"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."
― Friedrich Nietzsche
"You want me to bully some of the Earths?" Ven blinked at Brull in confusion. He woke from his nap, ready to start another hunt for yet more parallel worlds, when the cat-kin had waved him down. "Can't you do it yourself… they don't have the power to do much, even their nukes would bounce right off you."
"Yeah, but I have to deal with their leaders," Brull rubbed his haggard face. "YOU can just play the horrible god that they have to tread lightly around, but I have to make nice or Mara will kill me…"
Ven stretched his back and squinted into the void. The chain of Earths he'd created formed a short arc around one section of the massive system star, a new link in the web of life within his realm. They were all the same, discordant little notes that complained for his attention.
"Fine… which ones are giving you trouble?" Ven yawned and projected a map for Brull to mark. "I'll help you out, but then I've got to continue hunting for Earths."
"You're gathering more… forget it!" Brull slapped himself on the face and pointed to a cluster of Earths near the end of the line. "These two hundred or so planets are the troublemakers, they're refusing all of our aid and flaunt the poor living conditions of their people as a good thing."
"Got it…" Ven extended his hands and released a tide of runes into the void. They teleported to surround the distant Earths and consumed them in a flash of light. "Problem solved, they'll be back in a week with a better attitude… If not, I'll send them back to the space between galaxies to think some more."
"What…"
Ven let himself slip back into his true body and left Brull to finish his words alone. The space around him trembled, a sign that the Titan had closed the gap once more. A disgusted groan forced itself free of his mouth. He would give his system a year to sleep, then she would have to roll out of bed and give him a hand.
"Let's get this done," Ven extended his aura and began a tunnel between worlds. "I'll get another lead and then try something else, or I'll be at this forever…"
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"Look at all the pretty worlds, Giant," The Minder shaded her eyes with a hand, perched on her friend's shoulder as they swam through the voidspace of Vendak's realm. "And more keep appearing!"
The giant gave a hunger filled growl, a near bellow that rippled the clouds of the nearest Earth. The Minder smiled and stroked her friend on the back of the head.
"We can't eat them, they're living people," She chided gently. A projection of the surface of one of the Earths formed in front of their eyes with a wave of her hand. "See… each person is like a universe all its own, a unique perspective on the reality we all share."
A deep sigh huffed from the Giant's mouth as it shook its head. The disappointment in his tone brought a laugh from her throat. She gave Giant a gentle bonk and pointed to the system star.
"If you're hungry, let's visit Older Sister…" She flinched, but continued to urge her friend forward. "Ven shouldn't be there, since he's the one moving those new worlds…"
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"The barriers are falling…" The mirrored face of the One True Identity filled with a menagerie of wicked grins. He tossed the layered silver robes that formed his body, a spin that turned to a spiralled dance. "Soon I will be free, and everything that is mine shall be returned to me!"
"Great for you," Callum snorted from his position below the vortex of broken glass. His brother had vanished, lost from this monster's sight, and his existence here was on thin ice. "Will we finally leave this mind numbing place?"
Identity drifted to Callum's side and scooped him up into his manic performance. They spun and twisted through the air, from one end of the circular void to another. The mirror mask of his captor's face reflected Callum's scarred visage, but warped into a foul expression of ecstasy.
"Soon we shall walk the omniversal highways and return to my true home," Identity spun Callum into a wild twist and freed him to sprawl onto the floor. He swelled to fill the limited space, mirror filled with teeth and blood. "I shall take my place at the head of creation and fulfil the only destiny that matters!"
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"Nearly there…"
Pressed to the bedrock, far below the ground, his fingers inched him forward. Each move forced him to contort past a dense web of runes, a script that weaved a blockade between him and his feast. Dante sucked in his stomach and curled through the spaces between the atoms of stone.
"Stupid Ven…" A grin spread on his face as he pushed into the final stretch. "This ward can't stop me, let alone Lucy… soon enough I'll have a taste of that fruit…"
Dante burst past Ven's wall of runes, fingers extended as he swelled to full size. A gentle leap brought him to the branches of the tree of life, teeth bared to strip the huge berries straight from their leafy homes. One became a hundred, a thousand, countless more, until his belly was swollen and his face had gained a hint of life.
"Amazing…" The ancient devil let a burp slip past his lips. He lay back on the luminous wood, eyes on the dark peak and Lucifer's original body. "Now… What do I do about you?"
The mighty snake hissed, obsidian fangs bared as Dante slipped closer. This animalised husk was no threat as it was, but it would be a perfect material for a golem if he could snatch it up. The real prize was above the beast's head. A pair of fruit, red skinned and filled with the breath of power. Dante licked his lips and shrank until he vanished from the regular world.
"Time to get what's mine!"