The outer barrier is a barrier that protected the entire system from the outside. This is the first time I am stepping out of this system. I don't know what sort of sight is waiting for me.
The report that Aera gave me said only the outermost barrier was breached. It means the total system is fine. Then why didn't the invader break through all of them.
Yami, the first fallen, is their name. Keith referred to them as he. I take it that they are a man. So it's a he.
Anyway, I am out of the system. From the outside, it looks like a ball. A sphere to be precise. All the barriers are intact except the one before me.
It's not broken. It only has a tear and the barrier is fixing itself. The auto regeneration program works as intended.
Where is the invader? I look around. There are countless other systems present. They are spaced out and the plane where I am floating is like a big dark room with some background lighting.
A sight to behold I would say. Can't get too absorbed in the view though.
"Clive, I presume?"
Someone came to me and asked.
"Yes, are you Yami?"
"I am. I was looking for a Keith Harding. Are you sheltering him?" (Yami)
He straight up just asked me if I was sheltering Keith. He is straightforward.
"I am. Are you here to take him hostage?"
"No. I didn't even want to do anything. Azathoth just came to me and said he needs help. I didn't agree but I got swept up in his pace and here I am." (Yami)
"You aren't here to fight?"
"No. I mean, fights between creators are just a waste of time. If it's one on one, no one is winning. I came alone. And I don't want to antagonize Keith. He did what was best for everyone. Those two weirdoes should be isolated for a while." (Yami)
It isn't what I had expected. He seems like a good person. I don't feel any hostility from him.
"Why don't we have a chat?" (Yami)
"Hmm…I was expecting a fight to the death but it didn't happen. What harm will a simple chat do?"
A table with two chairs appear. There are some weird creatures on the table.
"Have a seat." (Yami)
I sat down. I should still have the security around the system. It could be a diversion.
"No one else is coming. You can loosen up a bit. Let's talk about this absurd situation first." (Yami)
"I want to know, why are creators fighting each other?"
I think everyone knows what happens when two creators fight. Why would they fight each other?
"It has to do with Constant. That man, he is the main reason. He didn't do anything but his very presence is still terrifying for the newer creators." (Yami)
Hmm..the fear of the unknown. Why does this happen every single time?
"I am a new creator. I am not afraid of him."
"It's because you are like him. The creators you have met are just like Constant. Aloof and melancholic. His attitude gives many the wrong impression." (Yami)
It sounds so stupid now. I was ready to fight a bloody battle. Now it's just a few people throwing tantrums while dragging everyone into a mess.
"Well, that's not the entire picture. You see, the leader of this so called Resistance is Azathoth. He calls it the Resistance because he is trying to pull the support from the younger creators. However everything is not as it seems. Azathoth has his own agenda for doing this." (Yami)
Uh…is it like politics? I may not be stupid but I am pretty naïve. Cunning isn't exactly my strength and I stay away from those.
As long as it's straightforward, I am in. When it becomes political or kinda double meaning, I just withdraw.
"You are probably thinking that it's kinda like a political movement, aren't you?" (Yami)
"Yeah. Is it though? I thought creators aren't exactly united."
"It depends on the situation. Creators generally prefer to be left alone. They have fun watching over their own creations. It's hard, maintaining a fully functional multiverse of their own." (Yami)
Wait…he used a really big word! A fully functional multiverse? Do we manage such a complicated situation?
"A creator is someone who exists outside all space and time. There are no physical or even conceptual limitations. We creators embody our beliefs. Our very existence is what keeps our creations going." (Yami)
I thought I was here to fight. But it didn't happen. Then we started chatting. It turned into a creators lessons.
It's hard to process.
"You will get the hang of it. Besides, you still have a lot to do. You have only conquered a few universes of your system. There's an infinite number left." (Yami)
He says with a sinister smile on his face. All this and just a few universes conquered?
"Don't worry. I think Keith will tell you in time. Anyway, Azathoth has a question. A question that has bothered him since he created his own system. Who is at the pinnacle?" (Yami)
A question that no one can answer. Even after becoming a creator of an entire system with a functioning multiverse, I do not know the answer.
"Is there someone at the top or is it just us?"
I ask the same. I mean, it's like I am mimicking however I have no answer to it.
"Azathoth has tried his hardest to find the answer. He has scoured the Akashik records. He has read through the forbidden library of Erudition. The answer wasn't there.
Then he sought Constant. He didn't want to answer. But that gave Azathoth a clue. Maybe the oldest person, even older than Constant, can answer the question." (Yami)
I have yet to meet this Constant guy for real. Keith did mention him to be pretty old. Time doesn't flow for us but we have ways of keeping records.
"So, does that person exist?"
"They do. This entire fiasco began when Constant waged a war and defeated the old creators. Many were killed. Many just disappeared without any trace. However one person was simply kept prisoner. Because she could not be killed." (Yami)
He looks like he is enjoying. Dumping all this important information on me, he looks relieved.
"Who is this person?"
"She is Constant's wife currently. However she is also the daughter of the tyrant. Her father was the original creator of Constant's system. The survivors of that system were so manic that they wanted to kill her as soon as possible. It proved to be difficult for them kill her.
She was a unique existence. A genetic regression. She was the last of her kind. So Constant decided to just imprison her to keep her alive. Azathoth is probably trying to get his hands on her." (Yami)
I am genuinely and honestly, overwhelmed, flabbergasted and irritated at the same time. You are dragging along a horde of creators who are waging wars with others and your main motive is to capture a woman.
Is this the war of Troy?
"I know. This all seems pretty skeptical. I won't attack you. Just tell Keith to not show his face around. I'll also hide this system so you have less trouble. I hope we meet again, in much better circumstances." (Yami)
He says, gets up and leaves, leaving me behind on the table. What in this holy system is happening? I just keep asking myself this and stare at the stars.
I am outside of my system and there are countless other systems just like mine in this plane. Then what are those stars? Where exactly is everything happening and why is everything happening? A philosophically impossible question to answer and I would say I should not think too deeply about it.
Let's just head home and tell Keith what Yami said.