Beyond The Impossible

Dark Galaxy, 10 billion light-years from Earth

The Menagerie of Gods

A small flame flies past the glass cages containing the divinities imprisoned by Baal.

They used to be gods and goddesses, prideful masters of countless domains. Billions of years of torture have reduced them to lifeless husks: not exactly dead, but so inert that even other gods can barely sense their true nature.

None of them notices that the flame carries the consciousness of Vesta, who is telling herself:

<Could this be the reason why the Sumerian pantheon has fewer gods than ours?>

Someone tries to catch her attention by bumping her head against the glass. Vesta has some trouble recognizing her, or even that this used to be a female.

This creature is completely naked but lacks any sexual characteristics; she can’t talk because she doesn’t have a mouth, or even gesture since she doesn’t even have hands.

If it wasn’t for those beautiful eyes or the fiery red hair, Vesta wouldn’t have recognized her niece.

<Aphrodite? What did Baal do to you!?>

The goddess tries to answer, but only a muffled sound leaves her vocal cords; she can’t even emit radio waves.

<Have you seen any of the other prisoners?> Vesta asks.

Aphrodite shakes her head, using the stump of her arm to point at the mirrors that completely cover three out of the four walls around her.

<Right. I’m afraid I don’t know if I’m strong enough to break you out of here, but I swear I’ll be back for you once I’ve found someone who can help us.> Vesta’s flame promises, then flies away leaving behind the goddess of sex to experience her worst nightmare.

 

The Garden

The immortal Utnapishtim has been watching Noriko Null and Torn for a few days now, and he still hasn’t figured out these strange mortals.

Every waking moment has been dedicated to chopping trees, then turning them into wood plates, and today they’re busy putting them together to build a very haphazard shelter.

<This is not necessary. My wife and I offered to shelter you, if you just help us with the harvest.>

<Thanks for the offer. But this won’t work unless I do it myself.> Noriko Null answers, before using her mouth to hold a couple of nails with her lips while her left hand reaches for a hammer.

This would have been much faster if her right hand hadn’t been amputated, or if Torn still had access to the Blood to fashion some basic tools. Instead, they had to do everything from scratch.

<What won’t work?> Utnapishtim wonders.

<You’ll see.> Noriko answers, only after she’s started hammering the nails that are going to secure the door that Torn is holding steady.

<Are you certain this realm cannot be reached by Baal?> Torn asks to the Ur elder.

<Of course. As a reward for my services after the First Flood, Enki himself blessed me and my wife with immortality and freedom from pain. Baal swore he would never harm us.> the immortal explains, still trying to figure out what Noriko is doing.

<But other people can get in. Gilgamesh visited this place, didn’t he?> Noriko asks, placing the last nails for the door.

<You know that door doesn’t go anywhere, right?> Utnapishtim asks: the door is indeed secured to the same wall that holds the shelter together.

<Answer her question.> Torn tells him.

<Yes, Gilgamesh dropped by when he was looking for immortality, after the death of his lover Enkidu. I don’t know how he got here, and I was sad to see him leave… he seemed like a decent young man. I tried to dissuade him from achieving immortality, but told him that if he was really looking for it, he should try one of the Gates of Heaven. He was so determined, I was certain he would find a way to get there.>

<He did. That’s where I met him. Ready, Torn?> Noriko asks her teammate.

<I am.> the Demon answers, using a regular knife to carve two words into the wall.

<What does that say?> Utnapishtim asks, unable to read English.

<“Asgard Station”. My turn.> Noriko tells Torn, who tosses the knife at her.

After catching it, she proceeds to carve something else: “Maximum Security Vault #4”.

<May I ask what you are doing, young lady? Are you trying to summon a deity?>

<Not exactly. Just the next best thing.> Noriko replies, opening the door.

Which should lead exactly to nowhere, but is instead now a conduit to a higher plane of existence.

 

The Empyrean, outside the universe

Noriko Null wasn’t certain that this would work. When she used the Tablet of Destinies to create a door leading to this dimension linked to Maximum Security Vault #4 at Asgard Station, she couldn’t predict this would become a new law active throughout the universe.

Luckily for her, anything she labels with these words still works. Even if the real Asgard Station has been destroyed by Baal.

<I was hoping this place would still be intact.> she admits, once inside.

She’s followed by Torn and by Utnapishtim, who is astonished by the completely alien structure, surrounded by walls of white fire containing untold power.

<What is this place!?> he exclaims.

<The last remnant of Heaven. Torn, are we close enough to Hell to use the Blood?> she asks.

<Yes. But I can’t portal us out of here.> the Demon replies, creating a Blood sword to test this.

The only inhabitant of this dimension, a celestial being currently taking the form of a woman with metallic skin and without a face, approaches the visitors.

<Noriko Null, you are back to fulfill your promise to free the Celestial Galaxy, yes?>

<Not in my current state, Siduri. I’m here for something else.> Noriko tells her, rushing towards the pedestal that should hold the most powerful weapon in the universe… but doesn’t anymore.

