The dining hall of the Almighty Family was a table that stretched across all existence and reality domain.
Not a table of wood, stone, or gold.
A table of condensed reality.
Every seat was a magnificent throne.
Each plate held the essence of stars, immortality, and life force energy.
Thirteen children sat around it. Thirteen Zodiacs. Thirteen heirs to creation.
At the head sat the Human Almighty Supreme God.
His face was ancient, cute, young, and old in the same measure. He looked like divinity itself.
His eyes held galaxies. His silence was heavier than any word.
And his body controlled existence anchors and entire Cosmetologies that looked like a prototype toy.
Gaia sat beside him. Her hair flowed like rivers.
Her skin glowed with the warmth of a thousand suns.
She watched her children with silence.
And eyes of a tired mother fed up with her kids' stupid fights.
The Watcher sat alone, afar, like the black sheep of the family.
Sadly, they knew not of his existence.
Only Primordial Mother, the second wife of the Human Almighty Supreme God, knew.
He always watched from the shadows. Since he was born out of doubt.
And Primordial Mother knew but kept quiet of his existence to his father.
The food arrived, served by creation apostles.
Dishes that contained the first beginnings and essences of creation.
Main course: the first light. Dessert: sound.
With the first breath of existence as appetizers.
Aries grabbed a greedy handful of larva burning snacks and swallowed all in one big bite.
"Eat faster," he said. "War doesn't wait."
"Wow, are you an NPC, bro?" Taurus replied, cutting his portion with surgical precision and gentlemanly fashion. "You always say that on repeat."
"And somehow you always bleed close to eternal slumber."
Aries's eyes flared. "Bleeding is part of winning. You don't bleed if you don't fight for what you believe in or want. Aside from your fucking gold, you don't have a care in existence."
"Funny, cause gold buys the armies you need for your petty wars. Wars aimlessly fought for your inflated sense of ego," Taurus clapped back.
"Everything has a price. You were not an Eternal Sovereign.
As a human general with an army, gold would buy your loyalty.
And you'd probably die for it, Aries.
You wouldn't know cause you're practically a spoiled brat god."
Cancer laughed, a melodic warm sound that filled the hall.
"Don't you two ever get tired of this endless fighting back and forth?.
It was fun at first but it's fucking annoying. An ear sore with your foolish bickering."
"We never get tired. We never experience burnout," Leo said, leaning back in his throne.
"We're always strong, invincible.
You lot ought to bow at my feet and praise me.
That's why we rule. Cause only we are strong, perfect, and born to always rule.
That's why we conquer. Cause we desire it and only we should be worshipped."
"Shut the fuck up, Leo, you talk cosmic righteous.
All you do is send armies to die for daddy issues with a high godly ego complex.
At least Aries heads the charge himself. You praise yourself 24/7 when you're mediocre or inferior.
I bring order and I bring law.
While you make my work hard endlessly destroying and breaking rules to hide your daddy issues and need for daddy's approval."
Leo's face darkened. "There's something called natural selection, survival of the fittest.
If you're not strong enough, you need to be wiped off.
As for traitors and rebellious people? They get what they deserve."
"Weaklings are vital and deserve protection," Virgo said.
"That's why law is important.
For protection and balance.
Not whatever you call your blood soaked crusades and pointless killings."
"The end justifies the means, sister."
"I call them stupid excuses. Using motivational quotes to avoid accountability."
Libra raised her hand. The gesture was gentle. But the table became quiet instantly.
"Why must everything become a battle, killing, and foolish talk of 'the results justifies the means' with you?" she asked.
"Everything is balanced. From war to gold and even law. Even chaos has its place in maintaining balance."
"Balance? Please, sister, spare us the balance lecture today.
Should I tell them all what a snake you were? Leaving me to fight Annunaki alone?" Scorpio said.
His voice was soft but had an aura that made you shut the fuck up and listen.
"You're a hypocrite, sister.
