Year Eight Part Three

-???-

According to the cosmology of H. P. Lovecraft, there is a place beyond space and time, beyond dimensions mathematical and ethereal in which the only rules are the ones we make.

Sadly and luckily for I, in this oh so minuscule multiverse, there is no place like that.

But there is a realm of dreams, a land where, though it is hard to influence the waking world, it remains a powerful tool for a god.

I stopped my growth long ago now, and that is for two reasons. Firstly, It's unnecessary. I have enough power to deal with anything that could be a problem for now.

The second reason is a little less reasonable yet the primary driving factor of my decision. As I said, I share my father's disdain for unneeded effort. I do not see the need to keep up an action that requires active thinking when I could simply not do that.

I seek to bring peace and contentment to all things that submit to me, to be a god of… Rest. Requiem. Too simple a name but I'll keep it in mind. My point is that a god of rest doing more than what he needs to is… Blasphemous.

Therefore instead, I have shifted my focus upon my innate abilities. The void is clearly powerful, it allows me to shape it as I deem fit and use it as a tool for any purpose I could have. Like the solid light of a lantern ring. I can make blades and shields, portals from anywhere to anywhere I've already been… But by itself, it's not enough power to stand my ground in this multiverse.

Luckily, I'm naturally attuned to the magical energies of the universe. They are inherently different to void but oh the things they allow one to do…

So with all of that power, I have effectively breached my mind into the realm of dreams. It was time to move onto the next part of my plan. For a god requires worshipers.

With that understanding, I learned to work according to the rules of the dream. Without touching or messing with anything, I have explored as much as I could of it's ever changing landscapes of dread and fantasy. At times lively and full of life, unspeakable pleasures and fulfilled desires, at others, a black plane of terror, one the scarecrow would orgasm at the mere thought of. A realm where the demons in the hearts of the dreamers can take form just as easily as their fantasies.

But I need not to fear. My being being so great, I have yet to encounter that which could even harm me here. My understanding of the nature of the dream from personal experience has allowed me to survive and thrive in it for longer than I care to measure. In all that time, I have learned and grown, my understanding of its structure is now so thorough I can move through it with ease.

Yet I cannot simply do as I please, this isn't a candy store, I'm not a child. Neither is this a kingdom I rule over. Besides, I do not intend to work against Dream. This place is his to rule, I allow it. Sure, I couldn't win if we fought but I am certain that I will one day grow stronger than them. For I am not bound by their limits. I come from beyond.

But how does all of this relate to my desire to gain followers? Simple. Dreams are a way of communicating with mortals. Show them my truth and gain information through them. And like every god, I have a chosen people. The Atlanteans.

Why? They're just so freaking cool. Sea folk with magic powers, who wouldn't find that badass? Besides, I vaguely remember a vague memory of my father in which a version of them has access to some kind of powerful artifact or something. In case you needed a reason somehow better than 'they are cool'. They have super strength and speed, they're only weakness can be fixed with a water suit or something akin to that… they're a race I'm willing to put effort into converting.

Besides, I couldn't really take one of the other good ones like the Amazons or what not. For obvious reasons.

Besides, I have eons in front of me to do anything I wish to achieve. If false gods and mortals can create cults, a true god such as I wouldn't have any reason to fail.

"What are you doing in my realm?"

Fear came to grasp at my core, my soul was shaken. Morpheus, Dream. Endless primordial which presides over this realm. 

From the mass of writhing matter I was, I took a humanoid form. Winged and dark, multiple eyes and mouths across my form. I was unsatisfied with that look but I swore to myself I would allocate some time to crafting a more unique and pleasant body. Once my identity is distinct enough from my father, once I can strike fear in his heart, then, I shall be satisfied. This wouldn't even impress him.

I turned to look upon the god of the Dream.

"When mortals dream and come into this realm, do you question them?"

The endless stepped forward until he was face to face with me, all while keeping his eyes fixed upon my own. As much as he could, for I stood two heads above him. He had to look up. I presume it was no embarrassment. Not for a being of such power.

