Snooze stared straight into the eye, her fear knowing no bounds and her stomach knowing no proper response except to lurch.

A voice filled her mind, and it was as terrible as it was beautiful and loud. Snooze did not know how to process it, and even her little godling brain needed a moment to translate a language as cold and ancient as this. Strangely, she felt as though she had felt the presence of this tongue before, though she couldn’t recall from where.

.

A̵̡̢̡̻̩̗̫̳̼̣̮̳͕̝͉̬̤̜̺̜̥̳̟͈̙̜̦̞̮̜̯̔͌̎̈́̽͗̏̅̀́͋̈͑̈́̈́̂̈́̃̔̽͂̌̿̌̈̾̈́͘̕͜͝ͅS̸̛̠̩͖̻̹̜̥̳͂̉̀̓̌̄̏̈́̊̊͒͂̊͛̄̌̃̈̑͌̀̄͑̀̎͆̔͋̕̚͝H̷̨̧͇͇͖͙̼̟̠̖̪͚͎͍̪̼̙̤̗̍̈́͋͊̎̔̓͗͗̊͆̒̇̒̈́͒͌̀̉͆͂͌͌̈͜͜ͅ ̶̻̠̥̈́̎͋̆̔̂̀̋̎́͑͂̀̋͋͊̏̋̆͘̕͝B̶̨̨̧͔͓̹̪͖̤̘͎̣͇̩̤̺̯̥̤̲̦̻̫̯̺̜̱̫̪̗͈̀̎̅͝Ơ̸̡̧̨̙̞̮̖̟̗͇͓̺̮͈̖̹͓̝̏̀̊̓̇̂͂̀̍̔͗̎̈́́̊̿̉̃̔͋̈̋̉͑͘͘͘͝R̶̡̯͇͍̬̠̩͍͕͚̣͓͓̦̟̱̫̻͙̈́͒̊̈́̈́͒̈͆̌N̷̡̨͙̠̰̜̻̪̘̥̤̪̬͈̖̘̤̝̟̖̺̣̙̰̖̼̠̘̳̪̲͍͊̾̅͊̏̏́͑̉͐̋́͐̅̉͂͂̒̒̋̾̋̓̔͋̈́͘ͅ

It was not a question, it was a statement, and Snooze knew it directly referred to her. She couldn’t disseminate the voice well enough to even begin to respond. Though she understood it, it was as though the words themselves were both confusingly foreign but also more familiar than even her own natural tongue. It was primal, as if the voice was the language of her own blood, bones, and soul.

Y̸͙̲̅O̴̲͙͌̑̏̋U̵͉͆̆ͅ ̷̢͒̋̀H̴͔͍̲͗͝Ä̸̧́̌̔V̵̱͎͖̆͜Ę̶̘̫́̀ ̴̧̭̿̓̋C̴̗͎̰̽̀̔R̵̹̗̲̮̈̔E̴̻̪̯͑A̶̰̹̺͊̑̂T̶͎͍̂̚E̴͛̌͜D̸͓̝̞̿́̅ ̵͍̍̈́͠Á̷͚̻̔̾ ̷̦͇͎̭̂̈́͝R̸̟̹͊͋̕İ̶̛̘̝F̷̧͖̥̎̉Ţ̷̛͈͖̺̑.̶̮͓́ ̷̨̹̈́M̴̝͗̕Y̵̘͉̠͛ ̸̢͌́R̵̥̳͛̉̓Ỉ̵̺̗F̷̳͗Ṯ̶̢͕̓̔͋́͜.̶̻̭̘͕͛ ̶̲͗W̵̗͚̥͝H̵̱̬̬͂̔̇Ḁ̵̢̡̥̋T̴̛̩̙͐͐̈́ ̶̡̉͌͠I̷̦͗̊͑S̸̤̗̃̾̐͠ ̷͉͛͐̑͜ͅI̸̢̧͙̍͛͌̌T̸͖̯̮̹̆S̶̖͖̉ ̴̢̻̙̌P̸͎̅Ú̶̯͍̪̥̿R̴͍̍̏̆P̴̰̐̅͠O̴̖̍͆͝S̷͖͇͛͗Ȩ̶̛̦̣̒̆.̴̛̍͋͜͠ ̶̮͐̅Ẁ̵̥̭̩̣̋͒͝Ḧ̸͇̲A̷̻̔͝T̸̡́̌̏ ̶͖̝̳͂D̸̤̈́̀́͘R̷̦͌͝A̸̡̛̍͂͠W̸̪̝͔̌̇S̸̪̥̒ ̵̡̡̤̐̀̌Y̴͍̫̎͐Ò̵̠͛̍͛Ủ̸̡͈̄̌̒ ̴̧̝̊T̶͉̦̯̞̊̐̚͝O̴̢̙͔͚̿͛ ̸̻͛͠͝M̵̠̱̝̳̑̃͗͝Y̷̨̳̰̚ ̶̗̦̔S̴͇͆I̷̙̩̱̍̓̇Ḏ̶̌̓̽̓Ḛ̷̰͚̝̉́͐?̶͉͐̕ ̶͚̗̞̝͛̋͒Į̷̧͔̙̓̐͛ ̶̛̹̈́̾H̵͍̔̂͜A̵͐͊͜V̸̱͈̺̅͝Ẽ̶̞̈́ ̸̨̧̝̘́B̴̜͔͖̬̍E̵̳͖̼͒́̕Ȇ̷̲̻̆̈Ň̸͇̇́͘ ̶̦̜̟̲͋R̴̗͉͗Ë̵͙͚̻̔͜S̶̡̠͠T̷̖̮̮̀Ỉ̸̙N̵̪͇͆̎G̸̻͗̐͝͠ ̶̘̟̒Â̷̳̖̅ͅǸ̵̡̓͆D̸̢̄̂̑͝ ̴̛̠͛͊Y̶̢̢͖̭̍̑O̸͔̺͉̐U̴͓̹̲̓̾ ̷̊̒̚͜N̶͓͛͆O̴͔̦̾̈̅W̷̖̌̓̌̽ ̵̮̮͓̫̽D̸͇̗͑̎́I̸̡͂͜S̵̠͕̽̀T̵̬̝̒Ŭ̴͚̉̎̐R̷̡̤̹̳̐̈́͑̚B̴̳̪̹̝͗̌͌͑ ̵̳̭͐̿T̷̨̒͑Ḩ̵̝̬̑̈̊̕A̴͉̞̬̺̎̓̎͑Ţ̶̲̤͇̾̉̒̚ ̶̥̊̊̈́́R̶͙̎̐͌́E̶̢͕̗͇͒̕S̷̟͊͝T̷̩͖̯̒̉́̎.̵̺͆̌̎̓

Now it was becoming more difficult to understand, but Snooze thought she understood the gist of it. It was like listening to several staticky radio stations all at once through a megaphone. The little god trembled but took a deep breath to steady herself.

