"Kaelen, wake up; we don't have much time," Rowan said.
The city was gone. Nothing again—not black, just nothing. But this time, Rowan stood within it.
Now that Rowan stood so close, his face was clearer—the roughness in his skin came from experience, not old age.
Kaelen stood and looked at the sky.
The moment he did, he dropped back down, covering his ears.
"Leave me alone."
Rowan grabbed both of his wrists and separated them from his ears.
Kaelen looked at his hands while struggling to get them back in position; he realized there was no blood anymore, no voices.
"So you finally came to your senses."
Kaelen stood up and asked. "Where am I this time?"
"Listen well; if you don't move your pride away, both of us will die. I was able to bring you here because I am a part of you. When I don't exist in that world, I live in this small part of your void. It's small; once they come back, we can hope you have changed by then."
"What do you want me to change? I have accepted everything you said."
"What is wrong with you? Why can't you listen to understand what I am saying instead of listening to give a reply?"
Kaelen stayed quiet; he thought he was smart for misunderstanding what Rowan said on purpose.
"What's the reason behind this silence?" Rowan shouted.
Kaelen shrugged. "You told me to listen to understand, not reply."
Rowan pointed at Kaelen and said, "That. That is what I am telling you to put away."
"Let's get done quick then; start your speech."
Rowan's mouth tightened. "Kaelen, this is not a time for playing around; it is the end for both of us."
"When are you going to stop saying 'our end'?"
"I keep reminding you because you refuse to accept anything that goes against what you have already decided."
"So what is it that you want me to do other than become what you want?"
Rowan spun his whole body. The punch hit Kaelen's liver before he could react. Kaelen's face slammed against the ground.
Rowan stepped back.
"This is not just me; it's the best for you too."
Kaelen sat back up the same way as before, side-eyeing Rowan. "So you want me to be your ideal son."
"I am no enemy of yours; for once in your life, don't lose more people. Those people whom I heard you lost, don't lose your new friends."
Kaelen's face lost the aggravated expression it had.
Rowan smirked. He knew this composure was something Kaelen should be proud of. But for Kaelen, this quiet wasn't pride. It was loss, and Rowan's victory over him.
"It's good to get whatever you want."
"If I got everything I want, I would be alive, not with an idiot like you; I could have taken over the moment you entered any of the voids and met my family."
Kaelen went quiet in a way that was different from his earlier silences. He brought his hands closer to his face, locking his fingers.
Rowan spun around in his place. And came rushing at Kaelen. "I sacrificed everything for you; everyone sacrificed something for you. Then why can't we expect something from you in return?"
Kaelen unlocked his hands and looked at the ground.
"You don't need to feel low; do what is required and be proud of it."
Kaelen twitched. "I can get both of us out, and I will do it my way."
"This is your void, so it's your choice. Just do your best."
Kaelen started walking towards the end of the void.
"They spent so long trying to control me that they forgot what happens when I stop letting them."
"You just watch what I do. Today, you will get to witness the greatest performance of your life. Just don't question it and watch like a good audience."
He touched the boundary; it created a ripple. And dissolved into the bigger void. Kaelen's void.
"Noooo!" Rowan shouted.
Kaelen turned back. "Shh," he said while putting his finger on his lips.
"I know; I told you to watch and not ask anything."
Rowan expected something great after watching Kaelen's confidence, but the uneasiness from Kaelen's unpredictability was still there.
They both stood at the same spot; Kaelen stood with his hands in his pockets as if nothing was wrong in his evening walk, while Rowan struggled to keep his feet on the ground.
They watched as the voices took shape—not sound anymore, something with form, pressing against the boundary of the void from the outside.
Kaelen waited for them to appear. They didn't. Their presence carried their form. He could outline their looks, but couldn't see them. Their presence came from those who they consumed. Those who died in Kaelen's world. For a moment, Kaelen could feel the entire history of humanity. And the next his brain forced him to forget.
Kaelen brought out one of his hands, carrying an old paper, its content hard to understand.
The surroundings changed. Yellow light fell on the celestial stairs. Surrounded by a circle plate with a ledge.
Kaelen moved to the ledge. "You want control," Kaelen said. "And I can't let you have it."
Their voices came together. "Is this a trick you play when we have already taken over most of it?"
They came in front of Kaelen, sizing him up.
Kaelen shortened them. "We both know you can't win. Either I live the same way as you three, or we make a deal; I get my life back with complete void, and you write your own terms into it."
The voices went quiet for a moment. Then something like a grunt.
The paper flew away from Kaelen's hand and went high up in the sky.
"Here." The paper came back towards Kaelen.
It had a lot of new terms, mostly restrictions on Kaelen's use of power.
Most of it made no sense to Kaelen, but some were obvious after reading once.
There was one statement that stood out. "Restricted from using identity manipulation over the power of the God of deception, the God of corruption, and the God of war."
Kaelen had thought of at least one way to pass other terms, but this one was too unfair. It stood out too much.
His mind clicked. Maybe it's because of their ability to cause wars. Maybe their ability to convert allies into enemies or brute force. Human means can not defeat those.
Kaelen pointed at the 17th restriction. "I want this restriction gone, and don't waste my time. All of us know I pose more of a threat to you if I don't accept the contract because you have already revealed your identities in it. Then your end is near once I learn to use my powers."
The gods stayed silent; they took back the contract, edited it, and sent it back.
One after another, Kaelen got rid of the heavy restrictions.
The voices had lost their confidence; they were on the verge of begging Kaelen to sign it.
Rowan finally gave a smile. His satisfaction was all that Kaelen demanded at the moment.
He signed it without a look at the new conditions themselves.
The void turned back to where it was; Rowan's void was no longer separated from Kaelen's.
After receiving everything back, Kaelen had no reason to stay.
They said their goodbyes, and Kaelen left.
He returned to his room.
The curtains were exactly where they were when he was gone. His body in the same position. The door opened to the same extent.