Nothing. The absence of something, or rather something in the absence of anything. Direction as a concept is refused, no sound to be located, no light to be viewed. Aleph speaks, but the vibrations fail to escape her form. The pressure of her companions lingers on her back, the only sign of their presence. The entire universe condensed to the triggering of a few nerves. She blinks, two films meeting each other in gentle union, pressing together and sliding back across the thin membrane protecting her eyes. No light is blocked by the motion, none to be impeded, not even the speckles of ambience which should be reflecting particulates within the vitreous fluid of each eye, nor even the illusory wisps of light one expects to see while closed. A true, absolute nothingness.

  Aleph takes a step, but fails to find ground to stand on. Gravity itself abandoning her senses, the endless sensation of motionlessly falling in no direction assailing her every organ, every vein, every nerve. Aether presses against the nothing, but there is nothing to press against, her form and those of her companions the only space which seems to exist. In frustration, she swipes her tail at the void. Her universe changes shape, but nothing more. Absence of anything to care, yet the presence of something to respond.

  Two lines. A benign construct, infinitely more than what preceded. A point of reference, the world granted direction. A sign of something, the nothing brought to existence. No light reaches Aleph's world, only able to grace her eyes like the dim yet vibrant glow of an unthinkably distant star. Another world like hers, one she cannot reach. Each line stands in symmetry, perfectly mirroring each other with a small gap between. Tips of the lines narrow to a fine point at each end, those in the middle ending flat to form two intensely thin isosceles triangles. The base of the triangles seem to expand, slowly, patiently, without hurry. The gap between reveals curve, a shape being drawn in the empty space. Curves expand, and expand, and expand until they meet, a circle of nothing carved into the now singular line, which continues to further widen, and widen, and widen.

  And the void opens its eye.

  Gaze empty, devoid of intent, thought, or emotion.

  And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes.

  Analytic observation, saturated with scrutiny yet absent of life.

  And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes.

  Being without soul, without mind, yet being nonetheless.

  And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes.

  Stars become clusters, become galaxies, a tapestry akin to the night sky.

  And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes.

  More light than dark, a night sky turned day beyond daylight.

  And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes. And the void opens its eyes.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  The void is tamed, encapsulated, held within innumerable cages of white, the formerly black universe replaced by a homogeneous wall of eyes. Aleph meets the gaze of the universe, yet the universe does not meet hers, staring at her, through her. A scrutiny more akin to that of a machine processing information than the analysis of anything alive. She peers at her body, Aether's push still refused by the confines of space. The world is saturated in light, yet none reaches her body, only visible now from the absence of white. She raises her paw, occluding the light. Where there is nothing, there is something. And that something is her. Turning around, her companions bear the same silhouette, their forms carved out from the horizon.

  Atop her head a small bundle curls into itself, listlessly floating as a tether binds it to the dragon's horns. At the other end by her hind legs a large figure shivers, a hazy outline of scribbles dancing its outline as thick palms hold outward, seeking something to grip. In front of that, a taller silhouette almost stands from her back, one hand extended into a long claw which challenges the stars. And by her neck, a simple figure lays motionless, almost lifeless if it weren't for the oscillating strength in its grip as it wraps around her.

  Aleph kicks her legs, any resulting movement imperceptible. She pushes outward with Aether, but there is nowhere for it to move. She, and her companions, simply float. Helpless under the unyielding gaze of countless eyes. Subject to the whims of whatever holds them within its grasp. Winding curves carve against the horizon and draw themselves around her, their distance impossible to determine with sight alone as they seem to wrap around her and the demon clung to her neck. Smooth material melds with her silhouette, a tight yet harmless grip around her legs. A gentle tug tries to pry them apart, but the grip remains firm. More attempts follow, but none find success.

  Failing to separate them, it instead tugs directly at the dragon, turning her around to see a flat disc of impure black, lacking the absolute nothing she had almost begun to grow used to. The disc grows larger, encompassing half of the world until the heavy pull of gravity returns, wrenching at her organs and pulling her the rest of the way in. Vision returns, a dark yet full world surrounding them. Sound returns, a loud, indiscernible rumble rocking their bodies. Touch returns, harsh winds pulling them in synchrony with gravity. Smell returns, the acrid scent of decomposition and the stale ambience of thick dust joining them. Colour returns, violet Aether pushing against a formidable but permeable wall of demonic energy to once again grip the world.

  I can move. Wings flare and Aether surges, a powerful flap launching her against gravity and into a soft stone wall. Claws grip into the rock, Ather chaining her in place as she tugs the air within reach of her companions. "Everyone okay?" She asks, her voice cutting through the uproarious torrents of wind. "I've never felt better hearing someone else's voice." "I... Merely unsettled. I am without injury." "I feel sick..." All of them respond at once, their voices unable to reach each other, but sill picked up by the field of Aether protecting them.

  The group gaze up, or rather down towards the ravenous mass trying to pull them in. A sphere of pure black holds suspended in the centre of an enormous cavern, launching waves of all consuming energy which lick the world and pull everything they touch back to their source. A cascade... So that's where all of this energy is coming from. Everything is rapidly devoured, stone, air, light. Everything that is, except for the patches of crimson matting the cavern walls. A layer of tremendously thin, black and red leaves which stand in stark defiance to the unyielding desolation trying to carve the world away. Their pulsating glow rejects the destructive nature of the ambient energy assailing them, as if containing the destructive force. Holy shit... Is that demonic moss?

  Prying her eyes from one of the true marvels of nature, she returns her focus to the companions on her back. Lyly continues to dangle, Fluffy and Goldy cling tightly, and... "Where's Didi?" "Huh?" "What?" "Hoh?" Aleph's tail searches her neck and back, every position the demon could be proving as empty as the space she was once occupying. "She's gone! Where'd she..." Her gaze returns below, to the gluttonous mouth trying to feed on anything that exists. I can't survive that... I don't think any of us can. How is anyone, divine beast or not, expected to survive this? Is this really the final hurdle Kixhah mentioned? Just being near it is eating away at more Aether than I'm comfortable losing. But she's a demon... Can a rank three survive something like this though?

  A being of unfathomable scale. One which eclipsed the dome and threatened the very planet during the apex of the second great war of the gods. An angel beyond anything we would classify an arch-

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  - Excerpt from Shinya Mon Lale's 'Myths, Legends, and Divine Beasts'