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Hands of Chaos

Beginning of the End

How fickle fate can be.  It gives both the heroes and villains victory and so cruelly take it away. It allows the corrupt and fair to rise and fall.  It foils the best laid plans and punishes the worst.  For better or worse, we must bare with it and make the best of it.  Luckily, there are those who defy fate and alter its course.

I'm sure many of you are wondering, "Why are you pleased with those who render your visions of the future useless?"  Well, the answer is rather simple.  Eternity is boring.

Now that answer brings up another question, why would I consider eternity boring?  My answer to that is that is a little more complicated, so let me put this into perspective.

In many different Anglo-Judo based religions, one can enter 'Heaven' by not sinning and praising their 'God'.  Heaven is supposed to be a place of 'eternal bliss', where one would enjoy the afterlife with pleasure and happiness for the remainder of eternity.  I must apologize in advance for the change of topic, but it will help understand my point.

Let us move onto boredom now, shall we?  Boredom refers to a state where if we lack something to keep our minds active, we do something for too long, or if we lose interest in something.

Thus, if we experience 'eternal bliss', we would become bored of the feeling of 'bliss' after a period of time.  We would become bored of the emotion.  We would want a break, to feel other emotions, but the 'eternal bliss' would keep us in bliss.  What was formally Heaven, then becomes hell as we cannot escape the single emotion.  We would eventually go insane from our own boredom and pleasure.

This is why I enjoy these anomalies in the time stream.  Eternity becomes much more bearable and it is easier to retain my sanity.  Heaven is a state of mind, not a place.

I digress, you came here to hear more of the story about the Hands of Chaos, correct?  Well then, allow me reveal more about this story of the vile, villainous, and insane.  Let me tell you of the events that occurred of our next meeting.

It was rather foggy morning in the garden this day, about 6 A.M. in the morning.  I sat at a small table in a small clearing overlooking the lake with a cup of black tea and a few crumpets.  The crows were cawing, the prisoners were screaming in agony from the cell blocks, and we had four 'villains' awaiting their assignments for our little tournament.

I would not consider these four to be the most vile nor the most threatening I have ever encountered.  Most find their pleasure in the suffering of others, greed, or simply their insanity.  They all lack the forethought and inspiring fear necessary of the title of 'Villain'.  I could say the same of some of my fellow judges.

How the role of the villain has become nothing but the antagonist of the hero nowadays.  Yes, they are bloodthirsty and insane, but many lack the intelligence necessary to instill others with fear.  In fact, many are falling into the role of the neutral, the gray.  Even heroes are becoming the gray, many losing their morality in favor of becoming 'Badass'.  Easily losing their convictions and losing themselves to their hatred or vanity.  Pathetic.

While it is true that life itself is gray, many are all too willing to give up their integrity and give themselves to apathy.  A shame really, and precisely why I called for this meeting.

As I sipped my tea in peace, a fellow judge walked into the clearing, Ms. Matisse.  She was almost a good meter shorter than myself and missing an arm.  Perhaps the most innocent of us I must admit, like a child.  Of course, nothing is more cruel than a child.

"Greetings, Ms. Matisse.  It is a pleasure to see you today.  I am glad you could attend the meeting this time."  I greeted her politely before I took a bite of my crumpet.  Simply because we are villains does not excuse us from being polite.

"It's good to see you too, Mr. Hoodie."  She said with a bit of enthusiasm.  "Sorry about not making it last time, one of the contestants wouldn't leave me alone last time.  I think he's pedophile or something."  Shuddering as she finished the sentence.

"It is quite alright, Ms. Matisse.  I can understand your reasons, one of them seems to have developed a similar interest in myself."  I responded, lacking the shuddering.

"Wait.  Someone finds you interesting?"  She said with mirth before bursting into laughter.

I cannot say I blame her, I would probably be laughing too if I could feel emotion.

"Wh- why would anyone be interested in you of all people?"  She managed to get out as she calmed down.

"To put it simply, she is a succubus, a sex demon to be exact.  The one referred to in biblical text."

