Weaving Fates — Chapter III.
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The obliteration of their brethren resonated through the shared connection of the omnimorphs. A long shadow now fell over Nul Khronos as the weight of the loss became palpable, a hush filling the high stone walls of the sacred city. Welling up beneath the agony of separation was a shared understanding of the circumstances and their implications — If action was not taken, the light of our universe would be extinguished by the dark maw before them. Through their fallen kin, they had felt the inky depths of the necromorphs, primeval and opaque, any insight quashed by the abyss of their presence. Until the omnimorphs understood more they could take no action against them. Preparation was the only option, not just for them but for the worlds under their guidance and protection.
The scale of the universe would require them to focus their efforts. The galactic clusters that would become the first point of contact were at the greatest risk, so it was these civilizations cradled within the billions of star systems that would take precedence. A seemingly impossible task, manual exploration was out of the question. The Ancients had long ago overcome this obstacle with an unusual invention. Deep within the caverns of Nul Khronos, seemingly carved out of the very stone it sat upon, was a strange and complex relic. It was an apparatus designed to detect the light of consciousness, like a beacon, emanating from planets that held burgeoning civilizations. Through its mechanical center flowed a suspended stream of a bizarre and inky substance, one that flowed like liquid and writhed like a smoke imbued with life. Speculations around it had long been whispered through the halls of Nul Khronos. Some believed it to have been created by the sacrifice of their own, their minds still churning and watching from within the machine. Only The Ancients knew for certain. The twisting river coursed through the air forming an archway over the device with a perfect sphere hovering beneath it. One that looked like white marble and moved like mercury. The artifact in its entirety was dubbed the Anum Optica.
Descending into the vast and fluorescent cave system many omnimorphs gathered around its edges, a single Ancient of Grace and Wisdom taking their place at each end of the vertical stream. Gently, they allowed their hands to be immersed in the current, almost seeming to merge with it as the ether of their very forms began to shift and flow in fractalated patterns. The strange sphere, suspended, began to shift and change with veins and edges of gilded gold. Suddenly from the ethereal flesh of The Ancients, familiar forms began to emerge from the fractals. Galaxies began to take shape, delicate spirals and brilliant ellipses shone to life, and from each one thin and luminous threads extended outward ad infinitum. The light of each thread was unique to the civilization it shone from and so the omnimorphs surrounding the Two Ancients carefully cataloged the locations and qualities of each. This process seemed to carry on endlessly as images of the cosmos flashed through the bodies of the ones communing with the Anum Optica.
Suddenly the images froze and that same wretched stillness from above crept into the cavern. They had noticed something…something subtle…but strange. From beyond the edge of our universe, something was interacting with these delicate fibers of consciousness, almost imperceptibly. As if each one was the silk of a cosmic web echoing the gentle vibrations of vulnerability to the spider at its center… and the spider had taken notice.
The Ancients set to studying these anomalous interactions, the effects seeming to carry down to the fragile worlds themselves. Though difficult to discern, it was as if the necromorphs were attempting to influence the psyches of these civilizations, but for what purposes remained to be seen. The Ancient of Wisdom had begun to focus on one planet in particular one that appeared to have the vast and unusual potential for both creation and destruction, one he felt drawn to. It was on the cusp of awakening if only the minds of its people could weave into a cohesive tapestry. A small blue pearl nestled near the edge of its celestial spiral, Earth.
The awakening of worlds begins with individuals and if they succeed the actions of the few can resonate across a civilization. Although individuals open their eyes throughout a planet’s history, one must be in the right time and place for a large-scale shift, a world must be ripe for it. As The Ancient of Wisdom observed the world in greater detail, he soon realized there existed a fleeting opportunity for such an awakening on Earth, but he would have to act immediately. All of it hinged on the actions of a young boy, a wayward wanderer, and the fortuitous meeting with a soul that had awakened long ago. Wisdom set off to Earth hoping he could help align these paths, humanities very existence depended upon it…
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