It is usually different than flying…falling, I mean. Most times, soaring above
the lands below feels so liberating I could do so until the end of time. Falling
is a different freeing, one from bodily order and concentration. When one falls,
one is free from balance both inward and out. The escape from such elements is
not often welcome. Still, I am slowly adapting to this state, as I did to flying.
I should be able to fly from my downward spiral, yet my faithful mallet Mjolnir
is unable to pull me from my path. A force, a gravity that is beyond my experiences,
continues to draw me nearer to…what? What am I coming to? All I can see are
the beads of light passing by now and then and the frightful black abyss that
serves as my blanket, and hopefully my cushion when and if I reach an end to
this path. Whether I have fallen for seconds or months, I cannot tell, but I
have lost most hope that my landing will come.
Perhaps it is my pursuing madness that brings these pictures to my mind, or
effects of being inside of Eternity, or just reminiscence…I remember, so long
ago that it should be vague. Alas, the day is too bright a beacon to lose sight
of, even in this darkness. That day, when man worshipped the Aesir and feared
Odin's wraith, I was introduced to my home and my family, the world of a city
that is Asgard.
Down the streets they paraded, Lord Odin's son, even illegitimate, celebrated
like the fated champion he was to become. O', how the people cheered! How they
looked at me with hope and respect in their faces! My destiny was determined
as of then, if not before, by the sheer faith they had in me. I was, and I am,
the Prince of the Golden Realm. I was Thor Stormbringer, birthed but only days
before by Mother Gaia, and even as an infant they expected a great deal from
me. The bittersweet taste of the masses' worship still jests with my tongue…at
first I was frightened of all those staring around me, none of whom I knew.
It was all so new, an introduction to each thing and person there. But with
short time I grew to accept their love, and then to crave it. My heroics and
feats swelled their pride in me like a pregnant woman's belly, and in turn my
own pride was swollen. My own pride was not a fertile vehicle for life, though.
Mine was…no, mine is a swollen pustule on my being.
The lights have increased their activity, and they bring me from my trance.
What did me think of such things? And my last thought…..it is all washed
away by more mixing white and black and soon I can feel the increased feeling
of urgency in my sense of falling. My stomach quivers within, and I feel that
I will be ill…..falling, falling, falling…..I fall forever, and I will fail
my people and my homes. Falling, falling, falling…..sharing guilt with my pride.
Falling, falling, falling…..I see Odin One-Eye wasting away, and Eternity around
me slowly fading, and countless mortals of Midgard following his sickness. Falling,
falling, falling…..
Stop. I have stopped and landed on something solid. I see no ground, though
I have seen nearly nothing since I have arrived, so I take it as my given. The
landing staggered my legs and then my body to this unseen footing. It has o
texture that I can describe, if any at all. I rise as quickly as I may, though
the jolt from my vision nearly knocks me down again. There is a figure in the
darkness. Somehow, I can see it, though there is no light anymore, just this
body, myself, and the darkness within. My already chilled bones run brittle
with the cold feeling I receive from his voice.
"Welcome to Eternity," the obviously male being says snidely, "We’ve
been expecting you. I’m glad you finally made it, you wouldn’t believe how long
I’ve had to hear about….."
#538
November, Year 3
"The Darkness Within"
By Will Short
What Hath Gone Before…
Midgard continued to suffer from the universal illness, the Warriors Three took to what could be their final contest of might, and Thor battled the malfunctioning computer monarch Harrid at K’Raan for his life and for knowledge of the disease plaguing all things. Through perseverance the Thunder God claimed victory and finally freed the hidden creator of Harrid, a Watcher enslaved by his own machine. K’Raan finally free from Harrid’s hold, Thor was sent from there to the cosmic entity Eternity, whom Thor entered to possibly cure his ailments only to find darkness…..
The Innards of Eternity…
"Who goes there?" Thor asks into the darkness, the voice he has heard tingling familiar though he cannot place it indefinitely to the shroud standing before him.
"Who? What? It doesn’t really matter here…..a man once, I guess, but sometimes I don’t know, and it’s been awhile. I’m either beyond or below that now, I think." This figure has come no closer and Thor strains his eyes to craft the depraving images into details, of which he finds none.
"Be thou a god, then?" inquires the Thunderer, and his shadowed friend scoffs cynically at the thought.
"ha…God, no. I’m not one of the people claiming to be above mortals, and believe me, I wouldn’t want to be."
