IGMS Issue 34 by IGMS

Author:IGMS
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Hatrack River Enterprises
Published: 2013-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

I held the card loosely in my fingers, staring. Could we actually succeed? And if we could, would I even want to? I knew that my purpose was to destroy, but in a sense I had already succeeded at destroying everything in existence. This eternal stalemate could be seen as a victory for me.

But then what was left to do? I'd considered trying to destroy Tessa lifetimes ago. The idea of ending such a potential for creation -- in essence, destroying an infinity of worlds -- held some appeal to me. But my passion was in the details, the precise and intimate destruction of individual creations. And even if I did someday get tired of it and want to destroy Alec and Tessa both -- and then myself, effectively destroying existence all together -- I would still have to destroy Alec first. Else he would hold me down for eternity, satisfied in his everlasting nothingness.

I locked eyes with Tessa and gave a barely perceptible nod. Then I stood and threw the card at Alec in one motion, attempting to change it into a sword as it flew toward his amorphous body.

The creation of the sword was, of course, just a distraction. He easily stopped me from making it, and the card flapped harmlessly against him. But while his attention was on the sword, I struck at his brain, pulling it apart at the atomic level. He blocked me and pushed back. I struck at his heart, trying to pickle it, his lungs, trying to shatter them into crystal. He blocked me each time.

I could sense Tessa's attacks. They were much more elusive than I'd expected, but Alec still deflected them with little effort.

"Even our own existences cause nothing but suffering," Alec said flatly.

Tessa still struck at him, her blows sudden -- unpredictable even for me. Then a great barren landscape stretched out below us; a flat expanse of grey rubble. I almost lost my concentration in shock. She'd created while trying to destroy Alec at the same time. I'd never tried to use both sides at once.

"Even we cannot peaceably exist," Alec droned. "What right have we to use this power at all?"

"We were existing just fine till you stopped us!" cried Tessa, attacking him with careless passion.

Alec blocked her from creating anything more, and I sensed how thinly he was stretched. All his strength was spread between stopping mine and Tessa's destructive powers, and Tessa's creative power.

My creative power was still unblocked.

I reached out toward the landscape Tessa had built and began to form something of my own.

I pieced together a brain, as intricate and advanced as I could manage -- perhaps the mental capacity of a child. It floated above the rocky terrain, spinning slowly as I worked.

"What do you think you are doing?" demanded Alec, but he did not move against me yet. I felt him quivering, wanting to reach out and stop me, but afraid to test his limits.

I covered the brain in flesh and blood, giving it a heart and lungs and creating some air for it to breathe.

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