Part 8 - Gods and Wolves
Chapter 133 - Old as Time
Miles told Max and Miguel everything after he left Gwen with her dad.
"That's all good to know, but how is he stopping Max from seeing him?" Asked Miguel.
"That I don't know, and I don't think Gwen knows although I didn't think to ask her."
"Too busy with your tongues in each other's mouths." Max muttered from the corner of the apartment, munching away at a box of Groot Loops.
"We have to figure out what it is." Said Miguel.
"I've got some theories, but some is loads." Max replied.
"How was Grace killed?" Miles asked.
"I don't know. I wasn't there, or I'd have sent an atom of Wolfy to every dimension."
"But was there any evidence, like a stab wound or something?"
"There was a stab wound straight through the heart, yes."
"Since they can break concrete, I'm guessing Wolf Spider's legs can stab someone quite easily." Miguel reasoned.
"The cut was from a blade, not a leg. It was too small for that."
"Are there any magical swords you know about which can stop the High Elder Gods seeing the wielder?" Asked Miles.
"Only one, I think. The Sword Perilous. I don't know much, so we'll have to ask its creator."
"Who's that?" Asked Miguel.
"Death."
Miles and Miguel exchanged looks, then Miles asked:
"OK…so where do we find Death?"
"Death is everywhere. People are dying everyday. Or do you mean the guy I was just talking about? In that case, he's in Bastria along with your aunts, uncles and everyone else who's dead."
"How do we get to this…Bastria?"
Max eyed Miles for a second then stood up.
"You'd remember if you had your memories back, so brace yourself."
Miles opened his mouth to reply but suddenly started freaking out.
"No! Oh god! What the hell?!"
He stumbled backwards, tripping over a coffee table and hitting the wooden floor hard. He clutched the sides of his head, taking short and quick breaths. Miguel knelt down next to him.
"You're safe, Miles. You'll be OK."
Miles slowly looked at Max, his eyes wide in horror at all the things he had just remembered: Conall, Helltreader, Lucifer, Khahrahk and…Gwen. No, that couldn't be true. He'd always thought she was joking around when she talked about how she remembered killing so many people. And this Ethereal Legion: how could he ever allow so many of the things it had done to happen? His thoughts settled on the horrific nightmares of Khahrahk's reign. Max sat down again, picked up the half-eaten box of Groot Loops and continued to work his way through them, waiting for the questions to start coming.
"Who…what…was the Scarlet…"
Max snapped out of his chilled out self, throwing the Groot Loops down so they spilled all over the floor. His eyes suddenly beginning to glow a little. Miles could have sworn he saw a glint of fear in his son's eyes as a web splattered itself over his mouth. He pulled it off, trying to spit the horrible taste out. Max rose to his feet slowly and it became very obvious the God was shaking as he slowly reached for the hilt of his sword leaning against the arm of the chair. As his hand closed round it, he felt a slight feeling of safety wash over him. He kept a hold of it as he walked to the window. Miles stood up slowly and made his way to his son's side. Max looked at him; the fear wasn't even masked now. Without a warning, the God hugged him.
"Never ever ever ever ever say that name, or any other name of his. Not around me, not around Mum, not around anyone, not even when you're alone. This is the only time we'll talk about it, then for everyone's sake never ever mention him again. The Scarlet King was an idea: an interdimensional being who wanted to destroy everything. His armies reached the Tree, and after a long battle me and the person who first killed you worked together to deliver the finishing blow: Helltreader blew himself up to set the Tree on fire. The multiverses of Vaxar, Zaltoxir, Premis, Secadis and Treladis collapsed killing my human form, but more importantly killing Khahrahk. It was my call; I killed seven octillion people on my last count."
Miles hadn't returned the hug, but now he did. Suddenly it made him realise Max wasn't just a God slowly slipping out of sanity with the power at his fingertips; he was a human being, and his son. A distant memory came to mind of them eating ice creams in Central Park while Gwen and Charlotte, his daughter, played with a frisbee. Max pulled away from the hug and sheathed his sword in his belt.
"Promise you'll never mention this to anyone." He said, looking his father in the eyes.
Miles became acutely aware that everything other than the two of them had frozen, and he realised time itself had stopped. Clearly Einstein was right when he said time was relative.
"I promise."
"Thank you."
Max clicked his fingers and everything started again. Miguel frowned, wondering how Miles had suddenly teleported from sitting on the ground to standing at the window, but deciding not to question it due to the presence of a God.