“Hello,” she said aloud. Her voice seemed so tiny and inconsequential next to the magnitude of the creature’s own sonorous oaths.

“I actually discovered you by accident,” she finished.

Y̸̱͒O̴̘͓̾̀Ù̵̺̋ ̶̬͚̗̞̾͗D̷̡̜̞̿̉͘͜͝I̸̛̫̮̣̋̎D̶̡͔͍͚͑ ̵̞̩̽N̸̖̝̞͓̊̐́̊O̷̧̧̐̅̇T̷̟̼̾ ̸̗͐̋͝D̴̝̰͇̀Ȉ̸̘̥̙̌͝Ś̶̬̍͘C̷̳̼̉͘O̸̮̒V̴̛͕̟̙͔̇̚͝Ě̵͍̙̍̎ͅR̵̘̩̝͍͋͌̑͠ ̸̪̟̰̌̑M̸̘̠̺̍͌͜E̵̮̰͐,̶̨̧̔̌̌ ̶̨͍͂̅A̷̼̾S̴̰̭̀́̈́̈́ͅH̸̬͛͘ ̶̞̲̒̈́Ḅ̶̞͆͋Ô̴̻̘̓̂̒R̵̛̞̒͝Ǹ̸̡̛̙̀.̸̝̿ ̷͚͓͗I̶̞̋ ̷͈̉̊͗H̴̘͔̻̣̔͌A̷̢̔̒́͜ͅV̶̢̡̞̙̌̈́E̸̖̮͒͐̌ ̶̨̡̞̤̇̈́̇͘D̸͔̂͜W̵̢̪̮͊͂E̴̥͍̖̿̏̊ͅL̸̖͙̜̪͗̏̀͋L̸̰̙̫͈̍́̑̿Ȩ̵͓̊͂̊̅D̸̩̀ ̴͍͕̮̎H̸̢̬̫͉̃̈́E̵̯̺͖͋̐̈́R̴̡̔̅Ę̷̲͇̖̐ ̷̠́̔͘S̸̨̭̰̍̍̿Ḯ̸̙͐͝N̷̢̡̺͙̓̓͂̆C̴̼͔̩̿̇E̴̼̣͗ ̷̹̱͇̓̀T̶̛̫̚H̸̠̪̆ͅË̸͖́

̶̡̫̳̝̀͑͝B̶̞̩́́̎Ȩ̶͓̅̉́G̵͔̹̋̃̆I̸͓̻̫̕͜Ń̴̼̣̹N̵͉̬͌Ĭ̴̛̩͗͝N̷̡̠̓͊͛Ğ̴̖̫̑̇̚.̸͎̄̍͆̉ ̶̰̘̥̏̔͆Į̵̩̲́̈́̚ ̶͇͗̃͒̀Ḁ̶̢͈̞͌M̴̦̄̊̐̊ ̴͚͎͆̌N̸̼̫̓Ǫ̷̣̔̍͒̕Ṱ̷̽̄̒ ̸͕̓̍̓̋͜S̸̗̮̅͗̂̚Ò̴̭̏̈́͋M̸̈́ͅE̴͎͇̭͋̃́͝ͅ ̷̹͈̩̫̊͗͋Ó̸͎̤͝B̶̞͓͖͓͂͗̇J̵͖̹̞͇̽͑Ẻ̴͓C̸̼̽͗T̶̮͒ ̶̡̣̘̲́̃T̶̟͓̬̬̔̋O̴͔͈͉̓̔͜ ̶̡̱̻̝̒̑͝B̵̗̬͇͋̀E̵͋̽̊͘͜ ̴̺̱̣͛̊̽̚U̶͓̾N̶͔̑̈́E̶̬̎͋̚Ā̶͎̤́͌͝R̴̝͋T̶̲͍̀̊ͅH̸̰͉̓̉̀̈́E̷̡͉̓͝D̵̢̩̀͌.̶̡͙̒̀͗͜ ̶̥̝̭̜̓͠Í̸̧̈́ ̷̖͕̣̀G̴̰̳͚̑̾̏͜Ṟ̷̡̹̓̐Ǫ̵̲͂̾Ŵ̷̜̯̚ ̵͉͈̾Ẇ̶̛̮̾̓È̷͚̻̲̘̌A̴̞̰̅͊R̴̝͍̊Y̷̳̤͕͎̑.̵̢̲̼͈̈́͐̀͘ ̸̙͈͂͝S̷̝̬̃̽͗ͅT̶͇͈͛̕͝͝A̶̧̟͐T̵͙̻̐͂̀͘E̷̘̐

̵̱̈́͝Y̷̯̿̋̌̚Ǒ̷̥́̒ͅU̴̘͓͇̐͑̓͘ͅR̸̛̼͛ ̶̜̏̉̒P̴͚̗̣̂Ű̶̱͉͍̎͒R̷͔̀P̶͚͚͎̌̅͗̌Ó̶̻Ṣ̴̖͐Ë̷̘̲͇̝͠ ̴̬̇̈́̽F̴̥̘̓͜ͅO̸͓͛͑Ṙ̷͖̦͚̀ ̵̤̋́̊͝ͅR̸̞̀̉E̵̘͖͒̾͘Q̵̧̨̜͛̆̂͋U̴̠͔̲͆̒͛͝E̴͉͕̹̣̋̒͂͝S̵̤͈̾̇͠T̵͙͇͇̰̿I̶̥̋N̴̨̦̹̲̈̄̅̂G̷͓̲̥̮͐̆͆ ̴͙̫̑̿M̷̩͉͛́̅Y̸͉̗͉̝͛͋̎̌ ̸̮͍̃̌Ă̴̜̠I̷̼̘͉̓͑̇ͅD̶̟̉̂͑̍.̴̡͈͋͛̈́͘ͅ

Snooze gulped.

