While she waited for someone to reply, Tanya was stricken by a wave of nostalgia. She knew the Justice League. In some of her past lives, they had been fictional characters, but in others… She had known Batman very well. At least once, she had been a member of his extended crimefighting family. Another time… Had she ever come to blows with him? She couldn't remember. That had been a long time ago, in another universe, and she had been a different person.
She knew Superman as well. Everyone knew Superman. And Wonder Woman, who so far had contributed nothing to this meeting, but had listened with careful attention. The other members of the Justice League she was less familiar with. Had she met Green Lantern before, in any of her previous incarnations? Or the Flash? She thought she recognized them, but she couldn't be sure. As for the rest… She didn't know Steel, or Martian Manhunter as anything more than a name, or Plastic Man. She had a vague feeling that she should know Aquaman, but she didn't know from where or in what context. Huntress was connected to Batman somehow. Zauriel was just another angel, one of Being X's lapdogs, although he at least seemed to have some sympathy for humans and was willing to put himself at risk to aid them. Orion and Big Barda were aliens, so she couldn't be expected to know them… could she?
"Thank you for coming to us with this information," said Superman, again acting as the league's spokesman. "Do you mind if we ask you a few more questions?"
"Be my guest."
"How can we trust you or anything you say?" asked Batman. "Lucifer is known as 'the Father of Lies'. What does that make you?"
"I don't tell lies. It causes too many problems," said Tanya.
Batman made no attempt to conceal his scepticism. "Do you expect us to take your word for that?"
"If it helps, I've never known Tanya to lie about anything. She's always been honest with me. No lies of omission or anything," said John Constantine. "Admittedly, I've only known her for a few months, so take that as you will."
"Thank you, John," said Tanya, giving him a grateful smile.
"How exactly do you want us to help you avert the Apocalypse? What do you want us to do?" asked Wonder Woman, speaking for the first time. Her tone and piercing gaze made Tanya feel almost as if she were in a courtroom, being cross-examined.
"I have been told that it will begin with a nuclear war. As you are some of Earth's greatest champions, loved and trusted around the world, I hope you will help me prevent its destruction."
"Who told you?" Wonder Woman continued to press her.
"Under the circumstances, I don't feel that I can reveal my sources to you," said Tanya, with a significant glance in Zauriel's direction. "I'm sure you understand."
"If we succeed in averting nuclear war, what will happen after that?" asked Superman. "What else should we prepare for?"
"Apparently, we can find everything we need to know about that in the Book of Revelation."
"In the Bible? Stars falling from the sky, the Four Horsemen, and so on?" asked Huntress, who suddenly seemed fully alert.
Tanya nodded. "I see you're an expert on the subject."
"The Four Horsemen are real? Will we have to fight them?" asked the Flash, looking alarmed.
"I appreciate your courage, but they're not the kind of enemy you can defeat by force of arms, unless you have some metaphysical powers I'm currently unaware of. They are abstract ideas, metaphors brought to life, anthropomorphic personifications of concepts that exist within the minds of humans and other sapient beings." Tanya's gaze flickered over to where Orion and Big Barda were sitting. "Try as you might, you won't be able to beat them in a fistfight."
"Sounds like a challenge," said the man in iron-grey powered armor, whose codename was 'Steel'. There was a note of good humor in his mechanically distorted voice. "I'm sure Superman's faced much worse than them before – and triumphed!"
His attempt to raise his colleagues' morale was only partially successful. There were a few chuckles and weak smiles, but otherwise everyone's attention remained focused on the monumental problem they would have to deal with in just a few years' time.
"Do you have any suggestions for how we might deal with them?" asked Batman, who was still scrutinizing Tanya as if she were a puzzle he was determined to solve.
"Leave them to me. Like them, I am the embodiment of something abstract," she replied. "I can fight them on a higher plane of existence."
"Because you're the embodiment of evil," said Plastic Man, using his super-stretching powers to extend his grin until it was twice as wide as the rest of his face. Tanya presumed that this was supposed to signify that he was joking.
"That is what others are determined to call me, yes."
"What about the Antichrist?" asked Huntress.
"I am reliably informed that he is an eight-year-old boy named Warlock Dowling, the son of the US ambassador to the UK. He seems like a very ordinary child. Spoilt, cossetted, but ordinary. I'm not sure what to do about him."
This revelation was met with pensive silence. It was some time before anyone spoke again.
