As Zeus looked down at Mike, a growing seriousness settled across the king of Olympus's face. Arcs of lightning flashed within his eyes, illuminating features carved by ages of rule and war. Around them, the battlefield smoldered. Dead gods, shattered armies, and burning earth stretched across the horizon, yet since the fighting began, Zeus looked at Mike with something other than contempt. It was a look that made Mike's smile falter.
"Abomination of Kur," Zeus said, his voice carrying across the ruined battlefield. "You attack Olympus and dare make us endure our exit from Earth once again."
Mike frowned as he looked up at him.
"Exit from Earth?" he asked.
Zeus stared at him for a long moment before releasing an aggravated sigh.
"You embrace the role of god slayer and laugh at our slaughter but do not understand what you are doing? Are you a fool who lives for nothing but destruction?"
As he spoke, his gaze shifted toward a distant ridge where the old man and the one-eyed raven continued to watch. Disgust flashed across the king of Olympus's face before he looked back toward Mike.
"Kur devoured and destroyed our physical forms. This is how all of the gods and pantheons moved to the Veil. These events are why no gods have been present on Earth for thousands of years."
Mike blinked.
Of all the things he had expected to hear, that wasn't one of them.
"What about angels and demons? The Djinn?" Mike asked in confusion.
"Lesser beings than gods," Zeus replied immediately. "Yahweh made his own exit. Djinn serve a different role. From all I said, this is what interests you?"
Frustration flared through Mike.
"If you didn't want to experience this again, then why send me here? I didn't choose to come back in time. You gods keep trying to kill me!"
Zeus snorted.
"Weak lesser gods used a construct to send you back in time so they could trap or kill you. That was a misjudgment by them and they will pay for that."
The king's expression twisted with disgust before his eyes moved once more toward the distant raven.
"Odin!" Zeus shouted. "How long do you intend to watch this spectacle?"
The one-eyed raven turned its head toward him.
For a moment it remained motionless.
Then black feathers exploded outward.
The bird twisted and expanded, its form stretching into that of a middle-aged man clad in worn golden armor. A black cloak of raven feathers draped from his shoulders and shifted softly in the wind. His remaining eye settled upon Zeus.
"So the lecher of Olympus decided to act."
Odin's voice was flat and unimpressed.
"I came to see how strong the creature Kur created has become. I also intend to deal with the lesser gods who sent it here."
Then a smile slowly formed on his face.
"You shouldn't have intervened. I was enjoying the despair on your face and looked forward to seeing a dragon slay you once again."
Lightning crackled violently around Zeus.
Before either god could continue, the old man's voice thundered across the battlefield.
"Enough!"
He stomped his cane against the air.
Reality shattered.
The battlefield vanished.
The burning armies disappeared.
The sky cracked apart like glass.
Mike's stomach dropped as the world around him dissolved into darkness.
When the distortion ended, he found himself standing within a lightless void.
There was no sky.
No ground.
No horizon.
Only endless darkness stretching in every direction.
Mike immediately tried to move.
Nothing happened.
His body refused to obey.
"What the fuck?"
His voice echoed strangely through the emptiness.
A short distance away stood Zeus, Odin, and the old man.
All three appeared completely unaffected.
The old man rested both hands atop his cane and stared at them silently.
Zeus folded his arms.
Odin's smile faded.
Standing frozen within the void, unable to move, Mike realized that whatever was about to happen was something he could not fight against. The powerless feeling made the rage swell up in his chest.
The old man looked at him with a sad expression. "Michael do you have no reaction other than violence?"
Mike clinched his fists and jaw so hard they began to bleed. His eyes burned with fury.
"I did not come to harm you, Michael. I came to see what path you would choose, just as I did with Kur so long ago. I hoped you would walk a different path, but you may truly be more destructive."
The old man let out a quiet defeated sigh.
"You are an unfortunate creation of destruction and hatred formed by gods who meddle beyond even their own understanding. Those who overestimate their power and control while mistaking what they believe should be the correct set of events for protecting Earth."
With silent steps the old man moved closer. His expression remained serene as he looked into Mike's eyes.
"I allowed the gods to breach the veil and pick chosen to fight the darkness that will arrive on Earth, but instead the past has begun repeating itself once again. If you continue your path of destruction on all gods and chosen. There will be no more Earth. Everyone and everything will be gone."
The old man stopped right in front of Mike's face. "It is time for you to decide if you want to use all the power you gained to protect what matters to you or follow the path of Kur."
With a calm movement of his weathered hand. He reached into Mike's chest as a muffled scream filled the void.
Mike felt himself being pulled apart. A suction feeling filled his chest as the pain intensified. A moment later he found himself staring at a familiar black dragon directly in front of him. The old man stepped back, placing both hands on his cane once again.
"It is now time to choose Michael."