Emptiness. A black, lonely emptiness that spans outward for lightyears, broken up only by an insignificant scattering of miniscule pinpricks of light, each one countless thousands of miles away from the others. While most choose to see the universe as full of energy, life, light, and possibility, one being knows its true state, for he has seen it firsthand. From within the cockpit of his ship, Vega looks out into the vast and empty cosmos, his head resting on his fist as he waits for his onboard computer to calculate the nearest spatial fold to warp through. His last warp had dumped him here, in the middle of nowhere, squarely between the tiny islands of light that break up the infinite darkness of reality’s true form.
As the computer makes its calculations, Vega can’t help but think of what may exist in the insignificant solar systems he can see. Rubble, most likely. Rubble and ruin, whether due to his actions, the actions of his kind, or the actions of the natives. Ruin is the natural state of reality, after all, emptiness and destruction as all-consuming as the depths of the cosmos. One need not look further than the fate of his own kind to understand that destruction is the one universal constant.
A powerful race of psychics, Vega’s people—the Cerebans—had once ruled this entire star cluster, an empire that spanned countless thousands of stars, countless trillions of lives, and untold distances. An empire that had fallen, completely and utterly, by his hand. If Vega could smirk he would at the memory of his ascension to godhood. All of those who had doubted him, forced to reckon with their fate as the true strongest being in the universe claimed his throne, claimed their energy as his own, and claimed the entire empire as his territory. An empire that had existed for eons taken apart in a mere decade, with no survivors other than Vega himself, now the one true master of the cosmos.
And yet, despite his godly power, despite his centuries of existence, despite having an entire corner of the universe to call his own, all Vega can see when he looks out into space is the true nature of reality: emptiness. All-spanning, all-consuming emptiness. He knows that he has been lucky to achieve the heights he has, but deep down he also knows that it can’t last forever, no matter how much he might want it to. He knows that his own hunger, his own need to consume the energy of others, his own base instinct to grow stronger and stronger, is but a pale imitation of the universe’s own hunger, its own desire for energy, death, and dominance, its own need to expand its destructive influence until it itself collapses.
What happens when a god dies? As the computer finally makes its calculations and plots a course to the nearest warp-point, that question arises in Vega’s mind. No being in existence has ever held the power he now has. If he wanted to, he could probably wipe out entire star systems without so much as breaking a sweat. And yet all of that power pales in comparison to the universe’s own potential for self-destruction. Vega will cease to exist long before the universe does, and when that happens, what comes next? What will become of the countless civilizations he controls? What will become of his livestock, the being he harvests for energy? To them, the title of ‘god’ is more than a fear tactic, it’s real. To those he has conquered, Vega is a deity, one to be worshipped, venerated, sacrificed to. What will become of these people when he dies? What will become of his legacy, his worship?
Perhaps this is a pointless exercise. Pondering one’s own mortality is never good for the psyche, especially on an empty stomach. As Vega’s ship warps through the folds of space to his next waypoint, his mind drifts to his most recent meals. According to his ship’s timer, he left Thera over twenty Cereban days ago. Twenty days without a proper meal, an agonizing experience even for one as strong-willed as Vega, made even more agonizing at the thought of what he had missed out on. The power of that one Theran, the one they called ‘Peter’, was extraordinary. So few beings in this vast cosmos come even close to a percentage of Vega’s might, and yet this Peter had managed to quite nearly match it blow for blow. If the Harbinger hadn’t softened him and his allies up first, Peter just might have won their confrontation.
The thought sends a cold chill running down Vega’s spine into his three tails. He knew going back to Thera was a bad idea from the start, but his curiosity had won out, just as it had a decade before. The star the planet Thera orbits is completely mundane, just a standard blue dwarf, drifting lazily through its sector of the star cluster. Even more mundane is the planet itself: an isolated desert world full of life so weak that Cerebans hadn’t visited it once since they first discovered it eons before. When they had first visited the planet, its local sentient species hadn’t even developed the ability to hone what minuscule psychic power they had, so the planet was left to drift alone throughout the cosmos, a boring footnote in the grand scheme of the universe.
