Nil

All around was me pitch black. More accurately, an empty nothingness surrounded me. Where was I? I looked around and noticed my viewpoint was higher than it should be. I looked down and saw my old body. What caused that? Please don't tell me I'm going back.

“Hello?!” I called out to the nothingness.

You are amazingly reckless, you know that? A voice reverberated in my head.

Hello Kron; I thought you couldn’t intervene much? I checked, feeling a bit better about my current situation.

One, that’s a funny statement coming from you interloper. Two, I am talking to you not actually intervening in your life. Kron explained. I didn't fully grasp the distinction here, but that wasn't important for now.

What’s wrong with seeing what can do? It’s a little bit of . I replied. It was just mildly inconvenient while it was healing.

That’s what I thought, you do not know the risk. Repeated can cause permanent damage to your just to start. just increases what your body can handle; the immense strain that causes you to pass out is going to cause permanent damage. Another side effect- Kron began lecturing. Oh. It that's how it worked. Kron had a great point then.

Look, stop right there, I do not want the complete lecture. I get it, stop with the. Now answer a question for me, how did that form so easily? I interjected not wanting to waste the limited time I had to talk to them.

You are quite rude, you know that? And why should I answer? Kron taunted. I could feel Kron's amusement despite not being able to see them.

I imagine not a lot of people actually talk to you, and I am your only real form of conversation. I teased Kron. They went silent for a few moments.

You are truly a piece of work, has anyone ever told you that? Kron probed with a bit of a sigh.

My old parents used to say that a lot, among other things. Let me phrase this another way, you are the only person I can talk to seriously, and I am pretty sure I am one of the few you can actually talk to. I replied. Kron paused for a minute; I could feel the gears in their head turning.

I am not lonely. Kron snapped eventually. Specifying that totally helped their case.

I am convinced by that statement, you clearly have an overwhelming social life. My previous claim was completely out of line. I joked. I could feel Kron give me a less than amused stare.

At least you understand how busy I am. Kron pouted at me.

That was very clearly sarcasm. How lonely are you? I checked. I guess divine beings couldn't interact all the often being fair.

I will smite you out of existence with divine lightning. Pop out the you have and prepare to be annihilated. Kron threatened me. Okay, time to change topics.

Anyway, back to my main question. Why did that form so easily? I inquired. It still baffled me how that worked so easily.

You were born on the Night of Fire and Ice. It gave you the . It converts your knowledge into the for you, among other things. As you apparently know how to make the structure, the does all the grunt work and converts based on what you know to make the for you. Kron explained. So that was why.

That is convenient. So it turns my control system knowledge into for me? I wondered what it did. I replied. That would be amazing.

Control system? Kron asked, clearly not knowing the concept.

Regulates the behavior of an input to produce a desired output in this context. in, some adjustments to the , desired out. I clarified for them.

There’s got to be more to it than that. Kron said in an exasperated tone.

I learned parts of it and what it could apply to for four years, and then studied it at a high level for two years. It requires a lot of mathematical knowledge and learning how to view systems to start, and even then I still didn’t know it anywhere near my professors. How quickly do you want me to summarize it? I explained. I wasn't sure exactly how much time I currently had, but it would take a while for sure.

I want to know about this world you came from. How advanced was the ? Kron probed. That was likely an answer Kron wasn't going to expect.

was a fantasy, something that wasn’t real. We relied on technology and science to face our world. Then again, we kind of are at the top of our world, and the wildlife was nowhere near as exciting as the wildlife on Tenebrae. I replied with a bit of a smirk.

WHAT? ISN’T REAL IN YOUR OLD WORLD?! Kron roared. My head was ringing from how loud Kron was.

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Yes. We relied on science and technology. I thought I was clear about that. I said calmly.

What is technology? Science? What are these concepts? Kron probed, seeming to be in disbelief.

Technology is the application of science. You know things like fireworks? They work off black powder and other elements like copper being heated to a certain temperature. The black powder launches it into the air, and the heat as it explodes heats the aluminum to make the color white. Science discovered black powder, the fact it explodes when it is ignited and in a container, and that heating up aluminum lets off a white color because of a reaction. Technology is putting those facts together to make a firework. I explained hoping it was clear.

That’s interesting; it also explains that cut earlier. What did you do to make it so potent? Kron replied clearly struggling with how the two were correlated.

I imagined it at the thickness of an atom, compressed my as much as possible, and then released it in an instant. The blade came out a bit thicker than an atom, but the speed and thinness of the blade worked as intended. I lectured. I could feel my answer only made more questions.

What’s an atom? Why does the compression matter? Kron pressed. I was struggling not to laugh at this point. I could feel how badly Kron wanted to know.

