After the Scream - 1 Billion Universes remaining

Following universal standards of politeness, Zoltar first invited them to sit in two chairs facing his desk. The soldiers who had brought them were already gone, as if fleeing the place. The office now contained only Jason, Orion, Zoltar, and a man who appeared to be his butler. The butler served a cup of Eternity to Zoltar before providing their guests with simple cups of water. He then stood in a corner of the room, ready to respond to any of his employer's requests. He had white hair and a face full of wrinkles, seeming like an old man of impeccable uprightness, as suggested by his uniform without a single crease.

But Jason could see the immense vitality hidden in his eyes. He was probably an Eternal who had lived for several hundred thousand years.

'He must serve as Zoltar's right-hand man to handle all the tasks Zoltar considers beneath him,' Jason thought, not letting any emotion show on his face.

"Good day, Your Highness. We hope to obtain crucial information from you for our search," he announced sincerely.

"No problem at all!" exclaimed Zoltar before continuing in a tone meant to show surprise, "But why, even though I consider myself an altruistic and enlightened person, should I give you the information you seek for free?"

"What might interest Your Highness in exchange for this information?" Jason asked.

Zoltar turned to Orion, his immense smile still plastered on his face.

"What do you think of this planet, young man?" he asked.

"I don't really like the color. I admit I prefer blue and green because the landscapes seem more alive, and there are often more hiding spots when I play hide and seek," Orion replied naively.

"Oh, a child's soul in a young man's body. It's important to keep a joyful and innocent view of life and the world around us."

"But why develop an empire? You must take on many responsibilities for really little benefit, right?" Orion asked.

"I see you are quite observant, young man. To answer your question, one can always reap benefits regardless of the situation. Have you had the chance to walk around the ring surrounding this planet? All this life, all these souls, it really pleases me to be able to welcome them and provide them with a haven of peace," he replied in a poignant tone.

There were still many contradictions in his speech that only a monarch could understand the origin of.

'He is deepening his mastery of the laws,' Jason thought, hearing Zoltar's response.

"Now, to return to your question, I am willing to give you the information you seek. In exchange, you will stay on my planet for 100 years to learn the customs and practices of my empire. What do you think?" he asked, smiling.

His smile seemed sincere, like a child receiving new toys on their birthday.

Jason refrained from answering, wanting to test the intelligence of this childlike version of Orion. He needed to know if he could rely on him throughout this journey.

"Why not stay for a while? What do you think, big brother?" Orion responded, turning to Jason.

Jason sighed at his childlike naivety. He now wondered if the person before him was really Orion because he had more and more difficulty associating them. He finally spoke in an even voice:

"You ask us to join the community living on the ring so that we gradually fall into madness and serve as guinea pigs to strengthen your mastery of the laws of dementia. Another possibility is that you want to parasitize our souls to slowly but surely spread your control to the civilizations we have visited, thus having multiple galaxies under your control without even leaving your office. Isn't it?"

His question demanded confirmation.

Despite Jason seeing through his plan, Zoltar's smile widened instead of shrinking, and a touch of madness and bloodlust briefly passed through his eyes. His smile now resembled that of a predator eyeing its prey rather than a sign of politeness.

"Isn't it?" Jason repeated, his voice possessing an authority it did not have before.

"Indeed," Zoltar acquiesced.

He then ordered his butler in a malevolent tone, as if about to enjoy a magnificent spectacle: "Dismember the Vésan."

The butler launched himself from the corner of the room, a massive mace in his hand. He approached at a stunning speed for an Eternal, aiming the mace at Orion's shoulder as if he didn't want to kill them in one blow.

Orion, as if oblivious to the butler's approach, simply sighed before announcing seriously, furrowing his brows:

"I really can't see because of this mist."

In an imperceptible movement, at a speed that made the butler's charge look like a crawling baby, he removed his glasses to clean them.

At that moment, a shiver ran through Zoltar. His survival instinct tried to warn him that something terrifying was about to happen and that if he wanted to flee, it was now or never.

He tried to teleport, but it was too late. The world had lost its color, and he had lost all mobility. He couldn't even close his eyelids, his pupils fixed on the most terrifying creature he had ever seen.