Beyond The Impossible

Heaven

Noriko Null hates swimming. Especially after being violently thrown into the sea.

She desperately tries to swim towards the surface, but it’s only thanks to Kari’s help that she manages to get to the surface.

Staying afloat is not easy: the blue sky is now suddenly covered by red thunderous clouds, which appear to glitch in and out of existence.

<What’s going on!?> Kari asks, needing to raise her voice to overcome the loud rumblings of the thunderstorm.

<I think my mother is breaking Heaven. Get me closer to her!> Noriko orders.

<You’re not the only one in a hurry to do that.> Kari points out, watching the waves generated by Gilgamesh swimming towards the island at superhuman speed.

He gets there first, hurling himself at the person at the center of this maelstrom: Leiko Tanaka.

She’s certainly not in control of the situation, wrestling with her own right hand that no longer feels part of her body. Now it’s completely black, has grown a golden eye on its palm, and the golden glow it emits is getting brighter.

The same glow that telekinetically immobilizes Gilgamesh once he gets within a few feet from her, stopping him dead on his tracks despite his speed.

<PROTECT.> she hears a voice in her head, as the hand pulsates.

<Have the courage to face me directly, you foul creature!> Gilgamesh threatens her, even if his muscles are unable to get him free.

Since he’s no longer being translated by Noriko’s technology, he’s speaking Sumerian. And yet Leiko is perfectly capable of understanding him, despite knowing she’s hearing a dead language.

<I’m not doing anything! This thing acts on its own!>

<SEARCH.> the voice continues.

<Get out of my head!!!> Leiko complains.

<SEARCH.> the voice echoes, the hand raises itself.

Leiko finds herself floating off the ground. Every visitor not native to this sector of Heaven is then brought in front of her, remotely lifted and violently accelerated to her position.

Those include Vesta, who is holding tight to the resurrected husband Theodoros and protecting him with her life.

Quantum, who attempts to break free of the telekinetic prison but finding that it can hold any kind of particle that he can think of.

Torn and his father Reaper, who discover the golden glow blocks access to the Blood and the Ichor.

The original Kari Zel, who can feel all of her duplicates disappear the instant the glow touches her.

And Noriko Null, who seems to be the object of the hand’s interest considering she’s the one brought closer to her position.

<I’m sorry Mom. ETERNAL…> Noriko says, her silver eyes glowing as she summons all of her strength to unleash the Eternal Eraser intended to eradicate her from existence.

<KNOWLEDGE.> the voice says.

A bolt of electricity leaves Noriko’s head, headed straight for Leiko’s possessed hand.

The Eternal Eraser is completely negated before it can even be properly executed; not that Noriko would be able to finish it, since that whatever the hand is doing is causing her excruciating pain.

It’s hard to tell how long the process takes, but it’s eventually cut short when everyone except Leiko is teleported away.

 

Coral Palace, at the bottom of the ocean

Water used to fill the room until a few seconds ago, so everything is still wet and the newly pumped air is still extremely cold.

That’s a rude welcome when added to the disorientation from both the effects of teleportation and the recent events, so it takes a while to get adjusted.

<I should have known you’d screw things up.> Roxiana comments, sitting cross-legged on the chair overlooking her new visitors. It looks a little too much like a throne.

The first one to recover is Vesta, who wastes no time flying towards her and lifting Roxiana by holding her by the throat in an uncharacteristically violent outburst.

<I’m not in the mood for your tricks!> the goddess yells.

<And you’re not in a position to threaten me. First of all, you literally cannot harm me.> Roxiana reminds her, showing off the Absolute Defense device on her left wrist: even if Vesta tried to employ lethal force, it would do nothing to her.

<And second, I just saved all of you. You’re welcome, by the way.> Roxiana boasts.

Vesta reluctantly lets her go, returning to her husband to ask:

<Are you okay?>

<A bit sick. What was that creature?> Theodoros wonders.

<That was a Drylon seed. It must be destroyed or Heaven is doomed.> Gilgamesh says, standing proudly as the artificial lights of the room reflect on the bronze skin of his very naked body.

<Who is this dude? And put on some pants, please.> Quantum says.

<You are Gilgamesh, King of Uruk. First to rise against Kronos.> Reaper realizes, kneeling in front of the old hero.

<That was decades ago. Surely nobody is still talking about that.> Gilgamesh shrugs.

<Not the most important point at the moment. Torn, your trench coat please.> Noriko orders, gesturing towards the Demon.

<Duster.> Torn corrects her, handing over the piece of clothing.

<Put this on. What were you saying about a “Drylon seed”?> Noriko asks Gilgamesh, handing over the coat. Gilgamesh is so ridiculously muscular that he couldn’t possibly wear it, so he reluctantly ties it around his waist.

<Remnants of the Drylon genetic codes. I thought I got rid of the last one when I secluded myself here in Heaven. There shouldn’t be any left in the entire universe… where did that woman find it?>

<She took it from me. I recovered it from the Dragon Tomb.> Noriko answers.

<Tiamat’s resting place? Then it should’ve been protected by the Celestial Dragon Of Destruction.>

<It was. Before I killed Tiamat.>

Gilgamesh looks down at Noriko. This unassuming five feet tall humanoid whose head is smaller than his biceps.

<You. You killed Tiamat?> he marvels.

<Why do I always get that reaction when people learn it?> she wonders, rolling he eyes.

