The world had already ceased to exist.
There was no sky. No earth. No stars. No sound. Not even the concept of silence remained. Only Aiden and Knull—two gods standing in a void that was not black, not white, not even empty. It was the absence of existence itself.
At first, there was no sight. Aiden realized with horror—it wasn't that he couldn't see, it was that "sight" itself no longer applied in this realm. But then… something twisted, some remnant of his own will forced the laws of perception to cling to him. And there—across from him—stood Knull.
The Dragon God of Darkness. His grin stretched wide, fangs dripping with mockery, his eyes glimmering with mad triumph. He had succeeded.
"I must confess," Knull said, voice slithering through the void like a serpent across glass, "I have no way of knowing if you could have defeated me in a straight fight. Perhaps you could. Perhaps not. But it no longer matters."
His grin widened, splitting into madness. "Still… I am shocked. Shocked that you've risen to this height so quickly. It almost makes me regret letting you live when I first sensed you. Almost." He leaned forward, eyes burning scarlet, and his laughter dripped venom. "But now it is finished. It is over. Tell me, Dragon—how does it feel? How does it taste—to know that everything you fought for, every battle you survived, every chain you shattered—was for nothing?"
The echo of his words shook the void.
Aiden clenched his fists, his jaw trembling—not with fear, but with rage. His power roared within him, wings of flame and scale itching to unfurl, yet he felt it useless. The world was gone. His family, his friends, his home—obliterated in the rush of Oblivion. His chest heaved, but he forced himself still, his heart screaming for vengeance while his mind whispered of despair.
Knull's laughter rolled, jagged and cruel. "Me and the Beyonder had long pondered how to kill their kind—our problem was speed. How do you wipe out an entire race of living gates before they scatter? But then…" His clawed hand rose in mock applause. "…then you came. A slaughterer. A god in dragon's flesh. A being so desperate to protect his fragile world that he was willing to butcher an entire race."
Knull's grin turned sharp as his fangs gleamed. "And so you did. You carried the axe. You made sure they died. The perfect butcher, paving the way for Oblivion's birth. You killed the Beyonders for me. You—sealed your own downfall." His laugh cracked the void. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Aiden glared at him, golden eyes burning with divine fury. Rage, despair, guilt—emotions stormed within him. He wanted to crush Knull, rip his throat out, end him a thousand times. But for what? The cosmos was undone. What use was victory when there was nothing left to protect?
For the first time in eons, Aiden thought not of battles, not of vengeance. He thought of his family. Of warmth. Of home.
And then—light.
A blinding radiance tore through the void, slicing across the eternal dark. Both gods turned, eyes narrowing in shock. It wasn't Aiden's flame. It wasn't the last cry of some forgotten star. It was something beyond both of them.
From that light, two figures descended.
The first was a colossus, a cosmic titan with three faces upon one head, each gazing into a different eternity, each eye shimmering with the weight of absolute judgment. His very presence demanded silence, demanded reverence.
The Living Tribunal.
And opposite him, floating on a throne that shimmered with elegance and dread, sat another. Cloaked in a crimson hood that shrouded his face, his skin was blacker than the void, as if made from the fabric of nonexistence itself. His throne was carved of blinding white material—majestic, terrifying, regal.
Oblivion.
The Tribunal's voice echoed, not spoken but declared, thrumming through the bones of reality that no longer existed."In the name of the One Above All… Oblivion… you must return. Back to the Eighth Cosmos. Back to your prison."
Oblivion tilted his hooded head, a slow, dreadful smile crawling across his unseen face. His voice was low, resonant, mocking."Why is that, Judge of All? Does the great Living Tribunal, representative of the One Above All, now seek to break the laws he swore to guard?"
At his words, the void cracked. Light exploded again, fourfold this time. Four more beings emerged, descending like blades of fate.
The first: a giant in meditation, body vast as galaxies, crowned with infinity, his form made of endless stars and worlds. Eternity.
The second: a woman in robes of shadow, her face a bare skull, her touch an ending. Death.
The third: a bald man, dressed in solemn dignity, eyes sharp with judgment. Master Order.
And opposite him, her presence chaotic and wild, a woman draped in a skimpy black outfit, her grin wicked, eyes swirling with madness. Lord Chaos.
Aiden stood frozen. He had never seen power like this. Not Knull, not the Beyonders, not even himself compared. These were not gods of war or creation. These were the pillars upon which existence itself rested.
The Court of the End had gathered.
...
Oblivion laughed, his hooded head tilting as his unseen eyes swept across the gathered Abstracts. His voice was mockery given form, his tone a cruel game in a trial where all stakes were infinite.
"Has everyone arrived to greet little old me?" he said, spreading his hands, as though he were a host welcoming guests to a banquet. "My dear brethren… guardians of existence… so solemn, so self-righteous. And yet, you stand here now, summoned not by choice, but by my awakening."
The Living Tribunal's three faces turned in unison, all solemn, all absolute. His voice was law itself."My demands have not changed, Oblivion. Return. Back to the Eighth Cosmos. That is the decree of the One Above All."
