Venus was sitting on her throne made of sorrow, located in the center of the Exosphere. But this was merely metaphorical, as the Exosphere did not have a "center" to begin with.
She needed to reach a particular location near one of the edges of the Material Substrate. However, there was a significant problem: Venus' very existence posed a threat to the Substrate itself.
With this in mind, she decided to access the Substrate indirectly.
She raised her hand and gently released a sphere of green light from it, which gradually expanded while taking the form of a woman that closely resembled Venus, but not quite at the same time.
As Venus spoke, the newly formed woman echoed her words in unison, their voices blending seamlessly as if they were a single entity.
"This vessel shall suffice for now. I'll name it Venatrix."
With this puppet, called Venatrix (Vena for short), Venus could access the Material Substrate without destroying it. The only downside was that Vena was far less powerful.
"Let's begin, then."
And with that, Vena stepped out of the Exosphere.
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The Material Substrate: a super-reality of infinite variety and wonder. A multiverse of multiverses. It was infinite, literally, but also so much more than that. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that even the concept of infinity was a part of it as well. After all, everything that was possible under logic could be found in it.
But it was not always like that.
At first, the Material Substrate was merely a single multiverse. But when the Crowned One awakened, it sent ripples across the very foundations of the Substrate, "cracking" it open while changing it on a fundamental level. Quite literally, Venus herself had unwittingly transformed the Substrate into a vastly greater and more complex structure simply by awakening.
Many claimed the Material Substrate had "edges," but like the Exosphere's "center," this was a metaphor. True infinity has no boundaries.
And it was to one of these metaphorical "edges" that Vena now traveled.
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Vena flied through the vastness of outer space, disregarding any laws of physics as she proceeded to surpass the speed of light through exponential degrees.
Eventually, she came across an unusual celestial object. It was far too small to be considered a planet, with a diameter of only 3,000 kilometers—more akin to a large moon. Yet, this was recognized as a planet, home to an ancient witch.
Descending to its surface, Vena noted the presence of oxygen, though the landscape was desolate. Dark forests filled with lifeless trees stretched across the terrain, giving the entire place a haunting, Halloween-like atmosphere.
She wandered through this eerie world until she came upon a house. As she approached, the front door creaked open slightly, as though inviting her inside. At that moment, a voice echoed through the surroundings.
"I've been expecting you. Come in—I have tea."
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Vena entered the house. It would be more accurate to call it a huge single room instead of a house. The house only contained a single room and nothing else. To compensate, it was a large enough room with classic furnitures, including a giant bookshelf.
In this house Vena found a middle-aged woman wearing a gothic dress and a strange hat that resembled a face.
"Welcome, my name is Nyx, also known as the Dark Witch. Want some tea?"
Vena made a gesture with her hand so as to decline the offer.
At the same time, Vena looked at Nyx and inspected her.
"You're also called the Witch of Mystery, aren't you? I can see why. I sense nothing from you—no magic, no psionics, no aura. Truly, a mystery."
Nyx chuckled softly at this observation. "My, my, to be appraised by the Crowned Queen herself—what an honor."
Vena's eyes narrowed slightly in surprise.
"Oh? You can discern who I am, even though no one has ever seen this form before?"
Nyx smiled knowingly. "I have my ways."
"You said you were expecting me. Was that thanks to one of your 'ways' as well?" Vena asked.
"Indeed. I can see the future—after a fashion. The moment you appeared in the Material Substrate, I knew you would come here. However, I cannot glimpse the future of your true self. It's impossible. If I were to describe it, I'd say it's as though someone carved a hole in time itself and slipped outside of it."
"A fitting analogy," Vena admitted. "Then you must also know why I'm here."
"Ah, yes," Nyx said with a smirk. "How silly of me—I almost forgot. You seek access to Microspace, don't you?"
"So that's what it's called. Yes, that's correct."
"I can help, but it won't be easy."
"Just tell me what needs to be done."
Nyx turned and retrieved a book from her massive bookshelf. She carried it to a desk in the center of the room, opened it, and flipped through its pages until she found what she was looking for.
"There are two ways to enter Microspace," she explained. "The first is to reduce your size to sub-quantum levels, which would warp you into the Microspace reality. The second is to use a key that tears a rift in space, creating a gateway into Microspace."
Vena had no easy way of doing the first at the moment, so she opted for the second method.
"Where can I find such key?"
"You won't find it in this reality. It's located in another universe, to be exact. But I have the coordinates for that. I'll get them and send them to you."
Nyx vanished suddenly, leaving Vena alone.
After a few minutes, Nyx reappeared, holding a small, glowing orb. "This artifact will give you the coordinates to any universe you wish to visit."
Vena took the orb and examined it. "I'm curious—does someone currently possess this key?"
"Oh, yes," Nyx replied, her tone playful yet ominous. "And they're quite... problematic. You'll understand when you meet them. All I'll say is that you may need to spill some blood to claim the key."
Vena chuckled. "That won't be a problem."