After Nyx finally let the girls down, the first thing they did was run straight into their husband's arms.
Sif started to move aside and make way for them, but in a surprising turn of fate, Abaddon held onto them both.
"Nyx told us you're having some difficulties, but she never mentioned things were this bad." The girls said quietly.
Abaddon hung his head low. "There might have been certain... developments after she left to retrieve you."
The girls' eyes suddenly became solid orange.
"... I really don't want to ruin the mood here but watching you talk with no mouth is so fascinating." Bekka said.
The rest of the girls quickly regained control and snapped at her. "Bekka!"
"Shit, sorry!"
Despite his lack of lips, it was easy to tell that Abaddon was amused.
So much so that he was already beginning to feel better, if even just a little bit.
"Are you calmer now?" Sif asked.
"Yes..? How can you tell?"
"You don't look like a space devil anymore."
Abaddon looked down at himself.
True to Sif's claim, he now looked much more 'tame' compared to a few seconds ago.
His red flesh was now fully black and resembled a mass of stars and nebulas swirling around inside his skin, and the black hole within the center of his chest had been filled with a large red eye.
The balance of his hair had also been restored a bit, coming to around 30% white and 70% black.
"Still feeling murdery?"
"Slightly less so." he admitted.
"Well let's try to get that to zero, alright darling?" Ayaana kissed his cheek.
The three of them turned to stare at Nyx like they were waiting for her to unveil this helpful idea she had planned.
"...Well do I get to kiss you first too, or-"
"""Nyx."""
"Just a joke, just a joke... let's begin."
-
Within the boundlessness of Abaddon's sea of consciousness, twelve additional presences could be felt.
Eleven of them were watching the things he was doing with great interest, while Nyx played the role of the voice of reason.
For this exercise, Abaddon's had made the radius of his focus much smaller than before.
More specifically, he focused on one particular world, one continent, one location.
Inside of a fairly new and upbeat bar, a man was nervously drinking at the counter as his eyes darted around the crowded space.
He was dragged out last minute by the few friends he had in celebration of his 21st birthday.
But the friends who had forced him to come on this unwarranted little outing were already on the dance floor with their own flings for the night.
He was probably the absolute furthest thing from their minds right now.
'I want to fucking go home...'
The man finally stopped baby sitting the brown liquor of in the bottom of his glass and threw it all back boldly.
"There you go, big guy. I was wondering how long it was going to take you to finish that."
The young man suddenly looked up and found the pretty bartender from before staring at him with a small smile on her face.
"You were so busy looking around like a tweaker that I thought you'd forgotten you ordered drink. Are you on the run from somebody or just the nervous type?"
If he could have, he would have torn this whole system to pieces and begot something new in it's place.
But he lacked the power, resources, or manpower to do something like that.
His dream of conquering the ruling monarchy was just that- a dream.
But there wasn't a single thing that would stop him from fighting with what little opportunities he did possess.
*In a foreign language* "W-What..?"
"H-How did he do that!?"
"He's not screaming..?"
At some point, the boy had realized that everyone he was imprisoned with was now staring at him.
And it was suddenly much brighter in here than before.
Looking down at his hands, the boy suddenly gasped when he realized his naked body was engulfed in fire.
-
' I can only imagine how disorienting it was. Seeing and experiencing the dark horrors of mortality for the first time.
How do you think the rest of us felt when we first learned of it?
Most of us immediately turned our gazes after a few centuries and now we only checked back after a few millennia to see if they've destroyed themselves yet.
I'm not surprised to see you barely lasted a minute before coming to despise them, since you personify some of their most unbecoming aspects.
But you are also the one who should have the most faith in them, since you are the wellspring from which the river of their greatest change will flow forth.
The mutual attraction you bring about will prompt the blending of ideas, deepen their understandings of their existing differences, and establish foundations for their future generations to build off of.
Supernaturals may fall into the mortal curse of folly since they exist in the greatest proximity to them, but they have that much more time to learn, grow, and teach. They may face scrutiny for their differences, but eventually those differences will free them and illuminate them.
You will find that conquest, while often violent, inspires the greatest hope in those who need it.
The forceful opening of new pathways to reach new lands, meeting new beings and broadening their views of their worlds.
And the one at the head of these great changes will be revered as the closest thing to a god among men.
There is a point that I find myself unable to adequately express with words alone, but you need to understand that it is important that you more than anyone else hold on to hope.
Because if even you do not believe in them... Then their journey may become significantly less difficult than it already is.
So will you spare them your wrath just for today, just so that they can maybe show you a brighter future?'
Abaddon opened his eyes after what felt like a long nap.
He found Nyx sitting across for him while Ayaana and Sif claimed their place in his lap.
All three of the girls looked up at the hair on his head and saw that it was now a ratio of 60% black and 40% white.
They all smiled and took it as a positive sign.
Though his next words did not confirm where exactly he felt on the issues he had been presented.
"...Thank you for helping me, Nyx. I am in your debt yet again." He avoided the question on purpose because he was still uncertain of his own feelings.
A glimmer of recognition shone in Nyx's eyes.
She felt as if she could have pressed the conversation much further, but it would have been a bit hypocritical of her to do so when she was still learning not to hate humans herself.
The only primordial god she knew who loved them unconditionally was her daughter... and Nyx hated her daughter.
Pushing the thought to the side, she smiled and waived her hand dismissively at the notion of debts.
"Forget it, friends shouldn't count favors for each other. Just invite me over next time your family is having a dinner party and we'll be even."
Sif ran her fingers through Abaddon's hair the same way she did when they were married. "Do you have the knowledge you were seeking now?"
Abaddon reformed his lips just so that the girls could see him smile.
"What do you think?"