Until one day, on a whim, Vega decided to investigate the planet. He had expected it to be as worthless as it had been eons before, and he was mostly correct. While the local sentients had managed to develop their psychic powers, they were still far weaker than even the weakest of his livestock species. Perhaps given another century or two, they would be worth investigating once again, but until then, Vega decided to leave.
Then something struck the corners of his mind, a power far stronger and far more delicious than he had encountered in centuries. He simply had to investigate this sudden spike of energy, so he landed on the planet and extended his power out as far as he could reach, knowing that whoever the being was, they would sense his energy and come looking, the same as he did for them. It wasn’t long before the one calling himself Marcus appeared, with some weakling in tow. Vega had toyed with the other man for a while, forcing him to dance and fight for his own amusement, but when he grew tired of that game he dropped his new toy and beckoned Marcus further into the desert, where they would be alone.
A mistake Marcus quickly made him pay for. Vega can still remember that day as clearly as if it were yesterday. He can still remember each moment in painful detail, each word spoken, each mistake made, each blow taken, on that one fateful day.
“Interesting spot you picked here,” Marcus had said after he finally caught up with Vega. “Love the wasteland aesthetic. You really know how to pick your craggy valleys. Now, then, are you gonna stop running and fight me?”
Vega had chuckled at that, projecting his amusement into Marcus’ psyche like rumbling thunder. [Your mistaken assumption is that this will be a battle. No, Theran, this will be a feast. Your energy will sustain me for—]
“‘Eons to come’. You said that last time, pal,” Marcus had interrupted, flexing his right arm and summoning a bit of cyan energy around his forearm and hand. “Got any new material? No? Then shut up and fight me already, coward!”
[Arrogant little creature, aren’t you?] Vega asked, leering down at his prey. [Very well. No more talk.] Without warning, he thrust his hand out, sending four life-draining tendrils of electricity toward Marcus at immense speed. The bolts nearly struck true, but Marcus simply brought his right arm up and caught the beams within his own energy, grabbing onto them like they were nothing. Vega watched in shock as his tendrils sparked and flickered against Marcus’ energy field, sending rainbow-colored flashes of light everywhere.
“That’s a cute beam attack,” Marcus taunted with a grin, tossing the energy tendrils aside with a flick of his wrist. “Wanna see how a real man does it?” Before Vega could comprehend what had just happened, Marcus brought up his left hand, made a gun out of his fingers, and blasted Vega with everything he had, completely enveloping the alien monster with a massive beam of blue energy and utterly destroying everything behind him for miles.
As the dust cloud around them settled, Vega’s magenta aura shone through the ruined landscape, fading in and out as he just barely defended himself from the attack. [What in—?]
“Heads up!” Marcus shouted as he exploded forward, fully enveloped in sparking cyan energy, his eyes glowing with an internal strength that rivaled Vega’s own power, his fists practically exploding with fiery blue vengeance. He struck against Vega’s aura with volcanic force, blasting the alien back dozens of feet with each punch, only to catch up with him in an instant and strike again, and again, and again.
[Enough!] Vega shouted, releasing a massive burst of violet energy that blasted Marcus back, allowing him to focus his own immense energy into a concussive beam of power from his eyes, tracking Marcus as he dodged and dipped under and around the attack. Seeing that the eye blast didn’t work, Vega closed his eyes and gathered energy into both of his hands, thrusting them forward and launching two massive orbs of power at his oncoming opponent.
“Neat trick!” Marcus shouted, further strengthening the energy around his fists and punching one of the blasts out of the way, sending it careening off into the distance, exploding in a mushroom cloud of pink and purple smoke and fire. As the second orb neared, Marcus planted his feet firmly in the stone, reared his palm back, and then struck the orb quick as a serpent, causing an explosion of blue light to erupt from his outstretched palm, rocketing the orb back at Vega, whose eyes went wide as he saw his own immense attack effortlessly reflected back at him.
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Vega flew high above the swirling orb of malevolent power, letting it pass below him and explode like a miniature star. Tiring of this battle, he drew his hands together and raised them above his head, summoning more energy than he’d ever had to use in recent memory. [Congratulations, Theran. You’ve forced me to expend myself. Now, see what the wrath of a god feels like!] With a mighty cry, he threw his hands down, firing a dozen beams of hateful magenta fire, each easily fifty feet around, each fully capable of eviscerating anything in their path, especially Marcus.