Okay, how about a little quid pro quo. I explain a concept from my world, you explain one from yours. I retorted. Kron let out a huff.

You are really high maintenance, you know that? So pushy and demanding. Kron mocked in a bitter voice.

So you don’t want the answers? I asked. Kron's irritation was palpable at this point.

You see, a lot of people worship me, bow before me, and feel blessed to even hear a whisper of my voice. Then there is you, a conniving interloper always after more. Aren’t you satisfied with what you have? Kron chided. Because most people weren't me.

I quite love my new life, but I want to know more, and you can easily provide the knowledge I want. You seem to want to know about my old world because it is loaded with stuff you don’t know about, so how am I any different than you in this regard? I pointed out. I could feel Kron glare at me.

Is everyone from your old world as insufferable as you? Kron probed in an unamused tone.

How am I insufferable? I inquired.

This is a pointless argument. Fine, you tell me about your old world, and I’ll tell you about Tenebrae. Kron agreed, clearly wanting to move on.

Sweet. First, my old world is called Earth. An atom is basically a small little dot that makes up everything. For example, if I recall correctly, there are 7 billion billion billion atoms in the average human. The compression matters because it builds pressure, and the goal is to fit as much in as little space as possible. When it has a small opening it tries to equalize the pressure in an instant. I explained to them.

I saw Kron make a ball with a needle in it, and proceed to inflate it with as much as they could. After a minute, Kron made a small hole and a needle launched out at an incredible rate of speed. There was a small popping sound as it burst out. Then, a block of metal appeared, and Kron made a thin blade. Looking at it dead on it was invisible. Kron dropped the blade and it sank into the block. Kron had this general aura of awe and amusement at their newfound knowledge.

Nil, here is how this is going to go Your parents are quite religious, and go to Temple weekly. When they start taking you, go to my statue, and pray. We are going to have our talk sessions at this time. Kron ordered me.

What about the other six Lords of Tenebrae? Won’t they get jealous or offended? I probed. As fun as it would be to talk to Kron regularly, I didn't want to anger the other in doing so.

Screw them, my statue only; you have my , so favoring my statue is okay. There is precedent of Emperors favoring a Lord they believe has them. In your case, there is no belief, you most certainly do. Kron explained. That made it better, I guess.

Fair enough. Now, the , what does it do? I can see with it, and that’s about all I figured out. I asked Kron.

That’s all you figured out? Kron condescended with an immensely smug tone.

I mean, between learning , , , and getting my butt kicked by Lux I haven’t devoted a lot of time to something I know very little about. I retorted. It wasn't like the had an instruction manual.

How is Lux doing? Kron deflected. Do I follow the deflection?

Wait Lux a gift from you? And what does the do? I interrogated. Did Kron influence that?

Yes, Lux was a gift as you will not need to find a and can protect you while you are learning. Kron explained. I guess not wanting the getting taken would be a priority.

I thank you for Lux. So what does the do? I asked again. Kron was clearly dodging the question at this point.

You know, back on Earth, what races all lived there? Kron checked, clearly not wanting to answer the question.

Humans, and wildlife. That’s it. Race usually referred to what region you were from. Now, for the last time, what does the do? I snapped at Kron.

How many times do I have to deflect the question before you stop asking? Kron replied with a bit of irritation in their voice.

What is the harm in telling me the answer? I snarled, wondering why Kron was refusing to answer the question.

Because the vast majority will cause on a scale severe enough to kill you. Luckily you haven’t figured out what to test and try with it. You only managed to figure out its most basic function, . Kron elaborated. Oh. That was a very fair point.

Is there a function I can try out that won’t kill me? I probed, trying not to sigh.

Maybe. is about the only thing I can think of that is not likely to kill you. Kron suggested. That was a starting point.

Not likely? So even that might kill me? What is ? I checked, trying to get an idea of what to work towards.

There’s a chance. allows you to peer into the future. But the future is never fixed, it only allows you to see possibilities. It also takes practice to interpret what it is trying to tell you. Kron clarified for me.

I mean, you say the future is near fixed, but what about like three seconds from now? I inquired. Baby steps would likely be the key to making it work.

Technically speaking yes three seconds into the future would be quite accurate. Not sure at that point it would be though. What you could do with that is beyond me, but is technically possible. Kron replied. Maybe a peak of sorts then? Still, it was something to work on.

No idea how I’m going to use it, but I find learning small steps first helps a lot. I told Kron. Something was better than nothing.

Fair enough. I have kept you long enough, but next time you are explaining a lot more about Earth. Kron ordered. That was fair; it was hard to argue with a divine being that was giving me some insights.

Fine. I stated as the world returned around me.