“First, and I say this with every ounce of my very being--my bad,” Snooze said. “Bothering you wasn’t on my agenda for today, and I don’t think I would ever intentionally do something that scares me so much.”

She paused.

“Second: I don’t require anything of you. It was a genuine klutzy moment on my part, and I hope you can forgive the intrusion. This has been a really stressful day--or is it night? Either way, it’s been a super nail-biting predicament, and I think I’ve just made it worse by bringing you along. You seem very large and intimidating, and I don’t know how best to approach a conversation with you that doesn’t seem to end in me getting eaten. Do you have a mouth? You’ve gotta have something since you’re talking. Then again, this seems to be in my head, so you wouldn’t really NEED a mouth, I suppose.”

The voice in her head softened a bit, which surprised her. It sounded confused, but it had lowered its immense volume and now seemed to be attempting to communicate more understandably.

Y̵͔͚̭̍̎͑̇o̵̼̔u̴̢͍͎̩͐͗̕ ̸̮͂a̵̧̛̎ȑ̵̞̭̬ḛ̶̲͖̆ͅ ̴̟̟͖̂ō̵͖̥͍͎͒́ḑ̶̡̾̾̓̆͜ḓ̸̮̇́̌,̶̨̛̭̊ ̵̩̇̀̃t̵̨͚̫̊̔i̸̡̜̼̠͊̎̒ṅ̴͕̿ÿ̸̫̮́ ̸̥̥̇͐A̵̬̓͝s̸̛̳̦h̸̺̉ ̷̂́͋̔ͅB̸̪̾̏̾ǫ̴̜̱̉̀r̷̮̙͛n̷̛͕̍.̴̗͚̜̀̄͛ͅ ̷̨͔̪͗̅̏͛

Oh, no. Snooze thought. Predictably, there was a response.

“HEY, BUSTER! I’M ODD!” Odd announced angrily. The little Archangel sprang forward onto Meat’s head and pointed a tine at the eye. “AND DON’T YOU FORGET IT!”

Snooze hurriedly snatched Odd up and deposited it behind her again, out of sight.

“UNHAND ME, MY LORD! I MUST DEFEND MY HONOR WITH EXTREME PREJUDICE!”

She stifled Odd’s protests with her hand and turned back to face the much larger eye in the sky.

“Odd is exuberant,” she explained. “Sorry about that--er, I apologize, but what should I call you?”

Snooze glanced at the Scroll of Currents for clarification but found that the god life companion was silent. It had reactivated just as the tear appeared but now floated unmoving next to her. She saw that the same was true for Meat. Her first Archangel was hanging in apparent stasis. So, why were she and Odd unaffected?

The eye in the rift was silent for a moment, and for those few beats, Snooze worried it was deciding whether or not to just take a bite out of her. She shivered at the idea. The world around her was still just as silent as her companions. The demicubes had all frozen against the cracks in the void, and everything was in a sort of peaceful state of anti-motion. The brilliant colors of the spectral eighth-dimensional blasts reminded the little god of holiday lights, and she couldn’t help but remember a much simpler time when that was all that mattered to her in the universe. Back before things got a lot more complicated--but if she was being honest, it also got a lot more fun.

This notwithstanding.

Finally, the eye responded, its tone careful and slow.

I̸ ̶a̵m̷ ̵c̴a̴l̵l̶e̸d̴ ̷t̶h̵e̷ ̷D̸w̷e̸l̷l̴e̷r̵ ̶I̷n̷ ̵N̷a̵m̸e̴l̶e̴s̵s̶ ̵K̷n̴o̷w̴l̸e̶d̸g̷e̴.̴ ̵B̴u̵t̶ ̶I̸ ̷a̴m̴ ̶r̶e̵f̵e̸r̶r̵e̵d̵ ̸t̴o̸ ̷a̷s̴ ̶D̵I̷N̵K̵ ̵f̸o̸r̷ ̸s̵h̷o̴r̸t̶.̶ ̵

Snooze smiled.

“Pleased to meet you, DINK.”

She put a hand out and then thought of how silly that might be. However, to her ultimate surprise, a tendril of multicolored light slithered out of the fissure and wrapped around her arm. It was warm to the touch and felt like pumpkin pie tasted.

W̷e̸l̵l̶ ̴m̵e̸t̷,̷ ̴t̸i̷n̷y̸ ̵A̴s̵h̵ ̶B̵o̸r̶n̴.̷ ̷I̸ ̵a̷d̵m̴i̵t̵ ̵t̵o̶ ̶n̶o̴t̴ ̴b̶e̴i̶n̸g̶ ̸f̷a̸m̸i̴l̵i̵a̴r̷ ̶w̵i̴t̵h̶ ̷w̴h̵o̶ ̸y̵o̶u̸ ̵a̸r̷e̷.̵ ̴I̴ ̸h̵a̶v̸e̵ ̷b̵e̵e̶n̸ ̸a̸s̶l̷e̸e̵p̵ ̸f̸o̷r̸ ̶a̴ ̴l̷o̵n̵g̷,̸ ̴l̷o̵n̶g̵ ̶t̸i̸m̶e̸.̷

“That’s okay, DINK!” Snooze interjected. “I’m Snooze! This little guy right here is Odd!”

Odd, now free to roam, hopped back up on Meat’s head and glowered back at DINK, appendages on its waist.

“Wait a minute!” Odd declared, leaning forward. “You’re not my mommy!”

DINK’s eye flashed down to the Archangel, and Snooze could see the aperture of its pupil adjust to see Odd more clearly.