"Enough, stranger!" Thor comes to the point where his patience splinters, his confusion and frustration no long dammed. "Tell me thy identity, lest I should strike thee down blindly in this place."
The confident man steps forward slightly but still remains hidden enough in his comfort of the darkness. When he speaks again, his voice is calmer and more facetious still, coming at the steady pace of a tired creek.
"I’m not a stranger, Thor, but of course he’s here too. You shouldn’t threaten me like that, you know…I’m not a bad guy. And you don’t really know how to leave either, do you?" To this Thor only waits in angry silence. "Fine. Be that way. You seem pretty stuck on finding out who I am…it doesn’t really matter, you would’ve found out anyway. But I’ll make it a little fun, for your sake…You medieval types like riddles, right? Well, here you go. Ready?" Thor gives silent agreement, thus the man lays his riddle like a foundation. "Ah, that’s it, I know the one…..feels like I should be saying ‘my precious’, huh?" the shaded man says under his breath. "Okay: What is red and serves underneath its king and queen in a flattened kingdom made of night, blood, and light?"
The riddle asked seems to be the only thing filling the blank air around Thor, engulfing him with its question as he wonder, and wonders mightily. "A fine riddle, friend," Thor admits.
"Yeah, well…I’m not the one who said it."
Confused among other things, Thor wrinkles his face in the dark. "…What dost thou mean? You spoke it as surely as I sit here now."
"Don’t worry about that right now, just answer the riddle so he will let me take you further."
"Who is this ‘he’?"
The tone of the hidden man becomes more serious as he commands the Norse deity. "Just answer the riddle. Time is ticking away, at least as consistently as this place will allow."
No one, not servant nor king nor god, likes being told what to do, especially the mighty Thor, yet in this position he evades his boiling rage for the moment to think clearly on the question at hand. "A servant to the king and queen…" he relays the information to himself quietly, "…a flattened kingdom of night, blood, and light…" Though Thor feels no urgency in his own answer, he can sense that of the riddler before him. Hence, his thoughts rush as quickly as they may, and after debating with himself silently, he comes to a realization of sorts. "Night, blood, and light…..black, red, and white. Aye, the answer unfolds! I have solved your riddle, o’ hiding one, and a simple answer it is."
Thor’s excitement is obvious to the brooding man, who waits for his answer. "He who is red and serves under his king and queen in a flattened kingdom of night, blood, and light is a mere playing card…a Jack of Hearts."
From nowhere at all, or somewhere beyond thought, the light finds direction to the Jack of Hearts face as he steps forward and offers a hand to the triumphant Norse god, the left half of his face still blackened by the Zero Fluid that made him the being he is. His eye on that side remains outlined by a red symbol of a jack card, while his blue armor and detailed costume cling tightly to him like wet leeches. His strength is at least enough to aid the Thunder God in rising to his feet, and Thor speaks as he does so.
"’Tis queer to find thee in this place, Jack-a-Hearts." Says the god, who rubs his head slightly while recovering.
"Not as queer as you might think….." Jack answers. An obvious tone added in his voice shows an apprehensive dance around the complete truth, and this the Thunderer catches.
"Not a word thou have spoken has told me true, o’ Jack. I would think that thou art also here to save Eternity." A silence falls between them and the Jack of Hearts stares at Thor firmly. "…..Surely thou art not the being responsible for all creation’s illness! Thou art a noble man, a hero."
Suddenly turning with his armored back to Thor, the Jack of Hearts begins walking slowly and beckons the confused god with a glowing hand accented by a shining gold band. "That’s debatable right now. We really don’t have time to discuss it at the moment, so just follow me and let me give you a little tour."
Jack continues his trek alone the undefined path, and as the image of him grows darker and darker, he quickly chases on swift heels, something the God of the Storm has not had to do for quite some time.
"Jack! You spoke…a tour…?" the god asks in wonderment, words echoing out into nothing. While still walking, the Jack of Hearts answers.
"A tour of Eternity, of course. Just on the way."
Thus Thor the Odinson, whose urgency and anger have been drowned by a frustrating curiosity as a fresh-born child’s, and the strangely foreboding and usually protecting Jack of Hearts walk further into the depths of Eternity.
Midgard (New York City)…
"Mom, it’s…it’s getting harder."
The voice on the other end of the line comes as a muffled friction of static through the cellular phone. "Illnesses like Glen’s can be like that, Rebecca. It might get worse and worse, but…"
"No mom," Rebecca’s interjection stifles her parent, "I didn’t mean that." She pauses and breathes deeply the stale hospital air she has immersed herself in. The breath quivers from a poorly hidden half-sob.
