Scott’s jaw dropped even further, his mind struggling to process the bombshell the Mad God had just dropped. Questions raced through the voidweaver's mind, each one spawning new uncertainties, but answers remained elusive.
“Do you mean that my variants and I are all incarnations of you?” Scott finally asked after a long pause.
The Mad God sighed, turning toward the calm waters. “Yes,” he replied listlessly. “And there are others, just so you know.”
Scott instinctively recalled the figure he had encountered when he first ascended to becoming a challenger and the others he had seen while traversing the paths of White Hell.
“How many of us are there, exactly? And does that mean we’re beholden to you?” Scott’s voice trembled slightly as his breathing quickened.
The boy chuckled softly, shaking his head. “I have no sway over any of you,” he declared. “I’m a fallen god, and you simply inherited my will. Neither you nor I owe the other anything.”
Scott’s brows furrowed as a fresh set of questions plagued his mind, especially considering that all his variants were destined to become or had already assumed the mantle of the Eidolon of Envy. He couldn’t help but wonder about the relationship between the Mad God and Sibiru, the Authority of Envy. Unable to quell his curiosity, Scott posed another question. “How much do you know about my life so far?”
The boy turned toward Scott, wearing a knowing smile. “I can see where this is going,” he chuckled. “My relationship with Sibiru isn’t something you’d understand, and I have no intention of explaining myself. However, there’s no denying that she was indeed infatuated with me. So, it’s only natural that her incarnations harbor the same crippling emotions towards mine,” the Mad God paused, chuckling once more. “You’re quite fortunate you were stripped down to nothing but your consciousness and placed in that body. Were it not the case, she would have found you by now. And trust me, there’s no escaping her when she wants you.”
A chill ran down Scott’s spine, his mind racing with new questions. Never in a million years would he have thought that the connection between the Eidolon of Envy and Sibiru was rooted in the Authority’s obsessive compulsion to seek out the Mad God’s incarnation.
“But why me?” Scott pressed, his brows creased. “You said it yourself—there are other incarnations. Why is she so obsessed with me in particular?”
“Because you’re the only one who hasn’t extinguished my essence,” the boy declared matter-of-factly.
“Wait, you’re saying the others already knew of your presence?”
The Mad God shook his head. “No. They realized they were different—or should I say special—and they simply extinguished my essence, forcing it to become theirs. They have no clue that they’re my incarnations, and neither does the council or the administrator.” He paused, smiling as he focused on Scott. “You, on the other hand, are not so lucky.”
Scott’s features turned ashen. “What do you mean?” he asked.
“A mortal, especially one without authority, is fated to be abused in the presence of almighty beings. Your body, in its most vulnerable form, had no way of restraining the entities entrusted within you. The fragment of my resentment within you awakened… well, you get the gist of it,” the Mad God said with a rueful smile.
Scott’s features darkened. He already had to contend with the gods due to the eldritch invasion, and now he had inherited the existing resentment between the Mad God and the council, whether he wanted to or not. After all, it was unlikely the gods would listen if he claimed he wanted nothing to do with the Mad God or Hastur.
“What did you mean by, ‘my body had no way of restricting any of the entities entrusted within you?’” Scott suddenly asked. While he might not be as detailed or observant as Orion, he couldn’t overlook such an obvious statement.
A playful smile greeted his question. “This is why I said you were foolish,” the Mad God declared, reaching for his fishing rod once more. “I don’t know whether to feel sorry for you or to be impressed,” he said, casting the line into the water. “You’re my incarnation, yet you were chosen as a vessel by a Great Old One—Hastur, no less. Then you have to contend with Sibiru, the resentment and anger of the council, and the matter of that being in the Nihilistic Zone.” He chuckled, throwing some bait into the water. “Now that I think about it, I should definitely feel sorry for you,” he laughed even harder.
Scott’s expression grew even grimmer. Although nothing new was revealed, the Mad God had confirmed his suspicion about the Nameless One being the entity within the Nihilistic Zone, and he subconsciously recalled Orion’s warning.
“Who is the Nameless One?” Scott asked, breaking his silence.
The Mad God snapped toward the voidweaver. “Don’t say that name here,” he cautioned, his gaze wandering about the tranquil area as if searching for someone or something. His features only relaxed a moment later, then he focused on Scott once more. “You will know if or when it wants you to know. I’m but a mere will now; allow me to enjoy eternity fishing in peace, okay?”
