Part 10 - The Greatest Sin

Chapter 178 - The Fall of Anonymous

It was late at night on the same day Hermaeus Mora had been killed. Jacob was looking for his friend in the countless corridors of the tower. Eventually, he found Max staring out across the city of Stan Konungens from one of the top floors.

"Everything looks so small from up here. Sets off my vertigo, and I don't even have it."

Max turned to look at him, then leaned back on the wall of the balcony as Jacob came over to stand beside him.

"It's kinda like what I see when I'm not in my physical form, just a lot less shiny."

"Sounds blinding."

"You're thinking of it from the perspective of having eyes to be blinded. It's hard to explain."

"Don't bother; couldn't care less."

"Ouch. What brings you to my little balcony, then?"

"I wanted to talk to my friend."

"Oh? Who's that? Did you find him?"

"I don't know. It's a labyrinth. I think I've found him, though. Or an illusion of him."

"That's what happens when you wander these corridors for too long: you start seeing things."

"Nah; seriously, Max. I do want to talk to you."

"Sure. You good?"

"I'm worried about you and the world. And any other worlds that might be out there."

"Oh?"

"You keep saying you want to die. And now we have the Sword…"

"You think I see a way out?"

"Yeah. You doing OK, Max? I'm still here, just like I've always been."

"I don't just see a way out, Jake. I see a solution to the ultimate problem."

"What's the ultimate problem?"

"Power. It corrupts people. If you have more power than anyone else, what's stopping you walking over them and taking control? It's what happened to Mum all those years ago when she and Dad got caught up in the war with Conall. It's what led to the devil's Empire."

"So you think if all the other HEGs are gone you'll just become another Conall, Lucifer or Khahrahk?"

"Pretty much. So why not kill me now when I'm letting you do it instead of in twenty years when I have a throne and a bad attitude?"

Jacob nodded slowly, looking out at some mountains just visible to the north.

"I get your reasoning, but since I'm the dinosaur guy I'm now going to mis-quote some Jurassic Park to you."

"Uh oh."

"'You were so preoccupied with whether or not you could, you didn't stop to think if you should.' Max, just cos the HEGs are gone doesn't mean there won't be things out there we can't fight. This world is alien, even to the people who live in it."

"But destroying the HEGs means no villains will try and gain my level of power to take revenge for something and become unstoppable."

"Supervillains we can deal with. But what about the paranormal? There might be another Khahrahk."

"I've made up my mind, Jake. Please don't make me doubt my decision."

"If you don't doubt your decision, you haven't thought about it enough. It means you haven't looked at it from every perspective. Or are you only sure about this decision because it's also a way out for you?"

"I'm old. Really old. I don't remember what living feels like. It's about time I sampled the bitter-sweet taste of mortality and left this world to itself. Hey, maybe if I'm lucky I'll find my sister in an afterlife somewhere."

Jacob said nothing for a few moments, then turned to Max and punched him in the shoulder as hard as he could.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You felt that, so you're alive. Your life is valuable, Max. Maybe you could hang up the mantle of Dei Volente, put Furore Mortale in a museum and just watch the world go by."

"I've sat doing fuck all for too long."

"Well the bottom line is nobody's willing to kill you."

"I know. That's why I've killed any conversations about it before now. But I'll find a way, even if I can't touch the Sword Perilous without freezing over or something."

Jacob sighed, staring into his friend's eyes sadly.

"If you've really made up your mind about this, I'll do it. If nobody will do it for you, you'll just torture yourself trying to find a way. I can't watch you fall apart again. I've seen it once after a school camping trip, and that was more than enough."

Jacob could have sworn he saw a hint of tears starting to well up in Max's eyes, but he blinked them away.

"Thank you."

"I owe it to everyone close to you. They don't want to see you hurt yourself either."

"Three googolplex years later and you're still looking after me."