"Well that explains a lot, but it is weird."  She took on a mock thinking pose as she said that before changing topics.  "So what'd I miss last meeting?"

"The events from last meeting were unproductive.  It was more of our fellow judges, 'flexing their muscles' to intimidate each other.  It was for the best that you had not been there since your abilities are of the 'subtle kind'."  I imply, gesturing to her shadow.

"Man~, how lame."  Giving a childish pout before changing to a cheery demeanor.

It truly is a shame that this child walks the path of the tainted in her search for answers.

"Very,"  I agreed with a subtle nod.  "Though, I believe Mr. Cruul would have liked to have been there.  He would have 'had a blast', so to speak."

"Why do you always make such corny puns?"  She asked with a deadpan expression.

"They would be better if I were capable of having a sense of humor."  If there is one downside to lacking emotions, I would have to say it would be the inability to feel happiness and laughter.  I would be envious of those who have them if I were able to.

"Speaking of emotions, the patron goddess of a few of them shall grace us with her presence.  As will our friend with his 'explosive' personality will join us latter."  Sipping my tea as Ms. Rache entered the clearing.

"You shall burn in the fiery pits of hell for use of such horrid puns, Oracle!"  Spoke the skull within the water goddess' grasp.  The water goddess reprimanded the talking skull with a glare and rapping it over the head.

"Greetings, Ms. Rache, it is a delight to see a serene beauty like you once again."  I toasted toward her to greet the water goddess.  It was rather humorous to see her blush.  Perhaps my host is attracted to her?

"And salutations to you, too, Mr. Murray, your rants of evil are still remain as underwhelming as ever."

This angered the skull as he went into an angry tirade that would not be appropriate for me to tell.  Thankfully, Ms. Rache silenced the skull and gave me an apologetic expression toward Ms.  Matisse and myself.

"It is alright, Ms. Rache.  There is no need to apologize for the rudeness of his 'hotheaded' nature."

"Yeah!  Can't help that he's 'headstrong'!"  Ms. Matisse shouted with excitement.

"Enough with the insulting head puns, you insolent fools!"  Murray shouted in outrage before he started mumbling under his breath.  "Besides, I get enough of those from that stupid succubus."

"Did it perhaps have something to do with the fact that she was disappointed that she could not 'give you head'?"

Ms. Rache and Ms. Matisse burst into a fit of giggles at my comment while Murray began to audibly growl.

"Grr- Shut up!  All of you!"

"Aww~, what's wrong, Murray?  Can't get 'ahead'?"   Ms. Matisse teased before she burst into laughter.

"Please stop it," the talking skull asked pleadingly.  "It's getting really old, really fast."

"Please calm down, Mr. Murray.  There is no need to lose your 'head' over this."  Ms. Matisse started laughing to the point she fell out of her chair.  Even Ms. Rache began to laugh aloud, causing water to gush out of her mouth.

"I hate you all so much right now," the skull grumbled.

"I believe we have all had our fun with Mr. Murray.  Let us move on, shall we?"  My two compatriots nodded in agreement, though humorous smiles still adorned their faces.

"Then allow me to begin and explain the reason for calling for this meeting."  I took a sip of my tea before I continued.  "Quite frankly, you three are the only ones willing to actually listen to me."

This seemed to spur a small amount of confusion from the two girls and skull, as their faces expressed this.  I'm sure those of you who are listening to my story are a little confused yourselves, so I shall enlighten you all to my reasoning.

While it is true that Mr. Cruul would listen, he will not care as to what I have to actually say.  For the most part, all he cares about is outright chaos and destruction, with a side of setting everything on fire.  It may have been possible to reason with him if any remnant of the original genie still remained.

Mr. Eisenhower, being the hypocritical zealot he is, refuses to listen to anything that opposes his opinion.  The fool does not even know what Catholicism is, yet claims to be one.  Better yet, he believes he is not bound by the laws of the universe and still believes in "God".  What irony.  He still believes his universe is isolated and cannot figure out how I am even in his dimension.  If he actually used his brain for once, he might have been able to figure out how I am even there.  It is this very reason he will meet his end at his brother's hand.

