It's Universe who notices first. Busy making sure the death of a neutron star goes right - it might make the biggest black hole yet - Universe feels a man's luck shift within themself drastically. Most people's luck shift like waves but this man's increase feels like dropping a boulder in a still lake. This has not happened in millenniums. Lady Luck has broken the rules.

Universe is over to Earth in what feels like a second but is probably hours. Even they have their limits. Universe reaches within themself for the Lady Luck, they can pick her out easier. The man, they will deal with later.

Universe touches down in a town that could be anywhere on Earth. Houses, trees, cars, roads. Universe knows that the house on top of the hill is Lady Luck's however.

Paparazzi surround the house with vans and cameras and lights. It's all a bit much for Universe: someone who takes solace in the quiet and the empty.

Universe walks right through them, they don't seem to mind. Turning their heads this way and that, avoiding directly looking right at Universe. Universe walks through the door too.

Lady Luck is already facing Universe's way.

"I'll give you your goodbyes, at least," Universe says.

"I won't leave him," Lady Luck responds.

"Then I won't even grant you that."

Lady knew Universe was coming. She had taken it too far. Gotten too cocky. Lady held Eli close when he got home. Grabbed onto him and didn't let go.

"What's wrong?" Eli said, chuckling. "Miss me that badly?"

A yes was all Lady could muster without crying.

Lady lucks into knowing that Universe will take an hour or two. Lady knows she's outmatched. In a fight she'd lose. Lady spends the time with her husband.

Before Universe arrives, Eli is out the house going to get some shopping. Lady makes sure the paparazzi won't follow him but she'll use them to buy as much time as she needs.

Lady takes a breath and Universe walks in the door.

"I'll give you your good byes at least," Universe says.

"I won't leave him," Lady says and she can feel a tear trickle down her face. For all her power, she's still so human.

"Then I won't even give you that."

Lady feels the ripples as Universe, standing in front of her, reaches their hand out and tries to take hold of Eli. By luck, Universe misses and Eli jumps; screams as a piece of road next to him explodes and crumbles into dust.

"You don't touch him," Lady says. "He did nothing wrong. Do you remember when he helped people? I made presents rich and evil kings fall. You made a universe that could support it and then you made life. What happened?"

"You know what happened," Universe says, their fists clench.

"They were the exception, too big for their fucking boots. Eli and I aren't, we're doing. Nurturing your children."

"Is that how you see it? I know how the Betrayer felt in his last moments. Right! He felt right! Betrayer thought his actions were the right ones to take and he should do the. And he had the power to just do it. To go unchallenged and it's only because the rest of us realised how dangerous he was did we stop him."

"I won't make the same mistakes."

"You're making them now."

"I'm doing good."

"For how long? What's your end goal? Five families dead? - Yeah, I know who did it. - Ten? Twenty? All of them? Where do you stop?"

"We keep the peace, we help people. Stop monsters how is that bad?"

"Because we're us! Because at the click of our fingers we can destroy humanity's whole existence. If Eli had done it-"

"Don't say his name."

"If Eli had done it without your help, I wouldn't care. Humans being humans. Blood for blood. But we have to be better that, it's why we have rules."

"Then I choose to break them."

"Then I choose to stop.giving you a second chance."

It's before Lady can even think about it that Universe kills Eli. Not a bloody mess, or dust like the road besides Eli. Eli simply disappears. A nowhere man.

"You- you didn't," Lady says. Lady can feel the luck she granted Eli slip away like a leaf on the wind. She can feel her heart being torn out too.

"Take this as a lesson," Universe says, "I will kill every friend, every lover, every human you care about if that's what it takes for you to stick to the rules. Goodbye, Lady Luck."

Universe disappears. Just gone. Gone like Eli. No trace left. Lady has nothing to bury, or to cremate. Nothing left of Eli except of the photos they've taken. But now, with nothing left of Eli, how can she proves even those are real?

She can... No... Yes. She can use her luck.

Consciousness in the void. Nothing. Nowhere. No time. No space. Just the voice. "Eli, Eli are you there?"

Yes, the thing called Eli thinks. Yes, I am, in the nowhere.

"Come towards me, Eli."

The thing called Eli doesn't feel movement or anything, really. But the voice sounds pleased.

"Yes, that's good, closer."

The thing called Eli feels something for the first time. It's excruciating. It hurts. The thing called Eli can't stand it, wants to go back to the nothingness but it can't. Something is dragging it forward.

"Don't go," the voice says and it pulls the thing called Eli forward into existence. "You don't have a choice. You do as I say. You come forward. You have no power over me."

Existence is hell.