Due to the temporal nature of the vault, I refer to the description of Praedyth's Revenge: "Praedyth's fall isn't over yet.. because it hasn't happened yet… and it will happen again.". Just as with Praedyth, Atheon's fall isn't over, for it hasn't happened yet, and will happen again. Being trapped in a state of flux where he simultaneously exists before, during, and after his fall; Atheon can never be truly defeated no matter how many times he's destroyed. Atheon is forever, Atheon is eternal, as is his destruction.