As for Mr. Caker, he tends to follow Ms. Myzaraphiston rather religiously.  That, and he would rather make a reenactment of, "Cupcakes", than listen to me.  A shame, really.

Finally, we have Ms. Myzaraphiston.  For a lack of a better word, she is the devil incarnate.  Just as arrogant as the zealot, minus the stupidity.  By far, she is technically the most powerful and threatening of the seven of us, but her ego and shortsightedness, much like the others, prevent her from being a real threat to me.  Still, her cunning is not something to be underestimated.  Regardless, she cannot stop me.

As for the two others that stand in front of me, they are the only ones willing to listen.  Interestingly enough, my host feels sympathy towards these two females specifically.  Compassion, or possibly understanding.  I cannot be certain.

"What I have to say is vital if you wish to remain alive.  A catastrophic event will occur when the Black Eden is invaded this afternoon.  To be specific, it has to do with the machine that will 'give us powers beyond gods'."

Skepticism and a small amount of fear were evident on the girls' faces.  I'm sure the skull would show something if it had a face.

"But before I get into that, I should ask you something important first.  Do either of you know how the machine converts the souls into the 'godly' power?"

Ms. Matisse shook her head, while Ms. Rache shook her 'lover' Murray.

"Quit shaking me, you foul wench!"  The skull cried, which earned him another glare and blow upon what is left of his person.  "Then shake your own head next time!"

The skull's cries caused both females to giggle at his misfortune.  As much as tormenting Murray seemed to entertain them, I have things to do before it becomes noon.

Clearing my throat to grab their attention once I again, I resumed from where I left off.  "As I was saying, the machine converts the souls into what is known as dark energy."

"Dark energy?  That's what the machine does?!  What kind of ridiculous device turns souls into dark energy?!  Soul are the most powerful form of evil there is!"  Murray screamed at the top of his non-existent lungs.  Though the others did not appreciate his tone, they both gave a look that they were agreeing with him.

"One would think, but then again, none of you have ever harnessed it."

"Yes, I'm shaking in fear from the power of 'dark energy'.  Bwahahahaha!"  The skull mocked before bursting into a maniacal laughter.

While skepticism is normally a good thing, it seems that they are showing the same disbelief as the others.  It seems we will have to show as opposed to telling what the dangers of it are.  If you would be so kind my gracious host.

A dark, abyssal energy surrounded my left hand as I made a gesture for the skull to come to me.

"Hahahahahaha- Erk!"  A dark aura surrounded the skull and seemed to cause him great pain.  Right in front of everyone's eyes, Murray slowly began to visibly fall apart atom by atom.

The look of horror on the girls faces was rather predictable, so the point has been made.  There is no need to continue this, my dear host.  If you would be so kind.

The aura around my hand and the skull suddenly ceased to exist, which in turn caused the skull to return to his original state.  The skull's expression showed it was visibly shaken by experience, despite lacking a face.  "Wh-what the nine hells was that?!"

"That, would only be an example of what dark energy is.  Now that you are willing to take this seriously, are now willing to listen?"

The three nodded vigorously, even Murray didn't seem to mind being shaken this time.

"Very well.  I shall start by answering your initial question, Mr. Murray.  Souls, or any other energy for the matter, are more potent than dark energy in their raw form.  However, dark energy makes up for that with its versatility."

I extended my left hand as if presenting something.  Not a moment later, it began to glow with the black aura once again, only for a blue flame to flicker into existence not long after.  To prove my point, the fire quickly changed into icicle and then to a stone before disappearing along with the shadowy aura.

"Each universe is comprised of over 80% of dark energy and dark matter, with all others types of energy and matter making up the remainder of the universe.  The properties of dark energy differ from universe to universe, but they all share something in common, which is its ability to substitute any other kind of energy.  However, it is near impossible for anything to convert, let alone mimic, dark energy."

