Absolute 4 stood on a rocky formation, his black mask gleaming under the blazing sun. The heat was unbearable—waves of it rising from the cracked earth, distorting the air—but he didn't feel it. He never felt it.
He was looking upward.
Five figures descended from the sky, their grey cloths simple, unadorned. Each wore a symbol on his chest—different symbols, different meanings, none of them recognizable. Four of them flew behind, their arms crossed, their expressions unreadable. The leader flew ahead, his posture rigid, his eyes fixed on Absolute 4.
They landed on the rocky formation, their feet touching the stone without sound.
"Greetings," Absolute 4 said, spreading his arms wide. His voice was warm, welcoming, utterly unconcerned.
The leader spoke. His English was broken, his accent harsh, the words forced through teeth that didn't want to form them.
"Filthy Architect scum."
Absolute 4 laughed. The sound was genuine, delighted, like he'd just heard a particularly good joke. "What may this Architect have the pleasure of doing for you?"
"Do you speak for all of mankind?" the leader asked.
"Of course not." Absolute 4 tilted his head. "I am not human. If you want to talk to someone who represents humanity, you will have to find him yourself."
The leader's eyes narrowed. "This planet was ours. How dare you conquer it for yourselves?"
"Conquer?" Absolute 4's voice was light, almost playful. "No, no. We are simply preparing it for your arrival. Making sure that the residents of this planet give you a warm welcome." He paused. "We saw how much difficulty you had conquering Earth one thousand years ago. Against only one man. The first Metahuman."
The leader's face twisted. "How dare you mock us. You made that man yourself. To stop our expansion."
Absolute 4 chuckled. "Of course we did."
The leader flew down, landing inches from Absolute 4's face. His voice was low, cold. "You will not win this battle."
"Oh, really?" Absolute 4's smile was visible even through his mask. "Because I feel like we already have."
"Your tyranny will end." The leader's voice was ice. "Because, like you ended ours, among your victims, someone will rise and stop you."
Absolute 4 stepped closer. His voice dropped, becoming soft, intimate.
"I can't wait for that victim." He raised his hand, pointing into the distance. "Because when it appears, its fate will be the same as his."
Far across the country, standing in a crater of its own making, glowing with rage and power, Goliath rose. The massive creature's spines were still healing, his body still bleeding, but he was standing. Waiting.
Absolute 4's voice was almost a whisper.
"They will become another one of my victims. And I will savor that moment. That person will be my masterpiece." He looked at the leader. "And I will make sure you are there to watch it all."
The leader didn't back down. His eyes held Absolute 4's gaze for a long moment. Then he rose into the air, his four followers rising with him. They flew upward, higher and higher, until they disappeared into the sky.
Into space.
Absolute 4 stood alone on the rocky formation, watching them go. The sun blazed overhead. The heat was unbearable.
He didn't feel it.