CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

The army of seeker-titans crossed through the barrier. The children of Kronos did not see their father or Insanium follow.

"They are testing us!" one of them roared. The army yipped and hooted their war cries before continuing on in search of the world that that life inhabited was found. The seeker-titans felt the pulsing of Oblivion resonating from the center of the galaxy. They knew to avoid that area for no life could dwell there. They searched the outskirts of the galaxy for solar systems with any worlds that might have life on them. The galaxy was massive. The seeker-titans would not find the world they sought easily. They grew impatient and began raging. One mighty seeker-titan threw a temper tantrum and crushed an entire planet and hurled its remains across the galaxy. Another kicked a small moon and sent it hurtling out of orbit and streaking outside its system. The army of seeker-titans were reigning terror upon the galaxy but still unable to locate Athyx or its dark twin planet.

"We need to spread out to cover more area faster," the seeker-titan of the hunt barked. The seeker-titans agreed and split up to search the galaxy for the world they were planning to assimilate. With so many seeker-titans invading the seed of life, the gods of the Athyxian Pantheon were on alert. The seeker-titans outnumbered the gods, but the gods were more powerful from a distance. Up close however, was a different story in many cases. A titan was born with the innate power over at least one domain and they wielded the power of that domain with strength equal to or beyond that of any god. The gods had to be careful in their assaults against the seeker-titan, army. None of them were nowhere near the power of Viscus or Enamor. Worse still, many of them had never before faced the power of a titan.

Viscus and Enamor were the first to teleport into action against the seeker-titans. Their plan was to take them alive and execute them all according to the proper rituals required to end their existences permanently. It was uncertain how the other gods, being only demi-god status in power would perform against the seeker-titans.

The Tree of Life and the four elemental gods worked together and teleported to meet a group of seeker-titans. Their clash was met in melee. The seeker-titans and elemental gods wrestled violently. The Tree of Life hoped to entangle his foe until the weakness of his death ritual could be discovered. The seeker-titan kept breaking free of the bindings made of vines and branches. The gods struggled at times. The seeker-titans were fierce foes and many of them wielded powers that could destroy a foe in an instant.

The seeker-titan known as Gladiguseus had the ability to touch anything and dissolve it into nothingness. He was the titan of anti-creation and if he was not controlled by Kronos, he would be a threat to all, possibly even the Forgotten One. Artemis did his best to subdue his foe. He had no idea of the power that the seeker-titan possessed. Gladiguseus merely touched the forearm of Artemis and the god was wiped from existence. Only the gods from his original pantheon could recall his existence by memory. Gladiguseus sensed his brethren were being subdued. He realized the plans that the gods had to end their existence, so he felt it was only fair to return the favor in full. Hermod, Balder, and Hestia all suffered the same fate as Artemis. The gods began running in fear when Galdiguseus appeared.

After so many seeker-titans had been taken prisoner only a chosen few possessing destructive powers remained. The titan of death, who went by the name of Death was among them. Like his brother Gladiguseus, his touch was a threat to all. His touch ended the lives of any being that he managed to get a hold of. Gods were difficult to kill this way, but all he had to do was hold on and one thing a titan could do is maintain a firm grip.

*****

The ancient, lost and forgotten True Gods were far more powerful than even the Over-Deities; and far more ancient. Insanium was both, god and titan though he hid his titan heritage from Kronos and his children. Insanium had never before touched such power as this barrier possessed. He had seen many places and many secret powers over his existence. There were still dimensions and planes neither that titan or god had discovered yet.

Only the most ancient of gods knew of these dimensions and levels of power that could be obtained. They were far more dangerous to unlock than anyone could ever realize for their existence could ware on reality. The very presence of Insanium strained the fabrics of reality around wherever the body of its avatar was. The Void helped contain this strain on reality but when he was close to some sort of matter the strain was visible. His true form strained the fabrics of reality even more which was how he was able to assimilate realities and alternate planes of existence into his own so easily. The army of seeker-titans passed through the barrier leaving only the avatar of Insanium and Kronos to follow. Kronos was reluctant to give up his power.

"GO!" the avatar of Insanium commanded and Kronos obeyed. The barrier stole his power leaving him nothing more than a demi-god status elder seeker-titan, which was still more dangerous than any god beyond the barrier, however he did not know that. The avatar of Insanium understood that by willingly submitting to the laws of the seed of life that he was empowering it further but his curiosity of who had unlocked these ancient secrets that could stop even his level of power was too compelling not to. The avatar submitted and became a demi-god.

As he passed through the barrier the power was sapped from the avatar along with the link to its creator. An avatar had a live link between it and the god controlling it but the barrier severed that link making the avatar a sentient being with its own free will and sentience. Insanium had become like a cloned replica of its host. He was initially confused when he passed through the barrier.

Kronos sensed that something had happened to the avatar when it passed through besides the submission of power but he wasn't sure what. The otherworldly being known as Insanium writhed and twitched as it began to think for itself without a link to its true self. Interesting, the new demi-god thought to itself. The Forgotten One would not have any knowledge of any events after they passed through the barrier. All information gathered was there's and there's alone. In order to share this information someone would have to pass back through the barrier and forge a telepathic link with the Forgotten One to update him and the former avatar being of sound mind and body had no intention of this yet. The promise of such power that this seed of life held was too overbearing and blinded him of his original objectives. The galaxy within the barrier of the seed of life was awe-striking to view. He and Kronos remained at the edge of the galaxy and watched the battles from afar.