60 A Possibly Impossible Meeting

"Hello old friend. It has been an age since we last had a nice chatter." A playful voice resounded in the nothingness.

"Aye, 'twas not since the last trial." Another voice sounded, this one seeming more wisened and archaic, compared to the exuberance of the former.

Words echoed off of a detached void, yet not any form of communication which is to be understood by mortals. Two entities conversed in a formless manner.

"Oh, I am positively thrilled to see what wonders shall come about! I do think that this one has potential but, without necessary sacrifice, none shall pass."

"Az'it has been, az'it always will be."

The two entities drifted into silence, before the second's words began filling the void once more.

"How're the creations?"

"It seems they've grown quite nicely. The unexpected trip which one embarked on was a bit worrying at first but it ultimately worked for their benefit. It went so well that I'd say that it was meant to be."

"And what of the others?"

"One has had a gifted upbringing, but that is to be expected from how they began. The other's yet to meet their potential, but they will."

"Aren'cha worried of that one's stability?"

"Stability? Why whatever could you mean?"

"They're firm in'tha belief that the gifted power is a curse, not training in the correct manner. Won't they perish?"

"Ha! Death?! I don't even know if it's possible for them to die! Out of the three, that one has the greatest gift! After all, there was no energy needed to change their soul structure nor create them a body or even transport them back into the world. Without any of that to worry about, I could pour unreasonable amounts of energy into their gift!"

"Aye, except, as I've spoken, they believe it to be, not a gift, but a curse."

"They don't know any better. Soon they will understand and, with nigh-invincibility by their side, they will forever rise to greater heights under the tutelage of the guide and gateway."

Again, the void was blanketed in a silence that was always so before a speech that cannot exist by normal means, filled it once more.

"And what of the world?"

"What of it?"

"Will it thrive?" Enquired the second, in an even tone not befitting the weight of the question they asked.

"I've given all I'm obligated to give." The first's voice, now devoid of any of its previous banter, a cold, uncaring, unforgiving inevitability, resounded. "The major players each have a chance. Now, they will either rise, unite, and ascend, earning their place, or be consumed like so many before them."

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Standing atop the wall which protected the human base, John gazed out towards the horizon and glimpsed yet another side effect of the distant calamity.

A beast wave, most likely caused by creatures who lost their homes, due to the expansion and fear of the mist, heading directly towards them.

The only silver lining to this dire situation was that the beasts seemed to be fleeing rather than attacking so, with a little persuasion, they should be able to avoid any major damage to the base.

"You think this is why the monster numbers have dropped? They all ran to join the horde?" Asked Michael.

"Yes and no." Replied Tycheros, "the monsters might have had some method to detect the danger in the distance so a lot headed away from it, but this horde," he gestured towards the stampede in the distance, "is just due to the number who were between us and the mist all fleeing in the same direction. The rest would've ran away from us which is why the populations started going down"

"Wish they'd form a parade elsewhere." Muttered Joey, not appreciating the constant danger they'd been subjected to ever since they first explored that dog infested town. "I swear we were cursed by a demon when we entered that damn town."

The others let out a light chuckle at the claim. There had been no confirmations that demons, or angels for that matter, existed since the system appeared, though they wouldn't be surprised to find some red skinned man spouting fire and claiming to be a demon lord at this point.

"I just hope the first demon I encounter is a succubus…" muttered Michael, half to himself but not quite quiet enough for the others to not pick up on it.

Suddenly met with the judging gazes of his comrades, Michael sputtered to make an excuse, but ultimately failed and hung his head with embarrassment eliciting a chuckle from the group.

But with imminent danger literally looming over the horizon, they couldn't afford to waste too much time.

"They're estimated to arrive in a couple of hours. Now would be a good time for any last minute preparations and a wink of sleep." Stated John, already walking past his companions towards the stairs leading off the wall.

The strange status effect had been bothering him and he was eager to be alone so he could think about what to do. After all this time, the number had risen from 4 to 5 and, despite not feeling any different, he was increasingly on edge. Even after trying to figure it out, he just didn't have enough information to go on and, all too soon, the wave had arrived.