“Grab diamond, we’ve got to get out of here!” Shouted alexandrite while supporting hematite so they could start down the pathway towards the exit portal. Lapis lazuli hefted topaz over her shoulder and started running off, following alexandrite. Jett grabbed the diamond that had dropped to the ground.

It took them two minutes to make it through the passageways of the dungeon. They jumped through the portal, appearing on the other side. What they found shocked them.

It was utter chaos. The once irresistible, bewitching paradise of exotic crystal life was now a wasteland.

There were pools of water sitting all over the place, and no plants could be seen. The stone had been worn smooth from all of the feet that had run upon it, and there were shards of crystals embedded in all surfaces. There was blood, bones and various internal organs strewn throughout the place. a particularly gruesome display was of a skull, picked nearly clean of flesh, painted red with blood, and had intestines resting out the eye sockets like some ghastly worm.

As they walked through the dungeon, they came across the fentinals room.they saw even more of this carnage. even a couple of gems lay scattered across the floor. After gathering the gems and depositing them inside of there warren, they continued.

Within the centipedals room, bodies half melted could be seen, with yellows pus peeking out from the marks on several corpses. It was in this room that none of the tier one goblins survived, and only the better combatants made it through, most already crippled from attacks previously felt by alexandrite and jett.

They carried on through, and saw a shocking sight, at the centre of the room lay the original emerald bush. Around it lay the most brutal show yet, with multiple corpses appearing near its stem. Most seemed to have been chocked so tightly their eyes had literally popped out of their heads, while others had flattened heads, reminiscent of blunt force trauma. We had never thought that the bushes would become monsters.

There was a flower near this bush, again one of the originals. Near the flower were no dead bodies, but a pulse of light and a large crack healed along the bushes side.

In the next room, a towering tree sat in the corner, and under it was a dying badger. The poor thing had taken out dozens of tier two monsters, but had been overrun.

We nodded at the badger, it nodded back, understanding its job was done. It closed its eyes and poofed into a gem. We continued.

There were multiple seems of brutality and gore throughout the entire dungeon. some quite horrifying. A lot had pools of water near, these were the dead elementals. When we got the core room, we found a bone tired tanzanite. He was missing his right arm, left leg and half a face. He had experienced unimaginable pain. In front of his shield was a wall of bodies, leaving the core room completely empty. He saw us, let out a sigh of relief.

“Take care of Sir Bismuth. I don’t know what happened, but there was an unholy scream and then a centipedal appeared with his gem. Good luck.” He poofed into his gem. We need a better name for that.

“What do we do?” Said lapis. Alexandrite and her dropped their cargo on the floor. Jet sighed.

“Let’s get the other gems out here. There’s nothing we can do. Set diamond with bismuth. When they wake up they’ll know what to do.” And so that’s what they did. They hadn’t been trained in mana, so all they could do was set bismuth and diamond together next to the cores pillar. After, they grabbed a hold of the key to the caverns and let the other gems out.

Next to poof were jett and alexandrite, awaiting recovery from their numerous injuries.

Topaz and hematite couldn’t poof, as there was nothing wrong, they were just tired. They were set up in a temporary residence to rest.

Lapis looked around, sighed, and sat near bismuth and diamond. There was nothing she could do.

A suction force grabbed a hold of all of them. Cries of pain and help could be heard. A tug was felt, and then all was gone. Just like that, the gems ceased to exist.

Meanwhile.

“What the magic mushroom.” Said bismuth in wonder. Weird, considering he has no mouth.

He was in a void. But not an actual void, as a void is the lack of everything and he is in the void and therefore it was not a void. An interesting place indeed.

Not knowing what to do, Bismuth started looking around, but true to its name, the not-void had nought but himself.

“I wish this place was more interesting.” He mused. When he thought this however, the not-void filled with swirling colours. It was neither pretty nor ugly.

“Bit bright.” Bismuth continued, not noticing anything out of the ordinary. Just as before, all the colours muted, going from vibrant blues and reds to dull black and white. It was if you had stepped into an old film.

“What is this place?” Bismuth finally thought. An odd time to think such a question, all things considering. Almost immediately after he thought this question, a voice appeared in the bleak surroundings.

It was a powerful sound, as if a single word could destroy entire universes should it wish. It sounded as if it was made from trillions and trillions of voices mashed together, and while comprised of these many, many singular sounds, it was unmistakable one being that spoke. This voice, these voices, they were both old and young. Both deep and high, female and male. Anything you could think of was represented by this, these voices. It was incredible.