"Every day, we fight monsters, supervillains, alien invasions, mind-controlling parasites, and much more. Even if we have three years to prepare, I'm not sure it'll be enough time. We may be too busy," said Aquaman, the King of Atlantis, who had a lustrous blond beard and mane, a hook in place of his left hand, and armour plates covering only his right arm and shoulder. Since they didn't cover any of his vital organs, they presumably weren't meant to protect him, so maybe he used them as an ancillary weapon with which to bludgeon his opponents or smash through doors and other obstacles.
"More jokes?" Tanya rolled her eyes. "I expected better of you."
"I had a serious point: with all the other problems and distractions we have to deal with, we may find it difficult to give this matter the attention it deserves – especially if we're trapped on an alien planet, in another dimension, or dead."
"But perhaps you could help us with that, Lady Tanya?" said Batman, who seemed to have grasped what his teammate was getting at.
Tanya folded her arms and then cupped her chin with one hand. "I promise that if any of you end up in Hell within the next three years, I will do my best to restore you to life as quickly as possible. Otherwise, if you find yourselves trapped and in need of help… say my name three times. That's fairly traditional. Maybe I'll be there to aid you."
"Tanya is a relatively common name. Won't you find that confusing?" asked Huntress.
"I'll only be listening for the thirteen of you," Tanya assured her. "I'm sure you can manage to restrain yourself from saying my name three times in swift succession unless you really need to."
"And me?" asked Constantine, who didn't seem entirely pleased by the prospect.
"Of course."
"Did you… did you just make a deal with the Devil?" Green Lantern whispered, looking horror-struck.
"It wasn't a deal. She hasn't asked for anything in return," Aquaman pointed out.
"In return, I expect you to help me save the world," said Tanya, looking sternly at him and then around the room, at each of his colleagues in turn.
A few more questions followed, but Tanya could tell them little more that was relevant or useful. Before long, the meeting came to a close, after she'd extracted a promise that they would meet again in six months to discuss their progress.
"Farewell, all of you," she said. Then, turning to Constantine, she asked, "Would you like me to take you home, John?"
"Uh…" He glanced around at the Justice League. "Unless you have any questions you want to ask me when Tanya's not here."
"Not at the moment," said Batman. His gaze was still fixed upon Tanya.
"First, we'll need to discuss this as a team. I expect that will take some time," said Superman.
Constantine gave a small shrug. "Well, you know where I live."
"Yes. We do," said Batman.
Tanya opened a portal and took Constantine away from there. However, instead of taking him back home, she took him to a supermarket that was within walking distance of his home. Then, while he was still blinking in surprise, she picked up a shopping basket and began filling it with a range of nutritious and long-lasting foodstuffs.
"How do you feel about porridge? It's an excellent source of carbohydrates for energy, fibre to aid digestion, important vitamins and minerals, and antioxidant plant compounds."
"Can't stand the stuff."
Walking down the aisle, Tanya picked up a large bag of dry white rice, then looked around and saw a jar that was labelled 'Miso Paste'. The color wasn't quite right, so she examined the list of ingredients on the back. 'Wheat. I would have preferred rice.' For good measure, she turned the jar upside down. A moment later, she winced as she felt the contents slop about as if they were more than partially liquid.
'Why call it "Miso Paste" if you're not going to make it properly?' She replaced it on the shelf. Perhaps she should teleport to Japan to grab some of the real stuff. But first, it seemed prudent to ask: "Do you like Japanese food, John?"
"No idea. If I'm eating out, I usually get fish and chips, but I've occasionally been known to have a late-night kebab or spicy vindaloo," he said, distractedly. It seemed as if his mouth and vocal chords were working unhindered while his brain was elsewhere.
"If I taught you how to make miso soup, you could freeze it for up to two weeks – if you took out the tofu first – and then eat it when you're ready," Tanya suggested. "It tastes and smells better when it's fresh, but it should still be edible and nutritious. To a much greater extent than anything you've got in your kitchen at the moment."
Constantine took a deep breath, gave her a disbelieving look, and said, "Why are you doing this? I don't need you to do my grocery shopping for me. I can do it myself."
"So why haven't you?" Tanya asked, without bothering to look at him. Instead, she continued further down the aisle. "If I bought you some fresh fruit, would you eat it before it went rotten?"
"Probably not."
"You're not making this easy for me."
"Then don't do it. I don't want you to," said Constantine. "Anyway, I'm sure you have much more important things to do than fuss over me. Shouldn't you be ruling Hell right now?"