You act like you're better than us, but you fucking stab us in the back to take our power.
You speak of balance as if it exists.
As if the universe is fair. While you're a sweet talker and a traitor."
"It is fair if we want it," Libra said. "Every action has a consequence.
Everything has its pros and cons.
For the Annunaki, you're the one claiming you could improve and be more powerful than us.
Since only you can special solo level. I enforce that everything has a price to pay."
"You enforce that?" Scorpio laughed.
"Wow, you are the free will fraud.
You bind people to contracts against their will.
Then talk of balance and fairness. You're such a hypocrite."
"You would know about slavery and people tied to contracts against their will?" Leo said.
"Your house, the House of Ophiuchus. They're neutral people. Unless it suits your self interest, you stay neutral. Aside from Elder Brother Ophiuchus, none of you is perfect to criticize others on their way of life."
"Well, I choose winners. I'm fiercely loyal if you prove trusting you means you don't try to fuck me over."
The room grew colder.
Scorpio leaned forward. His eyes were dark. Hungry.
"You think your armies matter? You think you're better than everyone and we should bow at your feet, Leo? Bad news I can solo level up and make it all insignificant.
Evolve and become better. Your gold is better to you, right? I'll make something better, Taurus. And transform beyond it.
"You think your law matters, Virgo? I love breaking rules.
Deal with it or handle me if you can.
You think your contracts matter, Libra?
I'll give everyone you enslaved with a smile a better contract and a better deal.
Then you'll learn everyone and everything has a breaking point and a price."
He looked at each sibling in turn.
"I am not bound by your rules.
I was born to transcend them.
That is why I am the most dangerous and powerful.
But you all choose to talk big in my presence."
"You forget something, rebellious brother," Aquarius said. Her voice was calm.
"I'm unique and special. I break tradition, norms, and patterns.
I'm the beauty of being unpredictable. Unlike you."
"Chaos, I believe, is failure waiting to happen.
Or delayed failure wishing to happen," Capricorn said.
"Time is the best weapon ever. In time, everything changes or bends.
And it outlasts everything. It erodes chaos.
It erodes contracts.
Leo, your fucking pride. Libra, your twisted contracts.
Eventually, even you will erode, Aquarius."
"Time can be broken," Sagittarius said. "I've seen it.
For someone who never explores, who's scared of change and happy with a mediocre life, you talk big.
There are things beyond your time, Capricorn."
"Beyond my time?" Capricorn laughed.
"I am time. I remember everything. I plan and put everything in pattern.
I hold everything together. Without me, you are nothing."
"Without me, you are stagnant," Pisces said.
"I dream new realities. I shape new futures.
With me, you're just a passing moment with your time.
You have no essence. We'd be stuck in the past or present.
Since only I can dream the future and see what's to come."
The arguments spiraled.
Aries vs Taurus. Leo vs Virgo. Libra vs Scorpio. Aquarius vs Capricorn. Sagittarius vs Pisces.
Only Ophiuchus remained silent.
He sat at a far end, sad. He didn't know how to fix them anymore.
"You don't say much," the Watcher said. His voice was quiet. Curious.
"Words are meaningless with this dysfunctional family," Ophiuchus replied. "I'm tired of always fixing. I'll leave them to face the music."
"What will you do?" the Watcher asked. "When they tear themselves apart?"
Ophiuchus looked at his siblings. The ones itching to be apart.
"I will heal them, I guess," he said. "I have no choice then. I will always heal them. I'll just be a spectator."
The Watcher smiled.
"Even when they don't deserve it?"
Ophiuchus was silent.
The dinner ended the way it always did.
With chaos.
With arguments that would last for eons without end.
Gaia's tears pooled up into a flood. Into the mortal realm.
"They fear each other," the Human Almighty Supreme God replied.
"Does it change anything?"
He was silent.
And the Watcher watched.
And smiled.
The family was broken.