“This is your mana source.” Replied the voice.

“Impossible!” Said bismuth. “My mana source is a place of wonder. Bigger then the biggest caverns and filled to the brim with crystals and life and crystal life. How could a place as bleak as this be my mana source.”

“You made it so. First you asked for a more interesting view. Next you asked for it to dim. This is of your own doing.” Replied the voice. It sounded amused, but it’s hard to tell as it also sounded happy, sad, angry, disappointed, excited, afraid, disgusted and many more. But bismuth decided amused was a better quality of the voice and so amused this voice was.

“But that doesn’t answer my question. My mana source was a place filled with wonder. If this truly is my mana source, and I’m not saying it is, where are the forests of crystal?” He nodded at his flawless logic.

“The forest are gone. Wiped clean by my mana. It is unfortunate, a limited mortal mind such as yourself would have spent months formulating such a complex ecosystem. Well, you’ve done it once, you can do it again. Now tell me mortal, how are you alive?”

What does he mean, ‘spent months’. It was literally a thought.

“Don’t you know. Well you surely are stupid Mr. Sheepfoot. Even I know that a mana source can’t be ‘wiped clean’ and that it is formed from the first thought you have after discovering it.”

“What do you mean? Of course a mana source can be wiped clean. Your mana source is proof of this, is it not? As well as that, why would a single thought contain a boundless and illimitable substance such as mana.”

In an exasperated voice bismuth replied.

“Well it just is, isn’t it? That’s like saying airs invisible, so it’s not real. It’s stupid and unnecessary. People better then me and more knowledgeable then me have come to this conclusion, and so why should I have a right to demoralise their decision. There is no proof of your claims Old Man Jenkins. So why, may I ask, do I have the right to destroy their world views? And as to ‘wiping clean’ a mana source, while this may be significant proof for you, I still see no proof of this even being my mana source.”

‘Why am I talking so, posh? And why is this becoming so heated. This voice can obviously destroy me in seconds, so why bother arguing?’

‘But why not? This is my head and how dare it intrude!’

‘But why is it my head? And why is it so important that I fight?’

‘Because this is ME! And I’m always right!’

‘But am I? What proof do i have?’

‘Well what proof does it have that I am wrong?’

‘Well i suppose that is true, and since neither of us have proof, then I am definitely correct!’

‘Yes, I am definitely correct.’

‘But if I am correct, and I have no proof that either of us is incorrect, who is to say it isn’t correct?’

‘Well I am, aren’t I? Because if I’m correct it can’t be.’

‘But why not?’

‘Well, just because. Why do I need a reason to be correct?’

‘Well why does he? I say that I make a rule. If there is no proof, then I am correct. If it’s a rule it has to be correct.’

‘True, and I make another rule. If their is proof, I am also correct. Why be incorrect when I can be correct?’

‘Yes, these are good rules. Now I have a question. Just who are you?’

‘Well I am you, of course.’

‘But am I you?’

‘No, you are not me, but I am you. We are you. But for all other purposes, me and you are the same and therefore I am you, and you are you, and we are you, so we are I. ‘

‘Ah, I understand. You are me and I am me and so we are me.’

‘That’s just what I said.’

‘And what I said.’

‘Agreed.’

‘Now let us get back to that fool that insists that he is correct when obviously I am correct.’

Turning his attention back to the voice dubbed Old Man Jenkins, Mr.Sheepfoot and many more, I am sure. Bismuth? Listened.

“But this is your mana source. There is no way to prove it except for you searching yourself, which can’t be done since your dead. But again, your not dead, neither are you alive. I can’t decide what you are. And saying that someone is ‘better’ or ‘more knowledgeable’ is stupid. Who is to say you are not more knowledgable then them. You had a right to demoralise their decision when they first made their decision. And so why listen to an old fool when you can listen to an eons old being such as myself?” The voice was quite prideful about that, I think.

“Alright, if this is my mana source, then prove it. And thats what I was already saying, why listen to boring old people? As well as that, Dead men can’t talk. So your thing about me being dead is incorrect.”

The voice sighed. It seemed it had broken this mortal. As always. It took a deep breath and said in a commanding tone.

“Enough. This is your mana source and just as I have no proof neither do you. Now answer me. Why are you alive?”

“That’s simple. It’s because tiki said I wouldn’t die. How could I die if the sages explicitly said, ‘no one can die in these trials’. As well as that, it’s probably my gem.”

