THE MOMENT
“All shall bow before me!” Claudia watched with amusement as Keith played with his new abilities. They were in a mall parking lot at dawn, and there wasn't anyone near them to notice the floating man firing brilliant blue plasma beams from his hand.
“Well, congratulations on everything working out okay,” Claudia said. “It seems like you were the right choice after all.” She was only catering to his ego in the moment; her procedure worked flawlessly on anyone.
For Millenia, she'd watched gods and great beings fall to arrogance; it was great fun watching someone sabotage themselves completely, and she loved to give it that little extra push.
“I can sense the multiverse now… I was always meant to have this power,” Keith said. “Always meant to be the only version of me anywhere. A true, singular god,” he grinned.
“Let's not get carried away. I'm good, but you're still relatively weak as far as the multiverse goes. You'd be better off focusing on dominating this Earth first to get used to your new powers and build your strength,” she said.
Claudia was a woman, and the one thing she knew for sure was that Keith thought he was better than her because of it. It was why she chose him to play with. And she knew her suggestion would have the opposite effect on him.
“How long could it take to enslave the Earth with powers like this? A day?” He chuckled to himself. He was used to Claudia laughing heartily at every single one of his jokes, except she didn't laugh that time. She wasn't even looking at him anymore.
Claudia's bright blue eyes were focused on an almost 8-foot-tall stranger approaching them.
“What's this dumbass want?” Keith asked. Claudia giggled.
“It was nice knowing you, Keith. I think we'll be parting ways here.”
“What, is he your boyfriend or something?” Keith asked. He wasn't even remotely attracted to Claudia, but it was a sudden shift, and he was curious. And, it was the only reason he could come up with for her new behavior.
“Hahahaha,” Claudia laughed harder without actually answering. In moments, the imposing stranger arrived and set eyes on Claudia while ignoring Keith.
“Are you claiming this Earth for Io Limited?” He asked Claudia. She shook her head, jostling her vibrant red curls.
“Not at all, just having a bit of fun. Don’t let me stop you,” she said.
“This Earth belongs to me,” Keith said. He asked about ‘this’ Earth, and he seemed to know Claudia, regardless of their relationship. Keith knew it was time to fully step into his role. “I am Unique Soul #23, La Luna; I have Flight, Calavera Strength, Stellar Plasma, Soldado regeneration, Muerte Time control, and Corona domination,” he said as he hovered three feet off the ground to meet the stranger eye to eye.
“Are there any Supers here?” he sighed first, then turned back to Claudia to ask the question.
“Supers??” Keith asked. “I AM A GOD!”
“A few, but they’re mostly in hiding,” Claudia answered his question with a smile. “You won’t find any organized Leagues here.”
“That’s gonna be a chore…,” he shook his head. “I’ll try somewhere else.” He dropped a black card on the ground, and it created a black flat portal. Keith recognized it.
“Running away is the correct move.” Keith laughed, and Claudia smiled. She’d found her amusement.
“Go ahead, I don’t mind,” Claudia nodded at the giant in the pink polo shirt.
“Well, if you really don’t mind…,” he grinned and turned to Keith.
“Name’s Roy,” he said. “I thought I was being civil to an acquaintance, but it turns out that I don’t need to. How about a game, Mr. God?”
“A GAME???!” Keith laughed. He had the man’s attention, and it was time to show him how powerful his new abilities were. “This is NO GAME!” He rushed forward, ready to unleash all his newfound strength. He’d tested it already, and he knew he was powerful enough to break an abandoned Earth in half. His fist was clenched as he flew forward, closing the several-foot gap in an instant, and he made contact.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!”
Keith’s arm exploded as he hit Roy with all his might. A splash of red erupted, and his arm was gone up to the elbow. Although it was starting to grow back already, painfully.
“There’s always someone infinitely stronger than you.” Roy chuckled as Keith struggled to stay on his feet while holding his shoulder in agony. “You should’ve taken the game,” he added as he raised his fist for his own punch. “This one’s entirely your own fault.” Keith heard the words a split second before the pain stopped.