The Ancient One's fingers stilled, her gaze sharpening as SCP-343's last statement settled over her like a heavy cloak. "They already know about me?" she echoed, her voice steady but carrying an undercurrent of tension.
SCP-343 nodded, his expression calm but serious. "Yes. You, among others, have caught their attention. They understand your power and the significance of what you do. For now, they allow it because they see your presence as a stabilizing force, something that benefits them in the larger scheme. But make no mistake—they observe you carefully. They are not ones to allow something, or someone, to operate outside of their purview for long."
The Ancient One leaned back in her chair, her posture betraying little of the unease she felt. "So, I am merely another anomaly in their eyes. Tolerated until I become a threat or outlive my usefulness."
SCP-343 gave a knowing smile. "That is one way to see it, yes. However, your relationship with the Foundation could be more than mere tolerance. The O5 Council is pragmatic, and if they see you as an asset rather than a danger, they may seek your cooperation—on their terms, of course."
"And what are their terms?" The Ancient One asked, her voice carrying a sharp edge.
"Indeed, what could they possibly want? For that, I believe a little history is needed as context." SCP-343 said, changing the subject.
"Long ago, back in my own universe, there was a nation that worshipped me and a king they prayed to me. That nation was Israel and the king was Solomon, I gave him great power and wisdom." As he spoke, he used his power to create illusions of it, almost as if using the mirror dimension.
Yet the Ancient One was easily able to see that it wasn't merely that he did. No, he was playing around with reality itself. It wasn't on a big scale or even permanent. However, it was still reality manipulation, something that demonstrated that even though she doubted he was able to create worlds, he was still powerful enough to deserve respect.
"I granted him ten rings, each in which I placed a small fragment of my own power." He said and made ten rings appear before him, hovering as to show them to the Ancient One.
"He was wise, and he was powerful. I granted him eternal life, which made him unable to suffer any disease or poison, even to shrug off mortal injury. I let him know the future and the past, granted him limited omniscient."
The Ancient One had never met Solomon since he was long before her time, but she doubted the one of her universe had been as powerful as the one he was describing.
"He was wise and did as I asked of him; he ruled his kingdom, my kingdom justly, allowed the piece to know piece in my worship. Yet his wisdom brought him on a quest for answers." He spoke and caused the illusion to change, showing Solomon entering a cave.
"He found something I had long hidden away. He found Eden!" The illusion changed and showed off the gates of Eden and, before it, a giant flaming angel.
Even though it was only an Illusion, the Ancient One could still feel the power of the angel, and it was powerful indeed; in fact, it felt even more powerful than SCP-343 himself, even though she wasn't sure she could deal with that angel.
"Standing before Eden, standing before the guardian, he realized just how insignificant he was and how significant I was. He started to realize that it was but my willingness to allow humans to thrive that allowed them to do so."
"He was truly enlightened that day. And for the first time since I granted him his ten rings, he was scared. Not for himself, but for humanity itself, and that, that was the first fear, the first fear that would lead to the Foundation."
The Ancient One remained silent as SCP-343's story unfolded, absorbing the weight of his words and the vivid imagery he conjured. She had heard countless tales of power, but this one seemed different—it struck at the core of something far more ancient and far-reaching than she had anticipated.
"So, Solomon's fear..." she mused, her voice low and thoughtful, "was the seed that led to the creation of the Foundation?"
SCP-343 nodded slowly. "Yes. His fear of the unknown, of forces beyond even his comprehension, led him down a path that would shape the course of human history. He feared that without control, humanity would be vulnerable to the whims of greater powers—powers that could erase them from existence in an instant. His wisdom told him that the only way to protect humanity was to contain those forces, to build a structure that would preserve order and safety."
The Ancient One leaned forward slightly, intrigued. "So, Solomon sought to contain the unknown, to prevent humanity from being swallowed by chaos. And that idea, that drive, is what became the Foundation?"
"Indeed," SCP-343 said, his voice carrying the weight of ages. "Though Solomon's vision was grand, He also knew it wasn't something he could easily accomplish, he was but one man, a king for sure, but he was also blessed with enough wisdom to know that my people wouldn't follow him again me, he needed someone else."
The Ancient One could easily guess what kind of people Solomon needed. Back then, most people weren't very capable of much that was considered normal today. They lacked vision, led simpler lives, and were more afraid of the unknown.
She knew this from her own youth; people just back then were more likely to either worship someone they didn't understand or seek to destroy it, but neither was what Solomon needed.
"It took a long time before he found someone worthy, someone able and willing to follow his vision. Still, in the end, he did find someone, and they were very capable, maybe more so than Solomon himself." Illusions still followed his story, but now they lacked detail, merely silhouettes of people rather than the clear images from before.
"That person went on to make the Foundation, from one man, or two if you count Solomon as well. He too worked hard to find others, he recruited everyone, from the most lowly worker to other people like himself, people to oversee the Foundation."
"So, the Foundation didn't emerge as a fully formed organization," she said, more to herself than to SCP-343. "It was cultivated, built piece by piece, person by person, each following Solomon's vision..."
SCP-343 nodded. "Yes. The Foundation's early days were slow, methodical. It wasn't an institution born overnight. The second person Solomon found, the one capable of realizing this vision, became the architect of what the Foundation would eventually grow into. He was a strategist, a visionary like Solomon, but also practical, and as the organization grew, so did the power of the overseers; once he led hundreds then thousands, but as it grew, so did his power."
"And he too followed Solomon's fear, and he feared what he would become with all that power, and so he ensured that the other overseers had equal power to him, so that none had too much power, checks and balances."
The Ancient One listened intently, her sharp mind absorbing the details of SCP-343's story. It was a familiar theme—power and fear intertwined, leading to systems of control meant to safeguard, but inevitably creating something else entirely.
"So, the overseers," she said quietly, "they built the Foundation not only to protect humanity from external threats but also to protect themselves from the very power they wielded."
SCP-343 nodded. "Exactly. Solomon's vision was born out of fear, and that fear permeated the Foundation's core. The overseers knew that unchecked power could corrupt them, so they created a system of balance, of accountability. Yet, there was someone with more power than them; the founder, Solomon, had unlimited power."
The Ancient One sat back, reflecting on the magnitude of what SCP-343 had shared. "Indeed, the more powerful the Foundation grew, so did Solomon, no matter of sharing the power between the Overseers would limit him, and so he became a problem I take it?"
SCP-343 smiled faintly. "Correct, for the Architect didn't want anyone to have solo control over the Foundation, not even himself, and much less Solomon, and as such a pact was born, the Foundation was born."
The illusion changed, showing five silhouettes standing in a circle. "The O5 council, the five Overseers, the Foundation, even today, they are the Foundation, for while all Overseers are meant to have equal power, that is only true for those five, they are the Foundation of the Foundation."
The Ancient One watched the illusion of the five Overseers standing in a circle, their silhouettes casting long shadows. "So these five," she murmured, "they are the true core of the Foundation, holding power even over the rest of the Overseers."
SCP-343 nodded. "Yes. They were the ones who solidified the pact that allowed the Foundation to grow and maintain balance. Each one of them is powerful in their own right, but together, they form the foundation of the organization, both literally and figuratively. They hold more power than anyone else within the organization, and yet, they are bound to each other—each one ensuring the others never overstep."
"And they dear Morrigan, is who you need, they will be willing to work with you, and for what is to come, you will need one another. But not yet, they aren't ready just yet, so for now, you will have to carry the burden yourself for a bit longer, but worry not, I will lend a hand here and there."
He said with a smile as the reality bending illusion faded away, leaving just his gently smiling face looking at her.