“These sages lies to you. The only ways to prevent death that have so far been created are incredibly expensive and difficult. I sense no magic on you, binding you to that realm, and if you had a phylactery you wouldn’t be here. And what is this gem?”

‘The sages had lied to me. LIED TO ME. First they kill me, control me, force me to do something with almost no knowledge, and now they lie about my death. I will KILL tiki for this. ‘

‘Yes i suggest I do that. But remember me, that killing him, a sage, will be difficult.’

‘So?’

‘So wait. Build up my powers and crush him. Kill all the sages.’

‘That is a good idea. But what of the control. ‘

‘Well first things first, let us tell the others of house enigma. Then let us confront tiki, for all we know, he isn’t part of this trickery. ‘

‘Understood. I have good ideas.’

“My gem is my gem. It controls my powers, I think? It does have powers, though. It allows me to summon my bō staff. I think it lets me live after death. I mean it lets my monsters live after they die. But it’s more then that. It’s like it’s my body and soul, and everything else you see Is an illusion. But at the same time, it’s not.”

“I understand, I think, now explain the mana source issue.” The voice sounded, satisfied?

“What issue.”

“The one thought that determines your mana source.”

‘Should we really?’

‘It hasn’t proved incorrect so far. ‘

‘But I’m always correct.’

‘No. I’m correct when I’m correct but I know when I’m incorrect.’

‘But I’m always correct!’

‘No! Not always.’

‘ALWAYS.’

Bismuth doubles over in pain, clutching his head. But, in a moment it was clear. This, voice. It wasn’t natural. It wasn’t him. Sure it was him, but he wasn’t it. It was like, it couldn’t be wrong. And it has the power to make me seem right, but now I see that sometimes I am wrong.

‘No, I’m always correct.’

‘Shut up, me. I’m, we’re not always correct.’

I tuned all other thoughts, including the voice, out and focused on the voice. That’s confusing. Now that I’m thinking clearly, it’s quite obvious that the voice I’m talking to belongs to the being. And the voice in my head. Well, That’s a bit more complicated. Let’s refer to them as innie and outie. The voice now dubbed Outie started talking.

“I see you have, regained control? Well please will you explain it. I need to fix your world view, and in turn, fix many others.” I nod my non existent head. Something still feels off. It’s like, even though I know this being can crush me, I just don’t really give a shit. Meh, worst case scenario, I die.

“Well you see, Mr.Outie. The mana source is the source of mana, haha, inside of everyone. When you visit it for the first time, you have a thought in your head. I was told that you need to visualise it. Once you’ve found it, that vision in your head becomes your element. After that, you can’t use any other element.”

“Hahahaha. That’s so, haha, wrong it’s funny. Hahaha.” Jeez mate chill. It’s not that funny.

“Your mana source isn’t ‘found’. *sigh*. Let me explain what a mana source is first. A mana source is exactly as it seems, the source of your mana. But it’s so much more. At first it is exactly as you see surrounding you, a void. You can populate it with many, many elements however. A mana source is the part of your soul that creates, stores and manipulates mana. Mana itself is but an energy, but can be given life by feeding it thoughts. The only limitation to mana is the amount, and your own imagination. Tell me, how do you form spells.”

“You just, imagine, them.”

“I see you understand. If a spell is formed from your imagination, and your mana source is the part of you that governs your mana, then why do you need to be limited to one mana ‘element’. Even these so called elements aren’t real. Tell me, why is fire an element when fire itself can both burn and freeze. You did get one thing correct though. You can’t cast a spell unless the components are in your mana source, and after your original image, it usually is harder to create another, but that’s just because of synergy. For instance, most people won’t be able to combine ice and fire, but why focus solely on those two. Why not focus on water as a medium.

It is complicated. I’ll give you that. But it’s also really simple once you understand it. Its almost as if your mana source is a multiverse, and within this multiverse you are god. Using the space element you can create planets, using life you can create life. You can add time. Do whatever really. To be honest, there’s nothing to say the nova core isn’t a mana source of some being with incredible amounts of mana. Remember, your mana source grows as you make it, but you can’t just envision a vast multiverse, you have to start with a single patch of something, and then expand.

Do you understand?”

What. The. Ever enlarging elephant. It literally just told me the secrets to the mana source. And it’s simple. Well, not really, but it’s understandable.

“Yes.” I reply. “May I ask a question? Firstly, what are you, and why do you know so much?

Second, what is the bond with the assistants? We merge our mana sources, which you basically said is our souls, or part of it. And why do our body’s change during the process? And if what you say is true, couldn’t we change our bodies all the time?”

