Kain did not bother summoning the remaining 5 former Heroes the next day, nor the days after. He, rather wisely, decided to give them time to overcome whatever feelings they had regarding what had happened in the throne room. He knew that this unwelcome event would cause them to distrust him, for who was to say that he did not manipulate Nagato into doing such actions? Kain, of course, had not forced Nagato to become a puppet for some otherworldly entity, and an entity that had obvious intentions to lay claim to this world, regardless of who got it its way.

Kain, for his part, would stand defiant in the face of such extradimensional incursions. He was not about to let all he built up be razed to ash and ruin without a fight, although that was a bit of a defeatist way of putting things. He knew that there was only one being that he was aware of with the power to do such things with reckless impunity, but he had not felt the telltale influence of Lord Wolfenstein in the area. While it could have been him(?), the being commonly referred to as LW had come forward after the event and proclaimed its innocence. And, as Kain knew, Lord Wolfenstein never lied, so it wasn’t him(?).

This left Kain, Alexis and their two children with a serious cause for concern. What being could be powerful enough to puppeteer someone from the safety of another universe and power-hungry enough to desire not only their own universe as their own, but two others as well and yet not be the only being that they knew of to be able to exhibit such power? They knew that LW claimed that he was the only one of his kind, but what else could display such power?

Alas, LW did not seem interested in answering their questions, at least not yet. There would have to be plans put in place to account for this new variable, and they would have to be continuously updated as the situation progressed. If this being could puppeteer anyone, then no one was able to be trusted. If no one was able to be trusted, the apparatus of state would fall apart. Whatever this being was, whatever its true goals and intentions, it succeeded in making the rulers of the Greater Darksol Empire very, very nervous.

…

Far, far away, in a realm so very radically different from Mortis, a man pounded his fist into the tiled ground. His punch shattered the stage he was on, and the tiles etched with runic sigils flew away like debris in a tornado.

“Damn it!”

The man cursed at the most powerful being native to the world he aimed to conquer/destroy. He was not expecting that his first puppet would fall so easily. Even the average soldier in this, the New World, was at least three times more durable than the so called ‘Heroes’ of the other world. This New World was his, he ruled it with an iron fist, not that anyone minded. They were his creations, his pawns, his property, and he could do with them as he saw fit. None of them argued, not a one had complaints, the power he had over them was absolute and, in the New World, he was GOD. All of this was, after all, his fortune. Because he had spent far too long in this world when he was in the Old World, he now had complete control over this New one.

But that was not enough. After gaining dominion over every single living being and even the rules of creation themselves, he had been contacted by a being he simply could not beat. This formless, shapeless mass of energy gave him an ultimatum.

He could watch helplessly as both he and his new reality were ripped apart by the being or he could participate in their ‘game’. The rules were simple; all he had to do was destroy a universe that the being selected and, if he succeeded, he would be able to take his power with him back to his Old World. His realm would remain, and he could go back and forth as he saw fit while his mastery over creation remained unchallenged. In fact, he would be elevated to becoming a being like the one giving the challenge.

He was already on board, willing to destroy an entire universe and all within to save his own skin and potentially claim vengeance on the bitches who cast him into this New World. Then he heard who he was to be facing, and his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. He would crush Kain to dust and destroy all he had built up, and with no one who could stop him he would go back to the Old World and rule it like the god he was meant to be.

He would make sure that his next scheme would allow him to eventually invade without facing that walking apocalypse. Kain would fall, and with him would go any chance Mortis had of defending against him.

…

Kain shuddered as he felt a chill go down his spine. Somewhere out there, there was a being that was aiming for his head, and this entity was unlike the creatures on Mortis in that it had the power to potentially kill him. He did not know where this being was, nor did he know from where it would strike. All he knew was that there was something aiming for his head, and that this something was a great danger.

He did not like the uncertainty of it all. If only Lord Wolfenstein would answer his questions, so much of this anxiety could be erased. He needed a way to deal with the feelings building within him, and he needed it fast. He looked to the east as the sun set behind him and wondered what he could do to get his mind off the threat posed by the unknown enemy.

East?

That was right! He still had not completely crushed the People’s Union of Rusk! Piotr in particular was practically begging him to continue the offensive, to say nothing of the other generals and even the admirals. Yes, this battlefield would allow his mind to focus on other things aside from the unseen foe.

With that new objective in mind, Kain alerted his cabinet, his wife and his children that he was going and, with his children in tow, he boarded Pluton and flew off towards the Eastern Front.