***
In an underground chasm, dozens of glistening crystals protruded from the cave walls giving light to the hidden dungeon filled with worksheet's of data on tables surrounding a single magical array engraved on the pure gold floor with a cage in its centre with a weeping corpse inside of it.
"Yes, yes! This is the missing piece. How have i been so ignorant of the obvious for the last twenty years of researching?"
Stepping away from thirty-metre wide electrical screen brimming with equations i snapped my fingers and it zoomed in on a single gap within the equation. With a quick flick of my wrist the missing variable was added.
"Its an unblessed omega thats needed to act as the carrier to start the process before it becomes self sustaining, but to allow the omega to still carry the frequency it requires a polar charge of immense energies in the negative series. Run equation ratifying, Thinker."
The hovering screen expanded outwards showing hundreds of metres of equations. With each line rapidly lighting up with a correctness before reaching the final digits and symbols and igniting in a celebratory glow.
The equation was complete.
The regression contravening memory ritual was complete.
"It took seventy-two years but its finally done." Falling down into a chair i felt the weight of exhaustion rush over me. "With this i can protect my mind from the universal regression's effects. Thinker, save the data onto the memory-recorder immediately."
With a squeaky beep and a flash of blue light the screen crushed itself into a stream of compressed data before flowing into a small orb atop a holder on one of the many desks littered with coffee stains and worksheets, and torn papers.
Distant footsteps could be heard entering the crystal dungeon but ignoring them i picked up the memo-recorder. Clara really outdid herself making such a thing with only the materials of Strife's body.
"Sathuna!" A voice yelled on entry, her accent thick in their voice. "I've brought you another regressor for your experiments as you asked. A tag along has also come."
Turning my head slightly from my seat i spotted the beautifully young ginger-crimson haired vampire wiping off the blood on her neck. Her clothes torn all over from a rough experience while she dragged a half-dead green skinned humanoid creature behind her before tossing it into one of the many cage's with dried blood on their bars.
"Thank you, Anika." I said before placing the small orb i held into a pocket. "I've had a breakthrough. Thankfully you won't have to get your pretty hands dirty anymore. There's some spare clothes for you in the drawer as before."
"What gracious news that is." Pulling off her leather gloves Anika swatted off the blood on them before heading behind one of the glowing crystals to tear her ruined shirt off to replace it.
"Quite the place you've found for yourself." Anika's tag along said before she stepped out into the light in her silver dress.
Like an angel taken physical shape the arrival glistened beautifully even more than the crystal cluster's she passed. Her silver-white wings wrapped around her waist as part of her dress, the same as her draconic tail-feather's that wrapped around her hips as part of the dresses skirt. Then atop her head a laurel of rose-gold feathers rested atop her grey horns that pointed backwards from above her ears all while her wheat-gold hair with under-light's of dyed black hair flowed down her back.
Spinning on her heels she whistled beautifully to admire the crystal scenery before saying, "Anika got lucky finding that one. That slave was leading a rebellion within the spirit colossus. He was just moments away before being cut in two by my halberd."
"I don't recall ever inviting you to this place, Vita." I huffed to the lustrous woman while working.
"Aww~, did you expect Anika to say no to me?" Vita teased gracefully before sitting atop one of the desks in front of me. "You don't pay her enough to go to such lengths no matter how much of a workaholic she is."
"That is true." Anika said as she returned with an intact shirt on. Dressed in a man's suit with rolled up sleeves showing her muscly forearms that she wore very well while her leather gloves hanged around the tight waist of her leather sweatpants. "No amount of pay could ever make it worth opposing Strife's wife. Please forgive my lack of ability."
"No need to fret, Anika. The work is complete now anyway. It doesn't matter if the secret alcove of ours is exposed." Standing up from my chair my legs wobbled for a moment before regaining their strength. "Its clear Vita has pressured you quite thoroughly as well. There's no way a simple orc deviant with regressive ability should have been your match."
Spotting my weakness Anika quickly trodded over and helped me stand acting like a crutch. "...how long has it been since you last slept?" She softly asked.
"If the Traveler can last his entire life without sleep or rest, i can manage a week at the least." Taking full advantage of Anika as my support i walked to a desk and swept away the papers before finding a simple lighter. Flipping its top off a quick spark lit aflame on the lighter with a ballerina's grace.
Looking at me with matching concerned faces. Vita and Anika both wanted to speak out about the blatant disregard for my already terrible health but knew it would only be ignored as it had many times before.
Tossing the lighter it quickly set fire to the many works within the cave. Beginning to burn everything to ashes as the fire spread to fill the cave with heat and smoke. With a tap of my foot atop the golden floor a spell teleported the three of us out of the cave onto a distant hill before a mountain erupted into flames in the distance. Shaking the air with its intensity has it pushed through our hair.
Letting out a relaxed breath a spell activated and streams of light flowed into my body. Giving some invigoration to my frail body before i asked, "where is Traveler now?"
"I believe he just finished his conquest on Pridallis." Vita said trying to be vague.
Immediately perturbed by this news i looked at Anika who nodded with affirmation on her distressed face. "That is correct. The Traveler went to war on the CGA's senate world, using
"Thats a little more eccentric than i expected of him. Though it has been seventy-two years since i told him to wait. I suppose going to war was the one way for him to think of anything else but Thorn's condition."
