“Viktor,

I’ve heard about your plight from one of the church’s messengers and am writing to let you know that my research team is ready to do what we can to assist. Goddess only knows why you stayed in Eichafen till the last moment but what happened was indeed regrettable. To that end, if you do need my help, my retinue and I have recently moved to the port city of Whalesport in western Melton, an unfortunately far way from Barrowlake.

However, that being said,I had warned you when I stopped in Eichafen once before and will do so again. I implore you to assign some of your resources to investigate the old Myndiri watchtowers. Whatever magic keeps them standing after the centuries is fading. It seems as if something has begun to disrupt that process. Unfortunately, my monitors suggest that the greatest disruption coincides with whenever the cult activates one of its rituals. I might not have convinced you before but I hope recent events have allowed you to at least consider this theory. I know you find all the scholarly work and reading whilst avoiding combat that I do quite distasteful, but I hope you can see past it as we’re both working on ways to end whatever this oncoming threat might be.

L.B. ”

- “Letter to Inquisitor Viktor von Krantz.”

It observed its little companion with curiosity, the eye stalks it used to follow the creature no longer sending the being into a panicked flight. By all estimates it had conditioned the small Sofi to life in imprisonment, though certainly with a handful more mortal luxuries that such frail creatures required. Through the leeching of the Sofi’s memories it had managed to perfectly recreate a garishly marbled structure filled with all manners of rooms, decor, and generally useless mortal baubles. No matter what it did seemed to not be enough. Yet certainly the small Sofi seemed more panicked and surprised during the first few star cycles to the new changes. It wailed and wailed, crying in an unintelligible mess of noise that it felt as if reality would rend itself asunder from the ruckus.

Still, whatever state its structures were in mattered little when it came to making palatable meals for the irritating creature. Whilst they were in a state of momentary consciousness before dropping off into prolonged silence and returning once more, feeding it and giving it sustenance had been little trouble if any at all. Yet as thoughts and consciousness seemed to take over, everything that it tried to feed the Sofi only caused the small creature more distress for it refused the sustenance provided. Thus it was put in the strange position it never experienced before as it searched for an alternative to smothering the creature in life energies.

Eventually, it drew upon the same idea as it had with the structures and drew forth the memories the Sofi had of food. Having gained newfound knowledge, it set about prying open the small tears in its prison. Setting its sights on the nurseries of the stars and the spawning of new beings of galactic scale. It utilised the same sorcery that had deposited the Sofi upon it to grasp the very essence of life. It did so in order to sustain its new companion and attempt to reforge the molecules of life into resembling the nutrient forms it could see in the Sofi’s memories.

Though that was done with varying degrees of success, its efforts had not been in vain as over time the small Sofi had settled into a quiet albeit unchanging routine. The small companion now, had become more willing now to just consume whatever it was fed before beginning its daily ritual of wandering aimlessly through the hall and eventually resting. At this accomplishment, it felt a tingle of pride flow through its eye stalks, a feeling it had not felt in a millennia.

It embraced the sensation, and it knew it had already succeeded. The creation of a pawn unaffected by the boundaries of fate that surrounded it, a creature of its own that could act as a vessel for chaos. After all, the other deities and divine beings thrived with the presence of chosen mortals, so too now it had one too. Yet, all was not well for it, for the small Sofi did not understand the words it spoke and was unable to learn. The small creature seemed more damaged every time it had its mind rearranged. Thus it was burdened with a problem, though it had gained a champion, it had no way of filling the empty space inside the vessel with knowledge.

Despite the unfortunate circumstance, it was otherwise quite satisfied with its small companion. A little bit of excitement in the quiet confines of its prison.

As the cosmic nature of emotions ran its course however, over the cycles of the stars it eventually grew curious of the boundaries it could test the creature in. It had decided to test out various attempts at teaching the small creature, to craft a being capable of confronting the divines that had banished it for so long. That was perhaps the greatest mistake it had ever made.

