The two fell into step, Elhume moving a half step behind the Prophet. The silence seemed to be held hostage by the rough tension of Elhume, partway between a descent into madness and a man walking toward his own execution.

Truth be told, the Prophet didn’t know exactly what they would see as they climbed the spiral staircase within this recently constructed space. Although all Universe Core’s possessed the same general aspects, they manifested in different ways. The prophecy did not cover the exact shape at the Core of the Nexus, because it didn’t need to. So while he would have preferred to lay the groundwork for a more dramatic reveal as they climbed, the Prophet moved up the crystal staircase next to Elhume this his mouths clamped shut.

Behind them, Scythe prowled, mocking Elhume by mimicking the heavy, hunched set of his shoulders.

When they reached the top Elhume gasped. The Prophet’s eye mouths twitched, but he suppressed the smiles of satisfaction. At the very least, the damage was obvious. “Do you see now? We do not have much time.”

At the top of the staircase lay a giant ivory bowl within which a small valley appeared to be sleeping. The lush greenery of the meadows, the wildflower fields, a bubbling river, a few proud pines, and several small drifting clouds could be seen within the life-like landscape of the Universe Soul. But the wholesome utopia could only maintain itself in the middle two-thirds of the bowl. At the edges, darkness took steady bites of the landscape and eroded the peaceful scene.

This incursion the Prophet understood; the particulars didn’t matter, but it was clear that the Universe Soul took damage from the fact that their current reality was only a reproduction. This Pine had been damaged without even the Cult of the Savior taking action.

Could it be that the current Nexus is a fallen Universe? The Prophet frowned at the unpleasant thought. Because the darkness eating into the Universe Soul… well the effect is small now, but it utilizes aspects of the void. Even the light would have difficulty repulsing it if the situation isn’t rectified soon…

I suppose it matters not. There is no prize to be won here, just pitfalls to be avoided.

“What the hell is that?” Elhume whispered, raising a finger and pointing at the far side of the shimmering valley.

Fool. You don’t even realize the framing darkness is the true threat. Well, it doesn’t matter. The Prophet steepled his fingers and turned his attention to the other great attack on the Soul of Pine, curling and warping the landscape at the far side of the bowl, until the end of the river twisted back around itself like a serpent. He spoke, even while sweating slightly at how quickly that influence had spread. “With the Universe Soul weakened, certain individuals are capable of influencing it more concretely. Especially if they use… malicious methods.”

“Pine… oh god Pine.” Elhume took a step up to the edge of the bowl and reached out with trembling hands, his impossible child suffering in his isolated existence. The lines around his eyes seemed to deepen, even as his cheeks hollowed out underneath the erosion of grief. Elhume was a man very near to the breaking point. “Even after everything I’ve done… am I such a poor father that you need to suffer so?”

Again, the Prophet resisted the urge to sneer at the foolish melodrama. Privately, he didn’t even understand how a universe soul could have been fathered by such an imbecile. Or how empty Elhume’s existence must have been, to latch onto a partial Shallah and waste the glorious energy it released on a subpar isolated universe. Especially after using its energy to create the Nexus.

During the process, he reached the Pinnacle. His eyes should have a broader perspective than this.

When Elhume gripped the edge of the bowl, the Universe Soul even reacted. The glittering valley squeezed itself closer to his hands. At the edges, the verdant green and blue of the projected image twisted into small hands. They couldn’t quite reach beyond the limits of the bowl, but Pine’s efforts made themselves known. Seeing the display, Elhume began to weep openly.

Of course, the small and meaningless struggles had a steep cost; on the far side of the bowl, as Pine squeezed itself to be near Elhume, the crackling darkness managed to pilfer huge gains. A few details of the utopia Pine created were ripped away and pulled into the deep darkness. A little bit more of the consciousness Elhume wanted to protect drifted away.

At some point, Elhume became able to function through his emotions. He sniffed loudly and wiped his nose on his wrist as he straightened. His face settle into a lock of almost erotic intensity as gazed down at the forces working on the Universe Soul. His image began to swirl around his body, misty waves of glittering force. But at the very least, he seemed focused. “What is causing this? What can I do?”

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“...I can provide the information, but I fear you will not believe me.” The Prophet said. “Interface with the Universe Soul and you will sense-”

“Pine. His name is Pine,” Elhume glared and the Prophet briefly stilled in front of the intensity of the man’s image. Despite knowing Elhume in and out via the prophecy, the Prophet felt a small bit of fear as those swirling aspects became more concrete. The shift from tears to power happened took quickly. Even as Elhume frowned forward, the heaviness remained. “And you are right. I should find out the truth for myself.”