"I'll take me and Dad to Bastria, Miguel. We'll report back."
A swirling portal appeared which Max walked through and Miles followed hesitantly.
Bastria certainly fit Miles' image of paradise. Trees rustled in the wind, skyscrapers rose high into the sky so he'd be able to swing around and not get bored. He wished Gwen was here to see it. Max sensed his father's thoughts.
"It wasn't always like this. It used to be really dull and grey, but I fixed things up after handing everyone their death sentence."
"I've forgotten what we're here for. This is a bit…crazy."
"Yeah, I'm sorry I put you through that. We're here to talk to Death about the Sword Perilous. Be nice; he was a High Elder God like me once. Or not exactly like me; he was born one."
"Was?"
"Death tore himself apart to create what you and me call 'reality'. Before that the only things were the HEGs. He created eight Low Elder Gods to watch over it cos he'd exhausted his power, but Khahrahk turned on his brothers and sisters and killed them for their power."
Miles noticed Max touch the hilt of his sword again as he said the name.
"The King scares you? I thought being a High Elder God you'd be scared of nothing."
"He came so close to winning. The horrors he unleashed on the omniverse…the Kates, his children, his followers."
Max stopped. Miles stopped too and turned to his son, but as they made eye contact he was thrown into a vision.
He could feel a slippery tentacle holding his neck as a person wielding gold power slashed at the other nine. Then he saw himself charging a mega venom strike, but absorbing all the power along the street. In an explosion, the abomination was dead and so was he. Now he was running towards his dead body, desperately trying to shake himself awake but to no avail. The scene changed: horrible red creatures with no eyes slashed at him in the darkness. One ripped his arm clean off, then killed him with a single bit to the neck. All the while it was saying random phrases like:
"Oh…there you are."
The scene changed once more and he was fighting a horrible, barely humanoid creature. He recognised it as SCP-096 from the trials Max had tried to put him through a year ago.
Max turned away again, throwing Miles back into reality. The latter now remembered Max's ability to force visions on people just by making eye contact. As he was trying to find something to say to him, a thin veil of mist drifted down and surrounded the pair.
"Hello Dei Volente, Miles Morales." Said a whisper on the wind.
"Hi, Death. How's things here in Bastria?" Max answered as if the emotions he had just been feeling had never existed.
"They are agreeable. I sense this is not a social visit?"
"Sadly not. We need to know about the Sword Perilous. A guy called Wolf Spider might have it."
"I am sorry, Dei Volente, but I will not give its secrets to a High Elder God. Its sole purpose is to destroy them."
Max sighed and walked away leaving Miles alone with the mist that was Death.
"I'm not a God."
"No, you are not, Miles. This is not the first time we have spoken, and I doubt it will be the last."
"I have some memory of it, but I need to know about the Sword."
"I will tell you everything on a single condition."
"Name it."
"You will not tell Dei Volente any of this. As I have said, its purpose is to destroy High Elder Gods and for them to know its secrets would render it useless as they will evolve."
"Weren't you a High Elder God, once? Max said you were. Why would you make…well…a suicide weapon?"
"Your word, then my answers."
Miles nodded.
"You have my word."
"I thank you greatly. It all started a long time ago. There were five High Elder Gods. We had existed forever; no beginning and no end. I was more aware of my nothingness than my brethren and they mocked me for it."
"So, you made a sword to point at them and threaten to kill them with?"
"No. Patience. I am older than time itself. In my awareness, I began to picture things: great worlds full of great people standing tall. At its centre, they worshipped me but not as a God. No, they would care for me and I would care for them. One of these people, who's name is incomprehensible to the minds of mortals, I became close to. I wished to see them face to face, to be with them and to have someone who did not simply mock me as my brethren did. I made my decision: I would tear myself apart to bring this vision into reality. And so it was; I became what I am today and that person loved me for who I was."
"Still a better love story than Twilight."
"I do not understand, but I will continue for I know you must make haste. My power was weakened beyond repair, but I still had some left. I feared what my brethren would do to my Creation, my love, simply to spite me. With what little I had left, I created two weapons against them: the Sword Perilous and the Siege Perilous. The Sword can cut down even the highest immortals; the Siege makes them powerless in its presence. I gifted these to my lover so that they might be safe, but eventually time took them as it has taken Grace from Dei Volente. The Sword and Siege were lost. I have heard of the former from time to time, referred to by many names; Azriel's Blade, Arthur's Sword."