The Mad God returned his attention to fishing, muttering inaudible words that Scott couldn’t decipher. Panic seized Scott as he wondered who or what the Nameless One truly was. He could understand Orion’s apprehension as a mortal, but for the Mad God to react this way—Scott couldn’t imagine what sort of entity might have taken an interest in him.
“But the Nihilistic Zone isn’t entrusted to…” Scott paused, subconsciously reaching toward his chest. Only in this space had he been able to feel the thumping of his heart after what seemed like eons. Usually, the formless mass resided there, an undeniable gateway to the unfathomable Nihilistic Zone.
Did I make a foolish decision after all? Scott pondered, lowering his head in deep thought. No matter how he looked at it, the odds were supremely stacked against him, and it was only a matter of time before misfortune befell him and his companions. A palpable silence soon enveloped the area, with Scott lost in his thoughts while the Mad God lazily continued fishing.
“Of what need are your needless thoughts?” the Mad God suddenly grumbled, breaking the silence. “While the odds might be stacked against you, it’s not necessary that you win. You just have to cause enough chaos that everyone loses in the end. How you choose to do that is up to you—I’m sure you’ll have some ideas. But the goal at the end of the day isn’t to let them smite you without pushing back.”
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Scott remained silent, nodding gently. “Are you going to tell me why you were eliminated by the council?” Scott suddenly asked.
“Why? Do you want to take revenge on my behalf?” the Mad God grinned.
“Like hell I would,” Scott retorted.
“Then don’t be nosy,” the Mad God chuckled.
“Do you have any relationship with Hastur or… you know who in the Nihilistic Zone?”
The Mad God laughed even harder. “They might call me the Mad God, but I’m not stupid enough to dabble with those two.” He cast his fishing rod aside, smiling intently at Scott. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you. But if you stay here any longer, you’ll be trapped for eternity too.”
Before Scott could respond, he felt a sudden push, and the voidweaver helplessly plunged into the calm waters. His gaze remained locked on the smiling Mad God until he was fully submerged. Then, an avalanche of pain, memories, and emotions overwhelmed him as he sank deeper into the clear waters. The figure of the Mad God and the platform vanished, replaced by the perpetual darkness surrounding him as he descended.
The waters continued their relentless assault on his senses, the pain, memories, and emotions fleeting but intense. Soon, thunderous explosions mingled with mournful screams and crazed battle cries filled his ears. Scott’s vision blurred, his senses weakening by the second, as all emotions were expunged from his body. Silence came briefly, only to be shattered by another thunderous explosion.
Scott’s eyes slowly opened, and the thick stench of charred flesh mixed with fresh blood and smog assaulted his lungs. He blinked multiple times, trying to rouse himself from the warm embrace of unconsciousness. His body bobbed up and down as if being carried by someone or something, with constant explosions echoing in tandem with screams and shouts.
Is this a battlefield? Where the hell did I wake up this time? Scott wondered, attempting to move.
“Finally, you’re awake,” Orion’s voice echoed in Scott’s mind.
“Everyone, he’s awake!” Orion suddenly announced on the party channel, relief evident in the mage’s voice.
“Really?” Zara’s voice came first. “Scott, are you okay? Does anything hurt?” she asked in quick succession, her excitement palpable.
“My leader, now isn’t the time for that,” Slim interjected. “Buddy, I’m glad you’re awake. We were worried about you.”
“How long was I out?” Scott asked, his brows furrowing. Forcing himself to wake up, he was greeted by the chaotic sight of a battlefield. Thousands, if not tens of thousands, of Orion’s clones surrounded him, each one fighting valiantly against what seemed like an unending battalion of champions.
Scott raised his head, noticing massive wooden frameworks partially ablaze, and beyond that, he could see colossal entities shrouded in lightning clashing with hundreds of flying beasts and champions. To his left, an ominous, mournful symphony blared, and to his right, the twang of drawn strings echoed incessantly.
Scott realized he was being carried on the back of a clone—a clone that was bleeding profusely, missing an arm, and with half of its midsection ripped away. Despite its grievous injuries, it still wore the same whimsical smile Orion would.
“You’ve been out for three weeks, buddy,” Slim announced.
“Three weeks?!” Scott repeated, struggling to believe what he had just heard. For him, it felt like only a few minutes, an hour at most, but three weeks? It was unbelievable.
“What the hell happened while I was out?” Scott demanded, tapping the clone to let him down.