…oh great light, it was the extended moment of exposure to the void. The Prophet’s eyes widened as Elhume walked around to the far side of the bowl, next to the distortion, and dipped his fingertips in the liquid-like surface. The recognition filled him with alarm. How?! I knew his power must soon jump, to be more than a puppet for us… but he incorporated the emptiness of the void into his fist? Perhaps-

The Prophet felt his spine prickle. Unless this, too, is some sort of interference from Nether King Hungry Eye? The distortion from the reality of the reproduction weakened the Universe Soul to the point we would briefly stall out there- Was that arranged? How deep do his plans run?

After a few moments of sensing the state of the Universe Core, Elhume removed his fingers and opened his eyes. “The darkness… it comes via Nether King Hungry Eye, doesn’t it? Although I can sense his desire to protect this place. That I can forgive, the damage he inflicts… I don’t really understand. But the other influence…” Elhume gritted his teeth. “Mae. Fucking. Myrna. After everything we swore…! Is this because she kidnapped the Nether Arbiter?”

“It is much more complicated than that,” The Prophet responded smoothly, but felt glad to return to the script he had prepared in his head. The insight regarding Hungry Eye’s intentions was annoying, but the attribution of responsibility was enough, for now.“Her image-”

“I get it. She needs to go,” Elhume’s voice hit the Prophet like he stepped out of a snug cabin into the heart of winter, blasting him with frost. “Don’t waste my time with your propaganda. What are we going to do about it?”

After a moment of consideration, the Prophet responded. “I appreciate how seriously you are taking the threat, but the fact that the influences have visibly appeared upon- upon Pine, means this is worse than even I feared. Simply removing the source won’t repair the damage. For Pine to recover we need to take drastic measures; You are aware of the purposes of the Hierarchies?”

A sliver of hesitation forced its way past the vicious pragmatism of Elhume’s expression. So long as the Prophet could keep the discussion focused on subjects like this, he had no fear. “They… steady the universe?”

“At their base, yes. When a Universe Soul is born, it pulls in a series of Hierarchies. Usually no fewer than three or more than eight. Which Hierarchies are chosen determine what sort of universe it is to become. Because of Pine’s choices, or perhaps your choices, the Nexus is particularly suited for the development of intelligent life; a cradle universe, they can be sometimes called. One of the reasons that so many people in the wider universe flock to these is because once it is formed, the Universe Soul has very few options to eliminate antagonistic forces within its purview. For many, it is considered a refuge.”

“The Hierarchy of Finality should be able to handle the issue then,” Elhume grunted. “I remember the Hierarchies. I… I didn’t choose them, but I understood their roles.”

The Prophet winced. “Typically, yes it could be used. However, Hierarchies are fickle forces, even at the best of times. You actually have even met the incarnation of that Hierarchy: Duo, the being that accompanied you to Wyndaos. Apparently, after Mae Myrna spirited away the Nether Arbiter and Duo pursued, she convinced Duo to join her side. But again, removing the problem won’t be enough. We need a method to cleanse her taint from the fabric of existence.”

For several seconds, muscles along Elhume’s jaw flexed. “...you wish for me to make a hierarchy of your light then? That’s what all of this is about, isn’t it?”

A flutter of longing filled the Prophet’s chest. To escape this feeling of being unmoored, to be bathed in El-Kedec’s light and to receive confirmation that he remained on the right path even as he knowingly transgressed the plan. But no, the prophecy did not speak of this suggestion; just from Elhume’s expression, it was easy to see he was deeply suspicious at the prospect. He might be an emotional wreck, but he was not a fool.

This was the sort of man whose mind sharpened as he neared his limits. Those aspects of the void he incorporated into his spirit were still diffuse, but if he could master their usage-

“Obviously I am immensely flattered by your offer, but El-Kedec’s light… isn’t appropriate for this matter,” The Prophet said. “Please imagine that the Universe Soul, your Pine, is a powerless moderator in a complex legal tribunal. The problem right now is Mae Myrna’s discourse is beginning to take over everything else. The holy light would be like adding a rival opinion to the mix… perhaps it would help ensure justice is served, but what we really need is a way to silence Mae. Now, the process isn’t simple, but you need to convince Pine to allow an additional Hierarchy into the Nexus. The Hierarchy Libra, or the Hierarchy of Equivalence, as it is sometimes called. With it, we can bind and mute the negative influences. We bind her and her entire influence, making her equivalently silent to another”

Elhume bit his lip. “What’s the cost? There’s no way this will be easy.”

“Obviously not. It will strain Pine to accept a new Hierarchy; the shape he has been settling into will need to be expanded. Still…” The Prophet turned his gaze back toward the valley within the bowl, beset by darkness and being horribly twisted at one edge. “This isn’t sustainable. If we do nothing…”

The Prophet didn’t bother to finish the sentence.

In the end, the imagined consequences Elhume’s panic conjured would be more persuasive than any visions he could describe.