Chapter 299 True Chaos

(Aden's P.O.V)

"It wasn't me! I swear! I blame it on teenage angst!"

The Darkhold said, trying and failing to get out of my hold.

"Oh really?" I snorted.

"So your idea of teen rebellion is taking advantage of your brother for thousands of years, being a complete asshole to the gods which I won't lie, makes me kinda proud and then almost causing the destruction of the planet by making me mad?"

It went silent.

"Huh...yeah?"

I shook my head.

"Wrong answer Junior. 1 million volts of white lightning shock!"

The lightning washed out of my hands and covered the entirety of the book.

Yelps of pain escaped it.

"No! Please stop! It hurts!!"

"It's faking it."

Chaos stated from the side, leaning on the huge boulder that had quickly become MY favorite spot. We were going to have a few words about that later.

Geb was thankfully not around for this. He and Nagini were playing in the lake. Though they managed to keep a distance between them and the Fairy Kingdoms lest we had another declaration of war. Cute little things but they could bend, like really really bend.

"Oh really?"

I increased the volts and finally elicited a true genuine howl of pain.

"Now we're talking."

I chuckled, adjusting myself on my throne, to better fry the damn book for all the frustration it had caused and the time wasted.

"Stop! Stooop! Dammmm...AARGHHGGGHG!!"

I stopped the lightning.

"Say the magic word, Junior."

"Thank you?"

"4 million volts of white lightning shock!"

Aaargggghhh!!!

"Please?"

He tried again.

"8 million volts!"

Aarrrrffgggtgghgddftttff!!!!!!!

"You look like you're having fun."

Chaos commented.

"I won't lie." I told him, while leaning on the palm of my right hand. The left held the Darkhold.

"I am."

We both laughed as the screams from the Darkhold died away.

"Damn you Aden Strong!! I should have destroyed you when I had the chance! When I escape and trust me I will! I shall wipe you off the face of the universe! You will be nothing more than a distant memory!!!"

Chaos and I shared a look after the outburst.

"He certainly seems to share your anger issues."

Chaos told me.

What the hell is he talking about?

"That is completely untrue. I do not have anger issues!"

Chaos snickered.

"The Earth, a few hours ago would like to differ."

That took the wind out of my sails.

"That wasn't anger. I just momentarily lost control of my power. Shit happens." I shrugged.

"It's like when you accidentally drop a cup on the floor and it breaks."

Chaos sat up looking unconvinced.

"First of all, if you can lose control of your power like that, then it spells doom for not only Earth but the entire galaxy and secondly, it wasn't an accident! What you did was akin to raising the cup over your head and then brought crashing it down at full strength. You're lucky I was able to absorb all the chaos energy produced, essentially nullifying the shockwaves from the blast. Leave alone the Earth the whole solar system would..."

"Okay okay." I interrupted.

"You've made your point."

I turned to the Darkhold in my hand with a vengeful glare.

"Besides, we both know whose responsible for all that don't we?"

"No... please...no more I... AAARGGGGHHH!!"

"16 million volts of lightning shock!"

"Some might consider that as corporal punishment."

Chaos pointed out.

"True but they have no idea how conniving this thing is. Even now, I can feel it try and corrupt my mind. Not only that, but it's been constantly trying to open a portal to somewhere. A realm that feels very much like a midnight snack for you chaos."

"Chthon's realm."

Chaos realized.

"Exactly. Too bad I'm blocking any and all attempts."

Chaos stood up with a strange look full of anticipation.

"Heres an idea...maybe don't."

He said and I immediately cut off the lightning.

"Why?"

I asked, already suspecting what his proposal would be.

We stared at each other for a few seconds.

"I can do it."

He said.

"Nope."

I responded, shaking my head and getting up.

"Seriously?"

He caught up to me and grabbed my shoulder.

"Boss! This...is the chance of a lifetime! I can take him!"

He insisted.

I rounded up on him.

"And I don't doubt it! But I won't risk your life!"

My reply made him flinch.

"Look, Cthon is an Elder god." He tried to interrupt but I raised a hand.

"I know you're powerful, Chaos. Trust me, I do."

I gestured around us.

"But this is not DC. We know nothing about the power levels of the entities in this multiverse! The gods were more powerful than their DC counterparts. Hell, if it wasn't for Soul Load, I would be dead because of underestimating the Cosmic Beings. I can't bring you back if you die."

I hoped he would understand.

Marvel had surpassed my expectations. What they lacked in power, if they even did, they made up for it with more grounded abilities. Much more straightforward than what I had seen in DC but no less powerful. Anyone could be dangerous. Which ended up with almost everyone being dangerous.