"You think it doesn't hurt me? I do it for myself as much as I do it for you. You know, I remember having a mental breakdown one Sunday night a couple of weeks after everything happened. You kept saying you were going to kill yourself and I didn't know if I'd come to school the next morning to find I was down a best friend."

"I never worked up the courage."

"It didn't mean it wasn't scary. I mean…what do you do if you open your dorm door to find your friend's hung himself? Do you know how scared I was that would happen? Or that I'd get a call from Charlotte or someone saying you'd gone through with it? If I had a time machine, my first stop would be right after you first said you wanted to kill yourself. I'd tell my past self that it would be OK and that in a few months you would finally work your way out the pit of fear and depression and be nearly back to normal. Plus a bad temper, obviously."

Max pulled Jacob into a hug which he hadn't been expecting.

"I'm sorry. I never realised how much I hurt you. I always thought you realised it was just me having a bad moment and the threats were idle."

"I hid it because you needed a friend you could trust."

Max pulled away from the hug, revealing he was crying a little. He wiped the tears away.

"Thank you. For everything you've ever done for me. And I'm sorry I've always been a terrible friend and nothing but pain and misery."

"You haven't. You've been a great friend. And you know what…I would go through it all again so long as I always knew you would come back and be the happy and ever so slightly crazy Max I know."

They fell silent, just staring at each other. Eventually, Max said:

"OK, this is getting weird."

"Yeah, just a bit. I'm going to sleep."

"G'night, Jake."

"Goodnight, Max."

Max sat everyone down after breakfast the next morning.

"Today's the day we kill Anonymous."

"Anonymous? He hasn't got a name?" Asked Miles.

"He does. It's just in Elder Tongue and I'd prefer not to give Mum and Jake a killer headache."

"You're so kind." Gwen replied.

"I know, right? Anyway, our problem is gonna be finding Anonymous. He almost never goes into his physical form, so we need a way to make him."

"How reasonable is he?" Asked Jacob."

"So so. He's the wise guy who sits in his arm chair telling people about back in his day."

"So…you if you were a grandpa and looked your age?"

"No. I'd be beating people with my walking stick."

"Sounds about right. But if Anonymous is reasonable, maybe you can talk him into it?"

Max opened his mouth to reply, then stopped and narrowed his eyes at Jacob with an amused look.

"I see what you're doing there."

"Oh? What could that possibly be?"

"You want him to talk me down from my choice."

"Damn. You saw through it. But there's a chance it'll go the other way, right? And since we've got no other plan…"

"We have to do it. You're way too smart. Here, take my powers and go make the world a smarter place. You can take your computer skills and re-invent Java or something."

"Java? You insult me. I'll re-invent C-Sharp."

"I think that's too complicated for you."

"They're basically the same language with the very basic stuff. C-Sharp is just…so much nicer to look at."

"What about HTML?"

"Maybe. I could re-invent Razer MVC while I'm at it."

Come on, guys. Focus." Gwen interrupted.

"So this is a talking one?" Asked Miles.

"I guess so, although I doubt Anonymous will agree to it. I'll be back soonish. Be ready to get some life advice when I do."

Dei Volente found Anonymous right where he expected: in the Void reflecting on the decisions people made. The figure of an old man opened his eyes and turned to the new arrival.

"Thou cometh at a strange time, Dei Volente."

"I know, Refur. We need to talk."

"What doth thou wish to speaketh to I about?"

"You know Hermaeus Mora and Dea Judicium are dead?"

"Yes. I hath seen it, and hath felt the retribution thine mortal friend feels."

"Yeah; Dad's not a fan of hurting people. But I think destroying the High Elder Gods might be the ultimate solution."

"Is it thine solution?"

"Everyone's going along with it for the moment. Even the Watcher…Quantüyþ…agrees with me."

"Thou cometh to kill I?"

"I'm…afraid so."

"I see that thine solution bringeth the ending thou desires."

"You agree?"

"What promise doth thou giveth that thou shalt go through with thine own plan?"

"You're always thinking over everything everyone's ever said. You know just as much as Quantüyþ about mine and Jacob's conversation last night."

