Divine Receptacle

— Hm, interesting...

— Zetsu?

— This human... she's one of the most desperate beings I have ever seen.

— A human? I know they're usually the most susceptible to despair, but what's so special about her?

— I don't know either... karmic value perhaps? She's been subjected to intense training and experiments her entire life... her mind is broken.

— Not that uncommon... Do you see her as a potential receptacle?

— Doesn't hurt to try. She caught my... attention more than others.

Zetsu and Lust were in their ethereal domain, watching a girl. She had short blonde hair, soulless green eyes, and wore a white astronaut suit. She was walking next to another girl, who had long green hair and white eyes.

They were walking through a fair, next to a huge staircase that led to a dark castle. The biome was a mesa, dry and hot air, soil and difficult to cultivate any kind of life. The fair was modest, but beautiful. As they walked, the astronaut became more and more impatient and disturbed. The green-haired girl smiled reassuringly at her.

— It's okay, don't worry. Take your time.

After a few minutes, her condition worsened. She knelt down and began to talk nonsense and hallucinate. She felt as if there was only darkness around her. A presence lurking in the shadows spoke to her, hugging her from behind.

— Why do you exist...?

— Huh? W-Who are you?

— That space station you were in moments ago... they died because of you.

— W-What are you talking about? I didn't kill anybody!

— Oh, so having no control over your body instantly makes you innocent?

— Wait, no...

— You did not want to kill that hacker... yet you did.

— No, no...

— Just because an old man asked nicely? Do you know why your life has always been hell? No one likes you. No soul has ever felt like helping you out of your misery. There's a reason for everything. You're the reason.

— No, no, stop... it's not my fault...

— You're a shame... a disgrace... even the gods despise you... if you were never born, the universe would be a better place...

— S-Stop, stop, stop! Leave me alone! I hate you, I hate you... Make this stop!

Zetsu looked over her shoulder at Lust.

— Heh, mind breached. Humans are so predictable.

The other girl leaned in front of her, trying to see what was wrong. The astronaut covered her mouth and nose. She began to sweat profusely and vomit blood desperately. Simultaneously, several huge black spheres began to appear in the sky.

The astronaut’s body began to disintegrate. A bright light appeared from within. After a few seconds, she transformed into an ethereal being. With that, a huge purple explosion engulfed everything within a 200-meter radius, including the fair and the people inside. Eternia, however, was only pushed away and injured. She quickly searched for the astronaut.

His skin was now cosmic purple and his eyes glowed with white light. His hair was longer and flowing upwards. A black sphere swallowed the landscape near the kingdom.

As the sphere fell, two young men flew beneath it at 20 times the speed of sound. The first to pass was a guy with purple hair. The second had long green hair, red eyes, and wore a green robe.

He approached the astronaut, curious. Zetsu explained to Lust:

— This human is an anomaly...

— His power borders on omnipotence, no?

— He can do anything he believes he's capable of. But his power has two weaknesses. First, it is a power, which the astronaut can nullify with her black spheres. Second, whenever he becomes aware of his power, his brain instantly forgets it.

— So he's not a good candidate to ascend to godhood.

— Oh, he is. That's exactly why we can't leave him wander around.

— Why not make him your receptacle?

— Stubborn minds are harder to breach. Besides, it's too obvious not to be a trap. The Demigoddess of Observation must be watching us now.

The astronaut's body was floating a few centimeters off the ground. Intrigued, the green-haired man shouted:

— Hey, you look strong! Screw the other purple guy, it's you I have to win against! I will overpower you and then break you down-

His mind, though far more refined than most humans, could not comprehend or even register what had just happened. In a few picoseconds, the astronaut dragged his body around the planet they were on several times. The trail of emptiness left by it could be seen from space. 

The green-haired man’s back half was gone. All he could see now was a starry sky, even though it had been daytime seconds ago. He felt like he was in an ethereal battlefield, a place where gods played. A final black sphere consumed him and caused another bottomless pit.

The astronaut shattered again, causing a bright light to emerge. She imploded and mysteriously disappeared. All the spheres imploded after a few seconds, engulfing areas much larger than the strongest nuclear explosions.

Zetsu tapped her finger impatiently on the armrest of the throne.

— Tch. I thought humans would be stronger.

— Maybe you exceeded her limits? No human could withstand that speed.

— Yeah, you're right. I just wanted to play around a bit, since my favorite receptacle is going out with her friends.

— So you want her to experience some joy before you break her again?

— You understand me a little too well, Lust.

— Like attracts like, right? We’re some of the most hated in the human realm.

— The divine council has wanted us dead since the beginning. As long as we have each other and don’t cross their line, they’ll have no reason to attack us.

— What would be the line? Because that dimension has been of great interest for many deities.

— You want to wreak havoc there? Let’s wait a little longer. Do you know that girl, Kanata? She could be a great vessel if things go well.

— Isn't she dead? How do you know they will ressurect her?

— Her soul isn't completely dead yet. And her karmic value protects her.

— Even if you say so, I'm tired of waiting. The other deities will exploit our weaknesses whenever they can. It's been a long time since I've interacted with humans.

Zetsu stood up and walked over to Lust, looking him in the eyes and gently holding his head.

— I know, humans are my favorite too. But a cake needs to ferment to be good, doesn't it?