"My subordinates can manage perfectly well without my direct oversight, for a little while," Tanya replied. "Right now, you need me more."
"No, I don't. I'm grateful for everything you've done for me – healing me when I was on the verge of death, giving me a job that pays well for doing practically nothing, and so on – but I don't need you to run my life for me."
"Someone has to. The problem is that you don't take care of yourself. You'll be no use to me if you're starving, passed out in the gutter, or dead," said Tanya.
A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. "Oh yeah, I should have realised that's the only reason why you're doing this: you want to use me as your tool."
Carefully putting down the basket of groceries on the smooth tiled floor, Tanya put on her best attempt at a coquettish smile. Then, stepping closer to Constantine, she laid a hand on his lean, hard-muscled chest, and said, "You want our relationship to be much more than that, hmm? You want me to care about you. You want us to be… close."
"No. If I have to be your tool, for now… Well, I owe you that much. But I'm not a toy for you to play with," he said, standing tall and resolute.
Tanya allowed herself a satisfied smirk. She was glad that at last he was displaying some of the brazen defiance that had earned him the enmity of multiple demon lords. She had been afraid that his recent experiences had crushed his spirit, so she was pleased to see otherwise. A moment later, she set aside all pretense, took a step back, and composed her features into an expression of studied neutrality. In a serious voice, she said, "Mr. Constantine, if you want me to stop interfering in your life, you know what you must do, don't you?"
He gave a reluctant nod. "I need to sort myself out."
"See that you do," said Tanya, picking up the basket of groceries and handing it to him. "You can start by paying for these, when you're ready."
Constantine glared, but didn't argue. Instead, he took the opportunity to add a few of his own favourites to the pile.
"And now, I must be going," said Tanya. "Good evening to you, Mr. Constantine."
"Yeah, same to you," he muttered, reaching for a family pack of potato crisps.
Tanya was tempted to chide him again for his poor dietary choices, but – as she opened the portal that would take her back to Hell – she decided against it. She would give him the benefit of the doubt, for the time being.
After they had taken a break for refreshments, checked that nothing else was in urgent need of repair after Prometheus's rampage, and gathered their thoughts, the Justice League returned to their conference room. Many of them glanced at the empty chair in which Tanya had been sitting, as if they felt her presence still.
"Lady Tanya is a fascinating individual, isn't she?" said Orion of the New Gods.
By now, Green Lantern was sitting upright and looking much refreshed. He made a noncommittal noise. "We've all fought supervillains who thought they had good intentions. They want to save the world by committing atrocities."
"Saving the world from ecological disaster by killing most of the human population, for example," said Batman.
"Yes, exactly. Tanya reminds me of one of those. When she said that her demon gangsters would reduce the crime rate to practically nil…" Green Lantern paused, winced and said, "I didn't grasp the logic behind that, I'll admit."
"As I understand it, she intends that her demonic minions will 'outcompete' more traditional organized criminal groups, but only commit crimes that most people don't care about," said Batman, not bothering to conceal his scepticism.
Plastic Man sniggered. "Sounds like the sort of thing a complete whackjob would say."
"She explained her plan to reduce the number of serious crimes committed by organized criminal gangs, which should give the police and other law enforcement agencies plenty of time and resources with which to tackle other crimes. I'd be surprised if that didn't have a significant effect on the crime rate overall," said Superman. "Maybe it won't reduce it to 'practically nil', but maybe that was meant as an exaggeration for rhetorical effect."
"A hyperbole, in other words," said Plastic Man.
"Can we trust anything she said? Lucifer was supposed to be the incarnation of evil and deceit – and he appointed her as his successor – so shouldn't she be just the same?" Wonder Woman wondered aloud.
"Could you have used the Lasso of Truth to find out?" asked the Flash, sounding curious as to why she hadn't.
"Most powerful demons can resist the effects of the Lasso of Truth, so I doubt it would have had any effect on her. Or else it would have caused her agonizing pain, even if she wasn't lying to us, simply because of what she is."
"Even if she consented to be tied up with the Lasso, which I doubt, that sounds like the sort of thing that could cause someone to lash out in a berserk rage," said Aquaman. "Let's not start a fight with any godlike beings unless we have to."
"We don't need to rush into anything," said Batman. "We have three years. We can afford to take some time to thoroughly investigate Tanya's claims and find out whether she can be trusted or not."
"Assuming she wasn't deliberately trying to trick us, I thought she seemed…" Wonder Woman grimaced and shook her head. "Deluded. Unworldly. Especially when she implied that there is no such thing as good or evil. That's almost as childish as the idea that the universe is divided up between good and evil, with nothing in-between."
