He had made it So he looked around careful this time to limit his exacting senses in their scope
Randidly found himself standing in a luminous starfield with nebulas rotating slowly above and comets drifting sluggishly below He floated in the middle of spaceÆ in its most stereotypical awe inspiring form Yet that was just the beginning of the sensations that rushed to tantalize him In a more than physical way he felt very very small
Congratulations Your Skill Arch HereticÆs Thaumaturgy has grown to Level 1943
Congratulations Your Skill Emerald Eyes and Dove Whispers Certify the Objective 1809
The small hole in the depths of his Nether Core hinted at it but the outer multiverse was filled with movement and force from a billion conflicting ideologies None were manifesting close to him but Randidly could vaguely feel the shadows from those entities populating the Sea of Statues stretching in every direction The grouping of gleaming stars to his left had a stale scent of bone dust and stone crypts Below him amongst the asteroid belts he felt an almost overwhelming urge to grow and procreate reaching up from fields and fields of mutated plant life
Congratulations Your Skill Emerald Eyes and Dove Whispers Certify the Objective 1857
A surly red dwarf behind Randidly rang with the clang of hammers and unending fire He felt a nebulous feeling of unreality from one glittering cloud of celestial debris all dreamscapes and swirling kaleidoscopes One cluster of three tiny moons released a piercing craving for a sword strong enough to cleave apart the fabric of space Each of these represented at least a single universe with many housing multiple even hundreds of universes making the shadow of the statues darker and more weighty in this outer multiverse
Randidly chewed on his lips as he considered the vast expanse of power he sensed in every direction Tch guess itÆs a bit much to expect me to waddle out of the Nexus as a heavyweight fighter Laplace is an Eternity that wasnÆt even strong enough to possess his own universe ThatÆs why he was desperate enough to invade the Nexus with his actual body
Still the multiverse around Randidly was rather inert for the fearsome wider domain that had repeatedly attempted to invade the Nexus The areas of influence of the varying statues were clearly defined but Randidly didnÆt see another living being in the area Or traveling in the channels between these zones Which at least meant that maybe this would be a bit easier than he had
Just as Randidly allowed his tense muscles to relax with relief a notification popped up in front him
Welcome to the purview of Providence Examining parameters
New User noted Scanning Identity set as Randidly Ghosthound Please proceed to your nearest Hub in order to register your Identity within the official Providence System Unregistered Users will experience restrictions to their capabilities until they comply
Establishing restrictions on new user
Pine hated them just a little bit as he looked at them He blinked his eyes rapidly Where were the answers when I needed help
His mood quickly soured even as the Engraving grew larger and larger the momentum of change more and more powerful It hummed up through the ground and through PineÆs legs Because right next to them stretched an overwhelming threat
The dark subconscious of the Nexus had spatial cracks undulating and crackling around it like tentacles It inched closer no longer just falling swelling to press against more and more of the Nexus in every direction Those few golden sparks that were unfortunate enough to tumble toward the darkness were devoured
Even worse Pine could feel the souls from within the subconscious He remained connected to them all even if his flight from Laplace had severed a portion of that sensitivity
Yet they shouted and screamed Their emotional demands racked across his psyche Those dead souls so long trapped frothed at the mouth to escape His hunger came from a physiological place but this this was something deeper and darker Disappointment and resentment had transformed hunger into weapons that would destroy as much as they could manage
Even just to be acknowledged
PineÆs fur stood on end Just like with the development of Fates he could feel himself shrinking away from the present withdrawing into himself Even though he was briefly sated staring that wild hunger in the face reminded him what he would need to encounter in the future just to survive Please I donÆt have anything more to give
ItÆs normal to be afraid
Pine hopped sideways He hadnÆt expected the GhosthoundÆs Soulbound companion Neveah to turn up next to him her fingers smoking vaguely from recent Engravings He spared her a glance and hunched his shoulders Pine decided denying he was afraid was pointless This is not about fear
You donÆt want to help us Do you disagree with our goals then Neveah tilted her head to the side
Your goals Pine shivered as a particularly dense wave of entropy scythed through the edge of the Engraving area and hit the group A split second later the roots running through the whole of the Engraving released an indignant pulse The Engraving spun and grew larger The geyser of golden sparks began to flow in particular patterns forming a better defensive barrier
Pine shook his head I have no issue with your intentions However my own place in your new order I am not sure
Pine trailed off staring into the looming darkness Perhaps because of the lights helixing up in the foreground the backdrop of oblivion felt so stark And so peaceful A peace he dearly craved after having pounds of his flesh ripped away for so long by greed By suffering in silence with only his hunger for company
He stared at the darkness and believed with his whole heart that it would just be easier this way
Neveah stepped in front of him The truth is Pine you donÆt know what you want do you
I want a cessation of pain
NeveahÆs eyes crinkled Not a true desire but a reaction driven by base survival instincts Something bigger Bigger than all the other things what do you want
To go back before I ruined it all Pine thought miserably He remembered his mother and father and even if the hunger was fearsome back then he at least had them
After a few moments of silence Neveah scratched PineÆs head Come with me Let me show you what I desire
Chapter 2457
Randidly Ghosthound waited for the representatives of the Providence Squad to arrive with his head held high
His mind remained torn in a thousand different directions He spewed out huge currents of Aether and Nether more every second as he paid the bill for the Nexus renovation Neveah had structured He ignored the tugs on his consciousness to fix the flaws in time He felt Neveah and PineÆs movements as she steadily convinced him even while the universe soul still carried a deep icicle of depression that left the fabric of the universe chilled His Nether Core whirled so quickly he wondered if the actual physical heart located in the core of Kharon AcademyÆs Labyrinth had turned molten
All of it eroded him in the smallest bits Yet he had experienced a version of this a half dozen times with the Visage of Obsession And if anything the process felt cleaning He forgot he housed a universe he held a half finished Samsara event that he was just a projected being generated to protect the Alpha Cosmos
His heart beat quickly feeling real in his chest His name was Randidly Ghosthound and he housed a manic glee as the unknown approached
The Alchemist calculated the likely outcomes Yggdrasil creaked and groaned as it released all of its pent up growth and thickened its canopy The Songstress of Absence sang and sang and sang working herself up for this grand finale
Tiamat Dread Chimera and Grey Fear looked at Randidly with its focus on another matter Can you feel them coming
The starfield around him glittered silent and imposing Yet even as that approaching blazing star resolved itself into a flaming chariot with wheels as large as mountain ranges the shadow of the approaching figures pressed against him It was not just history or density of Nether than leaned against him but also the presence of their Vessels which could only have been refined through multiple Pinnacle events rivaling his own