LIMINALITY
Table of Contents
Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 56 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 ENDChapter 69
"......"
Janus hopeless eyes flashed before him as he had given up all hope in accomplishing his goal of finishing off the eldritch monstrosity, accepting the end. Being sucked into an unknown vortex, he doesn't have anything else to live for anymore.
In the last moments of his existence, Janus had to accept the inevitability of the of the outcome as the entirety of his surroundings faded into pitch black. Even his long-term companions inside his head had seemingly disappeared, whether willingly or caused by Cthulhu's doing; it does not matter either way.
With half of her upper head missing, her body dangled behind his back as he continued to hold her corpse closely behind his own back. Holding Saomi's left arm, the only thing he wants is to get this over with and start the kalpa anew, at the cost of destroying everything he has seen, heard, and loved.
He felt sick of not doing anything, just standing idly while letting fate have its way of taking his loved ones. Seeing Saomi's limp, lifeless body was enough indication of what he was supposed to do. And that is accepting defeat at the hands of this monster.
Slowly, Cthulhu's form manifested, appearing the same day when they first met together. Floating in front of him with his staff and long, green robe, he chuckled humorously at the scene before him. Not quite done with humiliating the Roman God.
For all the monster's politeness, lies a sadistic and undying drive of cruelty underneath. To relish his victims' misery, despair, suffering, and overall anguish. Making Cthulhu the very picture of death itself, "hahaha..." laughter echoed throughout the endless vortex.
"You amuse me, Janus. You really should've run away like the coward you are. Would've saved yourself the trouble," he taunted some more, "broken and defeated, just like those who oppose me," an arrogant and wide smirk formed through his octopus face.
Janus, tired and emotionally devastated, was willing to listen no more. He had experienced the loss and sorrow the eldritch monstrosity inflicted. While his spirit has been defeated, the rage continues to burn brighter than the sun itself.
With his right hand still gripping the spear, Janus lifted his eyes and eyed dangerously at his opponent, swearing vengeance on the monster who ruined his once chance of life by coexisting with humans, not showing a hint of mercy whatsoever.
Seeing his hate filled, Cthulhu couldn't resist but chuckle some more, finding all of this obscured and a waste of their time. "The Dreamlands is already in the process of being renewed," pointing his finger upwards, he wiggled it around like a worm. "I don't understand why you want some petty revenge when we both know who is the winner here," arrogance dripping out of his voice.
Tightly clenching Genitalis, Janus focused his remaining godly strength. Ready to land his one last stand and finish the eldritch abomination once and for all, as tears dripped down from his face, "SHUT UP!!!" Letting out a loud scream, Janus thrust his spear forward.
Responding accordingly, Cthulhu allowed it to happen, watching the unfortunate god realize his attacks were futile, "surprised?" The monster answered, laced with amusement, "Child, have you not realized where you exactly are?" His sinister smirk grew larger. "This is the once-former Dreamlands. Where I now reign, I am absolute and sovereign. I can do anything, and you are unable to do a thing about it."
Infuriated, he tightened his grip on the spear. Anger burning brighter, "You piece of shit, why...Why won't you just fucking die?!" Raising Genitalis above his head and swung downward, Janus was ready to deal the final blow against the eldritch monstrosity, failing miserable as it simply passed through him.
"To be frank, you almost could have killed me earlier if I hadn't immediately used all of my power to actually start the process of renewing the cycle," Cthulhu remarked with a with a smug grin, mocking the failure efforts of the Roman God. "Now I completely reign this realm for short while until the renewed Dreamlands is made." A look of sadness suddenly washed over his facial features.
And the monster has to do this over and over again, a curse of the cycle that is beyond his control: "You know Nyarlathotep is laughing at us as we speak?" He inquired, raising a brow from the continuing attacks, "Do you not get? We are just pawns in the bigger picture. Us and everyone else, we are all his entertainment, toys," sighing disappointingly at this.
Janus doesn't care in the slightest as he continues swinging his spear in a pitiful manner, crying miserably of the loss and grief, "Just...die already!" It is a meaningless, absolutely worthless attempt against a god far greater than him. "Why?! JUST WHY, DAMN YOU!!!" Screaming out, Janus launched his last attempt at a stab.
Just like before, it harmlessly pierced through him. "Stop it," sympathy formed through the monster's face. "Just stop and listen for once," grabbing Janus's right arm firmly, Cthulhu was not allowing anymore senseless struggle. "There's nothing you could do.
His heart hurts from losing his precious human, his soul and mind are going through the constant grieving process, and worst yet, his pride is shattered all thanks to his enemy. Janus simply wished everything had gone differently.
"Let's talk this out."
Whether Cthulhu is being manipulative or simply just pitying his opponent is up for debate, but Janus does not care anymore. He can't do anything, and because of the terrifying notion, it made him feel like a cornered rat unable to escape its predator's clutches.
