In a distant, mysterious place, so remote that it could be called both the end and the beginning of all things. This place lies beyond reality, time, space, life, and death. Legends of some ancient worlds mentioned it, but even they couldn't capture its full enigma.
Here were born those who brought madness and chaos, and here was imprisoned the one who appeared alongside order. Some called this place the end of everything, others—the center of the universe. But no one truly knew what this place was or how to reach it.
Only a few lucky souls managed to peer beyond the veil of secrets to behold it, but perhaps they were unlucky souls who met their doom. Those who sought the truth and dared to look beyond the edge of everything found themselves here, facing disappointment and death, for this place tolerates no weakness. Only a few managed to return, retaining their sanity, but even they were on the brink of madness.
At the center of this strange world stood a black platform, supported by a creature resembling a tree. Perhaps it was a tree, somehow surviving here by feeding on the energy of the place's inhabitants. Now, it served as the foundation for a peculiar structure.
Around its roots danced horrific creatures, eyeless and voiceless, dark and mad, to the sinister beat of drums and the soft, monotonous sobs of cursed flutes. Above them, like a shadow, loomed a massive platform that seemed both near and unreachable at the same time.
On the platform stood dreadful, terrifying thrones, meant only for those as horrifying as the place itself. The thrones were arranged in a semicircle, allowing those seated on them to view whoever stood in the center. Among them, one throne stood out—a simple stone throne etched with strange inscriptions in forgotten languages. This throne seemed out of place here.
Beside it stood another throne, constantly shifting in form and texture. On it sat a girl, so beautiful that her beauty could drive entire worlds mad. Her long, form»fitting dress shimmered with colors from other worlds, invisible to the human eye.
The girl's pale skin contrasted sharply with the throne, and her black hair, like a waterfall, merged with it, sparkling like stars in the night. Her eyes glimmered with a rainbow light, constantly changing, but from one eye, a black, pitch»like tear flowed, leaving a trail on her cheek.
Slowly raising a slender hand that seemed almost boneless, the girl wiped away the blood flowing from her eye. She looked at her fingers, and a smile appeared on her face, a stark contrast to this place. Her laughter, like the chime of bells, echoed through the dark and terrifying world. Pausing, she continued to smile, gazing at the blood on her fingers.
" Ah, my darling, who would have thought you could wound me through my projection, " the girl said, touching her cheek as if it didn't matter.
She began to swing her legs, her mood turning playful, as if she had found something she had long been searching for.
" Even being so young and weak, you still managed to wound me. I'll have to reward you at our next meeting, my dear," she added, gazing into the distance as if trying to see something beyond this world.
The place once again plunged into silence, a silence capable of driving anyone mad. But for the inhabitants of this world, the silence was the most frightening of all, for they feared what might happen when everything around them went quiet. Only the faint sound of flutes and drums echoed from below, like an eternal lullaby.
" How I wish I could visit him, but it's not time yet, " the girl said with sadness in her voice.
" But we have a bet, and when he meets one of my incarnations, I'll be able to visit him, " her voice shifted to joy, and a smile reappeared on her face.
" I wonder if he'll be happy to see me? " she mused, placing her hands on her cheeks.
She continued to sit on her throne, pondering thoughts known only to her. No one could guess her thoughts, for they were the embodiment of chaos and madness.
" Maybe I could visit him if I create another avatar, " she mused aloud. " Or should I go myself? "her smile gleamed again.
" You wouldn't mind, right, Papazoth? " she asked, turning around.
" You can't, it's not time yet, " a child's voice echoed from the shadows.
The girl turned her head and saw a little girl in a black Lolita»style dress sitting on one of the thrones to her left. The girl's hair was snow»white, and her eyes were a strange yellow color, as if they could see everything: past, present, and future all at once.
" When did you appear, Yog? " the girl asked, addressing the girl sitting on the throne.
" I'm always here. I was, I will be, and I will always be here, " Yog replied.
" And why did you choose that form? " the girl asked, curiously examining Yog.
" That's none of your business. And you can't leave this place, " Yog said indifferently, ignoring the question.
" But why, Yog? I'll only be gone for a little while, " the girl pouted in feigned annoyance.
"Those are the rules set by Father before he fell asleep, " Yog replied, pulling out some strange snacks resembling candies from the human world and popping them into her mouth.
" You often leave this place yourself, don't lie to me. If you never left, you wouldn't have those candies, " the girl said, pointing a finger at Yog.
"I don't know what you're talking about, " Yog replied calmly, tossing another candy into her mouth.
The girl's eye twitched with irritation. She rose from her throne and approached where Yog was sitting.
" Then where did you get those candies? " she said, getting closer and pointing again at the packet in Yog's hands.
" None of your business, " Yog snapped, hugging the candy packet tightly.
