They were called Arks. It was evidently a biblical reference from ancient Earth, of a man that had escaped a great flood upon a boat housing animals within it. In that respect it seemed appropriate. The twelve cylinders drifting through the endless yawning void of space were indeed arks, arks carrying the last of the human race upon them. Vast colonies whose insides were varied in terrain. There were large gleaming cities but also plenty of artificially grown vegetation. Holographic representations of animals from old earth frolicked here, echoes of a world that once was. 

The decline in the climate of the planet had come fast and hard. It had many eyes that were then forced to look beyond, the planet’s situation beyond salvation. A mere twelve million out of the then 8 billion people on the planet were those that had left. The fate of those left behind was a slow death as the climate became harsher and unsuited to human life. These colonies were the descendants of those that had departed the planet. Ten generations had lived and died in these craft as they drifted ever closer to the destination, a planet many light years away capable of potentially supporting life. 

It was not an easy life, not an easy existence, but it was one they managed to have work. Everyone did their part for the good of the whole for indeed this was the last shot humanity had, the last chance for the species to thrive in the galaxy. While arguments were had and of course some conflicts arose, it was nothing that wasn’t able to be resolved. While these people might not ever see the new world, their children’s children could possibly. 

Of course space was a busy place. Sensors were ever alert for asteroids or meteors that could spell the downfall of the colonies. Impacts could be disastrous and required constant monitoring. Constant tracking. Who knew what might be out there? A rogue planet or black hole could end it all, it was a delicate and dangerous thing to be certain. 

Indeed it was believed that when the sensors started blaring at something approaching at rapid speed it was a rogue planet. After all the scales were massive. Huge. Planetary. The vastness of the object had people scrambling to make course adjustments but the speed of it defied all logic. Nothing moved that vast. Normally they had days to make adjustments but the speed was such that the colonies had mere hours to move, not nearly enough time. 

It was soon enough visible on the visual sensors and when brought up… it was a baffling sight to all. Towering high into space was a humanoid figure. Six pure white and gold wings sprouted from the back of a being that could only be described as divine really. The form was lithe and beautiful, artfully sculpted in a soft manner. They appeared male, though they were so strikingly beautiful they might well have been mistaken for a female. A gold and white toga wrapped around the form of this angelic being and long gold-spun hair drifted gently around the head of the being. 

Brilliant yellow pupils bigger than comets drifted over the twelve Arks with some bit of curiosity in them, bidding them to drift closer. The force of gravity around them was becoming a bit of a danger to the Arks as they scrambled to communicate with this vast being. Their efforts thus far had gotten no response or indication the celestial being could detect their little signals making it to him. 

One of the Arks was slow to drift away as the winged titan drifted closer and ended up caught in the strong pull of gravity exerted around him. The slender blonde watched as the cylinder was pulled closer toward him rather rapidly, eyes fixed on it. Eventually a smirk drew itself across those beautiful pale lips and he opened his mouth. When he spoke his voice managed to echo out within every colony despite the lack of sound traveling in space. Indeed the words weren’t heard with their ears but inside their heads. 

“This cluster is usually so lifeless, color me surprised some of the bacteria evolved over the past couple of cycles since I visited.” The voice was indeed that of a male most felt. 

He reached out and allowed the colony drifting toward him to slide toward his vast and open palm. The people within were panicking and trying to do everything they could to escape. Some even launched smaller craft to try to flee toward other colonies. These were caught in the force of his personal gravity as well and drifted toward him all the same. There was no escape from the force of the pull on them. 

“Let’s see what toys I’ve happened upon here…” The pretty angelic being mused. 

The colony struck the palm of his hand, looking rather like a toy as it touched the pale and flawless surface of his palm. The effects were immediate. The whole structure shook and rumbled, buildings within collapsing as the metal holding everything together groaned and bent. The tiny craft that had tried to escape were not so lucky. They fell toward the pale and endless palm and smashed down, exploding on impact. The explosions were so insignificant compared to him, it would have been like trying to notice the movements of microbes. 