Grinning to my words Vita leaned in close to me. "I knew you had something to do with that. Despite going to war with the CGA and its two political factions. He didn't once come to meet me in my bedroom." Vita said with a lusty tone before getting serious. "So what exactly did you and he talk about?"
Not feeling like wasting words i shot a spell into Vita's head from my finger that immediately filled her head with the information of the regressor, the original timeline, and the two regressed universes since then. As well as my plan and the deal made with Strife to save Thorn from the causal erasure slowly eroding his existence from the timeline. This information also included the request she asked of me in the first regression.
"...i see." Holding her chin Vita pondered briefly before huffing in exhaustion. "What to do~ what to do~. How long until you decide to kill the regressor again?"
"Until i get the memo-recorder to the Traveler."
"Hmm." Trying to make herself look smart Vita took a step back and pushed up the non-existent glasses on her nose. "Well. I wouldn't want to get in the way of my consorts fun. He still has a promise to uphold to me. Just as you do, after all."
Beginning to walk away Vita simply decided to leave. Leaving Anika rather confused. "W-wait, Vitrena! Did you not say you wanted to see your husband now that the CGA is destroyed."
Unfurling from her dresses waist Vita's angelic fenghuang wings expanded out into the air with pink threatening patterns on them. Without looking back she spoke seriously, "the only memories i want my lover to have of me are ones where I remember him. There's no way I could let him torture himself like that."
With a flap of her white and pink wings Vita shot up into the atmosphere before shifting her body into a giant silvery bird form in the far distance becoming no more than a dot.
Scratching her head Anika was left perturbed by Vita's decision and words. If it were the usual Vita she would have rushed to Strife in a heartbeat now that the CGA is no longer a concern. Well, in this timeline that is.
"Lets go Anika. To Pridallis." Treading down the hill i headed for the spaceship hidden beneath a vast tree.
After entering the spaceship it quickly thrummed to life jettisoning out the planets atmosphere. Heading on a trajectory outside this galaxy using the warp gates shotgun its material existence across galactic quadrants through the void where time and space became redundant before reaching a super warp gates at the galaxy's edge to fire the spaceship across multiple of the same gates in several galaxies before reaching the galaxy we desired and taking the minor war gates to our destination.
The whole journey took several weeks. What Strife can do within a few seconds the Kralscell of Invention's technology cannot replicate. It just goes to show how physics defying the Kralscell of Sentience is.
"Sathuna, you should see this." At the ships cockpit Anika wore a wary expression.
From the lounge behind the cockpit i said, "Let me guess. The planet is on fire?"
"No. Its... been turned inside out. I think."
Immediately interested i shot up from my seat carrying my tea with me. Looking out the spaceship's glitching monitor the strange planet i witnessed was reason defying to put it mildly.
It was more precise to call it an abstract art piece with how many mountains reached through the planets atmosphere and skewered each other. While the planet had been turned into what could best be described as as a messily drawn amalgamation of triangles around a square with multiple gaps on its surface. All while a gargantuan golden tree glistened at the core of weird destruction.
Slithering past the spaceship a titanous black python swam through the emptiness of space. Observing us briefly with its golden snake eye before veering off and heading down to the messy planet.
"It looks like we have a guide." I said calmly. Managing to hide my shock at the scene. "Follow the titan. I'll get the necessary materials ready."
With a nod Anika piloted the spacecraft along the giant serpent's ink-dripping side of obsidian scales. Following the titan into the planets distorted atmosphere where one of the massive golden tree's lifted from the ground and turned into a landing platform for her.
[aspect: taken devourer - takes the space!]
After landing, It was only a single step we both took outside the spaceship before multiple ephemeral hands made of ink grabbed the space around us. Dragging forward the light carrying us with it. Taking us through a tunnel of streaking lights before myself and Anika were put at the foot of a hill of corpses and ruins.
"Its about time you showed up." Strife's monotone voice called.
Atop the mound, sat on a pile of corpses. The Traveler was riddled with weapons piercing his body. Hellfire, sentient acids, extreme frostbite burned across his pale copper skin, but the deadly elements were focused strongly on the hole keeping in his chest open that showed his three hearts made of pure energy.
Multiple weapons littered the ground around his throne of ruin and corpses. All famed and among the deadliest this universe has ever known. All were Finality Matrixes that if used would ensure the end of their target no matter what.
The
The
The
The
The
There were so many more weapons accompanied by their owners corpses, each still brimming with divinity. There were axe's, clubs, pure light and mystical weapons of all kinds. Each capable of erasing worlds the same as their owners.
Yet they now lay ownerless at the feet of the one impossible to kill. The one who had a sheathed sword stabbed through Hades' chest; [Sigrid]. A spear of energy burning within Odin's face; [Fragarach]. And his gauntlets wetted with blood; [Ekrix].
Strife's blood and others was still wet across his skin while his gauntlet ran up his face to brush the long hair covering his eyes. His right eye was brimming with a golden madness matching the stray streak of pale-blonde hair while his left eye was its usual silver radiance.
Breathing out a puff of steam he fell back into his throne made of golden tree roots lazily and smiled down at us before speaking. "Is the regressor's time to die here?"
He spoke so vacantly. The normal lack of emotions in his voice amplified by the apocalyptic scene around Strife. If it wasn't clear even before that, Strife's madness had made him even more uncaring to existence than he already was.