The girl narrowed her eyes, closely inspecting the packet, and it seemed as though something dawned on her.
" I'll ask you one more time: where did you get these candies? " the girl demanded, snatching the packet from Yog's hands.
Little Yog frowned, and the space around them began to crack, like glass.
" Give me back my candies, Nyarlathotep, " Yog said with clear irritation. The cracks widened, and dark miasma started seeping out.
But Nyarlathotep remained unfazed, firmly holding the packet in her hands. The miasma flowed around her like a river encountering a stone in its path.
" First, tell me where you got these candies, and I'll return them, " Nyarlathotep said, not taking her eyes off Yog, whose face was now filled with anger.
Their gazes met, and an invisible battle began. The two girls stared at each other with the intensity of old enemies, and time in this place lost all meaning.
" Give up, Yog, you can't win, " Nyarlathotep said without blinking.
" Hmm, " Yog grumbled, pulling out another packet from her pocket. But it turned out to be empty, with only one candy left at the bottom. Yog frowned, her face taking on a sad expression that only made her look cuter, although those who knew her true nature would hardly call her cute.
" Looks like your clever move wasn't so clever after all, " Nyarlathotep said with a smile, shaking the candy packet in her hand as she looked at Yog's sullen face.
Yog glanced back and forth between the last candy in her hand and the packet held by Nyarlathotep, clearly struggling internally.
" If you want them back, just tell me where you got them, " Nyarlathotep insisted, continuing to provoke Yog to tell the truth.
Yog kept glancing back and forth between the candy and the packet, clearly contemplating.
" He gave them to me, " Yog quietly admitted.
" What did you say? " Nyarlathotep leaned in closer, as if she hadn't heard correctly.
" I said, he gave them to me! " Yog shouted, snatching the candy packet out of Nyarlathotep's hands.
Nyarlathotep's eyes narrowed as she frowned, scrutinizing Yog, who had already hidden the candy and was pulling out another piece from her pocket.
" Who gave you these candies? Repeat that, " Nyarlathotep demanded insistently.
" Destruction, " Yog muttered, turning away.
Nyarlathotep's face darkened even more. She had just declared that no one could leave this place, yet she had clearly found a way around this rule.
" You said yourself that I can't go to him. But you went and got these candies from him, and apparently, more than once, " Nyarlathotep said, staring at the now still Yog.
" It's not like I went to him... I can go to him, or I already have, or maybe I haven't yet, " Yog replied, spreading her hands as if nothing had happened.
" Your tricks don't work on me, Yog. If these candies are in your hands, then you definitely went to him, " Nyarlathotep said coldly, keeping her eyes fixed on Yog.
Yog turned away, avoiding Nyarlathotep's gaze, clearly unwilling to continue the conversation. Her silence was an answer without words. Nyarlathotep tensed, clenching her fist, and the space behind her cracked, revealing a gaping void of black emptiness. However, Yog remained unfazed, closing the crack with a slight movement of her hand. The action elicited no reaction from Nyarlathotep, who continued to stare intently at Yog.
"If you could go to him, then so can I," Nyarlathotep declared resolutely.
"You can't go to him, and even more so, you can't leave this place without my permission," Yog responded calmly, narrowing her eyes.
An invisible battle of wills began between them once again, but this time, it was Yog who initiated it, clearly unwilling to back down. Nyarlathotep sensed something was wrong. Yog's new form, the candies from him—it all began to fit together. Nyarlathotep smiled, not breaking eye contact.
"I think I understand why you changed your form," Nyarlathotep said with a smirk.
Yog merely raised an eyebrow, not saying a word, waiting for her to continue.
"You knew that if you approached him in your true form, he would attack you. But you decided to exploit his weakness for children by changing your appearance," Nyarlathotep continued, confident in her deduction.
"And so what? At least I can visit him," Yog replied, a smug smile crossing her face as Nyarlathotep frowned in response.
"But he won't see me as a hungry child in the future," Nyarlathotep retorted, trying to regain her confidence.
"But I can still visit him anytime, and you cannot," Yog demonstratively pulled out a candy from her pocket and slowly placed it in her mouth.
"We'll see how he reacts when I tell him your true nature," Nyarlathotep smiled, attempting to pressure Yog.
"It won't change anything. He already holds only disdain for you because of what you did. And I haven't done anything to him yet," Yog spoke as if she had already won the battle.
"He will forgive me," Nyarlathotep replied through gritted teeth.
"Who knows? But considering you disrupted his peaceful life, it's unlikely he'll forgive you. Especially after you blew up your avatar in an attempt to give him a 'push," Yog shattered Nyarlathotep's last hope.
"I had to do it; otherwise, he would never have come here," Nyarlathotep tried to justify herself.
"He would have come here when the time was right. Your actions only turned him against us," Yog looked at Nyarlathotep with the seriousness of someone who knew more than the others.
