LIMINALITY
Table of Contents
Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 56 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 ENDChapter 66
Gasping his breaths uncontrollably, Janus opens his eyes to see himself waking up from a broken world filled with terror and screams all around as they are transported to an unknown location where interstellar clouds surround them all.
Faint stars shone faintly within the clouds and darkness, while nebulae could be spotted and admired despite their grotesque display. Strange planets, stars, and nebula float and drift about freely, some seeming very close, others appearing very far away. Planets with odd structures drift about, appearing abandoned.
Looking around, Janus could recognize the scenery, or at least partially. Realizing they are still in the Dreamlands, albeit warped and distorted beyond its recognition, likely destroyed to the degree that none could recognize where they are.
"Saomi? Schrodijnger?" Janus worriedly asked, panicking when he saw no one beside him, "Where are you?! Where is everyone?!" His heart raced with anxiety, fearing for the worst. "Dammit! Answer me!" His heart trembled when he saw the monster emerging from the clouds in front of him.
Whose size or height could not probably be measured by conventional units? Janus stared at the monstrous eldritch as it looked at him with a mixture of pity and amusement from the panicked state he was in. "What did you do to them?!" He screamed at the Great Darkness with the utmost fear in his voice.
"Death, decay, and the inevitable outcome of all things," the cryptic answer responded as Janus glared at the eldritch, not finding his answers satisfying as the monstrous entity's voice boomed throughout the void. "They are washed away like a tide of sand, swept away and forgotten. They are now apart of a whole, existing but no longer," a hint of mirth was evident within its tone. "Find them if you can, as the remnants of this world are scattered to the wind, and see for yourself."
Many emotions flooded in his body, soul, and mind, but one stood among them all: a rage so intense it felt as though his chest would explode. Janus gazed intensely at the monstrosity, clenching his fists tight and his knuckles white. A surge of energy flows through his veins that he has never felt before.
Janus heard the agonizing screams and pleas of the destroyed world. Sights and sounds fill his vision, drowning him with their sheer volume and intensity. They were deafening and unbearable, and yet Janus couldn't look away. He couldn't stop the feeling of sorrow and grief that overtook him.
Everywhere, he could see the once-remaining hopes and dreams that were shattered. Their agriculture, customs, art, literature, and many more were gone; they vanished to the winds. Janus could not comprehend the devastation, the utter scale, and the magnitude of the tragedy.
As the monster laughed, its voice echoed throughout the void, taunting, mocking, and reveling in the delight of the once remorseless god for a person that can be described as human in terms of emotions and actions alone. And just from the reaction of his sworn enemy, Janus knew he wouldn't let this slide any longer.
With a firm grip, his first thought was flying straight towards him, with his spear directly aiming toward the eldritch's neck. However, what he did not expect was that he was not hovering above the air in the slightest. "...!!" Bewildered by the sudden turn of events, he demanded a quick answer for this explanation: "I can't fly!" A realization that scared him.
Chuckling briefly, "We are in the process of rebuilding a new world," the eldritch calmly spoke. "Everything is being reformed according to my will, and that means you are under my domain." A wicked smile was formed, "meaning I could restrict your access to your abilities. Not here, nor ever. Welcome to the new Dreamlands," he bellowed deeply.
What can he do in this state? If he couldn't fly or use his abilities, Janus was a sitting duck, unable to do anything but watch. What was once a place is now a complete apocalyptic wasteland. "Damn you!!!" Unfazed by this, he refused to accept defeat, saying, "I'm not going to stand here and let this happen!"
"Hmm, we'll see about that."
Instead of outright destroying Janus, the cruel god of destruction decided to prolong this man's suffering by inflicting mental and emotional anguish first. "As much as I would like to end you right here, it would be more climatic if we had ourselves a duel," Eldritch casually suggested, "so prepare yourself. Because the fight will have no rules," raising his claws upward, a golden gauntlet emerged in the palm of his claw before bringing it down to his opponent.
Through his quick thinking and knowledge of combat, he successfully dodged the enormous gauntlet by a mere inch. Janus, realizing the close proximity, swiftly rolled backward. With a good distance between them, "why would you suggest a fair fight when I know I'm going to win in the end?!" A fluke, he made himself feel confident even though, in his own terrified heart, he wasn't sure if he was going to win.
Annoyance spew on Cthulhu's lips, "the nerve for you to say such words in this moment of your weakness." Nonetheless, he became slightly surprised by the Roman god's growing determination, "although I'd admit your hubris is amusing."
Blue lightning strikes randomly appeared throughout the endless clouds while growing screams of madness continued. Janus barely had seconds to avoid a lightning bolt striking him, leaving him slightly shocked by the randomness of this circumstance.
While mentally preparing himself to fight, Janus had an idea. Knowing the eldritch's giant size is going to hold him down, "look," the malicious eldritch god teasingly called, "I want to give you this." Putting both of his giant hands at his own breasts, he tore it off to reveal a black hole sucking everything in.
Eyes widening, he used his spear again to stab it at the clouds beneath him, surprisingly holding him even though both his weapon and himself are slowly being sucked into whatever lies behind that attack. "I don't think I can hold on to this!" Truthfully speaking, the longer he stays in this position, the slow but inevitable death of him is approaching.
"Think, Janus!" Cthulhu said while looking at him in glee, "What can you do?!" Laughter erupted from the eldritch, knowing full well his opponent's disadvantage: "How can you save yourself from the inevitable?!" His bellow was mighty.
