Everything around him lost its meaning as he looked at the woman: or was it a man?

A being levitated in the center of the pagoda, demanding attention. It was unmoving, yet David caught his will failing at the attempt to draw his gaze away. He stared at it, and his heart skipped a beat.

The being was not levitating in the air. It was an inept description for the grotesque sight unraveling before his bare eyes.

Instead of levitating, the being was held in the air by taut chains, coiled around its neck, limbs, and wings.

It was humanoid. Precisely, it had two arms, two legs, and somewhat similar proportions to the human body. But that was where the resemblance to humans ended. The being easily surpassed a height of five meters. It had an elongated head and four eyes, though they were shut tightly. The skin covering its body was dark-purple even if it was hard to tell whether the being had skin or if it was covered in thick armored plates.

Albeit rarely seen, the being had a long neck that was hidden beneath the taut, thick chains that seemed to drain the color of the armored plates protecting it. Cobweb-like cracks sprouted from beneath the chains and outward, leaking life-attuned power, but David’s attention pulled away from the neck and toward the golden horns jutting from the sides of the being’s skulls, and the two pairs of crimson wings.

Despite being held into the air and restrained by thick chains that appeared to drain the creature, David didn’t think for a moment that it was dead. Too much power coursed through it to be dead…and out of it. Nine chains coiled firmly around its limbs, neck, and wings, and each drained its energy in exchange for an influx of Nihilum. Only one chain held loosely onto the creature’s arm, draining its power without receiving anything in return.

David had to summon every ounce of willpower to cast a glance at the loose chain and where it led to. Nine chains for nine anchor points. To feed nine Voidre, though only eight remained.

He took a step closer but halted immediately as the sound of his movements echoed throughout the entire pagoda. It sounded like thunder erupted beside him as he placed his sole on the floor, and he held his breath involuntarily. His eyes flicked to the chained being but it didn’t move. Neither did the Voidre as a matter of fact.

David noticed only now how silent it was in the pagoda. His very own breath rang in his ears and his heart sounded like a war drum at the beginning of a large-scale battle. A droplet of sweat dripped to the ground, and even that was way too loud.

What is going on here? How is it that this place is so…isolated from everything? Not even sounds seem to reach this place.

It didn’t make sense. Nothing in this place seemed to follow the principles of logic. Or the logic the rest of the Naughtrealm followed. It was almost like the pagoda was an independent space. A domain outside the Naughtrealm’s control.

Well, almost. David glanced at the life signal of the nearest Voidre before his gaze drifted along the chains back to the creature held in suspense.

The being was being consumed. That much was apparent. However, not even eight Voidre were enough to kill it. Nine if one included one loose chain that drained the being without a Voidling to supply.

How powerful was the creature to survive this long? David was certain he wouldn’t have made it longer than a few seconds. Maybe a minute with Vitae at his disposal. Yet, even that was likely exaggerated since he never had to face a Voidre’s power head-on. Devouring the Void Wolf had already been cumbersome enough, threatening to consume him if he’d been a little bit weaker.

But as powerful as the being must have been at the height of power, it was now shackled and used as mere nutrition for the Voidlings. It strengthened them, decreasing mankind’s chances at survival. Once dead and fully consumed, the Voidre would be stronger than ever. At that point, not even Zachariah would be strong enough to deal with them.

How was the rest of the Earthen Union supposed to survive if even the Regressor was too weak?

David inspected the being thoroughly. It was still powerful even though its power was constantly consumed. However, the spots in direct contact with the chains appeared weak, brittle even. The cracks in the thick, armored plates protecting the being’s neck were the largest, but they weren’t alone. There were more cracks, spots that leaked its power into the pagoda. And these spots looked lifeless and void of power…as if the Void had already taken hold.

But as it might be, the rest of its body was still intact. David could even hear it as he listened into the silence that permeated the pagoda; the being’s heartbeat. It would go unnoticed under normal circumstances but not now. He could hear it.

A heavy sigh of relief escaped his lips. Discovering a being with immense power was one thing. Finding it shackled and weakened was something else.

However, learning that the being was still alive was the most important.

Even if it was shackled, it was alive nonetheless. And powerful. Stronger than David could fathom.

Maybe, if he was lucky enough, it could muster the strength to bring him back to the Earthen Union as well. That was if the being was willing to help him.

