Acquiescence
Waves of battering, consuming warmth washed over the entity. It felt its skin char away, its organs blister and rupture. The fluids from its orbs were instantly liquidated into steaming puddles of evaporating ichor. Gushing streams of prismatic fluids were burnt away in seconds, leaving only smears of multicolor flecks which were blown away by the whipping winds of the deep. Searing heat bleached its bones from their stark black color to a dull, grey white, while flesh, muscle and tendons shriveled up and burnt away. Curiously, it felt not the slightest hint of pain even as its organs and insides were burnt off into trailing motes of swirling ash.
Roused from what it thought was an eternal slumber, the entity basked in the luxuriating but destructive warmth as its senses slowly returned to its diminished form. As the waves of intense heat continued to wash over its body, the entity’s thoughts became sharper as its senses strengthened or slowly re-emerged. A tempestuous roaring noise roiled about madly, crackling, snapping sounds accompanied by booming blasts of extreme heat. Beams of blinding white light flashed so intensely that the entity felt its vision darken once again, unable to withstand the intense glare. How it was able to see without eyes was just another mystery among the many for it to solve.
Relishing in the simple unexpected joy of once again being alive, the entity shut off its vision and let the flames pass over its skeletal body. Though the flames had burnt away every scrap of viscera its bleached bones suffered not a single break. Wave after wave of rolling crimson-gold flames washed over each bone and joint in a deluge of fiery destruction but could not even crack the entity’s phalanges or metacarpals. Basking in the comforting warmth of the destructive inferno, the entity kept its vision shut off as it waited for the conflagration to abate.
Flashes of vague remembrances drifted back into the entity’s consciousness. It remembered ripping its own guts out in a bout of hectic insanity. Then as if to compound its madness, the entity had ripped out its own core from its very chest. The entity’s own impatience had nearly made it kill itself and it seemed its offspring were following suit as well. With deep pangs of sorrow, the entity realized it was experiencing the aftermath of some stupendously destructive battle. It could only hope at least one of the two of its creations remained alive, though the entity had little hope for such a fortuitous miracle from occurring.
Cold, freezing winds gusted in, blowing away the last motes of warmth from the entity’s frame. Confident that the conflagration had abated or at least moved on, the entity reopened its senses. Shock and dread suffused its mind and bled into its psyche as the entity surveyed the depths of devastation unleashed between the battle of its offspring.
Scattered across the deep were innumerable prismatic shards spinning, flying or shattering into crystalline dust. Some of these shards bled streams of kaleidoscopic light while others bled nothing at all, their translucent shells darkening and cooling as they traversed the cosmos. Horrified by the evidence of the core’s destruction, the entity swiveled to and fro, desperately searching the abyss for any strong source of light, hoping the core wasn’t truly and completely shattered. Faint, light flashed across its vision, causing the entity to stumble and halt, despair soon replaced by fragile optimism.
The entity pivoted swiftly towards the source of light, desperate to see if the core was truly intact. Shining off in the far distance, golden light flashed from the center of a grey hued region. The entity’s horror compounded again upon seeing that dreadful grey expanse. Needing to know the extent of the damage, the entity tried to meld its mind with the abyss, only to experience a dizzy sense of vertigo where once it felt a freezing cold without equal. Apparently the entity could no longer tap into the entire weft of the abyss, it had to hope it still retained some ability to manipulate it.
Focusing all its will on the singular thought, the entity imagined a pair of wings melding to its shoulder blades. The abyss responded sluggishly at first, then began flowing faster the stronger in tune with the entity’s will. Coils of seeping darkness flowed down and solidified into a pair of dark, feathered wings. Flapping the newly formed appendages, the entity sped towards the core. Unable to resist, the entity stared at the passing detritus, imagining just how epic the battle between the two must have been.
Twinkling prismatic shards illuminated the detritus of the horrors which had assaulted the crystal. Mounds of flesh were fused together into amorphous masses of reeking offal accentuated by patches of scales or spars of bone. Gargantuan corpses charred and dismembered to varying degrees of severity floated along the cosmic winds. Cracked carapaces leaked streams of dark ichor, bloated corpses bled tides of gushing blood and excrement. The pangs of melancholy were quickly replaced with a growing sense of horrified wonder, just how great it would have been to witness such a battle!
