An ancient temple stood high above the lands. Various sculptures lay upon the walls, each with multiple creatures. The tower’s top held four statues, each staring in one of the four directions. A towering wolf pointed its hand-paw towards the north; a confident Gammamon stared south; an arrogant Treecko crossed its arms at the east; a sly fox crouched towards the west. A stone door with cloud-shaped carvings stood at the bottom with a brass plate hammered on.

The brass plate held this message:

This temple held treasures belonging to our god. None may enter without permission. Any who trespasses will become cursed for all eternity.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Daren the anthro red fox asked. He rubbed his fingers against the message. “If this god or his worshippers found us inside, we’re lucky if we’re just killed on the spot.”

“Ah, it’s no worries,” Cain the Buizel answered. He shrugged with indifference. “This ‘god’ hasn’t been seen for thousands of years. If he still exists, he likely lost interest.”

Daren raised his eyebrow at Cain while folding his left ear back. His red with white tip tail puffed up, a sure sign of nervousness. He rubbed the door again, feeling for any aging sign. He gave up and turned to Cain while setting his hand-paw against his hip.

“Are you sure about that?” Daren asked. “I mean, this temple hasn’t been maintained for centuries, maybe millenniums, and it still looks good as new.”

Cain rolled his cyan eyes, though Daren could only see one since the other hid underneath Cain’s brown hair-fur. He set his paws inside his black jacket’s pockets, with one rubbing against a note sealed in a zipper bag. His tail, forked midway, spun like a helicopter for a few seconds to display his confidence.

“I’m sure of it!” Cain winked at Daren. “Hell, even this god’s worshippers stopped coming here. If that doesn’t make this ‘god’ want to return, I don’t know what will.”

Daren remained doubtful, despite the promises of having one piece of the god’s treasure. To Cain, however, the temple held one prize he must retrieve for himself. If the note were accurate, no one would look down upon him again. Not because of how valuable it was but because of its power.

The note, which he memorized, said,

I write this message to let you know I am abdicating my power to live as a mortal. I have done everything a god can do in my long life. However, I wish no one to take upon my power, so I want my followers to believe I am traveling. May the fear of my return drive away any treasure hunter long after I die.

I sealed my power within my personal symbol. Though I fear that it will grow in strength over time, making it prudent to prevent anyone from taking it. Please, maintain the lie of my wandering no matter how long.

Cain smirked. “Don’t tell me you want to chicken out now, do you?”

“Uh, no.” Daren rubbed the back of his head. His hair-fur, red and parted down the middle, swayed from the breeze. “I’ll come. Besides, my little buddy needs protecting.”

“That’s the Daren I know!” Cain patted Daren’s leg.

Daren nodded before he pressed his palms against the stone door. He pushed and, when it did not bulge, spun around and pushed with his back. He gritted his teeth and dug his feet-paws into the ground. The door rumbled before a slight opening formed. Daren pressed more, widening the door as Cain slipped in. He slid to the floor when the door opened wide enough for him.

“You-you could’ve he-help,” Daren said. Sweat drenched his fur and shirts.

“Ah. Sorry.” Cain rubbed the back of his head while a sweat formed on his forehead. “I didn’t think you needed it.”

“R-right.” Daren rolled his sea blue eyes. He pushed himself back to his feet-paws. “S-still, shall we continue? The last thing I want is someone finding us here.”

“Sure!”

Daren stepped in through the door. As soon as his tail slipped in, the door closed on its own behind him. Its thunderous boom echoed through the temple as though in alarm. The darkness engulfed them for a few seconds, with only the lights of their eyes visible. Daren snapped his fingers, and a fireball formed above his palm.

“If there are any guards here, they know there are intruders,” Daren said. He lifted his fire above his head. The shadows around them danced as though in mockery of them. He gulped. “This is a creepy place.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it,” Cain said with a confident smirk. The hallway they stood in held statues of Pokémon, Digimon, and many more. Were they faithful followers or friends of the former god? If so, Cain already through what figures to set. “Besides, I have your back, and you have mine.”

Daren nodded and walked onward. Cain waddled behind him, not leaving the light’s radius. They glanced around for any sign of danger, but none came. No other sounds echoed in the creepy hallway outside their steps and Daren’s flickering flames.

