Randidly flexed his fingers. For the moment, Pine seemed satisfied with his answer. So he let the vulnerable universe soul be and focused on the connections. He did his best to relax, because he needed to be sharp for this next bit.

His Nether seethed and spat in his veins, flowing faster and more thickly than it had ever had before. For a brief moment, Randidly marveled at the sensations, so closely matched to what he imagined it was to be slowly cooling magma planet. Waves of chaotic and dense significance sprung off him, both surrounding the brilliant Engraving with a protective bubble and flowing out to fuel the framework for the next step. His eyes burned, bright and emerald and violent. With this, this journey will come to an end.

He wove strands of Nether around Elhume, digging deep into his history, strangely insubstantial as it was due to Fiero’s borrowing. Yet Randidly felt the anchor sinking deeper and deeper into Elhume’s existence. He suspected the process could not be pleasant. Significance was sowing together two histories to make them as one. The two Nether varietals hissed and trembled on the contract.

Yet Elhume just looked at Pine, his gaze empty but sure. His father’s answer had no words, but did possess the unrelenting solidity that the universe soul desperately needed.

Pine trembled, bearing the scrutiny of that gaze with difficulty after having not had the privilege of receiving it for so long. Nearer to Randidly, there was a slight pop as Neveah manifested back. She gave him a quick nod, holding a large orb of mist in her arms. Randidly pressed her lips together to see the excited pulses from within the misty orb. Yet It was proof that Neveah had extracted agreement. For now, that was more than enough.

Neveah began reinforcing the central portion with bold strokes of harmonious Aether and Nether while the floating consciousness was left to the side, for now.

Next to their floating ritual, the darkness pressed closer. Even if the Alpha Cosmos could delay its collision with the Nexus, the tide of negativity encroached more and more. Their movements fell into shadow, the only light coming from the glowing Engraving.

With the first circle now populated and anchored into place, Randidly turned his attention to the second one. He sent a message to Enmya, and receiving an affirmative, he flexed his fingers. Yggdrasil creaked and groaned, the massive trunk shifting from the original position to within the depths of the circle.

Enmya arrived with arms windmilling, pulled along by the shift in the World Tree. Randidly’s mouth quirked upward, but he didn’t let that distract him. He focused on the pulsing life of Yggdrasil and followed its roots, digging deeper and deeper into the fabric of the Nexus, while also following the carefully laid runes shaped by Neveah. The tree became a stand-in for him and the universe he represented, the Alpha Cosmos. When Enmya regained his balance, he sat down and began to meditate. His Nether flowed through clean lines, joining the anchors the Nether connector had already made and then joining up with Yggdrasil’s similar efforts.

It did not feel good to do, but Randidly released the last of his grip on his insubstantial identity. The Alpha Cosmos is more than just part of the Vessel. It can be everything. I can be nothing. The anchor can flow through Enmya…

Congratulations! Your Skill The World Tree Guzzles Even Truth (GD) has grown to Level 1995!

Congratulations! Your Skill Engineering of the Enigmatic Alpha Cosmos (P) has grown to Level 1831!

With Nether and roots, Randidly tied the knot, fixing the Alpha Cosmos in a new place. He felt a strange queasiness, but nothing too disturbing yet. Right now it was just a symbol. Only when he tightened those Nether bonds would everything be changed.

Before Randidly began the final anchoring process, he sent a message to Naffur and the others struggling underneath the negative subconscious of the Nexus. One more push to hold the land of the dead back, and make it a big one. I’ll handle it from there.

On cue, the Nexus around him shivered. Then began to shake, as all the people who believed in him trusted his word and threw their all into the attack. Randidly began to laugh; from the abrupt twitchings of his Grand Fate, Randidly knew that the group had manifested enough power to tear the fabric of time. For now, he ignored the scratching impulse to go sew up that wound and just allowed himself to feel pride.

Congratulations! Your Skill Echoes of a Living Myth (M) has grown to Level 1604!

