Dean knelt, arm outstretched, at the base of the tablet.
At the moment of contact, the pendulum's swinging motion suspended. Purple light washed away the red and blue undertones, bathing Dean's kneeling form in a violet hue.
The presence in the room disappeared, replaced by a low humming that echoed within his ears. Barely audible at first, it rose markedly in volume, transforming into a static hiss like the manifested rage of a radio station.
His body responded in kind, shaking in conjunction with the rising static until his breathless form keeled over in supplication. He began to lose sensation in his limbs, as though they had fallen asleep and he was unable to wake them up, and his perception of this reality began to fade into static.
The world seemed to disappear at the edges, while he remained kneeling in a zone of blank space, as if he was transported inside of an old tv. The lines of static here were darker, less controlled, and bore down on him in silent reproach. He felt anger from the world at his lack of understanding.
Finally, the raging hiss took visible form before him.
Gigantic, looming grace that extended above and below him into the zone of blank space, its massive figure dwarfing him by hundreds of folds.
Looking up from his kneeling position, awe overtook him as his eyes traced the form of the entity. Never had he so starkly felt the contrast between himself and the magnitude of the universe - as his vision alighted on the form of the entity before him, his eyes sharpened into pinpricks, unable to fully digest its dimensions.
God - he thought that this must be God.
It was the shape of a woman - he supposed it was, from what vague features he could actually make out. The truth was that it was more of a mass, and appeared in his mind as more an impression than an actual entity that stood before him.
The pain receded like a tide into the background of his consideration, as concepts flooded into his mind in rapid succession. They couldn't be described as words, although his mind naturally interpreted them as such. They were disjointed, loud, and direct.
APOLOGIES - I MUST BE BRIEF
WE EXIST TOO MANY REALMS APART FOR ME TO PROPERLY MAKE YOUR ACQUAINTANCE -
I'M ALOR
"Alor?"
"Is this the... person Zsalasi mentioned?"
YES
I ASKED ZSALASI TO BRING YOU HERE
I WILL AID YOU ON YOUR QUEST
IN RETURN, I REQUIRE YOUR HELP
AGREEMENT?
Dean felt his head tearing at the strain of the interaction - it felt as if the static surrounding him was encroaching on his mind, thousands of electric tendrils slicing marks onto his brain. He was entirely unsure what she was talking about.
"Quest?"
MAPPING THE REALM
Mapping the realm. So she knew he was here to map out the psychedelic realm. Frankly, he didn't know how that was since even he had forgot.
AGREEMENT?
Even in his current state of excruciating pain, he recognized that logic would dictate he ask what sort of help an incomprehensible deity would need from him. Against his better judgement though, driven by the pain, he signaled his agreement mentally.
The raging static faded to a low drone, before entirely receding into nothingness.
Instantly he was back, returned to his position of supplication in front of the tablet, although this time, he was entirely alone. Their entire conversation, if you could call it that, had lasted no more than the blink of an eye.
For a long time, he sat knelt, breathing shuddering breaths as his body released the tension that had wound up in their momentary interaction.
To be more accurate, however, he had never left. He was keenly aware that the entirety of that interaction had occurred within the folds of his mind. Alor - that was her name - was for some reason unable to come in person.
'Come in person.'
He shook his head. From now on, the way he phrased things was going to have to change dramatically.
As he finally shook off the pain of the interaction and began to think clearly, his mind began to race with the implications of the encounter.
A deal.
He had very clearly just made a deal with an incomprehensible entity, the contents of which he wasn't the least aware of.
He knew two things only.
She would help him map the realm.
And he - he would render some service that he was as of yet unaware of.
Deep in thought, he stared at the ground and considered what sorts of things she might require from him. It might have something to do with being human. After all, although these entities seemed very powerful, he had never seen them before in the material world.
Glancing up from his musings caused him to freeze entirely.
In front of him, the tablet, initially nondescript, was etched with words all along its surface, glowing with a dim yellow light. The pendulum was frozen in place. The message was directed towards him.
"I've granted you this temple as a waypoint for your journey. As a human, you are unable to travel freely between realms and require assistance. Consider this tablet a gateway, although it is still limited by certain intrinsic qualities. You can't bring anything with you to this realm, so this tablet will likewise serve as a marker for your progress. Engrave your understandings into the tablet to map out the world, and advance. I believe there will be a day we can meet properly. Everything will become clear over time. Good luck on your quest."
Dean blinked at the message, rereading it over and over again. The temple was his?
He had yet to recover from his shock, when he read the string of words underneath the message in disbelief.
[Dean Prosper]
[Race] - Human
[Title] - N/A
[Stage] - Material Being
[Skills] - [Light Manifestation]
[Anchor] - Vast Violet Expanse
[Vibration] - Low
[Map]
He stood in the midst of the cavernous room in complete silence. A smile spread across his face as he traced the lines of the tablet carefully.