Aavesh looked at the spirit in surprise and confusion. When had he ever freed a spirit? He didn't recall doing so before during the whole invasion...
As if sensing his confusion, the spirit sent another message to give some more clarity -
"You Broke the Crystal Treasure... that the Demon Goddess wanted... I was watching... everything"
"Ohhh- wait Woahhh! How did you even- No we'll not get into that - What do you want from me? Should you not go and enjoy your freedom?"
The spirit turned silent for a bit, but then replied,
"You angered... some very powerful... Beings... by freeing... me"
Aavesh spoke nonchalantly when he heard that he angered some great beings,
"Yeah, it's the Demon Goddess, I'll handle that later-"
"No... They... are more... powerful... the goddess... is an ant... compared to... them"
Aavesh widened his eyes in disbelief - beings more powerful than the Demon Goddess that she was an ant compared to them? Impossible! There were a handful of Gods who could bully her, but to squash her like an ant? No, he had never heard of such things before!
"We... call them... Old Ones... and... Outer Gods..., They... wanted her... to retrieve me..."
"She failed... because of... you... They will... send someone... after you..."
Aavesh could not make sense of it all - he did not know whether to even believe the spirit before him, Old ones and Outer Gods- that sounded like omnipotent Villains in Cosmic horror stories written by a traumatized Author.
The spirit then raised its palm to display a screen of memory, from its point of view - when it was stuck in the Treasure - It showed how Aavesh stomped on him with that Mysterious Red Mythic Power, and then everything became white.
This Spirit could clearly sense his emotions and wanted to prove to him.
That memory... could not be faked - Aavesh was speechless now. How did he even-?
Oh well...
Aavesh thought bitterly as a headache started to come to his mind.
It seemed that the spirit was not lying after all.
" Stop - Stop Playing that memory, I'm Sorry- I didn't believe you before, So... You came to warn me?"
"Yes... and help... you"
"Why even help me? I mean since those beings are so powerful, would they not be able to sense you? and I don't think you can help me - with my current condition - almost no one can"
Aavesh's voice became a bit gloomy as he finished speaking - His path was unclear and there was already someone after his life, could things go even more fucked up than this?
"A debt... must be... repaid... in full... I was trapped... for so... long... but now... I am... free because... of you... Don't... worry... They can't... do anything to... me... for now... You still... have time... those beings... will not hunt... you yet... I have... hidden your... presence and fate... from... them.. temporarily"
Aavesh did not know how to react to this, He felt grateful to the spirit for doing that - The spirit had no reason to lie to him.
"Thanks, Man- I don't know what to say... You've saved a lot of trouble for me - But I am curious, what are these Old ones and Outer Gods? What do they even want with you?"
Aavesh could not suppress his curiosity about the spirit anymore and these so-called - Old Ones and Outer Gods, He wanted to know more about these obscure figures!
The spirit raised a finger to his face as if to signal him to not talk anymore,
"Don't ask... about them... You are... not powerful... yet, As for... me, I... am the... map and key... to an extremely powerful... artifact... I can't... say too... much... you are... not powerful... yet"
Aavesh was a bit dumbfounded but suddenly felt a little cold when the spirit told him about not thinking too much.
He was probably right - Aavesh forcibly stopped that train of thought as he felt an instinctive horror within him - Like something far too forbidden to even think about.
Without knowing his breathing had accelerated for a moment but then calmed down.
So this spirit was a key to a treasure that 'they' wanted? Damn, that must be some treasure.
Wait he had not even asked the Spirit's Name or Introduced himself - since they were in the same camp - It was better to make more friends and be familiar!
Aavesh Slapped his forehead and stretched his right hand toward the spirit in the mirror with a smile,
"I am Aavesh Xander"
The spirit easily understood his gesture and reciprocated the same.
"I... am... Eon"
Both shook hands and retrieved them back.
"Thank you for your help Eon, I guess I owe you one..."
Eon shook his head and spoke further,
"As You... See... We have... mutual enemies... I have... a proposition... for you...but... first... let me... explain"
"Hmmm?"
Eon explained,
"I am... a cosmic spirit... Created to... preserve order... and protect... this Universe- The Old... Archaic Gods... forged me and others... To defeat... 'them' but... But we... were not... ready, The End... war was a draw... and a new... Yuga... cycle... had begun..."
Aavesh carefully listened in as the spirit continued,
" 'They' are... searching for... our true bodies... the powerful treasures... and use it... to fully... control the... Universe"
"They... will then... wake... up the Blind... Fool God... to finish... his meal"
"By... his... meal it... means this... whole... Universe... all that... exists"
Aavesh had a thousand alpacas run through his heart when he heard this, he could not help but exclaim
"FUCK!"
" Oh shit, Thanks for the extra Existential crisis you have lodged in me"
"No... Problem"
"..."
Aavesh shook his head and asked,
"So with all this crap, what deal do you want to propose?"