"What do you mean, then? I’m not saying I don’t care, dear…I love Glen too…but we have been dealing with him like this for a while now."
"Not like this," she says bluntly. "Glen’s been…mom, Glen’s been fading in and out of sight for the past few days. I don’t know why, doctors don’t know why, no one knows, and it’s getting worse…God, he’s only been her half an hour all of today. Thirty minutes I’ve seen him out of almost eight hours of sitting…here…" Her sentence begins to collapse into a small chaos of sputters and rejected sobs until her crying takes full effect.
After trying to listen and comprehend for a moment, Rebecca’s mother comments gently. "I…I don’t understand….."
"No…*sniff* you wouldn’t, would you?" And before the mother of Rebecca Nordan can even comprehend the cold hand she has been dealt her own daughter breaks their connection.
Rebecca finds her eyes searching the sometimes-occupied bed to her right, and for a very brief second, she is sure that her beloved has returned. But as her slim neck turns her attention to the mattress she only finds the virgin white sheets disturbed from past rustlings. Once more the tears find escape from her reddened eyes to roll liberated down her pale cheeks and finally to the sterile ground. The humming lights above Rebecca’s head shine into the tiny puddles and reflect into her eyes, her head down and supported in her hands. Near silence invades the room until it is driven away by a gentle whisper.
It’s getting harder to wait, to keep it up, to see it through…
"It’s getting harder to stay."
The Innards of Eternity…
"I don’t suggest you get too far away from the path I’m leading, Thor," the Jack of Hearts says to the following god, "There’s no telling where you could end up."
"For sooth," is stated quite simply in response. "The way thou leads does not wind or bend like most paths would, Jack of Hearts. Where wouldst thou lead this god?"
Confidently, Jack answers him. "Oh, you’ll see. First I have to show you all the stuff on the way." And as Thor tries to find the breath to conjure a question, it is immediately stolen from his lungs as the thick black around he and his companion is challenged by a yellow giant, whose body shines like gold and whose head bears three faces, one uncovered, one half-covered, and one entirely covered by a thick, purple cloth. The bare face’s eyes glow like stars in the darkness, and they hold the relatively tiny beings below in their burning stare.
"WHO TREADS BELOW THIS TRIBUNAL WITHOUT FACING OUR TRUE JUDGEMENT?" speaks the towering thrice-headed being, whose stature and voice demand respect. Even Thor, whose eyes have seen things, places, and beings beyond all mortal imagination, including this being, before, he gazes at the giant with awe, silent before it.
"It's just me, Tribunal...me and Thor. He finally got here, so I'm taking him through to the end." Jack says quite easily to the Living Tribunal in a tone it is not often used to receiving. The head, floating free from a neck above the shoulders of the Tribunal like an oracle, turns on its invisible axis until the half-covered faction of the head faces Thor and the Jack of Hearts.
"THE GODLING WILL BE KEY TO THE SETTLING OF THIS UNIVERSE, THROUGH BATTLE, IF NEED BE."
"But how, Tribunal?" Thor calls up to the godlike being through cupped hands. "Who is behind this? The Jack will reveal nothing!" The Tribunal's head spins again, this time stopping on the completely cloth-covered face.
"YOU MUST FOLLOW THE JACK OF HEARTS. HE MAY NOT BE COMPLETELY OF SOUND MIND AT THIS TIME, BUT HE STILL IS TRUE AND WILL LEAD YOU TO WHAT MUST HAPPEN. NOW YOU WILL GO...THIS TRIBUNAL HAS AGREED TO GIVE YOU ITS BLESSINGS."
Nodding slowly, Thor speaks quietly this time. "My gratitude to you, Tribunal."
Thor feels a strong grip on his rippling bicep when Jack speaks to him. "C'mon now...there's plenty more where that came from."
"No!" Thor says angrily, casting the hand of the Jack of Hearts from him like a soft rag. From Jack's face there is a look of confusion, and from his good eye, a squinting hostility. "I will not be led by the hand through this grandiose museum without an answer, Jack. Thou art withholding thy knowledge from me, and I would first have thou reveal to me why."
Pain enters the look on Jack's halved face, and he wipes perspiration from his brow with a slightly shaking hand, something Thor did not notice before.
"Listen...I would have told you by now, if I could....." His voice sounds strained, as if he were putting forth a great amount of effort just to form the words. "...But...someone has made it very...very hard for me to do much on my own except for talking...and he has control over that, too."