Long and slender fingers curled up around the cylinder and gripped it, the impact causing more of the Ark to bend and groan. Breaches had opened up in a few places, ejecting some people out into space as he lifted the cylinder up to one of his eyes and moved it closer, squinting and looking at it as though able to see through the meta. There was stillness for a moment as many in the ark could only look outside at the eye of their captor. 

“I can’t… ah. There they are. Maybe I spoke too soon when I said the bacteria evolved.” The angel mused with a snort. “Well, come entertainment is better than none. Plus you leave some growth on your cluster and then come back and it’s a whole mess of an infestation. No. Thanks.” 

With that said he abruptly curled his fist around the Ark before the eyes of the remaining 11. There wasn’t even time for many to realize what happened before the vast fingers curled and crushed a million souls into oblivion. He flicked his fingers moments later, scattering debris out into space. That was when absolute panic set in, chaos reigning in the Arks as people tried to escape and they tried to move away. Far too slowly. 

“Dunno if you can understand me or not, but the name is Aventus, overseer of the nearest ten thousand or so clusters. This cluster is supposed to be empty sooooo… have to make sure it actually is empty. Sorry I guess?” Yeah he didn’t sound sorry at all. 

The Arks had no weapons on them, even if they did there was no way to really reasonably fight this creature. He was so utterly vast. A single beat of his wings crossed distances it would take them days to cross. The blonde titan saw the chaos of the remaining eleven trying to fleet and smirked. 

“Okay maybe not that sorry, has been a dull cycle.” The angel remarked as he angled his leg back. 

The reason for this became very clear when he thrust out a foot and sent the sandal that had been upon it flying forth toward two of the Arks. The speed at which the footwear flew was unreal. It hurtled toward them so fast that compared to it, they might as well have not have been moving at all. The last thing either of them saw was the insole of an empty sandal, well worn with the toeprints of the delicate looking feet of the angel. They were smashed almost instantly as the sandal kept going on beyond. 

He waved his hand. “Eh, I’ll grab it later. Some planet or something will probably slow it down.” He said with shocking lack of care. 

They tried communicating with him again and it was to no avail. Maybe Aventus did hear them. Maybe their puny words could reach him. If they did, he showed no signs of being moved by them. In fact he seemed genuinely amused by the situation. An angel he might have appeared to be, but to the humans in this ramshackle fleet he was a demon. 

“Lesse here…” He mused as he drifted closer and caused another colony to be wrapped in his gravitational pull. He lifted his now bare right foot up through the vacuum of space and splayed his petite and pristine toes, the vast digits of his big and second toes causing the colony to groan as they were gripped and pushed in by the digits. The colony was just ever so slightly too big to fit there without being compressed to fit. 

As a result of this vacuum was rapidly filling the damaged Ark, tiny microbial figures ejected out into space and peppering the endless pale flesh of his foot. Aventus didn’t seem to care. Instead he let out a chuckle and curled his toes teasingly, compressing the Ark further but never quite crushing it. He smirked after a moment. 

“If you hurry, whatever craft you have in there might be able to eke a few moments existence on my toe. Here I’ll give you ten seconds.” He said like it was the height of generosity. 

He started counting down, every Ark able to hear him as he did. Watching with dread as he toyed with their fellows. The survivors were scrambling to flee, to get to crafts and launch from the colony. A few dozen did… only to be caught in the pull of his foot. They were tugged toward his big toe, the vast digit the only place to flee. Some crashed into his skin as others had upon his hand. Others managed to control their vessels and ended up upon the ridges of his toe print, lost and unable to be seen. 

“Annnd time.” He said as he immediately curled his toes fully and crushed the Ark. The pieces scattered to the void. “Think I saw a few of you make it, then again, could have been space dust.” He shrugged like it was unimportant. 

