Chapter 5: Hastur

The arrival of the baptism plunged the world into utter chaos, unleashing catastrophic disasters on planetary levels. It seemed as though the very elements of the Earth had turned against its inhabitants. Nations that had existed for thousands of years were engulfed by raging infernos, obliterated by heat waves and electrical storms, or swallowed by the abyssal depths of the ocean, never to be seen again. The cataclysm claimed the lives of both humans and beasts by the millions.

Humanity, for the first time, stood at the brink of extinction.

Amidst the pandemonium, colossal sinkholes suddenly manifested all over the world. These dark chasms appeared as portals to the underworld, connecting the shattered world to an unfathomable abyss that seemed to hold the key to the planet's fate. The sinkholes unleashed torrents of water, which ignited into fiery magma as the amethyst rain continued to descend.

As if the situation couldn't deteriorate further, a series of quakes shook the Earth. But this time, from the depths of the magma-spewing voids emerged towering structures, blacker than the night itself. These enigmatic towers ascended toward the sky, casting an otherworldly splendor that left onlookers in awe.

[The Tower of Champions has emerged!]

Both men and beasts who hadn't been devoured by the natural calamities received the system message. Though they couldn't fathom what lay behind the obsidian walls, their instincts screamed that it was their sole chance for survival. Thus, a frenzied race to the towers commenced.

In the far reaches of the Sahara, Scott lay on his back, observing the furious elements rend the heavens asunder. Tremors and surging waves filled his ears, but the battered student could only gaze at the rupturing skies, occasionally coughing blood.

How could they do this to me? He couldn't recall how he had ended up in this desolate wasteland, but he would never forget Omar's soulless eyes, even if he wanted to. Tears streamed down his face, his eyes turning bloodshot as he continued to cough up blood. How is this fair? Scott bit his lower lip, the hauntingly vengeful gazes of his classmates replaying in his mind. To say he felt wronged was a colossal understatement. After all, they had chosen to punish him for the sins committed by another version of himself.

A clear ding resounded in his ears, and another system panel appeared before his eyes.

[You have acquired new abnormal stats!]

"Open my status window," Scott commanded in his mind.

[Champion Interface]

{Basic Stats:}

Name: Scott Dorsey

Level: 1

Experience Points: 0/100

Mana Points: 60/60

Race: Human

Class: None!

Level 2 in two Skills is the minimum threshold for class advancement.

{Physical Stats:}

Strength: 1 (-9 due to current physical condition)

Agility: 0 (-8 due to current physical condition)

Endurance: 14 (+2 due to current physical condition)

Dexterity: 0 (-6 due to current physical condition)

Toughness: 6 (+1 due to current physical condition)

{Abnormal Stats:}

Envy: 20

Loyalty: 75 (-5 due to current mental condition)

Perception: 20 – New!

Will power: 10 – New!

{Quests:}

Main Quest: Enter the Tower of Champions – On going!

Side Quest: Complete the first baptism – On going!

"I won't forgive any of those assholes," Scott cursed bitterly from the depths of his heart.

The tremors and crashing waves had gotten louder, closer even. However, it didn't bother him, whatever calamity approached. Death, after all, was inevitable in his current condition. He was already suffering, another hour or two would change nothing.

As his vision began to fade, a chaotic mix of emotions besieged his heart. Bitterness, confusion, and hatred mingled within him, threatening to engulf his very being. But he couldn't tear his gaze away from the chaotic skies above, where the heavens churned and twisted, revealing a portal to the void. Massive, writhing tendrils, each one capable of consuming the Earth whole, coiled, and thrashed within the primordial abyss. The tentacles seemed to consume ancient, burning stars, shattering them to pieces with but a mere wave.

The universe, once a vast and awe-inspiring expanse, now seemed minuscule in comparison to the monstrous tentacles.

Scott bled from both eyes; the writhing appendages unlike anything he had ever seen. Eldritch in nature and reeking of an otherworldly aura. Scott was transfixed, unable to look away as the ambiguous monstrosity devoured star after star, its insatiable hunger seemingly unquenchable.

Even the rupturing of several veins couldn't peel his eyes away from the chaos unfolding above; watching as the eldritch horror shifted and changed, morphing into an even more unfathomable form. It was now a writhing mass of flesh, bone, and sinew, pulsating with an ungodly energy that threatened to tear the very fabric of reality asunder.

Scott trembled, his mind recoiled at the sight, struggling to comprehend the sheer magnitude of the horror before him.

It was then that the human realized that he was not alone in his terror. Other beings, each as small and insignificant as he was, gazed upon the monstrous entity in awe and horror. They were scattered across the cosmos, witnessing the same horror. For a moment, the human felt a sense of camaraderie with these other beings, united in their terror of the unknown.

But the moment was fleeting, and the horror before him remained as inscrutable and incomprehensible as ever. The eldritch abomination continued its rampage, devouring stars and reshaping the fabric of the universe as it pleased. One after the other, these tiny spectators disappeared. Scott could only watch in mute horror as the universe was consumed, inch by inch, until it was only him left.

In the vast emptiness of the void, Scott stood face to face with a figure in flashing yellow. The vast emptiness had devoured all his emotions, leaving only his curiosity as he stared at the strange being. Although it was not humanoid, it felt familiar to him.

Mirrors, countless as infinite stars, opened in the abyss, each reflecting an image of its own. Scott's attention shifted from the figure in yellow; the remains of his bleeding eyes fixated on the screens.

No matter how far away one mirror was, he could see them from where he stood, and each mirror reflected a version of himself from what seemed to be alternate timelines.

An older version of himself hiked through a thick forest while smoking a fat cigar; waving at a young man who looked just like him. They hunted together as a father and son would, while enjoying the serenity of the wild.

Another version stood before a multitude of reporters, proudly raising his country's flag amid the roars of thousands of spectators. Another sat under the starry night, lips locked with a woman he recognized, but couldn't recall her name. Other versions of himself were dying in various ways, including suicide, while another version plagued with hideous mutations fought for survival against some familiar faces. In another scene, he was blind but could experience a new world through auditory waves.

A myriad lifetime worth of experiences filled his mind all at once. Scott's eyes shattered, yet he felt no pain. The blindness had taken the mirrors, but he could still see the figure in yellow. The being reached out and touched his empty eye sockets, filling them with a yellowish swirling mass that formed a brand-new pair of eyes. An ancient pattern flickered deep within the pupils, before disappearing like it had never existed.

For the first time, Scott felt his consciousness fade away. But it wasn't death, for that was too peaceful. This was madness; madness so pure it had taken form.

His consciousness withered further, reaching the verge of destruction. Then, a whisper escaped from the abyss. The voice filled with primordial terror roused the human's feeble mind.

"Say my name."

A name filled Scott's mind, and he opened his mouth. "Hastur," he called out.

Silence enveloped the abyss. The figure in yellow and the infinite mirrors had disappeared, but the shattered universe and its countless creations had returned.