No matter what it did, the small creature would always begin wailing or shrink away whenever it drew near. Eye stalks, limbs and even it itself seemed to trigger the reactions. As however calmly or gently it tried to approach, the Sofi would show extreme amounts of fear and require it to sedate the creature once more. For the first time since it was imprisoned, it felt frustration and malice, emotions that shook the very foundation of reality around it as stars and matter were violently overtaken by the inscrutable moods of it. It refused to believe that there would be no method that would work; neglect before instructions, a failure as the creature grew more sullen; encouragement, failure as the creature ran away from it; automata and puppets, failure as removing the creature from the strands of fate also allowed it to see past the puppets to it; appearing as it once did to the throngs of worshippers, a majestic being that stood above all, failure as the Sofi just cried some more.

It then tried to pamper the small thing, to create more and more intricate mortal structures, crafting towering facsimiles of the things it had seen in its own past in order to spur the creature forward to be more free thinking and curious. Another failure as it continued its quiet wanderings. It then trilled out in anger as it used to be able to look over the legions that served it, countless mortals that turned to it for guidance when now, even this little creature remained defiant.

It was unaware of the small creature that had finally built up the courage to look past the precipice, to finally open the windows of the structures and gaze back at the monster that terrorised her. It only grew aware when it felt the fear, horror and shock that radiated from behind, sending countless eye stalks backwards just to find the little thing staring right at it. But in a surprising display it noted that the Sofi didn’t just stare at it, the creature was actively studying and examining the stars around it as well and committing those pictures to memory before running away from it.

That was when brilliance struck, as the other divines chose their champions in visions and blessings, or the more brutal one’s offering boons for slaughter and sacrifice, it too could try to influence its champion. And upon noticing the Sofi’s horrified but curious expressions it had discovered the perfect way to teach the creature. Thus, whenever the small thing had put herself to sleep, it would broadcast countless visions and messages to it, wrapping Sofi in its tentacles and stalks as it imparted its wisdom. Occasionally, it noticed the flinching and fear holding the transference back. But in its brilliance it soon discovered that the real problem was the size and stature of the creature. It was small, weak and not fully matured and thus unable to fully comprehend the meanings of the great wisdom it was given.

Recognising the futility of its attempt to educate the creature in this prison of frozen time, for its charge would neither be able to grow or mature. It resolved itself to simply care for its new companion until the time would come for her to be returned. For then it would already possess the adequate methods to send messages into the appropriate recesses of the Sofi’s mind. Still, there lingered a sense of foreboding as it could feel the trembling of the void, in its prison where light and dark dissipated, it could feel the shifting tides as divine beings readied for a clash once more. Though when it did not know, it had a feeling that this tiny almost insignificant figure would have a part to play, a part of its design, naturally.

Until then, it too would have to learn. For it to guide its young charge through the world that she would eventually return to, it would have to be able to communicate. Better than it had before in order to deliver more potent doses of wisdom once the portals flared up once more.

Thus, when the nearby star illuminated the boundaries beyond the prison, the young child had crawled unwittingly back up to the window that had once traumatized her as she heard more strange noises once more. With great care and resolve she flung open the window only to find the entity attempting what could only be described as speech.

At the sight of the entity, she jolted to a standstill for a brief moment, faint recollections of the past flickered in her mind but ultimately, she could not remember who she was or why she was there on the window sill unable to leave. Her curiosity soon faded into terror. Her eyes widened as it noticed and stared back at her. Great lumbering tentacles and eye stalks turning to face the new intrusion. In her fright she simply trembled in place until it grew close enough that she could see each and every pore on its leathery membrane covered skin, awaiting judgment when it finally uttered the first words she could recall in this frigid realm.

Hello…

It trilled with a voice that rumbled the very heavens as it entered into her mind like the echoes of a star erupting from within. A voice that emanated from the maw of a mouth that tore and vibrated with every movement sending flecks of slime and strange liquids flying into the void beyond. A voice so clear that every other sound or sensation was overwhelmed by the raw power which left the entity.

Sofi.

A voice that spoke a name.