Y̸o̸u̵ ̶a̴r̵e̴ ̸n̸o̸t̶ ̵o̷n̴e̵ ̵o̷f̷ ̴t̵h̵e̶ ̴F̸i̷e̴n̴d̵i̸s̷h̵.̵ The creature said, sounding embarrassed. ̷I̶ ̴m̵i̷s̷t̷o̴o̴k̶ ̴y̵o̴u̶ ̶f̷o̸r̷ ̴t̷h̵e̷y̸ ̶w̵h̶i̶c̷h̶ ̴t̵r̴y̶ ̴t̶o̶ ̵s̸p̴o̴i̸l̵ ̸m̸y̴ ̷r̷e̴s̴t̴.̵ ̷I̶ ̶r̷e̷g̷r̵e̶t̶ ̷m̵y̵ ̵i̷n̶i̵t̴i̶a̵l̵ ̴t̶o̸n̷e̸.̸ ̴

Snooze couldn’t help but notice she did not feel the involuntary shiver from mentioning the other type of beings. She reasoned that she had been so terrified of DINK at first glance that she had used up all of her scaredy-cat points.

“That’s okay,” she said. “I get confused for other people all the time. One time an old homeless man thought I was his cat!”

DINK’s eye focused on her again, and she wasn’t sure, but she thought that perhaps she could see it… softening on her.

This is a good sign.

“Can I ask why the… er, well, the bad guys try to bother you?”

DINK blinked.

T̸h̷e̴y̶ ̶w̸i̸s̶h̷ ̶f̸o̷r̷ ̶m̴y̴ ̵g̵i̴f̷t̵s̴.̶ ̸I̸n̵ ̴t̵h̸e̸i̸r̴ ̵m̴y̸t̸h̵o̵s̸,̷ ̸i̶f̸ ̴t̷h̶e̷y̵ ̷w̸a̸k̶e̷ ̵m̶e̸ ̷f̸r̴o̵m̷ ̶m̸y̸ ̶s̴l̵u̷m̸b̵e̴r̴,̸ ̵I̶ ̵a̶m̴ ̸r̵e̶q̴u̵i̵r̴e̷d̶ ̵t̶o̶ ̴g̵i̵v̷e̸ ̵t̵h̸e̵m̸ ̷a̷ ̶b̶o̴o̴n̶.̴

Snooze nodded as though that made perfect sense.

“How long have you been sleeping?”

DINK blinked again.

I̸ ̸f̴o̸u̵n̷d̵ ̵t̴h̶e̸ ̵B̵u̶l̴k̷ ̵a̷n̴d̴ ̷I̵ ̷r̵e̵s̷t̷e̸d̵ ̷t̷h̷e̵r̴e̸.̸ ̷T̵h̸a̴t̶ ̴w̸a̸s̵ ̸m̷a̴n̴y̸ ̵t̵e̴r̷a̶y̸a̵d̸d̶a̷ ̴s̶e̵c̸o̷n̴d̸s̵ ̷a̷g̵o̸.̴ ̸I̷ ̵h̶a̶v̸e̷ ̴b̵e̵e̶n̶ ̴a̶w̶a̸k̷e̴n̵e̶d̸ ̵t̵w̷i̵c̴e̴ ̸b̶e̵f̸o̵r̴e̷ ̷t̵h̵i̶s̷ ̸s̸i̵n̸c̶e̷ ̶t̸h̸e̷n̶.̴ ̵O̵n̸c̶e̷ ̷d̸u̶r̵i̶n̷g̸ ̴t̶h̶e̶ ̸G̵r̶e̴a̸t̴ ̷C̷o̷n̶f̵l̴i̶c̵t̷ ̸a̸n̴d̷ ̷a̸n̸o̷t̴h̸e̸r̶ ̵t̶i̴m̶e̸ ̵f̷o̸r̸ ̵P̴r̶e̸v̸a̸l̷k̵o̸r̵'̵s̴ ̷A̷n̷n̴i̷v̵e̵r̵s̵a̸r̷y̶ ̸B̵a̷r̷b̵e̸c̶u̸e̴.̴

“Ooh!” Snooze exclaimed. “A barbecue sounds fun!”

I̶t̸ ̵w̸a̵s̴.̸.̴.̴ ̶s̷t̷i̶m̸u̶l̵a̷t̶i̴n̵g̵.̸ ̵M̸a̷n̶y̷ ̴p̸y̴r̸e̸s̸ ̸w̴e̶r̷e̸ ̶c̷o̷n̷s̸t̵r̴u̴c̵t̶e̴d̸ ̴a̶n̸d̷ ̵b̶e̴i̶n̷g̵s̶ ̵v̷a̴n̶q̸u̶i̴s̸h̵e̵d̴.̶

Snooze gulped. She didn’t think that sounded fun at all.

“Uh, so,” she started. “What was this Great Conflict you mentioned? My great conflict was with my neighbor. He kept letting feral rabbits into my shed. Boy, oh, boy, talk about a huge misunderstanding.”

Y̷o̴u̸ ̶a̷r̵e̵ ̴a̸ ̴y̵o̵u̵n̸g̴ ̸A̸s̶h̶ ̴B̵o̸r̵n̷,̶ ̴s̸o̸ ̶I̷ ̸d̷o̷ ̴n̶o̷t̴ ̴f̴a̶u̶l̴t̷ ̸y̶o̴u̶ ̷f̷o̵r̴ ̸y̷o̸u̸r̶ ̶d̴e̷a̸r̷t̴h̴ ̶o̶f̸ ̴k̴n̵o̵w̴l̶e̷d̶g̶e̸ ̶o̸n̷ ̴t̴h̶e̸ ̷m̵i̶g̴h̸t̶i̸e̸s̴t̶ ̴c̷a̵l̵a̴m̶i̶t̷y̴ ̵t̷o̸ ̴e̵v̷e̷r̷ ̵o̸c̶c̶u̶r̶.̸ ̷I̷t̵ ̵w̴a̷s̴ ̷l̷o̷n̶g̷ ̷a̸g̵o̶.̷ ̵I̷t̴ ̷w̷a̸s̴ ̸t̶h̴o̷s̶e̵ ̴h̸a̷r̴r̶i̶e̴d̵ ̸b̵a̶t̷t̸l̴e̸s̷ ̶w̵h̷i̴c̵h̴ ̶n̵e̵a̷r̴l̸y̷ ̶t̶o̷r̴e̷ ̸t̷h̸e̴ ̵f̶a̴b̴r̵i̸c̴ ̴o̶f̵ ̷o̸u̵r̸ ̶e̵x̵i̴s̶t̵e̸n̴c̸e̵ ̵i̸n̸ ̵t̶w̷a̵i̶n̶.̵

“Mightiest… what exactly happened?”

