end of the line

chapter three

Dark rain clouds covered the night sky, and the streets were surprisingly empty for Toronto. The sweet scent of rain filled the goddess' nose as she made her way back to the warehouse. Streetlights lit up the street Mania walked down, but they weren't helping her avoid the puddles. Her running shoes and pant legs worked together to drag her down. Despite the rain that soaked into her clothing, weighing her down, she managed to finally make her way to the familiar sights that surrounded the warehouse. Nature replacing the tall buildings and dense city. She strayed off the street and into the forested area. Before she knew it, Mania was back at the place where she passed out. Who knew immortal entities needed to take care of themselves?

Mania sped towards the door and turned the knob, slowly pushing open the heavy door with her right shoulder. Her eyes followed the dome-like ceiling down until her eyes hit the floor. When she arrived on earth a month ago, it appeared the very same; dust and utter emptiness covering every inch the eye could meet. Except unlike the last time, something was off. The energy in the warehouse wasn't regular. Someone else was here, either currently or recently, but that didn't matter.

Suddenly, Mania felt the same tiredness fill her body that she experienced last time. She looked down at the floor that swayed under her feet. She took a step towards the door, but that only made it worse. The once blurred tiled-floor began swirling.

"Escaping, are we?"

Of course. Despite Mania's foggy vision, she could hear his voice as clear as day. It was Justice, the God of Justice. Penn, his twin, must have sent him; Justice was always his obedient pawn. Penn could declare that the stars filling the universe's great abyss are the cause of all evil, and without question, Justice would find a way to destroy them. It wasn't a surprise that he was sent to earth to track Mania down.

She looked up from the hypnotizing tiles and into the god's eyes. She could barely make out his features, but his energy was nothing but intimidating.

"What... are you... doing to-," Mania flinched, her body slowly crumbled to the ground. She hit the ground, her glossy eyes shut, and she managed to gasp out a final word before her entire body went numb, and her vision turned black, "...me."

Mania's mind was full of nothingness; she couldn't see nor hear a thing. It felt like an eternity of nothingness. All that Mania knew was that her mind felt as if it were floating on water - rough, wave-filled water. Yet another eternity passed, and she began hearing what sounded like waves crashing into her ears. The waves got louder and louder as time went on. Eventually, the whispers weren't wave-like at all. The once serene noise had turned into an ear-piercing buzz.

Mania awoke from her trance and found herself lying on a stone floor. Cold. It was so cold. It wasn't like the warehouse's tiled floors at all. This was much colder - it was just solid stone. Her eyes still had a glossy shine as they shot open. After a few deep breaths, she scanned her surroundings. From the looks of it, Justice teleported her to a cliff the colour of obsidian.

Mania gradually pulled herself up and peered over the edge of the cliff. She must've been 100 meters in the air. Water was colliding against the rocks at the bottom. Except the water wasn't the typical deep blue. It was a pale purple. Mania wasn't on earth anymore - she couldn't even be in the Mortal Realm. Only one realm had bodies of water as alluring as what she was witnessing - the Realm of Order.

As if on cue, someone cleared their throat from behind Mania. It was the ruler of the realm. How unfortunate that the most ignorant and abusive man Mania has ever met got to rule a place filled with such beautiful scenery.

"Hello, Penn," Mania groaned, her eyes still admiring the violent water that thrashed at the bottom of the cliff.

"Yes, hello. It is a pleasure to have you here at last. My word, a whole month, has it been? Far too long," he paused as he walked closer to the edge of the cliff. "Quite captivating, is it not?" he asked, lifting his dark, purple-clad arm to gesture towards the water. He was wearing his judging cloak.

Mania hummed in response, too preoccupied with her fidgeting hands to speak.

"Short of words, I see. Very well, I will do all the talking," Penn said, kneeling onto the cold stone. "Come join me, Mania," he patted next to him, "sit."

"No," Mania replied. Her eyes still focused on the water, as if she were trying to decode the harsh tidal waves.

"You know," Penn laughed, "we will be here for a while, so you might as well get comfortable."

"No," Mania repeated. Still decoding the waters below, and her hands fidgeting as if they were the key to finding the secrets of the water.

"Give me your hands," Penn said softly.

"No."

"You know I can help you regain your powers. Just let me," Penn said, his voice barely audible by the end of the sentence. All living-beings have powers, both immortal and mortal. But like most things, those powers are limited. Every time a being uses their power, they lose energy. Fortunately, it can be recharged. There are two ways of performing this ritual. Either by drinking water that rested under a full moon or from another being shifting their energy onto you.

"I'm not an idiot, Penn," Mania snapped, "my energy is fine, Penn. I know you only think otherwise because you haven't been able to track my power usage." Mania turned to look down at the god, "I'll do whatever you and your stupid followers need from me, but you're not stopping me from my goal."

The sound of the crashing water filled the air yet again. Mania continued to stare down at Penn, who was staring at his hands in his lap. She tried reading him, but he was shielding his mind, "pathetic," she scoffed to herself, "you are so pathetic," Mania turned away from Penn before continuing, "and defensive."

The waves were getting more powerful as the wind picked up. Mania walked against the wind and away from the edge while shaking her head. Black rocks were all that Mania could see. There were no plants or signs of civilization in sight. The sound of her feet hitting the black, rocky floor - her wet sock's spitting out water with every step.

"Mania," Penn called out over the wind and waves, "do not tell me you think you are getting away so easily," his soft demeanour quickly developing into his typical, solemn self. 

The goddess turned to face Penn and watched as he slowly rose from his kneeling position on the ground. He lifted his arm toward the pale, purple water silently. Mania watched as a hut emerged from the water until it was level with the rocky terrain. Penn swiftly threw both of his arms over his head, causing the small, stone hut to shoot up and settle where the cliff once was. A low, thundering sound replaced what was once the wind and water filling Mania's ears. It sounded like the march of a thousand soldiers, and that's just what it was. Soldiers were storming out of the hut and towards Mania at an alarming pace.

Mania had no choice - she filled her mind with the one place she knew she'd be protected. With a snap of her fingers, she has gone.