Welcome to the foreword!

First off, I have a confession to make…

I think Nyx’s madness might be contagious.

Seriously, it might be starting to get to me – at least, that’s what my wife said before she left me… to visit her mother. For a month. Although, technically, she’d been planning to go on that trip for a long time. But she didn’t have to look so happy, you know?

Anyway, I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry in advance for any adverse effect this story may have on your mental health. I mean, I know I’m not responsible for your choices, and, to be clear, you definitely chose to read or listen to this. Like you probably had to buy it or download it or rob a bookstore or mug a stranger or emotionally blackmail a family member and pry it out of their scaly, drug-addled claws—

Actually, you know what?

On second thought, I’m not sorry. You were asking for this!

In fact, you might be to blame for my tenuous grasp on my own sanity.

I mean, didn’t you blackmail me into writing this thing? With the implicit threat of withholding your sweet, sweet attention and overwhelming praise?

Or, wait… does that make us [Friends] now?

I mean, it worked for Nyx and Fang, right?

That sounds right. Huh, in that case, I should probably help out my new “friends.” I’m guessing you probably don’t remember everything that happened last time. I sure don’t. But that’s no problem. I got you. Just sit back, relax, and let me regale you with a tale as old as time…

One where a weird, and possibly crazy (but definitely not paranoid) sapien lived a rather miserable life in a fishing village in the Outer Reaches of the Five Rivers – one renowned for their canned silver fin and their “Fin-Fans.” If you’re taking notes, which you should be, I recommend you jot that part down. It’ll be important later.

Anyway, I wouldn’t call our would-be protagonist a “hero” per se. More like an unwitting victim of the Flow who definitely didn’t ask for or deserve anything that happened to him. Oh, and his name was Nyx. Yeah, you remember now right? Spiritless vessel? All the physical and emotional abuse? But he had a sister named Leandra! And a quasi-father figure named Elder Gracen that blew himself up to protect… well, probably Leandra.

Oh, and a cold blooded, sadist lizard that kept following him around. That’s Fang.

And after all that torturous and overly-long setup, the plot finally got started when a corrupted gate opened completely on its own and with no help from Nyx whatsoever. Ratkin came spilling out, attacked the village, brutally murdered and partially ate many of the townsfolk, and almost killed Leandra. But she lived! Only to get conscripted by a lady with resting-elf-face named Eris who was in some sort of will-they, won’t-they, and incredibly confusing relationship with a horny warrior moose with the heart of a poet and the body of a living fur god. His name was Horrendous—

Wait, that doesn’t sound right.

How did that rhyme go again? When the moose-whore is about to score and we can’t help but root for more… Horus! His name was Horus. See? It works every time. How do you think I keep track of all these moving pieces book after book?

Anyway, where was I?

Oh, yeah. Nyx. So, he did what he did best. He escaped the Guides! And on the way out, he might have borrowed some stuff. A slick new arm chain. Some gems. Also, Horus’ Voluptuous Volume. He even ran into an entrepreneurial demon with a Death Wagon who gave him a corrupted spirit for some unknown but hopefully altruistic reason.

Then Nyx immediately jumped into the gate. With Fang.

Which is when they met Demi for the first time – their personal Skafos on her very first day on the job. She was top of her class, and in true top-shelf fashion, she gave them the premium gate treatment. Namely, an impossible, ludicrous death hole punched through space and time and filled with pitch, shit, and poison. The perfect hellhole to call home.

Fast forward five cycles – at least from their perspective – and the reluctant tormentor-victim relationship between Nyx and Fang had blossomed into something more. Something beautiful. True bromance.

They even built a lair together, filled it with three of the most perfect, special murder babies that have ever graced the Flow… and also mountains Fang’s emotional and literal baggage. Then they went on to create memories that would last a lifetime.

Skipping through killing fields of blood while Nyx popped off.

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Heinous traps blessed with a loving tap of Fang’s dagger.

Oh, and that time Nyx built a revolutionary heated sewer bath!

Sure, they had their rough patches – just like any couple. They each put up walls; they each lashed out at each other – emotionally… but also with weapons. One or both of them might have even allegedly nibbled on the other. It happens. But they worked through it together with copious amounts of therapy. Like a family.

Ahh, and Nyx’s spirit evolved. Her name is Lili. She can talk now. And control his body sometimes. They’re basically best friend and there’s absolutely no secrets between them… mostly because Lili can access Nyx’s memories. All of them. Also, she may or may not have an eating disorder. She’s a little sensitive about it.

And then, when you probably thought things couldn’t possibly get any better, the Guides arrived! Nyx was, of course, a gracious and considerate host. Which is why he threw one hell of a Lair Warming Party. One filled with interactive sewer games interspersed with brief moments of relaxation in their underground-lair-turned-medium-end-spa where the Guides could never truly relax because they were possibly being hunted by a madman. They even topped it all off with a dip in Nyx’s above-ground swimming pool. You know, the one filled with the blood of thousands of their victims. And there were even fireworks!