"But is that what she meant?" asked the Flash. "I thought she was trying to tell us that she doesn't want to be numbered among those who call themselves good while doing evil things, but at the same time she doesn't see herself as evil despite being the ruler of Hell."
"She has my admiration for trying to be something different from what she was doomed to be, if indeed her word can be trusted," said Orion. "There are still those who think I will eventually become evil because of who my father is."
"And I was once a member of the Female Furies," said Big Barda.
"Even if we can trust her, it may not matter for much longer. Hell's leadership is very unstable, which is why it has had so many different rulers in the past decade or so: Lucifer, a triumvirate, Etrigan, Baytor, a different triumvirate, Lucifer again, and now Tanya. That's why I'm reluctant to let her take control of Earth's criminal underworld," said Batman. "Her intentions may be entirely benevolent and she may have cowed her minions to the extent that they won't dare to exceed the boundaries she has set for them, but that won't matter if she is deposed by someone more typical of demonkind."
"Indeed, her replacement would be in an excellent position to launch a full-scale invasion of Earth, having gained such a strong foothold," said Martian Manhunter.
"What can we do about that, though?" asked the Flash. "If Tanya's demons seem like the lesser evil, most civic authorities won't want to dislodge them in favor of criminal gangs who seem like they're much worse. As long as things are running smoothly, they'll tell us not to interfere. They won't care about the long term problems it might cause."
"There might not be any long term problems. According to Lady Tanya, the Apocalypse is due to begin in three years' time," said Aquaman.
"Do you know anything about that, Zauriel?" asked Superman, turning to the angel who had been sitting in gloomy silence for the entire meeting until this point. "Is the Apocalypse going to happen in three years' time?"
"I… I wish I knew," the angel admitted. "These days, most of the other angels don't tell me anything. I am considered to be too sympathetic to mortals, too involved in their affairs, and too unreliable to be entrusted with any important information."
Plastic Man raised an eyebrow until it was higher than the rest of his head. "A loose cannon, huh?"
"You might say that," said Zauriel.
"Therefore, Tanya could be telling the truth," Batman concluded.
Zauriel gave a reluctant nod. "Perhaps."
"You said 'most of the other angels'," said Huntress. "Does that mean there are those who'd still be willing to talk to you? Would any of them know about the Apocalypse?"
"Possibly. I'll need to visit them to find out."
"That sounds like a good idea," said Superman. "Will you need any assistance from the rest of us?"
"No," said Zauriel, slowly shaking his head. "I'll find out what I can and then return to you here."
"If it turns out that Tanya was lying to us, would we lose anything by acting as if she was telling the truth?" asked Steel. "I'd expect that anything we did to prepare could easily be repurposed whenever we need to fend off the next world-ending threat."
"It depends on what we do. If the Devil wants to cause mischief, she could have lied to us with the intention of causing us to panic and make rash decisions," said Batman. "For example, if we went on to build an army of giant robots to defend the Earth, I'd expect a supervillain to subvert them and use them against us almost immediately. Lady Tanya might find that sufficiently amusing to justify her coming here and telling a few outrageous lies."
"She didn't seem particularly mischievous," said Wonder Woman, in a dubious tone. "Quite the reverse, in fact."
Batman inclined his head. "Nevertheless, it's a possibility."
"If the Apocalypse is coming, shouldn't the New Gods know about it already? They are gods, after all." Steel hesitated briefly, before continuing: "Unless I misunderstood the explanation I was given earlier…"
"I certainly didn't know anything about it," said Orion. "But I don't know everything the other New Gods know."
"We were sent here to be protectors of the Earth – and, before we came here, Metron told us to make sure it was well-fortified," said Barda. "Perhaps this is why."
"Won't the Apocalypse affect every world, not just Earth?" asked Green Lantern.
"Yes, in the fullness of time," said Zauriel. "But it will begin on Earth."
"Tanya mentioned that she was once human. Is there any chance that we could find out who she was and how long ago she lived?" asked Huntress.
"Out of all the billions of people who have ever lived…" Steel took a deep breath and shook his head. "Probably not."
"Certainly not by conventional means. But perhaps Zauriel could find out for us," said Batman.
"I suppose it might be possible. But I could spend lifetimes searching through Heaven's archives, even if I knew where to look," the angel replied.
"If it turns out that Tanya wasn't lying, what will be our next step?" asked the Flash.
