The Chronicler's Story

Somewhere in the Upper Planes, far from the eyes and interference of mortals


A pale light shined over the savanna. Gentle breezes drifted over the acres of wild grass, causing them to cascade like the waves of a great golden sea. Pink and yellow clouds drifted lazily through the sky while birds of all kinds sailed through between them. The plains stretched as far as the horizon in three directions, but in the fourth - just at the edge of visual perception - an enormous mountain reached into the sky and pierced the heavens. It continued far beyond the clouds, passed the golds, pinks, and blues of the sky and faded into a shimmering light.

A large lion strolled through the grass. His coat radiated with a golden sheen like it was made of sunlight. His long, thick, and dark-brown mane cascaded down His back like a waterfall. The lion's shoulders rolled with each step of his graceful - yet powerful - gait. Wisdom, power, and compassion poured from two eyes that burned like twin stars while the lion's brow was creased in thought.

Each step caused a ripple through the world. The blades of grass caressed the paws and toes of the great feline. Every tree and every shrub stretched out their leaves and branches towards Him as if striving for a lifeline at sea. Above Him, the clouds spun and morphed in a slow dance. Any animal that crossed his path immediately laid upon their bellies in submission until He passed. Even the birds, upon sighting him, landed upon the earth and lowered their heads in reverence.

A figured floated to the left and behind the great lion. He was garbed in azure robes that billowed in an unseen wind. Various other shades of blue, from cerulean to sapphire, formed a complex embroidery along the man's garments. A similarly colored cloth, decorated with a visage of the All Seeing Eye, was wrapped around his upper face and covered his eyes and forehead. His hair was short and brown with streaks of grey while a thick beard fell halfway down his neck.

"Are you certain of this, my child?" Leolik spoke with a voice that rumbled through the earth and sky.

"Yes, Your Excellency." the man nodded. Though his bare feet hovered above the tall grass, he was still dwarved by Leolik's enormous stature. Also, despite his blindfold, he continued to keep his head inclined and gaze away from the mighty being before him.

"Then the contingency must be set in motion. Come, She should be arriving soon. It is appropriate that She should be made aware of our discovery. No doubt She already has many questions regarding the steps We have already taken."

Deep within her own realm, the Lady of Darkness sat. She was waiting...for just the right moment for her to enter upon these fields. Alisah had been patient, very patient for her request to finally reach Leolik's ears. It was not very often that she should be granted an audience with her Equal yet she was not surprised at this turn of events. The Light was so slow to move on it's own yet she was ready all this time.

"Here we go"

High above His sky in the great and vast savannah, the sky began to darken. It's golden hues dwindling as shadows seeped into the very fabric of the sky above. Overhead, a Moon began to arise from the East, sailing high overhead and soon encompassed most of the Lord of Light's sky. The scene before him would signal her coming as the Lady of Darkness couldnt bare to be in His Light without some sort of protection. His was all that could burn her...

"One thousand cycles..." came her voice. It was angry...it was hurt and it sounded deathly serious.

"One thousand cycles our bargain has stood tall, attesting to my tolerance and your lenience. We fought for unknown ages and spawned our own downfall. It stands as our union...and now it runs well behind schedule. Your creations imprisoned me alongside It. You have forced your paw in a very dangerous game Leolik"

Out of His very shadow, something stirred, growing and boiling as it parted from him and moved away. The shadow began to take shape as the voice continued to speak. It was growing rather rapidly into a feline appearance. Sleek black fur covered her body with blackened claws and teeth of solid ivory.

"My creations are dying: Rotting away and left to suffer. My Worlds, My beautiful Earth and Artworks now turn to ooze, puss and boils. Everything I worked so hard for is now turning to sewage and Its all your fault. Even your Suns are dying, the Light sheltering your creations have begun to become tainted by Corruption"

The feline now stood at Leolik's full height, fully formed and adorned with jewels and gold, a golden collar wrapped around her neck with several stones long since lost to the Cycles long past. Golden wrist pieces covered her frost paws and her tail was also adorned with gold of an Inca design. But her eyes...

Swirling masses of black, as if staring right into the heart of a Black Hole itself, ever drawing, ever devouring and filled with a tempest Leolik had not seen in over a thousand cycles. The female spoke, voice still chilled with hostility.

"I have tried to contact you yet your responses are nigh invisible. Like the Night, you remain unseen. It only took you until now to seek to grant me audience...before I was ready to make War with you once again and see all things return to Entropy. I have but one question for you to begin"

Just as she finished, the now fully formed female Lion moved with ungodly speed and pounced upon Leolik in a fit of anger, her paws burned upon touching his fur yet the pain was trivial to how she felt inside. Her head pressed itself against his as she headbutted him so all he could see was the Void in her eyes.

"WHY DID YOU BREAK THE CYCLE?!" She exclaimed, Her voice reverberating through the very Weave itself. The Moon high above began to rumble and expand, if only slightly. Even the Weave trembled through the Black threads as Alisah did all she could to contain her rage and rip out the First's throat out here and now.

