"In heaven, all the interesting people are missing."
― Friedrich Nietzsche
"Hmmm," Ven stepped through the barrier, side by side with Lady Fate and the aggressive angel. The realms of the Gods lay before him, wrapped around the last of the multiverse like a mighty shield. "The space here is like tissue paper, even with my runes this place will collapse soon…"
"We need to hurry," Lady Fate bit her lip and descended toward the realms. "I'm afraid that the One God is doing something stupid…"
A tremor shook the void, a slip toward the end of the stained barrier at their backs. Ven followed at the womens' heels, power channelled into his runes of truth. The construction of both the barrier and the realms themselves opened to his eyes, an eclectic mix of laws - bound around a single knot of faith.
"Someone has concentrated most of the multiverse's energy and will…" A frown tugged at his lips. The force rivalled the Titan, but unstable… a chorus of dissonant powers all forced into an unhappy unity. "All the mortal's are praying the same thing, praise to the One God in the hope of protection."
A solid strategy, but a doomed one. The One God could have faced the Titan, for a time, but every moment in battle would be the death of some of his followers. As the last of the multiverse died, his faith would run dry and with it, his power. Lady Fate put on a burst of speed, face pinched in annoyance.
"I told that idiot to fortify the realms, not fill his stupid head with more power," A wave of her hand opened a gate that led to the One God's personal heaven. "I need to stop him before he kills us all…"
The three dashed through the portal and into a landscape of clouds. Cotton wisps and clear blue skies, backdropped by the soft music of harps. Lady Fate glazed around and made a beeline for a vast golden city. Ven eyed the place with a hint of disappointment. Heaven was a bit… boring.
"At least the space here is solid," He flicked his fingers and sent a ripple through the air. The One God had restored this place to a point where it might hold out as a battle ground. "He must plan to make his last stand in his home territory, not a bad idea, but not good enough."
The aftershocks of a fight between Gods would send the dominoes on their way, no matter how stable this single realm was. Even so, the choice was the best of a bad bunch. If Ven was in the One God's shoes, he would probably prepare for a final act of vengeance before the end.
"It's a terrible plan…" Lady Fate brushed aside the wards around the city and led the way into a vast cathedral. Angels covered the ground, on their knees in prayer. "He's given up hope for glory, like an idiot!"
The trio burst into a magnificent, gilded hall. Thousands of deities, both Gods of Faith and what remained of the concepts, knelt before an old man in a white robe. Gold and silver rippled under his aged skin, the fusion of a multiverse worth of faith.
The One God's eyes opened and shone white, twin stars that shook the skies. Energy prickled at Ven's skin, blocked by the whisper of his aura. His eyes of truth winced, nearly overwhelmed by the number of laws held by the old man.
"Lady Faith!" A wide smile blossomed on the fatherly god's face as he leapt from his dais. A single step brought his arms around the startled woman, tears in his luminous eyes. "We assumed the worst… I planned to avenge you!"
"Stupid-stupid-stupid!" Lady Fate knocked her fists against the One God's skull. She did no real harm, yet the old man shrivelled with each blow. "I TOLD you, keep the mortals safe above ALL else!"
"I'm sorry, my lady, I…" The old god sniffed at the air, eyes aimed directly at Ven. Thunder sounded from the endless clouds, matched by the growl in the One God's throat. "This… creature smells of the Titan, and he holds worlds within him that carry my believers."
A flash and the One god stood before Ven's unconcerned face. If it came to battle, it would be an easy win. Like the Titan, this god's power was flawed, unstable. A single blow could separate the disperate force within his body and reduce him to a state of chaos.
"You can call me Ven," He let his aura billow from beneath his skin and held the space around them in place. If he landed a perfect blow, he could consume the force before it spilled beyond this idiot god's realm… probably. "Your friend asked me to do this multiverse a favour, but to save yourself, you and the other gods of faith will have to join my pantheion."
"YOUR pantheion…" The One God snorted as he examined Ven's shadowed cloak. "I am the One God, not some whelp of Odin!"
"Hey!" A one-eyed Viking barked from the crowd of gods, ignored as the One God poked a finger into Ven's chest.
"I stand at the head of the strongest pantheion in collective memory," Faith rippled under the old gods skin, while Ven gazed at the finger pressed to his breastbone. "I won't hand over control to some fresh-faced infant!"
Ven glanced at Lady Fate, whose face held confusion. He hadn't mentioned more than helping the mortals, but Ven was an all or nothing type. The creation of his own pantheion, combined with the addition of concepts into his realm, had snagged his interest. The gods of this multiverse seemed both a bit better, and also weaker than the ones in his original world. Perhaps the Relic World's location was unique.
"Take that finger back, or lose it," Ven's aura darkened the heavens, until only he and the One god remained visible, locked together in an orb of midnight black. "You had a chance against the Titan, he barely repaired his foundations before I put him back in his box, but you stand no chance against me…"
The One God swelled, frame pressed against the shadowed roof. Light coalesced in his hands, a simple sword in his left and a luminous book in the right.
"We shall see…"