Ekron, Heaven
The air is too thick to breathe comfortably; you can’t help feeling like the atmosphere hates your lungs.
The emerald throne is the only note of color: everything else is covered by a thick miasma that makes it almost impossible to see anything.
<What is this place supposed to be? It’s sickening.> Noriko Null says, fighting the urge to throw up. She can’t die as long as she’s in Heaven, but it’s like this place is attacking every single cell of her body.
Both Kari Zel and Quantum share her discomfort, the latter unable to generate enough light to illuminate this bizarre world. Torn and Leiko, on the other hand, are feeling invigorated.
<Remarkable.> Torn comments, looking at his hands: the Blood within his veins is glowing, being visible through the screen. Instead of blocking his vision, the miasma is making him see better than ever before… in more than one way.
<That’s an understatement! I’ve never felt so hyped! So powerful! Is this what being a Demon feels like?> Leiko asks. Ever since Torn fused the two fragments of her soul, her body has been changed to that of a Demon.
<It is on Ekron. Tell me, human, now that you are experiencing the existence of a Demon in its most pure form: how can there be any doubts that we are the superior race?> Reaper asks her, with the elder Demon taking his seat on the emerald throne.
<Well that’s just great. Your dad’s gone full Demon Nazi.> Quantum tells Torn, before starting the worst coughing fit of his life.
<My father has been “gone” for centuries, Quantum. Father, is there a place where we could discuss this without an atmosphere full of Ichor?>
<That’s what we’ve been breathing!? Isn’t that stuff super toxic?> Kari asks, regretting opening her mouth with her lungs burning with pain.
<For aliens, yes. Ichor hates weakness. The fact that you are able to survive here, on Ekron, is all the proof I need that we are in a fantasy world. And I see that you have infected my son with your weakness, otherwise he would’ve realized that Ichor permeates the very essence of Ekron, much like the Blood permeates Hell.>
<Never heard of it. Where exactly are we?> Noriko asks.
<Heaven.> Reaper answers.
<I mean what is this place supposed to be representing? Never heard of this Ekron planet.>
<Hm. And you call yourself the Regent of Hell. It seems my birth planet has fallen in disgrace even further than I anticipated since I left it.>
<You mean abandoned, right after Mother died. We thought you died as well, in your expedition to find Heaven.> Torn says.
<With my beloved Laceration dead and Hell continuing to embrace neutrality even in the face of its failures, I had no reason to look back. Whatever happened to your sister, Torn? As much as a disappointment as you?>
<I killed her with my own hands, avenging the death of our mother. Something you were never interested in doing.>
<Am I missing something?> Leiko asks.
<My father was supposed to bring me with the Demon expedition sent to find Heaven. My sister was excluded because of her bloodlust, and she retaliated by causing the death of my mother. I eventually killed her at the Strongest Under The Heavens tournament, long after my father disappeared.> Torn recounts.
<I take it you didn’t find Heaven back then.> Noriko tells Reaper.
<I found something greater. Let me show you Ekron.> the elder Demon answers, standing up from the throne and walking a few steps towards the nearest wall.
Or at least what the humans considered a wall at first, considering how little they can actually see.
But then Reaper’s body starts to glow bright red, and the black fog surrounding them is blow away enough to allow them to see he’s standing in front of a window.
More importantly, once he touches the glass, they are granted a vision of what’s on the other side, witnessing it the way Demon eyes would.
The throne room’s building is high enough to overlook and enormous city, vastly different from anything they have ever seen.
Crooked streets littered with rotting skeletons, with crucified corpses placed at regular intervals. Massive towers built out of bones and broken swords. Puddles of bile filled with rusty nails and eight-legged rats.
People alternating challenging each other with weapons made of solidified Ichor with going about their day like any normal civilization.
<Oh my Gods, that’s…> Kari tries to comment, but words fail her.
<Beautiful. Where did you find such a place?> Torn asks. His usual monotone voice lets slip the excitement: he genuinely thinks this is the pinnacle of beauty, much to the revulsion of his friends.
<The Dark Galaxy, in the farthest reaches of the universe. Where Demons created the world Hell was always supposed to be, reflecting our glorious past.>
<What are you talking about, Father? Our history before we embraced neutrality was mindless violence and bloodshed.>
<What you call mindless, I call perfection. And so did the Demons who rejected the new order created by Apocalypse ages ago. They embraced Ichor, which led them to the Dark Galaxy and Ekron… in looking for Heaven, they found a more pure Hell.>
<I’ve heard about the Dark Galaxy before. Isn’t that where Baal lives?> Noriko asks.
<Of course. The Lord Of Domination, the Lord Of The Flies, is not just the greatest of all Primordial gods but also the source of all Ichor.>
<So you pledged your soul to a god? Demons bow to no higher authority.> Torn scolds him.
<No, Demons do not bow. One day we will kill and replace Baal. He knows this well, even encourages it. Our mutual hatred only makes us stronger.>
<But even Baal is not strong enough to get into Heaven.> Noriko notes.