Leolik - the King of Kings, the Alpha and the Omega, the Great Architect, and the First Voice - stoically bore the enraged onslaught of His "sister's" verbal rampage like a mountain enduring a blizzard. He batted neither eye nor ear, but kept His gaze fixed upon Her. Meanwhile, the Chronicler kept his distance from the two deities and his head respectfully bowed.

Finally, once Her rant had ended, Leolik spoke. "There has been a new development."

"The Void is trying a new tactic." He continued as the sky shifted. The heavens behind Him were illuminated by the light of the Celestial Mountain, while the world before Him was ceded to Her darkness. "We have taken some measures to set certain patterns in the Weave that should stop Him. Unfortunately, some sacrifices to this Cycle had to be made."

The Second snarled in fury while she just held her place there before him, full of her own brand of passion. The darkness cooled her and she found herself calming, if only slightly. Enough to move away just a hair then moved back to sit on her haunches. She coughed once and took in a deep breath and exhaled through her nose.

"You say It is trying a new tactic? I have seen what he is doing...it is what It always has done. Our work of beginning the cycle of rebirth. You speak of developments and neglect to inform me of what is going on?!" She asked. Alisah brissled, fur standing up as a snarl came to her lips.

"You think of me as your lesser that you would fail to inform your Equal of a plan in the Weave that would affect the Balance? Have you not thought of that Leolik? The Balance has been undone, Mankind has grown too bold and wild in it's corruption. It poisons and chokes the world's it infects with it's blight. Hell is Overrun...only held back by the actions of One. Even that will fade eventually Leolik. You do not see what is going on around you yet you would play to blissful ignorance? You are not down below. You do not see the devastation this planning has done. The White City will fall in a matter of time and Hell will belong to Void. You are working on borrowed time and very little of it"

The Lioness's body shuddered once as she dug her claws into the ground and dug them deep into the earth below her paws.

"Explain to me then Leolik. Why? Why have you done this? What development has caused you to break our Eternal Pact and forced you, of all, to break your Word? We forged our pact upon the Words...and now I fear that all of Creation is now doomed, us along with it. Speak quickly...and completely. I want the whole of the truth Leolik. Do not withhold anything from me...or I will continue to aid It and seek your final downfall"

Alisah's words were dripped with venom, her black heart poisoned with it as the fury barely contained. So much had been kept from her...so much she needed to know. The Balance was in jeopardy and Alisah seemed to have the keenest desire to restore it. But Leolik would know, she was a creature of wild passion. A creature of unrelenting Darkness but also Wise about the matters that hid from Leolik's sun. She was passionate...but honorable. She would give him a fair chance to make his case.

"I have only just been made aware of the developments," He replied before taking a seat across from Her. "I had to set plans in motion - retroactively - in order for certain things to come to pass. The patterns in the Weave have been made known to me... Mankind will fall. It has already fallen. They simply are not aware of the cliff they march towards... but that was always part of the Design. They must be consumed by their baser natures and inner corruption in order to rise above it. They must know both light and darkness - righteousness and sin - in order to have the privilege of choice. It has been so since the first Cycle that Order begets Chaos"

"But that is only a minor issue." Leolik shook His mane. "The true threat is - and has always been - the Void. He was always cunning, but too prideful to alter His pattern. However, He might have been more cunning than We have realized if what We have seen comes to pass. For a better explanation, I will introduce one of Our most trusted servants - and Our friend. He is an oracle of sorts - a mortal that can see with the eyes of an archangel. It is from him that We learned of the Void's newest scheme."

The floating figure bowed graciously before approaching the two deities. He inclined his head to each of them before speaking.

He turned to face Alisah, but kept his blindfolded eyes lowered. "I am called the Chronicler, Your Grace. I am the caretaker of the Tower of Norak. I was once a mortal man, but through either accident or fate I have been given the ability to peer through time and space. I see what was, what could have been, and what might be. To beings such as yourselves, I believe that is all the same, but it is different for my kind. We see and understand things differently, and so I offer a unique perspective.

"It is with this perspective, Your Grace," he continued, "that I have seen a possible outcome where the Emperor succeeds. He does not simply cast Creation into the Void, but forever prevents the Cycles from continuing. You see, every Cycle He is merely tearing down the walls and roof of the structure. He cuts away the stalk and leaves of the weed. This time, however, He has discovered a way to reach the foundation - the roots - in order to destroy the mechanism that powers the Multiverse in its entirety."

"It is because of this reason, sister, that We had to act." Leolik continued. "Without intervention We fear that this thousandth Cycle could be the last. We apologize for the delays in the Unweaving, but We required time for certain tools to grow into maturity before the Void could grow too powerful. We have a plan, but We fear it will require much effort on your part..."

Alisah sat and listened to the two, her eyes flicking towards the mortal Chronicler when it was his time to speak. Her expression hardly changed during this whole moment in the conversation but then it turned slightly as he made known that Erebuz was trying to sever the very roots of Creation itself. This made her give pause to her hostility and anger and she ahemmed to speak.

