Beyond The Impossible

Null City Grand Cathedral, Myridia, 50 light-years from Earth

The building is rapidly ascending towards the upper atmosphere, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from the inside: Adrestia’s mastery over gravity is making the ride remarkably smooth.

Not that Noriko Null can appreciate it. She’s been tied to a chair and is surrounded by people who believe she murdered Alexer Syzar, the President of the Mortal Senate.

Worse, she’s unarmed and her Neural Transmitter is not working.

<What do we do with her?> is the question from the representative of the Winter Kingdom, a Lar male protected by a refrigerating suit from what he perceives as scorching heat.

<Don’t you dare touch her! She’s a goddess!> Ganos Lal protests. The Supreme Pontiff of the Church of Null is technically free, but the goddess Nike is keeping an eye on her and she’s not allowing her to get any closer.

<She’s no goddess, but she’s Null. I don’t believe she is an impostor.> Nike says.

<How can you be sure? She could be clone for all we know.> Xenon suggests.

<You’re one to talk! You’re not even showing your face!> Null shouts at him.

The face of the leader of the Mortal Resistance Movement is completely obscured by the black mask that he wears beneath his grey cloak. She doesn’t know anything else about him… before his death Syzar told her Xenon was his Myridian duplicate, but if that were true he would’ve disappeared by now.

<I am not the suspect here.> he says.

<The hell you’re not! Who are you!?>

<If I wanted you to know that, would I be wearing a mask?>

<She does have a point. She’s not the only suspect here.> Helen of Troy intervenes, walking towards Null. Her face is also hidden by a mask, a cover made of marble and shaped like a woman’s face to allow her to interact with mortals.

<Did you kill Syzar?> she asks Null.

<You know damn well I didn’t.>

<Let me repeat it.> Helen says, taking off her mask. She adjusts her long beautiful hair; until a moment ago Noriko would’ve sworn she was a Caucasian woman with blond hair, but now she sees an Asian woman whose sight makes her dizzy.

<Did you kill Syzar?>

<I said you… you… you are very pretty.> Noriko says sheepishly.

<You’re very sweet. You wouldn’t lie to me, now, dear?> Helen asks, caressing her cheek.

Noriko looks at her for what feels like an eternity, while simultaneously it’s like time has frozen.

<I’m sorry, what? I was lost looking into your eyes…> she admits.

<Is there a point to all this?> Adrestia asks, sighing.

<I am the most beautiful woman in the universe. Once I take off my mask, no mortal can resist my charm. If no one can answer me, it will mean that the culprit is a god. Everyone, please, can you give me a favor? If anyone here has killed Syzar, please be so kind to tell me!>

Everyone is looking at Helen with dreamy eyes. Her power can be quite useful: even those mortals who are not physically attracted to her are already falling head over heels in love with her.

<A-actually…> someone finally says, timidly raising a hand.

Its one of Xenon’s assistants, Skorpios, the woman who searched Noriko and found a laser gun in her pocket. Before she can continue, Xenon interrupts her.

<Nobody killed Syzar.> he reveals.

<What? How could it be? We saw his corpse!> Helen objects.

<It’s quite simple, really.> Xenon replies, moving his hands towards Skorpios. As soon as his hand touches her skin, it disappears inside a miniature portal; when he pulls it out, he’s holding one of Null’s Genius Guns.

<It went something like this.> he says, raising his hand towards Helen and shooting her in the face.

Helen may be immortal but she’s not invulnerable: she’s just a demigoddess.

The pure kinetic energy unleashed by the Genius Gun hits her with enough force to tear down a wall, horrifically breaking her face and piercing through her skull.

It’s a shocking and brutal moment, especially for the mortals that were under Helen’s spell: without her beauty, they are suddenly returned to their senses.

Adrestia doesn’t show much of a reaction, but Nike opens her angelic wings:

<You murderer!> she shouts, looking at Xenon. Judging by the expression on her face, she has every intention to kill him.

<Leral!> he calls to her Lampyrian assistant.

Nike takes one step forward, preparing herself to fly. Before she can do anything there’s a huge gust of wind and the wall next to Xenon explodes. Suddenly Nike is nowhere to be seen, and there’s a human-shaped clear path of destruction that leads outside of the building.

<What the… did you teleport her!?> Ganos Lal asks, looking around.

<Nothing so mundane.> Leral replies, forcing herself not to giggle.

<Time manipulation.> Null says.

<You were right, boss, she is a smart one.> Leral comments.

<Very interesting. How could you tell?> Xenon asks her.

<Nike wouldn’t have caused any damage if she’d just been teleported; once she started moving you just made her move faster. Which means you are also the same one who killed the militia when they turned into skeletons and dust. You can accelerate time.> Null deduces.

<Very good! And I can also make you run out of oxygen in seconds if you don’t shut up.> Leral threatens her.

<Even if you sent her into orbit, Nike will be back soon. I don’t see this turning into a victory for you, whoever you are.> Adrestia points out.

<You only say that because you don’t know who I am. Skorpios, would give us a little privacy?> Xenon asks his human assistant.

She nods and puts the palms of her hands together. The room goes dark, as if someone just turned off the light… the suns outside of the building have disappeared completely, as well as the sky itself.

The Grand Cathedral is no longer on Myridia, but it’s floating inside an empty greyish void.