No here comes the real twist for my reasoning.

"While almost impossible, it does not change the fact it is still very much possible, at an incredible price.  The price being the many souls that are and will be aboard this ship later today.  The souls that are captured by the machine will create a single piece of pure and solidified piece of dark matter from the dark energy.  What is created is known as the Forbidden Stone."

"Forbidden Stone?  Really?  What a lame title."  Ms. Matisse whined.

"I assure you, the title is quite suitable despite being cliché.  For you see, the stone is also a key to something known as the Door.  Incredible power lies beyond the door.  Far greater than one could ever imagine.  A power that surpasses gods and comprehension."

"With this knowledge, I will give you a warning and one warning only.  Leave the Black Eden before the machine is activated."

"What!  You expect us to leave with that kind of power now within our grasp?!  There's no way we would pass the chance for such a deliciously evil-!"  The skull's rambling was cut short by a small explosion consuming the table in front of me.

"What is it ya' called me here for, Oracle?" demanded a deep, Scottish voice from the smoke and ash in front of me.  A towering figure of fire and brimstone emerged from the smoke, staring at me with impatience.

"I would appreciate you not destroying my fine china next time, Mr. Cruul."  I calmly stated as I stood up to stare down the giant in front of me.  "As for why I called you, I ask that you to do two things when we are boarded this afternoon.  The first task I need you to perform is to make sure the ship that boards us does not leave, no matter the cost.  The second, do what you do best; make hell seem like a winter wonderland.  No restrictions."

"Finally, ya' speak ma' language, Oracle!"  The fire genie shouted with sadistic joy.  "I'll roast 'em in their own skin!"

"Yes, enjoy yourself, Mr. Cruul," I said as I walked away without another word.

Though I could not see it, a conflicted expression adorned the faces of both females, more so with Ms. Rachel.  It seems my warning has had an unusually profound effect on her, unlike her skeletal companion.  Regardless, if they do not listen, I will not hesitate to sacrifice them all.

Description
Hands of Chaos

Beginning of the End

How fickle fate can be.  It gives both the heroes and villains victory and so cruelly take it away. It allows the corrupt and fair to rise and fall.  It foils the best laid plans and punishes the worst.  For better or worse, we must bare with it and make the best of it.  Luckily, there are those who defy fate and alter its course.

I'm sure many of you are wondering, "Why are you pleased with those who render your visions of the future useless?"  Well, the answer is rather simple.  Eternity is boring.

Now that answer brings up another question, why would I consider eternity boring?  My answer to that is that is a little more complicated, so let me put this into perspective.

In many different Anglo-Judo based religions, one can enter 'Heaven' by not sinning and praising their 'God'.  Heaven is supposed to be a place of 'eternal bliss', where one would enjoy the afterlife with pleasure and happiness for the remainder of eternity.  I must apologize in advance for the change of topic, but it will help understand my point.

Let us move onto boredom now, shall we?  Boredom refers to a state where if we lack something to keep our minds active, we do something for too long, or if we lose interest in something.

Thus, if we experience 'eternal bliss', we would become bored of the feeling of 'bliss' after a period of time.  We would become bored of the emotion.  We would want a break, to feel other emotions, but the 'eternal bliss' would keep us in bliss.  What was formally Heaven, then becomes hell as we cannot escape the single emotion.  We would eventually go insane from our own boredom and pleasure.

This is why I enjoy these anomalies in the time stream.  Eternity becomes much more bearable and it is easier to retain my sanity.  Heaven is a state of mind, not a place.

I digress, you came here to hear more of the story about the Hands of Chaos, correct?  Well then, allow me reveal more about this story of the vile, villainous, and insane.  Let me tell you of the events that occurred of our next meeting.

It was rather foggy morning in the garden this day, about 6 A.M. in the morning.  I sat at a small table in a small clearing overlooking the lake with a cup of black tea and a few crumpets.  The crows were cawing, the prisoners were screaming in agony from the cell blocks, and we had four 'villains' awaiting their assignments for our little tournament.