"Who is he though, Jack? Tell me and I will surely end his hold on you." The Thunderer declares, confident of his abilities, but the Jack of Hearts shakes his head.
"I...he won't.....let me. I'm sorry, Thor. You'll just have to trust me on this one."
"Fair enough, Jack-a-Hearts...I knowest thou to be a hero true, and so the Tribunal told." Thor does not smile but offers an accepting look to Jack, who only turns in response.
"I apologize for my rashness...thou may lead me now, Jack." A god's apology is worth much more than most might think, and it was offered of good will, but Jack just begins his short strides again.
"Come on, then. Let's get on with the show."
I can’t believe I have to sit here in this…place. Even my powerful sight can’t see a single thing here in Eternity. I feel others here…oh, I know they’re there. Their presence is as distinct as a face or voice, but still I am kept from greeting them whose power weaves in and out of the material of Eternity. So many others, possibly all…and then I feel the power seeping from every pore in his nearly immortal body. Unlike the others, it’s drawing nearer with every thought I have, every thought of Gigantus’s lost souls.
He’s nearly upon me now, and with him another one, less powerful but considerable, nonetheless. I’ve known he would arrive but it is still good to have him finally come…maybe we can all soon leave this place and be done with it.
"Here’s another," the other one says, and I recognize him as the Earthman who calls himself the Jack of Hearts. He was here before any of us, I recall…and he has our host’s touch upon him.
"I’m not merely ‘another’, Jack of Hearts…" I say to them, amusing myself with the sound of my own words and their impact on the pair. "…I am the Stranger."
The god finally decides to talk. "The Stranger…?" He looks up at me wearily, obviously ready for some sort of attack. Thor does not seem to realize that we all are doing what we are forced to do…
"Don’t worry, Thor. I couldn’t assault you even if I wanted…and I haven’t a wish to. We need you here."
I see him lower his mallet below, and he nods to display his acceptance. "Fair enough, Stranger. Let there be peace between us, for this moment, while I must inquire…canst thou reveal to me why my presence is needed here in Eternity?"
There’s no reason not to try, but as expected I fail. The dominating force over my willpower is too strong, and I strain my mind just attempting to think about telling the god. "I’m sorry…no. He won’t let any of us tell you yet. Let Jack take you further, and you’ll know when it is time."
"A suggestions I have heard too often this day, Stranger. I fear it appears I have no other choice, though. Wellness be with thee, Stranger…it was pleasurable to meet thou on these terms."
"Be prepared, Thor…and hurry up with your tour. I’m getting tired of waiting here." I say to Thor’s guide, who is already leading the Norse deity to his next encounter. Under his breath I hear him mumble.
"Yeah, yeah…that’s what we all want…" I ignore his insolence, as it seems that I must.
So Thor and the Jack of Hearts leave, exiting my field of sight within moments of arriving. In the cold darkness within Eternity, I hesitate, and then hang my head to wait for it all to be over. I can hardly tolerate being here. Because even thought I share the thoughts, the memories, the minds of millions of people…I still feel alone.
I remain a Stranger.
Led for a period of time he fails to measure, as it is nearly impossible to measure anything in the depths of Eternity, Thor dredges along behind his leading companion almost bored with the monotonous surroundings he must endure.
"Jack…I grow weary of such traveling. Will we not soon be upon our destination?" And still walking, still sounding as though he were a cynical puppet aware of the man at his strings, the Jack of Hearts trails words back on his trodden path.
"We’ve got a few more to go…keep in mind that if he wanted, I could show you things forever. This is Eternity, and Eternity is all encompassing. All things are here…I’m just showing you the more important ones." He takes a breath, then points ahead of them to a gradually forming object on the blank horizon. "Here we go…Hell, looks like we’re going to kill three birds with one stone."
The experience for Thor so far has taught him to simply wait for visual answers as opposed to asking his questions and expecting a spoken response, so he and Jack continue to travel in what seems to be ever the same direction as the object, which ends up actually being three objects, come into better view. On closer inspection, what once were objects make their final transformation into bodies, or rather, beings, a trio sitting together on a black floor that is just like the rest of the eternal expanse.
First to catch Thor’s alert eye is the crimson, lanky form of a creature he has long called foe, one who all on Earth and even beyond can cringe at the mention of. His pink skin is like a swine’s, and his eyes glow a bright yellow beneath a furrowed brow and above a long nose that juts down to his snarling mouth, all underneath the rule of a red, flame-like mess of red hair. In his clawed hand he holds surprisingly a playing card, while the other holds the rest of his set. The usual fox-wily look has left his face, but he is still Mephisto, to Thor’s despair.
