Below the glistening city, down in the dark, a single figure moved swiftly through the infinite expanse.
Everywhere the figure went, the horrors residing in the abyss retreated. His presence was overwhelming and horrifying.
Cain was beginning to embody Unknown.
He didn't know how long it had been since he came out of the chrysalis made from his cloak, but he was now undoubtedly powerful.
A catalyst prepared for its purpose.
'I can feel it. Failure should be near.'
Gaining the blessings of both Change and Death, Cain was only one step away from becoming the destined Primordial Horror of Unknown. A being foretold to destroy Dream.
'Hah, once this is over, I should have some free room to act. Be it the Three or fate itself, I'm as restricted as ever... and they want me to destroy Dream. Is that the Dream Lord, the Dream Realm? I'll have to get Failure to specify.'
A bit of helplessness wafted through Cain. He was indeed at the behest of others, the one thing he hated the most.
Alas, he didn't have a choice, and unlike his dealings with Numineer, he did have something to gain in all of this.
It was only because he had something to gain that he even went along with this; otherwise, he might have rather chosen death. Freedom has always been lingering in his mind; he had only been repressing it.
'Failure should be right around here? Why isn't there anything?'
Cain had found the location he felt the Horror's aura, but nothing was there. His search ended in failure.
Just as his thoughts shifted to look elsewhere, Cain lost control of his buoyancy.
Losing the ability to float in the empty expanse, he headed downward.
'W-What!'
Bewilderment found itself stretching across Cain's hidden face. His cloak fluttered as he could do nothing but fall even deeper into the abyss.
'Why can't I fly? Is this Failure's interference? I knew he was here!'
Cain quickly formalized the reason for his inability to fly. Not only was he a Horror, but he was a Horror one step away from being a Primordial. Only one of the Three could affect him like this.
'Where is he? He should be somewhere.'
Regaining his lost composure, Cain focused and remembered the murals Death had shown him.
'Failure should look like a shadow.... how am I supposed to find him hidden in complete darkness?'
It was then Cain got the feeling he was being watched from behind. He felt his every movement would fail.
'Behind me!'
Twisting his body, Cain heard a snap. His spine broke!
He continued to spin while falling, accelerating while his lower body lost all movement.
Not panicking, Cain quickly began healing his spine. It was easy for a creature like him. In a short period, he was good as new and already coming up with new ideas.
Yet, no matter how many ideas played out in his mind, they all failed.
'Even my thoughts are affected. Do I think or not?'
Frustrated, Cain felt his instincts flare. It wasn't the instincts of a human, no, it was that of a Horror, a Horror that embodies the Unknown.
Immediately, the darkness around him became much deeper and foreboding.
Thousands of hands reached out from the darkness; they felt close yet never reaching, there but not. They quickly caught Cain and formed into a strange creepy mandela.
It was then a single red eye found its way into reality.
Within its iris held indescribable Horror.
It eluded sense; it was vast and beautiful. But, its beauty only lasted moments before one would begin to understand; it was something that couldn't be understood, something.....indescribable.
What reflected in it were things that shouldn't be seen, truths better left unsaid.
The eye, sparking emotions of uncertainty and anxiety in its victims, narrowed its vision to one area.
It was behind Cain's back.
A shadow manifested quickly, although impossible, sweat trickled down its back, forming a river.
It darted for the eye; every second it remained in the eye's sight more and more of it evaporated into thin air. If it continued like this, it might even silently die without a word.
This was the Horror that resides in the Unknown.
Failure moved swiftly, directing its powers on the eye, causing it to blink or even lose focus for a moment.
Reaching it, the shadowy hand grabbed the eyeball and crushed it without hesitation.
Dissipating, the darkness became lighter. Everything was left in silence. The hands holding Cain turned illusionary and Cain once again found himself plummeting.
Failure swiftly caught him in its palm.
'Feels strange to continuously find myself in the palms of these things' hands.'
The Shadow stared at Cain for a moment, then it shrunk.
