A fire ignites in my chest as a chill runs up my spine.

I shove Pinky into Del's arms, and motion at the others to get behind me as I rush to shield them. "Everybody get the fuck back! This is the freak I saw in the Blessing!"

The freaky asshole stands there, totally still, looking at from us from underneath the hood. Its black glossy helmet or mask or whatever the hell it is reflects the lights in the room with a dim, warped sheen.

"I, too, have a vision for a grander existence. One of purpose and meaning - of freedom," its voice is smooth and totally neutral. It doesn't carry even a lick of emotion, and I can't even tell if it's male or female. "But if we do not first blow away the fog that has been created to blind us, the best we can hope for is to live out our lives in a more comfortable cage."

I scowl. "Alright, asshole. Enough with the riddles. What the fuck do you want - aside from an ass beating!?" I start stomping forward, fists clenched.

"Hero, wait!" Althea says. "Stay away from that- that thing! There is something profoundly aberrant about it!"

"She's right!" Del's calm voice shakes slightly. "That being is completely disconnected from nature. I've never known anything of its like!"

Pinky hides his face in Del's chest, but Domina is standing firm - her hand tucked into her apron's big pocket. Zazel holds her ground, but her bitchy face has become something much colder and focused.

I keep stomping. "What are you doing here, Limp Dick? What the hell are you talking about? What do you want?"

Althea rushes forward and grabs me by the back of my jacket. "Hero, please!" she says. "Do not get any closer! It is not safe!"

I turn to her. "Look, I don't know what you see, but I'm gonna get this fucker to talk. One way or another."

Althea's face is tight, and her eyes are wide.

Well, shit. Maybe I should play it cool for a minute.

I keep my eyes locked on the freak in front of me, but I stay planted. "If you got something to say, say it. But if you come any closer, I'll liberate your head from your goddamned shoulders."

The freak stays in place. "I understand. I will not move from this spot. But please listen - innumerable lives hang in the balance, and we may never have another opportunity to make such progress."

"Tick-tock, dickwad." I say, "I ain't gonna wait on your ass forever."

"Hero," Althea whispers to me, "please be cautious. There is no telling what it is capable of."

"It's okay, Althea. I won't let them touch you. Any of you." I turn to the freak and shout, "Alright, Limp Dick, the clock is running. Start talking."

"Very well. I am known as the Beloved. As I am sure you have realized by now, I am a member of the Liberation Society - a union dedicated to freeing all beings from the fetters of the Wardens."

I raise an eyebrow. "Wardens?"

"An extremely cruel and powerful race of beings that have enslaved and imprisoned all sentient life in the universe. The being you refer to as 'God' is one of them."

"The fuck are you-?"

"B-Blasphemy!" Althea shouts. "You- You dare to utter such-"

The Beloved raises an abnormally long, metallic black hand. "Please listen. My purpose for coming here at this juncture is to make a mutually beneficial proposal. However, if you are to make an informed decision, there are some extremely important facts of which you all must be made aware. I will explain them to you now, but please do not interrupt me. Innumerable lives hang in the balance, and the more delays we have, the more suffering they will they will experience."

"Then you won't mind hurrying the fuck up, Limp Dick. And you'd better not lie to me - Althea can smell lies like a dog can smell shit."

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"The truth lifts the Wardens' veils better than even the most elaborate of deceptions. I will be brief, and true." It pauses, and its words hang in the air for a second. "First, you must understand that Earth and Astraea are but two worlds in a vast, nearly infinite cosmic theater of worlds created by Wardens, god-like beings of immense power."

I can feel the others looking at me, but I keep my eyes peeled on the freak.

The Beloved continues. "You must also understand that the Wardens are the architects and custodians of their respective worlds. A handful have marginally pure intentions and only want to see the wonders of life grow before their eyes. To love and be loved. To make 'children'. Some are sadists, and make their creations to suffer in vile, elaborate ways. Others, indeed most, see their creations as pawns in game worlds created for the sole purpose of entertainment."

