After witnessing Valanyah's defeat, a wave of sorrow washes over you due to Reylesh's passing in the arms of her sister. Reylesh was terrified of Valanyah and you could tell that she feared that this fight meant her end. Still, she fought hard and faced her fear, bravely standing up against a foe that she knew she wasn't going to beat.
Faerah's physical form is left tattered and torn to shreds from the battle against Valanyah, and as she sits there, weeping for her lost sister while she silently floats in space, you watch her physical form dissipate before her wounded ethereal form returns to her realm.
Utilizing the book, you then hone your perception on witnessing Aatu's fight with Verzo. They're all the way on an opposite side of this universe from where Faerah and Reylesh engaged Valanyah, and you can see Aatu and Verzo standing across from each other on a frostbitten planet made of ice. Snowy winds blow Aatu's tie to the side as he stares down Verzo apathetically, who's robes are covered in snow, clearly indicating that he's just gotten up from Aatu knocking him onto this planet to isolate him.
" Well… Eldest God… It looks like it's just the two of us here. "
Verzo says tauntingly through the shredded flesh where his mouth is supposed to be.
" You're either incredibly arrogant to think you can take me on alone, or you're honorably sacrificing yourself here to another Valghul in an attempt to buy Abbadon time… the question is, which one? "
Aatu remains silent and unmoved as he continues to stare into Verzo's glowing red eyes.
" Not much of a talker, are we? That's too bad. I thought I'd at least be able to poke the brain of the wisest God before I turn you into a mutilated corpse and erase you from existence. "
Verzo instantly vanishes and reappears next to Aatu, throwing a punch at Aatu's face with an immeasurable and incalculable speed. The explosion from the strike is so powerful that it evaporates the planet that they're standing on and the entire solar system that they're in, along with wiping out every galaxy that's in the receiving direction of Verzo's fist reaching all the way to the edge of the universe. The fabric of space ripples so intensely that it throws every celestial object with mass off balance, pushing them away from the explosion coming from Verzo's strike and scattering every galaxy in the entire universe. After the explosion settles and there's nothing but Verzo and Aatu left in the void, you can see Aatu floating in the exact same place where he was standing, holding Verzo's fist inside his hand next to his face after effortlessly catching Verzo's punch without looking.
Aatu turns his head slowly and looks at Verzo with an unentertained expression before correcting him.
" You're mistaken. I am not the wisest God. That title belongs to Noeh. "
Verzo looks at Aatu in disbelief, realizing that a simple God just effortlessly caught a Valghuli Exemplar's attack. Verzo makes a egotistical remark at Aatu in an attempt to discredit him, unhappy that this fight isn't going like he thought it would.
" That power… it doesn't belong to you. That makes this fight hardly fair, God of Balance. "
Aatu stares at Verzo silently for a moment as he rewinds time without breaking eye contact, restoring the universe back to what it was before Verzo disrupted it. Aatu then responds to Verzo in a respectful and patient tone after they're standing on the frostbitten planet again like they were before.
" One such as you cannot lecture me about what is fair, unbeing. I find it quite hypocritical that you only care about what's fair now that you're standing against an opponent that overpowers you. "
Aatu then materializes a table and two chairs in front of him before forcefully pulling Verzo down by his arm and sitting him in one of the chairs with his hands on Verzo's shoulders.
" Come. Sit. I will allow you a discussion because I find you interesting. Perhaps I can learn something from an Exemplar like you before I decide to tear you from your host. "
Aatu says as he walks around to the other side of the table and sits across from Verzo. The snow storm continues to beat on the both of them as they sit across from each other before time suddenly freezes around them and the storm is paused by Aatu. Verzo stares at Aatu, unimpressed at Aatu's control over time while Aatu speaks to him.
" Regarding what you said earlier… I am neither arrogant nor will there be any sacrifice of mine here for Abbadon's sake. If I wished it so, this encounter would've already been over and I would've been well on my way to assist Izael and Nahzgor in fighting your compatriot, Vaktash. "
" I don't want your mercy, God. You speak of me as if I'm one of your puny mortals that's only alive because you deem it so. I can turn this entire universe into nothing with my power and that's something that you won't be able to reverse, so you'll do well to respect the authority my power wields. "
Verzo snarls as he leans forwards at Aatu.