"Jack! This cannot be for the better…I have only dealt briefly with the Stranger in times past, and I was able to accept his placement here…but I simply can not stand in the presence of Mephisto without proclaiming battle!" claims the proud god valiantly, spite flickering in his angered tone.
"Well, you’ll be able to here and now. Mephisto won’t attack you…" Jack says to soothe his friend, "…he won’t even feel like it. I remember he’s a bit depressed about being here."
Thor’s breaths come hard and short, together in quick gasps, in preparation for even the slightest hint of battle. "But surely this demon is the cause of Eternity’s illness!"
The Jack simply shakes his head slowly. "No. He surely isn’t. Now stop arguing and let’s go." The bluntness of Jack’s statement is almost enough to push Thor further towards his breaking point, but luckily, he is calmed some by the realization of the other two card-players.
Walking still closer, Thor sees Mephisto’s fellow card mates in even greater detail. To the left of the high demon is an elderly man, whose thick face is bearded and aged, and carries a long staff in addition to a plain brown tunic, draped across him without care to appearance. This being, though quite average to appearance, is like the proverbial book in that he has much more to offer than appears. He is called the Gardener, an Elder of the Universe. The other being taking place in their game is a striking male figure with a duality that is all but exemplified by his appearance. His face is have black, half white, with eyes to match inversely like the dots of a yin yang. His torso is white then black, in contrast to his face, and his legs follow a similar pattern to his head, all combining for a flash of brightness and symmetry in the darkness to make the universal creation known as the In-Betweener.
The three hardly notice the approaching duo, and do not even care to look up from their card game to acknowledge them when Jack greets them.
"Hey guys." None utter so much as a word in response nor drag their eyes away from their game. "I’d look up if I were you…you might see why you won’t have to play this boring game much longer." And slowly, one by one, they look in Jack’s direction to spy his blonde companion, the god whom all the cosmos recognizes as its protector…then they turn back to their cards, and the Jack grunts disapprovingly.
"Ah…so the Odinson has came, has he?" the Gardener asks while dealing his hand.
"Yes, Gardener, ‘tis I." answers Thor.
"We are glad…..to see you." The In-Betweener’s voice sounds like two speaking at once, and perhaps it is. Before dealing its own hand of cards, he draws them back close to his eyes and smiles a black and white smile. "We are more glad that we will soon be done here, and we are interested to see the outcome of your quest." The In-Betweener’s tone has changed, and his sly grin offsets the Thunder God, who looks to Mephisto finally, and waits to speak.
He finally finds the nerve, his rage subsiding. "Mephisto." And the devil nods, then says calmly, "Thor."
"How are you here in Eternity, devil, or any of you for that matter? Thy duties are too great to allow thou each to simply visit this place, or to even stay as captives."
Mephisto finally lays down his cards and looks at the blackened ground. "Oh, I am many places. I am back in Hell as well, and in a Kree child’s nightmare, and I am in my prison, and…..I am here, in Eternity, waiting like the others. There really are too many of us…" And as Mephisto’s speech fades from his sharp tongue, Thor asks, hoping finally for some answer.
"And what are you all waiting for, if I may be so bold to ask?"
The Gardener suddenly rises, using his ancient staff to aid him. "For the birthing."
Thor takes shock from any answer at all, but quickly readies another query. "The birthing…? The birthing of whom?"
"The birthing of Entropy." The Gardener answers.
Then all at once, Thor’s senses and stability lose control, and the vital innards of Eternity seem to fall in on themselves in a bending of a separate reality. As the Gardener’s voice fades into the distance, Thor hears his weak words. "I will see you soon, Thunderer…"
In the mix of pain, pleasure, and vertigo that Thor feels, a familiar hand clasps onto his shoulder and the god can make out the two-sided coin that is the Jack of Hearts’ face among the visual madness surrounding them.
"Jack!" the god yells mightily, "What is this? ‘Tis as though all Eternity has gone mad!"
"It’s the beginning of the end, Thor," the Jack tells him, "I’ve brought you to where you need to be, and now there’s only one quick stop left…"
The great vacuum that comes feels as though it will suck the very flesh off of Thor’s dense bones, and he feels himself spinning freely, images and sounds flooding every orifice and pore of his being. There appears to be no end to the whirlpool of chaos that has formed, and both Thor and the Jack are pulled to the very center of it, the eye of the angry storm…and then there is purple.