“We can talk about that later,” Zara interjected, urgency clear in her voice. “We need to get out of here first. Can you do that thing you did when we were running away from the Calamity of Ice?” Her voice was tinged with unease.
Now standing on his own feet, Scott stared at the countless corpses littering the ground. Most were charred or overgrown with flowers and plants, while a few writhed as if controlled by invisible strings despite being mutilated beyond function.
“Scott, can you?” Zara asked again, her anxiety unmistakable.
“Yes. It shouldn’t be a problem,” Scott replied, snapping back to reality. He looked at his right hand, noticing the pendant swinging freely from its chain. This is definitely not an illusion, he thought.
The fact that he and Orion were still in their attire from the gathering told him everything he needed to know about the reality of their situation, and how quickly they must have fled from the Temple of Light.
“Everyone, stick close to me,” Scott commanded mentally.
At that moment, the mournful symphony ceased, and Slim emerged from another section of the clone barricade. Seconds later, Zara arrived from the opposite end. The massive wooden framework trembled softly, and a branch fell a few feet away from where the trio had reconvened. The branch quickly transformed into Plume, the trisos panting heavily as she struggled to stand. Then, thunderous wailing echoed, like the cries of ten thousand roaring dragons. The hound extermination crew looked up, peering through the gaps in the wooden framework. Thousands of lightning dragons poured out en masse in a suicidal lunge toward the champions being held back by Orion’s clones. Among the dragons, one branched off, sneaking between the wooden branches and landing next to Scott.
“It’s nice to see you alive and well,” Ember whispered, her voice barely audible.
Scott’s expression darkened as he took in the condition of his companions. None of them could be said to be remotely okay. Ember was missing an arm, Zara was bleeding from several gaping wounds, Slim’s skull was cracked in multiple places, leaking an array of colorful mists, and Orion was nowhere to be found among the sea of clones.
Scott grabbed the dragonkin, holding her in his arms. “Orion, where are you?” he called out mentally.
A humming echo resounded, and the hound extermination crew raised their heads toward the skies. Seven massive runic magical circles had formed above them, condensing into a colossal barrier that encapsulated the wooden framework. Explosions echoed, and ripples traveled across the surface of the colorful barrier, but it remained intact. Then, one by one, Orion’s clones began to vanish, leaving behind a concentrated smoke that drifted toward the barrier, obscuring visibility from both sides. The wounded clone who had carried Scott earlier disappeared with a wave, and in its place, Orion emerged from beneath the earth, staff in hand.
“I apologize for the delay. I didn’t expect the spell to take that long to cast,” he said, a hint of embarrassment coloring his voice.
Scott stared at the mage, rage swelling within his ominous eyes. Orion resembled a withered bag of bones. Scott couldn’t imagine how much mana the mage had expended over the past three weeks. Another massive explosion rocked the area, and the smoke covering the barrier churned violently.
“I suspend all laws within my domain,” Scott suddenly declared. Though angry, he knew now wasn’t the time to hesitate. However, nothing happened. Before Scott could comprehend what was going on, a flaming shard manifested in front of him, seemingly appearing out of the void. The flames engulfing the shard raced toward Scott’s skull; and he was unable to dodge. The now empty husk of the shard raced toward the pendant, merging with it.
The broken worlds in Scott’s eyes rotated fiercely, each one consumed by the raging flames, while the pendant trembled ominously in sync with the rustling chains. Another explosion rocked the barrier, and this time, a distinct crack echoed through the air.
“Scott, what’s the delay?” Zara called out anxiously, tapping the voidweaver’s shoulder. “We really don’t have a lot of time,” she urged.
Scott stared blankly at his companions. Didn’t they see what just happened? he wondered. He looked down at the pendant, which now appeared normal, and the burning sensation he felt earlier seemed like a figment of his imagination.
“I suspend all laws within my domain,” Scott declared again, and darkness enveloped the hound extermination crew as several portals manifested around them.
Orion’s eyes sparkled with interest despite his withered form, his fascination piqued by the array of locations revealed through the portals. He could barely resist the urge to send clones into each one, eager to explore them to their depths.
“We’re entering that one,” Scott said, pointing to a portal that depicted a massive hall with three thrones.
Orion turned toward the portal, and a magnificent smile parted his dried lips. He’s taking us to Carcosa… that means he must be ready to unleash chaos within the tower. I can’t wait. Orion’s smile brightened even further as his thoughts raced.
Wordlessly, Scott guided his companions into the portal, and they all disappeared.