He wriggled his toes to scatter some of the debris idly before his eyes turned to the remaining Arks. “Lets see… You, you, annnd you.” He pointed at three of the remaining 8 and they found that his pull grabbed them selectively from the others and tugged them closer. 

Aventus idly kicked off his other sandal and lifted up his other foot, pulling both inward. The colonies were being pulled toward the space between the vast and endless pale soles on either side of them. They tried to turn around and get away but it was no use. The force working against them was too much. Their tiny craft found themselves also caught in the same pull. He had decided where he wanted them and that was it. The blonde titan’s will was beyond theirs. 

“I… think you guys are trying to get away? Hard to tell.” He said as he squinted. “I’ll tell you what, yeah I can hear you little bacteria chirping. The remaining five of you, describe how godlike I am and how much you want me to use you. The one that verbally sucks me off the best I’ll take with me. My boyfriend collects new bacteria.” 

The words were quite the smack in the face to literally all of humanity. The ones chosen to escape the planet, reduced to this. To pleading for being bacteria in a petri dish somewhere. It only took watching the soles of Aventus slowly closing in on the new Arks to have people communicating blatant words of worship over communications. 

“You’re so perfect! All of us would love to serve you!” 

“Th-those lucky ships between your soles don’t know how good they have it!”

“We’ve got one million people happy to be your toys, please, pick us!” 

It was a wave of pouring out of desperate worship to survive. Though no worship would save the three between his soles. The arks were trapped as the smooth walls of flesh closed in around them. They watched as the walls of flesh came closer and closer, unable to flee or anything. Frozen and only able to watch in horror as the end came for all of them. He sandwiched his feet together, pressing them together slowly. The pressure was extremely upon all of the colonies and all of the gathered smaller craft. Enough that they only lasted moments before being crushed flat. When he pulled his feet apart they were rendered flat and broken as they stuck to his soles. 

He snorted. “No business being in space that weak.” 

His eyes turned toward the remaining five and he watched them from afar for a moment. The pleading had reached fever pitch. Indeed countless people were all begging him from all of the arks. Pleading for him to make them his toy. Degrading the whole of the human race for the sake of survival. He had an almost bored expression on his face and rolled his eyes before shaking his head. 

“Enough, enough. You race is pretty fucking bad at the whole worship thing. Well whatever, I’m a Celestial of my word. You. I liked that bit about being worth less than the space dust I clean from my toenails. Congratulations, you get to continue existing.” He pointed, the decision sounding like the most arbitrary thing. 

The screams of the others reached fever pitch as they started begging but already the force had seized them as it had seized the ones before. They were being drawn upward, elevated through the vacuum of space toward his face. The blonde watched them as they got closer and opened his mouth. Ropes of saliva larger than whole space ships broke and form upon his tongue and it became very clear what his method of disposal was now. 

“Been a bit since I had a snack and those ships look pretty tasty in minerals.” He remarked. 

They were forced into a single file line toward his mouth and the first Ark passed between his pearly white teeth slowly. It got halfway in his mouth before the teeth came down like a cosmic guillotine, slicing the colony vessel in half. People, debris, and buildings filled his mouth as he started chewing. They crunched loudly but to him it appeared like this was a normal meal. He swallowed down the half eaten ship and then opened his mouth again for the rest to enter before chomping away at that. 

The sole surviving Ark watched on in terror and fear, watch as Aventus slowly devoured the remaining humans until only a million remained. He did it all with the same almost bored expression. To him it likely was like dealing with bacteria. To him they weren’t living beings that were worth respecting. At best toys and at worst pests to be dealt with and crushed. The despair of that started to settle in for the people on the Ark as many broke down and started crying or screaming against God or simply staring ahead at the gross loss of life in such a short period. All from the whims of this cosmic being. Until the only humans that were left were the ones that had humiliated themselves. That had lowered themselves to mere toys. The final legacy of the human race.