David couldn’t even finish devising a proper plan to handle the situation; free the being, wake it up, and escape the Voidre’s ire before they could catch him. His mind was rattling when the power in the pagoda froze.

From one moment to the next, the power overflowing with life ceased to be. The chains clinked loudly as they tightened once more and floods of Nihilum surged through eight chains. David dared to glimpse at the Voidre but they were still unmoving statues. Yet, something had changed. More Nihilum sloshed through the chains and toward the creature, accelerating its erosion, tightened their hold upon the shackled being.

More power flowed out of it but David barely noticed anything as its eyes fluttered open.

Deep violet eyes, filled with ancient wisdom, greeted him. The life in its eyes was fading, but it was a mere droplet in a vast ocean.

At last, their eyes met. It couldn’t have been longer than a moment, a quarter of a second at best, but time came to a screeching halt as he stared into the wasteness of knowledge and power hidden beneath the creature’s eyes. In return, it stared back at him. It looked straight at David, through him, and saw…everything.

He felt insignificant before the creature. Like he was naked, unarmed, and as weak as he had been before the integration. Like all the power he had acquired since the Pantheon arrived was of no use. As if everything he had worked for was of no use against the overbearing might of the creature chained before him.

“At last,” It muttered in a deep voice, issuing sounds David shouldn’t be able to understand. But he could understand it all as the creature’s voice thundered in his ears.

“Someone has come.”

His hair stood up to its end and the urge to kneel before the creature overcame him all of a sudden. The urge was intrusive and grew more intense by the second as the eyes of wisdom dug deep into him.

But David did not kneel even as the urge permeated his mind and body, though he gathered the remnants of his willpower to avert his gaze. The tension that had escaped his body earlier was welcomed back. It returned at once, crashing down upon him as the voice, deep and laced with authority, rang out once more.

“But you are not Zachariah.” It didn’t sound judgemental. Instead, David didn’t know why he felt like that, it felt like the reality of the situation was outside the being’s expectations.

“That is curious. I was sure the Rift Key would lead that foolish youngling to me.”

The being sounded weak and nebulous, yet authoritative and powerful at the same time, making it increasingly difficult to understand it.

As more words David shouldn’t be able to understand resounded, he noticed something. The more it spoke, the more it moved. And everything the being did drained it drastically.

It was impossible to tell how long the creature had been shackled, hanging in the air, unmoving, slowly drained and devoured by the Voidre, but it had to be a while if rough calculations were to be trusted. Even now as the chains siphoned more of the creature’s energy, it should be able to survive for a few more months, maybe even a year. If not for the chains siphoning more and more of its power as it continued to move.

David stared in silence, trying to analyze the situation in silence, but he felt compelled to speak. To fill the being in on the obscure.

“I know Zachariah. I was with him when he used the Rift Key, but we encountered several Saplings and Fragments that had to be dealt with before we could approach the Black Rift. We were taken by surprise when a Voidre emerged from the portal. It engaged Zachariah, while tendrils of condensed Nihilum emerged from the Black Rift, dragging be to the Naughtrealm: this place.”

The same Voidre that was now missing, David could have added but he remained silent, feeling like the being did not care about that particularity. He merely glanced at the creature’s left arm. The chains coiled around it were clearly not as taut as it was in the other areas. It was also the only chain that didn’t drain the creature more than before. It had remained all the same.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“He could not slay a Voidre and follow you? To think he has fallen to such pitiful depths.” A deep, heavy sigh filled the pagoda with immense pressure, and David could not help but look back at the being. It forced him to meet its inquisitive eyes and his lips parted before a proper thought could form in his mind.

“Zachariah is no longer a god. What do you expect to happen when a Gold Rank encounters a Voidre? Well, maybe he is already at the Platinum Rank at this point, but I sincerely doubt that changes anything. The Voidre in the Naughtrealm have been feasting on…you.” David responded calmly but both mind and body were in shambles.

He summoned his willpower and used every bit of body control to refrain his limbs from failing him.

Yet, as intense as the chat with the mighty being: and confusing: as much did David enjoy it. He never expected to feel this good to talk to someone. That there were other people in the Naughtrealm apart from him. Sure, the being was clearly ancient and powerful even when shackled, but it was here with him.