Oblivion's hood shifted slightly, as though smirking.
"That demand is false," came the voice of Master Order, cold and precise. "The Judge must remain just and impartial. His ruling must be bound by law, not personal desire."
"It is true, Tribunal," said Eternity, voice vast as the endless stars. His body shimmered with galaxies. "The laws state that if mortals undo themselves by their own will, then so be it. Whether through mistake, recklessness, or deliberate action—it is still their choice. They have invited Oblivion, and thus Oblivion may come."
"Are you all mad?!" snarled Lord Chaos, her grin gone, replaced by wild fury. "This isn't chaos! This is dull—predictable—boring annihilation! You would let the mistake of a single Celestial and a rogue Beyonder erase all existence? That is not freedom! That is stagnation!"
From the shadows, Death finally spoke. Her voice was quiet, but each word was a dagger through the void."He is of this multiverse. What of the others? Are they to die as well? Will we reset all creation for the fault of one? Death comes to all… but in its time. Not like this."
Oblivion chuckled, his throne gleaming with dread radiance."It matters not what you feel. The laws are clear. Mortals unleashed me. You cannot judge me. You cannot bind me."
But Death turned, her empty eyes sockets blazing with certainty."The laws also state this—if we vote against you, your actions may be stopped."
The void rippled with tension.
Oblivion leaned forward. "Then start the vote! The Tribunal cannot vote as Judge. That leaves the four of you. And I—already—am the clear victor."
The Abstracts raised their voices one by one.
"I vote in Oblivion's favor," declared Master Order, cold and resolute. "The rules are absolute. Order must be honored."
"I vote against Oblivion," laughed Lord Chaos, twirling her fingers idly. "Because this? This is too neat. Too orderly. Too unfun."
"I vote in Oblivion's favor," rumbled Eternity, his starry form vast and endless. "The mortals chose. Their actions birthed this fate. We must not intervene."
"I vote against Oblivion," whispered Death, calm as the grave. "Because though all things end… this is not their time."
Oblivion raised a hand, his voice a hammer of finality."And I, of course, vote in my favor! There! A clear win. Three to two. Now—out of my way."
Aiden and Knull stood frozen, watching in shock. These were beings beyond gods, beyond multiverses. Each one could annihilate all of existence with a thought—yet they were chained only by each other. And above them, only one higher remained.
But Death's voice rang out once more."Wait. There is still one who has not voted."
Oblivion's head snapped toward her, his hood casting a shadow deeper than the void itself. His voice thundered with venom."Who?! Infinity is gone. She gave away her aspect. Her death sealed her silence. She cannot vote."
"She gave her aspect," Death corrected, her skeletal grin grim. "But not to nothing. She passed it on. To an heir. And that heir stands before us. Her chosen successor. He is one of us now."
All eyes turned to Aiden.
Oblivion's laughter boomed."You can't be serious! Him? This mortal? This pretender doesn't even know what he carries! And you would let him vote?"
Death ignored him, turning instead to the Tribunal."Judge. By law, is it not his right? As the inheritor of Infinity's essence, he has full authority. Master Order—surely even you will not dispute law itself."
The Living Tribunal's three faces closed their eyes, then opened, golden light burning."It is true. The laws demand it. He is Infinity reborn. He has full rights."
"Order must be maintained," admitted Master Order, reluctant yet unwavering. "And so yes. He may vote."
The Tribunal turned. His voice echoed through all realities, piercing Aiden's soul."Speak, Future Infinity. What is your vote?"
Aiden stood stunned. His heart pounded. His breath caught. Infinity? He remembered her—the moment she had given him her strength, her endless light. He had thought it was a gift, temporary, a shard of power. But no. She had given him everything. Her essence. Her being. Her very self.
He was her heir. Her successor. Infinity lived in him.
And so, trembling but resolute, Aiden raised his head. His voice carried across the void."I vote against Oblivion. Existence is what it is. Without it, what purpose do any of you serve?"
The Tribunal's voice shook the nothingness."A tie. A draw. The ruling cannot proceed."
Silence fell.
Then, slowly, Oblivion rose from his throne. His hooded head tilted toward Aiden, his voice dripping with amusement."Then I suggest… another method."
His finger pointed at Aiden, then at Knull, whose grin sharpened in anticipation."You wish to prove existence deserves to remain? Then prove it. Here. Now. A trial by combat. That one—Knull—shall bear my power. After all, you already wield Infinity's. Let it be fair."
The void pulsed with his decree.
"In front of all of us—you will fight. One final battle. If you win, I yield. If you fall, all of existence is mine. A last, sole battle. The end of the road."
He leaned forward, voice cutting through Aiden's soul."What say you, Progenitor of Dragons? Chosen of Infinity? Human anomaly who rose beyond gods? Do you accept?"
Aiden's mind flashed—his family, his friends, his world. Every smile, every voice, every memory he had sworn to protect. The weight of everything pressed upon him.
And then—his eyes hardened. His voice was steady.
"Yes. I do."