The Zeus from here while proud and arrogant was also skilled and powerful.

"I won't die." Chaos assured.

"I can't, we are connected so deeply that as long as you're alive, by default so am I. You're the Avatar, I am simply your powers. Even if the will representing these powers were to perish, given enough time, I'll come back."

He made a convincing argument, one that I could not argue against. And besides, it felt highly hypocritical to deny him this, when taking risks was basically something I did on a daily basis.

He held out a fist for me to bump. Looking into my very own eyes, I realized that even without meaning to, Chaos had been what had kept me going. It was him that had been there when I had woken up, confused and agitated.

"You better live."

I ordered and subtly expended a lot of lesser miracles to make sure he wouldn't die.

"What?...what are you planning!?"

The Darkhold asked, reminding the both of us that we had been in the middle of something.

I exchanged a look with Chaos before turning to the Darkhold, a serious expression on my face.

"Normally I wouldn't give a shit about my enemies. It's usually either I kill them or throw them in an inescapable prison realm called the Hollowlands."

I felt the book almost shiver.

"But the one thing that defines me is family." I added much softly.

"The very same thing that made me so mad at you, Junior. Luckily for you, it's the same thing that's keeping you alive."

I held out my right hand to the book, palm blazing with electric energy. The energy gathered at my index finger, glowing white with gyrating motion.

"No! Stay away! Don't kill me!"

"He's not going to kill you." Chaos rolled his eyes.

"You probably didn't notice it but the white lightning has not been doing what you think it has."

I nodded in affirmation.

"Yup. Despite my love for sadism once in a while, the objective was not to hurt you."

"It wasn't?"

The Darkhold or wondered in disbelief.

I touched the top of the cover with the tip of the finger, then brought it down, carving a line across it and splitting the hard cover into two. It was like opening a door or rather a cage. One meant to free the spiritual energy it had stolen from me through Geb.

"Oh please, if that was my motive, I would have fried your ass with Purple lightning. White lightning is not meant for battle, it's meant to cleanse. To heal."

A burst of yellow light rose up to the sky from the Darkhold.

"Or in this case...to separate."

Chaos and I both looked up at the light that was forming into a humanoid figure above us.

"I feel...I feel free."

A soft voice that sounded eerily familiar, young and female stated. The light quickly imploded upon itself and a slight shockwave blasted out through the surroundings.

I teleported under right under it just as a young girl, 15 or so fell from the sky and landed in my outstretched arms. My eyes widened as my heart seized up.

"Lindy?..."

My sister. I was looking at my aged up sister.

"Well, that's unexpected."

Chaos made the understatement of the year, but my mind was far away to pay attention to his next words. I fell to my knees in shock, looking her over for injuries. Fortunately she was fine. How? How was this possible?!

I mean, I was happy that she was here with me. While I looked like my Dad, Lindy had always been the spitting image of our beautiful mother. She had Dad's nose but every other feature was mom's. What did this mean? And if Lindy was here then where was mom?

"...Boss?...Boss!?"

I jerked in surprise at the touch, turning around to see the concerned look on Chaos' face.

"I know this is some... heavy stuff but it's time."

He told me, before pointing at the Darkhold that was spinning in the air enclosed in a bubble of darkness. It was trying to open a portal and escape.

"Just like we thought, Chthon is calling it back to his realm."

He informed me and I was momentarily conflicted.

Despite the assurances Chaos had given me, I was still not sure it was smart to let him go face a Realm Lord on his own. What if his plan to take control of the Chaos realm backfired horribly? I was learning that for all of my intelligence and power, there were things hidden from my gaze.

For example the fact that my sister was here, alive and well. Was she the one I had been talking to or had that simply been her corrupted version? Or could it be that it wasn't any of that and her appearance had been mere happenstance.

"Stop!"

Chaos shouted at me before grabbing my shoulder in a tight grip.

"You're doing it again. Don't be cautious! Don't doubt yourself! You're Aden Strong."

He pointed at Lindy.

"Whatever...this whole thing is, you'll figure it out."

He got to his feet.

"You always do."

The trust in his tone was almost too much.

I closed my eyes and brought my forehead against Lindy's. Yeah, he was right.

"Okay."

I couldn't even recognize my own voice. It sounded weak. I hated that.

"Okay." I repeated, this time firmer and more confident.

"Go do what you need to do. Show that fucker what true Chaos is."

Chaos smiled.

"That more like it."