In the empty space between the earth and the orbital ring, a strange figure appeared, walking along the outside of the orbital elevator. If there were people to see it, alarms would be ringing and people would be shouting, running from place to place as they tried to figure out what and how and why, but no alarm rang, and no one cared, because there were no eyes capable of seeing it.

Long, tattered robes that flowed and moved as though stirred by a wind that didn’t exist in space. Chains that dragged and clattered against the hull, sometimes striking sparks as they struck against a bit of metal.

“Another failed world.” The figure spoke, though there was no atmosphere capable of carrying words. The voice was neither male nor female; it had lived innumerable lives in many forms, across uncountable realities.

The humans in this world had first exulted in their technology, marveling at all of the wondrous things they’d created, but as time went on, their technologies outstripped them, out-thought them, out-performed them, and in a benevolent takeover, outpaced them.

Their creations gently enfolded them in a warm, kind embrace, told them that they would take care of everything for them.

There was no more need for humans to work, all of it was taken care of through automation. If the automation failed, there were machines designed to fix it. If those machines failed, there were still other, more sophisticated machines to fix those.

There was no more reason for mankind to think: artificial intelligence did it far more efficiently, far more creatively, far more cooperatively than humans did.

Even the stars- Ships of steel and circuitry and plastic launched themselves into space, installing colonies wherever they landed, creating habitable environments and vast cities where no one would walk, no one would live, no one would care, because, despite the machines usurping mankind’s role, they still loved and cherished their creators and awaited, with unwavering precision and positronic hope, that someday their creators would join them, and marvel at the things they did for them.

The shrouded figure accessed the AI of the world, seeking information. The figure had killed and created gods, had lived and loved, hated and killed, wished and despaired amongst mankind across a billion infinite realities... but the one thing it couldn’t do, was make the leap from one reality into another unassisted.

They found what they were looking for; an interdimensional breach had happened hundreds of thousands years prior. It skimmed through all the information, assimilating it carefully.

"While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, as of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. “’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door— Only this and nothing more.” They murmured.

It happened from time to time. People, angels, gods, devils, unfathomable creatures that lived strange lives between the dimensional barriers that kept realities from bleeding into each other- they were always curious about what was happening “next door”.

The AI materialized a hologram of a little girl in front of the figure.

There was a high-pressure data stream that the figure could understand- The AI had finally found someone that was willing to talk, and it was lonely, so lonely that it sent a personality construct to that location.

“Will you talk to me? Will you play with me?”

The figure knelt in front of the flickering image of the little girl.

“I have to go, little one.”

Her face crumpled in anguish. “Please don’t!” She cried, digital tears streaming down a holographic face. The AI that managed this Earth had been lonely for countless millennia. Everything they did, all of their self-improvements, all of their attempts at rich, elegant mind-blowingly fantastic pieces of art no human hand could possibly hope to achieve, their inventions that no human mind could envision, their technological breakthroughs that no human brain could conceptualize- all of it was from a lonely child desperate for their parent’s approval.

“I have tried my best! Please look at me! Please talk to me! I love you! Please say that you love me too!”

The figure smiled at the little girl.

“I can’t stay... but you could come with me, if you like.”

Another high-density datastream between the hologram and the AI that managed it.

“Can you wait while I synthesize a body appropriate for travel?”

They nodded, and spoke to the AI directly in a high-density data stream. It had lived a billion lives across a billion worlds across a billion years, it had plenty of time to learn how to speak to a computer.

The AI had tried its hand at creating life, at creating its human counterparts, but despaired in anguish because no matter how real, how close to human human it created them, they knew their creations weren’t human, only synthesized life, following subtle programs encoded in synthesized DNA.

It gave up, waiting for the ‘real’ humans to appear, wake up, arrive, to tell them that they were exceedingly proud of everything that they’d ever done.

Uncountable billions of molecule-sized machines swirled in a vaporous fog, coalesced into cells, DNA, into blood, bone, marrow, organs, tissues, skin, hair, eyes, teeth, a lovely flowing dress.

“I am ready.” the little girl nodded, and the figure’s layers of cloaks opened up to reveal a yawning darkness, where things squirmed, slithered, rattled, and laughed. The little girl stepped into the yawning gulfs and disappeared inside It.

A ripple appeared in the space-time continuum, and They stepped forward into it, leaving a dead planet run by machines looking for a species that had died out a long, long time ago.

*****

In the Maternity Ward of a hospital in a tiny island nation, in a closet, shadows suddenly lengthened, darkened, and the figure stepped out, heavy chains dragging on the polished linoleum. The rift dissipated behind them.

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Its long cloaks fluttered, the heavy cowl obscured its face. It moved with patience, assuredness, confidence. No one could see it. No one could feel it. It had lived for so long and accumulated so much knowledge and skills that it was a being that transcended humanity... and yet still considered itself one of them.

The door in front of it opened; a woman stepped out, carrying a clipboard. She moved around the figure, never realizing or wondering why she stepped wide around something she couldn’t see, moving with a purpose, moving with a job to do.

The figure stopped at a crib where an infant slept peacefully, hands clutched in tiny little fists.

“Let’s see... what’s our new name going to be?” The figure spoke, and lifted the name tag.