" Tell me, God, what's stopping me from ending this discussion early right now and wiping your entire verse from existence? "
Aatu checks Verzo's bluff calmly as he materializes a teapot and two teacups on the table.
" You cannot deceive me with options that are not available to you. Your Lord wouldn't allow it because he requires Abbadon's vessel to defeat my Father, and if you do erase this verse that Abbadon has grown to love and care about, then Abbadon will destroy himself trying to harness the Absolute Power within him. As long as there remains a chance of your Lord obtaining Abbadon's power and ending the eternal conflict in his favor, he will not allow you to simply wipe my universe from existence. "
Aatu says before pouring tea into both of the cups and picking one up, sipping on it while Verzo answers.
" Do you not remember Voldoor? My Lord already tried to break Abbadon once because your brother refused to allow access to portals. What makes you think my Lord will care if Abbadon breaks himself as a consequence of my decision? "
Aatu puts the teacup back down on the plate as he answers Verzo politely.
" It's the same reason why your Lord and your fellow Exemplars haven't erased this universe yet. You would've already done it had you the option. "
Verzo sits back in his chair with a smug glance, realizing that his deception has failed before responding to Aatu.
" Then it appears that you acknowledge our standstill. You're waiting for your savior, Abbadon, to pull through for you and hopefully defeat my Lord; and I'm waiting on one simple command to wipe this verse from existence, assuming that my Lord cannot possess the vessel in which he so desires… If I could manage to defeat you, I would assume your powers over Space and allow my Lord access to The Null where he could take Abbadon and possess him… but you did well to ensure that such power could not fall into the hands of the Exemplars… The Valghul that first killed you should've done so with your power instead of trying to appeal to Abbadon's sense of reason. "
" There was no way for that Valghul to have foreseen such a mistake, considering that Abbadon already had a reputation for murdering Gods and erasing multiverses. The fact that my Father had killed Abbadon's daughter before his very eyes would've easily been reason enough to join forces with The None, assuming my Father hadn't bestowed Abbadon a second life and consciousness. There was no reason for the Valghul to assume Abbadon would decide anything except to join The None in taking revenge for what he once lost. "
Aatu says as he continues to take sips from his teacup.
" Are you going to drink this tea with me? Or do Valghuli only prefer drinking coffee in small cafes? "
Aatu asks with a hint of playfulness in his tone. Verzo looks back at him in disbelief before leaning forward again with his elbows on the table and responding.
" It amazes me how a God with power and brilliance the likes of yours can be so childish. Your attempt at teasing me is petty. I expected better of you. "
Aatu then puts down his teacup and picks up the other one before answering Verzo.
" No? More tea for me, then. "
Aatu says before he starts sipping out of the cup that he poured for Verzo as well. Verzo begins to get visibly frustrated with Aatu's nonchalant attitude, and it's apparent from Aatu's smirk that he's getting a kick out of having a tea party with a literal god killer that's second only to The None himself.
" You know, I really like this tea. The taste is perfectly balanced each time that I make it. "
Verzo's expression gets worse and Aatu makes a remark about it.
" What's the matter? I thought you wanted a discussion? "
Verzo balls his fists and slams them down on the table as he stands up, destroying the table and breaking both the teapot and the teacup that were sitting on it before he shouts at Aatu.
" You dare make a mockery of me!? This is absurd!! I am the bane and undoing of countless multiverses and you're the first God in existence to obtain Omniversal power!! Yet here we are talking about tea on a frozen planet in the middle of nowhere inside a barren galaxy while your siblings and my fellow Exemplars fight to the death!! "
Verzo then steps forward and puts his finger in Aatu's face as he continues to shout at him.
" Would you like to know what I really wanted to talk about?! Let us talk about your true purpose for The Lamenter!! Do you honestly expect me to believe that your Father has had no intention to use Abbadon as a tool for his own ends!? Do you find it believable that Abbadon alone is capable of fighting my Lord, who now occupies the vessel of a Black Trap who had been bestowed Omniversal power by your Father?! Why didn't your Father revoke the power that he had given Tom before Tom's possession was complete and the power was given to my Lord? A bit of a coincidence, don't you think, that Abbadon lost the only person remaining from his past life while he was wearing your ring that siphoned the power from his heart? "
Aatu's smirk fades into a serious stare while Verzo continues to monologue, pacing around in front of him.
