Inside a dark lightless room, an old man with brown eyes enters. He moves gracefully as if no mote of dust could touch him. No sound or memory is left by him. All parameters of the physical world are ignored in his presence. He does not appear as a void to the senses, as a void would still take shape of emptiness around it. No, he is simply not there, not in what would be space. He is just in the moment. If he believed in God, he would be his accomplice, doing what needs to be done yet never truly there to do it.
He bears the word “unknown”. He has no name that is his own, yet he remembers all his sacrifices. He has no name to give, so he stole one. He stole his current name and did everything all for her. He is unknown, and he could steal anything he desires. But even with something like this, there are many things he could not do to protect Alicia. He knows this fact well. He knows it so, so well.
So he calls without calling. And pulls at the edges of perception. He summons the things he has sacrificed so much to obtain.
A being faceless, nameless just appears next in the shadows of a room covered in metal and cloth. It no longer has identity, as the one before it has removed that opportunity from it a long time ago. It speaks without speaking, hears without thought. It only does what it means to do.
The Hermit does the same.
How many oracles are dead in all the major churches? Status of Necra Mazoul? Has the tower failed? Proceed-
-84
-Necra Mazoul initiating arms trade with Korilstadt
-Yes
The Hermit frowns. The tower was building a base in that gods damned ice wall, trying to secure a way out of the cage of planets. They lost too much this time. Far too many pieces are moving in unexpected ways due to the massive death of oracles in a lot of churches. Too many for his taste. It seems news of more than half of their oracles dying spread like wildfire. Their greatest weapon of clairvoyance was also their greatest weakness. Because of this, several factions are currently taking the opportunity to push their agendas.
Safe to say that everything has gone apeshit these past few days.
He takes a moment of silence to calm down.
Report to the blades: Surveillance and Hide; Authorize the use of force if necessary. Proceed-
The thing that was an empty was no longer in the room
Lomias was worried. His spy network could control most of the news that gets out of the empire, but without the help from the oracles his counterintelligence department might not be as effective as before.
A particularly worrying move was made by Necra Mazoul. Korilstadt was a neutral party and a heavily hidden one at that. Several heroes, otherworlders, and the rare regressors, have reported reaching that place. It was an inter-dimensional republic that housed several groups of interest. Seeing such a bold move made known by the people in power means only one thing. This was a distraction. Surely they wouldn’t bring their most important individuals to the nexus of neutral powers.
This meant that they would needed a reason for conflict, a reason to involve all the important parties forcing them to pick a side. And what better way to do that than by painting a target meant to be destroyed.
He wouldn’t put it past them trying to involve the place responsible for summoning most otherworlders, Korilstadt the bridge between worlds. After all they caused the downfall of Gods, and only the strongest ones were spared from their unceasing onslaught.
Most factions would ally with them, the arcana, a collection of the brightest individuals from world leaders to sages and ascetics. What bothers him would be the potential involvement of a lot of formerly neutral parties. And by the look of it, none of them are staying still.
He needed to reach the rest of the Arcana as soon as possible. He spent weeks trying to use all the favors he’d built up over the years just to get news or tip things in their favor. He was desperate.
Please let her be safe.
Lomias took out a unassuming blue bordered ticket from his pocket, a [message ticket] given to him by the heroes with systems made from foolish idealistic Gods who were warped and mutilated into forming numbers and figures that touched upon the world. He proceeded to rip it. A screen that glowed without color appeared before him separate from the actual space displaced in reality. Suddenly a long list of messages popped up, instantaneously turning thought to words.
Paper M00n: Thank you for the comforting words Night, It’s just a bit traumatic loosing so many people in such a short amount of time. I’m pretty worried about the border right now, the lich hasn’t moved in years. Last time they moved, several wars were brought to a ceasefire.
-((Night))-: Don’t mention it :)
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-((Night))-: I’ll send a group to help u guys with the defence
-((Night))-: just don’t forget about the free healing services kk
Paper M00n: No prob! I’ll have the churches do it right away
-((Night))-: Oh yeah, are we still on for the meet up?
-((Night))-: Out of how many futures are we all there?
Paper M00n: We’ll all be there most likely. Also pls don’t bring the thing ur planning to bring night.
-((Night))-: What’s wrong with bringing a captured aberration shell?!
Paper M00n: Star’s a half aberration. It’s pretty insensitive bringing it there even if it’s just a shell.
-Hobo199 entered-
Paper M00n: @Hobo199 hi:)
-((Night))-: hi!! @Hobo199
Hobo199: Necra Mazoul is going to korilstadt
-((Night))-: shit
-((Night))-: Paper u ok?
