Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Terrible to see you again

A familiar jingle rang in Noah’s mind, as his eyes snapped open. He looked around, finding himself standing in a familiar Arcade center. It was hard to forget his Astral space, but the sudden shift still left him jarred for a moment.

“Good morning Sleeping Beauty. I can’t say I’m pleased to see you,” Dylan said.

Noah watched the manager reclining on his leather sofa, with a bowl of nachos in his hands. Other similar bowls, wrappers and packages were scattered in a mess nearby as the giant screen played an old documentary on World War 2 from Earth.

“Why am I here?” Noah asked, looking down at himself in confusion. It took him a moment to remember he didn’t have a left hand. The only indication of such being the transparent ghost like appendage where his left arm was. Noah looked at his hand, before clasping it with his other hand. It was physical, as material as it could be, like he’d never lost it in the first place. There was no difference Noah could feel between it and his real arm.

“I think you know why you’re here,” Dylan replied, taking another nacho chip from his bowl and biting into it. “Have I told you that your world is fascinating? Distantly removed into the third layer of cosmos, with the Veil so heavily present on it that no magic could seep through, yet just as violent as any other I’ve known, if not more. Perhaps the nature of mortals simply doesn’t change.”

Noah walked up to Dylan, trying to take in everything. “How did you get access to these?”

“The Astral Script is connected to your soul, so obviously it could take information from stuff you knew, or were connected to. I hadn’t expected my stay here to go on for much longer, so I had merely been trying to consume as much knowledge as I could,” Dylan said, changing the channel from a remote he manifested out of thin air, as the screen began to play a sitcom from the late 90s.

“You didn’t expect me to survive?” Noah asked, though the fact didn’t really surprise him. Dylan had never been co-operative or happy to be here.

“No. I had not. Perhaps congratulations are in order. You surpassed my expectations,” the manager said, eyes not leaving the screen.

“Have you been trying to sabotage me all this time then?” Noah said, grabbing the remote from Dylan’s hand. Before he could turn the display off, he realised the device had no buttons on it whatsoever.

“It’s thought controlled, and that was rude,” Dylan said with a click of his tongue. Putting his bowl of Nachos aside, he pulled himself up from the sofa as Noah turned off the sitcom with its horrendous laugh track.

“And to answer your question, no I was not. The pact will not allow it. But that does not mean I cannot hope for your demise,” Dylan replied with a shrug. “It’s also fun to place bets on how badly you’ll mess up. That said, I still hadn’t expected quite this much.”

Noah cringed as Dylan gestured at his arm.

“Regardless. There are things we need to discuss,” Dylan said. The tone of his voice shifted, taking on the same flat inhuman infliction it did before. But this time, with ice seeped into it. “Specifically, the quest you so wilfully unlocked. You can’t just go and destroy the Abyssal Cult.”

“Perhaps I should be flattered that you believe I’m capable of it,” Noah said, thinking over the question as he did.

“I don’t. But my beliefs do not matter here.”

“If I got the quest, then it is not violating the pact. I don’t see why I can’t then?” Noah said, raising an eyebrow. In truth, he had no idea whether the quest unlock meant his pact was violated or not. But he was willing to take a gamble.

Dylan remained silent for a moment. “Name your price,” he said, in the next moment.

“Excuse me?”

“What would you need to give up on this quest?” Dylan asked, frowning. “The Abyssal cult are mortals that may not directly be linked to the void, but they have their use. It would be annoying if you went and destroyed them.”

“I’m not sure I need to care. Sounds like a you problem.”

Dylan looked at Noah, holding his stare with a blank expression at his words. Noah met the man’s eyes, not blinking back.

“You’re being difficult.”

“Maybe you should’ve been nicer if you didn’t want me to be.”

“Every human has a price. It doesn’t have to be money. People, loved ones, wishes, desires, dreams. Everyone has one. Tell me something I can give you, and let this go. There will always be suffering in the world, inflicted by others. That is merely the nature of mortals. How many will you kill, how many will you try to protect? You’re just one person. You cannot change the way the world works.”

“Then how come you’re afraid of me trying?” Noah said, smiling.

Dylan looked at Noah, slightly in surprise now.

“I’m not sure why you care so much Dylan. Doesn’t the void have many cults? Given the fact that I have void powers and Aurelia didn’t seem to bat an eyelash, they don’t seem to be outright taboo. Just the Abyssal cult itself. Why then do you care so much? Those guys didn’t look like they knew what the void wanted, or that it even wanted something. They were merely looking for power.”

“That is just how humans work,” Dylan replied.

“Not all of them,” Noah shot back.

“You’re a fool. You do not count.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“A fool that’s more important than everyone else in that cult you so dearly want to protect from scary old me,” Noah replied.

For the first time since Noah had met Dylan, he sighed. “What would it take for you to reconsider?”

“I’d like to know why the Abyssal cult is so important first,” Noah said.

Another moment of silence, before Dylan nodded.