W̵a̵t̷c̴h̴e̷r̶s̸,̸ ̷D̵w̸e̵l̵l̴e̴r̵s̸,̴ ̸C̶e̸l̶e̶s̵t̵i̵a̴l̷s̵,̷ ̶F̸i̴e̸n̶d̸i̵s̴h̵,̶ ̶E̴m̵p̷y̷r̷e̴a̸n̶,̸ ̴A̵b̸s̶o̸l̶v̷e̷d̶ ̴a̷n̵d̷ ̵e̷v̶e̶r̸y̷ ̶o̸t̷h̵e̶r̵ ̷f̵o̴r̸m̴ ̵o̶f̵ ̴E̷l̵y̸s̴i̸a̶n̵ ̵f̴o̷u̶g̸h̶t̷ ̸f̶o̷r̶ ̴s̸u̴p̴r̸e̸m̴a̷c̶y̴ ̸o̷f̴ ̶t̷h̵e̴ ̸A̶l̸l̸v̸e̶r̴s̵e̵.̷ ̵T̷h̴a̵t̷ ̵w̷a̴s̵ ̷w̵h̴e̵n̴ ̷w̶h̴e̴n̷ ̴t̴h̵e̵ ̴F̷o̵u̸n̸d̵a̵t̴i̵o̴n̴ ̸w̵a̶s̶ ̵e̵s̶t̴a̴b̵l̵i̵s̸h̸e̶d̸.̶ ̴I̸t̸ ̶i̸s̶ ̵w̸h̷y̴ ̴t̸h̴e̵r̷e̸ ̴i̸s̷ ̵O̶r̶d̵e̵r̴.̶ ̶

“Oh,” Snooze said.

“Well, I’m sorry for bothering you, in any case. We are in a bit of a predicament here, and it was total dumb luck that I cracked a hole in the void. But, I’m glad I did, honestly, because you seem really nice.”

T̴h̸a̷t̴ ̸i̶s̶.̸.̷.̵ ̴a̸ ̶r̷a̸r̶e̸ ̶t̴h̷i̴n̵g̶ ̶f̸o̶r̴ ̶m̸e̵ ̷t̴o̶ ̵b̵e̸ ̷c̴a̴l̷l̵e̴d̷.̴ ̵I̸ ̶w̶a̸s̵ ̶o̶n̸c̴e̶ ̶t̸h̷e̵ ̸F̸i̸n̵a̷l̵ ̷T̶e̶r̷r̸o̴r̸.̵ ̴N̸o̴n̶e̶ ̸w̶h̵o̸ ̵s̸t̸i̶l̶l̷ ̶r̵e̶m̸a̷i̴n̵ ̵f̸r̸o̶m̵ ̶t̶h̶o̶s̸e̷ ̸d̸a̷y̴s̶ ̵w̴o̷u̶l̶d̷ ̶e̵v̶e̶r̶ ̵t̶h̶i̷n̷k̶ ̶t̶o̵ ̵c̸a̸l̷l̵ ̸m̴e̷ ̶n̵i̷c̶e̵.̷ ̷

Snooze gulped again. She wasn’t sure if she’d made a mistake. However, she reasoned that as she’d already gone this far, she may as well pile on the compliments.

“Well, I think you’re just dandy, Dink! The past is the past, as they say. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat those beneath them. You’ve been nothing but cordial, and that’s really swell. I hope we meet again sometime! But after you’ve already been awake a while! I don’t want to disrupt any future naps!”

The Dweller In Nameless Knowledge blinked again.

Y̸o̶u̸ ̸d̴o̷ ̶n̵o̷t̶ ̸u̷n̵d̶e̵r̸s̶t̵a̴n̶d̵,̸ ̶A̷s̴h̴ ̶B̷o̶r̵n̵.̴ ̶Y̵o̴u̴ ̸h̴a̶v̶e̴ ̵a̵l̸r̷e̵a̷d̷y̵ ̵a̸r̴r̶e̶s̴t̸e̵d̷ ̸m̷e̴ ̸f̶r̶o̴m̸ ̶s̴l̵u̸m̴b̴e̶r̷.̴ ̸Y̵o̸u̴r̷ ̴g̴e̸n̶e̷r̷o̷u̴s̸ ̸w̴o̶r̴d̸s̷ ̶h̴a̷v̷e̵ ̴a̷r̷o̵u̶s̶e̶d̴ ̸m̴y̷ ̵i̴n̸t̷e̸r̵e̸s̷t̷ ̶a̷n̶d̸ ̵I̴ ̵s̵e̶e̶k̸ ̸t̶o̸ ̴b̵e̷s̸t̸o̶w̵ ̶y̷o̴u̵ ̷w̴i̷t̴h̶ ̵a̵ ̶b̷o̸o̴n̵.̸

Now it was Snooze’s turn to blink. She shook her head and smiled.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that, DINK! I’m just happy to have a new friend! Save your boon for someone who needs it more.”

The creature’s voice was suddenly clouded in its previous overpowering energy, and Snooze leaned back to try to steady herself.