"You are not a mere dreamer. You are nothing like I have seen before. I have already been warned about your kind."

I chuckled. Could my father and I alone really be enough to be referred to as a 'kind'? I think not but, details I suppose.

"I have entered your home, yes. But one which is wide open to all those who can dream."

"Not to those who would seek to do harm to the dream." He replied and narrowed his eyes. 

He feared me. Because he didn't know anything like me. And if there is one thing that should be feared, especially by a godlike being of his ilk, it would be the unknown.

"I do not seek to harm the dream or use it to harm the dreamers within. In fact, your sphere and mine aren't far from one another..."

"And what would that be? What are you the god of?"

Let me think...

"Rest. I am the god of rest. Not death nor oblivion, I do not seek to end all that is, I seek to put it to rest. I seek to bring peace in every single atom in this universe."

He raised an eyebrow perplexed.

"To bring peace to this universe, and the next, and the next, until there is nothing but the void."

"The void? Wouldn't that be the same thing as… nothingness? Oblivion?"

"Perhaps the term is inaccurate. In truth, void, true nothingness is a lie. It cannot exist because the concept itself is still there. I was born from a man and the void beyond this reality. What I seek to bring is the peace within that void. Yet even within, one can still live or dream. The only ones among your siblings that should feel threatened would be Death and Despair. Though the former would still exist in some measure,.. if you really stretch definitions."

He scoffed at me.

"Many before you have spoken these words, gods and mortals alike. They had one thing in common besides their ambitions. They all failed."

I chuckled in response.

"Stand back from your folly..."

I scoffed right back.

"Then I shall learn from their mistakes. For unlike them, or even you, I am truly endless."

The silence that followed was exquisite. I had won. There was a book series in which my father found some enjoyment in his old world. The wheel of time. The primary enemy of man was a devil-like figure who believed he was bound to win because given an infinite amount of time, anything possible, including his final victory, was bound to happen.

Not unlike demise who cannot help but come back as Ganon again and again, always certain of his victory yet always loser.

Then there is the devil of the bible, not to be confused with this world's Lucifer Morningstar, who was relentless in his pursuit of doing evil, even knowing his fate.

What then makes me so different from all of them? Simple. Really simple. I do not abide by the rules of this multiverse. Not fully. Like an outer god, I come from beyond and shape all that I get my grasp on. That's why the only one who can stop me is father. If any more of my kind were to come into being, which I doubt is possible… Then perhaps they would be a threat to my goals.

The endless looked away and began to fade in ethereal smoke and sparks. "...I've heard." He whispered before vanishing from my sight. 

Now I can focus on my plans. The minds of the Atlanteans shall be mine to mold as I see fit. I'll let them come up with a name for me.

-Neo-

"Sir, it's good to see you back." Aria said behind her silver helmet.

We were hovering a little under the rain clouds over Bludhaven, a sight I had missed. The destruction left behind by Morrow's attack is slowly but surely being repaired. We've already established shelter areas for those affected where food and water are easily accessible, as well as the help from several paid psychiatrists and several more volunteer helpers from even beyond the city.

"Is… something on your mind?" She asked. Her concern was heartwarming.

Coming back from something so fun to gaze upon… My failure… Reality really hits hard.

"Don't worry about it. Don't worry about anything. I'll fix this."

Her helmet was carved like an angular face, much different to my own. It was hard to discern any emotions. But Aria is already a very expressive person. She's easy to read.

She tilted her head to the side, before chuckling.

"Ah. Of course you will. After all, we have centuries to do so."

"Even still. It won't take me a century. People died on that night. Others lost their lived ones, businesses or jobs… Even still, many have it worse than us. This… I can and will turn it into an opportunity."

I know I can. Plans in the making for months now might not have to wait to be put into place. Bludhaven hasn't stopped growing yet.

A little after that small conversation, I made my way to Metropolis. Having learned of my 'recovery', Luthor sent a message through Interpretor. He wanted to see me and had great news.

As I landed inside of his office through the wide open windows to the balcony, he was already standing there, waiting. A large smile stretched on his bald face.