“Very well. You’ve already seen the void itself. To be more specific, the Astral realm where all Void mana comes from. Creatures of the void reside in this place, but it is not the only place where they live. Pockets of void exist in physical realms. These locations are called the Abyss, and it is what these cultists draw power from. The Abyss spreads, it leaks the void into reality, consuming it, and allowing the creatures from within the Astral reach into the physical realms. We provide strength to the cultists that, and they work to expand the Abyss into the physical realms.”

“So, you give power to any that ask, without any regard for the consequences they may cause.”

“What mortals do is none of our concern,” Dylan replied. Noah didn’t pursue, but the frown on his brows deepened.

“Why does it matter that the Abyss expand itself?” Noah asked.

“It is the void’s nature to consume. There is no evil or good in it. It is simply what it is.”

“Perhaps. But that still doesn’t justify the suffering I saw. That I felt,” Noah replied, more anger leaking in his voice than he had anticipated.

“And you’ve had your revenge. Of a man you never knew, and had no connection with. But you’ve still had it. I see no reason for you to still care so much.”

“I guess that’s the difference between us,” Noah replied.

“You have heard of the nature of the Abyss. Now, tell me, what would make you reconsider your choice?” Dylan asked, changing the topic.

“Nothing. Nothing will make me reconsider Dylan. I will destroy the Abyssal Cult. Whether it be in a year, or ten. I don’t know. I don’t have a plan, or any fixed goals in mind. But I know that I won’t sit still if I see something like this happening again,” Noah declared, looking into Dylan’s eyes.

“What about the children then?” Dylan asked. “Do you think the cults only have adults? There are entire families of children that the mortals have raised with twisted beliefs and ideologies. From all I’ve seen, it is not looked kindly to kill an immature mortal spawn. But will you do it?”

Noah paused, hesitating. “I’ll judge them for myself, and see if they can be helped or not.”

“But that will not make them stop being cultists. You cannot be there for all of them. And if you take them to Hellion, they will simply be killed for their crime of working in cohorts with the Abyss and the Void.”

“I’ll make them abandon their path then.”

“It is not that simple. An oath comes with a cost. And what if they refuse? Will you kill them then? New members will join too. So long as the power exists, those that desire it will seek it out. Your attempt is futile. There is a reason your task is impossible.”

Noah paused, unable to come up with a reply. He frowned, thinking in silence. What could he do? He knew Dylan was trying to discourage him, but he also knew it was a fact that he was just a single person and could not be everywhere and stop everyone.

“I don’t care,” Noah replied. “It doesn’t matter if I don’t succeed. All that matters is that I do something. The task being insurmountable is no excuse to not even attempt to make a difference.”

“You’re a fool indeed,” Dylan replied.

“Perhaps. But I dislike when meaningless suffering is inflicted upon others. I’ve seen it far too often, in my own life, in the lives of others I cared about. Those with power, refusing to help those without. I don’t want to be someone like that,” Noah said. “Not to mention, I have a plan now.”

Noah was pleased to see the confused expression on Dylan’s face.

“The abyssal cult requires an Oath to the void, doesn’t it?” Noah said. “It’s an oath to the void, and the creatures of the Abyss. The same void, and it’s creatures that are bound to me by my pact.”

Dylan frowned.

“By extension, the members of the Abyssal cult are bound to me as well. And if so, then I will have authority over their oath. And the ability to transfer or change it. The Pact of the Voidborne will allow me command,” Noah said.

Dylan didn’t reply.

“So… what if I convert these people? Change their oath by modifying it with a greater one to me. I don’t even have to do it all by myself. As long as I have the ability, and people can know, that there is another path. Another option. To have a chance to redeem themselves. To have a chance to change their Paths. That’s all that’ll be needed,” Noah said, and his proclamation was met with confirmation by the Astral Script.

New Quest obtained!

Quest: A New Void

You’ve embarked upon a Path to create a new Oath, and save those that you deem redeemable from the clutches of the vicious oaths of the Abyss, and the merciless justice of Hellion.

Objective: Form a new Path

Difficulty: Extremely Hard

Reward: Unknown

Dylan stared at Noah. “You’re mad,” he whispered. “Do you know what that even means? You want to be a god?”

Noah shrugged. “Sounds like a respectable goal, doesn’t it?”

Dylan went silent, as if unable to understand how this conversation had taken this turn. “You tread on dangerous grounds, Noah Brown. The Path you have chosen? It will enrage the gods, and bring their wrath upon you, should they ever take note.”

Noah smiled. “Enraging gods and treading on dangerous grounds seems to be my whole thing now.”

Dylan looked at Noah, before nodding. “I see that your mind is made. Very well. I did all I could. It has been terrible to see you again Noah.”

Noah nodded. “You too,” he replied. A way marked with a Neon sign labelled ‘Exit’ led the way out. Noah walked through the gate, before abruptly he felt the floor vanish from beneath him.

With the sensation of falling, he jerked, and a moment later, he was awake.