How was an omnipotent god to stay sane after endless eons? Verin had done almost every fathomable thing. Innumerable universes had been created and destroyed, each one filled with unique opportunities and laws. He had kept a few fragments of some of the universes alive, and they sat with him now.

Sitting at a circular table with twelve seats were eleven Preserved. The twelfth was a topic that none spoke on.

“The most recent universe has died. Nothing was preserved this time, either.” Verin commented. Nothing had been preserved in the past twelve million universes, either… because everything interesting had already happened.

“…So you’re going through with it, then?” Merlin, the Fourth Preserved, asked. He came from the twentieth universe he had ever created, one that had been filled to the brim with magic.

“…Almost all hesitation has left me. The power I wield is a blessing, but it is also a curse. I am perfect in nearly every way, with untold power, an endless lifespan, and access to every pleasure that has ever been created, from countless universes, and yet, none of it excites me.” Verin responded.

“Just do it already. You’re practically a husk at this point, and having to struggle for things would perhaps do you good.” Sigurd, the Eighth Preserved, said. He came from the millionth universe. He had put a lot of effort into that one, since it was a relatively monumentous moment.

“Must you be so blunt?” Mun, the First Preserved, asked. She came from the very first universe he had ever created, and although she wasn’t particularly unique, she was his favorite, if only because she had been with him for such a long time.

Sigurd began to respond, but Verin interrupted.

“Although blunt, he is correct. I can see the past with perfect clarity; I know that I have lost my passion for almost everything. I do not want this, and so I must take drastic actions.” Verin said, “The next universe will be nigh unprecedented in scale, and will incorporate elements of every past universe of even mild note. Help me to create it, for although time means naught to me, I am eager.”

All eleven of his Twelve Preserved nodded solemnly, and the room disappeared as Verin created a fresh universe, empty of everything.

“Let us begin.” Verin said.

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Verin let out a sigh filled with emotion as he gazed upon the universe they had created in its entirety.

It was enormous, only a small percentage of the universes he had ever created before being larger. Despite that, however, it was incredibly dense.

While it had been expected, it was inevitable that most of the universes he had created clashed, and so he the fundamental laws that he applied to it were nigh identical to those of the first universe he had ever created. They were the most ‘default’ laws that he used commonly, but they unfortunately disallowed many of the most interesting universes he had made.

Even the universes of the Eleventh, Ninth, and Seventh were impossible to implement alongside the universe, meaning that there would be no tiny, sentient ball-shaped creatures made of hair or planet-sized flesh creatures.

Instead, they had created alternate dimensions for them, but they were rare.

The most important thing, though, was that after completing the universe, they had allowed it to play out for a few eons so that it could settle down and stabilize. It was heating back up, though, making one of the best opportunities for Verin to go through with his plan.

Verin turned to his pantheon, his aura heavy.

“Mun, First Preserved. Epitome, Second Preserved. Arthur, Third Preserved. Merlin, Fourth Preserved. Demeter, Fifth Preserved. Gon’vich, Sixth Preserved. Cthulu, Seventh Preserved. Sigurd, Eighth Preserved. Insanity Manifest, Ninth Preserved. All-Seer, Tenth Preserved. Mino, Eleventh Preserved. You are all the greatest examples of the greatest universes to come from my hands.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

And now, you must do the impossible.” Verin said, taking a deep breath as he spoke the next, final words.

“Mutilate my strength, Existence, and memories and kill me.”

It was something he could not do on his own; his own Existence was too powerful for him to suppress, as strange as it sounded. Moreover, it was not something anything else was meant to be able to do, either; the moment that his creations tried to suppress him, even with his whole-hearted support, his own Existence would lash out against them.

All at once, the Twelve Preserved struck at him, with their auras, magic, weapons and their very Existences.

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Mun’s aura trembled as she looked around at the aftermath. Verin had created an entire galaxy for them to fight in, far away from the rest of the universe, and yet it hardly even existed anymore.

Verin had ‘lost’. His avatar was bound in countless chains, vines, ropes, cables, cords, and fleshy tendrils, but even that was incomparable to the number of figurative chains that had been wrapped around his soul- his Existence, as he called it.

