- Nexus of Creation : The Garden of Grand Design.
No matter how many times Abaddon saw it, he would always be in awe.
From his current position, he was above it all. Every time line, alternate dimension, and possible future, and the boundless ocean of time that flowed through it all.
He didn't come up here as much as he used to when he was young. In fact it may have been around six hundred years or so since his last visit to the old couple.
The reason why...? It was uncomfortable.
There was a lot of history between them. And though it wasn't necessarily their fault, a few of the heated debates they'd had in the past were hard to look back on.
Even Eldritch Dragon Gods have rebellious phases in their adolescence.
Abaddon gave a mental command to his mount and the beast followed his mental command at will.
A floating garden stood alone in this nearly undefinable space in the world.
Glittery, golden colored grass and vegetation covered nearly every inch of space on this domain.
The only spaces without it were the modest lake filled with a mystical light purple water.
A bit further back, there was a home that resembled a modest wooden shack.
Just like his own home, it was seated underneath a large, fantastical tree that was too tall to even be considered real.
Once they landed, Abaddon's mount excitedly sniffed around like a kid excited to be at their grandparent's house.
"Easy now, Gan. We're not here so that you can pester those two for treats again."
The beast hung it's head low, as if that was the worst news it could have received.
"....If it comes up in conversation naturally, then it's fine. But don't beg. It's unbecoming."
The creature nodded it's head hard as if it could get behind that decision at the very least.
Suddenly, the door to the shack opened and the creature immediately began growling.
"Down."
One warning from Abaddon was all that it took for the large creature to shrink back down and resume her task of sniffing about the grass.
"You have a habit of bringing such... interesting things whenever you come here. Is traveling by yourself too lonely for you?"
Abaddon stared down at Uriel, Raphael, Azrael, and Gabriel. They all emerged from the hut while wearing rather unreadable looks.
He floated own from his perch atop the great beast and stood in front of the parade of archangels.
"How strange... How long has it been?" Ulriel asked.
"For you..? Roughly eleven thousand years or so. But for me... I could not tell you." Abaddon shrugged.
The two parties stared at each other for a long time with none of them really knowing what to say.
Eventually, Uriel just punched Abaddon in the chest right underneath his eye.
"...You should have come to find us, Eldest. It's not good for the family to be split like this."
Abaddon cracked a small smile. "I am aware... But I didn't know what to say."
"...They say you have a daughter. A human one at that." Raphael said quietly.
At the mention of Courtney, Abaddon felt his face spread into a full grin. "...She has been a joy to raise. She may keep me on my toes, but there is not a single thing about her I would change. She is
my
daughter. Human or not."
The archangels seemed surprised.
Their last conversation with Abaddon was before he fell to earth to experience humanity.
Before he left, they had a harsh argument when he began to parrot some of the same talking points as Lucifer; and briefly alluded to the fact that his punishment may have been too harsh.
...It was too soon after the big incident for him to be making those kinds of statements. Naturally, they weren't looked on very kindly.
Abaddon removed his very stomach and tied heaven to it before abandoning the white city completely. Interestingly enough, Bekka would do the same thing later and end up leaving purgatory behind.
Neither one of them really wanted to carry all of that baggage around if they didn't have to. And they most certainly did not.
If they begin misusing their powers, terrorizing humans, and / or molesting them, then Abaddon comes to pay them a visit.
By now, there is no god whom he has not met.
Half are still afraid of him. The other percentage loathes him. And the remaining caste are secretly looking for ways to kill, or rape him.
It honestly didn't matter to them which method they came across first.
He honestly couldn't believe that
this
was the timeline where he was supposedly more likeable.
But when he thought about it, he supposed that he could see it's plausibility.
While he was still expected to participate in the End War, there was a huge chunk of the divine population that had already announced their decisions to either bow out, or simply join under the banner of whichever god won.
By this point, the only pantheon leaders who were still going to compete against him were those who had an either blindly prideful individual at the head, or those who had infamously powerful leaders with lots of worshippers and influence.
"...Is there anything that I am missing?" Abaddon finally asked.
Asherah nodded as she sat beside Yesh. "...Quite a bit actually. There was never an opportunity for you to form a friendship with Izanami, and your bond with Nyx is not as strong as it was before."
"I was very close with those two?"
"Of course you were, they lived with you. You were all like family."
Abaddon and his brides were already familiar with Nyx and they had a very friendly relationship. Hearing that they were even closer was not really surprising to him.
But it was Izanami that caught him by surprise. He had only met that gloomy woman around once before and that was, again, so long ago that he didn't even remember.
"Izanami... she's-"
"Yes. But you can always help her." Asherah reminded.
Abaddon seemed to be mulling over a thought before he inevitably shook his mind free.
"Any more housemates I should know of?"
Asherah nodded.
"The girls weren't exactly born in this timeline in the same way that they were in the previous one. They were born mortal... except for Valerie."
Abaddon swore he could feel a migraine incoming.
"...Are you about to tell me that you erased my in-laws?"
"T-There was no way to integrate them organically into your lives."
Abaddon was right. This day really was going to be a headache.
Asherah began feeding him information about the girls' blood family members.
Some had already passed on, but those who were living with them made sure that they were like parents for everyone.
*Sigh* "Stay there please."
Asherah nodded while Abaddon held op his hand.
The space making up this domain became a bit distorted, and seemed to almost melt. This persisted until a strange black hole opened up in front of him.
Abaddon reached inside and closed his eyes.
He reached inside of oblivion, searching through everything that ever was and would never be again.
It was a lengthy search.
Eventually, his brow furrowed and he pulled something out.
The head of a very large dragon, who appeared to be his own Nevi'im brand.
He held him by his rusty orange hair as the muscular old man tried to get his bearings.
"Abaddon... What the hell did you do this time?"
"..." Abaddon's first instinct was to give the old man a gentle nudge and lock him back inside.