Beyond The Impossible

Torn household, Heaven

Noriko Null waits patiently as Torn holds his hands on her shoulders, analyzing her soul.

<Are you done yet?> she asks, nervously tapping her foot.

<I am. And I confirm I made no mistake: half of your soul is missing.> Torn answers.

<How can that be? I was fine before…> she pauses, realizing just now what’s really happening.

<It’s her, isn’t it?> she then adds, already knowing the answer.

<Hey, can you two just explain what’s going on?> Quantum intervenes.

<Yeah I don’t get this soul stuff either. I mean, Leiko’s got like two thirds of a soul, right? And she seems fine.> Kari adds, pointing at the woman who looks like Leiko Tanaka if she was born a Demon instead of a human.

<Relatively speaking. I’m still coming to terms with not being real.> Leiko admits.

<It’s because we’re in Heaven. Normally a soul wouldn’t be capable of splitting itself into multiple parts, but here each fragment can have its own body. In Null’s case, however, it’s not the first time this has happened.> Torn explains.

<Abyss.> Noriko says, putting as much disdain for that word as she possibly can.

<You caged her in a completely isolated part of the Nexus, but it appears that Heaven considered her a fully separate soul. There is no trace of her within you.> Torn confirms.

<That’s a good thing, right? I mean isn’t Abyss evil incarnate or something?> Quantum asks.

<She’s the sum of all the worst parts of humanity controlled by the worst part of me. Normally I’d be ecstatic about her being out of my head… but it means that she has a whole sector of Heaven to herself, and worse: I can’t leave this place without her.> Noriko reasons.

<Indeed. Your soul would shatter the moment you leave.> Torn confirms.

<Can’t you just fuse Noriko with this being, like you did with me and the… other me?> Leiko asks.

<I can. But I’d have to be in direct contact with both.>

<Then let’s find Abyss and do just that! You have the map of Heaven you made in my fantasy world, and Quantum can take us there.> Kari suggests.

<I can’t ask you to do that.> Noriko shakes her head.

<Why, because it’s dangerous? Come on, we literally followed you to Hell and back, Heaven will be a piece of cake!> Quantum says.

<You’re not getting it.> Noriko replies.

<I also don’t see the connection with food.> Torn admits.

<In her sector of Heaven, Abyss will be as powerful as she wishes to be. You guys have never seen her dreams: I have, and I still have nightmares about it. She will disembowel us the moment she senses our presence and laugh maniacally through our vivisection.>

<Can she kill us, though? Isn’t Heaven supposed to make us immortal?> Kari asks.

<Which only means we could end up suffering through an eternity of suffering and torment, with no possibility of escape.>

<If you truly think we would let you face such a fate alone, Null, your current condition has clouded your judgment. We will all gladly follow you.> Torn declares.

<I’m not sure I agree with that “gladly”, but other than that he’s right.> Quantum agrees.

<Uh, shouldn’t we finish gathering the Vanguard before we tackle this dimension of unspeakable horrors? We’re almost done anyway.> Kari suggests.

<You’re right. Vesta should be in one of the other sectors, assuming she made it into Heaven in the first place: according to Teraph, gods are not supposed to be able to enter.> Noriko recalls.

<Is there a version of Vesta in your world, Torn? There wasn’t one in any of ours.> Quantum asks.

<I have not left Hell, but I did ask my wife about all of you. She had not heard of Vesta either; it seems Heaven could not make its own version of her. Interesting.> Torn says, stroking his chin.

<We still have to look for her. I can open a portal to another sector of Heaven, following Noriko’s map, but I have no idea how to specifically find Vesta’s world. Any clues?> Quantum asks.

<Try thinking of fire.> Torn suggests.

<Worth a shot. Everybody ready?> he asks.

<I certainly am. I’ve had enough of Hell.> Leiko admits.

 

Lake of Fire, Heaven

The portal opens up inside a burning fire. Noriko Null extends her personal forcefield to protect Kari, and a ray of light moves besides them to fly to safety.

<Not what I had in mind!> Quantum says once he returns to human form, on the other side of the fire. Torn walks out of it without showing discomfort or saying a word, as opposed to Leiko.

<Suddenly I’m fine with being a Demon. Did the portal malfunction?> she asks.

The sky is no longer on fire, but that’s about the only thing in sight that isn’t.

Not only they just walked out of a literal lake of fire, but they are surrounded by the ruins of a city whose dilapidated buildings have been set ablaze.

<It does look like Hell to me.> Quantum says.

<Those palaces sure aren’t made by Demons.> Kari notes, recognizing the architecture as distinctly Olympian. In fact, before the catastrophe that damaged them happened, they must have been a truly magnificent and opulent creation.

<We’re on Olympus.> Noriko clarifies.

<Are you sure?> Kari asks.

<Look at the sky. I’ve memorized the star charts when seen from Olympus; there is no other place like it in the Galaxy.> she explains, pointing her finger at the sky.

<I guess it makes sense for Vesta’s home to be on fire. I’ll check if she’s inside.> Quantum says, and his body turns back to light the moment Noriko calls out:

<Max, wait!>

By the time the sound reaches his position, though, he’s already gone.

 

Ruins of Olympus, Heaven

Quantum has been inside the palace a couple of times, but only after Noriko took over.