Ý̶͎̒́́͜͝Ȯ̶̪͆͜U̵͇͌̃̑͗̽͠ ̴̨͉̔̂M̶̞̭̝̰̓̋̎́͂̄̀U̴̪͆̆̌͌Ş̵͙̘͚͒̀̽͜Ṭ̴̡̮̯̉̿͌ ̷̛̟͓͙͍̊̆̏̃̊̒A̵̩̮̜͓̣͍͒̃̔͠C̵͉̲̄́̓͘͜Ç̶͉̭̲̭̟͆̊͑̃É̵̦̣̭̈́̒̐P̶̛̟̦̰͖̬̩̒̓̃̐͘͠ͅT̵͇͚̞̮́͌͒̐͠ ̸͉̯̥̑͒̀͗T̵̞̳̟̒͒̊̓Ḣ̷̺̤̦͖͓̽͛̿͗̚͜I̷̙̗̠̯͕̍͑Ś̶͓͔̼̠̭̈́́ ̵̡͚͆B̸̛̞̼̠͒Ọ̶̥̦̈́Ǫ̵͔̍̀̾́̍͘̚N̸̮̈͌̔̃͝,̶̟̱̼̈́͐͝ ̸̨̞̙̦͈̻͐̕L̶͕̜̣͚̪̈́̈́ͅÉ̷͈̬̞̣̾̾̈ͅS̵̼͖̫̗͗̏̃̄̋͛̌T̶̢̧͐̒̏ ̷̧̨͔͎̜̮͊̍͆̽͑ͅT̷̨̘̤̝͐Ḥ̷͖̥̋̌͑̾͘E̵͙̙̋͊̍ ̸̛͚̞̄́͛͐͗̐L̵̰͍̲̺̊́̔͆̌͘͠A̴̲̰̰̻̖͍̐͜W̵̦͍̤̟͛͌̾Ş̸͔̖̥̗̼̾͘͜ ̸̪͙̻̄̆̊̍̒͊͜͠Ở̴̹͕̫̿͋̌͒̂Ḟ̶͚̫̿̒̋̐͠ ̴̪͓͎̻̼̞̌́̽͑M̶͇̝̠̻̞̌̌̈́̉̚Y̴̥͓̘̻̌̇͜͝ͅͅ ̵̨̙̯̥͙̳͂̆͝Ę̵̜̱̰̹̩̑͑̽̃̎̈́̕Ẍ̸̥́̈́̔̇I̸̪͚͠S̵̢̥̙̥̼͆Ṯ̸̣̿̄͝E̵̙̣̺̺̥̝̯͆͐̑̒N̷̘̪͙͖̉̋̿͑̈́C̶͚̯͂́̌͘Ẹ̵̫̊ ̸͓͈̉̂͛̍̾B̵͉̏͗͊̀̇̎͊͜Ë̷̢̘̠̣̩̖́̌̒͘ ̵̨̜̲̼̮̺̦̈́͛Ư̴̱̫͍̈́̄͘͘͜Ṋ̴̢̲͖̙̓͘͜R̴̢̛̤͚̟͈̊͆̓̓͒Ȁ̴̖̺̇̓̈̀̋͠V̴͓̥͎̫̬͖̿͗͜Ë̶͖̜́̀̍Ļ̶̗́͑̐́̑͠Ę̸͖͚̬̤͝D̶̝̟̠̦͙̬̠̐͆̎̂͘.̷̖̹̇

y.

̸̱̆̐̀̈́̌͂͊́̒͒I̷̙̭̜̟̤̍̌͊F̷̨̗̌́̈́̀͘̕ ̸͚̖͔̞̬́͂̂̌̽͗T̸̬͓̲̮̫͑̇̎͜͝H̵̡̘̮͙͐̈́̋͒A̴̹̞̩̟͇̜̗̾̄͛T̸̰͉̖͂̅̈́̑̇͜ ̸̧͋̔̉̄W̷̛̞̗͕̘͉̖̎̌̓̚͝Ȇ̷͍̮̾̏̃̃̇͘Ŕ̶̙̋̎͂͝͝E̸̩͙̰͐ ̵͍͈͚̅̒T̷̢̪̞͉̻̗̝̈Ô̷̰͎̪̙ ̷̻̗̿͊͐͆̕͠P̵̡͙̮͚̤͕̃̒̀͌̾͜Ḁ̷̻͌S̷̨͓̝̔́̀̂͒S̸̫̊̊̏,̶͎͙͚͈̆̉̊̅̒̆͜ ̸̨̬̫̦̥̀Ī̴̫͔͒̈͝ ̶̘̃̿̿̈́̽W̵̼͉̓̊́̿͛̽̆O̴̡̝̗̪͉̒Ù̸̧͚̽̏͂͋̕L̸͕̰̮̻̱͔̦̃Ď̴̢̬͈͕̟̰ ̶͕͎̰͙͇̤̀́͝B̷̛̞͕̞͓͑È̷̱̘͎͓̾͋ ̷̖̳̪̬̮͛́R̸͈͔̓̌̑͒̃̚Ė̵͎̜̆͛Q̴̢̖̇́͒̎̓̚U̴̱͂̄Ḯ̶͖͖̉̀͠R̵̜͚͉͔͎̘͆͛̅̃̈́Ë̴̡̢̩̩̯̥́̈́̉͂̚̚̚D̷̘̙̼͙͎̒ ̵̖̄̏̔̈́̿̚T̷̻̬̟͗̅͝O̵̢͇͒̀̅ ̵͓̃͐Ȩ̵̧͖̣̓͝ͅX̸̛͚͔́̓̎̔̉Ĭ̵̫͈̽̿T̶̢̯̼̰̰͇͊̍͐̍͝ ̴̢̝͕͊Ẁ̶̨̮̠͉̜̠̎͋̆̕ͅḦ̷͖̙̣̖͕̰͒͋̄̆ͅẼ̷̞͋͘Ṛ̴͙̱̦͊̍͋͠͠͠Ë̵̱̘͎͖̯́̋ ̴̢̠͑̒͝Í̵̳̪̰̟̩̟ ̵̢̤͈́̇͂̈́̋͜D̴̤͇͓͉͙̝͋̆Ẁ̸̝̽͌̊͘ͅẸ̵̞̓̔̈́̎͗͠ͅḼ̴̹́̾͂̒͠L̵̀ͅ ̵͉̹̂A̴̜̗̬̤̺͑̊̌̌̃͆̕ͅŇ̷̡͕̐̅̆͝D̶̮̩̻̠̼̘̀̀̃̀̇