"Please Janus. Allow yourself to relax."
"No, shut up."
"Child."
"You killed her."
Letting him go, Cthulhu backed away and said, "Tell me. What did you expect to happen anyway when you fought against me?" Disapproval was forming through his facial features: "Janus, my child. Listen closely. What exactly did you expect to accomplish fighting against me?" As God looked down saddeningly, Cthulhu's tone slowly grew harsher: "Did you not expect your human lover would survive?"
Glancing behind his side, he can still see her freshly buried corpse hanging from his own back. Blood dripping down from her cut head, "she will rot Janus. Rot and decay, returning to the ground and nourishing the soil. And that is the fault of humanity for being such weak, fragile, and helpless creatures." Cthulhu criticized the god's weakness: "It is not my fault she died. It is yours." Turning his attention back toward the Roman, he could see a hurt expression forming in his face.
"Do you understand me?" He continued, not giving the god of time a second thought, "Your human died due to her own mortality," and Janus face was filled with conflicting emotions burning brightly within his heart: "Everything dies, Janus. Humans, animals, and aliens alike, all of them die, but we are immortal." His words were firm and absolute: "We are eternal."
The words were piercing, cutting deep, and Janus had no comeback to refute against him, unable to say anything more or anything less because it is rather a painstaking truth that he would rather avoid valuing the lower forms of life around him.
"Does it scare you? Does that disturb you?" Cthulhu did not stop, continuing the verbal assault; furthermore, "Janus, is mortality truly more frightening than ours?" Pressuring him deeper, forcing the Roman God to contemplate deeply, "child. Answer me. Tell me the truth: What value do you see in mortals besides entertainment?"
"I DON'T KNOW!" Janus screamed loudly, unable to tolerate Cthulhu's interrogations. "I CAN'T! I JUST!" Dropping his spear as it floats beside him, he begins to continuously scratch his own horrified and confused face.
"STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP!!"
His own mental sanity is barely hanging by a thread. Truth be told, he doesn't have any clue what he should be feeling at this moment. While he indefinably wants to avenge her death, the monster's questions were beginning to cause doubts to grow through his shaken heart. Janus had no answer, and the longer he stands idling, the weaker his motivation and determination are.
A slight smirk grew on Cthulhu's lips. "You and I are Gods," he said calmly. "Gods and mortals shouldn't mix." The eldritch god continued to pressurize Janus emotionally. "We were above them; we ruled over them, and our lives should be treated far greater and superior." Moving closer, Cthulhu's smirked remains unchanged: "They are below us like ants, unable to understand the true concepts and beauty of their wasted lives."
One by one, Janus began to tear his hair from the amount of stress building through his shattered heart, unable to mentally and emotionally comprehend the eldritch god's lectures as the experiences with people he had met through their journey continued to drive him apart from who was right or wrong.
"You are hurting because of her," he said, looking over the Roman's back, where her corpse still lingered, "but you are freed, my child! Freed to do whatever you want!" Not giving up on corrupting him, he continued to persuade him, "Freed to do whatever you want, Janus!"
Stopping himself from doing anything else, he dropped his arms while his head lay low on the ground, eyes closed, and contemplated everything that was happening. With Cthulhu's words echoing within Janus torn heart as he begins to realize one simple question: is he the one truly at fault for her demise?
What if Saomi's killer was right all along? What if he was the true culprit himself for not listening to this monster's pleas, which allowed her to die in this state? Janus is unsure, and the more he thinks, the more he begins to doubt himself and his abilities.
"Look at yourself," he heard Cthulhu's echoes through his mind. "Look, Janus, look how much you changed, and tell me it's not good for what you are." The eldritch god continued, "You were the same as before Janus, arrogant, uncaring, and foolish," describing the Romans's original traits, "yet now, look how far you have and how much you limited yourself to? Trying to be like them, like her?" A chuckle escaped his face, mocking Janus pitiful mentality: "Return to who you were; be what you are meant to be."
Perhaps he was right, Janus thought. For so long, he was beginning to believe they could love each other regardless of who they were, but now he is beginning to find it foolish enough to actually pretend that he could ever love someone.
Was it all a fluke? Probably it was since she was dead. No one is going to save him because of this, and truth be told, he is starting to regret ever loving her from the start and associating himself with these lower life forms he deemed trash.
"Join me," he said, raising his hand. Cthulhu extended it towards him, offering, "Be my loyal servant, and together, we can restart the dreamlands together. Become what you are truly meant to become," a cruel smile grew on Cthulhu's face, realizing Janus is finally falling deep within his corruption. "Once we manage to find a way to break out of this cycle, the stars will be ours for the taking."
