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To burn away the old, rebuilding it anew. Countless years ago, a terrible war came for the ancient Primordials, casting down their once believed immovable dominance and securing the rise of a new empire. The Ether was fractured, broken into numerous pieces as peace was hard-fought. Thrown into this new hectic land, Deus must come to wield an unexplained power, one that threatens both his sanity and life simply to use. If he wishes to survive, he must learn not only how to harness this strength but how to grow and expand it, altering the path of those around him. What he doesn't know is that he's found himself involved in a terrifying plot hosted by those demons of old, a game of sorts to decide the fate of Midnight. Does Deus have what it takes to survive, or has he found himself trapped in a plot he has no hope of escaping? ———————————— Note: This story has a slow-build and takes awhile for the pace to get going. If that isn't your thing, this may not be for you. Heavy emphasis on world-building and character creation and progression. Release schedule! I don't have any specific schedule, and every time I make one it tends to end in tripping myself up after a few weeks. I will do everything in my power to release frequently enough, though. Seeing comments and support help dearly, and absolutely give me that kick of inspiration I need to keep going. I'd release more often, but it typically takes me well over 10+ hours to complete a single chapter when I aim for 2-2.5k words, and that doesn't include major post-writing proofing and plot-hole checks. I'd post more frequently if I had more time, but the day only has so many hours in it. If you find any plot-holes or inconsistencies, I'd love to hear about them. Hit me up for a shout-out in my author's notes! —————————————————— I write as a hobby, not professionally. Maybe one day. —————————————————— Tags: Fantasy, Light Sci-fi, National Wars, Magic, Demons, Supernatural, No Romance Plot, Secret Organizations, Technology, Light Steampunk, No-Harems, Male Lead Characters, Strong Male and Female Characters, City Construction/Founding, Deep-Lore, and more.
A heavy stench of metallic blood filled the air, spreading this aroma of death throughout the locked containment capsule. With it, a haze of mist and shadow seemed to hang heavily like a coat, wafting through the empty air, slowly corroding away at everything in sight.
Facing one side of the room laid an older man, his innards carved out as his blood painted the walls behind him. The man's consciousness had already left his mangled body.
Against the other stood a younger man—nearly skin and bones. His face was hidden in silhouetted shadows, while markings resembling lightning were etched across his back and arms.
"Let me out..." The man begged, his eyes showing signs of disorientation as he fell towards the wall in a fit, "You don't ha-have to keep doing this... you can let me go..."
From overhead, a monotone voice spoke, "Our apologies, but that is not possible. Transfer commencing according to all prior protocols. All prerequisites have been met, confirmation with Administrative assets has been confirmed."
Countless beeping tones sounded, blaring throughout the capsule room.
"Beginning Transfer. Have a safe journey, Experiment XZ. May you find what we've been searching for."
"No!" The man screamed, scraping his nails bloody against the walls of the room as everything began to undergo a heavy quake. The entire capsule shook violently as all sorts of alarms blared off in the background.
Just as suddenly as the room shook, everything suddenly froze. An air of calmness melted through the walls, spreading at the speed of light.
"Are you awake?" The sudden words startled him. "It's quite a surprise, you know... I never would've thought they'd try to send someone else. Some poor, unlucky soul. Well, enough of that... Allow me to be the first to welcome you."
A genderless voice vibrated through the capsule as the mist faded. Nearly everything within the capsule seemed to have evaporated into sheer nothingness. Even the body of the previously grotesque old man had vanished into thin air. All that remained was the lone man as he pushed himself further against the wall, rubbing his shoulder across the blood from his prior spat.
"W-who are you?" He looked around, unable to see anyone. "Where..."
"Not now, child. The answers you seek and more await you, but not yet. Allow me to explain one thing, however, for you see you're currently in what's known as Juxtaposition, others refer to it simply as Transfer... but I tend to find such a name boring. You see, you're like an idea that hasn't been thought of yet. You're being split, moved, from one point of Everything to another point, known as Ether, or... Everything Else."
"I don't... understand."
A dark and sinister chortle began to rupture through the air.
"Of course not, why would you? It's such an unimaginable concept actually, so how could you, one of such limited mental capacity be able to know what this all means? Oh, don't get me wrong... eventually you'll know what's needed, but for now just know you're no longer where you once were... nor are you whom you once were, in a way."
"Please... who put me here?" The demented man had finally begun to calm himself down as his eyes darted around the room. Now that his mind was clearer, he had plenty of questions that needed answers.
"It seems you've relaxed a bit, that's good... you'll need that mannerism if you intend to move forward from now on. Allow me to elaborate a bit. You've been placed in that place, from what I've come to understand, to achieve the will of those who put you there in the first place. What do they need? I'm unaware, but I'm sure you'll find your answer eventually, as long as you survive long enough."
"Wait, survive? You mean I could... die?"
"Well, of course. Everything dies, eventually. Even the limitless self-proclaimed immortals die, they've just never died before. The universe itself dies, all life dies. Everything dies."
The man was shocked, his eyes gaped as he spoke, "Wait, isn't this new place... everything else?"
"Hah, you're a clever one. Well, you're partially right, you see—" The capsule shook as a flash of light shot past. "Ah, it seems you've arrived, we'll have to continue this discussion at a later date. In the meantime, I suggest you prepare yourself. Oh yes, another thing, and this is very important."
The dark voice paused for a moment as if to taste the very air itself.
"Never, under any circumstances should you admit to being from outside this place, those here won't appreciate it. Not one bit. What you find here will be determined by you... my best advice to you would be this... never lose who you are, for this place will transform you if you're not careful."
"Wait, what do you me-mean by transform?"
As the voice slowly faded away, one last thing could be heard. "Beware the Noctis, for the many-voiced devil seeks your power. Your potential."
Just as soon as the voice arrived it also vanished, fading away as if it were nothing but an echo.
The systems throughout the capsule returned. The room returned to normalcy, allowing the man, Experiment XZ, practically his first glance around the room since coming to his senses.
It was all too sterile as if scrubbed only moments ago. The sensation of worry he had only a few seconds ago had vanished as his mind cleared, allowing one thought after another to return to him. 'What sort of place was this?' 'Who was I just speaking to?' These were the sort of questions that occupied his mind.
The most important question of all, however, seemed to be one in particular. One question that stayed in the back of his mind as the capsule swayed about slightly.
'Wait, who am I?'