"It doesn't matter. When the time comes, he'll learn everything," Nyarlathotep turned away and headed towards her throne.
Yog watched her back and shook her head, realizing that Nyarlathotep was too impatient. Their father, as he fell asleep, predicted the arrival of Destruction, which would either disrupt the balance or strengthen it.
Nyarlathotep's actions could have shaken this fragile balance. Yog returned to her thoughts, pulled out the remaining half of the candies, and wondered when she could visit the embodiment of Destruction again to replenish her stash.
What happens in the primordial chaos stays in the primordial chaos. But what happened to Alex after he was thrown into a spatial rift by the explosion? Alex found himself in an alley in a foreign world.
He regained consciousness as raindrops pattered against his face. A feeling of unbearable exhaustion, as if all his strength had left him, took hold. His clothes were soaked with blood from the wound left by the Outer God's avatar. Alex struggled to his feet, leaning against the wall.
"An interesting experience," he thought, trying to stay conscious. " But I never want to go through that again," Alex muttered as his eyes slowly closed.
"I hope everyone else is okay and not too worried," he thought before losing consciousness.
After Alex passed out, the alley, once filled with noise, returned to silence, broken only by the sound of rain. Time passed unnoticed until a woman with an expression of deep loss on her face entered the alley. She walked as if unaware of her surroundings, paying no attention to the rain soaking her clothes.
With each step, she looked more and more broken, like an empty shell devoid of hope. Her head was down until she bumped into someone's legs that blocked her path. Slowly raising her eyes, she saw a young man in strange clothing soaked with blood, with a noticeable hole where his wound had been.
Without understanding what compelled her at that moment, the woman slowly approached the unconscious man, knelt beside him, and reached out to check his breathing.
" What happened to you? " she thought as she felt the pulse of the young man.
Finding weak but steady breathing and a pulse, she felt a bit relieved. She was about to leave when she paused, taking in the state of the stranger. An inner voice told her that she couldn't leave him here.
Slowly, almost unconsciously, she reached out and brushed the hair from his face, realizing how young he was. At that moment, memories of recent tragic events overwhelmed her.
" When we needed help, no one helped us, " the woman whispered, looking at the young man's face.
An internal struggle ensued within her. One part of her wanted to leave him there, as she had once been left, while the other wanted to help so that no one would go through what she had experienced.
" I hope I'm not making a mistake by helping you, " she quietly said, deciding to lift him.
The woman carefully draped his arm over her shoulder and, with effort, managed to lift him. Realizing how heavy the young man was for her, she sighed with relief when she remembered that her home was nearby.
Overcoming her doubts, she carried him toward her apartment, wondering why she didn't call an ambulance or leave him there. These thoughts swirled in her mind until she reached the door of her apartment.
Slowly opening the door, the woman struggled to drag the young man inside, nearly falling as she lost her balance. Grabbing onto the door frame, she regained her balance and, after pulling him into the apartment, looked around, wondering where to lay him down.
" Where should I put you? " she mumbled, surveying her small apartment, which didn't even have a separate room.
Her gaze lingered on the bed, and sadness overwhelmed her again, bringing tears to her eyes. Wiping them away, she decided to lay the young man on the couch, where she usually fell asleep after a hard day's work. After placing him there, she finally examined his face closely.
" What happened to you? " she whispered, looking at his torn clothing.
When the woman touched the spot where the hole had been, she noticed there was no wound, only dried blood.
" How is this possible? " she wondered, pulling her hand away.
Her astonishment grew as she examined his strange attire— a black cloak with white patterns, an inner part that resembled a corset, black pants, and boots. The clothing might have looked impressive if not for the hole in the abdomen and the bloodstains.
" Perhaps I should wash off all this blood from you, " decided the woman, noticing that not only the young man's torso but also his face was covered in blood.
She went to the bathroom, filled a basin with water, and soaked a cloth. Returning, she wondered where to start.
— It's probably best to remove the outer clothing first to clean off the blood, — the woman decided.
Carefully removing his cloak, she was surprised to find that the hole was also on his back, stained with blood, although there was no wound.
" How is this possible? " she marveled again but decided not to dwell on it.
After removing all the outer clothing, the woman was surprised by what she saw.
" You're in better shape than I thought. It doesn't show through your thin body, " she murmured as she laid him back on the couch.
The woman slowly began wiping the blood from the young man's body, carefully moving the cloth across his skin as if afraid of causing him harm. During this process, she noticed something she had missed while undressing him.
" Where are his implants? " she muttered, noticing that the young man's body was completely devoid of implants.
" This can't be. Even children have implants, but he has none, " she said, placing the blood-stained cloth in the basin and starting to search his body for at least one implant.