"Yes. I suppose that thou wouldst not quarrel with thine best friend over idle promises."

"So…you do agree?"

"I do. I shalt greet mine fate with open arms."

Miles turned the Sword Perilous over in his hands. Surely it was hopeless? Surely Anonymous wouldn't come? Suddenly, there was a bright flash in the main entrance to the tower. The spider scrambled to his feet as Max appeared beside an old man sitting in an arm chair. The old man looked back at him with acceptance.

"Thou art Miles Gonazlo Morales; Mulkrilkendov, Slayer of Gods, Spiderman?"

Miles nodded.

"You must be Anonymous."

"That is what thine kind calleth me? Very well. Come, Mulkrilkendov: let us not delay. Thou hath many things to do."

The spider slowly approached the arm chair.

"You know, I hate this whole killing Gods business. Dea was justified, and maybe Hermaeus, but you've never done anything."

"Doth it matter more what I hath done before or what I shalt do should I be the last of mine kind? Thou hath spent many a year protecting thine fellow mortal. You hath killeth the abominations of Khnith-hgor. I am little different, for I too have caused many a massacre in mine time."

"Maybe. OK. Fine."

Miles took a deep breath as Anonymous closed his eyes. The spider drove the blade through the High Elder God's heart. Almost immediately, his body started to turn to ash leaving a light behind that grew steadily brighter until it enveloped him.

"The God who reflects…is dead. The age of the High Elder Gods now nears its dusk. By time's decree their star will set to shine no more. Whether it is by your hand…or by another…you will forevermore be known as Tiratearae Kronor: Killer of Gods. Go: write your will on this world and leave your scar for those that follow to find."

The light began to fade.

"Tilår wasþ nalir."

Max looked sad as Miles said the three words.

"It was your idea." Said the spider.

The God nodded slowly.

"I know. It's just in his later years, Refur was the most God-like of all of us. He was always the one who had some wise words up his sleeve, and unlike most deities they were usually pretty good."

"'Most deities'? You mean there's other gods out there? New ones made in the three googolplex years?"

"No. The Ethereal Plates don't make gods, Dad. Only worlds. The HEGs are the only ones left."

Miles and Gwen were taking a quiet walk that night. Suddenly, something flashed in the corner of their vision. Looking, they saw Max examining Furore Mortale. The pair approached him.

"Hey Max." Said Gwen, half-heartedly.

She knew as much as her son did that his time was coming.

"Hi. You know, your arrival is most opportunistic, Dad. It's almost like someone planted the idea in your head to take a walk tonight…"

"You want something?" Miles replied, not sure what else to say.

"Yeah. You have the soul gems and…well…there's one person who hasn't been brought back yet that I want to see one last time."

"Grace?"

"You know me so well."

Miles glanced at the bracers covered in the soul stones.

"Which one is hers?"

"The turquoise and silver one."

He carefully eased it out its slot and handed it to Max who took it with a sad smile.

"Maybe you don't have to die, Max." Said Gwen.

"No. I do. Ask Jake and he'll fill you in on mine and his conversation last night."

"Right. We'll leave you to talk to Grace. Come on, Miles."

The spiders walked away from their son. Once they were well out of earshot, Miles said:

"You seem kinda angry."

"Not angry. Just…irritated. He doesn't have to do this. We need him."

"He'll shoot down any argument you throw at him; you know that, don't you? He has your stubbornness."

"I'm not that stubborn."

"You were when he was born, probably."

"Ok, I'll give you that. I just don't understand."

"Neither do I."

Max broke the soul stone in his hand. Silver and turquoise wisps slowly came together to form Grace. She looked around, taking in her surroundings, then her eyes came to rest on Max. She picked up on his sombre mood very quickly.

"Max? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, soon."

He stood up and kissed her.

"What's wrong now?" She asked when he pulled away.

"It's complicated. We've got a lot to talk about."

Crossovers in this Chapter

Technically none.