Funk crashed down on a long road while the worm fell over, Funk slowly got up, “That hurt.”

He looked around him, everything in this place had been evaporated by the void, Funk listened to something he heard, music. Ancient music, as if a bard is dragging up the oldest hits. When Funk looked at the worm, she wiggled and shook her heads on the tune.

Funk shook his head, “What is your problem?”

The worm actually spoke up, “Oh, you know, just enjoying the music.”

Funk sighed, “Why am I not dead?”

The worm smiled with her two faces, “You know why, my name is Yuna by the way.”

Funk scratched his head, “Hello Yuna nice to meet you, my name is Funk, did you really want to kill us?” Yuna shook her head, twice.

Funk walked closer to the worm, “Where are we? This place needs some decorations.”

Yuna looked at Funk, “You are in the heart of the void.”

“Alright, can I kill the void here?”

Yuna started to laugh, “You stand no chance at killing the void in your current state, not that you would want to. Why don’t you follow me?”

Funk sighed, “That is fine with me.”

Funk looked around, all he saw was purple mist and ashes scattered around. This place is as decayed as possible. He was not bothered by the void at all.

Yuna slithered over a long hallway through the ashes. As she did so, the dust flew into the air, with purple colors. After a while, Funk found himself in front of a gigantic octopus like creature. It had many tentacles, and eyes.

When Funk looked around, he saw Alice walk towards him.

She smiled at him, “Hello there, sorry for the rough landing.” Yuna shrank down and crawled onto Alice’s shoulder.

Funk blinked a couple of times, “What is going on? Why are you here, and who is the giant octopus?”

The giant octopus spoke up with a booming voice, “Welcome to the void realm, it is much better to have visitors than to have people barge in. I am glad to be honored by the hero’s presence, the chosen one. The person who will bring peace to our existence, oh how rude I forget to tell you my name, the name is Cthulhu.”

Funk smiled with glee in his eyes, “The chosen one, yeah, that would be me, the hero, just don’t tell Steve, he would go insane.”

For a fraction of a second, Funk could see Cthulhu laugh, “Yes, the ethereal vortex wanted to tell you more, but it was impossible to do so before, never mind that.”

Funk looked at Alice, “And what are you doing here?”

She smirked at Funk, “I am just visiting the void.” She made a ball of purple energy appear in the palm of her hand.

Alice walked closer to Funk, “I have been speaking with the void, it has problems with containing its energy, which is why the lands are being consumed by the void.”

Funk looked at Cthulhu, who nodded. “Alright, and how do we fix it?”

Alice turned around and sighed, “It is all because of a catalyst.”

Funk shook his head, “I don’t understand.”

Alice turned around to catch his gaze, “This is all Steve’s fault, even if he did not mean for this to happen.”

Funk laughed, “Yeah, I am not buying that, Steve is doing very well, he has even gotten his rage under control.”

Alice walked closer, “What, how!?”

Funk smirked, “His new lover, of course.”

Alice shook her head, “No, he cannot have a lover, he has to fall in love with me.”

Funk crossed his arms, “Try to tell Lorraine that.”

Alice grabbed Funk by his arm, “You are not going to tell me, that Steve is banging that piece of animal shit.”

Funk chuckled, “And there we have the real Alice, not the one that is trying to manipulate me, I am going to bet, this creature is not even real. But some kind of avatar, maybe, you are the one who has been controlling the void all along?”

Alice chuckled, “Yeah right, me?”

Funk nodded, “I have seen Steve do some pretty crazy shit, he does not have a clue what he is, but you seem to know. Perhaps you know why the fairies tried to execute him.”

Alice laughed, “That dumbass even went to the fairies, that is the worst thing you could do with him being a—” Alice put her hand on her mouth, “Whoops, I almost spoiled it there.”

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Alice drew a silver sword and pointed it at Funk’s throat, “Tell me about Lorraine.”

Funk sighed as he understood clearly that Alice is currently much stronger, “They are just two people who are falling in love, Steve doesn’t mind she belongs to the wolf people. They are even sharing secrets with each other.”

Alice moved very fast and threw Funk on the ground, “No, this is not how it is supposed to go. Cthulhu?”

“Yes Alice?”

“Can you do something about Lorraine?”

“Not at this current moment. Are you sure you want to take away his anchor? Who knows what might happen if he loses that? You know, Steve can be more dangerous if he has no leash. Abby just, kind of got dragged into this mess, but she has an important role to play.”

Alice sighed, “We need to find a way to team up with Steve.”

Funk got up and dusted himself off as he had landed in a pile of ashes, he looked at Cthulhu, “What is my task as the chosen one?”

Tentacles came closer, “Your destination is still a way’s off; However, it is also the journey that counts, as it will give you the strength to do what is necessary when the time does come. By now you must have realized, what is going on.”

Funk nodded, “The real threat is not the void, this is just a minor problem compared with what is really going to threaten us.” Cthulhu nodded while Funk crossed his arms, “And we need to work with Alice, even if she has many secrets, the real threat, it is the thing that took out the messenger the ethereal vortex had sent. Can you tell me anything about that?”

Alice shook her head, “She won’t tell me either, there is a guild that knows, but I can tell you about that later, in private.”

Funk started pacing back and forth, “Micheal somehow factors into this?”

Alice looked up, “You have heard about him?”

Funk nodded, “Abby saw him once.”

Alice walked closer, “Where is he?”

Funk shook his head, “When she met him, it was before she met me. He saved her and injected her with something, Steve told me, that when Abby was in great peril, the time she almost got eaten by mushrooms, not when used as a dinosaur chewing toy, she used dark tentacles. The bigger problem is, I have noticed she uses them more often now, for example when she fell down the ravine, or at random intervals. I have been trying to keep my mouth shut as I am not sure what to do yet.”

Cthulhu sighed, “I see, it has begun, it may take many years for this thing to show its true face. But what are a few decades for this thing, or me? Funk, please come closer.”

He did so, the giant octopus vanished, and a woman walked closer to Funk, hidden in void mist.

The woman let out a deep sigh, “The ethereal vortex is picky due to certain events, in your journey Funk, you will most likely see the afterlife. When you do, killing people will give them eternal rest, what they should have had. The ethereal vortex has chosen you for a reason, It even wants to grant you, your deepest desire. If you stay true to the path of the chosen, you will get what you want, after you meet Micheal.”

The mystery woman looked at Alice, “If possible, kill him, even if it would kill many other people, please for the love of god, kill him.”

Alice sighed, “You don’t have to be that dramatic about it, Micheal can help Funk with fixing this mess.”

“Alice?”

“Yes?”

“We know what is going to happen, you have seen it, yes I have seen it. I am sure there is a different way, but first we need to find Micheal.”

Cthulhu put her hand on Funk’s shoulder, he started to glow with energy. Cthulhu sighed, “I have drawn out some of your hidden potential, use it wisely, to find Micheal. Please try to protect Steve, he is important to this story.”

Alice walked over to Funk, “Please tell me this thing with Lorraine is just a fling.”

Funk shook his head, “I don’t think it is.”

Alice shed a tear, “Fuck, I should not have gotten separated from him, someone is going to pay for that, but first I need to find Bella.”

Funk frowned his eyebrow and looked at her, “Bella, you say? She died because she was eaten by a giant spider.”

Alice sighed, “That is not going to stop her.”

Funk scratched his head, “I said, she is dead.”

Alice chuckled, “She will be back, she always comes back.”

Alice made a portal, “This will lead to your friends, don’t say a word to Steve, or any of the others. This remains between the three of us.”

Funk nodded, “I will make up a story,” then he jumped up through the portal.