<What’s so dangerous about these seeds anyway?> Quantum asks.

<Ah, I can answer that one for you.> Roxiana interrupts, approaching the team.

Kari and Torn keep a close eye on her, expecting trouble at any moment.

<Heaven is a Drylon creation, intended to shape itself according to the desires of whoever enters it. But like all Drylon technology, it prioritizes Drylon users above everyone else. Once the seed takes over control of the infected body and regains full sentience, it will override the realities currently created by all of Heaven’s guests.> Roxiana explains.

<Assuming Heaven’s deterioration isn’t accelerating. Which, considering the chaos on the surface, is probably what’s already happening.> Noriko adds.

<Absolutely. The longer the Drylon remains in its pre-sentient stage, the greater the struggle. Based on what I’ve learned, we have less than a day before Heaven explodes.>

<Learned from what?> Quantum asks.

<Sorry, I forgot how slow you guys can be. While you were wasting time jumping from fantasy to fantasy, I remained focused on my goal and found what I came for.> Roxiana reveals.

<You have the Tablet Of Destinies?> Reaper asks.

<She tried to take it. I wouldn’t let her.> Gilgames answers.

<What’s your role in all of this?> Noriko asks him.

<I took the Tablet here to Heaven decades ago, after helping Teraph and Zeus defeat Kronos.>

<“Decades”? How long ago was this, for you?> Vesta asks.

<Forty-something years.> Gilgamesh answers.

<You might, uhm, be off a few years.> Kari informs him.

<How many?>

<About a million years.> Noriko answers.

<1,046,758 years ago, to be exact.> Roxiana specifies.

<How in the world would you know!?> Vesta exclaims. Even she doesn’t know the specific year.

<History is my whole life.>

<I had no idea I had been in Heaven for that long.> Gilgamesh admits.

<He was getting tired of his own perfect life in his corner of Heaven. So when I opened a passage to his world, we agreed to switch places. We’re currently in a recreation of Antron, the world where I was born. Needless to say, it’s much nicer than the real one.> Roxiana explains.

<How so?> Torn wonders.

<Because I blew it up. A bit of a waste, sure, but I was fourteen at the time.>

The whole room shakes, as a result of an earthquake that is wreaking havoc on the ocean floor.

<That’s a bad sign. Antron was a geologically dead planet; this is Heaven’s deterioration. I might have to revise my expectations… we have less time than I thought.> Roxiana admits.

The ceiling starts to break, pouring water into the room at alarmingly faster and faster rate.

<She is coming straight towards us.> Torn senses.

<How is she tracking us?> Kari wonders.

<She must be coming for the Nexus in my head. I could feel that thing trying to break into my mind, until it was interrupted by the teleportation.> Noriko says.

<If she gets the Nexus, it will achieve full sentience and Heaven will be destroyed. We must retreat at once, we cannot risk facing a resurrected Drylon.> Roxiana comments, for once sounding very worried about the situation.

<I shall never retreat! You may back down if you’re scared, but I’ve never met a monster I couldn’t beat into submission.> Gilgamesh boasts, cracking his knuckles.

As if the ocean heard the challenge, the ceiling starts to visibly buckle under pressure.

<Too risky. Roxiana, open whatever portal you’re planning to use, everyone is coming with us.> Noriko orders.

Gilgamesh doesn’t like that, coming closer to her and raising his voice:

<Who are you to boss us around? Who made you Queen all of a sudden!?>

<I made myself Empress of Olympus. I don’t have time to argue with a musclebound wannabe hero: you will follow my orders, period.>

<Says who?>

Noriko wasn’t kidding when she said there is no time: the ceiling bursts, dumping large amounts of seawater all at once while Leiko gently descends, floating inside a golden aura.

<Just go! I’ll cover you!> Vesta shouts, summoning a stream of power that atomizes the water it touches but that can’t seem to affect the golden telekinetic field.

A portal appears in front of Roxiana’s throne, and she’s the first to retreat into it. She’s followed by Kari and by one of her duplicates carrying Vesta’s husband.

Reaper considers trying to fight, but he’s more interested in getting his hands on the Tablet of Destinies than facing a Drylon. And as much as he wants to help his friend, Torn can’t allow himself to lose track of his treacherous father.

Noriko is ready to cross the portal, but she hesitates to look behind her.

Leiko slowly advances, ignoring both Vesta’s fire and the continuous barrage of energy attacks hurled by Quantum. And Gilgamesh is still attempting to fight, slightly moving towards Leiko despite being repelled by telekinesis.

<Gilgamesh! Get thar bronze ##s of yours in here, NOW!!!>

<No! I shall never retreat!> he replies.

<Why am I always stuck with the stubborn ones!? Vesta, take him with us! Quantum, scorched Earth!> Noriko orders, before stepping into the portal.

Vesta obeys her command: she drops the fire, grabs Gilgamesh and flies into the portal with him.

Quantum takes a few milligrams of his own mass, just some skin cells, and changes them into antimatter. Before it has time to interact with the regular matter of the atmosphere, he’s turned himself into light that shoots itself into the portal.

The antimatter detonation wreaks havoc, giving the final blow to the integrity of the room.

Everything except Leiko is trashed. She’s left in an empty room watching the portal disappear, as the water of an entire ocean is dropped on her head.

And yet she’s completely fine. She can feel one thought coming from her possessed hand:

<EVOLVING.>