“You think that’s enough to stop me?” Marcus demanded with a smirk. “You really are full of yourself! Well, this is what the wrath of a human feels like!” He brought both of his hands together and formed a gun with his fingers, bringing it to his forehead and charging up as much of his power as he could, sending bolts of swirling lightning flying all around his body, crystallizing the sand nearby and destroying the ground beneath him.
“Psion…!” His aura of sheer blue fury exploded out of him like a hurricane of willpower, engulfing Vega’s attack in cyan light, completely smothering its magenta glow. “Cannon!” He thrust his hands forward, letting out his biggest, most powerful Psion Cannon ever, which he then split into a dozen separate blasts, catching each of Vega’s beams in the Psion Cannon’s immense size and causing an explosion of bluish-pink light to erupt away from the colliding beams. Vega tried to push against the attack, but Marcus’ power proved too much for him, and Vega’s many beams started to dim and fade away as the Psion Cannons consumed them, growing larger and larger and getting nearer and nearer with each passing second.
[No!] Vega shouted as his energy started to wane, the tip of the gigantic split Psion Cannon drawing dangerously close to his body. He tried one last time to beat Marcus’ power, releasing his full, unfettered energy, causing his beams to race back down, forcing the many Psion Cannons back until both energies reached an equilibrium, neither gaining any ground, while both psychics rapidly lost their stamina. Finally, both Marcus and Vega leapt out of the way of their own attacks, causing the colliding beams to fizzle out with one final burst of purple energy that ripped the sky like thunder.
Vega plummeted to the ground, just barely managing to land on his knee and cushion his fall with his telekinesis. As he stood up, he glared at Marcus as he shook cyan fire out of his dangerously cracking limbs, his face showing more determination than ever. [How…? What are you?] Vega demanded, limping to his feet.
“I already told you, pal,” Marcus said, removing the charred remains of his yellow vest with a smirk. “I’m human.” Without warning, he exploded forward, his eyes glowing with wild blue electricity, his fists and arms lighting up like a lightning storm as he struck Vega directly in the face, sending him flying through a nearby plateau, completely shattering the ancient rock structure.
Vega managed to catch himself in midair, only to find himself on the receiving end of another full-power haymaker from Marcus, this time sending him straight down into the dirt with explosive force, cratering the ground around him for dozens of feet. As Vega started to recoil from the ground, Marcus grabbed him by the hair, righted him, and then started decking him as hard as he could, causing explosion after explosion with each strike. “What’s wrong? I thought you said you were a god!” Marcus taunted, delivering a flurry of rapid blows to Vega’s chest, then a right hook to his ‘cheek’ then a powerful left uppercut to his ‘jaw’, finally ending the assault by summoning a powerful Psion Orb in his right hand and thrusting it into Vega’s torso. “Fight like one!” He yelled as the Orb exploded and sent Vega flying even further back in a blast of blue fire.
Vega shouted in confusion and pain as he rocketed through the desert, crashing through stone after stone until he finally came to a stop on the side of a mountain, the impact sending massive cracks spiraling all the way to its top. For a brief moment, Vega couldn’t see anything, just the fuzzy outline of a blindingly bright world and an even more blinding rocket coming straight for him. Shaking his head to clear his vision, Vega growled, waiting for Marcus to get close so he could counter. Just before Marcus’ final blow could land, Vega dashed forward, sidestepping his foe, grabbing him by the gut, and slamming him into the ground, then chucking him into the air, grabbing his arm in both hands and snapping it against his pointed knee, breaking it instantly, forcing a cry of agony out of Marcus.
He then threw Marcus into the mountain behind them by his broken arm, instantly following up with a powerful elbow strike to his other arm, shattering it against the mountain. Before Marcus could even scream, Vega grabbed him by the neck and smashed him into the mountainside again and again, leaving deeper and deeper craters and breaking more and more bones with each strike until he was finally satisfied. When he was done toying with Marcus, he dragged him out of the mountain and held him at arm’s length, squeezing tightly against his throat, shooting daggers at his prey with his eyes, watching him strain uselessly against his overwhelming might.
Then, shockingly, Marcus started laughing. Not a full laugh, since his throat was being crushed, but a laugh nonetheless. [You find the idea of your death amusing?] Vega asked, eyeing Marcus with disdain.
