10: The Okulus

T H E   W A V E   O F  green energy finally gave way and right between his arms, a strange object had then materialized, glowing brightly with a green aura and that was when they saw it.

It's height was about six to seven inches with a width half of that. There were two transparent crystalline cups conjoined together; one facing upwards and the other downwards, both of them narrowing where they met. It gave the object a similar resemblance to that of an hourglass.

There was some eerie sort of green dust flowing inside of it, like the sand used in hourglasses except it was more mystical in its greenish airy color that made it appear almost fluid.

The three speedsters watched the object remain suspended between the god's arms.

"What is that?" asked Natasha.

"One of the three most powerful entities in the entire universe. The second Herald—the Okulus—powerful enough to rewrite time and bend reality itself!" Aion spoke in a sort of boastful manner as if more than pleased to give out this information that fairly reminded Natasha of Henry Roderick during his science project presentations back in high school.

"And you just happen to have it with you?" came Diana, narrowing her hazel eyes at the mention of the Herald whose pronunciation sounded a bit like “binoculars” but without the “bin”.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand," the god mocked, "but a great battle was fought to acquire these entities and one goddess was powerful enough to get them and she awaits for me to deliver the last of the Heralds to her."

"Who is this god—"

"Enough!" spat the god, his eyes glowing brighter.

The Okulus then wound itself around his left arm, like a large bracelet and clasped around him.

Green waves of energy then snaked through his arms and the tattoos on his head glowed with a similar hue.

"Time to get what I came for!" with that, Aion extended his left arm with the universal entity, his fingers curling towards Natasha. 

A beam of bright green light shot off from his arm and quickly hit Natasha right in the face.

Natasha expected to fall but instead, she began to feel her body grow light as if helium was being pumped inside of her.

She was soon floating in the air, with the beam of light pulling her towards Aion.

Her eyes began to grow weary and she was about to go under, meaning soon, the god would pry open her mind and locate the deepest parts of her consciousness—parts that she herself didn't know she had hidden inside of her.

Carol flung herself towards the airborne Natasha and managed to break the hypnotic beam of light as they landed back to the ground.

Diana quickly acted by discharging a bolt of lightning which crackled out of her arm, headed straight for the god.

The lightning bolt never connected with its target however, not after Aion had pumped an open palm at its trajectory and the bolt of lightning immediately slowed down before completely remaining frozen, suspended in the air. The crackling of electricity could still be heard coming off it.

The god then flicked his fingers and the bolt spun around, charging back to its source where it struck Diana squarely across the chest and she doubled over before crashing to the ground.

Carol and Natasha were on the attack, both of them charging at the god who was still airborne.

They both leaped into the air with fists, ready to whack the god down with electrified blows only for them to hit nothing but air.

They then found themselves suspended, unable to return to the ground where the god had reappeared, staring up at them.

His arms were extended upwards and was using an invisible force—almost telekinetic, to keep the two speedsters afloat.

He then brought his arms down and the speedsters came falling to the ground, sprawling as they did so.

"Like I was saying," the god said, advancing to where Natasha and Carol had fallen, "just let me get what I came for and no one else needs to get hurt, except for the Heir, of course..."

Aion was cut short when an arm had suddenly wrapped around his neck, with another arm grabbing at the hand with the Okulus and twisting it back.

"Throw my own lightning bolt at me again and I'm gonna lose it!" Diana hissed behind the god's ear, locking her arm tightly around his neck.

"I am the god of time and I currently wield a Herald," Aion spoke with a mockery, "did you really think I did not anticipate that you would try something like this?"

Diana held on, forcing back his hand with the Okulus just as Natasha and Carol got up on their feet.

The two charged at him right before his left hand wriggled free from Diana's grip.

A bright green light exploded when the other two speedsters had got to him.

By the time the light had died down, there was no one there. The three speedsters or the god. All of them had vanished.

All that was left was a damaged freeway with large clouds of smoke rising high into the air just as a sandy-haired man stepped next to the kerb where the four super powered beings had been battling it out before suddenly disappearing.

Well, I'm not gonna be gettin' that additional tip that's for sure...The truck driver placed his hands over his head, still baffled by what he had just witnessed all while staring at what remained of his truck and the wreckage that lay strewn across the freeway.