"When the soul suffers too much, it develops a taste for misfortune."

― Albert Camus, The First Man

"Welcome to my home!"

Cain swept his arms toward the empty sands. Dark grey, the desert extended in all directions, covered by a thick pall of clouds. Slow tangles of heavy black lightning flickered in the distance.

"It's... nice, I guess..."

Ven frowned, eyes squinted toward the flashes on the horizon. The bands of electricity fell with rhythmic precision, a wave that encroached ever closer.

"Thanks, I made it myself!" Cain slapped Ven's shoulder. "It's beautiful, isn't it? A place where life fails to find its way."

Thunder rumbled, a chorus that grew as Cain walked toward the storm. Dagger pointed at the vast cloudbank, he raised his voice over the wind.

"In this place, nothing exists, not even time! We're outside, a bubble of soap on the window of the multiverse!"

The stone dagger slashed, a red wave that parted the clouds. The sky was wrong. An ocean hung in place of the void of space, a vast, vibrant blue. Its currents wove and spun, wrapped around the luminous points of fire. These waterlogged stars burned the waves like fuel, a hiss that touched Ven's ears despite the distance.

"What is that..."

Ven's eyes, forced wide, refused to focus on a single spot. He would land on a star, only for it to vanish, replaced by a nebula, then a dozen different stars. Nothing stood for long before something new took its place.

"It's the world, all the worlds." Cain's eyes held a hint of murder. "The multifaceted, infinite parallels."

The pommel on the human's dagger creaked, his grip a vice.

"Each star is a source, a matrix of infinite universes layered endlessly on a single point, and that..." Cain pointed to a soft band of rainbowed light that edged the ocean above. "That is the entrance to the plainer realms, the lands of the gods."

"So... my home, everyone I've ever known, is inside that ocean somewhere?"

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"Yup, and most of the gods are sitting pretty in their realms, including the ones who are hunting you." Cain nodded, an evil smile on his face. "I built this world between the two, a place that can avoid all their rules and restrictions."

"But... I thought the barrier around the world kept everyone locked inside?"

"Pfft! The gods can send in their avatars, and we can send them resources." Cain made a dismissive gesture. "The barrier isn't perfect, at least not on the surface layer."

"Then, why don't you help everyone else escape?"

Ven frowned at Cain's careless attitude. Kalina and Ooulin had spent their lives in the search for freedom, yet this man had the key the whole time.

"It's not so simple, kid," Cain pointed toward the largest visible star, a point that held firm against the tides around it. "If you've set foot on the planet where Ooilin was born, the place we just left, you're marked."

"Marked..."

"Yup, a big old brand on the soul that makes you the target of those who serve the heavens." Cain laughed. "Take one step into any other universe, or one of their realms, and you'll be culled in seconds."

"But, why?" Ven shrugged off Cain's hand as he turned to face him. "What's the point? That world is amazing, sure, but it's just a single planet..."

"That's enough history," Cain cracked his neck, a violent aura about him. "Now, it's time we begin our training."

"I thought you were going to teach me how to use runes?" Ven backed away from Cain's hungry glare. "I never agreed to fight with you..."

"As if I need your agreement," Cain's dagger spun in casual arcs. "First, I need to see if you're worthy!"

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"Stupid fish... stupid turtle..."

Kalina walked along the side of the road, just outside the capital walls. The sun had drawn close to the horizon and she'd made up her mind.

"I'll show them!"

She would go on an adventure of her own, without those mean fools. They would scrape and beg when she returned, but she wouldn't tell them a single tail about her journey.

"I won't even tell that stupid cat I'm going, she can stuff it, just like the rest!"

Her body floated into the air, prepared to rocket away, when a woman waved her down.

"Excuse me, little one, Is this the capital of the beastfolk kingdom?"

Dressed in sensible, working clothes, the woman had a no-nonsense air. Her hair was pulled up into a tight brown bun, face framed by thin, metal-rimmed glasses.

"What? Yes, obviously!" Kalina thumbed her nose at the woman. "Everyone knows that!"

"Oh, well thank you," The woman smiled up at Kalina. "You can call me Syy, what are you doing out here all alone?"

"I'm Kalina, Goddess of the Sea," The miniaturized woman thumped her chest. "I'm going on an adventure!"

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"Cocky bastard!"

Ven lunged, talons mere millimeters from Cain's cheek. The youthful man kept an easy pace, just ahead of Ven's every attack. Nothing he did brought him any closer, as if Cain was repelled away by some principled force.

"It's not hubris to play casually with a child, but I've got what I was looking for."

"Well good for you..."

Ven squatted down, lungs locked in a spasm. He didn't know how long he'd been at it, but his head was filled with soggy cotton.

"Good for us both," Cai nodded. "Now we know it's not a complete waste to train you!"

Ven gave Cain a silent stare, teeth clenched against the stitch in his side. He wasn't even certain he wanted this training anymore.

"Hey now, don't give me that look," Cain patted Ven on the top of the head. "Now I know that you've got a good memory, and you don't stick to the same patterns if they fail you."

"Fan...tastic..."

"Exactly!" Cain tapped his foot and a small cabin rose from the sands. "Now let's go get something to eat, you've been at it for more than a month!"

"Wha..what!"