As it hurtled towards the core, the glowing radiance grew from a twinkling glow to a blinding blaze of luminous light. The chill buffeting winds of the abyss were replaced by a warm shroud of encapsulating heat. Mounds of bleeding, charred and fused cadavers were replaced by drifting eddies of swirling corpse ash. With each step the light and heat increased until the entity was nearly blinded by the intense white glare. Each step became harder to take under the oppressive pall of extreme heat rapidly increasing as well. The entity stopped its advance after a few more plodding steps but it was not the heat and light which made it pause.
Off at the very edge of the horizon floated the jagged, ruptured remains of its crystalline core. A â…“ of its 999 panes had been shattered and the rest fused into a misshapen mass of imperfect panes. Jutting from each corner were jagged spikes of twisting crystalline tendrils snaking outwards. Fissures ran along numerous panes, each bleeding wisps of prismatic fluid. Shimmering from every surface was a burgeoning polychromatic light that condensed into a strong golden glow once accumulated together.
Surrounding the remains of the core was the source of all the entity’s dread and the reason it paused in its advance. A ring of compacted grey nothingness encircled the wounded core, a region of null space that must have been blasted away due to the crystal’s rupturing. Its dread intensified until the entity noticed a thin dark bridge extending across the grey expanse. Any relief it experienced was short-lived for the entity realized the darkness intended to finish what it started.
The entity spotted a small pale figure sitting at the edge of the unfinished bridge, and raced towards the figure with all haste. As it raced towards the figure the entity watched it gash its wrist and manipulate the flowing darkness to extend the walkway even further. Dread intensifying, the entity increased its speed, desperate to stop another cataclysm from unfolding. The weft of darkness whipped and tore at the entity’s passing only to reform moments later. It landed heavily behind the pale youth, surprise stealing away much of the entity’s consternation.
The youth pivoted towards the noise, its face scrunched up into a disregardful scowl “Oh its you, I was wondering if I was ever going to meet the lunatic who created me.”
Trying to speak, at first only a clacking rattle issued from its lungless body. Focusing its will yet again, the entity imagined its words projecting into audible speech. “That's not very appreciative. It's not like I was given a manual, this whole process has been trial and error.”
“More error than anything else, if I might say so.” The youth interjected sardonically.
“Does that imply that you were a mistake?” the entity countered, grinning its death-head grin at the youth.
“No, I won’t rise to such obvious bait. Some instructions would have been nice though.”
The entity shrugged its fleshless shoulders before replying “If it were possible I would have done so, it's not as if I was given any guidance myself.”
“That’s blatantly obvious,” the youth smirked, then swung its clawed hand towards its wrist yet again.
Reaching out with the power of its will, the entity froze the youth’s arm before it could claw into the other exposed wrist. “I’m going to have to ask you to stop that. Can’t have you destroying what I worked so hard to create.”
Eyes widening with turbulent rage, the youth spoke in a voice so deep it belied its lithe, fragile form. “So you created the other as well, I should have guessed.” Laughing grimly “Not like there are many other choices to choose from in this wretched place.”
“Its not nice to talk about yourself in such a fashion, now can I get your assurance that you will abandon this suicidal scheme?”
“And what is to stop that wretched light from spreading into the farthest depth space, how will I ever know peace if I must endure that blinding glare!?” Even contained the youth form simmered as its rage fueled its words and ire.
“Easy, you have already shattered it once, reducing the light by over half of its original radius.”
“So we just shatter the crystal every time it gets too large, perfect…” the youth’s rage warped into malicious joy, a dark, expectant grin spread across its cherubic visage
“While I admire the enthusiasm, shattering the crystal multiple times would basically ensure its destruction, and I know that would please you all too well. Instead, I will task the Light with mitigating its own Light, how it chooses to do so will be completely up to its own volition.” The entity replied while shaking its head disapprovingly.
“And you trust the Light to simply obey?” the Youth asked, doubt plainly apparent in its scowling facade.
Smiling confidently the entity answered “The other alternative is dealing with you completely unrestrained. I believe the Light will find the terms amenable.”
The youth scowl deepened, “So we both will be constrained to our little regions of the cosmos, is that right?”
“Constrained is hardly the word I would use, considering that space constantly expands due to your own presence.”
“And so will the light!”
“Then both of you will just have more space to lay claim too, I hardly see the problem,” the entity reflected.