Eon spoke with a hint of more seriousness now,
"I... have analyzed... your body... condition and soul... there is... a way... for you... to cultivate..."
Aavesh's eyes widened in surprise, but immediately calmed down and asked in a cool tone,
"What's the catch?"
"You will... have to... sign a... spirit contract... with me..."
Eon displayed a small energy contract sheet, while Aavesh read it out,
"Rules of the Spirit Contract:-"
"Both Parties are agreeing to join together to battle 'Redacted'"
"Both Parties shall not betray each other"
"Both Parties must assist each other when needed"
"Contractee Aavesh will share a portion of Mental force to accommodate Contractor Eon"
"Contractor Eon will help Contractee Aavesh develop the way Contractee Aavesh wants to"
"No Parties shall own each other and shall amicably terminate the contract if Contractee Aavesh Dies"
"Contractor Eon shall Assure Contractee Aavesh a safe Reincarnation and protect his Soul from getting collected by Devils, Daemons, Demons, and the rest of the Eldritch Horror"
"The Laws of Machina shall be the Guarantor for this Contract"
"Contract shall take effect immediately when Contractee Aavesh agrees"
Aavesh scrutinized it more carefully and then stared into Eon's Eyes to see if there was any deception, But Eon only looked a bit eager and did not show any signs of deception.
"It's a pretty straightforward contract you got there..."
"Why me though?"
"Why not others for example My Brother and Sister?"
"Why choose a cripple when there are so many geniuses around?"
Aavesh asked carefully now, certain reasons were necessary before signing anything, He was way too familiar on dealing with Devils and Demons. He had already observed that there was no after-effect of chaos distorting Laws or Manipulation of Laws if a Devil was present, there would be a very faint smell of cinder and tweaking of laws if a Devil was present.
Eon was the real deal, but he still needed to know.
"Aavesh... You offer... me promise... you wont... waste any... opportunity... I see... it in... your eyes... you have... already offended... 'them'... 'Their' enemy... is my... ally... no matter... how weak..."
"I always... return my... debts... no matter... how big... or small... It is... only proper... besides you... can be... trusted more... because of... your weakness... and will... not betray... me... It is... only Logical"
Aavesh became silent for a while and took a deep breath and spoke drearily,
" I don't have a choice, do I? Tell me will I Survive without your help?"
"No..." -_-
*Sigh
"I Knew it" T_T
Aavesh held his head in frustration as he stared back at the Contract, and gritted his teeth,
" Ugh Fine, I agree to the Contract and its Terms"
The Energy Contract shined brightly and Blue strings of Energy Wrapped around Aavesh and Eon. From Today Henceforth they would be bound by the contract till Aavesh Died or if they agreed to mutually break the contract.
Nothing bad happened and Eon turned into a small violet ball of energy and passed into Aavesh's Mind Pond, lying close to where his soul resided.
Aavesh felt a full force of fatigue hit him and he sleepily walked into his room and fell flat onto the Bed and Dozed off. He would definitely not wake until Tomorrow.
Yet as soon as this Contract was signed, in Deep space, at the center of the Galaxy, within the Super Massive Blackhole - Lay a silent Crystalline structure that flickered continuously.
It was in the form of a Gate with 4 Ancient Symbols ∞ Ω ☸ ⚛ inscribed on it. The Black Hole Devoured light and matter yet its force or the fabled hawking radiation did nothing to the Crystal Gate. The Gate remained unaffected by the Supreme forces of the Universe that some Mythic Powers had trouble confronting.
The Complex Gate like Structure Rotated quite Peacefully almost unaware of anything and undisturbed by none,
Until, Aavesh agreed to the contract and the ☸ symbol lit up. The Gate shook heavily - causing the whole Blackhole to destabilize for a moment.
But this moment alone scared all beings who were studying the BlackHole out of their wits. If something happened to the Blackhole - The Whole Galaxy would split apart and Several Civilizations would collapse overnight!
They furiously tried to detect any anomalies or past patterns that happened before - but none were found. It seemed they would have quite a lot of sleepless nights while trying to figure out what happened. The Matter was far too important to be ignored!
As various Scientists and Powerhouses tried to investigate the root cause of the anomaly, The culprit - the Gate had one light lit up. It was the ☸ symbol.
In ancient cultures - It was also called as the Dharma Chakra or the Symbol of Oneness. It does make one curious - what could it possibly allude to?
None knew what its mysterious function was and it would remain a mystery for the future.
But a faint sound, unaffected by the Strength of the Blackhole, could be heard if one was powerful enough.
The Sound of a Faint Heart Beat - Like an Engine Revving up slowly.
The Old Ones who heard this frowned as if its very sound touched some ancient scars that they wished it was buried forever.
Nyarlathotep, the Envoy of the Fool God and the Primordial Devourer, One such Entity looked on in anger, as he furiously spoke in the Void,
"Renegade - You bound us from ever entering into the Material Universe and forced us to Roam the Great Beyond For Eons! Now Your Fucking Tool Spirit dares to choose a successor?!"