After all of that nonsense, Nyx and Fang finally confronted the boss – the ruling spirit of the gate! Only to discover she was actually a little sapien girl? One that had been brutally murdered, of course. Which was… just perfect really. I mean, that revelation definitely didn’t raise impossible existential questions without answers or undermine the established religion of this entire spirit world, including everything Nyx had ever been taught.

So, of course, Nyx asked Maribel to join their family.

And she accepted! New team member acquired!

In this case, one that infused herself into Nyx’s left hand in the shape of a rat tattoo which he could call on to form a shield composed of pure darkness. One that can also summon his sweet, precious, and impossibly-perfect babies.

Ahh, and then Nyx may have put his foot in his mouth – you know, by accidentally inserting himself into the budding relationship between the warrior moose and the elf lady. But it was fine. They probably didn’t even hear his questions anyway. And if they did, they were probably over it by now, right?

Oh, and then our fledgling family was dumped back in the swamp.

And that’s where the story ended.

Yep, nothing else happened.

Okay… fine. Leandra lived happily ever after, loved and adored by her new adopted family in Asphodel. She grew up to be a well-adjusted career woman that practically flew through the Order’s ranks. Definitely no crazy, dark revelations there.

For her part, Demi finished what was possibly the easiest first assignment ever – an impressive showing from an up-and-coming Skafos who went on to be the youngest member of management in the history of the Flow. Not a single problem to report.

And Fang and Nyx? They just strode off into the mist, hand-in-claw—

Ahh, what was that? This doesn’t sound right at all?

I wouldn’t write something that happy? It feels completely off-brand?

Well, first off… wow. That kind of hurts. I thought we had something special here. A connection. We were supposed to be friends. I mean, you did come back, right? Entirely of your own volition? That says something.

Although, more about you than it does about me…

Anyway, if you already know what happens, why are you even reading this?

Or, you know what? Since you’re just so smart, and good looking, and have such exceptional taste in literature, maybe you should be writing this recap, huh? I bet you would nail it. Someone with your natural, overwhelming charisma and your eye for detail probably picked up on all the important foreshadowing. In fact, I bet you used to give one hell of a book report when you were in school. I bet you even volunteered to go first; that you were that person. Top of your class. A real Demi in the making.

What? I’m just deflecting? Maybe also projecting?

Alright, you caught me! I might have fudged a little.

Leandra might have brutally murdered several of her classmates, revealed that she was killing off Nyx’s tormentors during their childhood, and went on to become a Frontrunner for the Order of Apollo. I’m sure that will all turn out fine, though. Not that it matters. We aren’t going to see much of her in this book. Sorry, not sorry.

Demi did get promoted… but she was also assigned to watch Nyx as his personal Skafos. Also, her boss Charon might have revealed that the Flow is hunting Nyx, he’s lived an almost infinite number of lives, and he’s completely batshit.

And Nyx and Fang might have tried to kill each other. Again.

Also, Nyx might have hidden his growing insanity from his bromantic partner. You know, the fact that he can see phantom images of himself. Also, Asshole-Me.

That’s it, okay? Happy now?

Wait… why are you still making that face?

Fine, maybe the “alpha-Nyx” also left himself a note through that weird and still completely unexplained memory crystal. One where he really played up his, err, prowess. One that implied that maybe the Flow had been changing things; that maybe our Nyx – you know, the real one – had a much more challenging time in the gate. One that may have “accidentally” revealed that Lili was important to Nyx.

An old friend carrying an important crystal payload.

Also, possibly his sister Leandra.

Which… isn’t great, I guess.

That sort of implies that she died, right? Or that she will die? Or maybe both?

Honestly, there are still a lot of open questions.

It’s almost like someone was just making this shit up…

Or, at least, that’s how I imagine the book report would go.

Anyway, that’s it. Sure, maybe this was confusing, it left out a lot of important and possibly relevant information, it was only loosely chronological, and I didn’t even mention Fang’s drug addiction once… or Nyx’s archnemesis.

But, tough shit. I never said I was good at book reports.

I just write the books, I don’t report on them.

I mean, would you expect a tech reporter to just sit down and invent AI? Or like a sports broadcaster to walk on the field and throw a perfect pitch? Of course, not. That would be crazy. Also, stupid. Glad we’re on the same page now.

And yes, I realize those analogies were shaky. I don’t care.

But this has taken way longer than I expected; too long maybe.

Hurry up and turn the page already! Because we’re about to start the next chapter of the cosmic shitshow that is Nyx’s existence.

And remember, you asked for this.