“The problem is boredom, if I’m stuck out in the depths of the deep with only myself then I will go mad and it won’t be long before I hatch another cataclysmic scheme.”
“Well, that's some frank honesty, I would weep at the sight of such personal growth if I could weep.” The entity smiled, its own voice taking on a playful tone.
“Harr, Harr, very funny.” The youth mock-laughed, eyes narrowing into dagger-like slights. “I’m simply warning you of an eventuality not a possibility.”
“I appreciate the candor, I really do, and I suppose I will have to allow for some level of interaction. If you promise to leave the crystal itself untouched, then I will allow you free reign with its creations, does that sound fair?”
Malicious grin reforming on its wan face, the youth brimmed with palpable eagerness “That sounds more than fair, I accept these terms.”
A death-head grin stretched across the skeletal visage of the entity, “Barring of course any reasonable terms the Light wishes to set, I have to give it some allowances as well to maintain impartiality.”
Its grin slipping slightly, the youth replied, “I guess that is only fair.” It sighed somewhat despondently before staring straight at the empty sockets of the entity. Alright, I give my word, that I, Azathoth, God of Darkness will no longer attempt to destroy the Crystal of Light.” the youth solemnly vowed.
“Azathoth?” the entity asked curiously.
“It's my name, you should try one. Makes conversing easier, especially once the number involved rises over a handful.”
“Logical,” the entity nodded appreciatively. “I will have to think up one for myself soon, thank you for the advice.”
“Your welcome,” the youth grinned sardonically, “Now can you release the stasis on me, or do I have to swear undying loyalty to you as well?”
The entity smiled slightly at the brashness of the youth “that won’t be necessary, I trust you.” It released the temporal lock on Azathoth a moment later.
“More like you trust in your own power, if I so much as try to misbehave I can look forward to more of that wondrous stasis. Frozen in place, but able to hear and see all that happens around you, truly a special sort of torture. I admire the subtle cruelty.” Azathoth countered, shaking its stiff limbs loose.
“Not my intention, but if it is all the more dreadful the better. I do not want to have to spend all my time baby-sitting you.” The entity remarked sternly.
“That you won’t” Azathoth promised darkly, then disappeared into a swirling vortex of scything shadows.
Smiling to itself, the entity watched the bridge collapse and rush to the edges of the grey region, painting over the outer rings of greyness with their viscous emptiness. Sluggishly flowing forwards more wisps of darkness bled over the grey regions, slowly filling in the punctured gaps ripped into the cosmos. Wings dissipating into trailing motes of shadow, the entity landed lightly on a narrow, confined path of recognizable grey stone. Steps quickening, the entity urgently hurried towards the fractured core, desperate to reassure the light before it could self-destruct once again.
***
The Light awoke in a bout of perplexed bewilderment, its senses slowly returning to its sundered form. Sound was first, the Light could hear the roiling boil of its own bleeding flames as they snapped and crackled with vivacious intensity. Vision came next; bleary, indistinct shapes appeared across the Lights sight before resolving into countless drifting translucent shards of crystal, some bleeding trails of polychromatic light while others sparkled with a sheen of prismatic light.
As its vision sharpened into full clarity, the Light discovered a region of inert greyness surrounding its core. Unlike the abyss which had been the sole opposite of the Light, the grey stone emitted no feeling whatsoever. There was not the slightest sensation of anything perceptible from that narrow ring of greyness now separating the abyss from the crystal. Flashes of vague remembrances surged into its mind as the Light recalled the last, disastrous moment of the battle between itself and the nameless hordes who assaulted it. Seeing the vast stretch of the abyss that still remained, the Light knew the creator of those fiends had not been destroyed in the destructive blast which killed its offspring.
Although compelled by a tempting, near irresistible desire to start burning away more of the viscous black material, the Light instead focused on recovering its stores of internal energy. It did not know if it could survive another battle against the Darkness but it would not allow itself to be destroyed without trying to return the favor in kind. With a conscious effort of pure will, the Light began spinning the fracture remains of its core once again to generate the pure, golden light energy that constituted its very being.
Then the Light spotted the figure striding across this newly formed grey region, a skeletal being of ivory white bone without the barest scrape of flesh or offal. It approached with a steady, confident gait, perfectly content to withstand the harsh rays emitted from the Lights core. Dreading the worst, but not wishing to start another disastrous battle it might lose, the Light tentatively sent out its thoughts to the intruder.