"Your schemes WILL FALL, So what if 'it' beats! I may not be able to enter but my Lamb shall - The False Archaic Gods will die! Like You Died! The Lord of All will wake soon- whether you like it or not - This Universe will be devoured like countless others! Even if you hid their True Bodies within the Laws we will find them!"
But as soon as he spoke, A Dark Red Eye opened in the Void looking dead serious at him,
"You Dare Disrespect my Pantheon? You dare to Insult a being that even your master could not beat?"
Nyarlathotep:"SHIVA!?"
A Blazing sword of fury arrives beside the Red Eye,
"All these years and they still do not learn despite being granted mercy!"
Nyarlathotep:"MICHAEL!"
But it was not the end, more and more familiar symbols of the Archaic Gods arrived, surrounding the Envoy, as they pronounced a terrifying judgment to punish this Foreign God,
"To disrespect the Savior and then insult us who let your filth live for the sake of our children, was an already big enough compromise!"
"Now You Burn for eternity till the Savior Personally turns your Remains into Primordial Dust!"
*BOOOOM
The Envoy writhed in Agony as several runes and symbols burned into his chaotic Eerie flesh -
It screamed in such pain that other Outer Gods and Old Ones who watched this, went back into hiding not wanting to face the fate of the Envoy.
Even if the True Body of Gods was hidden by the Savior, their wills were not something they could possibly contend against!
His disfigured Body had further started to char and burn out like star smoke, but his flesh kept regenerating - repeating the whole agonizing process.
The Archaic Gods who were silent all this while had woken up partially from their monotonous slumber where they kept the Tendrils of The Blind Idiot God From Affecting The Order and Chaos of the Universe.
They too had heard the faint Heartbeat. Now they will wait the Day their beloved child - who they had created from the very quintessence of Cosmic Order to protect the Fundamental Sources - to be reborn.
It was so long ago that this foul being - the Blind Fool God decided to invade their Universe, before he was Blind and Foolish - He called himself Azathoth.
And when he invaded, fierce battles broke across the Universe!
The Archaic Gods were beings born from the crucible of the Universe since the Times of Creation! They considered their Universe to be their Parent and Home! They would never let a foreign Being just invade like that!
They were powerful enough to stop his advances and Some of them even destroyed Universes that were thrown at them. But the Azathoth was not done yet. He split parts of his soul to merge into their Reincarnation Cycle and Created Maog- the Primordial Devourer Worm, who went to the core of the Universe to devour the Source essences that allowed the mortal creatures in the Universe to live!
He was able to severely damage the Sources but was stopped by the Savior when he was about to fully destroy them! Before being Killed by the Savior who was extremely enraged at this act of degradation caused by a being who shared the same flesh and energy of the same universe as him but not the soul.
But Soon The Savior and the Archaic Gods realized something amiss - Azathoth had learned how to control the Will of the Universe after receiving information when the Dead worm Passed away.
The Dead worm had gained enough knowledge on the Rules of the Universe after devouring several of the Sources, it is said that the Damage left by Maog was so severe that, the sources only showed signs of recovery after 2 yugas!
Maog's death was not permanent either, he would come back again but way later, after Azathoth's 'sleep'.
Azathoth reaped the benefits and began his Apocalyptic Feast - he would master the will of the Universe and then use the will to extinguish the Archaic Gods! He would then fully devour theis Universe and become the 'Prime' in the Vast Omniverse!
But the 'Savior' foiled this plan - It was still unknown what he exactly did, But due to his actions, the Archaic Gods were hidden within the Laws of the Cosmos ,which allowed them to wrest half the will of the Universe away from Azathoth!
And the 'Savior' somehow stopped him.
Their Little 'Savior' they called him affectionately - It was never their intention to let him battle The Invading Blind Idiot God - But he did.
And his sacrifice allowed the mortal creatures of this Universe to live. The Archaic Gods would not hesitate to kill themselves and let the Universe be Reborn to be rid of that Foreign God - But their Creation - Their Mortal Children would not Live if they did so!
Their souls would be extinguished- never to be reborn again! Even if they did destroy the Universe - Their Creation were partially under the control of the Blind Fool God - with him mastering half the cosmic will.
If they were to destroy the Universe, Their Enemy would not let the souls of the mortals to be passed back into Reincarnation and shatter them!
This had left them conflicted - If they let the Blind Fool God stay! More and more of their creations would be stolen and devoured by the Blind God - If they reset the Universe - All Mortal Souls would be shattered! They were stuck in the stalemate but not for long!
But the 'Savior' had done the impossible - He made the Blind Fool God who came from another Multiverse 'sleep' and stop his Eternal Rampage on the Omniverse.
For Now - They would do all to prevent any form of foul play from the Blind God's Creations and Servants to interfere in the Material Plane - They would wait until the Day 'he' wakes up and wakes the other 'children' up. That would be the day when the Blind Idiot God will face the full Burning wrath of their Universe!
It was a competition between who shall wake up first!