The stage is ready. Alina poured her heart into designing this stage. It's a normal stage except for the fact that it's a cosmos themed stage.
There's a black hole looming in the background, spinning ominously.
"Is that a live black hole?"
"Yeah, for the illumination. That event horizon is bright but it also creates a good contrast with the black orb." (Alina)
"Wouldn't everything get sucked in?"
"Relax, that black hole only exists in the third dimension. It can only affect the third dimension. Our guests are all extra dimensional beings. They don't need to fear a measly black hole." (Alina)
True, we don't really need to fear the black hole. It's happening at the Forge of Creation anyway. There are no creators near it.
There are countless galaxies in the background and they all make a good starry blanket. I see some nebulae and pulsars firing into the space.
Alina casually created a new universe.
"You have made a new universe. What will we do with it?"
"Didn't you want a system of your own? I created one just for you. It's still in the early stages but it will serve as the foundation of our new system." (Alina)
I just pat her head. She is always thinking ahead but when she starts doing stuff like this, even I feel normal next to her.
"You are thinking of how I am so outrageous every single time, aren't you?" (Alina)
She side eyes me.
"Well, you are outrageous. You wanted to design a stage but you seriously created a new a universe to serve as a stage."
"You are no better. I just goaded you a bit and you seriously overthrew my father who was the creator of your world and seized control." (Alina)
"See, you told it yourself. You goaded me into doing it. Your obsession was so deep that even your father was not safe."
"You really want to go there. I just made your love life a bit troublesome. You seriously led a cult against my father in the mortal realm and then tried to escape from hell the moment you got a chance." (Alina)
"And who created that chance?"
This is going in the same direction. Every time we start arguing like this, we start flirting.
I notice that she is staring at me, we are just fingertips away from kissing.
"You really like to rile me up, don't you?"
"I like the passive you but your slightly agitated side is cute too. Besides, we are going to be announcing a few things anyway. It's not like we are calling everyone to announce the destruction of all of creation." (Alina)
"Hearing that from your mouth and knowing you, Joy and Eternity would have fainted."
I remember the first time they met each other. Eternity still has a hard time around Alina.
"Yeah but Joy didn't deserve it. It's my fault that he is in this mess. Have you found them?" (Alina)
Joy was kidnapped by another survivor of the old era. Someone who is actually a friend of Alina. It was Alina who introduced her to Alina's hobby of watching humans.
She immediately became infatuated with Joy. Joy had no choice. He did not even know that a rather forceful entity has taken a liking to him.
Now, Joy was kidnapped by her. Her psyche is destroyed. Joy has surrendered. That has started a terrifying chain reaction. If they both fuse together, all of creation will be in danger.
The newer creators don't know about how terrifying the old ones can be. We stay away from the newer ones. They are independent, have their own ways and always rely on the Akashik Library for information.
I only tweaked the library a little bit. Our information is not forbidden but they did not even know about our existence just a little while ago.
"Why are you so somber?" (Alina)
"I am thinking how everything came to be. Where did we go wrong? Our situation is so desperate that we have to bring out the reset button, just in case."
"I know that we won't have to use the reset button. Chin up, we have company." (Alina)
I felt that too. A bunch of creators are already coming here.
Which group would arrive first? The one who appeared here is a face that I have not seen since I took over as the lynchpin of existence.
"You are here, Janus."
I say to the person who appeared. He is carrying a luggage with him.
He dropped the luggage which turned out to be the missing Azathoth. I was wondering where he was. So Janus had him.
"Constant, drop the theatrics. I know why you did everything to drag me out here." (Janus)
"Now now boys! Don't fight the moment you meet! You two are meeting after more than 250 billion years. At least play nice." (Alina)
Janus looks at Alina and he froze. I remembered how they first met. It was not the warmest or nicest of first meetings. But Janus composes himself.
"I see that you are doing well. What should I call you now? You must have a new name already." (Janus)
"Call me Alina, Janus. I know that I have done some questionable things to you, Joy and Eternity. I can't exactly ask for forgiveness but I hope we can move past that." (Alina)
Janus looks conflicted but he sighed.
"You really are audacious. But it means that you have changed for the better. The you from before would have just banished me to the limbo." (Janus)
Alina flashes a smile that is not the friendliest. Janus shivers.
Our banter is refreshing but terrifying. Imagining the scene from 250 billion years ago when I stood atop a mountain of corpses and Janus stared at me from below, it was the most horrific look he had on his face.
I shake my head to knock off those thoughts. I sense another group approaching.
"Who are our guests this time?" (Alina)
It was Bruce, Henry, David and Harry and their entourage. They even brought their significant others meaning it is also a social gathering where many unusual people will show up.
"So Constant, who is that?" (Bruce)
Bruce, ever so forward, just asked pointing at Janus.
"Let everyone come first. I don't want to introduce the same people over and over."
I am just lazy and it's inefficient. Janus sighs and clears his throat.
"Younger creators, this is the first time I have stepped out of my own construct. I can not blame others for not recognizing or even knowing that I exist. I am Janus, a creator from Constant's world and one of the remaining few relics of the past. It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance." (Janus)
He always had a knack for socializing even when we were never social beings. Between me, Joy, him and Eternity, he was the one who always had a weird social following.
"So, there are more than just Eternity from that era?" (Henry)
"When we were left, we actually just rock, paper and scissored who would be the lynchpin of new existence. Constant won despite his deliberate attempts. No one was trying to win but even then, Constant won.
We just made Constant the new lynchpin of existence and called it a day. I lived normally among the creators but when I left this time, no one was there. It's odd, isn't it?" (Janus)
He is glaring at me. He definitely is glaring at me.
"Uh..our previous location was the place where the old tyranny lived. We decided to move but since you were being a hermit, we did not bother telling you." (Constant)
I just try to gloss over that problem. We moved due to that reason but I did not want to live among everyone. So I made up a story and shifted the settlement and moved away somewhere else entirely.
I did not want anyone to find out about Janus either so that was another reason.
"I really want to see how it was back then. After the war, after the old creators were killed or banished, what was left?" (Harry)
That's a good question.
"Let me answer that. What was left was a broken system, a bunch of dead human souls and some celestial or divine beings who did not oppose us.
It was utterly broken and entirely useless. The system was broken because the command center was blown up. Constant magnificently blew up the controls." (Janus)
"Hey, you know I had to do it. Without that control, the old gods were powerless. I blew up the controls to prevent them from sabotaging us."
I protest. The situation was dire. It was not a smooth sailing. Even with Alina and Lucifer by my side, I had to sacrifice a lot of things.
"Still, a heads up would have been appreciated. You basically blew me up as well. I was there to harvest some data as a failsafe but you blew up even the backup system and the data banks. Akashik Library itself does not have those data anymore." (Janus)
This is going to become a long argument between me and Janus. I see that Harry and entourage have made themselves comfortable. Alina is entertaining them and I am honestly enjoying this debate.
Let's keep it going. Until Clive and Serus come here with Joy's human side, we are basically free.