She felt over his entire upper body but found no trace of any implants. The woman's eyes widened in surprise as she realized that the young man before her was unlike any other resident of this city. He looked as though he had come from another planet, and this thought proved to be true— the young man was not just from another planet but from another universe.
" Who are you if you have no implants? " she whispered, examining his body closely.
" And what happened to you to end up in such a state in this alley? " the woman pondered, and more and more questions began to arise in her mind.
While the woman cared for Alex, who had lost consciousness after the battle and found himself in an unfamiliar place, his consciousness was in a familiar place.
" And here I am again, " thought Alex, looking around and recognizing the place where he had met the old man who sent him to another world.
Alex instinctively reached into his pocket but found nothing. His hand froze as he realized he couldn't feel what he was looking for.
" This is your spiritual body, and all your belongings remained with your physical body, " said the old man's voice from behind him.
Alex turned around and saw the old man he hadn't expected to encounter again. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at the one who had sent him to another world. The old man smiled and approached, stopping beside him and looking ahead.
" Long time no see, son, " the old man said, smiling and turning his head towards Alex.
" Well, 'long time' is a tricky concept. It might feel like I just left and came back, or maybe a lot of time has passed, " Alex said, raising an eyebrow.
" Or perhaps there's no time here, and the concept of 'long time' is simply irrelevant, " he continued, reaching into his pocket again for cigarettes.
The old man just smiled at his words and didn't offer any explanation. Noticing Alex reaching for his pocket again, he just shook his head.
" You smoke quite a lot, son, " remarked the old man.
" Oh, forgot again, " Alex sighed wearily.
" How was your adventure? " the old man suddenly asked, causing Alex to freeze in surprise.
" Overall, not bad, if you ignore the interference of someone who shouldn't have been in this world, " Alex replied with a shrug.
" You're so carefree, " said the old man, watching his behavior.
" I'm more interested in whether you knew that someone intruded into that world? " Alex asked, frowning.
" Why should I answer if you've already guessed? " the old man replied, looking at the frowning Alex.
" Well, I knew it wasn't going to be that simple, " Alex said, his face relaxing.
The old man was surprised by Alex's calmness. Usually, people become angry when treated like this, so he decided to ask why Alex wasn't upset.
" Aren't you angry about what I did? " the old man asked.
" You gave me power and sent me to another world. Why should I be angry? " Alex replied, surprised.
" But because of me, you had to face the avatar of Nyarlathotep. You wanted a peaceful life and asked me for the power you now have, " said the old man, waiting for Alex's reaction.
" If you did it, then you knew how I would act. You could say I owe you for my power and the chance to live a new life, " Alex replied as if it was a minor matter.
The old man was initially taken aback, then started laughing — not as if laughing at a joke, but as if laughing from relief.
" You continue to surprise me, son, " said the old man, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.
" Well, it's either that or working in hell, " Alex shrugged.
" Though, if I had started working in hell, I might have taken your other son's place, " Alex continued, stroking his chin, and the old man's eyes widened in surprise.
" You would have wanted to take Lucifer's place in hell if I hadn't reincarnated you? " the old man asked, astonished.
" Why not? Isn't he currently in one of the worlds, bothering a detective? " Alex replied, shrugging again.
This response caused another bout of laughter from the old man.
" Yes, you're right, he's on Earth now, trying to sort out his feelings for Detective Decker, " said the old man with a fatherly smile.
Alex and the old man fell silent, enjoying the tranquility of this place, which was serene and peaceful, like the most beautiful corner among many universes. However, Alex had one question brewing in his mind that wouldn't let him rest.
" Old man, " Alex said, drawing his companion's attention.
" What is it, son? " the old man replied, turning his head towards Alex.
" Why did Nyarlathotep say she would be waiting for me at Azathoth's throne? " Alex asked. The old man paused for a moment before answering.
" Sorry, son, but I can't answer that question right now, " the old man said in an apologetic tone.
" So you can't answer yet... " Alex murmured, stroking his chin and sinking into thought.
His thoughts revolved around why the old man couldn't provide an answer. Suddenly, an ancient legend popped into Alex's mind, which also contained a prophecy that led to many events.
" You can't tell me because, hearing it, I might try to avoid my fate, but subconsciously I would still move towards the event that would lead me there. Like with Odin, when he was foretold to be killed by Fenrir, " Alex speculated, finishing his thoughts.
" That's right, I'm sometimes amazed at how easily you deduce these things, " the old man said with a kind smile.
" It's just obvious conclusions in such situations, " Alex replied, also smiling.
" So why did you bring me here, old man? " Alex asked, looking at his companion, who was now clearly trying to find the right answer to this question.
Alex watched as the old man pondered, and at that moment he reached for his pocket again, realizing once more that his cigarettes weren't here. All he could do was resign himself and wait for the old man to provide an answer.
To be continued...