And Thor sees a face among it that all beings must someday look into. He is staring into the face of Chaos.
"ThE tImE iS aLmOsT uPoN uS...lEt Us HoPe ThAt ThOR WiLl CoMe ThRoUgH fOr Us." The abstract being's voice is uneven in all ways but its volume, almost bursting Thor's eardrums.
"Either way, he's going to be the one to go to him." Jack calls out, and then turns to Thor, who is clasping his thick hands around his ears. "Thor!" he cries, "It's almost time for you to go, and you'll have to do it alone...I'm sorry I couldn't explain everything before but I guess you'll either figure it out soon or else it will never matter."
The Norse god can barely hear the Jack over the horrible war of sounds occurring around him, yet he still manages to look over to his guide and sees his lips moving. "What? I cannot hear thou, Jack!" he screams, and he already feels himself being pulled harder and further through the cosmic whirlwind. There is nothing to grab onto, nothing to so much as reach for as he is sucked without remorse away from the only clear images he can see. It is inevitable, and this he knows as the faces of the Jack of Hearts and of Chaos swirl away as soon as they have appeared. Thor listens attentively and hears the final call of the Jack. "See you on the other side, Thunderer.....!"
The astoundingly pure purple Thor was immersed in before is replaced ultimately by such a bright white that his maladjusted eyes must be shielded. Unlike the darkness before, there is heat with this light, and Thor feels as though he is floating, not standing on any type of ground. Once his eyes have found their correct alignment, he takes his arm from them and finds a squirming coil of blob-like, deep purple mass floating in the bright absence of matter.
"Who...who is there? I cannot make out thy form." Thor says, directed mainly at the blob giving him no answer. He walks closer and sees that it is as it appeared to be, almost a snake-coil of strange purple matter. "I was told by others that this was the end of my journey. Art thou the cause of Eternity's sickness?"
"I am Eternity's sickness," a voice not unlike Chaos's own says threateningly, "And I am the sickness of you, your people, and all things. That is my purpose."
"And who art thou, whose reason to exist is to leech off all the other things of this universe?" Thor asks the floating thing with no true form.
"I am Entropy, the offspring of Chaos."
"Chaos bore a son?" Thor continues his string of questions in confusion and awe. "I was told that I and the other beings in Eternity were brought to witness the birth of Entropy."
"You are here for my birth, yes, though I have been born for quite some time. Chaos, the ancient entity that he is, yielded a portion of his energy to create a successor to his place as the next Chaos if something were to happen to him.
"But the poor creature forgot the freedom that burns inside a young cosmic creation, especially in a being of Chaos, and so I grew independent of my 'father' before he had fully formed me. He did not realize that I had the power and the desire to be something beyond Chaos...full, unbridled Entropy. Yet I was not yet at my full maturity, and without great power to fuel my growth, I could not grow to my peak of magnificence. Luckily, I came upon a pawn in the midst of space..."
Quickly putting things together for the first time in what seems like forever to him, Thor says breathily, "The Jack of Hearts....."
"Indeed. I easily clouded his mind and combined his abilities with mine to find a greater force, possibly the greatest force, Eternity, whom I entered and began using as the vessel for my transformation. Once I was rooted within the grand creature, though, I realized that it would not be enough. Though Eternity encompasses all things, as you obviously saw with the partisans you observed earlier, he is without a true soul or heart, and the best of such were as I needed to reach my final goal of realizing my potential. I also decided I would use the noblest and most heartfelt soul I could lure...and thus, here you are, ready to become the seed of my flourishing future."
The god waits seconds that hover like moments or hours to contemplate the words of the lame Entropy and his own situation. Mad, red anger begins to almost glow on his thick hide. "And thou...thou hast risked the lives of both my homelands and my families, as well as the existence of all other things so that I may be thy fodder?"
"I risked nothing. They are all gone...this blank canvas around us is what used to be our universe, and all that remains is you and myself. All the rest has been taken by Eternity's sibling Death, and finally by me. Soon I will be all that is left."
"No...this.....this cannot be true." In Thor's mind, it cannot, lest he should fully lose his sanity.
"It does not matter if you believe it or not. This is your end, Thor. You cannot escape it."