As it did, human skin grew around its body, containing the shadows. But the process was taxing; even after it finished the process, Failure's skin grew gray. Some areas even began to house black spots.
"You pass. Your powers are already fusing with your instincts. Death was not wrong."
Cain didn't respond, catching his breath; he was extremely drained after summoning the eye.
After a few seconds, he straightened his back, "You're Failure?"
"Yes, I apologize about before; I needed to test you. You see, I haven't learned to control my abilities well; even now, it's quite a chore to rein them in like this. Perfect to test people like you though."
Cain frowned, "Why test me; haven't I already proven myself with Death and Change?"
The gray amalgamation of skin laughed, "Change, yes. Death, no. You could be a ferret, and Death would still help you."
'Good to know, I guess?'
Not knowing what proper etiquette to take, Cain decided to remain blunt.
"Will you answer my questions and give your blessing?"
It nodded, "Questions first."
"Alright." Cain raised his hand to his chin in an act of deep thought.
"Okay, I've got them. First, when Death told me you want me to destroy Dream, what is Dream exactly?
"Second, Who is the 'One'? And will I be able to defeat them as Unknown?
"Lastly, and this has been on my mind, what exactly is this place, the Landfill? Death mentioned it was a prison; if so, then what's with all the Cores, the Rulers, everything? Were there cores in the beginning too?"
Failure took its time; perhaps it wanted to convey the information properly.
"Lots of questions, not a lot of answers. Hmmm."
Wording was everything; how it said something was how Cain was going to understand it.
"For the first question, Dream is everything. It is the prison; it is the power; it is what you call the Dream Lord. There is no difference between them; they are all the same. That is why we call it Dream. Each piece makes the whole, the whole makes the pieces.
"Now, when it comes to the 'One,' even we Three know little. "They" are all-powerful; even if you become Unknown, you have no way to defeat them. Our powers are little in the face of a being such as that."
'So I won't be able to fight against "It"? It makes sense; being Unknown is more of a territorial advantage it seems. Only in the Dream Realm will I be powerful; outside it, I will be weak. This must be in line with how Dream and Reality were separated from each other.'
Failure continued, "Finally, I do not know exactly what rulers are. We Three know this place is a prison, but it could have multiple purposes besides sealing being like us.
"We believe these rulers to be proxies of the 'One.' As for cores, they are creations to harness energy. This energy has always existed, and people would obviously create different methods to harness it."
Cain's interest was piqued, "So there aren't only the Cores when trying to gain power?"
"These cores are certainly the most efficient way. They allow for unique energies to exist, which allows easier access to the different powers. Taking the harnessing part and doing it themselves, allowing practitioners to use the energy freely and with ease."
'So in a sense, Pure Energy is unrefined and the cores refine it, but at the cost of making it separate from pure energy, slightly diluting it and making it unique....did people originally have other ways to harness pure energy?'
With the questions answered, Failure waited.
Cain was still in deep thought; much was said, and more questions were being created in the young Horror's mind.
Cain's cloak was deathly still.
'If this is the case, then why the uniqueness of energy at all? What's with Dead zones, Failure obviously won't know; he barely knows about the Rulers... but it all comes down to this "One". They are the main point. Our captor and creator of the system?'
Cain raised his head, staring at Failure. His face reflected gratitude and his confusion. Surprisingly, Cain didn't ask any more questions.
"I'm ready for your blessing."
The gray fleshy being smiled, "Excellent! This is the final nail in the coffin. I am excited to be soon free!"
A grayish hand reached out; it held a cracked stone expulsing dark wisps.
"With this, you will be reborn. I am honored, Primordial Unknown. I am thankful. I am at your behest, my savior of this dark prison."
From the darkness, thousands of voices followed Failure's line of eulogy.
They called out, "Primordial Lord, please be born. Free us, release us!"
Cain took the stone; he crushed it in his hand with ease.
The silence quieted; the abyss recessed, and all Horrors froze.
The birth of the 4th was about to begin!
The end of Dream commenced!