“Hahaha. That’s more then one question, but I will answer them. I am this multiverse’s guardian and creator. I protect it from the inBetween, and from the other multiverses and there guardians and creators.” I interrupted.

“What do you mean your the creator of this multiverse? And what is the nova core. And don’t I live in the In Between? And if there’s more then one multiverse...” it interrupted.

“It’s complicated. Every question I answer will add one. I’m not going to answer all your questions, only those you have asked just now. Everything else you can figure out. I will then help you leave your source. I am the creator of the multiverse because the multiverse is comprised of my thoughts. I guess, in a complicated, round about way it is my mana source. But it also isn’t. I derive power from the multiverse and I in turn protect and add to it. It is complicated, and would take more time then I care to explain it.

The nova core is everything. It contains all multiverses, the inBetween, everything. While it is possible I am to the nova core way at you are to me, it is near impossible. But then again, it could be true.

And yes, you live in the In Between, but that’s the just the name of that place. The true inBetween a place of horrors. Beings that were rejected from multiverses or birthed of the...” What came next was a seemingly endless series of sounds that made zero sense to me. Seeing my confusion it said. “You don’t need to know. Any way, your In Between is actually the place ‘in between’ the universes. It allows them to access all universes within this multiverse.

I know so much because these are basic questions, and everything in this multiverse is made because I thought it up. In another multiverse, the answers to these questions could be completely different, or completely irrelevant.

The bond with the assistants is also complicated, so I’ll give you a very, very brief overview. Basically there are three types of bonds, and any sentient can experience them.

The first is the equals bond, which you had. This bond merges your mana sources together, giving you equal control over it. This allows you to both make expansions in the same place. If you wanted, you could even split your mana source, and separate it with a bridge, allowing you to have different mana sources, and yet you could still pull from both. It gives you equal control.

The next is the master/servant bond. This makes both your purist and anarchist factions. This bond is where the master uses their superior imagination or ‘mana control’ to create a one way access to the others mana source. It allows them to access and influence the servants mana source, but not vice versa. This makes them the master because through the mana source you can control the servant.

The third, which hasn’t been used in a while, is sort of the equals one, but also not. It basically equates to you and the other person connecting your mana sources together, and yet not. It allows you to see each other’s mana source, visit it, commune with them inside of it, and more. It gives every benefit of the equals, but doesn’t allow access to it. For instance. Say you wish to have a mana source devoid of life. This cannot be done in the equals source because if one has life the other shall to. Well In this contract, your mana sources have zero influence on each other, and while you can use elements that your partner has and you don’t, you don’t have to add them. So you can control plants, and yet have a mana source devoid of plants.” Ummm, ok then.

“Your body changes during the process. That’s a lie. What actually happens Is your body changing to accommodate the power in your mana source. That’s why as your mana source grows, your body changes. It can change in any way. In the future, you could quite possibly have a mermaids tail, a crown of fire and wings of air. It just happens.

And yes. You can change your body whenever you want. But it takes time and mana to do anything outside of the original change. A monster evolving is merely a growth in its mana pool. So while you can change every expansion, it’s best to treat it as a one time fix, because you would have to reset your mana source to do it again. Which brings me to back to the original point.

This is your mana source. It’s empty. You have to remake it, and in turn your body. Your bond with your fairy is gone. You will have to remake that as well. I’ve reworked the multiverse as to never let your gem be made ever again. Unfortunately, this has resulted in the death of your dungeon, but that won’t matter. After this you and the fairy won’t remember about the gem, nor of the gems, nor of their power. You will keep your knowledge of crystals however. I am sorry.

I have had to take things from you as recompense for this conversation, and as a way to help keep your sanity. Ironic, as the things I took may cause your insanity. It stopped your fate of infinite pain, however, so I feel no regret. I’ll help you out one last time. Only look for me when you have a couple planes of existence in your mana source and your dungeon is equal to a universe in size. I will reconnect you to your fairy’s mana source, tell her of this, and work hard. I look forward to talking again.

Oh, and remember. Your true name was taken. That was part of what my mana took from you. The next name you recognise as your own will be your true name. Names have power. Good luck.”

With that, the voice disappeared.

‘I feel like somethings missing.’

‘Why do I feel like somethings missing, I’m obviously ok.’

‘What were we on about?’

‘I don’t know’

Then I heard diamonds voice.

“BISMUTH. BISMUTH WHERE ARE YOU!!! HELP! WHAT IS GOING ON!”

I guess I’ve got a lot of explaining to do.

“Diamond I’m here.”