When this strange representative of the Cult of the Savior spoke his confidence pronouncement of victory, the phrase hummed through the air. They contained a hint of a shape greater than just the words. Image power and the Weight of a history of being correct flowed with the enunciation.

The certainty existing there wasn’t precisely objective, but Randidly also sensed a spiritual integrity he couldn’t ignore.

Randidly drew his lip back from his teeth. He shared a glance with Neveah and she quietly stood up and left. He had no idea how he had missed the grotesque figure’s image before; it wasn’t quite a world state image like some he had encountered so far in the early Nexus, but the size was so massive it pressed down against the surrounding environment, smothering weaker images in the area. His three images reared up in rebellion, the Grey Creature ready to force its evolution to completion in order to rip its way through the creepy foe.

Before it could damage its own transformation, Randidly pulled back on the Grey Creature and returned it to the safe space within its chest where it could grow. Outside, Neveah would quietly move around and make preparations for a confrontation. Then he looked at this figure with unbiased eyes, trying to gauge the depth of this foe. He spoke cautiously. “What do you mean, you’ve already won?”

“This is some sort of projected world, is it not?” The figure’s massive central eye trembled. Its pupil and iris moved minutely, visibly flicking around Randidly’s body. It felt like that eye could detect the pulse of his blood in his veins. “I have considered three possibilities for why, rather abruptly, flaws would emerge within the ordained progression. The first I dismissed immediately, yet I still had to acknowledge: perhaps the savior that granted me my gift of prophecy was flawed. However, if this was true, I wouldn’t even exist and the steps that brought me here would have failed… therefore, this is not worth further consideration.”

Before the Prophet continued speaking, a lurching motion came over its lower face. A semi-transparent membrane oozed out and then snapped shut over the bulging single eye. When its nausea-inducing blink finished, it continued its list. “Secondly, it is possible that I am the weak link in the chain. My own inherent defects have caused me to be unable to understand the transcendental insight I carry with me, courtesy of our savior. For the longest time, I couldn’t discard this possibility. It haunted me.

“To exorcize the ghost of that consideration, I was determined to find you, a figure whose movements were completely outside of the prophecy. Because I noticed one other strange fact. I will not claim the prophecy I possess has accounted for every variable, just the major variables. It is theoretically possible that a confluence of small coincidences could have large consequences for the prophecy. Yet… the prophecy didn’t adjust, even as the differences escalated. It was like it didn’t even see these growing deviations. So I came up with a third theory: what I was experiencing and what was described in the prophecy… were not the same timeline.”

Randidly tried to keep his face calm. The little mouth-eyes clacked their teeth at him, almost in amusement, but it was difficult to read the emotion of this individual. So far, his words contained very little aggression.

He came to me to try and find out about the status of the memory, but maybe I can use him to find out about what originally occurred… Randidly’s emerald eyes flashed.

“The signs were present, although it felt alarming to examine the fabric of myself on such a granular level,” The Prophet continued. “Upon closer inspection, it seemed to me I was… fabricated. There were layers of Nether to my existence where there should only be… substance. And you… just witnessing you, who doesn’t possess those supporting layers? Vindication.” The eye mouths stretched wide, revealing damp holes without any apparent tongues. “A being who truly exists. The juxtaposition of the projected myself and your reality, it was easy to deduce this was a projection or a memory. Either way, our plan must have succeeded. That is why the prophecy did not adjust. The Nexus has fallen under our sway, as anticipated. The Holy Law has been writ. As you have been touched by El-Kedec’s light… dedicate yourself to me!”

With the final sentence, the Prophet raised a hand of thick, sausage-y fingers and gestured imperiously. Randidly tensed, but nothing happened. He gradually relaxed as the eye-mouths began to grit their teeth. The Prophet looked around. “This… what?”

Feeling emboldened, Randidly offered the Prophet a mild smile. He thought about Elhume, perhaps not managing to save Pine, but with enough righteous fury to overcome these interlopers. “Perhaps the situation is more complicated than you think.”

The Prophet leaned back in his chair. For several seconds, he remained silent. He even took the time to raise one of Neveah’s teacups and sip from his right eye. The eye on his chin bulged and throbbed visibly. His through made several wet noises as the liquid sloshed down into his torso.

“Well, perhaps that is so. I am but a tool of a greater being. To witness my own failings… is not worth fussing over,” All at once, the Prophet’s strange self-possession returned. He set down his teacup and crossed his remarkably human legs. “Nether King Hungry Eye, please allow us to make a deal. An answer for an answer. In your original reality… how did we deviate from the inevitable ascendance of the great one? What is the result of the current strife?”

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“And what will you give me in exchange?” Randidly raised an eyebrow.