"That…helps a lot. If Wolf Spider has it, it confirms he's going after Max. Talking of Max, can I ask you something about him?"
"You may."
"Is he like the other HEGs? Does he mock you?"
"He does not. He sees and feels reality as I do, but with greater power. He is the best of all of us; kind, honourable, brave. If Wolf Spider truly wishes to hurt him, I will torture his soul for many millennia. Maximilian should never have had to bear our burden, and he should be honoured for his sacrifice."
"I'm glad my son turned out sort of alright. From what I remember, I don't think I did."
"As creatures of reality, we are destined to stray from the path best for us. But you must understand there are no accidents. Few actions have a greater meaning, but we should learn from all. Go now, Miles Morales; face the path laid out before you."
Max was sitting on a bench in a mock-up of Central Park. He looked sad when he looked up.
"You good?" Miles asked.
He shrugged.
"This is where I first spoke to Grace after Khahrahk's destruction. I mean…we did a bit more than just talk but…you know what it's like having special spots. You and Mum have the top of the Empire State Building."
"Yeah. Talking of Gwen, we should go."
"Right. There'll be plenty of time to reminisce later. Don't worry about days having gone by while we're gone, by the way. I slowed Premis so time flows at the same speed as here."
"You're one overpowered teenager."
"I wish. Being the teenager, I mean. I'm already overpowered."
"Being a teenager sucks. Too much going on."
"It doesn't suck when you give up everything to save reality. It's all you want. So powerful, but so weak. But hey, no big exams, no graduations, no getting drunk at college parties…nope. No life for lonely little Max Morales-Stacy; just edgy thalassaphobic spider Jesus."
"That's depressing, man."
"OK, enough bonding time. Let's go."
The swirling portal opened again and the pair stepped through.
Miguel was waiting when they got back, and they arrived just as another portal opened up to reveal Gwen. She wasn't in her spider suit, just something casual. Miles made straight for her and grabbed her hands, looking into her eyes hoping he wouldn't find any remnants of the monster she had once been.
"It was the Plate." Max called from his corner where he busted open a new box of Groot Loops.
Gwen raised her eyebrows at Miles who shook his head and stepped back.
"Max gave me back my memories." He explained.
She dropped her gaze, staring at the ground.
"Does this…"
"No, it doesn't change anything. That monster isn't you; that was another Gwen."
She looked up again and smiled. Miles kissed her, then Miguel interrupted.
"Did you find out about the Sword?"
"Yeah but…I promised Death I wouldn't tell Max about it."
Max put his snack down and sighed.
"Treat people nicely unlike everyone else in their life and all they repay you with is the same distrust and hatred. Maybe if I give Wolfy my powers Death will be happy?"
"Actually Death said he'd torture Wolf for thousands of years if he hurt you."
"Sure. Probably just said that so I'd feel like he gave a damn. But hey, nobody cares about Max, do they?"
"I do." Gwen and Miles replied at the same time.
"And what about Jacob?" Gwen continued.
"Me and him aren't that close anymore. Apparently leading Freddy Krueger straight to the hall full of defenceless schoolkids was fine, but blowing up the omniverse was one too far. Whatever. Have your talk and come get me when you're done. I'll be with the dragons, cos they give a damn about me."
He left in a flash. Gwen and Miles exchanged sad looks, but Miguel coughed to get their attention.
"Miles; the Sword. What did you find out?"
Miles told them the story. Miguel turned to Gwen.
"Did Wolf Spider have a sword?"
"Maybe. I don't know. I was too busy getting turned into an ice cube."
"If Wolf has the Sword and it has as much power as Death claims, we have only one option: we must bring Wolf Spider to battle and destroy it."
"You think? But how do we draw him out and have enough people to beat him?" Asked Miles.
"There's our problem. He's smart; he won't fall for it."
"No he's not. If he thinks he's gonna get what he wants, he'll jump in head first." Said Gwen.
"Are you saying to use Max as bait? He'll hate that. He's already upset." Miles replied.
"It's all we can do, and it means we can destroy the Sword Perilous. If Max knows what it can do, he'll probably be more than happy to aid us in its destruction."
Miguel nodded slowly.
"Yes. We use Max to lure Wolf in then we pounce with the spider army."
"Will all of them agree?" Miles asked.
"None of them want to see someone like Wolf Spider rise to power. They'll agree when the situation is explained."
"Then let's get this over with so me and Miles can start planning our wedding." Said Gwen, slipping her hand into Miles'.
Crossovers in this Chapter
- SCP Foundation