Beyond The Impossible

The Stygian Galaxy, 2.7 million light-years from Earth

Erebus, Throne of Hades

Inside one of the gloomy halls of the palace that serves as the capital of this entire Galaxy, Noriko Null appears out of the fading light created by the Portal Generator.

Only to be greeted by a skeleton wearing a dark cloak and extending his bony hand.

<Ticket please.> the skeleton asks.

<Seriously? I have an appointment with Hades, Charon.> she informs the god.

<You still need a ticket to enter the Underworld.> he insists.

<Alright, alright, I’ll pay for the ticket. What do you even do with the gold!?> she wonders, reaching for the inside pocket of her green leather jacket to recover a golden coin she brought for the occasion.

<It’s not the gold, it’s the principle. We can’t let just anyone get into the Underworld.> Charon justifies himself.

<Really. Who was the last person before me who came here on purpose?>

<Your friends who brought your corpse here for your resurrection.>

<I think you just proved my point. Can you just take me to Hades please?>

<Follow me.> the skeleton replies with the sigh of someone who really doesn’t want to do his job.

He would be grateful of the news that he doesn’t have to, if that didn’t come in the form of a very loud and very harsh voice.

<Well if it isn’t the Royal B##ch herself! Fuck off, d##kbag, I’ll take it from here.>

<Yes, Lady Persephone.> Charon answers, quietly scuttling away while the Queen of the Underworld puts her arm around Noriko’s shoulders.

<So which god are you going to skullf##k next? I bet it’s Hermes, isn’t it? That goatf##ker has been asking for it for as long as I can remember.>

<Actually, I’m just here to talk to Hades.> Noriko answers, trying to get out of Persephone’s arms. She preferred her attitude when she was hostile for no reason: her being this friendly now that Noriko is Empress is off-putting.

<About what? Attacking someone? Or some boring s##t?>

<Some boring s##t I’m afraid.>

<Well f##k that! I ain’t sticking around for f##king politics. But promise me that next time you plan to cut off a god’s c##k you’ll call me.>

<I, uhm, sure?> Noriko answers, more confused than before.

She watches the goddess open up her own portal of green energy and step right into it.

<She is quite restless.> a voice whispers behind her.

Noriko’s heart misses a beat; she takes a step back, composing herself as she recognizes the figure before her. Even with his face obscured by the shadow of his hood, Hades is unmistakable.

<Jesus Christ, make some noise next time, you scared me to death!!!>

<You are mistaken, Your Majesty. You are still very much alive, I assure you.>

<Please call me Null, Hades. And thank you for accepting my visit on such a short notice.>

<I receive few visitors. And if the Mortal Co-Empress of Olympus wants to talk to me immediately after Ereshkigal visits Hell for the first time in ages, it must be important.>

<Word sure gets around quickly. I wanted to ask you…>

<Not here. The throne room would be more appropriate.> Hades interrupts her, and the massive ebony door in front of him opens on its own.

N01-Ragnarok, 2.5 million light-years from Earth

Moving in a completely different direction, the Ragnarok has rapidly closed the gap between the Olympian and Aegian galaxies.

Conventional ships would take over a year to make this journey, but the Negative Drive pushing the ship at 400 million times the speed of light has made the trip in just a couple of days.

Max Black a.k.a. Quantum enters the bridge with a yawn; it’s still the middle of the night on the time zone that his body is still following.

<Couldn’t this wait until morning?> he complains.

<We can’t cloak the ship as long as the Negative Drive is still running, and we’ll have to drop below light speed to set a course.> Kari Zel explains from the captain’s chair.

<Besides, you wouldn’t want to miss this. It’s a gorgeous view.> Vesta adds.

<Most galaxies look the same.> Torn dismisses her enthusiasm.

<Disengaging the Negative Drive. Let’s see where we are.> Kari announces, pressing a button on the holographic interface to activate the main viewscreen.

The Andromeda Galaxy, as it’s known on Earth, appears on the screen of the bridge in all its glory. The ship is still 100 thousand light years from any star, allowing the entire galaxy to be visible.

The Vanguard has seen the Milky Way in a similar way before, and this is even more spectacular.

<Are you going to stare at it for long? It’s nothing special.> Torn says.

<What are those things swirling around?> Quantum asks, pointing at a strange feature: streaks of light that stretch across the galaxy, moving from nebula to nebula to form a galactic network.

<Those are rivers.> the Demon answers, as if he was explaining this to a child.

<Rivers of what?>

<Water.>

<IN SPACE!?>

<Obviously. Those are common in the Aegian Galaxy.>

<That makes no sense! How are those things just there!?>

<They’re sustained by Poseidon’s power. It seems he expanded the network since the last time I was here.> Vesta explains.