̴̺̰̬̥̋̎̋̍̆̊̋͊̈̅͛͐̎̅̿́̎͘W̴͔̣̓R̵̨͕̪̝̋͆͂̒̅͘͜Ę̴̫̜̦̓̓͒͆̇͘͝Ą̶̣̱̦͍̙͕̿̏̽K̸̡̰̟̩̲̳̇ ̸̬͖͙̞̲̲͋̀̀͜U̶̡̦͋̿̋̎Ṋ̵̣̙̻͔̦̀T̸͙̯͍̝̈͗̍̔͊͌̔O̶̢͈͉̖̳̔͊̎L̸̻̱̠̰̹̜̐ͅḊ̶͔̹̙̤ͅ ̵̧̼̯͓͈̩̏̓͋̀͝H̴̢̢̠̬̠̩̓̑͛͛̔̅͋Ą̶̙͚̌̽͌V̷̻̣͎͔̜̜̲͘O̵̢͓̰̬̓̈́ͅC̶͍̭̭͑͆̕ ̸̜͇̚Ä̵̯͍̠́̓L̷̻͉̻͇̘͓̅͆̈̀͑O̴͔̙̅̾̿͂̿͘͝Ñ̴̢̧̞̽̇̐̔̒͒G̴͇̦̑̑͑̂̃̄̈ ̴̡̪̺͔̮̆T̶̻͓̱̀͋̒̓H̷̖̪̓̓͛̇E̷̢̯̪͊̇̎̓͘͘ ̷̡͚̤̯̮͔͗̏̈̍͐̋͠Ā̸̤̬͊͑̃̆̀Ḷ̴̘͍̀̓̄̚͝L̴͚͎̅̄̐͐V̷̘̜͈̱͕̗͗̍͌̅̀̿̓E̵̢̛͚̩̥͛R̴̘̻̮͑͊̎̏̔͠͝Ş̸̨̹̬̮̟̤̓̃̓͠E̷̡̮̠̜̾͋͗͗̚.̶̨̛̻͈͇̌͐͗̋̔͐ ̸̢͓̼͕̒́̉̈́̓̈́͘Ȉ̷̭T̴̢̂͛͒̈́́̾ ̶̨̖͖̀͜I̴̧͇̟̞͕̤̻͆S̸̼̲̋ ̷̡̨̦̌̇̽̄̉̄I̴̛̗͆M̶̮̊̄͑̆̕͝P̸̧̪͇͚̜̣̿̍̽͛̂͋E̷͙͇̎Ṟ̷̫̝͗͘Ă̵͓̦̠͒̋̊̇̕ͅT̵͓͕̞̬̽͒Ḯ̷͎̮͉̖̳̆V̶̛̘̞̪́͐͌̍͝͝E̷̠̪͛̔̀̀̈́̚ ̴̤̎ͅȲ̶̳̗̗̻͔̺̃̆̔Ơ̴̮̫̼̮̈́̈́̇Ṷ̴̡̼̺̭̐͂̓̑̇̿͘͜ ̶̼͓͈̇A̸̡̲̙̫͍̯̍͒̀Ċ̶̡̢̫̲̰̗̟̕C̸̯̐̔͆͛̄̎͗Ę̷̗̽͗̃͜P̷̡̰̪̱͓̲̲̽̃̋̏͠T̶̡̠̪̬̫͊͛͛̔̽̓̓ ̷̨̤̦͌̓̃̅T̷̹̠̪̤̪̗̓̉͠H̴̰̻̫̒̄̓͋̽̚I̴̜̔Ś̴̱̖̻̥̗͐͜

̕͘

̴̩͓̠̂G̷͍̫͉̱̖̊̍͌̊͑͆̋I̷͉͔͎͖̙͇̝̿̌̏̉͗F̶̻̠̳͉͍͉̈́̀͗Ţ̴̡̦̋̃̄̄̐͂͘.

̷̖͖̞̜͖̰̎̓

Snooze trembled again; however, she saw that Odd was standing defensively in front of her, a fact that warmed her heart. Was the little creature so unaffected by something so clearly ancient and eldritch?

“Okay, I guess,” Snooze said with a sigh. “I guess if the alternative is wanton carnage and spaghettification, I don’t really have another option, do I?”

V̵e̶r̵y̶ ̷g̶o̵o̸d̴.̸ DINK said, the voice returning to the more calm volume.

I̵ ̸g̵r̶a̵n̴t̴ ̸y̸o̸u̵ ̴t̶h̶e̵ ̸B̸o̵o̶n̶ ̶o̵f̶ ̷A̷b̸i̵l̸i̵t̷y̵.̸ ̴F̸o̴r̶ ̷t̴h̸e̷ ̴n̴e̵x̴t̸ ̸s̸i̸x̴t̸e̵e̴n̶ ̵H̴e̵x̸e̷s̶,̴ ̴y̸o̷u̵ ̶w̵i̴l̶l̵ ̷b̸e̷ ̷f̴i̸l̷l̴e̶d̷ ̸w̷i̷t̸h̴ ̴a̴ ̸r̶e̵n̷e̸w̴e̴d̷ ̸v̸i̴g̶o̸r̷.̵ ̶Y̴o̷u̶ ̴w̴i̶l̵l̵ ̵b̴e̸ ̸s̵t̸a̸l̴w̴a̵r̴t̸ ̴i̸n̴ ̴a̴l̷l̷ ̷r̷e̵g̶a̷r̸d̷s̶ ̸d̸u̵r̷i̵n̵g̵ ̶t̴h̶a̸t̵ ̸t̸i̵m̶e̶,̷ ̷a̴n̶d̸ ̴o̴n̵e̵ ̴o̶f̷ ̵y̸o̴u̸r̵ ̸F̶e̶a̸t̶u̴r̸e̸s̷ ̸s̴h̶a̸l̸l̶ ̵b̴e̷ ̷p̴e̷r̵m̴a̷n̶e̵n̵t̵l̶y̵ ̵i̴n̸c̶r̷e̵a̸s̴e̵d̸.̸ ̴ ̴

That was a lot of information for poor Snooze to sift through, including the indeterminate unit of measurement. Still, she did not want to risk angering her new ally. So she stuck with simple.

“Thanks a million, DINK!”

