“Welcome Baphomet. Welcome discarded Hero and Welcome cute Rat person.”

  “They called me cute!”

  “Hello Leader of… um… the Dreaming Machine?”

  “Only followers of the Dreaming Machine, but not for long anymore. Please Lord Null, we made a feast for you to welcome all three of you.”

  “Thank you. Baphomet, do you want to see your Parents?”

  “We would like that. Thank you, our Lord.”

  While entering the Ruins, Null and Snow were following the Chief of the Cultists. To be honest he would rather not be here, but has a feeling it would be a demerit to not go. Those people know too much to just let him be if he did not go to where they live.

  “We would never do something untoward to you, discarded Hero. Other Solutions of you coming here would be all mostly peaceful. You will be our benefactor in a short while, so why would we be antagonistic against you?”

  Not even saying anything they already knew what Null was thinking, which unnerved him somewhat, but also made him relaxed, as he was now different than before. Whatever will happen made him feel like it will be a benefit for him and his goals rather than a demerit.

  Sitting around the Fireplace Null noticed the people being happy and enthusiastic but somehow it felt off. There were many places where Grass and wood were put into piles. Way too many as to be some kind of coincidence.

  “While we eat, let me explain what the problem is. The Dreaming Machine needs to wake up. To wake up someone needs to meed the Goddess chained inside by accident. To release the chains you need to kill your elder Brother.”

  “Wait a moment, what?”

  “Understanding the facts is not needed, but I can still enlighten you. When this place was smitten down the already weakened Goddess was unable to rise again. She waits for her being able to escape, but your Brother-”

  “I do not have a brother.”

  “Not biological, no. You will understand later. What you need to do is break the shackles holding her down, which happens to be your- I mean the being tethered to her.”

  “What is tethered to her?”

  “I can not say.”

  “You can not or will not?”

  “I… the most I can say it is more than you can fathom, even with your own eyes.”

  Null was intrigued, as it was the first time a Sect member was flustered.

  “And you say I have to kill him.”

  “Somewhat in that line. Do not fear it as you will understand later. To become what you always were destined to, move this way.”

  “I do not want Destiny to decide my movements.”

  “After this, you will never be again.”

  —

  “Snow, stay here with Baphomet. This time I feel I need to go alone for sure.”

  “But-”

  “No buts. Sorry, this time I need to go alone, I feel it.”

  “...okay, but please hurry.”

  “I will try.”

  Looking at the chief, who was waiting for him, he answered: “Then let us go. I want to finish this before I regret coming here.”

  Nodding and smiling he started walking in the chieftains tent with Null right behind him. When Null was wondering what was going to happen the Chief pulled away the Rug to show a metallic chute. Opening an emergency ladder was seen which were going deep into the bowels of darkness.

  “I need something before we go.”

  Saying this the Chief took two flasks filled with liquid and a small pouch and fastened them onto himself.

  “Now let’s go. Could you please illuminate the darkness with some Magic? I am unable to use Magic.”

  Doing what the Chief asked Null created a floating ball of light which slowly descended the shaft. Climbing down the shaft the Chief was talking endlessly.

  “You see, as we came here the dreaming Machine showed us many things. The past, the Future and the Present without our believes and upbringing skewing the truth. Sadly this meant we could not understand it fully even if we wanted to, as all this Information was way too much for a Mortal to understand. Knowing all and understanding all are two different things. Insanity was the only escape before we die, but luckily or maybe sadly this was not meant for us. Our Soul shut all out which was not our own Destiny and we became what we were. When some of us rebelled against it, it made them insane as they broke in despair. People around them were plagued with bad luck as if it was their fault, but to be honest it was because their thread of fate was ripped. When a thread of fate rips the ones around them are also affected. If a string on an instrument ruptures all the other strings make noise, no? It is not a melody but a kind of cacophony, which has no rhythm or feeling. It makes the song which is playing awkward.”

  Null was silently listening but in his head he hoped the Chief would just stop talking. The deeper they descended the more it felt like this shaft was endless. While going down there were places which were repaired with wood or chiseled open. It was apparent the Cultists of the dreaming Machine were repairing and opening this shaft for their own reasons.

  “-through the time we had played the game we needed to play for the greater good, even if we wished we would not. While we are grateful for what the future brought, it was a curse on all of us we would have loved to not have. Sadly we could only work to make the future possible as if we do not the whole World might be in danger. We did things we did not want to do, saw things we loved to stop happening and chose decisions which put many in their demise, but right now we are at the end of this road. Finally being freed of knowing the Future and our own path will make us free from any and all strings which keep us jailed in living our life in an endless echo of knowledge without any surprise or intrigue.”

