Part 9 - All Things Must Die

Chapter 141 - Blood Reborn

A squad captain held their weapon ready. Something stirred the world around her and her team.

"Let's wrap this up. I don't like the look of it."

One of the soldiers planted a cylindrical device, inside which swirled some sort of gas. It was the exact moment it touched the ground that a jet of pure energy tore down from the sky. A figure stepped from it, eyeing the squad curiously.

"State your name and intention!" The captain barked.

"Dei Volente, and I want to find out what you lot are doing here." The figure replied.

"This is a classified operation. This timeline must be trimmed before it creates a nexus event."

"Trimmed? You treat time like a garden bush? Who told you it had to be trimmed?"

"We received an anonymous tip-off, and the Time Keepers demand its destruction."

"Time Keepers? Oh, you guys must be from the TVA. Mind just…not?

"Orders are orders. Your timeline must be pruned."

Dei Volente sighed.

"Sure. Another case of 'all things must die'. Over my dead body."

The TVA soldiers raised their batons and rushed him, striking him with them. In theory he should have been pruned out of existence, but nothing happened.

"That was anti-climactic." Dei Volente remarked.

He swept the captain off her feet and blasted her fellow soldiers away with jets of energy from the palms of his hands. Neither stood up, so he aimed the tip of his sword at the captain's throat.

"Go back to the Time Variance Authority and tell them if they want to fight then they should send the Time Keepers themselves. Have fun!"

Dei Volente snapped his fingers and the captain disappeared. He took down his mask and hood and picked up the cylindrical device. It reminded him of a gas grenade, but he crushed it in his hand. A shockwave rattled out, but everything it touched suddenly glitched.

"Oh. That didn't look good."

Suddenly, there was an earpiercing screech that made his blood run cold. Max tightened his grip on Furore Mortale as some sort of lizard-octopus-bird-wolf thing stepped into view. The Kate glitched from time to time as it advanced. Max ran at it, screaming, and slashed its head off. It turned into a pool of pale liquid that glitched itself to oblivion. He stared at the shattered pieces of glass on the ground, wondering what horrors he had just unleashed on the omniverse.

Miles and Gwen were curled up together on the couch in the multi-million dollar penthouse that had been their son's wedding gift to them. They had just finished watching a romantic film and the mood still hung around. The couple started kissing, enjoying the feeling of their bodies pressed against each other. As things started heating up more than usual, the doorbell went. They moved apart a little and Miles groaned.

"Why can't we do anything in peace?" He grumbled.

Gwen shrugged.

"Ignore it. It's our anniversary. Who cares who's at the door?"

They started kissing again, but the doorbell went again. Miles sighed.

"This isn't gonna be any fun if that thing's going every five seconds."

"Nope."

"I'll get it."

He went to the entrance to the elevator and tapped the button to speak to whoever was on the ground floor and wanting to talk.

"Hello?"

"It's Max. We need to talk ASAP."

Miles and Gwen perked up instantly.

"Right. Come on up."

A minute later, when the elevator pinged, Miles hit the button to let Max in. The couple's son looked distressed, something neither recalled seeing before. He paced up and down the stairs to the top floor of the penthouse, muttering to himself.

"Max." Said Gwen to get his attention.

He looked up at her, or down from the top of the stairs.

"I think he's back. Or some version, maybe. I don't understand, and that's not something I can say often."

"Who?" Pressed Miles.

"Remember there was that guy I said never to talk about to anyone about, not even with each other?"

"The Scarlet King?"

"Him. The one I had to destroy most of the omniverse to kill."

"How is he back?" Asked Gwen.

"These guys from the TVA started screwing around and I smashed their timeline-destroying grenade and then a Kate appeared but it was glitching and I killed it and then I closed my eyes and I saw him staring back at me and I don't know what to do!"

He was crying a little. Gwen pulled him into a hug and kissed the top of his head.

"I'm scared, Mum."

"I know."

Miles joined the hug.

"We'll figure this out, Max."

Max pulled away and stepped back, closing his eyes. Suddenly, he screamed and stumbled backwards, tripping and falling on the stairs.

"Miles, call Miguel and tell him to bring the other spiders here." Gwen instructed.

"Right."

"It won't be enough." Max sobbed.

"It's a start. We can work from there."

Gwen sat down on the stairs and held her son in an attempt to comfort him.

Discluding Max, who no longer counted himself as one, ten spider people were gathered in Miles and Gwen's penthouse. All of them were thouroughly impressed by the place, but Gwen set them on topic when she was sure Max had it together enough to tell them what was happening. He told the spiders every detail of his fight with the TVA squad, then of the red face and burning yellow eyes that haunted him. He then gave them all a vision explaining the Scarlet King's history and of the events of the Second Scarlet War that had led to Max become a High Elder God. As he finished this, a shape caught everyone's attention in the twilight. An enormous dragon hovered outside the window, clad in dark grey, red and teal armour. The spiders made their way onto the balcony and the dragon spoke directly to Max.

"Drem, Dei Volente. Dov dreh ni mindok se Khahrahk. [Peace, Dei Volente. Dragonkind does not know of Khahrahk.] His story has passed into history."

"Zu'u mindok, Odahviing. [I know, Odahviing.] I also know he's back. I need your help."

"Niid. No. It cannot be."

"Zu'u mindok nii. [I know it.] If he has returned, I need the dov to find him or any trace. If we know where he is, it's something I can find peace in."

"Wah dovahhe fen siiv rok. [The dragons will find him.]"

The dragon rose up higher and wheeled away before being swallowed by a portal of its own making. The spiders looked at the God expectantly who stared down at the streets below wondering if he'd rather be a pile of broken flesh and bones on the pavement instead of face the Scarlet King again. Miles figured out his son's thoughts and put a hand on his shoulder. Max turned to the spiders, putting them aside.

"The dragons are looking for the Scarlet King. If he really has come back, they'll find him. In the meantime we need to gain some allies. It's time to fix up some old friendships."

Apart from Miles and Gwen, the spiders left to go and find people in their dimensions. Max curled up under the covers of the bed in one of the guest room in his parents' penthouse. Gwen sat on the edge and Miles stood in the doorway.

"Get some sleep. I know you say you don't need it, but I think it will help." She said, stroking her son's hair.

Max nodded.

"Gnight, Mum and Dad."

"Goodnight."

The God fell asleep almost immediately leaving his parents alone. They sat down on the couch, downstairs, again.

"I feel bad for him." Said Miles.

"The King's left a mark and I don't think it'll ever heal."

"Do you really think he's returned?"

"I've no idea. I remember some of the war, but I also remember slaughtering a boatload of people and that's just not something I'd do."

"You think he's going crazy?"

"Again, I've no idea. Big red destroyers of worlds seems a little out there."

"But we remember it."

"I guess."

They sat in silence for a little while, then Miles turned to Gwen.

"I know this is a bit out there too, but do you wanna pick up where we left off?"

"With our son in the next room?"

"Good point. It was a stupid idea."

"The idea's great, just not in here."

Miles grinned sheepishly.

Crossovers in this Chapter

- Skyrim
- SCP Foundation

Note

Hello there reader, and welcome to part nine! It took a little longer than expected, but I took a couple of weeks off writing over the Summer so that was nice. Anyway, this part is quite a good one I think. I also shot myself in the foot a bit with it since I decided to include the TVA when Loki was only on episode two so I had no idea what was going on at that point, so some of it won't be true to the MCU canon (but when have I ever cared about established canon?). There's twenty chapters to this part, so don't worry about running out of reading material for a while!