I would not consider these four to be the most vile nor the most threatening I have ever encountered.  Most find their pleasure in the suffering of others, greed, or simply their insanity.  They all lack the forethought and inspiring fear necessary of the title of 'Villain'.  I could say the same of some of my fellow judges.

How the role of the villain has become nothing but the antagonist of the hero nowadays.  Yes, they are bloodthirsty and insane, but many lack the intelligence necessary to instill others with fear.  In fact, many are falling into the role of the neutral, the gray.  Even heroes are becoming the gray, many losing their morality in favor of becoming 'Badass'.  Easily losing their convictions and losing themselves to their hatred or vanity.  Pathetic.

While it is true that life itself is gray, many are all too willing to give up their integrity and give themselves to apathy.  A shame really, and precisely why I called for this meeting.

As I sipped my tea in peace, a fellow judge walked into the clearing, Ms. Matisse.  She was almost a good meter shorter than myself and missing an arm.  Perhaps the most innocent of us I must admit, like a child.  Of course, nothing is more cruel than a child.

"Greetings, Ms. Matisse.  It is a pleasure to see you today.  I am glad you could attend the meeting this time."  I greeted her politely before I took a bite of my crumpet.  Simply because we are villains does not excuse us from being polite.

"It's good to see you too, Mr. Hoodie."  She said with a bit of enthusiasm.  "Sorry about not making it last time, one of the contestants wouldn't leave me alone last time.  I think he's pedophile or something."  Shuddering as she finished the sentence.

"It is quite alright, Ms. Matisse.  I can understand your reasons, one of them seems to have developed a similar interest in myself."  I responded, lacking the shuddering.

"Wait.  Someone finds you interesting?"  She said with mirth before bursting into laughter.

I cannot say I blame her, I would probably be laughing too if I could feel emotion.

"Wh- why would anyone be interested in you of all people?"  She managed to get out as she calmed down.

"To put it simply, she is a succubus, a sex demon to be exact.  The one referred to in biblical text."

"Well that explains a lot, but it is weird."  She took on a mock thinking pose as she said that before changing topics.  "So what'd I miss last meeting?"

"The events from last meeting were unproductive.  It was more of our fellow judges, 'flexing their muscles' to intimidate each other.  It was for the best that you had not been there since your abilities are of the 'subtle kind'."  I imply, gesturing to her shadow.

"Man~, how lame."  Giving a childish pout before changing to a cheery demeanor.

It truly is a shame that this child walks the path of the tainted in her search for answers.

"Very,"  I agreed with a subtle nod.  "Though, I believe Mr. Cruul would have liked to have been there.  He would have 'had a blast', so to speak."

"Why do you always make such corny puns?"  She asked with a deadpan expression.

"They would be better if I were capable of having a sense of humor."  If there is one downside to lacking emotions, I would have to say it would be the inability to feel happiness and laughter.  I would be envious of those who have them if I were able to.

"Speaking of emotions, the patron goddess of a few of them shall grace us with her presence.  As will our friend with his 'explosive' personality will join us latter."  Sipping my tea as Ms. Rache entered the clearing.

"You shall burn in the fiery pits of hell for use of such horrid puns, Oracle!"  Spoke the skull within the water goddess' grasp.  The water goddess reprimanded the talking skull with a glare and rapping it over the head.

"Greetings, Ms. Rache, it is a delight to see a serene beauty like you once again."  I toasted toward her to greet the water goddess.  It was rather humorous to see her blush.  Perhaps my host is attracted to her?

"And salutations to you, too, Mr. Murray, your rants of evil are still remain as underwhelming as ever."

This angered the skull as he went into an angry tirade that would not be appropriate for me to tell.  Thankfully, Ms. Rache silenced the skull and gave me an apologetic expression toward Ms.  Matisse and myself.

"It is alright, Ms. Rache.  There is no need to apologize for the rudeness of his 'hotheaded' nature."