The Prophet smiled. “Likely, you’ve gone back through this projected world in order to gather information, yes? I can tell you what we, the Cult of the Savior, planned to do. I will not reveal our weaknesses, or our methods… but I see no reason why after the fact, you being aware of our plan will cause harm.”

After a few seconds of thought, Randidly offered the being a jerky nod. “So long as you go first.”

“Heh, fine. While this universe is young, and therefore relatively weak, the Cult of the Savior wished to break into the Universe Core and install our chosen laws. To act as a beacon of sorts.” The Prophet’s tone switched to a very business-focused tone. “Since sneaking into this Nexus, we have been extending our influence and laying the groundwork. Because the window of opportunity to successfully accomplish our goal is small.”

“What sort of groundwork did you lay?” Randidly asked.

The Prophet’s eye-mouths smirked. “The trivialities of our success are not part of our agreement. Our methods will remain a mystery to you, Nether King Hungry Eye. Especially if you are simply a representative of a rival faction, digging into the past in order to understand how we have achieved dominance so quickly in the wider universe.”

Randidly pursed his lips, but didn’t push it. The Prophet continued. “To paint with broad strokes, an isolated universe steadily develops its own internal laws after coming into existence. Being in alignment with those laws thereafter brings you benefits while working against them becomes increasingly difficult. However, there is a moment of vulnerability, one that is soon approaching in the Nexus, when the universal laws… for lack of a better term, become aware of themselves. They have grown and now witnessed the expanse they cover. Witnessing becomes being. In that awakening, the true spirit is solidified. But obviously, any transformation comes with risks.”

The Prophet leered forward, his two tiny mouths leering. “The universe core is a very important area. Essentially, it mirrors everything that occurs in the wider world. Specially chosen and sufficiently powerful representatives of Aether and Nether, especially if they possess the ‘key’ like is held by Elhume, can intrude into the universal core and intervene in the transformation. The finger they pressed upon the scales in the genesis of the universe can once more be used.”

“You need both Aether and Nether. That’s why you kidnapped the Nether Arbiter.” Randidly said slowly.

The bulging eye seemed to squint. “Just so.”

Randidly’s mind raced, even while he kept his expression mild. He started to see the way the Cult of the Savior orchestrated events in the memory. What he didn’t understand was why the Nether Arbiter would be such an easy mark for kidnapping. He really wished he could locate the missing spiritual leader of the Nether people and see the energy around her body. Obviously, she sat at the center of a massive web of Phaea that restricted her somewhat, but surely she couldn’t be as much of a pushover as that?

…unless that’s groundwork too, Randidly breathed slowly out through his nose. I’ve heard that the rise of the Nether Arbiter coincided with a period of unprecedented prosperity and dominance of the Nether… but what if the real answer is exactly opposite that? The whole organization was a trap…

These thoughts were just guesses, so Randidly let them pass. But his wariness toward the Cult of the Savior deepened. Especially now, with this individual so accepting of his presence in the memory and willing to explain their plan.

“What happens once you get into the universe core?” Randidly asked.

“We establish our true laws,” The little mouth-eyes did their best to smile. But the action just seemed to inflate the Prophet’s forehead. “Honestly, the methods aren’t complicated. Once there, you simply need to intrude to the deepest chamber. You must crack open the universe egg and also possess a material strong enough to seal the breach behind you. With the laws in place, the universe will rapidly shift into proper alignment.”

Another detail occurred to Randidly then. “And what happens… to the universe consciousness that was developing within the universe egg?”

“Obviously, it must be removed.”

Randidly gritted his teeth at the cold response. His fingers on the table tightened to the point he had to force himself to loosen, so he didn't crack one of Neveah’s favorite tables. “I believe you have been feeding paranoia and fear into Elhume over the past several months. Urging him to act quickly, lest he lose his son, Pine. So you lied to him?”

“Of course not. With the true laws on our side, what need do we have of falsehoods?” The Prophet tilted his head to the side. “I will give you a free lesson on planes of existence, Nether King Hungry Eye. A single man cannot be a universe. Inevitably, one corrupts the other. Either by the personality warping the laws of existence within the isolated space, or because the vastness of an interior smothers all humanity within the bearer. In a very real way, if the Nexus is allowed to crystallize its universal laws, Elhume’s precious Pine will be annihilated. He becomes an object, not an individual.”

As Randidly straightened to glare at the horrid being opposite him, his jaw already ached from clenching. “And I suppose you didn’t remind Elhume that if Pine is removed from the universe core, conscious or not, he will once again begin to dissipate?”

“Your knowledge is quite impressive, Nether King Hungry Eye.” The Prophet laughed, long and hard. Then he leaned forward, pressing his hands against the table. “But you know, Elhume experienced the creation of the Nexus itself, peering into the void between worlds. To ascend to such heights and remain so blind… you should not have any pity for such a man.”