"While this is all very interesting, until I am given proof of this tactic and I see it firsthand, I will have to remain skeptical. As of this moment, all I see is you as the one at fault Leolik. You who broke our sacred covenant and moved behind my back to allow this Cycle to end in such a way that has not been seen since the end of the War. You there...Chronicler, show me the sections of the Weave tainted by Erebuz and show me this...outcome and be quick about it. I am willing to hear this out and if there is a price to be paid, then I shall but only until MY terms are met. Leolik..."

Her gaze turned towards the Great Lion, eyes alight with fury and hesitation of all things.

"A price must be paid for your transgressions. A price you will pay if you indeed need my cooperation in this little plan on yours. You broke the Cycle, you extended yourself too far and broke your Word. Ill not allow that transgression to be swept aside so easily. My terms may seem a small price perhaps to you but to me, could make all the difference. Show me this proof and I shall hear what you need of me. Ill make my demands known then"

"Yes, Your Grace." The Chronicler nodded before turning away from the two.

He stretched out his hands and muttered a short chant. His eyes glowed white beneath his blindfold. The Chronicler waved his hands in a circle, and the world shifted. A rumble echoed through reality like the groan of ancient and massive gears. Space twisted and bent before the human and spiraled into a singularity until it imploded with a loud pop. Suddenly, the world fell away.

"My suspicions began when I noticed a strong deviation from the primary timeline in a remote corner of the Multiverse. I would not have noticed it if I did not have some personal interest in the cluster, but that is irrelevant. The deviation was too strong to correct, and so I monitored it. That is when I saw the ripples..."

A kaleidoscope of colors surrounded the trio. Tendrils of eldritch energy snaked back and forth. They twisted, split, reformed, and crossed every which way. Binding them together was, to the perception of mortals, a fabric that stretched across all of Existence. Everywhere and everywhen was tied - formed - from the Weave. It was a great pattern woven from Fate and Chance, Choice and Destiny, Life and Death, Good and Evil, and all in between. Everything from the spin of a single atom to the birth and death of galaxies was threaded through the Weave. It was, in essence, the blueprint of All.

The Chronicler tugged on one of these threads and they appeared in a far corner of the Multiverse - outside of direct causality. It appeared to them as an ever-morphing river of history constantly emerging from a sea of possibility. Each tributary, a mark of choice or chance, flowed in the vague direction governed by the elusive force of Fate. Every drop of the great sea - a potential future or outcome.

"I must warn you, Your Grace." The Chronicler spoke as he traced along one of the tributaries. The further he went, the more defined it became, until possibility became fact. "By witnessing the outcome to this timeline it will become set it stone. By experiencing it, it will be recorded, and then we must work within the parameters."

And so they sank into the river.

-

Destruction.

Death.

A cacophony of screams - filled with rage, agony, fear, triumph, and courage - reverberated across the world.

This was the first thing they sensed as they appeared in the universe. The sky burned and the earth was littered with the dead and dying. A thousand armies, each millions strong, marched as one across the landscape and clashed with an infinite horde of blood and shadow. Continents were shattered by world-breaking magic to stem the tide of the swarm while enormous vessels opened portals that unleashed the roars of dying stars upon their enemies.

It was all for naught, however.

Titanic tentacles, formed from the Void, pierced through the sky that was shattered like a giant glass bowl. Each was thousands of miles long, hundreds across, and was blacker than the deepest and emptiest corner of space. Gargantuan fissures in space-time followed in their wake as if reality revolted and broke at their presence. The fractured remains of the sun and moon drifted across the distorted sky - heralding the fate of the planet below.

In the center of it all was a great Eye. It was featureless, like a bottomless pit, yet drew the observer forever into infinite madness. The Eye spread across the sky and stretched from the highest heavens to the deepest pits. The world shattered beneath its gaze and the grip of the tentacles that tore away continents like the rind of a rotten fruit. All of the universe was naught but a minuscule mouse standing in the shadow of a mountain to the Unweaver.

It cared not for the armies that amassed against its goal. Their ships were swallowed up just as easily as the entire galaxies in its wake. It cared not for the broken pantheons that lay dead on the dying world. It cared not for the legions of demons and devils that flocked to its shadow like carrion. All that drew the Old God's gaze was a single ripple in the Great Weave. It was a fold in causality, a knot in the fabric of Destiny, and the cornerstone of the Multiverse.

It cared not for the six nonentities that stood surrounding the crystalline tree. Their godlike power was inconsequential to something that existed before the divine. All the Unweaver cared for was the single thread that was tied to the tree that led deep into the heart of Creation. The pulse of eternity echoed through the thread, and the Unweaver followed it.

The world was devoured.

The thread blackened.

The Foundation crumbled.

And then there was Nothing forevermore.

-

"... And so it was written." spoke The Chronicler.

The titanic being's face grew sterner when she listened to the words of the Chronicler and to Leolik, eyes narrowing at their suggestions of the fate of the Weave. She nodded once when she heard the ultimatum and plunged down into the river. She took in the whole of the scene laid out before her and seemed to be in thought, as if waiting for something to occur. In ages past, the Nothingness would simply expand outward and she expected to see herself there, waiting to reform the worlds and galaxies anew.