He was no longer alone!

But as great as that felt, David felt an ember of conflict burning deep within him. The creature made him talk. Maybe not directly, but it presence alone was enough to push him for answers. To provide the being with the answers it sought.

“Your words defy all reason, yet I cannot sense any falsehood in your voice.” The being said thoughtfully.

David nodded, his lips parting for a moment. However, no word escaped his lips as he felt a light touch. Something paced around him and caressed his mind. It pulled closer and surged toward him: inside him.

“Do not resist, young one.”

His eyebrow shot upward, but he didn’t resist. Even if he wanted to, David was certain he could not muster the strength needed to resist. So he let the creature be and felt it comb through his mind. While [Mind Palace] did not resist the creature’s intrusion as David gave it free reign, it showed him everything the being looked at. Though that was hardly necessary as the being watched them all.

The being pulled back and regarded him again. Not judgemental. Not angry. It merely looked at him.

“A dire sign, indeed. The Void marches with a hunger unmatched, and the End rides even faster upon its heels.” It sighed deeply again, and a heavy pressure descended upon David once more.

He cocked his head to the side and grimaced as waves of guilt, resentment, and sadness sloshed against him with tremendous intensity. However, the unsteady waves of emotions did not belong to him. Even though the emotions appeared within him, they were as detached as the memories Electra had always shared with him. The emotions belonged to the chained being.

“But you are a curious specimen. You theory brushed close to the truth. Yet you are mistaken about me. I am not of the End: the Fissure as you and others have come to denounce it: and I have never stood among their ranks. I was…caught. Bound.” The being paused, the chains coiled around its limbs tightening when it stirred again

“I was taken, bound, at the waning of the last Cycle. Since then, my power has been suppressed, corrupted by the End to extend its reach: using my influence upon the Earthen Union to create the Black Rift. The rest, I trust, you can fathom without explanation.

David’s eyes widened and numerous questions formed in his head but he remained silent as the being continued.

"This is a threshold binding the Origin to the End, and my being is the anchor that preserves its existence."

While he didn’t know all too much about the Fissure, or the End as the being called it, David could not help but feel awe-inspired. It wasn’t a perfect plan but the End’s scheme had been genius. It was a plan extraordinaire that allowed the End to outwit the Earthen Union. Sure, the Void Wolf and stronger Fragments hadn’t been given much time on the Earthen Union, their presence probably using up the being influence on the Earthen Union, but it had been enough to transport corpses of more powerful creatures to weaker Voidlings and to spread Nihilum.

Furthermore: David glanced back at the being: the End had created the means to strengthen Voidre and create an army of Voidlings in the cosmos. The army was no more but the Voidre were still there and growing stronger as they spoke.

The being returned his curious glance and the pressure on him increased once more. This time, however, it focused on his left arm and the Maelstrom.

That was when David recalled where he had felt that power. The power oozing from the mighty being. The power permeating every inch of the pagoda.

Divine energy.

“You prevailed. A mere mortal accomplished what even the Old Ones dared not after their brother’s ruin.” A bitter laughter resounded, low and hollow “Others would deem you reckless: suicidal perchance: but not I. For I, too, attempted the same…and in doing so, I stumbled into the End’s clutches.”

The being shook its head, grimacing as the siphon of power increased once more. The chains strained as it moved and David froze. His head jerked to the side as sounds reached his ears.

The Voidre had awoken.

“I reached for heights far beyond yours, young one. I was blinded by ambition” The being said, its voice finding steadying amidst a current of unease. “Yet how was I to foresee treachery born from within our own ranks?

What?! David’s eyes narrowed. His heart raced and he glanced back even as the being’s voice stirred something in the depth of his mind. The Voidre’s life signals rippled and they moved, pulling on the chains, threatening to tear the mighty being apart. But the being was not that easy to defeat. It would not be torn apart this easily.

Not yet, David murmured inwardly, analyzing the spread of Nihilum through the being.

It was bad, to say the least, but it would survive a little longer.

He had multiple encounters with avatars of mighty beings, with manifestations of their power. Mere fractions of power they had gathered to spread their influence on the Earthen Union. However, he had never encountered a real one…until now that is.

And even that chance-meeting was…–disappointing didn’t quite grasp how he was feeling. David was not disappointed. Perturbed was likely to fit the emotional warfare within him better.