" What about the fact that this universe is the only one in The Holy Omniverse to not be a part of a multiverse? Any time the lapdog had intervened in a Valghul's undoing of a universe in an attempt to save the Gods, all the Valghul needed to do was traverse to a separate universe within the same multiverse and kill the alternate versions of the Gods in that one instead in order to wipe them from existence entirely. Normally killing you would be that simple too! Normally, I could travel to another universe where you didn't have The Lamenter's power and kill you there, but no! This universe was special! An outlier! One in which there were no alternative versions of the Gods and the beings that reside here! From the moment I arrived in Somniohm, I could smell the trap that this universe was intended to be!
Would you like to know what I really believe, Aatu? I believe that everything that's happened thus far has been a part of your Father's design. You've been using Abbadon, manipulating him into playing the role of savior throughout his time here so your Father can swoop in at the last second and use the power that My Lord is after to win the eternal conflict…
Everything! Every single detail of the events that have transpired here in this universe have been all according to your Father's plan to get exactly what My Lord is after! It all makes too much sense! Your Father gave the lapdog Omniversal power, not only so the lapdog could serve him until he exhausted his usefulness, but because he intended all along for the lapdog to become possessed and die at the hands of My Lord in the presence of Abbadon, who just so happened to be wearing your ring that captured his power and allowed you to be reborn! It's the same exact case in which Abbadon lost his daughter, but in this instance, your Father made sure to include a method to capture Abbadon's power rather than waste it! Sure, the ring may have saved Abbadon's life, but that was all according to your Father's plan! He couldn't lose his most valuable piece on the board, now, could he? He still needed Abbadon's vessel!
Abbadon is fraile. He's an ageless mortal that has the power of an Absolute Being within him. There is no instance in which Abbadon could ever hope to truly harness his father's power and use it to its fullest extent. How perfect it is, then, that the only two beings powerful enough to contain The One and The None, one of which was your Father's making, were here in this universe where your Father has set the stage for them both to be possessed and eliminated! The Black Traps were always seen as a threat to his creation, and this is him finishing The Great Purge!! It all ends with Abbadon giving his- "
Verzo's head explodes into a mess of bloody chunks due to Aatu squeezing the fabric of space around it. Realizing that there's no point in fighting, Verzo leaves his host and the physical form that he once possessed dissipates into nothingness.
Aatu then gets up from his chair as the storm resumes and he looks down at the snowy ground.
" Well… "
Aatu says before looking exactly at where you're observing him from as if he can see you.
" I've allowed you to observe enough. You may come to whatever conclusion you believe is true, but please remember what I said to you back in Moriarch… There are no decisions more important than your decisions tonight. Your choices will dictate whether my Father's creation lives or dies. "
Aatu then holds his hand out towards the direction that you're observing him from and his hand glows white and green before you're kicked out of the vision and there's only one perception remaining.
It couldn't be… there's no way they've been using and manipulating you this entire time. Aatu and the rest of them would never do that… would they? Have they really been grooming you into surrendering your vessel at the final moment?
Not knowing what to believe, you take a moment to mull over what you just witnessed. Struggling to process this new information, you begin to hear Reylesh's voice from Voldoor echoing to you within your mind. You recall your conversation with her the moment you caught her out at pretending to be Ariel.
" …I was thinking that if we were to have a baby, then the child of a Goddess and a Black Trap could be strong enough to defeat The None when they're older and you wouldn't have to continue down Father's path any longer… "
" Why wouldn't I want to continue down The One's path when three of your brothers have died in order to make sure that I don't stray from it? "
" Because you may not want what's at the end of it… I can't tell you any details, but I was wanting to give you another option in case you can't make the final steps that await you at the end. "
Final steps… So that must've been what Reylesh was talking about… She knew about this all along… they all did. When they were talking about The One's plan for you, this is what they meant…
But why? Why did Aatu show you this? If they intended to manipulate you or deceive you into giving up your power to The One, they could've just kept the truth from you. Aatu was more than capable of obscuring this knowledge because he pushed you out of the vision after it was already spoken, but he didn't prevent you from hearing it. Are you really going to trust a Valghul over the Gods who you've been fighting for the entire time? None of this makes any sense…