He could only imagine the luxury of its glory days by the descriptions Vesta gave him: the walls of glistering Neutral Matter, the floors of gold and marble, the chandeliers of diamond and orichalcum.

Noriko already covered up most of the extremes, but here Quantum can see the former splendor of Olympus vandalized to the extreme.

The walls are rotting from the inside, oozing pitch-black Ichor. Streams of lava flow through the cracks in the floor, and the only light comes from the fires that consume what used to be beautiful statues of all kinds of gods.

And everywhere there is blood, splashed indiscriminately on every possible surface.

<Holy crap, Vesta, I knew you hated your family but this doesn’t look like you.> he says to himself, mostly to cover the eerie silence of the dead sanctuary.

He decided to take human form in this room in particular because it should be the entrance to the throne room, located roughly at the center of the palace.

He’s glad to have taken things slowly, because at least looking at the rest of the ruins prepared him for the macabre spectacle that awaits him in the actual throne room… as much as anyone can be prepared for it anyway.

He partially transforms his right hand into light, since there is no fire illuminating the twelve thrones. The first sight is that of the hollowed-out armor of Hephaestus, still sitting on his throne.

Moving around, he recognizes the clothes worn by the skeletons sitting on the other thrones… from Athena to Hera and Apollo, and finally to a skeleton wearing an orange tube top.

<We’re not in Vesta’s world.> he realizes, turning to look at the only throne that is slightly elevated above the others.

The skeleton of Zeus is on the floor, and his seat is taken by a Demon wielding a black scythe.

<A human? My troops are getting sloppy.> the Demon comments, swinging the scythe without even bothering to stand up.

Quantum instinctively transforms into radio waves, but to no avail: when the scythe hits his stomach, he still feels the pain and returns to human form.

The Demon stands up from the throne, commanding the scythe to move upwards in order to spill out the human’s guts. Which hurts even more than Quantum realized, but even when holding his own intestines between his fingers he still remains conscious.

<Still alive? And yet not a god. Interesting.> the Demon comments. When he raises an eyebrow, hooks made of Blood energy sink into Quantum’s arms and he’s pulled up, screaming in pain.

The Demon approaches him, studying him as the human’s wounds heal themselves.

The room is illuminated by the appearance of a pentagram portal, and by hundreds of tiny energy daggers being flung towards the Demon’s face.

<Vanish.> the Demon orders, and the blades fizzle out of existence before touching him.

Noriko Null is the second to attack him, shooting her Genius Guns at full power: each shot should be able to destroy a small building. The Demon blocks every single kinetic energy bulled by moving his scythe at supersonic speed.

Similarly, when three Kari Zel attempt to jump him from three separate directions, even if between them the bodies are sharing the power of the 10K Rise he’s still too fast.

Two duplicates disappear once they are decapitated by Blood scimitars, and the third real Kari is impaled in the chest by a Blood javelin. And still, she does not die.

<Son. I am disappointed in your choice of allies.> the Demon admits.

<Let them go, Father. They are not here to fight you.> Torn tries to reason with him.

<Their intents don’t concern me.> he replies, keeping his monotone voice.

He walks up to Noriko, who stands ready to fight. As does Torn, although the older Demon doesn’t take any further hostile action.

<You are the Blood Sister of my son, aren’t you? We have not been introduced. I am Reaper of the Seventh Circle of Hell, son of Graze and Slit, General of the Armies of Hell, Lord Protector of Ekron.> he exposits, nodding politely.

<Noriko Null, daughter of Bob, Slayer of Gods, Mortal Co-Empress of Olympus and Regent of Hell. Now stop torturing my friends.>

<They are true souls, like my son. But you are just a fragment, as is this one.> Reaper says, turning towards Leiko. Noriko stop him from getting closer to her by powering up her guns again.

<The torture. Now.>

<You are in no position to make demands, daughter of Bob.> Reaper replies, unimpressed by her arrogance. Especially when she screams in pain once the scythe cuts off both her hands before she has the chance to pull the trigger.

Torn prepares another attack, but he’s completely blindsided by his father’s speed: he finds himself impaled against the wall by three swords, each piercing one of his three hearts.

Still, none of them can die: they all continue to suffer, even Noriko Null when she’s decapitated by an axe made of black Ichor.

Leiko is paralyzed by fear, staring at Reaper as he holds the severed head of Noriko by her hair as he inspects her.

<Hm. And to think Roxiana and Ulysses spoke highly of her. Shouldn’t have left a job fit for a Demon to lower lifeforms.> he comments, before turning towards Leiko.

<You. I am unfamiliar with your soul, fragment. Who are you?>

<I… I don’t know.> Leiko admits, shaking in terror.

<An honest answer, I sense. But you might be the way for me to escape this useless fantasy world.> he reasons, holding up Noriko’s head and staring into her blank eyes.

<Never thought I’d ever need a human’s help.> Reaper comments, repositioning Noriko’s head over the neck stump left by the cut. And once her body is restored, she takes the deepest breath she can remember. She can feel her heart beating faster than ever, especially when she notices she still doesn’t have her hands back.

<Slayer. You will help me escape to reality, or I will keep cutting until I have broken your soul beyond Heaven’s ability to repair it. Do we have an agreement?>

<We do. For now.> Noriko has to answer, swallowing her pride as she starts planning Reaper’s comeuppance.