Daren broke the silence. “Yeah. As I said, anything for my little buddy. Though I wish you brought Abby along.”

“Ah, she was busy,” Cain said. He hid his annoyance at being called ‘little’ again. “Besides, all I need is you.”

“If you say so,” Daren said. A bit of doubt leaked in his voice. “Still, I hope this is worth it.”

“Don’t worry. It will be.” Cain grinned wide. “It will be.”

A half-hour passed by of them traveling through the same hallway. It never curved or turned, yet it felt to them they walked for a mile despite the temple’s width nowhere an eighth of that. Cain glanced at the statues in puzzlement. Daren raised an eyebrow at them as well.

“I swear we saw the same statues repeatedly,” Daren said. “It’s like we’re trapped in an endless loop.”

Cain nodded and hurried to reach Daren’s side. “I was thinking the same thing.”

“Endless loop.” Daren rubbed his chin. “Perhaps this is a powerful illusion created by this god.”

Cain almost refuted Daren’s comment before he stopped himself. Daren did not know what happened to that god and what was their true goal, and it would be best to keep it that way. The less competition Cain has for godhood, the better. Besides, the temple looked pristine despite the god passing away thousands of years ago. Perhaps the god’s power maintained it long after his death.

“Yes. That must be it.” Cain nodded fast. “Do you know anything about illusion magic?”

“Somewhat, but if that god powers it, I doubt it’ll do little good,” Daren answered. He glanced at four statues to his right, which stared back at him. “Hmm. That’s odd.”

“What is?” Cain stared at those four statues. “What the hell? I don’t see anything off with them!”

“They’re the four statues like the ones at the top of this temple.” Daren crouched low. “But look at the ground.”

“Huh? What do—” Cain paused before blinking in disbelief. Scratch marks lay around three of them, the only blemishes within the entire temple. They looked as though they turned them to their positions after the god’s creators created them. “Th-that is strange.”

“I agree.” Daren remained silent for a few seconds. He glanced at the fox statue, the only one that did not turn from its position, given the lack of scratch marks beneath it. “Hmm. We came in from the south, so maybe.” He rubbed his chin before an idea popped into his head. “Help me turn them, please.”

“What? Why?” Cain took a step back. Daren tossed the fireball above his head before approaching the wolf one. He grabbed it around its waist and turned it to its right. Cain blinked and sweated. “What are you doing?”

“T-turning them!” Daren grunted, though not as much as he feared. Despite looking like solid stone statue, the wolf one turned with ease. “I-I have an idea.”

“An idea?” Cain crossed his arms. Daren lowered himself to his knees and twisted the Gammamon to its left. “Look, we don’t have time to play games here!”

“I-I’m not!” Daren breathed for a few seconds before grabbing the Treecko one tight. He turned it around. “I-I’m making them facing the same di-directions the ones above fa-faces!”

“Ah, what good will—”

All four statues’ eyes glowed brightly when the Treecko one faced east. The lights spread all around as though burning through reality. Cain blinked before covering his eyes. Daren dispelled the fireball before covering his eyes as well. Despite that, they saw fleshy red that became brighter.

When Cain and Daren thought they would become blind, the light faded away. Orange and yellow glow from a fire replaced them. Daren flinched, wondering momentarily if the temple had caught on fire. He and Cain opened their eyes, and they gasped in wonder.

Before them lay a circular room filled with treasure. Piles of gold lay on the ground, which reached high as fifty feet. At the very top lay a golden crown. Rubies, sapphires, diamonds, and pearls embedded in it, fit for a king. Near the very bottom lay a wooden statue with a necklace around its neck. Its thin gold chain held a red crystal embedded in gold.

Cain stared at the crown while laying his tongue out, drooling. He rubbed his paws close to each other fast. Thought of ruling this world, no, this universe filled his head. Not even Daren or his self-proclaimed goddess sister would be able to stop him once he wore that crown.

“Are you all right, Cain?” Daren asked. Cain blinked and nodded. Daren flattened one of his ears back before turning to the wooden statue. “Hmm. Why is that so plain when everything else is gold, silver, or gem? And why is it wearing a necklace?”

“Don’t know. Don’t care.” Cain shrugged. “If you want it, have it your way. Meanwhile, I’ll go and get that crown.”