N̸o̴w̵,̶ ̸I̷ ̸m̸u̵s̷t̴ ̸r̴e̸s̶t̸ ̵a̸g̷a̴i̶n̸.̴ ̴I̷ ̷a̶m̵ ̷f̸a̴t̸e̴d̷ ̴t̶o̶ ̷b̵e̵ ̶r̷e̸k̷i̸n̶d̶l̷e̶d̷ ̸n̶o̸t̸ ̶l̸o̸n̵g̵ ̵f̶r̷o̵m̵ ̵n̴o̷w̸.̵ ̴T̴h̵e̶ ̴n̴e̴x̷t̵ ̸i̸m̴p̴o̶r̸t̵a̵n̸t̴ ̵m̸i̷l̶e̶s̴t̷o̶n̵e̵ ̵o̶f̷ ̸t̶h̴e̵ ̷A̵l̷l̴v̷e̴r̴s̴e̴ ̵w̵i̵l̵l̷ ̸c̴o̶m̴m̷e̷n̴c̷e̶ ̶o̴n̶c̶e̴ ̷t̸h̶e̵ ̸A̵u̸g̶e̴r̵ ̶O̶n̷ ̷T̴h̶e̵ ̵B̸l̶a̴c̴k̵e̷n̷e̷d̵ ̴T̸h̸r̷o̸n̶e̵ ̸a̴r̵r̸i̶v̶e̸s̷.̷ ̶G̵o̶o̶d̸ ̴l̴u̸c̸k̴,̷ ̷t̸o̶ ̸y̷o̸u̶,̴ ̵t̴i̸n̶y̶ ̶A̶s̴h̷ ̵B̴o̶r̷n̴.̷

Before Snooze could say anything further, the rift in the void began knitting itself back together. It was a quick process as smokey fingers grew out from the edges and threaded among themselves. In less than a moment, the rift was gone. Snooze had a momentary pang of worry as she saw there were still many cracks remaining, but those too began to seal. Generously, the Runcinated 8-demicubes that had hung frozen, ready to strike, began to pop out of existence as well. One by one, they disappeared until the inky pitch of nothing stretched out in front of them again.

Then she heard a low whistle and realized that Meat was active again. She leaned down and grabbed him around the neck in a big hug. The whistle raised in pitch, and she felt the hum from her Archangel beneath her. She looked to her right to see that the Scroll of Currents was bobbing lazily above her shoulder again, and she smiled.

“Well, that was worthless!” Odd exclaimed, turning to stare directly up at her. “What a COWARD! I was ready to mince his muncher!”

Snooze patted him on the head and returned to the Scroll.

“Scroll, are you okay?”

“Why, er, yes, little lady,” the Scroll said. “I am just trying to get my bearings on what just went down.”

“Oh, no big deal,” Snooze said, brushing off her shoulder dramatically. “Just became best friends with an ancient genie and saved us all in one fell swoop. Just another day in the life of your friendly neighborhood Ash Born.”

The Scroll spun quietly before seeming to broach a topic it found concerning.

“Ah, yes, that is interestin’ indeed. I calculated the presence of a Dweller, but, uh… well, I noticed something off with your statistics.”

“Yeah, that was my boon. Guess I really made an impression!”

“You might want ter take a look at this, though, partner. Seems a might important.”

A display appeared in front of Snooze detailing her “recipe” as she’d been referring to it. She smiled.

Every single one of her godspells had increased to level fifteen! In place of the usual progress bar next to each instead was the word “temporary.” Even more so, her Planet Speaking Ability had leaped up to Level 100, and her Avatar Ability had moved up to 25. Then she paused. Beneath that was her Aura Ability; however, rather than the temporary modifier next to it, she saw that instead, it read “permanent.” It was at Level 20.

“Woah! Scroll, Meat, Odd, look! My Aura jumped up to twenty! I’m super strong!”

“Right you are, matey!” Scroll said. “But, I was actually referring to something a little more interestin’ if you don’t mind me saying.”

Snooze shook her head.

“What is it, then?”

The Scroll warped down to the bottom of the display and highlighted a section that she’d wholly glazed over in her excitement. Snooze gaped.

FOLLOWERS [ 1,456 ]

“What in tarnation?!” She yelped. “Scroll! How did I get that many followers so quickly?”

“Nearest I can tell, a combination of your previous four followers' efforts back on your planet and the boost to your stats to help things along. Without access to the full version of myself, I can only guess, but that seems to be the most likely land to traverse in the meanwhile.”

Snooze stared at the number, a huge grin spreading across her face.

“I’m famous!” She said, wiggling with glee. Odd jumped up to her shoulder and mimed her actions.

“I’m ODD!” He announced proudly.

“Yeah you are!” Snooze returned happily.

The heat from her pocket was now nearly burning, so she reached in and withdrew whatever the object was. A small yellow stone with three curved lines sat in her palm, radiating with curious heat. Grotto’s Relay.

“Scroll!” Snooze exclaimed, holding it up to the hovering sphere. “Look!”

“That was the little side story I was working on while I was away,” the Scroll said. “Well, part of my major overture.”

“Scroll, this is incredible!” Snooze said, patting the sphere lovingly. “But… er, what does it mean?”

“That, little miss,” the Scroll said. “Is our ticket out of here.”

[ SNOOZE - LEVEL 8 GOD ]

GODSPELLS

AIR [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

WATER [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

FIRE [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

LIFE [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

PLANTLIFE [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

WEATHER [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

FUNGUS [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

LIGHTNING [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

GRAVITY [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

LIGHT [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

DARKNESS [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

ORE [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

ACID RAIN [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

DEATH [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

OTHER ABILITIES

PLANET SPEAKER [ LEVEL 100 ] TEMPORARY

AVATAR [ LEVEL 25 ] TEMPORARY

AURA• [ LEVEL 20 ] PERMANENT

OMNITUENS [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

RITUAL COMMAND [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

SHAPE CHANGE [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

ELEMENT-SMITH [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

DIVINE INTERVENTION [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

PERMEABILITY [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

BANISH [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

OMNIAUDIAL [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

WORLD MELD [ LEVEL 15 ] TEMPORARY

ARCHANGELS [ 2 ]

FOLLOWERS [ 1,456 ]

WORLDS [ 1 ]

GOD PATH

HUMBLE [ LEVEL 2 ]

BOONS

BOON OF ABILITY [TIME REMAINING: 15.99 HEXES]