The skies above the Refuge burned gold and violet.
Gor'than—Eater of Eternities—had arrived.
Each breath he took unraveled stars. Each blink collapsed forgotten timelines. He was no mere god.
He was anti-memory, anti-meaning.He was hunger made flesh.
And Sarive stood between him and Hope.
The First Blow
Diana lunged first, sword slicing upward, glowing with divine light.
Her blade connected—only for Gor'than's flesh to shimmer and phase. Her strike passed through him like light through fog.
He roared, and the sound shattered a nearby mountain.
Zatanna spoke a spell—"Retroactum Vindex!"—but her magic fizzled, devoured mid-air.
"It's no use," she gasped. "He's feeding on time itself. He's undoing my words."
Sarive's Stand
Sarive stepped forward, eyes glowing pale gold, his heart pounding with fury.
Hope stood behind him, hands clasped together, eyes wide with fear.
"She's under my protection," Sarive said calmly, as wind and debris swirled violently.
Gor'than tilted his monstrous head. "You are nothing."
And then he swung.
A tendril of starlight and entropy struck Sarive full-force—sending him hurtling through two trees, through stone, and into the Refuge walls.
The Rise of Infinity
Blood leaked from Sarive's mouth.
But as he tried to rise, he felt it again.
A heartbeat that wasn't his.
A fire in his bones.A voice in his mind.
"Do you yield?""Do you forget what you are?"
"No," Sarive growled. "I remember."
His body surged with energy. Golden arcs danced across his skin. The panther emblem on his chest flared bright.
And then…
He changed.
Hair longer. Armor cracking with power. Eyes not just glowing, but burning. His voice echoed with two tones—mortal and divine.
Sarive had entered the state known only as… Infinity.
Diana's Revelation
As Gor'than and Infinity-Sarive clashed, Diana was pulled aside by Selari.
"We don't have long," Selari said. "I need to show you something."
She reached into her cloak and revealed a broken skull.
It was identical to the one on Diana's shoulder armor—and on Sarive's.
"Where did you get that?" Diana asked.
"In my timeline," Selari said quietly, "these skulls were trophies—gods slain by a forgotten power. The skull on your armor is not decoration. It's a warning."
"A warning of what?"
"That you two were meant to kill gods."
The True Danger of Infinity
Sarive, now a streak of gold and white, clashed with Gor'than mid-air.
He was faster than lightning. Stronger than before. For every blow Gor'than landed, Sarive answered with ten.
The sky cracked.
Gor'than's jaw fractured.
The monster fell to a knee.
But something was wrong.
Hope's eyes widened.
"Sarive's... burning," she said. "Too fast. Too deep."
Miko arrived beside her. "The longer he's in Infinity form, the more pain he feels. It's not meant to be held long."
"But why?" Hope cried.
"Because he's channeling all possible versions of himself at once. And not all of them are good."
The Return of Theonix
Just as Sarive raised his fist for a finishing blow, a massive burst of silver light struck between him and Gor'than.
A figure appeared—tall, cloaked in black flame, his body flickering like a dying star.
Theonix.
But he was not as he once was.
One arm was missing. His body flickered with static. His eyes were dim.
"ENOUGH!" he roared, voice layered with thunder.
Even Gor'than paused.
Hope gasped. "Dad…"
Theonix looked at her with something close to sorrow.
"Hope… you must never touch the Prism inside you. Do you hear me? Never."
"Why?" she asked.
Theonix coughed black light.
"Because that Prism is not just power.It's a prison.And inside it is a god we failed to kill."
Closing Scene: What Comes Next
Gor'than, weakened, retreated into a rift.
But not before speaking one final prophecy:
"The child's light has awakened the Deep Court.The gods of the dark cosmos rise.Even the Outer Gods stir in their madness."
Sarive fell to his knees, smoke rising from his skin. Diana caught him, her arms trembling.
"You were gone," she whispered.
He looked at her with fading golden eyes. "I'm still here."
Behind them, Theonix collapsed.
Hope screamed his name.
But no one heard her.
Because far, far away…
The Deep Court opened its many eyes.