“Um, OK.” Daren sighed. “Remember, just one piece from this treasure each. We’ve been here long enough.”

“Fine, fine.”

Cain waved at Daren several times before staring at the crown high above. He lunged toward the pile and climbed, with gold coins falling around him. The mound stood like an endless mountain of treasure for someone as small as Cain. He slipped a few times before he recovered his footing and climbed higher.

Once he reached the top, Cain stood in front of the crown. He took several steps toward it until it rubbed against his leg and belly. He rubbed each gem studded in, trying to guess the crown’s value before dismissing that thought. The crown held no better value than godhood to him.

Cain picked up the crown and sat it upon his head.

Nothing happened.

“Huh?” Cain blinked in confusion. He took it off and flipped it over, glancing within. This crown must be the one that held the god’s power. The gold’s cold touch felt colder to him. Puzzlement filled him from head to toe before he almost broke into a panic. He breathed harder than before.

“W-what? Why won’t it grant me its powers?!” Cain pressed the crown down harder against his head. Again, nothing happened. “This must be the one the note talked about! So, why doesn’t it do anything?!”

Cain ripped the crown off his head before tossing it against the gold pile. He sat down while puffing out his cheeks. Perhaps fate or something like that played a practical joke on him.

“Um, Cain?” Daren asked in a loud voice below. He stood next to the wooden statue. “Are you all right? I thought I heard you shout up there.”

Cain leaned over the edge with an embarrassed grin. “Er, yeah! I’m all right!” Cain pulled himself back from the edge. He pulled out the zipper bag with the note within and read through it again, trying to find hidden meanings. He gave up after a second and crossed his arms, pouting. “This ex-god must be a meanie. There isn’t a better symbol for power than a crown. Ah, he must have sealed its power so no one can use it.”

Cain puffed out his cheeks before he sighed. He glanced around at the circular room’s walls where various drawings lay. The figure within each one held no distinctive feature, being a form of gray and red. Cain raised his eyebrow at the red part where the figure’s neck would be. It held what looked like a rectangular shape top down, but it held protruding arms on the upper sides.

“His personal symbol.” Cain felt something click within his brain. He leaned out again, his paws knocking down a few more gold coins. Daren removed the necklace from the statue below and lifted it over his head. The red crystal, with its rectangular shape and protruding arms on the upper side, glistened in the fire’s light. Cain widened his eyes with his heart slamming against his chest. “DAREN! STOP!!”

Daren turned to Cain in confusion, but it was too late. The necklace lay around Daren’s neck, with Cain powerless to take it himself. The reflective light glittered more, though not because of the fire. Instead, it glittered because of the godlike power within.

“Stop?” Daren blinked. “What are you—”

Daren grunted in discomfort before he rubbed the necklace. It glowed in bright golden light, brighter than the sun, even in outer space. Its power flowed into his body as its new host, forcing him to become a new god. Daren blinked in confusion, sensing his magic capabilities skyrocketing for some reason.

“W-what?” Daren stared at his hand-paws. “W-what is going on?”

Cain crossed his arms before he sat down. “Meanie. That’s meant for me.”

Daren flinched while wiggling his ears. His chest pumped up and widened, firm to the touch. His nonexistent abs from his skinny stomach protruded, solid as the earth’s core. His torso muscles pressed against his green shirt, becoming visible through them. His arms swelled with muscle mass, his biceps pressing against his shirts for space. His legs thickened with more muscles, though at least his jeans held more room for them.

“I-I feel so strong!” Daren blushed brightly. “H-how is this happening?!”

The entire room shook, with the walls cracking. Daren stared at the gold pile in confusion, wondering why it shrunk before him. He realized a second later that it did not shrink but remained the same size. Instead, he grew. His green shirt ripped apart, leaving his torso visible. The red aloha shirt and blue jeans strained, but they grew with him. Daren blushed, reaching where Cain sat and surpassing it in seconds.

“C-Cain?” Daren rubbed his hand-paws against the pillars holding the temple up. “Wh-what’s going on?”

Cain flopped against the gold in annoyance. He kept his arms crossed while puffing out his cheeks. To think his friend achieved godhood by pure accident while the one seeking it missed it. The gold pile shook with gold sliding down. Cain slid down along with the gold without changing expression.