Yet...there was nothing. Something was wrong with the Weave. In this vision, she could not even see it, nor even sense it's presence. The Darkness did not even remain, nor Light. She felt this feeling before, when she was not even Aware. It was...cold. The Lioness's vision faltered as she soon found herself shivering as if trying to warm herself by a Light that was not there. Her eyes were wide, for the first time, with fear. Fear gripped the Second's face and she trembled before she shook with rage, unleashing a roar of fury as she clawed at the ground with her claws.

"Such impudence! Ill have his skull mounted on my throne as a trophy. Ill turn his Legions asunder, tear his heart from his body! Ill put his teeth to the grindstone. Ill tear his mind to bloody ribbons, Ill boil his eyes in rot and festering plague"

The Second flew into a psychotic rage, trembling in a rage none had seen save for Leolik Himself. The female swiped her claws, voices running through her mouth spouting every obsinity old and young while she unleashed her raw power. The Weave trembled and strands began to fray from the raw power of the Darkness.

H̸̀͡͏̺̻̱̼̰̪͉̘̗̯̬̯̫̭̼̗͔͉i͎̞̟̭̝̰̻̗̕͝ś̴̻̜̖͔̟̖͉͖̱͕͕̪͔́ͅͅ ̢̭͍̠̜̜̗͚̹͘͘͞ͅl̶҉̛͖̳̦̳̙̠̞̮̬̟̦̦͠i̧̤̦͔̲̥̭͜f̶̥͓̳͈͕̞͎̦̮̫͡͞e̵̛҉͎̗̰̖̦̫͔̮̝̣̲͓̦ ̵̴̧̘͕̖͓̬̣͈͇̹̳̯̮̣̣͟ͅś͔̩̟̫̗͓̬̖̼͖̬̦͉̬͟ḩ̵̧̢̪̥̱͖̬̝̞á̝̰̝̗͚̟͜l͟͟҉͙̼͙̟̜͍̺̙̦͚̹̺̫͈ͅl̴̟̻̥̦̩͇̘̗̕͢͞ ̷̧͖͎͕̤̺̤̫̜̼̟̯́͢b͕̝͉͍̟̤̖̼̰̗̟̲͉͔̙͙͜͜͟ͅe͏̡̢̢̗̟͕̳̦̮͈̗̞̳͍̝̖͇͓̺̲̮͡ ̵̴̗̟͔̜̜̘̘̖͟͟c̵̶̢̭̲͈͙̖̪̮͎̳̘͟͞a̴̩̣͇̰̞̩̻̟͕̮͝s̵̡̹̬̥͉͖̗̯͝t̛̜̗͙̠̪̳ ̷̡̡͚̹̥̰̫̻̳̞͎̘̹̟̯͢d̛̯͇̪͟o̷̷͔̭̜͍̠͖̫̣̲̬̪͈ͅͅw̵̵͍̜̥̠n͏̸͍̪̘̪̹̗̟̝̱̙͖̥͓͈̠̤͙͟,̷̢̫̩̺̗̱̤̀͝͝ ͓̞̗͇̭͚̟̖̰͍́͟t҉̴̴̵̶̠̯̪̬͎̫̠̩o̢͓̭͈̱̯̟͍̣̣̞̟͖̮̰͈̲̖͟ͅr̻̫̙̺͟͜͡n̡̡̛͚̗̪̙̞͍̲͜͢ͅ ̴̴̡͙̫̲̪̗͖̮̮͈̮͈̩f̸̷͖̱̪̘͇̯͇̗͚̳͝ŕ̶̨̲̙̜̗̪̜̙̱͉̗͖̩̖̦̲̬͔͟͜ͅo͏̶̰̭̻̣̟̣̺̣͙̹̭̣͚̮͓̫m̸͈̲͙̺̬̗̣̫͉̖͕̯̭̭͖̦͝͠͡ ̨̹̪̘̫͉̙̭̤̺̗͇͕̯͠ͅt̸̸҉͕͓̼̳̝̯̥̝̙̬͍̪͎̺h̴̶͇̖͚̻͓͍̫͚̀̕͢ͅé̢̱͉͍̻͎̺͚̖̟̦̖̕ ̧̘̗̠͙̬̳̮͕̺̝̞̙̯̠̠̠͉̬͝v̵̟̥̮͖̼e̢͕̺͔͉͇͎̘̳̜͎̠͖̘͖̩̱͢ͅr̢͏̴̶̢̱̳̺͎̮͎͓̘̭͕̠͈̮͕̻̯ý̪͔̥͙̘͉̩͕͈̀͘͡ ̸̵̸͖̲̦̱̠͙́͠ȩ̴̵̧҉̖̤̲͇̼̳̦͉̭̮̗̜͚̜n̡̠͚̥̯̬̜̦̘̺͔͖̣̕ḑ͙̬̻̼̥̩͖́͟ ̷̨͖͈̙͙̭̘̘̗̥͕͓͠o҉͠͡҉̡̠͖̼͖͓̦̼͖̝̠̼̜̳̭̺f҉̪̠͉̤̝̞̦̳͚̪̟̪̫̙̩̼̼͠ͅ ̡̦͓̙̗̹̱͞C̜̰̳͖̥̩̣̬̟̞̤̱̥͜r̶̷̺̳̭͓̮̻̬̭̝͍̯̞̻͈͘̕ͅe҉̧̩͈̩͔̻̼͈͎͕̯̼̗͕̤͓͝à̵̸̕͏̬̥̥̪̳̤̬̩͙̘̩̞̠̲̱͙ṱ̵̢̛̮͚͉̫͎̗̺̤i̶͖̥̩͎͙̮̮̺̼͇͖͘͝o̴̖̲̥͓͇͈̪̼̞̭̲̰̙̘͕͖͙͘ͅņ͎͚̙͓̝̻͉̜̘̯̲̗͚̥͠.̴̷̲̰͙͍͚͈͈̟̜͡ ̤̼̖̱̖͎̳̫̩͖̲̹̭͍̪́͝A͜͏̲̪̰̙͓͖̬̤̲͈͉̝̘ ̨̳̲̣̦͝t̸̵̢͔̲̣͙̙̜̺͚h̶̴̫͖̱̠͇͔̻̟̺̬ͅo̡̢̨͉͓̫͕͍̱͈͈̯͘͢u͏̯̗̳̰̲̬̯͟͠ş̶̴̗͇̠̮͇̳̼͎̳͕̣͙̹̝͖̪͝ͅa̸͠҉͏̦̱͚͝n̢̧̛̩̖̖̻͕͇̗̱̟͕͈̺̪͙d̵̸̡̫̝̫͔̰̜̰͕͉̞̥͕̲̥̹̕ ̫̭̘͖̯͍̰̼͓̰͈̪̮̺̙̥͡͝c̸̙̭͇͕͔̼͚͈͜ừ͓̲͔͚͇̝̹̫̀͡r̵̨̰̪͈͖̖͖͙̦̻̤̘̳͉̻͙͟͢ͅs̴̴͜͏̼̫̥̠͍͇̼͎̣̬̙̰͔͢è͢͏͏̰̯̣̘̩̣̖͙s̷̷̗͈̦͍̘̪̻̰̯̠̙̲ͅ ̵̲̬̭̟͟ù̱̲͙̳͇̹͍̖̺͓͟͠͞ͅp͡͏̣͇̭͖̦̫o̴͉̞͚͔͖̭͇̰̪̹͙̻͎̗̝͜͜n̶̴͚̱̦̳̺͘ ̛̥̲̻̖̦̩̤̙͕͉̕̕̕ͅh̴̷͇͉̯̼̭͡͞͡i̧͍̳̮̤͈̕̕͞ş̷͓͕̥̖̩͎̯̬̗̖̩̘̮̰̦̹͠ ͏̷͠͏͙̦̲̥̰̯͎̼͍̲̣͍̜͕̼ͅs̴̶̸̸̞̯̞̝̳͎̱̻̥̼͕͡ͅǫ̧̯̹̝͉̳̞̮͇̪̖̣͘͢ú̙͉̲͈͇̙̙̤͔͖̼̖͕̰̝͜͞ͅĺ̵̖̰͈̝̘̳͎͉̬̖̭͞ͅ ̳̥̗̫̹͚̪͇̖̠̻̙̮͇̭͢͞ͅà̮̱̞̦̺̬̥̯͘n͏̡̛͖̠͙͙̺̗̭̝̲̪̩͙̗̩́͜ͅͅͅd̠̩̠̳̠̮̪̯̣͚͉̯͜͡ ̴́͜͝҉͚͎̞͈͚̤͈m͟҉̰͇̲͈̫̘̯͈͍̩͍͇̝͝ḁ̸̝͍̬͇̠̮̮̰̬̙͙̘̖̣͖y̸̵̶͓͉̟̤͍̣͎̗̙̫̹̳̯̤̟̳͓͍͘ ̶̶̫̫̹̤͚͙̹̹̱͔͙ḩ͘҉̹͙̼̹̭̲̻͘ͅe̶҉̣͙̬̣̲̬̟̹͓̰̜ ̧͓͙͎̥̙͈̦̥̺͠r͕̳̯̗̱͖͖̬̞̻͢͢o̷̡̰̖̲̞̟̝͢͞t͜͞͏̵̥̭͎̻̻̜̠͔̫͇̯͚̜̘͎̭ ̶̵̺̭͈̜̪͎͖̕̕͞f̬̰̲̝͉͓͓̱́̀ò̸̤̪̺̹̗̦̩̮̙͉͇͈r̡͜͡͏̩͈͍͖̺̥̝͇̦͕͈̠͖ ̶̛̱̠̥͉̣̩͓͔̬͚̰̭̥̤̥̳̭̀̕a̼̺͉̭̪͎̕͟͠l̙͓͙̼̤̱̳̟̜͘͟l҉͖͖̣͇͈̭͍͈̱͕̗̜͇͙͖͝ͅͅ ͈̲̜̪͈̩̩̞͕̞͖̹̞̞̥̟̖͚͍́͢e̡̦̱̹̤͚͙̘̥͚͟t҉̴̵̢̧̖͖͓̼͉̗̩͎̯͎̘ẹ̶̜̺̰̜̻̻̭̖͎͟͝r̹͎͙̹͕̼͟͞ͅń̢̛͈̻̠̞͙̱͙̠̟̟̫̲̻̟̗̟̜͠į͓̯̺̳̤͕̝̤̗͇̥̠̪͚̠̤͖̯́͡͠ͅt͓̰͔̳̲̲̬̀͢y̷̷̵̥̲͓͙̻̬͖̱̕ ̡̡̛̛̦̟͈̹̪̪̙̩̦͎̟͇͡i͏͖̻͚̘̟̠͎͕̤͉͓̝̞̮̦̰͈̟́n̨̮̭̗̗̖͚̹̥̦͙̥͎̩̮ ͏̴̸̶̥͚̗͘t̛̻̯̲͉̬̥͔͓̝̳̘̱̙̜͇̠̯̘́͜h̷̨͏͏̯̬̦͖͖̫̺̣̤̪ͅe͍̰͎̥͙̤̰͖̮͓̯͚͈͚͖͘̕͜͜͡ ̡͉̻͖̼̩͉̳̰͞͞N̢͏̷̙̩͖̩̠̹̭̫͕͕̥͍̱͙o͏̗͔͓̞͙̼͕̘̞͕͕͎͈̣͞t̛̀͜͡҉̙͍͓̝͙̖͖̻͚̭͕͍h̵̢̦͇͖̳̜̙͚͔̰͇̰͖̹̼̻́͝i̢̛̠̥̳͇̝͉̱̯̫̤̠̳̬͟n̸̰͎̜̣̳̰͙̣͚̝͍͙̮͔̳͖͘͞ͅg̢͙͓͉͕̀͜͢n͏̴̙͇̠̱͎̼̻̰͟͠e̷̛̠͉̖̟͚͇͕̝s̶̪̫͖̫͉̝̺͚̳̹͎̭͚̝̮͔͔͞ͅs̷̘͕͉̼̳̰̰̹͈͈͓͖̭̝͞ ̰̠̹͕̗̯̝͖͍͘̕̕t̵͘҉͇̝͍͔̱̼͖̩̠͔̞͎͉̳̝͖̗͡h͈̝̖̟̯̥͈͔̘̼͕̞́̀a̷҉̣̺͓̳̳͈̬̠̗͚̜̻ͅt̷̨̻̣͓̺̝͉̞̠̳̜̹̀͘͟ ̨͏̷̶̰̭̫͈̀a҉҉̴̷̺̤̻̤̱̤̜̹͈ẃ̸̡͕̱̰̘͚͇̠̟̭̠̤̹̜̣̫̪̀͞à̸̵̰̝̟̲̮͔͖̭̱̫͜ͅį̨̼̞͙̟̘͔̰̫̺͇̲͝t̷̝̫̟͔̫͞ş̵̡̛̲̰̳ ̷̢̹̳͙̠͔͎̯̭͇̘h̸̨̢̥͔̦̗̖̞̠͙̹̞ͅi̶̳͍̟̟̭̺͘͜ḿ̴̧̫̞̝̹̫̪̫͖̞̹̲̹͉!