Noah opened his eyes, and realised he was dead. The realization was immediately followed by an intense feeling of wrongness. He had no body, and the eyes through which he saw did not exist. Before he could give voice to the scream budding in his non-existent throat, words erupted in his vision.

Generating Astral Script… Complete!

Welcome to the Astral System.

Name: Noah Brown

Age: Dead

Race: Human

Items:

- [???]

A vast creature spread through the endless void. Massive tentacles spanned across infinity, dwarfing entire galaxies underneath them.

What Noah beheld made his thoughts explode. Space didn’t feel linear, the infinite dimensions of the creature were all consuming and maddening. He tried to look away but found he couldn’t. What he perceived was ever-present, all around him all at once, and he could see every side of it together.

“Human. You possess something we desire.”

A dark rumble vibrated Noah’s soul, the voice pulsing through him. The words were more screeches and shrieks than words, but the intent was conveyed nonetheless.

The creature’s sight was enough to snap Noah out of his existential horror at being dead.

“I… died?” Noah asked, his thoughts still a swirling jumble. He tried to recall his death, yet a gap persisted in his memories, as if something had cut it out from his soul. This has to be a dream… right?

“You had. Yet enough remnants were stuck together, we put the pieces back and reformed you.”

“So… you recreated my soul?” Noah asked, not sure how to respond. “Thanks, I guess?”

“We do not require your gratitude, human. Merely the item you possess.”

“Noah. My name is Noah.” He was oddly detached from the situation.

“Your name is immaterial,” the eldritch monstrosity said.

The rumble passed through Noah, distorting something within him. The sensation of wrongness was further amplified alongside the odd disconnection from his emotions. He didn’t linger there for long, the lack of any intense feeling helped him think better. If this was a dream, then it was the most aware he’d ever been in one.

“Alright. Well, I have some questions first,” Noah said.

There was a pause, as if the Void god couldn’t believe Noah’s audacity. Then it simply projected, “Ask.”

“Where am I?”

“The Void. End of the Astral Realms, and existence itself.”

“Okay… how did I get here?”

“You died when a limb we extended to the seal found it on you.”

“You killed me, is what I’m getting,” Noah said to the giant realm-ending monster.

“We did not. You were merely torn apart by the Astral Rifts.”

“Alright, well. How did the seal get to earth? To me?”

“We do not know.”

Noah paused, taken aback by the response. “Really? Aren’t you some kind of world ending infinite creature of doom. How come you don’t know?”

“To imply we are lying is a grave insult, human. And we find this conversation tedious. Give us the seal, or we will take it by force,” the eldritch monster said, a howl tearing through reality.

Reeling from the shock, he took a moment to recover. “Jeez, alright, no need to be so aggressive,” Noah said. “So… I don’t think I have the seal. I’m not entirely sure what happened to be honest.”

“It is not a physical seal. You have merely bound it to your soul as an unfortunate result of your death. Separate it and the seal will manifest.”

“And… How do I do that? Or rather, why? I see no reason for you to not eat me after I give you the seal. Or just erase me from existence.”

“We give you our word. You will not be harmed by us until the end of eternity, if you return the seal to us.”

Something swirled around Noah, flowing into him. Like chains, he felt the words of the creature bind it.

“Reach within your soul. We have cast a spell on it, which will allow you access to the Astral Script. It shall tell you the rest.”

“Reach into my soul you say…” Noah trailed off as the Eldritch monster made space itself vibrate, doing as the creature told him to. Surprisingly, the act came as naturally as breathing, which was ironic given how he was dead and couldn’t breathe.

[???]

A source of infinite potential. Currently fused with the inhabiting soul.

Noah looked in surprise at the text appearing in front of him. Taking a moment, he read through the description.

“Umm… it says the seal is fused with my soul,” Noah said, growing slightly concerned. That did not sound good.

The eldritch monster shifted, and space practically warped around him at the creature’s movements.

“Unpleasant. Highly unpleasant. The scattering must have fused the seal with your soul. Separating it will be a near impossible task.”

“Guess that’s too bad.”

“Perhaps. But there is a solution that still remains. Form a pact with us, human. And we will allow you to return to a physical form and live again.”

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Noah froze. Normally he’d laugh at the notion of making some pact with an eldritch universe-ending cthulhu, but each moment he spent in this void, he grew more and more numb. Each non-existent sensation made something within him crumble. The desire to have a living, breathing body grew like a hunger he could not satiate, eating him from the inside out.

“What would this pact entail? I refuse to become a puppet trapped in my own body,” Noah said to the creature.

“You will live as you had before, but will serve as a Vessel for my being. You will be our rebirth, the path through which our hunger can grow once more. All you must do is not turn against us.”

“What happens if I break this Pact?”

“If you were to turn against us, then your soul will be claimed by us, becoming a part of our being.”

“How delightful,” Noah said with a flat voice, thinking everything over. The moment he decided, his fate would be determined. If he had a body, Noah suspected his heart would be racing. “I feel like I shouldn’t sign a soul pact without getting it checked once. Do I get a lawyer?” Noah asked the gigantic tentacle monster.

“The pact of the souls cannot be governed by mortals. The will of each spirit governs it instead.”

“And you being a realm-eating creature, your spirit will likely be stronger too, making this an unfair pact. How can I trust you to not harm me?” Noah asked.

“You cannot.”

“Fair enough.” Noah thought over his next words. “Do I get a choice here?”

“Yes. If you refuse, we will consume your soul and distribute its essence to try and obtain whatever we can from the seal.”

“So… basically no. That simplifies it then. As long as I’m not made to do things against my will, and or mind controlled, I can agree to it.” But could he? Noah was still unsure.

“That is acceptable.”

