Eternities meant little to them. They existed, to an extent, outside of time- no part of a universe, in location spatial or temporal, was exempt from their reach. A two trillion year journey away from a demiplane, and they could be back the very next day. A manifestation could live infinitely in the space of a second, and in the breadth of a thousand years not at all.
Still, they were weary. Regardless of their strange relationship with causality, searching through millions upon millions of branches, running an infinite comb over an entire cluster- it got tiring. Knowing, hoping that they’d find just a hint of their quarry, and knowing that each moment they didn’t the possibility she’d simply… left the cluster became ever more likely.
So, these two trillion odd years later they stood together again in the center of a vast complex, a basic demiplane twisted and expertly altered until its spartan grandeur showed no hint of its previous derelict. Eons under the administration of the greatest engineer in any universe and the multiverse’s greatest tactician had made transformed it into a command center every bit worth the name. Perhaps even second only to centrality.
The mood was somber, the air, laden with a barely contained despondent fury. “Nothing? Other than a few hints of essence, you’re absolutely sure there hasn’t been a single sighting?”
“Yes. I’m sure.” The essence had been the cruelest bit- remnants of energy entwined about a few branches, wispy and almost too faint to be seen even by them, but still clearly the result of a greater entity forming a manifestation. It both confirmed fears and led to that terrible hope- “She’s no longer here.” Even that hope crumbled, eventually. “Dodging our search would be statistically impossible without Tabs’ luck.”
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“So, we have a fragment of SIja with clusterhopping potential running around the multiverse, doing… something.” Tabs grimaced, looking down at all the possible plans she’d made for containing the creature within the cluster. Chance twisted, and the quantum bonds that held those plans as memory decided that now was the best time to undergo spontaneous decay, wiping them from existence in the space of a moment. “This… sucks.”
“Understatement.” A brief round of tense chuckles echoed through the demiplane, amusement shivering in the confluence of five concepts beyond the border of reality. “Still, we’ve been dealing with terrible parenting for a small infinity already. At least now she’s around.”
Eaera made a twisting movement in distaste. “Sija… is not friendly. Not kind, too genocidal.”
Kitsune’s grin was viscous. “I was thinking more about obliterating her for her temerity to exist. Seriously, trying to kill your kids is just in bad form. We’re like the epitome of K-select!” The tension drained out of the room, leaving them with only a nervous exhaustion, and the acknowledgment-
Samsara stepped into the center of the circle, eyes blazing. “For infinite souls who cannot defend themselves.”
Of an enemy, whose power was finally enough to challenge them.
Tabby nodded, and Ajinan followed. “For variety, chaotic complexity, and the order of mortal possibility.”
Of their eternity, and the sole existence that had come before them.
Eaera swam through space to wrap around them, comfort and anger, burning ember of destruction so unfailingly kind- “For friends! For everything that’ll ever be!”
Of existentiality, and their existence therein.
Kitsune joined them in the center of everything, a demiplane, a multiverse infinitely abounding- “for existence.”
` As before, again- the Seraphim devoted themselves, sentinels against Sija.