Jack returned to the white void. The dark shadow was still visible in his workspace, bigger than it had been before. Jack eyed it warily as he walked over to the filing cabinets that contained all the status screens. He made a mental note to make something more efficient before rifling through the screens to find the ducol's. Once he located the screen, he brought it back to his desk.

Taking a deep breathe, he glanced around once more, hoping to see Plexion appear. The demon had been completely silent, and Jack was starting to get very worried. But this was no time to get distracted, Jack had to work on the cloud situation. He called over one of the butterflies and it sat on his shoulder. He touched the screen and was suddenly given a view of the enormous cloud.

The dark and thundering ducol hung high in the air, casting an enormous shadow over the land below. Jack's vision hung in front of it, looking over the rolling surface of the storm. He typed out a message, [Is this sotdgwnilttb? I am Jack, the system administrator.]

Jack saw the little blue pop-up appear near where his vision was. A small tendril of cloud reached out and tapped it, bringing up the full status screen. The cloud seemed to observe it for a moment before rumbling. "How am I supposed to reply?" It muttered quietly, talking to itself.

[I can hear and see you. This is the easiest way for me to communicate with you, I apologize if it's inconvenient.]

The cloud paused for a long moment. "I find myself at quite the disadvantage. You can see me, hear me, and even read my status screen with ease. You know far more about me than I know about you."

Jack absorbed that. Was it saying it couldn't see Jack? He decided to test the waters. [You've been observing me though.]

The ducol rumbled in amusement. "If you can call it that. You hid indoors for most of the time I've been here. I learned very little about you during that time."

[...and before that?]

"I knew of you, but by name only. Deis addressed the whole world, announcing your location to all."

Jack drummed his fingers on the desk. It was impossible to tell if the ducol was telling the truth or not. It had no face that Jack could see, nor did its voice carry the same intonations that a person's voice did. [So why have you come here now? Apparently all the clouds coming here is messing up the ecosystem around Drowl.]

"It's worse than you know." That was an ominous statement, and Jack shuddered at the implication of it. But before he could ask for clarification, the ducol continued. "But I felt it necessary to come here. I needed to ask after Deis."

Jack froze, his mind racing. What did this cloud know? [The High Deity?]

The ducol scoffed. "Ah yes, his title. It matters little, he will not punish me. Has something happened to him? I felt him grow very still, a stillness that remains even now."

Jack started to panic. What kind of relationship did these two have? It called Deis by name, and could feel him even in the white void? When Jack didn't reply, the ducol continued. "Have you done something to him? I find it hard to believe that anyone could truly harm him, but you...a person from another world if I'm not mistaken. You might have done something."

The clouds darkened as the ducol spoke. Lightning began flashing and thunder rumbled as the winds blew fiercely around the shifting mass of cloud. A feeling of pressure built over Jack. It wasn't just anxiety, but it was like a physical force. Almost like...Deis had done to him. [Are you a god?]

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The winds slowed. The thunder and lightning died down, and the clouds grew less black and ominous. "I used to be. I retain enough power and authority to manage certain things. I have committed myself to ensuring this world works properly, and I will not allow any interference. So I ask you again, what have you done to Deis?"

A former god, someone who balanced the world. This was a lot to take in, but all Jack could feel was fear. A sudden and powerful foe that he knew very little about was incredibly dangerous. Could he lie? He didn't know exactly what the cloud knew, or how it could sense Deis. Any attempt to mislead the ducol could spell disaster. Jack hated this, being unsure at every turn with no one to turn to. Plexion was the only one who really knew everything about the situation, but Jack honestly wanted to consult Jeler and the bore-bots. Plexion was his partner, but honestly, Jack just wanted his friends. He felt alone and overwhelmed by the situation in front of him. Every move he made, every decision he came to, all seemed to end worse than before he got involved.

[He was going to destroy me. He was going to rip my soul to pieces and scatter me into the void. I stopped him. We stopped him. He's alive...but he can't hurt me now.]

The ducol was silent for a long time. The air was heavy with tension, and Jack sat anxiously as he waited for some response. Finally, the cloud spoke again. "I'm sorry. I have seen Deis at the height of his anger. I could not stop him then, and he nearly destroyed me."

The sudden emotions that hit Jack felt like a physical blow. Anger and frustration at Deis, sympathy and sorrow towards the ducol. [I...didn't know what else to do. I still...don't know what to do.]

The ducol and Jack shared a long moment of silence. The cloud's voice was hesitant as it spoke. "Will you tell me what happened?"

Jack slowly recanted the experience that had happened between him, Plexion, and Deis. The story was halting and emotional with Jack feeling as emotionally spent as he did. The ducol was silent through the whole story, not even asking for clarifications as Jack spoke. When Jack finally finished, the ducol didn't respond, lost in thought. Jack didn't know if this was the right decision, but he didn't feel like he could hold himself back. He was just so sick of secrets, of being on the back foot, and not knowing who to trust.

Finally, the ducol addressed him. "Deis's absence doesn't seem to be negatively affecting Drowl. But it's impossible to say if that will continue to be the case in the future. I should return to my duties. I will not punish you or admonish you further."

Jack blinked in surprise. [You're leaving? Just like that?]

"I have already been here too long. If you were evil, I would have destroyed you. But I sense that you are nothing of the sort. You may be desperate, but you clearly do not wish to harm anyone. As long as you continue to serve this world, we will not be enemies."

[But...I have so many questions. I have so many things that I need to know about this world, about you.]

The cloud started dissipating, drifting into separate shapes before Jack's eyes. His vision began fading, and he began losing track of where the ducol was. "I will send a part of myself to visit again, you may ask your questions at that time. I fear that I have already let the balance slip away."

[But-] but the ducol was already gone. The clouds in the sky drifted into tiny pieces and the screen in front of Jack faded slightly. With a sudden shock, Jack's hand was pushed away from the status screen, and it became more translucent. Jack sat back against his chair. He had dealt with the situation, and everything seemed fine? Another problem would likely pop up but...maybe he could rest easy for a minute.

He had so many questions, and his mind raced at the things the ducol had said. Were there other gods? What balance did the ducol maintain? Why was its name so stupid? Well...maybe he wouldn't phrase that last question that way.

Pushing away from his desk, he put the status screen back in storage. The strange shadow that had been haunting him here had disappeared along with the ducol. Now he had a conundrum, did he return to the surface or did he search for Plexion? He paced for a long few minutes before sending a message to Jeler. [Jeler, I resolved the thing with the cloud, but I'm staying here for a bit. I have some work to do.]

Jack walked over to his screen storage, long lines of filing cabinets that held screens inside. He would do some work while he waited for Plexion. Wandering off into the white void seemed like a bad idea, especially because his friend had gone missing doing exactly that. Jack let his mind focus on the work ahead of him, cracked his knuckles, then got to work.