Raising his head, he slowly and carefully lifted his arm. "I..." Still hesitating, Janus tries to muster the words from his cracked heart: "I'm..." The answer was clear as day, but no matter what, the Romans struggled to accept it.
"Come, Janus, accept your destiny."
"I'M...." Finally, the words were about to escape his lungs before a sudden intervention came to disrupt their little conversation.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Cthulhu sensed something—no, a familiar and unrecognizable presence—"you!" Rage and disgust escaped his face, glancing around the warped void as he remembered the other one whom he had forgotten to get rid of.
"You miss me?" Schrodinger's voice reverberated through the vortex, breaking away their attention. "It took a while for me to merge into whatever you did, but somehow it worked," the cat chuckled, enjoying his victory. "I managed to catch up with a lot, Janus."
Laughing hysterically, Janus couldn't believe that cat managed to do the impossible. "What took you so long?!" He said, seemingly not depressed anymore but back into his original self, "Did you cough off some hairball or something?" He joked, finding his timing hilarious.
"Hey, give a cat a few days and let see how fast you would warp across worlds." Scanning his ear, Schrodinger casually responded back, "Now are you going to finish the job?"
Cthulhu turned immediately at his once-defeated ally, originally thought to have given up all, only to receive a surprising change of events: "You were setting me up, weren't you!?" Realization dawned upon him. The eldritch god had realized Janus planned to lure him out in the open. "How dare you do this to me?"
Inhaling the nonexistent air around him, he then sighed deeply before returning his glance towards the bastard who murdered his lover. "Truth be told, you were sometimes too manipulative for your own taste to not realize sooner that I was one step ahead. Even from the beginning, I guess its the price to pay for underestimating your enemy."
"Explain!"
"After Schrodinger left to god knows where, I, in my grieving state after seeing Saomi die before me, contacted me here," he raised his index finger before tapping at the side of his own head. "We were telepathically speaking while the cat was moving throughout the infinite realities of finding a way to defeat you, and so far, it seems we only managed to find one," Janus explanation had completely confused Cthulhu, failing to understand every bit he spoke. "Long story short, we figured out a way of killing you permanently."
Humiliated beyond any expectations, Cthulhu grew furious at Janus betrayal and had decided enough was enough: "Even if you tried, I am an eternal being beyond your comprehension." As he was about to move, his body couldn't move. "What?!" Unable to comprehend, he tried activating his powers to no avail. "You! What have you done to me?!"
A serious look spawned on the god of time's face: "Schrodinger's species has special natural ability of being everywhere and anywhere," he told in matter of fact, "when you spew out all of your power to the world around us, my feline friend successfully merged it with his own and therefore..."
Horror grows on the monster's face: "You dare use my own power against me?!" He roared in sheer disbelief, struggling to get free, yet he was completely stuck. "Even if you kill me in body, mind, and soul—my story is still bound to the Kalpa cycle!"
Nodding his head, "That is why I'm going to use all of my power to end this once and for all," Janus answered honestly before his surroundings started warping rapidly. "This will kill me and you, but it's worth the sacrifice just to stop your madness."
"NO, STOP!!" Cthulhu plea fell deaf to Janus ears, witnessing his own heart escaping from his chest as it tore away all the skin from within before bursting out of his chest. "YOU FOOL, WE CAN RESTRUCT THE DREAMLANDS ON YOUR OWN WILL! THINK OF ALL POSSIBILITY THAT COULD HAPPEN! JUST IMAGINE SEEING YOUR BELOVED AGAIN!"
Tears fall down on his right eye. "I know..." He understood, but remembering the altruistic actions of Saomi, she wouldn't approve of this. "As much as I want that to happen, she wanted me to become better than what I was." Wiping the tears off his vision, Janus knew he was doing the right thing.
As the heart moved towards him, its pulsations were fractal, each vein branching outward with razor-sharp crystals forming on the surface. Janus could feel his own heart beating faster and slower at the same time, mirroring the rhythm of Cthulhu's. Each crystal began to glow with a fiery intensity, radiating heat and casting a halo of light around its owner's chest.
When it stopped in front of him, Janus held it with both of his hands before slowly raising his gaze towards the defeated eldritch god. Janus closed his eyes, listening intently to the heartbeat resonate within him. Tears streamed down his cheeks, feeling a mix of emotions about what he was about to do.
"CHILD, DON'T—"
Pouring all of his own information into what he was and manipulating it to be a self-destructive formula meant to wipe away beyond what they could perceive, Janus altered the narrative of both of them to one singular outcome that would break the Kalpa cycle once and for all.
And with one final tear in his eyes, he declared a new world filled with possibilities and potential without him or Cthulhu, proclaiming, "Let there be light." Then the entire surroundings merged into one singularity as paradoxes swirled, reality broke, everything collapsed inward to nothing, and Janus consciousness slipped away.
Leaving nothing but a void for a new, better era to be made.
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