"I will go back to my people to warn them. Perhaps they will have some useful suggestions," said Wonder Woman.
"We should send someone to ask John Constantine some more questions about Tanya. Preferably when she's not there with him," said Batman.
"We should reach out to our allies on other planets, including New Genesis," said Superman. "I'd be curious to know how much Highfather and Metron knew about this already, if they'd be willing to tell us."
"And some of the world's other superheroes: those who are powerful enough to be useful and sensible enough to restrain themselves from telling anyone else about the coming Apocalypse," said Aquaman. "We don't want to cause mass hysteria."
"What about the world's supervillains? They live here too," said the Flash. "Maybe they'd be willing to set aside old grievances and work together with us, just this once?"
There was an awkward and doubt-filled silence while everyone else considered this.
In a tender voice, Wonder Woman said, "Flash, I know you have an odd relationship with your Rogues, but… I don't think that would be a good idea."
"Certainly not yet. When we're desperate and it seems like all hope is lost, I'm sure we'll be willing to try anything," said Aquaman.
"I'm sure Luthor could build something that would solve most of our problems at a stroke," said Superman. "But I suspect that involving him in this would cause even more problems."
"He's a scheming megalomaniac who hates you so much that he'd be willing to do something utterly stupid just to spite you," said Batman.
"Yes. Exactly."
Green Lantern looked across the table at Aquaman and then Batman, and said, "I'm sure that if I was dead or trapped I'd appreciate Lady Tanya's help – unless she asked for something outrageous in return – but why did you ask her for that? You basically gave her permission to interfere whenever one of our missions goes badly. Couldn't that have terrible consequences, sooner or later?"
"I didn't sign anything." Aquaman shrugged his brawny shoulders. "She said she'd only intervene if we end up in Hell or say her name three times in swift succession, which we're unlikely to do by accident. As the Demon Queen of Hell, she's powerful enough to interfere with us anytime she wants to, but she wants something from us, which means she'll be trying to prove that we can trust her. And while she's doing that…" He grinned. "Don't you think it'll be useful to have a 'Devil ex machina' ready for when we really need it?"
"Very pragmatic of you," said Superman, who didn't sound convinced.
The meeting continued for a few minutes after that, while they all considered and discussed what they were going to do over the next few days, after they returned to Earth. It was agreed that they would meet again in a week's time, provided that there were no global disasters in the interim. By then, they hoped that a few questions would have been answered and they would have more information to share.
At long last, Dream and Delirium had found their brother, Destruction, on an island in the middle of nowhere. He looked much the same as he always did: a tall, hulking bear of a man with a large smile on his face. Inviting them into his dwelling, he told them to sit down and enjoy the meal he had spent all day cooking and preparing. Destruction enjoyed making things with his own hands, apparently.
"To be honest, I was expecting you to arrive a little earlier," he said. "But no matter. The dolmades may be a trifle cool, but they'll be none the worse for that, eh?"
Rather discomposed, Dream sat down opposite Destruction, while Delirium sat at the head of the table. She drank a little wine and explained, in her own inimitable fashion, what had happened on the journey that had led them to this place – why they had come here, the people they had met along the way, how many of those people had died horrible deaths, and the realisation that had finally brought them to where they needed to be – while Dream ate nothing and was silent until she finished. Even then, he didn't have much to say.
Destruction was determined to make small talk, asking about the other members of their family and what had happened to them recently, but Dream was only interested in why he had left them and abandoned his responsibilities.
Unable to persuade either of his siblings to eat anything, Destruction despaired, departed the dinner table, and led them outside again. There, he gazed up at the starry night sky and gave an explanation of his actions that left Dream even more confused than before.
"There's no such thing as a one-sided coin. There are two sides to every sky. I filled my role more than adequately for over ten billion years, but... destruction did not cease with my abandonment of my realm, no more than people would cease to dream should you abandon yours. Perhaps it's wilder, more uncontrolled. Perhaps not. But it's no longer anyone's responsibility. I took my sigil with me: I did not pass it on." He paused, gazing into the darkness for what might have been several eons, until he finally continued: "I like the stars. It's the illusion of permanence, I think. I mean, they're always flaring up and caving in and going out. But from here, I can pretend… I can pretend that lives last longer than moments. Gods come and go. Mortals flicker and flash and fade. Stars and galaxies are transient, fleeting things that twinkle like fireflies and vanish into cold and dust. But I can pretend." He sighed deeply and disconsolately. "Nothing lasts. Everything ends and fades and is lost forever. Even us. None of us will last longer than this version of the universe."