"Nay! This we shall see, creature...!" The god declares as he leaps as high as his sturdy legs will allow him and he quickly plunges directly into the purple blob called Entropy. It is a sensation similar to swimming, but in a something thicker than water, like mud. Thor finds himself not attacking the shapeless form but rather adrift in a sea of what looks like the same material that made up his intended target...and ends up being much more.
"Dost thou hide, coward? Thou claimest to be the offspring of Chaos itself...face me!" He snarls like an enraged beast, flailing his battling arms and his tool of war behind him as if offering himself to his foe.
"THERE IS NO BATTLE TO BE HAD, THOR. YOU HAVE ALREADY TAKEN THE LAST TASK UPON YOURSELF BY FEEDING YOUR FABLED BODY TO ME. THE FINAL SEED HAS BEEN PLANTED...NOW FINALLY, I WILL FEAST!" The deafening voice that comes from all around him is obviously Entropy's, and soon he feels the nearly endless power he holds within him draining away through almost a leaking crack formed by the overwhelming pressure force upon him by Entropy's hunger.
"Aggghhhhh...!!!" His godly scream is at the pain of trying to resist the immeasurable power acting on him, wrenching his sore body and splitting the corners of his mind...Thor grows more and more confused and raged, lashing out blindly in all directions with each of his limbs and his Uru mallet. Among his clouded thoughts, he realizes how unbearable the pain is...it is unlike anything he has ever been forced to experience. It would be so easy to just give up...he has done his best, and the rest of existence is already inside of the creature, possibly to never be seen again...
"THERE IS NO NEED TO RESIST. YOUR DEATH IS SURE AND SLOW...AND MAY I SAY THAT YOU ARE A FAIR MEAL INDEED."
Then the memories come back:
Memories of Asgard, and a blonde warrior-prince being presented to his future kingdom, and it to him. Memories of a raven-haired beauty who shared his same love of battle and honor. His one-eyed father, his good friend Baldar the Brave, even his half-brother Lying Loki.....Then on Midgard, all the Avengers and other heroes, all the people each with a life to live.....
He will not give up, if there is any hope, because that is what gods stand for: belief, faith.....hope.
At his side Thor manages to pull his shaking hand closer, under its grip lying the fated hammer Mjolnir, who shows a tiny spark at its wide head. Between despaired gasps, he yells at the force that he struggles in. "The son of Odin...is not for the taking! By my hammer, thou shan't take anymore into thy vile belly!"
"HOW WILL YOU STOP ME? THERE IS NO ATMOSPHERE FOR YOU TO TWIST, AND YOUR STRENGTH IS DRAINING AS SURELY AS MINE IS GROWING."
"This may be true.....Entropy....." Thor says, his mind more on his weapon than his words. And gradually becoming more obvious to the self-assured representation of violent madness is the ethereal magic manifesting itself in the sign of Thor's godhood.
"WHAT IS THAT?" The formerly confident sea of chaos sounds almost nervous...uncomfortable. "HOW...?"
"Silence." Calmly Thor speaks to his captor, who obeys. "Thou claims that thou has consumed all things and peoples, and that I am the last step in thy quest to omnipotence...thou told me that I have no power here, inside you as I was inside Eternity before." Coursing, growing, the tendrils of electricity collect on Mjolnir. "But thou do not have reason enough to believe that even I, thy last meal before godliness, could conjure something to halt your mad quest all together." Mjolnir raises high above Thor's helmet, crackling with the power of the Aesir.
"And that is thy downfall, Entropy, for even if Valhalla is in ruins in your innards and Hella's realm is but a forgotten whim in your deranged mind, I shalt cast thee down even if it means mine own ending. My power shall not be contained, Entropy...thou hast the unwanted attention of a god, and with it the unleashed power of the one true son of Odin himself!" A bolt of lightning, a crack of thunder. "For the power comes from my own darkness within, and when it is released...NONE shalt say me NAY!"
It seems to be over with almost as soon as it begins. There is more light, and more booming crashes, and more burning energy from Mjolnir, only a focus for the unbridled energies running wild from Thor's bulging form, now the point of focus against the rippling purple of Entropy. Tearing like weak violet silk, the walls of Thor's former prison are stripped away in pieces until once again he can see the blankness of white staring him back in the eyes.
Nothing remains, not even portions of the fallen Entropy. "Have...I failed?" Thor asks himself sheepishly, finally realizing the ramifications of what has passed.
"No, godling," says a familiar, tired voice from behind him. His head quickly spins and finds the plain tunic and brown beard of the Gardener, walking on the same material that Thor must float upon.