Paper M00n: I’m sorry I need some time to think
Hobo199: I’ll tell everyone about it later. We need the others to make a plan. All the big pieces are moving.
-((Night))-: Uggh this is gonna suck
-((Night))-: Are you sure you need everyone. Maybe if we get tower involved wouldn’t we be enough?
-((Night))-: paper what do you think?
Paper M00n: No. I can see the news a month from now. Tower has failed and is currently in enemy territory. Two months, propaganda made by the crowns desperately keeping their men. Three months, many flee in terror, while idols fill the gaps.
Four, I see prayer beads thrown to a broken God
Five, I see heroes wielding rings with fangs and blue embers
Six, I see faith twisted and sharpened.
Seven, I saw ships seeking water and tasting ash
Eight, I saw birds fall bewitched by beauty
Nine, I saw feet dancing on broken soil, of steel, bronze, and carved spirit
Ten, I saw the fire..
Paper M00n: Fire! FIRE! FIRE!
Paper M00n: AAaaahhhh!!
Paper M00n: I’M BURNING LOMIAS! I’M BURNING SHE’S HERE! SHE’S HERE!!
Paper M00n: The Lotus Blooms
Paper M00n: Help!
Paper M00n: Save tower!
Paper M00n: Go to the Green brick palace and follow the yellow path!
Paper M00n: Do not let it bloom!
A guttural scream could be heard from their connection, so primal and fresh that it gave weight to the words of the woman's please. The blood of a God is as much a boon as it is a curse.
Hobo199: Shit! Night get to her quick!
Hobo199: Only you can help her right now. Don’t let her out of your sight. Please
Hobo199: Protect her! Seal her if you have to!
-((Night))-: On it! I’ve teleported to her to her palace. Just a few more seconds till I reach her room.
Again he could not help her. Again he could not save her.
Lomias closed the message window. He quickly carved the darkness in the room twisting gravity and space making him fall inside. He stretched and twisted reaching a throne room of smooth stone built on sunless lands. The place where lives were chosen, plucked and harvested. The place where the greatest merchant of names resided, The Bakunawa. His very throne, his seat of power. Here is the center of everything, the hand that takes, God’s accomplice.
Come-
Many things, shapeless, and nameless appear as vessels for commands. Being made only in the shape of eyes and ears and blades and hands.
-We are -
Lomias lifted his hand and it shone a light so repugnant and abhorrent that it threatened to bring disdain to the very song of creation. A red ominous light danced in the everdark. It danced and promised oblivion. The hand that brought entropy and decay to all. It was not so kind as death or as cruel as birth, it was ferocity. It cared not for how it moved, so long as it moved. He became the hand. He became the red filled with disdain. He became the very shadows that bordered his being that threatened to swallow and silence. He became what he promised to never become again.
For her.
He closed his eyes, as he will never open them again. She will be there for her. This time she doesn’t have to do things she doesn’t want to. She can be happy. For her.
He kept seeing her broken by the visions, broken by the burden of power. He will ease that burden and fear. He will be her comfort just like before. To be her tool just like before.
All will be well.
The darkness broke through him like waves in the ocean. Like the comforting sound of hushing sea breeze as it hit his face. He remembers again, the brush of saltwater in his face and hands.
He remembers a life not this one. Where he was never given the gift of sight, where many would guide him and he would walk with sticks and was guided by voices. He remembers the rough hands of his mother. He remembers the sound of the crashing waves and the silent sobs of his mother as she sung the song he learned from their village. He remembers following that song as he walked a wet path of flowing salt and dancing waves. He remembers the tender face he scratched with hands that were weak from hunger.
“I’m sorry mama”
He remembers the comforting sound of the waves.
He becomes something else. He remembers this and offers this memory to the non-light filled with disdain as its rays touch him in the darkness. He will be a tool this time.
He will not lose another. So he will be useful and make the first move. All for her.
All will be well.
His body becomes shapeless. His name no longer his. He loses memory of his name. He grants a wish made by something that is not him anymore. He must act as the thing it was before.
No more id. No more ego. No more super ego.
Now it is just a wish. Paid by an offering of negligible value. It will be a tool to comfort and to protect. It is now a shell.
All will be well
It whirs and knows it’s form. It is surrounded by nameless, shapeless things, and it shall follow the protocol given to it. The things will function as it was meant to.
-Primary directive discarded; Command: New primary directive-
-Detected new host: Command confirmed-