"Yeah!  Can't help that he's 'headstrong'!"  Ms. Matisse shouted with excitement.

"Enough with the insulting head puns, you insolent fools!"  Murray shouted in outrage before he started mumbling under his breath.  "Besides, I get enough of those from that stupid succubus."

"Did it perhaps have something to do with the fact that she was disappointed that she could not 'give you head'?"

Ms. Rache and Ms. Matisse burst into a fit of giggles at my comment while Murray began to audibly growl.

"Grr- Shut up!  All of you!"

"Aww~, what's wrong, Murray?  Can't get 'ahead'?"   Ms. Matisse teased before she burst into laughter.

"Please stop it," the talking skull asked pleadingly.  "It's getting really old, really fast."

"Please calm down, Mr. Murray.  There is no need to lose your 'head' over this."  Ms. Matisse started laughing to the point she fell out of her chair.  Even Ms. Rache began to laugh aloud, causing water to gush out of her mouth.

"I hate you all so much right now," the skull grumbled.

"I believe we have all had our fun with Mr. Murray.  Let us move on, shall we?"  My two compatriots nodded in agreement, though humorous smiles still adorned their faces.

"Then allow me to begin and explain the reason for calling for this meeting."  I took a sip of my tea before I continued.  "Quite frankly, you three are the only ones willing to actually listen to me."

This seemed to spur a small amount of confusion from the two girls and skull, as their faces expressed this.  I'm sure those of you who are listening to my story are a little confused yourselves, so I shall enlighten you all to my reasoning.

While it is true that Mr. Cruul would listen, he will not care as to what I have to actually say.  For the most part, all he cares about is outright chaos and destruction, with a side of setting everything on fire.  It may have been possible to reason with him if any remnant of the original genie still remained.

Mr. Eisenhower, being the hypocritical zealot he is, refuses to listen to anything that opposes his opinion.  The fool does not even know what Catholicism is, yet claims to be one.  Better yet, he believes he is not bound by the laws of the universe and still believes in "God".  What irony.  He still believes his universe is isolated and cannot figure out how I am even in his dimension.  If he actually used his brain for once, he might have been able to figure out how I am even there.  It is this very reason he will meet his end at his brother's hand.

As for Mr. Caker, he tends to follow Ms. Myzaraphiston rather religiously.  That, and he would rather make a reenactment of, "Cupcakes", than listen to me.  A shame, really.

Finally, we have Ms. Myzaraphiston.  For a lack of a better word, she is the devil incarnate.  Just as arrogant as the zealot, minus the stupidity.  By far, she is technically the most powerful and threatening of the seven of us, but her ego and shortsightedness, much like the others, prevent her from being a real threat to me.  Still, her cunning is not something to be underestimated.  Regardless, she cannot stop me.

As for the two others that stand in front of me, they are the only ones willing to listen.  Interestingly enough, my host feels sympathy towards these two females specifically.  Compassion, or possibly understanding.  I cannot be certain.

"What I have to say is vital if you wish to remain alive.  A catastrophic event will occur when the Black Eden is invaded this afternoon.  To be specific, it has to do with the machine that will 'give us powers beyond gods'."

Skepticism and a small amount of fear were evident on the girls' faces.  I'm sure the skull would show something if it had a face.

"But before I get into that, I should ask you something important first.  Do either of you know how the machine converts the souls into the 'godly' power?"

Ms. Matisse shook her head, while Ms. Rache shook her 'lover' Murray.

"Quit shaking me, you foul wench!"  The skull cried, which earned him another glare and blow upon what is left of his person.  "Then shake your own head next time!"

The skull's cries caused both females to giggle at his misfortune.  As much as tormenting Murray seemed to entertain them, I have things to do before it becomes noon.

Clearing my throat to grab their attention once I again, I resumed from where I left off.  "As I was saying, the machine converts the souls into what is known as dark energy."

"Dark energy?  That's what the machine does?!  What kind of ridiculous device turns souls into dark energy?!  Soul are the most powerful form of evil there is!"  Murray screamed at the top of his non-existent lungs.  Though the others did not appreciate his tone, they both gave a look that they were agreeing with him.