<You’ve got to be kidding me. I don’t know much about astronomy, but shouldn’t we have noticed these things before?> Quantum wonders.

<Poseidon created the rivers less than a million years ago; their light hasn’t had the time to reach Earth yet.> Vesta explains.

<I think I found the place we’re looking for.> Kari adds, and the viewscreen zooms on a particular region where a specific star system is highlighted.

<That’s where the signal reactivating the Ithaca originated.> she announces.

<Right next to one of those rivers.> Quantum notices.

<Yes, it seems the stream passes right through the system. We’ll probably have to fly through that river… or I guess navigate it.> Kari confirms.

<Just to make sure, but this ship is waterproof right?> Quantum asks.

The Stygian Galaxy, 2.7 million light-years from Earth

Hades sits on his throne of skulls as if the two were a statue carved from the same marble; Noriko has to stand there, and she’s uncharacteristically fidgety.

<You seem troubled.>

<It’s nothing. I just never thought I’d ever be back in the same room where I was resurrected… still gives me the chills.>

<I can increase the temperature.>

<Not my point. As you figured out, I came to talk about Ereshkigal. How much do you know her?>

<As much as any god. I know of her recent scheme to trick you into starting a war. You were quick enough to defeat her; ultimately, I didn’t have to destroy your galaxy.>

<Were you really ready to do that?>

<To prevent Ichor from spilling into my realm? Yes. That abomination has no place here.>

<Seems harsh. You don’t have a problem with the Blood, and that’s very similar to Ichor.>

<The Blood honors the dead. Ichor is fueled by needless suffering.>

<So you are familiar with Ichor, as well as the Blood. Good. Because I have a question. It’s just a hypothetical question, mind you, I’m not planning anything.>

<That makes it even more interesting.>

<You brought me back from the dead. What are the limits of that?>

<Limits? You will live as long as any other mortal. Well, if you led a normal life you would; I suspect you will not see old age.>

<That’s not what I meant. Could you resurrect multiple people? Like, millions of them? Even after they were dead for a few years?>

His voice remains monotone and his face is still obscured, but something in Hades’ voice makes Noriko think he’s offended by the question.

<I am the God Of The Dead, Null. Not the god of resurrections.>

<I know, I know. Again, it’s just a hypothetical, I’m not asking you to resurrect anyone.>

Hades weighs his answer very carefully. Whether it’s because he finds the question intriguing, or because he’s trying to see where she’s going, she can’t tell.

<What do you know about death, Null?>

<As much as any mortal.> she answers, echoing his words.

<Life and death are information, like anything in the universe. A mortal’s soul normally resides in the brain; when it ceases to work, that soul can be transferred to another vessel.>

<Torn made such an analogy before: the brain is the computer and the soul is its operating system. Well, he didn’t use as many words, but that was the gist of it.>

<When I resurrected you, your soul was stored in the Nexus. I could do this an unlimited number of times; there are billions of souls in the Underworld. I decide who has an afterlife, who comes to my realm and who fades into eternal oblivion. And I granted your resurrection as a special case: ask all the questions you want, but the dead will stay dead.>>

<But do souls normally get here when people die? I want to know if there’s a “real” afterlife.>

Another pause, longer than before. Hades is clearly weighing his options.

<You are no Demon, but you have learned their ways. And more. Who taught you how to weaponize your soul?>

<Lots of people. Ulysses, the Monk, Roxiana, Torn, what’s left of the Drylon… even the Eden, in their own way…>

<So your teachers have been heroes, demons, ghosts and monsters.>

<You could say that. Why?>

<You have reached the limit of what a mortal can learn from other mortals. Ereshkigal knows everything there is to know about souls, death, Blood and Ichor.>

<Your point being?>

<You stand no chance against her. You need a god as your new teacher.>

<And that would be you? Why?>

<I sense dark times ahead. The Nine Gods have been in a stalemate for the past million years; you have disrupted that stagnant order, and Ereshkigal clearly wants to create a new one. I can trust nobody else but you as an ally to stop her.>

<I’ve known gods long enough to learn that there’s always a catch with your deals. What do you want in return for teaching me?>

<Your word that you will not seek immortality or eternal youth. Too many mortals have cheated death thanks to the Nexus, and your co-ruler is the Goddess of Youth. It is… unseemly to a god of death.>

Noriko never really thought of trying to live forever, so this really is a no brainer for her.

<If any other god asked me, I’d say no in a heartbeat. But you’ve been the most reliable god besides Vesta I’ve ever worked with… what the heck, I probably won’t even reach old age anyway. Teach me everything you know about death, Hades.>