<Much better. You can stop trying to contact your friends through the Blood, Null: this dimension is completely inaccessible without Drylon technology.> Xenon tells her.

<So you were blocking both my Neutral Transmitter and any access to the Blood. It’s not easy to impress me, “Xenon”. I’ll give you one last chance to take off that mask.>

<You are in no position to make demands, Null. I hold all the cards.>

<Don’t be so sure. I still have one trick up my sleeve.> Noriko says, her eyes turning golden.

 

Argos, 100 light-years from Earth

Nearly all planets in the Galaxy have a saying: bad news travel fast; it’s especially true in the capital world of the Mortal Republic when the President is murdered

In the halls of one of the executive buildings next to the Senate, a woman is walking at a steep pace while giving orders to her assistants. They’re having some trouble keeping up with her: in addition to being the former leader of the Hunters space pirates, she’s a seven feet tall giantess… and currently the widow of Alexer Syzar. And she’s furious.

<How did the f##king press knew about this before I did!?> she shouts.

<I’m sorry, High General Aura, but several networks were already covering the Myridian Council; as Minister of War, you were not included in the…>

<I told him to stay the Hades away from this religious crap. I told him we should’ve focused on securing our borders, but did he listen to me? Of course not! He was too busy looking at his reelection polls! Stupid democracy…> she rants, more and more furious.

<High General, do you… do you need a minute? You just lost your husband…>

<Don’t start with sentimental crap, it was just a political marriage. At least do we know who killed him? Please tell me it wasn’t a god, I’m not in the mood to call Null to fix this.>

<Still unknown, High General. The Myridian government is still investigating.>

<I don’t trust these guys. Tell them the Republic is in charge of this mess; as of right now, their entire solar system is under martial law.>

<What? High General, you don’t have the authority to…>

<The Hades I don’t! This a matter of Republican security. If Myridia has a problem with it, it’s out of my hands: tell them to talk to the Senate. Without the President, who’s in charge now?>

<High General… I thought you knew…>

<Knew what? I don’t follow politics, I’m a f##king pirate. I got this job because I can lead armies, not because I care about protocols!>

<In case of death of the President of the Senate… the Minister of War serves as Acting President until the Senate can vote on a successor.>

Aura stops. She’s never cared for her position: it was just a way to survive after the fall of Artemis. But suddenly the giantess feels the weight of the Galaxy on her shoulders.

<I’m the new President of the Mortal Republic?> she says, not believing her own words.

<Acting President.> the assistant corrects her.

 

Null City Grand Cathedral, Myridia, somewhere in a dark dimension

Leral moves towards Noriko Null, untying her at fantastic speed… or rather, accelerating time around her so she looks like she moves faster. It doesn’t last long: she barely finishes before the Lampyrian falls unconscious, as does her ally Skorpios. Xenon, on the other hand, remains unmoved.

<Did you really think I wouldn’t be prepared for your golden eyes? One of the advantages of giving your employees cybernetic implants: you can shut down their central nervous system before they’re mind-controlled.> Xenon explains.

<I can’t feel your mind. You have the greatest mental defenses I’ve ever seen. I don’t say this often, but I’m thoroughly impressed.>

<I’m afraid I can’t say the same. I had such high hopes for you, Null. I really thought that one day you might rise to be my equal… perhaps even become my successor.>

<Your successor as what? The leader of the Mortal Resistance Movement? I though that was Syzar’s duplicate.>

<Syzar was a useful pawn, but his greed got the better of him. I had to take over before he did too much damage. If only you hadn’t shown up, we would’ve taken over the Mortal Republic.>

<Who’s “we”? Just stop with this cryptic bulls##t!!!>

<Are you two done talking?> Adrestia asks, yawning.

<We certainly are.> Null replies, her golden eyes shining; there are sparks of electricity running through her body at increasingly higher power.

This gets Adrestia’s attention, and she reacts with the first show of emotion: fear.

<Talk about overkill. Mortals, unless you wish to die, I suggest you move.> she says, floating away to get as far as possible from Null. Everyone else reacts the same way… except Ganos Lal who runs towards what’s left of Helen. Much to her surprise, the demigoddess is still breathing despite missing half of her face and having a hole on the back of her skull.

<My face… what did he do to my face!?> she complains, covering her disfigurement with the mask that Ganos Lal handles her.

<Don’t fear, Null is about to avenge you.> she reassures her.

<Last chance, creep. You better surrender if you don’t want to be erased from existence.>

<You want to know who I am?> Xenon asks, taking off his grey cloak but keeping the mask.

<Then take your best shot.> she says, getting into a fighting stance.

<Your funeral. FINAL… ABYSS!!!> Null shouts, unleashing a blast of pure darkness that flows towards Xenon.

<SOUL CONTROL!!!> he shouts, while simultaneously punching the darkness… and much to Null’s surprise, the Final Abyss is deflected.

She watches impotently as her most powerful attack is harmlessly redirected into the nothingness that extends outside the Grand Cathedral.

<How… how did…> she stutters, her golden eyes reverting back to their natural brown color.

<Experience. Lots and lots of experience. It’s a long story; in fact, you could say…> he answers, pausing to take off his black mask.

<…that it was a real odyssey.>

He has shaven off his beard, but she would recognize that face anywhere.

<Ulysses.> she whispers.