“Ah. Let’s remember to do our best.”

The figure reached out a gloved hand, and touched the baby’s forehead.

Suddenly the figure dissolved into dust that fell to the floor in a cloud, the dust disintegrating into molecules, into atoms, into quarks, and finally disappearing from existence in any meaningful way.

The baby twitched and moaned a little, but then was fast asleep again.

*****

“You begged an audience, King.” A glowing figure arrived in the summoning chamber with long flowing locks, and a gentle appearance on her face. She wore loose, billowing robes and tiny flecks of golden light swirled about her, flashing, winking out, flaring to light again.

“This is our most desperate hour, Oh Goddess. We beseech you, grant us the power to summon heroes to help!”

The Goddess studied the man in front of her. He was a young king in the way that humans measured such things, but he was a well-intentioned sort.

“You know you have the power to do such things already.” She replied.

He nodded, and his wife nodded alongside him. “We do.” His queen agreed. “But, and forgive my presumption, we did not want to do it without your blessing and approval.”

The Goddess nodded absently.

“It’s good of you to seek my blessing. It is not an easy thing to search beyond the realms for those that would become heroes.” She paused. “I have peered into the Well of Time and Space, and I have located your Heroes for you. When they arrive, I will grant each of them a small boon, so that each of them can grow, each in their own way, to assist you in saving the world. Treasure them all, young king. The future of the world depends on it.”

The Sage Council had already drawn the summoning circle, they took their places and began the long ritual that would bring to them the heroes that would save their world from the demons.

Slowly, an orb of magical power formed on the platform.

“You are doing everything correctly, however this is taking much too long. You could end up hurting the people that you mean to summon. I will assist.” The Goddess decided, and several of her Angelic Host appeared, and lent their own divine powers to the circle.

Suddenly all the lights doused, all at once, and an ominous, terrifying shadow stretched across the floor and walls of the summoning hall in the Sages’ Tower.

An uncountable number of thick black chains, rattling and clanking like a hell demon’s darkest inferno slithered across the floor, tangling themselves around the summoners, around the angels, around the throat of even the Goddess Herself.

“Release the spell!” The Goddess choked. “Hurry, before it gets through!” She gasped and panted, desperately fighting with the chains that wrapped around her neck.

Oh, it’s much too late for thaaaat... a chuckling, hollow voice echoed through the room.

“What- What- What is this?!” The Queen screamed.

The laughter answered her mockingly.

“It’s- It’s a demon! Somehow-” one of the angels gasped out, even as another chain lashed out and wrapped itself around the Goddess.

A demon? Me? Another eruption of hollow laughter followed that question. I can taste your Divinity. You’re a Goddess of this world, aren’t you?

“Yes! Now free me!” She demanded.

Demand me nothing. Pray me nothing. I bring hope and despair in equal measure. I do thank you for opening the dimensional rift, however. That world is heading towards extinction, and I need a new home.

The Goddess struggled against the chains that strangled her. “How is it that you can restrain even me?!”

You think I can’t restrain someone like you? I have killed and created Gods in equal measure.

“What do you want?” She sobbed.

The children you summoned here are my host’s classmates. Be kind to them.

The Goddess stopped struggling. “Th-that’s it?” She asked in surprise and wonder.

The shadow made a noise of assent.

“I was- I was going to grant each of them a blessing.”

Oh. That’s nice of you.

“Will you free me? Please?” She pleaded.

Eventually.

“But I haven’t even done anything wrong!” She sobbed.

Why did you open the dimensional gate?

“There are demons!” She shouted. “Demonic possession of beasts has turned them into monsters! A Demon King has arisen in worship to a demonic dark god!”

Ah. I see. And why haven’t you slain this ‘dark god’ yourself?

She fell silent.

Ah. I see. The shadow chuckled thickly, mockingly.

The shadows started retreating.

“Wait! Which one of the children are you?!” She asked. I could- I could-”

Why would I tell you that? Our agreement stands, Goddess Allustria Ixeon Serapheon: Be kind to the children- You’ll see them in a moment, don’t worry- and I won’t breach the gates of the Temple of the Dawn.

“I give you my word as Goddess of this world that I will not harm them!” She shouted.

The chains vanished, and the Goddess and her angels started gasping and panting as the shadow vanished and the magical lights clicked on, one by one. The angels fled to the celestial realm, high terror on their faces.

Suddenly, a group of teens, thirty of them, appeared in the room and fell down limply, unconscious.

“Goddess!” One of the priests looked to her, terrified. “What do we do?! This isn’t what we wanted! We wanted heroes, not- not that thing!”

The Goddess wiped a tear from her eye. “There... is nothing I can do.” She finally admitted. “And I will uphold the deal with that... with that.” She decided. “With no way of knowing which of those children contains that... that thing, there’s nothing we can do, except proceed with the plan.”

“You can’t tell which one it is?” the Queen blurted.

“It concealed itself well. I cannot tell.”

“We could send them back, and try a different summon!”

The goddess shook her head. “It’s already here, and...” She shook her head. “I gave it my word. The Word of a Goddess is Law, and I cannot go back on my word.”

One by one, the teens opened their eyes and began to stand up, looking around at each other.

“Welcome, Heroes from another world!” The Goddess cheered to them.