̷̪̥̯̮͎̳̙̗̗̤̘͠͞ͅͅ ̶͈̦͈̥̯͕͈͖̗̥͠C̫̬̱͎͡ư̡̞͕̥̠̥̖̕̕r̸̴͉̩͙̣͉̺̥̦̮̠̝͓͕͉͕̖s͏̘̼̩͈̱͙̘́͘͡ͅe̕҉̹̞̘̩̬̙̘͕̤̗͙͉́ ̕͏̹͈̰̯͓̟͔̮̖̦h̡̀͞҉̠̼̯̠̺͕̪͉̩̯̙ͅį̖̘͍̫͔̥̼̠̣̘̪̞͘ḿ̡̠̳̠͍͚̱̞̀͢͢ ̡҉̟̟̙̺̺̭̹̯͍̹̞̦̙͕̕a̸̶̢̧͈͎̥̩̹̯̘͙̱͘n̷̷͔̰̲̜̻̠̱̙̣͇̕͜d̢̳̤͕̠͈̰͉̗̪̀̀ͅͅ ̶̵͔̜̪͇̀͜͟m҉̵̶̧̡͍̲͙̙̗̩̠̼̪͓̻̦̘̳̘̮ͅa̳̪͖̗͔͍̺͔̬͕̱̰̜̲̫̫͘͢y̧͖̞̭͈̕͘͟ ̀҉̸̶͓̫͍̬̬͈̰͍̱͉́ͅI̵̷̹̙͈̞͇̥͕̭̞̘̗͕̻̝̗͙͞͝ͅͅ ̴̨̬͚̟͎̹͡͠ͅb̛̩̪̦̙̳̙͖͈̪͉̠̲͙͖͝ͅè̵҉̧̥͖̫͍̭͙ ̧̡̪͕̫͉̹͈̦͈͍̱̻̩̜͍̪ţ̵̝̭̩͉̜̭̜̯̜h̡̧̥͓̫̠̞͈͍̦̺̭̜̝̳̦͚͕͔̺͢͜e̢̻̩̯͚̼͕͈͈̥̣̪̣ ͙̣̮͕̀͠è̶̡̬͓͔͍͕̭̹̯̟̩̬͖̫͜͞ǹ̸̝̻̖͉͙͉̣ḑ̧҉̟̬͈̼͔͘ͅ ̶̡̛̝̱̥̜̖́o҉̢̘̹̼͈͚̝̫̘͉̟͝f̢͏̡͔̟͍̘͓̣̺̝̞͚͠ ̸̨͓̙̭̮͓̘͖̙̙̣̱̠̣̥̭N̶̨̹̙̠͎̟͚̖̰̫͎̰̭̰͔͓͔͇̲̘ǫ͞͏̴̼͕̫͎̞͎̩͎̞̱̗͓͉̩̲̫̝̼͢ͅt̢̧̧͎̥̗̹̮͉̜̣̗̞̫͟͟ͅh̵̢̟͇̹̦̥͎̘̙͖ì̶̫̘̙͔n̸̵̸̨̳̝̪͚͎̼͙̰̻̗͉̣͉͎͎͡g͜҉̥̞̣̲̖̙̭̞͉̀,̶̨̨̝̗̞̼̺̹̫̻͚͕̙̬̞͞͡ ͜҉̴͙͉͙͈͙̩̹̘͔͙̘͖̼̺̪͢͢ͅͅa̵͓͖͓̟̮̠̝̲̹̹̩͖̹͟͡ͅn̛̠̯̦̲̖͇͔͈͙̭̖̖̬͙̫͞d̴̹̮͔̟̠̫͠ ̴̢̬͉͖͚͈̞̩̠̫̣͜m̢͠҉͓̭̙̘̠̠͇̳̜̜͎̟̠͇̕a̸̛̰̯͚̺͖͝y̷҉̛̱̠̙͙̞͡ ̴̧̬̦̘̦͈̯̫̟̫̤͖̜͘͡I҉̵͙̥̙͇̭̘̻̥͖̭͚̹̼͈̳̜̤͠ ̸̶̩͙̟̤̖̪͍̦͙̳͇͕̭̗͞s̵̠̙͙̞͖̺͙̼̟̗̤̞͖͕̮͇̖̰͟ͅḙ̴͕̥͚͙͝ȩ҉̨̧̝͓̻̬͎͖͍̼͞ͅ ͎̟̺̤̦͓̰̥̥̹̯̭͉̀͝h̸̢̝͇̣͖͔̥̥̕ͅi̡̢̯͍͖̦̹̦̭̺̩̘͍͖̗͕̩̩̩̩͘͘ͅs̞͔͓͚̲͕̪̹̱̫̰̮̞̀͘ͅ ̴̯͉̤̮͔̞͎͚͔͘ļ̩̬͚̙̦̜̦̘͉̕͘͠i̵̛̲̜̤̣̬̝̪̗̥̥̠f̠̳̠͙̗̹͍̩͘è̢̢̢̳̖̙̰̻̩̭̙̹͓̭͈̲̘͘b̷̢͕̫͙̩͙͔̖̫̳̥̜̣͇͘͜͡ͅl͚̭̹̦̗͟͡ơ̘͚̞̮͍͈͚̗̼͎̕͟͜o̷͖̘̻̰̯͔̬̟͎͓͔̤͓͕̭̤̮̗͢͠d̸̵̡̹̹̳̗̱̩̠̱̝̩ ̧̢̛͙̗̣̰̬̘͈̠͔̕d̵̴͕̟͉͖̮̘̜͔̖̘̩̭̞̖̠̕͟r҉̪͇̤̣̳̺͎̪͈͇͎̥͉͍͈͓a̷̷̭̘̱͎͕̳͇̪̠͟͝͠í̢̛͎͕̩͖͖͈̪̯͕͔͉̲̀͜ņ͔̻̻̪̠͘ ̳̝̘̟̥̝̠̖̦̞́ơ͠҉͓̳͚͔̘̠̬n͞҉̳̝̤̪̰͕̙͈̳̳̯̗̱͔̞͘ ͏̨͚̯̮̯̯̠̱̜̠͚͞ͅm͏̛͍͇̲̫y̴̗̺̺̕ ̷͡͝͞͏̲̻̪͙͉̝͚c̀͏̴̛̺̱͙̭̭̱͖ͅl̜͎̲͚̗̜̺̀͘͢ą̶̜͎̭̠͓͇̺̪̠͙̩̮̮͔̀w̵̡̥͕̦͈͘͡ş̞̤̜̝͕͎̮̝̤͓͙̞͍̭ͅͅ!̢̞̠͎̮̼̩̰̖̘̫͖͚͎̀͟