Daren glanced at his arms and gasped. His red fur shifted into a beautiful silver, crawling up. They reached around his back and sides, though his clothes covered much of it. It spread up his neck, the sliver shining with brilliance. He shifted his sea blue eyes upwards, where the last of his red hair-fur turned silver.

One of the pillars fell from Daren’s hand-paw, despite him not pushing. He yipped and pulled his arms back, though it did little to the cramped feeling. Golden sparkles surrounded his forearms before they solidified into wide arm bracelets. A pair of orbs, like marbles, formed before embedding themselves into the gold arm bracelets. Daren gave them a closer look and dropped his jaw, realizing what they were.

“T-those are universes!” Daren widened his eyes. Though tiny for universes, he saw countless galaxies within them. “I-I-I—”

“Meanie,” Cain said. He half-closed his eyes.

Daren glanced down at Cain and opened his mouth, but his head bumped against the ceiling before he asked him a question. He grunted despite feeling no pain. The roof took more damage than his head, with it falling apart and boulders-size stones crashing down. Daren found himself unable to pull his arms closer to him, so he pushed down the pillars without meaning. The necklace glowed brightly on him as though not done changing him.

Behind, Daren’s tail shook as though filled with an impossible amount of energy. Before he turned around, his silvery tail split apart at the white tip. One of the tails smashed against the wall like stacked blocks. Daren blushed deeper in pure embarrassment. The tails shook harder and, starting from the tip, split in half. His four tails waggle, with one going under his leg. All four tails divided in half again, becoming eight tails. At first, Daren thought it ended until one of his tails shook with energy. Just as before, that tail split into two, leaving him with nine tails, each cramped for space as he.

“Gah!” Daren squeezed himself closer. “I-I’m getting too big for this temple!”

“If you had any dignity, you would enjoy this,” Cain said. He flipped onto his belly while tapping against a gold coin. “I know I would.”

Outside, it looked as though nothing had gone amiss.

That changed when cracks formed all around the temple’s walls. Huge chunks fell to the ground, shattering into bits. A tail ripped through one side, tossing huge pieces for hundreds of feet. The four statues on the top shivered with the wolf’s arm falling off.

The entire roof ripped off the temple, sitting on Daren’s head. Daren shook his head, shaking the roof off. It fell and shattered into pieces, along with the statues on top. Daren pushed his arms out, the stone walls powerless to contain him. His face blushed deep red despite losing the red fur to silver.

The rest of his nine tails ripped through the remaining walls as though wagging into the air. Daren grunted before he slipped and fell on his rear. The entire temple collapsed with what remained underneath him. Despite that, he kept growing until he towered at five hundred feet tall. The necklace stopped glowing, but it still flowed with an insane amount of power. He blushed in shock and fear from causing such destruction.

“W-woah! I-I’m sorry, everyone!” Daren glanced around. “I-I’ll try to fix it!” Daren turned to the ground and widened his eyes. “C-Cain?! Where are you?! Are you all right?!”

“I’m right here.”

Daren flinched and turned around. Cain lay underneath Daren’s rear while tapping against the ground in disappointment. He kept his cheeks puffed out in annoyance.

“Cain! Are you OK?”

“Yeah, yeah. Get your ass off me.”

“O-oh! Sorry!” Daren got up and turned over where Cain lay. The treasure, although scattered, remained pristine. Despite that, Cain kept tapping the ground. Daren swallowed before he extended one of his finger-laws. Daren rolled it under Cain’s coat and picked him up. He lifted him higher until Cain reached Daren’s muzzle. “Cain? Is something wrong?”

“Everything went wrong!” Cain crossed his arms while turning away from Daren. “I spent weeks plotting to break into that temple! I begged my friends to help me while leaving them in the dark about what I was after, but you are the only one brave or dumb enough to agree! This is a sick joke! I have done all the work, but YOU become a god!”

Daren blinked. “God? What are you—”

“There never was any fear from that god’s wrath! That god sealed away his power and lived his remaining life as a mortal!” Cain tucked his tail between his legs. “That message I found said he left his power in his personal symbol! It would’ve been perfect! Even my self-proclaim goddess of a sister would be HUMBLED by my god power! But, instead, YOU took on that god’s symbol by DUMB LUCK and left ME with NOTHING!”