Approach no further, intruder! The Light ordered while gathering its remaining energy for whatever desperate means of defense it could muster.
The skeleton stopped approaching and replied with its own internal thoughts. Fine, but this makes it somewhat harder to converse.
Confused, but hopeful, the light asked, And why would I want to converse with you?
A dreadful grin that did little to ease the Lights' fears spread across the skeleton’s visage. Because I am the one who created you and the one keeping you from being destroyed.
Absorbing this information, the Light quickly drew some inferences from what this being hadn’t said as well. Then you were the one who also made the being who nearly destroyed me?
Its empty sockets somehow managed to convey a feeling of bemusement, Guilty as charged, glad to see the sundering hasn’t damaged that intellect of yours.
And who would be to blame for that?
Then the skeleton laughed, a grim, dark chuckle as its jawbones grated against each other. Alright, point taken. Now are we going to continue this entire conversation in your head, where I am privy to every single thought that passes by you, or will you manifest so we can talk like proper beings?
The Light didn’t wish to admit that it lacked the knowledge of just how to manifest. It wasn't like this being had to construct an entire body for itself, so why did it expect the Light to be able to do so? Remembering the awfully complex abominations that the darkness crafted with ease only fueled the Lights ire. It never got the chance to fully explore the depths of its abilities before almost being destroyed, and now it expected to conjure a working body out of nothingness?
What you think is all too true, I suppose I expected too much too quickly. We will just have to continue conversing like so.
The Lights' anger exploded upon hearing that offhand dismissal. Seething with uncontained fury, the Light’s power was unleashed uncontrollably. Scything tails of golden light scoured the nearby stones, dissolving them into puffs of pearly white smoke. The grey stones reformed themselves instantly, but the Light paid little heed to such an infinitesimal detail. Focusing its will on controlling the rampaging energy, the Light began to imagine a form of its own to inhabit.
Struggling against its will, the beams of golden light continued to raze away more stone for a moment longer before shuddering, frozen in place. Warbling slightly, the beams of light began to fold inwards into forming the basis of the Lights form. Using its anger to fuel its will, the Light crafted the base of its form, weaving light into a skeletal frame similar to the figure approaching it. More beams of golden energy were woven into weaves of muscular tissue, followed lastly by a layering of protective, bronze hued flesh. The final streams of light were condensed into a series of flowing golden locks.
Eyes of pure golden radiance opened as the Light spoke in a harmonious tone “I think we can talk with our voices instead, I have had enough of your voice rattling in my mind.”
Its voice rattling like grating bones, the figure replied “Impressive, well allow me to congratulate you on your first manifestation. My name is Zurvan, the God of Time, and as you already surmised I was the one who created both you and the darkness. Lets skip all the erroneous comments about past errors and what not, the point of fact is both of you now exist, and both are necessary for this cosmos to work.”
The Light chuckled doubtfully “And you assume me to simply believe this?”
Zurvan returned the snide laughter with its own chortling, “Try taking a step off this path.”
“What path?” the Light demanded, its feet felt the solid grey stones underneath and saw only more limitless expanses of the strangely inert material. Disquieted by the barren aura exuding from this desolate place, the Light scoffed away its own internal misgivings and confidently took a stride away from Zurvan. Instantly its face collided painfully into some invisible barrier, its nose burst open and crimson blood leaked down its flabbergasted visage.
“That path,” Zurvan answered snidely. “The same one I was imprisoned in before I made the darkness. That wretched little bastard creates the empty spaces open for so much possibility. The other option is barren confinement.” His tone was now stern and lecturing.
Its nose stitched back together by filaments of golden light, the hulking muscular figure shouted in exasperation “and I simply have to suffer these assaults over and over again until I finally perish!?”
“Calm down and think, why would I allow either of you to destroy each other? Just as you are not allowed to destroy Azathoth, it has been subsequently barred from attacking you directly.” Zurvan explained with a calm, neutral voice.
Once again drawing more inferences from the unsaid, the Light was quick to point out “So that means anything I try to create will be fodder for whatever twisted horrors my counterpart can conjure up, is that correct?”
Its eyeless visage now conveying a feeling of admiration, which was more disturbing than its threats, Zurvan nodded its bony head. “I had to allow some concessions to ensure Azathoth’s cooperation, though if it does decide to rebel I can always force it into hibernation for a while.”