The Black Speech now sprung from her lips, untold devestation came to Leolik's savannah. The tall grass wilted and fell over, the clouds overhead drew around in a harsh lightning storm and the very earth seeped with Darkness itself and blackened flowers and trees began to spring forth from the words spoken by Alisah. Eyes glowing red with fury, the Second glared towards the two of them and strode towards them.

"Speak what you request and I shall offer you my compromise! I have work ahead of me and I must see to it that Erebuz no longer holds any sway in My Realm. A penance for your Sins Leolik...but for you, this is a small price to pay. I will be the one in the line of fire"

The Second seemed to be on board...

A bubble of serenity surrounded Leolik and the Chronicler while Alisah vented her rage upon the realm. The land withered in revulsion at the words that spilled from her mouth. Death and corruption flowed like a river and polluted the air and ground like a poison, but nothing touched the great lion or his charge.

Once the flood subsided, Leolik released a long breath. It passed over the landscape like a gentle breeze, and life flowed back into the foliage. The sky calmed, and the realm returned to its normal state.

"We do have a plan, sister," Leolik finally said. "Since the Void is trying something new, we must do likewise. While our power together, even ourselves, would be sufficient in putting the Void to the sword - his absence would only create another problem. He does, in fact, serve a purpose despite his insufferableness. Light and Darkness would clash in a cataclysmic scale without the neutrality of the Void.

"Suffice to say," He continued, "The Cycle as it stands is no longer sufficient. There must be a change - a powerful change - if Existence is to continue. However, since our direct intervention would only cause more conflict in the long run, We can only perceive one course of action..."

Leolik turned to meet Alisah's gaze.

"We do nothing. At least, not directly. Perhaps, after so long, it is time for us to stand aside? Perhaps it is time that we give the mortals and lesser pantheons a chance to prove their conviction and courage. We have already set the path in motion and have given them the tools they need. Now it is up to them to pick up the pieces of the puzzle and forge their own destiny."

Alisah's rage subsided with a few slow breaths, the Second soon seemed to be contemplating his words. While true, they interfered with what was already pre-established. Their cycle was fair and just, it was the optimal solution. To leave things in the hands of the mortals and lesser gods would put too much to chance. Alisah was uncomfortable with the idea of chance dictating her masterpiece's design. Yet the Unweaver's fool hearty attempts to sunder Her grand design did present an insufferable dilemna. Would she allow her arrogance and hubris to cloud her judgement or would she allow this transgression to lead to the end of all?

The Lioness sat there in deep thought at Leolik's words then she opened her eyes. A look in them would let Leolik know her answer before she even opened her mouth. It was the same look she gave when they created the Cycles in the first place. Neutrality.

"You wish for us to do nothing? To stand aside and allow the lesser species a chance to Create? I do not leave things to such chance Leolik you know this. However what you say has merit and I will abide by your decision this one time. A caveat must be granted if the Weave is to survive. You are correct, if the Void is lost, then you and I would have no reason to work along side each other. We would be back where we were before before the existence of Cycles: My teeth to your throat and my blood on your claws"

The Lioness would hold up a paw to him then soon transformed herself into her usual illusionary guise of that small human child, floating upon the air as if without a care in the world. Three fingers outstretched themselves while a parasol opened above her

"For this to be done, three things must occur. My price for abiding by such a decision and a penance for your sins"

"The first is I wish to plant a tree here in this realm. It will be my gateway to your Light for me to move about as I see fit. I will have unrestricted access to your Savannah and whatever lies here within. This will remain until we are able to pass into Concept"

"The Second, You will open a conduit in your Library to the Twilight Grove. My scribes and scholars will move through this gateway and work alongside your historians. We will share our knowledge and resources together to ensure a controlled transition to the Cycle and protect the Weave from it's Unweaving. This will be so until I decide to sever ties"

A small smile spread over Alisah's face at the third one as she leaned forward in the air to lay upon her stomach.

"The Third, you will transfer three of your most powerful Malakim to me. One of whom shall be Mik'hael and the Guardian Blade he wields. I am embedded in Erebuz's forces and my troops bolster his ranks. The moment I sever our ties, He will come for me. To ensure that I am not destroyed, Mik'hael and the two other Malakim shall become my shield, sword and spell. They shall join the Darkness, be permeated by it and taken into it. They shall no longer know the Light and act as my Heralds on the fields of battle. This will remain so until it is your turn to retake the Cycle. Their purpose is two fold: To defend me from Erebuz and to cleanse the universes I have already claimed of their corruption. The old must be swept clean and purged of taint"

The All Consuming Darkness surged from her eyes as she stood upon the ground and strode towards Leolik and extended a hand towards him.

"This is my price Leolik. If you wish my cooperation and my assistance in this matter, this is what is offered on the table. There shall be no negotiations. Your sins shall be expunged and my ire with you shall be washed clean. Take my hand to accept the wager"

Now Alisah would wait, she knew she had Leolik in a corner. Her footholds would surely aid her in the future of whatever was to happen.

Parem'Zel attempts to stand to his feet, taking a deep breath of fresh air.

Parem'Zel Rubs his head in confusion as he gazes around

Iessi Uoduoyh hi

Hope of Genesis seems lost, as if she doesn't even know who she herself is. She's terrified and alone.

Frendor Falcon-Wind looks around

Frendor Falcon-Wind extends his awareness, seeking to understand what the wind is saying

Frendor Falcon-Wind looks at all the other people