Daren kept silent for a few seconds, digesting this information. “From what you’re telling me, I’m a god now?”

“Er, did I say that out loud?” Cain blinked before he gave Daren a sheepish grin. “I mean, wow! Look at you! You found—”

“Cut that out. I know what you said.” Daren stared at Cain with half-closed eyes. Cain shrunk back more while he sweated. “This god sealed away his power into this necklace, correct?” Cain swallowed but nodded. “And because I’m wearing it, I took on the former god’s power, right?”

“Y-yes.” Cain gave Daren an adorable look.

Daren sighed and lay Cain on his muzzle. “I should’ve realized this is what you’re after. You always act grumpy whenever someone outsizes you, and you have some huge friends. Though, despite acting so dominant, you’re a submissive type when push comes to shove.”

“H-hey!”

“Still, being a god is cool and all, but it’s not my type.” Daren grabbed the necklace’s chain. “So, I might as well—” He lifted it, but he felt a force blocking his attempt a quarter of a way up. “I might as well—” He pushed harder, but it refused to bulge. “I MIGHT as WELL—” He strained his muscles, but the necklace refused to leave him. Finally, he gave up and set it back down. “Why can’t I get it off?”

“Ah. Hmm.” Cain rubbed his muzzle. “I guess it’s because it may not want to leave due to who knows how many millenniums that power has without a host. Or you need to learn how to transfer it out.”

“So, you’re saying that I’m stuck like this?”

“Ah. Er.” Cain fidgeted on Daren’s muzzle for a few seconds. “Um. Yes.”

“I thought so.” Daren sat on the earth. “So, what can I do like this?”

"I think the better question is: what can’t you do?”

“Huh? Are you telling me that, if I tap the ground like this,” Daren tapped his finger on the ground, “and that can split—”

The tapping formed a crevice in the ground, spreading out wider.

“—the earth in half?” Daren swallowed before he grabbed both sides of the ground and pushed them back together. “I DIDN’T MEAN IT!!”

Daren and Cain waited a few seconds. Nothing happened, the planet remaining one instead of splitting in half. Daren sighed and relaxed.

“You see what I mean?” Cain turned around while crossing his arms, pouting. “You have pretty much infinite power. In fact, if what that note said is true, you surpassed the old god by who knows how much. If I were a god, I would’ve dominated cities, continents, and even planets! The entire universe would’ve been a yummy snack! But, instead, it went to you, meanie!”

“Hmm.” Daren thought for a few moments before he smirked at Cain. “So, you want to be dominant, eh?”

“Er?” Cain blushed.

“Let’s see what I can do.” Daren held up a finger, which glowed.

“This is beneath my dignity!” Cain huffed with half-closed eyes!

The once former Buizel towered over as a dragon. Thick orange scales, strong enough that even the most potent attacks would not singe it, covered his body. His tail, ending with a white spike tip, rubbed against the ground, creating canyons. He loomed all over the land, towering at five miles high. White horns lay at the back of his head, strong and sharp enough to pierce through bedrock. The black-marked pair underneath his cyan eyes remained from his former Buizel form.

Cain remained grumpy despite becoming a dragon strong enough to cause the planet to quake by looking at it. Despite all of that power, he became nothing more than Daren the kitsune deity’s steed. Daren sat against a saddle and bridle, which strapped onto Cain like some horse.

“Nonsense!” Daren grinned while patting Cain’s brown hair-fur. “You look much better like this!”

“But you’re treating me like some kind of pet, meanie!” Cain folded his wings back.

“I know you well enough that you’ll likely go on a rampage. Or get yourself eaten. In fact, the latter option is more likely.” Daren laughed. His aloha shirt went down to his ankles, sparkling like starlight. “Cain, my friend. I want to make sure you’ll be all right.”

“Yeah, yeah, meanie.” Cain puffed his cheeks out. “I swear that if I find another godlike object out there, I’ll become a god and get payback on you.”

“I’ll be waiting for that day,” Daren said. “But, for now, please take me to Zelda. She’ll want to see this.”

“Sure, meanie.”

“I love you too, buddy.”