"Ah. Sir Neo. I'm glad you've come on such short notice."

"My pleasure, Luthor. Now. I presume the news you spoke of has to do with Lazarus?"

But then, he nodded grimly. His smile faltered.

"Bad news. Though I do have good news on the other projects you've assigned the triad and my own researchers…"

Of course. It couldn't be so easy.

A hologram displaying some kind of molecule appeared on his nearby desk. He walked towards it and I followed his lead.

"This is the molecule which makes up the miraculous substance. We've long come to the conclusion that it's simply magical. But we wondered if it was possible to replicate it."

"You failed. I think I already know why."

Lex raised a brow in my direction, he was waiting for me to elaborate.

"One or multiple of the core elements in Lazarus are unique and extremely rare. And as it is magical in nature, they can't simply just be substituted."

I already expected as much. But I dared to hope that modern scientists could learn to do what Ras once did over five centuries ago.

"We dubbed it Dionisium. The name of the researcher who led the research was Dion Corrfield."

Crazy coincidence.

"Then our only hope is finding naturally occurring pits."

"We've already devised ways to track them, partially thanks to Imaginator proposing the idea in the first place."

He sighed and sat down at his desk.

"Now. Unto the good news."

The holographic image shifted to that of the full moon. I felt something crawl up in my back.

"First, we've got a nuke up and ready in case we can't find any other alternatives. You could carry it to the moon should that time arise."

The image shifted to a single large cannon looking thing.

"Our research into breaching spacial dimensions has been going well. This is of course not the real scale of the device. In truth it's no larger than a needle, thanks to your miniaturization technology, allowing us to minimize any potential risks."

Not my invention but, sure, whatever at this point.

"Once this is perfected, we could try plan Prison Space on our Lovecraftian enemy, without asking for help from any outside sources."

He takes great pride in humanity's Independence, that much hasn't changed.

The image shifted to that of a featureless humanoid.

"Finally. Project Homo Sapiens Melior."

I couldn't really grin anymore but, I sure would have. Not like he could have seen it behind the helmet.

"As you know, S. T. A. R. Labs are the leaders in the study of Meta humans. But they are very secretive with everything they learn and wouldn't really consider using any of it to improve on the rest of humanity."

I could feel the resentment as he spoke.

"Thanks to your information though, we've made great strides in awakening our own metas and studying them. We've established different types of them as well as replicated the meta inhibition shackles of S. T. A. R. Labs."

"Impressive. Very good work. But what I'm looking for is controlled mutations."

He nodded.

"And we've successfully done that… More or less."

The image shifted to that of a video. There were multiple rectangles floating in the air, displaying various people being injected with a large amount of fluids and then bombarded with what I assume to be dark matter.

Some grew in size or gained fat, others grew into bloated abominations and… died.

"I said no human experiments until enough–"

"I know." He interrupted. "The failures are the tests from earlier trials after animal trials, before we established a reliable equation for proper dosage of all substances involved. Again, the work of Imaginator."

I was about to reconsider my alliance with him.

"And where did you get those test subjects?"

He smirked.

"Willing participants of various backgrounds. All with many large debts they were glad we could pay."

Alright. I guess that's fine.

"The most important are the perfect successes. They gain muscle mass and lose fat. Their physical ability grow greatly but still reasonably easy to keep control of. IQ increases to up to 200. But most importantly, even limbs can be regenerated in the span of a few days."

Again, there, I would have smiled.

"they are nowhere near the levels of beings like Superman or Wonder Woman but it's not what we wanted. All that's left is testing the children born from these subjects as well as hybrids. We also have to wait and see how long they take on average to die."

I clapped my hands.

"Good job, Luthor. I'll send your way a few controlled improvements I'd like to see on the test subjects. Notably, psychic powers."

He raised a brow as I turned around to leave.

"Potentially dangerous and hard to control."

"Potentially very beneficial for both our safety and the connectivity between individuals. Even on a basic level like hyper empathy, I would be satisfied."

I flew off out of the building, satisfied. Things are starting to go well again. Let's hope Luthor doesn't do anything too heinous.