Congratulations! Your Skill What the Ghosthound Sows, He Will Soon Reap (GD)(U) has grown to Level 1995!

I shouldn’t underestimate the power of an entire world. Obviously, the attack is fractured into different pieces; if the initial burst could be endured, the whole would fall apart and the individual bodies would be vulnerable. And these people could not take the sort of punishment that I had to suffer in order to fight against Elhume. Randidly blinked slowly. But… would Elhume had been able to hold back the darkness for even a short amount of time, once all the safeguards were removed?

No, partially because so much of the Elhume’s true physical power was split due to the Fiero/Solomon Rex situation… but also because he was a single heart. And in the face of adversity, a single heart can be swayed.

But a thousand hearts, a million… united by a Creed…

Randidly flexed his fingers as he considered that. Perhaps it wasn’t a Truth, but it was an opinion. One that would shape his new Alpha Cosmos in the future. Pivoting on his heel, Randidly began to walk toward that misty orb.

But before Randidly could start a conversation he somewhat dreaded, Pine loped up next to him, apparently realizing Elhume would remain in place. Also, based on the twitchy movements of the hound, he might have been overstimulated by fatherly affection and needed a break. “What is the point of this Engraving? It feels… familiar.”

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“In theory, we bring all the dangerous elements into balance,” Randidly said, rather lightly, even as Aether and Nether exploded from his body at speeds he had never attempted before to fuel all of the connections and structures his people were building. It had been a while since Randidly, with his upgraded Vessel, had neared the sort of energy expenditure where the rushing expulsion caused some erosion on his consciousness. So with so many disparate problems to handle, he felt slightly lightheaded.

“And you bear the weight of the dangerous elements, for the Nexus,” Pine responded with certainty, his vulnerability gone and some of that old haughtiness crept into his tone. Randidly paused, somewhat chagrined that the universe soul had so quickly seen through to the function goal of Neveah’s working; but, Randidly supposed, this being had sat at the core of the Nexus for three thousand years.

Yet when Randidly finally pivoted to look at the small puppy, now grown into a long-legged youthful hound, it was the intensity of the stare that stilled him. “Why would you choose this Path? You are sacrificing much, with this method. You gain very little benefit and shoulder additional responsibilities. Is it worth extending the life of the Nexus in such a manner?”

Is my intention that obvious? Randidly wondered. In the end, he had to admit it might very well be; what he was about to do could be considered his ‘default’ strategy for dealing with problems. Albeit on a much larger scale, in this instance.

Randidly, who had through machinations and sheer stubbornness had found himself as the central seed of a universe, looked at the being who had been born into this rare ‘honor’. He saw in Pine the same negative emotions he had been forced to fight in his own psyche. Most notably, exhaustion carved its presence into even a dog’s features. Some of the excitement at having Elhume respond faded, as the universe soul considered what was about to happen.

Randidly wondered whether he was really doing this all for nothing. Whether he should simply have moved planets and populations into the Alpha Cosmos, rather than continue on this current project. It would be difficult in a different sort of way, as Randidly suffered from the worst sort of indigestion and heartburn of his universe-housing existence, and he would be forced to face the same external threat, which still made him the most wary.

Yet that method would be simpler, with less complex connections. And from Pine’s point of view…

…the biggest issue with the current plan was the messy bonding that would happen between the Alpha Cosmos and Nexus. Between Randidly Ghosthound, an individual ascendant, and Pine, an individual ready to die just so the pain would stop.

Pine spoke on the burdens of the Nexus, but he really asked about whether saving the universe, and its fearful soul, was worth all this effort.

Randidly smiled. “Yes.”

Pine wrinkled his nose at the simple answer. His raised hackles indicated how much he disagreed with that decision. Yet the young hound remained silent. He sat down and allowed Randidly to move alone to approach the misty consciousness that would be his third anchor.

