ripped this place to shreds, just look at Cain!"
"You owe me a drink…" The Murderer in question drifted to the side, body fractured into a crumpled mass. His true form had tanked as much force as he could, all to keep his realm intact. "That freak needs to keep outside until he can rein in his power!"
"That's fine," the Titan clapped his hands, mouth open in preparation. "There is enough to eat right here!"
An inhalation carried the world into the Titan's mouth. Water moved, faster than light, a beam that spiralled into the mad-man's stomach. Ven and the rest remained unaffected, shielded by Brull's golden aura.
"Come ON," Brull's face beaded with sweat, the ting of overstressed metal in his voice. "Can't you point that effect in just one direction?"
"A man needs to eat," The Titan licked his lips, ready for another pull. "Just bear with it for a moment!"
Ven extended his own aura to help share the burden aimed at Avalon. Just in time, as what followed was a continuous breath. It dragged distant world clusters into range. A universal mass, gone without a trace. Ven paled.
Power like this. That's what he searched for. This other system user had reached this point, yet still… the titan had been beaten, reduced to a ghost, hidden in a coin. How strong would he need to get, before he could live in peace…
"Much better!" A hollow burp fled the Titan's lips, satisfaction for a good meal. He dusted himself off and faced the incoming planetoids. "Now, let's go check those things out!"
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"This guy is fast…"
Ven raced after the Titan, toward the unusual worlds. Their surface was murky, ruddy clouds, tinted with pinks and blues. The depression in their middles pinched at the nerves behind his eyes. Some kind of twist in physics that revolted the core animal in him.
"He's already inside," Lucifer drifted up beside him, eyes fixed on the planet ahead. "This place… it feels familiar somehow."
"If you say so…" Ven extended a tendril of aura toward the unusual world. "They give me the creeps," Ven pondered as his line of shadows inched ever closer. "It's like, when you look into a reversed mirror and see your true reflection for the first time."
His instincts didn't tell him to run, but they were very confused. Ven was a cat, trapped in the light of two oncoming cars. His body couldn't decide between fight, or flight, but reason screamed for caution.
Nothing in this strange ocean sat well with him. Reality was a dream, sharp and soft at the same time. Only the reassurance of his system helped him believe he wasn't trapped in a nightmare.
"Are we going in?" Lucifer tossed a rock at the planet and watched it vanish. "If yes, I'd say ladies first!"
"One second…" Ven fished his relic key from his pouch and raced back toward Avalon. "You can head in, I'll meet you inside!"
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"That was crazy…" Lyra picked herself up and fretted about the central processor. "Is everything alright with you guys?"
A unified hum tickled her ear, the mental impression of a toddler as they nodded their heads. The Core had been open to her connection, and now they seemed to have taken her in as a member of the collective.
'They are fine,' Fen rolled her eyes. 'We should investigate the noise, our friends may need our help.'
"Our friends…" An enthusiastic grin blossomed on Lyra's face. "You've never called them that before!" The wolf-kin pinched her own cheeks. "You've finally come around!"
'Just shut up and go…'
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Ven gazed into the murky clouds of the unknown worlds. He'd left his key with Mara. She could reach him with a twist of the wrist. This way, even if he became trapped, he could still communicate with his friends.
"Once more into the breach!"
Ven laughed to himself as he dove into the elusive atmosphere. It pulled back and away, reluctant to touch his ink black skin. He only knew that he progressed forward, because the clouds moved to encase him from the sides. The tunnel behind him remained empty, a spot of black that shrunk as he fell.
"I wonder where Lucifer and the Titan have gotten to?"