<Naturally. Gods cannot enter Heaven.>
<Our friend did.> Quantum adds.
<You are mistaken. Gods cannot enter Heaven, it is a universal law.> Reaper insists.
<Is it really? Or are you just saying that because nobody’s ever done it before?> Noriko asks, crossing her arms and staring at the elder Demon in defiance.
<Both Roxiana and Ulysses praised your intelligence, Slayer of Gods. It seems they downplayed your arrogance and your impertinence.>
<I’ve been called worse. Look, Reaper, I’ve created a map of Heaven: we know exactly where the other pockets of reality are, and thanks to Quantum we have ways to reach them, but we don’t have the means to identify which one belongs to which visitors: we arrived here by accident, we actually wanted to get to Vesta.> Noriko explains.
<And you want my help navigating Heaven, thanks to my superior control over Blood and Ichor.>
<Not to mention your relationship with Roxiana. You two are friends, aren’t you?>
<Demons have no friends, only comrade in arms.> Reaper clarifies.
<How did you manage not to become a total a##hole with a father like that?> Kari whispers to Torn. He doesn’t say a word, but she doesn’t need to sense souls to feel his disdain for his father.
<I cannot locate your goddess: she is in a world without either Blood or Ichor. But I may have a way to help your search for Roxiana: I know what she is looking for, because it is the same thing my expedition was supposed to find. Follow me.>
Reaper creates a portal made of black flames forming a hexagon, walking towards it. When he notices nobody is following him, he asks:
<Why do you hesitate?>
<Blindly following a creepy Nazi Demon into a mysterious portal? No thanks!> Quantum says.
<We’re immortal as long as you are in Heaven. He couldn’t kill us even if he wants to.> Torn replies, being the first one to follow his father.
<He means “if he wanted”, right? Right?> Leiko asks, without receiving a confirmation and being the last one to cross the portal.
Dark Sanctuary of Ekron, Heaven
The air is surprisingly clear here: the Ichor is still present, but it’s far more rarefied than on the surface. It’s also unexpectedly cold, despite being inside a natural cave over sixty miles underground, cold enough to leave everyone’s breath visible.
<Well this looks familiar.> Noriko comments, blowing over her hands to warm them up.
The Dark Sanctuary is centered around a very large block of granite where a lot of text has been carefully carved. It’s surrounded by nine statues, twice the height of a human, representing skeletons wearing a cape and cowl.
<Yeah, didn’t we find something similar beneath Hell, ages ago?> Kari recalls.
<You brought humans to witness the Stone of Creation?> Reaper asks Torn, finding the idea deeply disturbing.
<Teaching them the origin of Demons proved useful. It led to Null killing Tiamat.> Torn answers.
<You killed Tiamat. You, a human.> Reaper says incredulously, looking down at Noriko both literally and metaphorically, but she’s too busy reading the words on the monolith.
<Sha naqba īmuru shu tur-ra-tur… guys, you know what this is!?> she asks excitedly.
<I don’t even know what language it is!> Quantum complains.
<Ancient Sumerian: “He who saw the deep, the country’s foundation”. Remind you of anything?>
<Nope.>
<You really should study mythology considering our line of work, Max. Look at the third line: “Gilgamesh qaqqada rabû”, “Gilgamesh the great hero”. What is a transcript of the Epic of Gilgamesh doing in the Dark Galaxy?> Noriko wonders.
<He is the only non-Demon honored in Ekron, as the first being to rise against the Emperor Of The Universe and the greatest hero who ever lived.> Reaper says, the veneration in his voice contrasting with his usual demeanor.
<Wait, “Emperor Of The Universe” as in Kronos? I never heard of this Gilgamesh guy before I read about him on Earth.> Kari comments.
<Teraph didn’t mention him either.> Noriko adds.
<Of course, why would Zeus acknowledge the help he received in overthrowing his father? Like all gods, he is only interested in himself. The only mistake Gilgamesh ever committed was not going through with the extermination of all gods.> Reaper says.
<You’re referring to the weapon that was used to kill Kronos, right? Teraph mentioned that he hid it in Heaven; is that what Roxiana is looking for?> Noriko asks.
<No, that is my goal. She is likely searching for Gilgamesh himself.>
<You mean he’s still alive!? The whole point of his story is that he’s looking for immortality but doesn’t actually find it!> Quantum objects.
<Oh so you have read the Epic of Gilgamesh now?> Noriko asks.
<I’ve read about it. You’re the only person who memorized the whole thing in Sumerian!>
<Gilgamesh is in Heaven, yes. Guarding the treasure he once stole to overthrow Kronos.> Reaper confirms.
<The weapon. What is it, exactly?> Torn asks.
<It is so much more than a weapon. It is the crowning achievement of Drylon technology, surpassing Heaven itself. Its possession grants mastery over the laws that govern existence: whoever holds it obtains supreme authority as ruler of the universe.>
<The Tablet of Destinies.> Noriko finishes the sentence, identifying the object from Sumerian mythology.