The CANONICALS

A Hard Bargain.

The golden god sat silently at a large round table, millions of windows scattered around the walls.

"What's up, Sal?" Tom greeted.

"I told you not to call me that," The Bargainer growled quietly, before quickly standing up, motioning to a window. "I'm actually watching that group you'd told me about..."

"Oh, great!" Tom stated, looking at the window that The Bargainer was staring into.

"What you failed to tell me is that they're no longer in O-Two-Five," The Bargainer stated.

"They're not?" Tom questioned, rushing up to the window. He peered into it, seeing the studio in the middle of the woods, no other life in the dimension. "That's... impossible."

"Zero sent mercenaries after them," The Bargainer stated. "They fled and are there now... JJ-Dash-O-Two-Six. You should be familiar with them with how often you've gone. You're familiar with the god there, yes?" The Bargainer pointed towards Sam. "That was my boss, my sister."

"The Omnigod?" Tom muttered, staring at Sam as she sat at a table next to Jade and Jeremiah, the three playing a random card game. "How the mighty have fallen!"

"Watch your words, Tom!" The Bargainer growled. "She is still royalty, an entity of near infinite power!" He shook his head. "I sometimes forget how much I despise you..." He looked back up to the window, before sliding his hand across it, causing the view to change to Killua. "This one right here... I think he's the boss. He's working with Zero as we speak..." He scoffed, glaring at Killua as he stared down at the papers on his desk, sorting aimlessly through them. "I have an offer even you couldn't refuse..."

It had been grueling and prolonged, but they had finally finished rebuilding the studio. Brick by brick, room by room. They were complete. So it was time to start assimilating to "normal" life once more.

Except for the complete and utter isolation. And the lack of any other life forms. And the lack of an internet and established human race.

They were alone in this vast dimension.

Michael trotted towards the kitchen as he glanced around the studio. It was uncanny how well they were able to rebuild it exactly as it was, but he wasn't complaining. A pure sense of comfort and familiarity.

Until he saw a golden flash from the end of the hallway, a mysterious man emerging from it.

"What the hell?..." He muttered.

The man's eyes flashed red as he spoke, "You know who I am, there was no flash and you must go to sleep."

Michael's eyes flashed red in response and he began to stumble around, "Oh, hey Tom... God, what am I even doing up right now?!" He ran off back to his room as Tom sighed, his sweater transforming into a lab coat as he walked.

Tom shook his head as he began walking further down the hall, when he finally stopped in front of a large portrait painting. It was Jeremiah, staring back at him, only with a curly mullet and a long scar down his right eye. He bowed mockingly.

"May your reign serve on your highness," Tom commented, irritated.

He then reached for the corner of the painting and yanked on it gently, watching it begin to open like a door. Behind the painting was an entrance to an interconnected vent passageway, which Tom climbed into, carelessly leaving the hatch open behind him.

Killua leaned back in his chair, letting out a sigh of satisfaction as he flipped off the paper work on his desk.