“Was it… will it be worthless, Verin?” Mun asked him, staring through the countless bindings and into his avatar’s eyes.

Although no true answer came, she could see it in his eyes. He was joyous and full of relief.

A spark of anger and hate came to life in her heart, but she extinguished it. Ultimately, they had all agreed to it, knowing that they were all putting their lives on the line.

It wasn’t even that big of a deal that only she, Merlin and Sigurd had survived, since the others had gone through with something extremely similar to Verin. They would be reborn in the new universe with only wisps of their memories and knowledge intact.

“We must get it over with, before he breaks free.” Sigurd said, bringing Mun and Merlin out of their dazed state. Merlin had sustained the least damage of everyone still living, and so he stepped forth first.

Merlin’s fingers and mouth moved at the speed of light, and a spell far too complex for her to even fathom was cast, but she recognized the effect. They all charged into the mass of bindings, and simply phased through. It only took each of them a few steps to arrive at the center of the planet-sized mass of bindings, and Merlin placed his hand on Verin’s forehead. Mun and Sigurd did, too, and Merlin nodded.

They had planned out nearly every eventuality of this battle, and that Mun, Sigurd and Merlin would be the last of the Twelve Preserved had been one of them. They had designated roles; Merlin and Sigurd would work together to amputate Verin’s Existence, while Mun bound his memories and mind, which was her specialization.

Seconds passed as the Existences of the three Preserved and Verin clashed, and Mun was all too aware that she, Merlin and Sigurd were becoming paler and paler by the moment, their very life sapped as their Existences took damage.

Sigurd and Merlin were having it the hardest, fighting Verin’s very Existence, but they were also working together, while Mun was all alone in her fight to bind Verin’s mind and memories.

When turning her into a Preserved, Verin had made her more special; before, she had been a simple, ordinary human, but after ascending, her specialization had become the matters of the mind.

And yet she still felt leagues behind, even as Verin was occupied by Sigurd and Merlin.

”Sacrifices must be made,” Sigurd roared aloud, and his aura surged.

In the same instant, his Existence fractured as it exploded with power. Sigurd was burning his very soul for short-term power.

Only a moment afterwards, Verin did similarly, and his Existence fractured as it exploded with power. However, the chains he had spent a few millennia crafting activated, and his Existence stopped struggling for a brief moment.

With his Existence fractured but unable to use its tremendous power, Verin was the most wide-open he could possibly be. Sigurd, Merlin and Mun all attacked Verin’s Existence with tremendous ferocity.

Seconds passed as the scale rapidly tilted in their favor, and in a final burst of power, the Preserved all finished their tasks.

Verin’s avatar crumbled into thousands of motes of lights, leaving behind a symbol of a tree within a circle- the Symbol of the Creator, and the last vestiges of the Twelve Preserved fell to their knees.

They were left in an enormous, pitch-black cavern at the center of the planetary mass of bindings. Merlin and Mun were horribly injured, and Sigurd was on death’s door.

“Hah… even while he sabotaged his own efforts, helped us as much as possible, and was outnumbered eleven-to-one, he ended up killing me.” Sigurd ruefully laughed.

“Don’t feel so bad. You contributed the most to killing Verin,” Merlin told him.

Mun smiled sadly at the man. In raw strength, he was miles above everybody but Verin, and yet he was never satisfied.

“Bullshit. Verin contributed the most to killing Verin,” Sigurd grumbled. “Agh… why does this have to be so reminiscent of the first time?”

Mun nodded. It looked so similar because he was returning to the state of a mortal, and that state had been his last.

A tall man with long, knotted silver-grey hair, dyed in the deep brown blood of the Great Dragon Fafnir. His body looked like it was chiseled out of marble, and even the great many wounds and scars covering it did nothing to remove the beauty of it.

“Take solace in the knowledge that you will be born again. Maybe you’ll even beat the mortal Verin down there.” Mun told him.

Sigurd grinned as the last vestiges of his Existence fell apart at the seams, and he broke apart into a sea of light.

“Go with them.” Merlin said, “It is no secret to me that you have long since become bored of existing, too. I will take care of the heavens.”

“…Thank you,” Mun told the old-looking man as she fractured her Existence, just like Siguror and Verin had.