"One would think, but then again, none of you have ever harnessed it."

"Yes, I'm shaking in fear from the power of 'dark energy'.  Bwahahahaha!"  The skull mocked before bursting into a maniacal laughter.

While skepticism is normally a good thing, it seems that they are showing the same disbelief as the others.  It seems we will have to show as opposed to telling what the dangers of it are.  If you would be so kind my gracious host.

A dark, abyssal energy surrounded my left hand as I made a gesture for the skull to come to me.

"Hahahahahaha- Erk!"  A dark aura surrounded the skull and seemed to cause him great pain.  Right in front of everyone's eyes, Murray slowly began to visibly fall apart atom by atom.

The look of horror on the girls faces was rather predictable, so the point has been made.  There is no need to continue this, my dear host.  If you would be so kind.

The aura around my hand and the skull suddenly ceased to exist, which in turn caused the skull to return to his original state.  The skull's expression showed it was visibly shaken by experience, despite lacking a face.  "Wh-what the nine hells was that?!"

"That, would only be an example of what dark energy is.  Now that you are willing to take this seriously, are now willing to listen?"

The three nodded vigorously, even Murray didn't seem to mind being shaken this time.

"Very well.  I shall start by answering your initial question, Mr. Murray.  Souls, or any other energy for the matter, are more potent than dark energy in their raw form.  However, dark energy makes up for that with its versatility."

I extended my left hand as if presenting something.  Not a moment later, it began to glow with the black aura once again, only for a blue flame to flicker into existence not long after.  To prove my point, the fire quickly changed into icicle and then to a stone before disappearing along with the shadowy aura.

"Each universe is comprised of over 80% of dark energy and dark matter, with all others types of energy and matter making up the remainder of the universe.  The properties of dark energy differ from universe to universe, but they all share something in common, which is its ability to substitute any other kind of energy.  However, it is near impossible for anything to convert, let alone mimic, dark energy."

No here comes the real twist for my reasoning.

"While almost impossible, it does not change the fact it is still very much possible, at an incredible price.  The price being the many souls that are and will be aboard this ship later today.  The souls that are captured by the machine will create a single piece of pure and solidified piece of dark matter from the dark energy.  What is created is known as the Forbidden Stone."

"Forbidden Stone?  Really?  What a lame title."  Ms. Matisse whined.

"I assure you, the title is quite suitable despite being cliché.  For you see, the stone is also a key to something known as the Door.  Incredible power lies beyond the door.  Far greater than one could ever imagine.  A power that surpasses gods and comprehension."

"With this knowledge, I will give you a warning and one warning only.  Leave the Black Eden before the machine is activated."

"What!  You expect us to leave with that kind of power now within our grasp?!  There's no way we would pass the chance for such a deliciously evil-!"  The skull's rambling was cut short by a small explosion consuming the table in front of me.

"What is it ya' called me here for, Oracle?" demanded a deep, Scottish voice from the smoke and ash in front of me.  A towering figure of fire and brimstone emerged from the smoke, staring at me with impatience.

"I would appreciate you not destroying my fine china next time, Mr. Cruul."  I calmly stated as I stood up to stare down the giant in front of me.  "As for why I called you, I ask that you to do two things when we are boarded this afternoon.  The first task I need you to perform is to make sure the ship that boards us does not leave, no matter the cost.  The second, do what you do best; make hell seem like a winter wonderland.  No restrictions."

"Finally, ya' speak ma' language, Oracle!"  The fire genie shouted with sadistic joy.  "I'll roast 'em in their own skin!"

"Yes, enjoy yourself, Mr. Cruul," I said as I walked away without another word.

Though I could not see it, a conflicted expression adorned the faces of both females, more so with Ms. Rachel.  It seems my warning has had an unusually profound effect on her, unlike her skeletal companion.  Regardless, if they do not listen, I will not hesitate to sacrifice them all.