"Gardener...? I...defeated Entropy, but I could only assume...that all was lost."
"And all has been lost, besides you and I. But that is why I'm here." He says, holding his staff near to his thick head, and then walks past Thor without another thought towards it.
Far away from the confused god of thunder, the Gardener reaches into his small pouch and plucks from it a single seed, average and dark like its sewer, and drops it into the bright void. As it reaches his forced ground, it splatters into a small pool like mercury and quickly infests the white with black. It is not just a color though, as Thor feels the absence of whatever air existed before, and recognizes the darkness as one he knows well...space.
Before Thor can comment, the Gardener has already reached for more seeds, many small pale ones that he throws across the palette of black, each one finding its own place as one of the legions of stars, each given a second chance at life. The planets and suns follow, every last one holding their own place in the unnoticeable pouch hanging from the Gardener's belt.
Finally eight planets of the Milky Way lay in there right places, and only one remains missing from its orbit, the blue and green marble in the cosmos' pocket. A quick glance from the Gardener is given to Thor, almost a smile upon his face. "Watch," is all he says, and he drops the last seed into the third position from the sun.
Instead of a sphere though, there is a mighty tree born from the seed, accelerating from sprout to full grown adult in instants. Thor recognizes the tree, even though it is as fresh and full of life as they day it was created...for this is that day.
"Yggdrasil...the World Tree!" Thor cries, and watches on. Leaves on the tree's many branches begin to fall and collect at its base.
The red ones catch flame and form the lower, fiery realm of demons Muspelheim, while the snowy leaves collect and make the frozen place of the dishonored dead, Niffleheim. Above both of these piles come the dead leaves, which crunch into dust and make the common man's Hel. The black, burned leaves pile into the home of the Dark Elves, Svartalfheim. The greenest of the leaves circle around each other like a dance and spin so fast that they create Midgard, the home of Man, which an infant snake quickly grows to take home of, making the Midgard Serpent. A rainbow starts at the base of Midgard and then climbs up the side of the mighty Yggdrasil like a vine until it solidifies and makes a once more full bridge, the Rainbow Bridge of Bifrost. Above all these new lands is where the golden leaves fall, and from each of them are born the lands Nidavellir, Alfheim, Vanaheim, and finally, from the richest of gold, Asgard, the Golden Realm.
"It is as it was long ago..." the Gardener says, sounding almost saddened. "I have once again restored this plane." And he turns to Thor, pointing his staff without threat. "It is yours to sew, Thor. Peace be with you and your homes...they will all be better than as you left them."
"I cannot thank ye enough, Gardener." Thor says, still awed and experiencing a happy nervousness that flies around in his freely, tickling him inside. He offers his hand in friendship, but the Gardener begins to fade into nothing while speaking.
"I need no thanks. It...is the only reason...I am here....."
Thor looks over the expanse before him, and he exhales his borrowed breath from inside Eternity, whom he knows is somewhere else now, healthy once more like all those he feared for before. He is happy to be alive, he is proud of his victory, he is a scion of power and a son wishing to return home.
Simply, he is.
An Afterthought...
You wake to the clammy air of a hospital, but it's better than what you've been feeling before, a mix of absence and bitter cold. Your muscles are sore and you still can't feel most of the things below your waist...but then you quickly realize that that part of it's over. You've just survived the threat of oblivion, and you are as whole as you once were once again.
The light is almost blinding but you welcome its embrace, and while you adjust you allow your eyes, one of the few parts of your body still allowed to move, you look around the virgin white room and there is a single something you see that brings it all together, makes it all worth it just the most.
"Becca...?" you say feebly, and her beautiful eyes light up as she jumps from her chair.
"G...G-Glen?" She sounds like she's been crying, and for the first time in a while, you start crying too. "Oh Jesus, Glen!"
Her arms find your neck. You smell her sweet aroma. You are in New York, paralyzed and lame in a hospital...and you are in love, and very, very lucky to be alive.
Once again, you are Glen Moray. That's all that you need.
End "The Mighty Thor" #538
Next: "Scales for Amora"
The Hammer Strikes
The entire MV1 universe was just destroyed and recreated...and yet, I am without any letters on this title. Perhaps I've been writing too many words to read. Anyway...Many thanks to Bob Gansler and to the rest of the MV1 community for being such an amazing place. Keep reading for more Thor, Midgard, and Asgard. This story has been spun, but there are oh so many to tell.....
-Will Short
November 8, 2000
10:39 PM