“No, that’s not it,” Marcus rasped, opening his eyes and straining to look at Vega through the streams of blood running down his face. “I can tell by the look in your eyes. You hate having to get your hands dirty. You hate having…to beat me…at my level…” He chuckled one last time, closing his eyes and letting his mind wander, thinking of his family and friends back home, wishing he could’ve done more for them.
Vega dropped Marcus in disgust and horror, staring at his own bloodied hand, not realizing how badly he had damaged it while beating his prey to a pulp. His eyes went wide as he realized too late his grave mistake. With Marcus dead, he could no longer be used as a meal. All of his vast energy was gone, never to be seen again. Even worse, Vega had killed him like an animal, not like the god he was. He’d let himself be played for a fool, and lost the greatest meal he would ever have. More than that, while he won the battle, he had clearly lost the war. Marcus had died a martyr, laughing at Vega’s best efforts as if they were mere parlor tricks, matching him blow for blow, even going so far as to almost win their battle himself! Filled with regret and self-loathing, Vega had left Thera in a haze, determined to never again come to this desolate rock.
Until he did. He still doesn’t know why he came back. Maybe it was morbid curiosity, maybe he simply wanted to confirm that no one like Marcus had sprung up in the past decade, but whatever it was, he had returned to Thera, only to find his worst nightmares had come true. Marcus’ energy still beckoned him, as fresh and unlimited as ever. Horrified, Vega had immediately landed on the planet, found someone suitably strong enough to make his puppet, and used them to lure this new rival toward him, praying that it wasn’t truly Marcus, that it was just someone with similar power. When he met Peter, he was relieved at first. Marcus was truly dead, never to return.
Unfortunately, Peter proved to be just as much of a hassle as his father. And beside him, he had his allies: the one with the green aura who beat Vega into a corner time and time again; the girl with golden power who dared use mere illusions to strike at him; and worst of all was the weakling, the one who seemed to have no power of his own, and yet somehow had developed a tool to make even a god as powerless as himself. Sullivan, Maria, and Joel—especially Joel—had denied him his second chance at the greatest meal of his life. Vega had almost killed all of them on the spot, crushed them in his hands as he had done to Marcus, but something in Peter’s eyes had stopped him.
He didn’t look afraid, or enraged, or even pleading. He simply looked defiant, triumphant, as if the boy knew that he was honoring his father’s legacy by dying in the same way Marcus had before him. Vega refused to make the same mistake twice, so he ran off, telling his new victims to become stronger so that they could become better meals for him in the future.
Truth be told, after that last battle, Vega knew that he was the one who needed to train. He’d allowed himself to become complacent in his own power, convinced that Marcus was simply a one-time mistake, something that could never threaten him again. His encounter with Peter had once again reminded him of his own mortality, his own ability to fail. He now knows better than ever what the true state of the universe is: cold and unfeeling, an empty void that consumes all in its time. Vega had drawn dangerously close to his end because of his own complacency, but he refuses to allow himself to fall so pathetically. If he is to someday die, then he will die like the god he is: in glorious battle, his power stretched to its absolute limits!
As his ship finally leaves the folds of space, Vega stands up and watches as the planet before him starts to grow larger and larger as he manually redirects the ship to land on whatever world he has found himself on. As soon as he lands, Vega steps out of his vessel, instantly greeted by a soothing breeze, the pleasant sight of trees spreading all across the land, and an arriving procession of fodder, all eager to serve their divine patron. They descend from spherical homes in the trees, their oblong bodies supported by three spindly legs, their vertical mouth slits and four pale eyes opened wide in an unnerving sign of greeting and respect. Vega lifts his hand up into the air, drawing a swirling mist of magenta energy around it. These beings shall serve him, all right. Their lives will sustain him for another few days, giving him the energy he needs to begin his real training.
In a flash, it is all over. Every single sentient being that had once stood before him is reduced to nothing more than ash and bones as he drains them dry of every last drop of energy they had, feeling the soothing warmth of their lives coursing through his body, nourishing his mind and refueling his starved psyche. One small village won’t be enough to satiate him for long, but the entire planet’s population just might. Spurred on by his never ending hunger, Vega soars into the air and rockets forward, eager to reap his crops.