"Get to the fucking point already," I growl.

"Be quiet, Egg." Zazel snaps at me. "Let this... individual finish."

The freak keeps on yammering. "And just as Wardens are cruel to the beings they create, they are sometimes cruel to each other. One of the Wardens of Earth became tired of the callousness of her own kind, and wanted to end the suffering of humanity by making Earth into a paradise.

"For merely suggesting this, the other three progenitors betrayed her and attempted to banish her from their 'game'. In turn, she became the Great Liberator, and dedicated herself to toppling their cruel paradigm and punishing their betrayal by secretly granting a few choice mortals - the early members of the Liberation Society - the ability to see and understand Cosmic Power - albeit in a limited capacity."

The freak's mask seems to look us over for a second, stopping at Zazel.

"Even if that's not complete bullshit - which it is - what the fuck does that have to do with Astraea? And keep your fucking eyes on me!"

"Please excuse me." The Beloved looks back my way. "Astraea is a very special place. While Earth is a mundane world deliberately deprived of Cosmic Power, Astraea is replete with it. But even more importantly: it has been left unfinished by its Warden."

The Elementals exchange looks again, but say nothing as the Beloved continues. "Wardens always finish their worlds before populating them, but yours did not. This is because Astraea is designed for a unique purpose: to serve as a reward for one of his 'Heroes', who may reap its bounty and shape its form to almost any desires via the 'cooperation' of the Elementals.

"And the Elementals are the key to our salvation. Of all the beings in this vast universe, there is nothing like them anywhere else. They are an intermediary between will and reality - Cosmic Power made flesh."

I glance at the others, who look a mixture of confused, worried, and angry. This asshole is fucking with their heads, just like they fucked with me and Kris. I'm not gonna let this go on.

But when I turn and see Althea's face, I can see she's hanging to this freak's every word - and I start wonder if this guy isn't totally full of shit. And I have to admit, we don't know a whole lot about our situation on a broader scale.

I keep my mouth shut for the moment.

"The special nature of the Elementals and Astraea offers us a unique opportunity to glimpse into the secret fabric of the universe, and the Cosmic Power ebbs and flows inside its threads. With this knowledge, ordinary people can rise from the status of mere playthings to rivals or even superiors of the Wardens, who cruelly and selfishly horde Cosmic Power for themselves. Then, and only then, will we have a chance of attaining True Liberation - and then, perhaps, Unity."

The Beloved finally finishes, and the cathedral is silent.

I snap to Althea. She looks hurt - sick, even.

"Yo, is there even a lick of truth to this bullshit?"

Althea closes her eyes and nods. "Yes. Every word."

"What? No, he's gotta be pulling some Limp Dick mind games to fuck with us. That's the way they operate - by getting in your head."

"I am not saying it has good intentions. But it speaks the truth."

"Good and bad. Truth and lies," the freak's smooth, neutral voice is as gentle as it is chilling. "As long as the Warden keeps you trapped in his illusion, you will never really be able to tell one from the other. But at least now, you will have a choice."

"You said something about a proposal?" Zazel's face is calm, but her eyes are sharp as ice picks. "Out with it, then."

They nod. "Across the universe, there is an almost unfathomable number of worlds filled with people like yourselves. They have hopes, dreams, and desires. But their lives are a cruel delusion. They go on worshiping false gods, dying for meaningless causes, and deriving meaning from relationship predicated on untruths. They cannot, and will not ever see the Wardens' illusions for what they are.

"But with your unique qualities - and our knowledge and resources - we can reveal the truth and set them. Together, we can end this twisted game the Wardens play, seize their power, and make a grand paradise in the stars for all sentient beings."

You've gotta be shitting me...

The Beloved holds out a hand. "Join us. Join the Liberation Society, break the Wardens' chains, and crush their wicked design."