"Except our sister," Delirium pointed out.
"So we suppose," said Dream, though his mind was elsewhere. Having been strongly reminded of something, he took a few moments to recall what it was. Then, he looked curiously at Destruction and asked, "Have you ever met Lady Tanya Degurechaff? She said something very similar to me not long ago."
"No, I don't know who you mean," said Destruction. "Who is she? One of your romantic conquests?"
Surveying the vicinity, Dream was relieved to find that there was no one else around other than himself and his two siblings. "She's the current ruler of Hell, Lucifer's successor. She doesn't like me very much."
"Never mind. You'll win her over in the end," said Destruction, with a loud belly laugh.
"Which will come almost immediately, according to you," said Dream.
Delirium smiled with what seemed like excessive cheer. "That's something to look forward to."
Rerouting the conversation back onto its previous course, Dream said, "On the other hand… surely there is an argument to be made that nothing ever truly ends, but merely undergoes a change of state. Atoms undergo radioactive decay, losing electrons, protons, neutrons and energy, transforming into different elements. Living things die and then decay, becoming food for new life. Stars become red giants or supergiants; planetary nebulae or supernovas; and then white dwarfs, neutron stars or black holes. Billions of years from now, this universe will come to an end, but it will become the seed for another universe. Everything is a cycle. It goes on forever."
"I can tell you've been thinking about this for some time. A few centuries, maybe," said Destruction, with a wry grin. "Was that what you had in mind when you commissioned old Bill Shakespeare to write that play for you? What were the words he used?" He hummed a few bars under his breath. "That song, Ariel's song…"
In a shrill voice, Delirium began to sing: "'Full fathom five thy father lies; of his bones are coral made; these are pearls that were his eyes; nothing of him that doth fade, but doth suffer a sea change into something rich and strange. Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell: Ding-dong. Hark! Now I hear them – ding-dong, bell.'"
"Thank you, sister," said Destruction, smiling fondly at her. "I would have been stuck without your help." Becoming serious, he said, "There's no need for me to argue with you, Dream. You've made my point for me: for things to change, to become something new, destruction is needed. Nothing new can exist without destroying the old. Things are created, exist for a little while, and then they are gone. Replaced with something else or changed beyond recognition. Empires, cities, poems and people, atoms and worlds. One cannot begin a new dream without abandoning the last. Isn't that right, brother?"
Dream said nothing, but gave a half-hearted nod.
"The Endless are merely patterns. The Endless are ideas. The Endless are wave functions. The Endless are repeating motifs. We are the instruments they use to define what is," Destruction continued. "Death defines life, just as Despair defines hope, or Desire defines hatred, or Destiny defines freedom."
"And what do I define, by this theory of yours?" asked Dream.
"Reality, perhaps," said Destruction.
They stared at each other. Delirium was lying curled up on the dusty ground next to them. All was still. Even the night breezes and the waves lapping against the shore seemed oddly muted.
Destruction took a deep, expansive breath, which was followed by a heavy sigh. "With or without me, it will carry on regardless. I am unnecessary. And now, I think it's time for me to go."
"Where?" asked Dream.
"Oh, out there, somewhere," said Destruction. "Up and out."
"What will you do?"
"I will make the most of what I've got. I shall live out my days doing what I have to do, one day at a time." Destruction picked Delirium up off the floor, embraced her and said, "My sister. I have enjoyed seeing you. You were always my favourite. I trust that when your next change comes, it proves easy on you."
"Change?" asked Delirium, looking bemused.
"My brother. There is no one like you," said Destruction, meeting Dream's gaze with his own. "You also have changed more than even you know, I would suspect. Once you are done here, where will you go?"
"There were matters left unfinished with my son."
"Dream, you left matters unfinished with your son some thousands of years ago. Come with me," said Destruction, leading them back into the house. "This is my old gallery. I've been dragging it around with me since I left my realm…"
A short time later, after he'd told his dog to look after Delirium, given Dream a few words of perplexing advice, and said his final farewells, Destruction walked away, into the sky. Across the gulf of space, beyond the stars, further and further away, until at last he faded from sight.
Dream watched until he was gone forever. In his mind, he repeated the words of the song – Ariel's song, from William Shakespeare's The Tempest – which Delirium had sung for them, not long ago: 'Nothing of him that doth fade, but doth suffer a sea change into something rich and strange…'
He knew what he had to do next. He had to kill his son.