In his mind, Randidly continued his explanation to Pine. Would you believe it if I told you there would be value in us being connected? I’ve faked it well thus far, but I am not you, Pine. I am a constructed thing. I possess a powerful Vessel, sure. Mimicking the effects you have, but ultimately… well, maybe I’m a little bit afraid of reaching a limit in that mimicry. Creating the connection… would legitimize me, in a way. In a way I want to happen, less for my pride and more to ensure a stable future for the Alpha Cosmos.

But also… Randidly’s eyes narrowed. Why did I struggle for so long for power, if not so I could freely make my choices, and damn the consequences? You are more than a resource, Pine. You are alive. And therefore, it’s worth extending a hand to help you.

Whether, in the end, you take it… is up to you.

As Randidly took the last few steps, he took around 3000 VP, Skill Levels he had gained due to the Alpha Cosmos’s enthusiastic defense, and poured it into his Harmony Creed, just for a little extra edge for what he planned on attempting.

What he didn’t expect was to trigger another Layer increase, so soon after the previous one.

You have condensed a Vessel Layer! Current Vessel Layers: 5

For earning a new Layer, you have unlocked access to a new Creed. Creeds will be distributed differently, based on the Vessel Layer. For the fifth Vessel Layer, you have been provided with a choice: Possibility or Impossibility!

Details on the alternative Creeds will be provided prior to selection!

(Creed) Possibility: A Creed concerned with expanding the realm of the possible. Creed will provide a holistic boost to the potential and current capability. When VPs are spent, user will experience an increase in consistency of outcomes. User’s respiratory system (if applicable) and brain will experience a boost in efficiency. User will have a natural intuition for the relative success of different choices. For those within the Alpha Cosmos, this Creed increases the growth rate of new Skills for each related Skill and makes it easier to develop Skills or images related to armor, material sciences, statistics, mechanisms, engineering, industry, vehicles, and progress.

(Creed) Impossibility: A Creed dedicated to shrinking the broad category of the impossible. A Creed for those determined to change the status quo, despite the unexpected consequences that might result. When VPs are spent, user will experience an increase in the ability to shift their perspective. User will adapt unusually quickly to new environments and have a sharp eye for unusual details. For those within the Alpha Cosmos, this Creed increases the chance that they will be presented with strange and unrelated Skill and Path choices as they advance. Creed encourages the exploration of novel concepts and unusual combinations, and makes it easier to develop Skills or images related to dreams, psychology, interpersonal relationships, transformations, fusions, psychic abilities, colors, and evolutions of Classes and Skills.

Randidly offered the notification a crooked smile. “We all know which choice I will make, don’t we? In the end… advancing step by step is a methodical process, but the places I intend to go cannot be reached simply by following a Path.”

You have selected the Creed Impossibility! Additional information available.

As the relative Dominance of the Impossibility Creed increases, user will find the chances of unlikely events magnified. The population of the Alpha Cosmos will dream more brightly and vividly of wild dreamscapes and foreign worlds. To a greater or lesser degree, those in the Alpha Cosmos will be inflicted with a craving for novel and unusual experiences.. In addition, as the Impossibility Creed grows, the Alpha Cosmos will spontaneously absorb strange worlds from the outside multiverse. These absorbed worlds are very likely to contain beings with strange powers, which may or may not be friendly with the denizens of the Alpha Cosmos!

Spontaneously absorb? Randidly frowned at that, wondering at the absorption mechanism. But he supposed he shouldn’t be too picky, considering he had just consciously chosen to embrace ‘Impossibility’. He had a little over 3000 VPs remaining, which he dumped into Impossibility. Immediately, he felt the Creed settle through his body, a tingling in his eyes and frontal lobe. The possibility glittered through him.

The small victories didn’t stop there. Randidly took a glance at his Status Screen and smirked. Not long now…

Yet for the moment, he had an unpleasant task to complete. He stopped in front of the pulsing, misty orb. For several seconds, he just looked at it. He pressed his lips together. The silence from the orb seemed smug. “...you are willing to help?”

“Only so long as you truly debase yourself in the asking,” The consciousness of the Actus Suprem Devick purred.