Despite Janus struggling to keep his ground, he wasn't alone in this battle, as the other voices chimed in this serious situation they are currently in, "Do something!" Saturn screamed in frustration. The old man was close to passing out. "I think I'm going to be sick!"
Culsans, however, commented with a depressing outlook, "It is utterly hopeless." His deep voice stated, "There is nothing we can do. We might as well accept our fate," he laughed awkwardly, "but hey! At least we can make fun of Janus's demise together."
Janus right-twitched at him, "You got any better ideas?" Sarcasm was evident, "because mine doesn't seem to work." Despite being clearly irritated by the clown's words, he still has the strong drive to avenge his fallen friends and allies altogether.
"Why don't you throw your spear in that?" Portunus suggested at the monster's opened chest, "It's better than doing nothing anyway," an idea that doesn't sound bad since they have nothing to lose anyway, even when their odds are extremely against their favor.
He wasn't fond of the idea: "And get myself to pull into that?!" Skeptical by the absurdity of the Portunus suggestion, it could work, "but maybe..." Looking back, he can see the black hole visible and wide for anyone to see. "If it means having him get his own taste of medicine, then might as well give it go." Adjusting himself, he timely let go of the spear before throwing the spear to the open wound, throwing Genitalis towards him.
Seeing his spear hurling towards him and saying, "Ah, so the naive child has thrown his favorite weapon," chuckling, Cthulhu let this happen out of his own curiosity. Seeing the spear hitting the black hole, she said, "Well, look who got it." His sentence was cut short when he felt a level of pain he hadn't experienced before.
Looking down, the spear deeply struck him. His eyes grew big, and he realized his mistake. He thought that by preventing the god of time's access to powers, he wouldn't be a threat, but he had forgotten what made him dangerous in the first place.
"The spear!"
Bellowing out of the growing pain he was experiencing, he was forced to let out the many things he had destroyed and erased from existence as random things spew out of the wound, from debris to creatures they had never seen before, to his own horror and Janus delight in what he was seeing.
Standing at his own two feet safely without being sucked anymore, he watched with hope and anticipation what Cthulhu was releasing: "Look, Janus, it's Saomi and Schrodinger!" Vesta joyously exclaimed at the sight ahead of them.
Saomi flew out of the nothingness that inhabited inside Cthulhu, manifesting back to reality while holding both her sword and the surprised white cat in return, as she was quickly thrown in the direction of where Janus was standing.
With happiness in his own eyes, he immediately put the back of her shirt at his side, holding her, "Saomi?!" Janus's excitement was evident, having never felt happy in his life to see them safe and sound from seeing his friends alive and somewhat well.
"Where are we now?!" Letting her go, Saomi gathered her bearings while Schrodinger softly landed on the cloudy ground, sharing the same confusion as the human: "Did we—" She didn't finish her sentence when Janus immediately hugged her with all his might.
Tears and sobs were heard.
"What is the matter?!" Surprised by his sudden embrace, her face was beet red. Saomi couldn't believe it. "Are we really..." Trailing her own words, she couldn't finish her own sentence again when she noticed his eyes.
They were full of complete sadness, regret, and depression over losing a loved one and the fear of almost losing her. Realization dawned on her: "Janus..." Smiling chirpy, she embraced her best friend with the same level of comfort and love. "We're okay," her hug tightened. "I promise."
Janus was lost for words; he couldn't comprehend the scene ahead of him. Saomi's presence was a miracle itself. "Your alive..." He said, pure joy in his voice, "and Schrodinger to," glancing over the embarrassed cat who is refusing to show his feelings towards them, "I'm thrilled to see both of you again."
Glancing at her, he was greeted by a wholesome smile. "Janus, you are the crying type," her giggle was heard; a bit of tears were noticeable in her eyes. "Who knew?" Saomi's cheerful expression brightened the god's human heart like an ignited flame.
"I'm sorry..." her embrace loosens. "We were reckless and stupid."
The two made amends, showing how much they cared for one another despite their differences. The young woman would apologize numerous times, while Schrodiger, on the other hand, expressed his relief while refusing to show his feelings.
But faith brought the cat elsewhere as his attention went back to the monster: "Both of you!" With his ears perked up, he said, "We are not finished yet!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, catching both Janus's and Saomi's attention as they turned back to the monster who destroyed the world.
The tree watched in horror as the enraged Cthulhu watched them afar. Having already closed the open chest wound he inflicted upon himself, "let us settle this once and for all," feeling sick of this, and what's more, he had gotten weaker due to the unknown properties of what the spear had done to him, to the point of slowly losing his grip on the constant realities being merged into this one singular event.
"Oh no! What is he planning to do?!" Saomi yelled in horror, expressing a gut feeling of doom heading their way: "We need to stop him before he does anything else!" Adrenaline pumped in her veins and heart, losing focus, logic, and reason in what she was about to do.
"Wait!"
Janus tried to call her, but it was too late. She instinctively charged at him with immense speed, despite being already sick of the monster and its schemes. "You damn freak!" Saomi screamed of his action, raising her sword and aiming for the killing blow. "This is for my father and the people you killed!"
High up in the air, she gritted her teeth as the monster silently watched in his own calm and collected disposition. "Die!!" She swung her blade downwards, regardless of how huge Cthulhu is compared to the likes of her.
However, time slowed down the moment he cackled at this moment of action, "Ahagl ah soth geb llll ymg', shuggoth," spewing out a mysterious spell; the entire world distorted into a rapid spiral as the only final words emitting out of Janus's voice were his desperate call of her name.
"SAOMI!!"
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