<Where’s the Tablet of Destinies? Or even the Twilight Mirror!?> she exclaims: both Drylon weapons are no longer there.

<The Usurper called Baal took them.> Siduri admits.

<Why didn’t you stop him!?>

<Why should I have? These trinkets don’t work on celestial beings, yes?> Siduri shrugs.

<Dammit, there goes Plan A.> Noriko complains.

<Baal could not have used the Tablet. Gods can’t use Drylon devices.> Torn reminds her.

<Not a big consolation. Any of his servants could use it for him. Even your father.>

<If Baal fears the Tablet of Destinies, he wouldn’t give it to anyone who can use it.> Torn reasons.

<I don’t think it’s the thing from this realm that he actually fears.> Noriko says, looking straight at the only trophy left on the pedestal.

A lantern where a small flame is moving erratically, as if it’s constantly trying to escape.

<The Soul of Kronos. There must be a reason why Baal took everything else but left it here.> Noriko reasons, her silver eyes shining as she contemplates the possibility.

<Kronos? The Emperor Of The Universe?> Utnapishtim exclaims. He’s uneasy enough to stay away from the strange creature that welcomed them, but he couldn’t help recognize that name.

<Heard of him?> Noriko asks.

<He briefly deposed Baal, when he conquered all the Twelve Galaxies. The only god who ever bested him; Baal hates him beyond words.> Utnapishtim explains.

<Nice of him to point me in the direction of the only weapon he fears.> Noriko comments with a smirk, trying to take the lantern with her left hand. Torn stops her by grabbing her wrist.

<What?> she asks.

<This is a bad idea.>

<How do you know what I’m going to do with it? Even I haven’t decided yet!>

<It involves Kronos. It must be a bad idea.>

<I’m not planning to revive him! I don’t even know if Kronos can be revived.>

<He can, yes?>

<Not helping, Siduri!>

<You might not intend to, but his soul was trapped in Heaven for a reason. You know how dangerous Kronos was.> Torn reminds her.

<According to all Class-1 gods I’ve talked to he was more powerful than them, by a considerable margin. And it took the combined efforts of Zeus, Gilgamesh and Teraph, not to mention the use of the Tablet of Destinies, to banish him into the far future… in circumstances not easily replaceable. Yes Torn, I know very well how things could turn out if Kronos manages to return, and that this thing is the most likely way he could pull it off.> Noriko admits.

<Then you agree this is too risky.> Torn replies, letting go of her wrist.

<We survived Baal by the thinnest of margins; our friends might not be so lucky. And if what he has shown me is true… and as much as I don’t want to believe him, he has no reasons to lie… back home Athena didn’t just take over the Olympian Galaxy, she made damn sure to destroy all potential backup plans. We are out of options and out of time, Torn.> she explains.

For a couple of seconds, she stares intensely at the lantern. The fire inside burns much brighter now.

<So yes, this time the risks do justify playing with fire.> she says, taking the lantern.

 

The Menagerie of Gods

Baal seems to have scattered his latest divine prisoners all across this vast prison complex: Vesta was only able to identify a glass of water that might have been Dionysus.

But her attention has been captured by one prison that holds a distinction from all the others: it’s the only one that is not transparent, but it’s a large metallic cage.

If Baal has installed any kind of security system in this place, so far it hasn’t noticed that Vesta’s flame has left her cage. And since these prisons seem to be more designed to keep people inside than to prevent someone from breaking in, her flame slips by a tiny vent.

She didn’t know what she expected to find inside. But she’s still surprised to see a god chained to a rock while an eagle is busy devouring his stomach.

The bird immediately notices the intrusion, and its hypersonic screech is the first indication that this is not simply an animal. It flies towards the flame to devour it; Vesta tries some evasive maneuvers, not sure if this tiny emanation of her powers could survive.

To her shock and completely without her consent, this tiny flame instantly grows in size and power to the point of being a real-size replica of the goddess made entirely out of fire.

The fireball she threw before this sudden change was intended to just scare the bird away: this unexpected power-up vaporizes it.

<Nice job.> the chained god congratulates her.

<I didn’t mean to do that! Did… did you cause this?> Vesta’s flame wonders.

<I have an… affinity with fire. Your voice sounds familiar, do I know you?> the god asks.

Vesta’s flame floats closer to him, noticing that the wound on his stomach completely heals in seconds… while his face remains horrifically scarred, because his eyes have been plucked out of his head and are not growing back. Even like this, there’s no mistaking this god for anybody else.

<Prometheus?>

<Is that you, Hestia? I did foresee that we would meet each other again, before I lost my eyes.>

<It’s Vesta now. What are you doing here!?>

<Atoning for my sins against divinity, I suppose. It is a long story.>

<How about you tell me about it after we escaped this place?> she asks, beginning to heat up the chains that hold Prometheus to the rock.

<It’s no use. I also foresaw that I won’t leave Baal’s dungeon before Olympus falls.>

<About that. You have some catching up to do, Prometheus…>