Words flashed in front of him, as a warmth rose from his soul.

The Incarnation of Void wants to make a Pact with you.

Would you like to accept?

Yes/No?

Noah hovered over the selection for the Yes option. Memories rushed him, of his death, of the dark tendril piercing his chest. He didn’t remember exactly what happened, but something whispered in his mind. Don’t.

His soul wavered, swirling and distorting, before he refocused on the eldritch creature swirling in front of him.

“No. I refuse,” Noah replied.

The eldritch monstrosity stirred, infinite tentacles moving through space. “We do not understand. Was our message not clear?”

“No, I heard you loud and clear. And I refuse. Go ahead and eat my soul. I’m already dead after all. May as well die again for good and proper.”

The universe stilled, slowing down. The dark Void creeped around Noah, and for a moment, he felt as if time had stopped moving. After a long silence, the creature spoke once more.

“Why?”

“Because it feels like a trick. Aren’t you a god? Just take it from me. Literally everyone knows not to make soul pacts with swirling void entities. It never turns out well. I refuse,” Noah replied, selecting the No option on the Pact.

Another silence filled the endless void, before a shudder broke through as the monstrosity dissipated, fading into nothingness.

“You are a perplexing soul, Noah Brown,” a voice replied, lacking the resonance it once possessed, but no less powerful for it. “But we’re afraid your choice is not acceptable.”

Your refusal has been denied.

Dark tendrils rose around Noah, grabbing and holding him in place, as a shadowy silhouette of a man moved toward him.

“If you cannot be our puppet, then be our messiah instead. Rise in our name and entertain us. We will harvest the seal from your soul when it has been weathered and cracked by death,” the void whispered.

Dread rose in Noah’s soul as a finger touched his forehead.

New words appeared.

A new Pact has been made.

Serve as the messiah of the Incarnation of Void.

Would you like to accept this Pact?

Yes/No?

“No,” Noah whispered, and the world pushed him harder.

New Pact:

Serve as the messiah of the Incarnation of Void.

Would you like to accept this Pact?

Yes/Yes?

The words pushed against Noah’s soul. “No.” The words faded once more and space distorted, crushing his spirit under its pressure.

The Void forces you to accept.

“Fuck off! I refuse!” Noah screamed. Unimaginable pain assaulted his spirit, like his mind was being torn into infinite pieces and being put back together instantaneously. The moment lasted for an eternity in the dark expanse of nothingness, eternal pain and agony, the only constant in his existence.

“Why do you struggle so much?” the shadow asked, its gaze weighing on Noah’s soul. “Do you not understand? We are giving you an honour few have ever received. To be our emissary, the carrier of our word into the physical realms. You would be a god among the mortals, and they would worship you as one. Why then, do you still refuse?”

For a brief moment, the pain eased, letting Noah speak. His spirit wavered, settling from the torment as it coalesced back together.

“Fuck you. I refuse to give up my freedom.” Noah gave a metaphorical middle finger to the endless shadowy silhouette of the Incarnation of Void.

A hum echoed through the dark at his words.

“Your soul already frays. It cannot hold for long. You will lose sense and sight of who you are, lost unto this void forever. You are far from immortal as a stray spirit. Why do you not understand?”

“I think it’s you who doesn’t understand. I refuse. I will not bow to you, and I will not bend to your demands. So either kill me or—or leave me in this void. Do whatever the hell you want, I refuse,” Noah said, ice in his voice.

The shadow retreated, and the pressure faded from Noah’s spirit. “Then speak. What will convince you to cooperate with us?”

The Void stirred, and for the first time, he couldn’t sense it threatening to consume him. Free from the agony, his mind raced to come up with a solution. Despite everything he’d said, he didn’t truly wish to die for good.

“Make a Pact with me,” Noah said. “Allow me to live my life, and in return I will not rise against you. This ensures that I can’t use it against you.”

“And what benefit does this give us, when we could cease you from existence right now?”

“The same reason you haven’t already. You’re not sure that forcing it will work,” Noah replied.

The Void listened. The Void swirled. The Void laughed.

A thousand screams echoed in his mind as the universe rippled. He stared at the giant swirling silhouette with concern, waiting for it to reply.

After a few moments, the laughter faded as the Void settled around him. “Very well.”

Words appeared in front of Noah.

You have made a Pact with the Incarnation of the Void.

Pact of the Voidborne:

You have done what none have before, forming a pact with the Void itself, and binding it to your spirit. Will such an act lead to a foolish demise, or the rise of a new Ascendant through the Astral Realms? No one knows.

The Incarnation of Void has agreed to your Pact and is bound to your soul.

Initiating transformation.

“The void itself shall now be tied to your spirit, mortal. We shall see how you use this power.”

A pull tugged at Noah as he felt darkness begin to seep into his soul. At first it was a light pressure. That soon changed, flooding into a boundary he did not know existed inside of him. Pain replaced the pressure, growing more intense with each pulse of the endless Void pouring itself inside his soul, cramming itself in until there was nothing left to fill. The sensation left Noah feeling denser, like he’d gained more substance, even though he was just as immaterial as before.

When the Void settled around Noah, another prompt opened.

Transformation complete.

[???] has Awakened.

Initiating Rebirth.

A call pulled him toward… something. A distant chant that latched onto his soul like a hook, and reeled him in. Slowly but surely, a great sucking sensation dragged Noah away. With each passing moment, the resistance heightened, the space around him feeling thicker and thicker, as if reluctant to let go. He felt like he was being squeezed through a thick bundle of space jelly, and forced through viscous layers of dark and cold.

Suddenly, a bright light manifested in front of Noah’s eyes, and with a satisfying pop, he broke free of the Void.

Summoning call heeded. You have arrived on Erandir.