“I can see it all. You are dead. Or ought to be.”

That wasn’t news to him. Zachariah said the same thing. Not that it mattered to him. Who cared about what happened in the last Cycle? He certainly didn’t.

“But so am I. Doubtless my kind believe me long perished. Only the End knows the truth: if this wretched state of mine can still be called ‘life’.” A deep chuckle resounded, and the being tensed. Its body rumbled and its muscles bulged, pulling the Voidre back with tremendous force. The massive Voidlings crashed back into position, sending tremors through the pagoda.

“I have taken lessons from my failures, but it pains me that Zachariah is not here.”

What was he supposed to answer here? Apologizing for not being Zachariah didn’t sit right with him. In the first place, he never wanted to dive in the Black Rift alone. He was dragged here alone by chance, which was partially the being’s fault from the looks of it.

“Once again, you are accurate. My miscalculations are to be faulted. It was my oversight, but I could no longer wait. The moment has arrived. All preparations are in place.”

The pagoda began to shake. It creaked aloud and tore asunder.

For a moment, David struggled to stay on his feet. He was certain the pagoda was about to collapse and that the Voidre would be set free to consume him and the chained being. However, the pagoda was not the only structure affected. The entire Naughtrealm was moving. The remaining Echos spread across the Naughtrealm send him a final wave of intelligence before they succumbed to…David had no idea what it was.

However, he knew that the outer area was no more. It had collapsed all of a sudden.

The being roared definitely and pulled on the chains. Power poured out of it and into the chains only to revert suddenly and pull back into the being, emitting a horrifying aura that made David freeze. It was something he had only felt in the Panthea before. But this…this was different.

It was a thousandfold more potent.

“You are a god.” David blurted aloud. He should have noticed earlier, but it was so obvious that it appeared impossible. Yet there was no doubt about it. Zachariah had been powerful and so had been the pressure he’d experienced in the Panthea. The traces of Divinity inserted into the Panthea’s statues was something to behold. However, the being hanging in the air before him was the real deal.

“Indeed, I ascended.” The being offered him a smile; a cheerless smile that never reached its eyes.

Power erupted from the being. It flowed out in bursts and riveted around David, sloshing against him, cleansing his mind. It…purified him and helped him to feel truly himself. The Voidre thrashed and charged inside the pagoda. At some point, they had gotten loose and were no longer restrained by the chains of Nihilum.

David should have been afraid: scared even. However, he barely glanced at the Voidre as Nihilum surged out of them and toward the being. It never reached the god. It disintegrated into nothingness as if it was barely worth mentioning.

And David watched it all. He witnessed the power of a true god as divine energy whipped past him and pierced through the Voidre, eliminating them faster than they: or he: could react.

Yet, as happy as he should feel watching the demise of the creatures that had been feasting on the being, David couldn’t feel happy. His attention drifted back to the god and grimaced as if in pain. Watching the god before him, still shackled to the chains, unable to escape their ever-increasing intensity, was saddening.

“I have chosen.” It continued, chains crackling as it stirred. “The chains are no longer of importance.”

The first chain burst apart, but it didn’t release the god unharmed. It…consumed him and rend the god’s right arm useless.

David didn’t comprehend the sight unfolding before him. He was just watching, pressure washing over him as the second chain burst apart. The god’s left leg went limp and stopped moving. It took a while until Bloodthrone Dominion finally picked up something, but what he saw was worse than he could have fathomed.

The god was already beyond salvation, and the condition worsened rapidly. The god’s body was no different from a Voidling at this point. The amount of Nihilum that had been forced into the god: into his heart: was mind-boggling. Years of torment had accumulated within the chained god and breaking the chains made it all the worse.

It was a surprise the god survived this long but that was the end of it.

He was at the end of his power.

“I may never find redemption in life,” the voice intoned in another language David couldn’t—shouldn’t—comprehend. Still, it rang through him with aching clarity, heavy as regret.

“But in death, I shall offer the answer the Origin longs for. Salvation.”

Brilliance flooded David’s vision. It burned into his eyes and pierced even deeper. He screamed but there was no pain. No suffering. Only warmth as something enveloped him: seeped into him, filling him with warmth and a wish.

A moment later, he felt it.

The god was gone, his echo fading into eternity.