“And the purpose for hordes of rampaging monstrosities waiting in the depths of the dark?” The light questioned disparagingly.
"I am sure you will think of a way to make them useful, if it helps Azathoth is not allowed to release its minions for a little while. My way of ensuring some level of equality.”
“Thanks for the consideration,” the Light scoffed in reply. “Just how long is a little while?”
“That's for you to decide, within reason.” Zurvan answered, then waited patiently for the Light's response.
It only took a moment of thought before the answer came to the Light “My crystal rotates at a standard rate, though I can increase its speed to generate more energy. 100 full rotations of my crystal will be the duration, by then I should be more than ready to deal with anything Azathoth can conjure.”
Zurvan unleashed another grim, fleshless smile “I admire the confidence and hope that is true. Azathoth will appear soon to repair the damage both you did to the cosmos, and I will be watching over it. So let it do its work and it will leave when finished, then you two can begin preparing for whatever little games that suit either of you.”
“I could simply choose not to play along, what if I just sit here for all eternity and create nothing at all?”
Turning away from the Light, Zurvan's voice was tinged with a confusing mix of melancholy and amusement “True again, but do you think you can simply sit here for eternity, doing nothing at all?” Leaving the Light to decide between those two dreadful possibilities, Zurvan began its journey back into the welcoming expanses of the abyss.
***
Seething with a volatile anger so fierce it propelled it to stay living, the singular orb of H'chtelegoth floated on invisible cosmic winds deep in the depths of the abyss. Singed flesh surrounded a pale, milky orb, blinded by the intense flashing glare of the continuous explosions unleashed by the crystal’s implosion. Vowing to one day to devour not only that damnable shard but also its creator as well, H'chtelegoth fed on the furious thoughts of vengeance. With each dark thought it felt the tremulous pulses of strength intensify, gaining strength from feeding on the virulent thoughts of savage vengeance.
The pulses of power continued gathering in strength until what remained of its body was suffused with this ecstatic feeling of fury. Goblets of grey hued flesh surged out from the central orb. H'chtelegoth violently shook itself, setting loose a cascade of wafting burnt flesh that dissipated into nothingness or drifted off into the abyss. More new flesh surged outwards from the singular orb, first forming into a large central mass. The mass opened up as row upon row of sharpened or flat-toothed teeth formed from the squirming ringlets of offal. The top layer of flesh squirmed with frenetic activity, followed by countless tendrils exploding outward from the central mass in a slithering profusion of reanimation.
“That was unexpected, I thought you had died in that blast,” a sardonic, high-pitched voice called out from behind H'chtelegoth. Whirling its mass around, all of H'chtelegoth’s newly formed eyes opened up to stare balefully at the new arrival.
“I’m glad you are as surprised as I am, now if you will excuse me, I have a crystal to devour.”
The pale youth’s brow scrunched up in obvious surprise “So after nearly being blasted apart, your first thought is to try to eat the very thing that almost killed you? I guess intelligence is not something I gifted to you, going to have to improve on that.” Azathoth shook its slim shoulders reluctantly.
Maw clacking with furious rage, H'chtelegoth replied in a rumbling voice “I can easily devour what remains, it's weak now, this is the perfect moment to strike!”
Azathoth smiled, but the grin held no warmth or joy in it. “The game has changed, and a certain someone has ensured we can no longer attack each other, that means me and the Light are not allowed to be targeted personally. We have to settle with using intermediaries, and while I applaud your tenacity, I can’t have you flying all over the abyss, consuming everything you come across.”
Tentacles snapping in furious profusion, H'chtelegoth propelled itself forward, “I will not allow myself to be slain just because I am no longer convenient!”
Azathoth held up one hand, visualizing what it wanted to happen, and a moment later the thought became reality. H'chtelegoth froze in place, its bodily control completely under the sway of the little tyrant who created it. A heaviness it had never experienced before settled over H'chtelegoth and it felt its newly formed eyes begin to close one by one. Lulling into a never before felt state of utter relaxation and bliss, H'chtelegoth finally surrendered itself to the swaying tide deep and utter slumber.
“Now just sit there and rest, I am sure I will find use for you in the future.” Azathoth promised before disappearing in a swirl of shadows.