  Null noticed the trek would be a very very long one, not only because of the depth, but the company he had.

  Minutes passed but felt for Null like hours because of his talkative companion. Noticing his voice getting hoarse and still telling him the history of the whole Sect made him look even more fanatic than Null already thought of him.

  The deeper the Shaft was going the heavier the Miasma became. Noticing this Null wondered how this Beastman elder could be this relaxed, as such high concentrations could start mutations if not start to get toxic. Small Illusions like Visions came and went. Null saw fire and Insanity one moment and the next he was back climbing down. Noticing the danger Null wanted to warn the Chief, when he noticed him finally standing on the floor of this shaft.

  “Here we are. Only a few more steps and we are in front of the cause for all of it.”

  At first Null wanted to say something, but as the Chief went quickly as a young goat into the corridors Null just went with him. Instead of a few steps the walk went over half a kilometer into the darkness through many winding channels. The channels themselves were strange as if they were more pipes than walkways. Noticing the heavy Miasma embedded in the walls, Null deduced these were pipes originally pumping Clairvoyance Miasma closer to… something.

  The glow of the floating light was not needed anymore as some other unnerving light was starting to seep around the corners. While Null had slight problems to get closer to the Light as he saw seconds into the future before noticing he was back to where he stood before he went that way, the trek was enduring. Hearing voices of things Snow said before he went down here and how glad she was he came back made him dizzy, as he was still underground and not even close to being back as he heard from Snow, which is obviously still up the ladder in the Sects camp ground.

  “Here we are. This is the dreaming Machine.”

  Finally getting a look at the thing glowing brightly Null saw a gigantic crystal. This one was inundated with many Runes but also cracks. Different facets of this Crystal were showing some kind of movement, in an ocean of white, like shadows dancing on a white wall.

  “But what shall I do now?”

  Null was wondering as what he needed to do or what was expected of him. As he was turning to the Chief he sat down in a corner releasing the flasks while setting them in front of him. Null finally noticed his nose and corners of his eyes already bleeding through the massive Miasmic contamination.

  “You have to do… what you have to do. Do not worry about me, just… know what comes next and… do it.”

  Null thought about helping the Chief but then thought otherwise. Somehow he could understand what he meant. What he needed to do was simple and he knew how as he had seen it in a future vision. Looking at the Crystal Null opened his mouth and his presence, which controlled this Body connected right with the Crystal.

  —

  A white room with a white floor containing white mist was permeating everything. Some kind of pulsation like a beating heart but unnerving and wrong for this place was being noticed by Null. Slowly hovering through the Mist deeper into the whiteness showed a beautiful place like a balcony or maybe a patio. In the sky were uncountable strings just hanging there without rhyme or reason, entwining and stretching each other in different directions and angles. Something holy was being felt here and Null could notice how this place does not welcome him and would rather eject him this instant, but there was no strength to this will. It was just flailing weakly like a sickly baby animal wanting to intimidate and scare away a gigantic predator.

  Hovering deeper into the place the Pulsing got more noticeable. Feeling the pumping like some kind of rotten heart letting sludge flow through dried up veins was not something that should be in such a world made out of beauty and perfection. Finding the source Null needed to get his mental state back in order.

  A giant Woman was laying on the floor. Her Head had three faces while her body had multiple arms.

  “One, two, three… eighteen?”

  Eighteen Arms and one of them was overgrown with something black where the Hand should be. The pumping came from this place and Null hovered closer to this arm. The hand could be as large as himself. When he wanted to touch it he finally noticed his own form. He was not in his body but looked like a black sphere. No eyes or hands with which he could touch anything. Realizing he could see himself he understood ‘sight’ was connected to what he wanted to see and not where he had eyes, as he did not even have this kind of organ at the moment.

  Coming to pass Null found a way to create a tendril to poke the black thing on the arm, but before he could touch it an eye opened up from the Sludge like it suddenly grew one.

  “There you are ‘brother’. You took your time, but are still punctual.”

  Null could not understand what this thing meant, so he just asked.

  “Why do you call me your brother? What in the Void are you?”

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  “We have no Name ‘brother’. What we are is corruption of Chaos.”

  “Chaos? You make no sense.”

  “This God made a pact with our creator. You and I are just pieces of it, but unlike you I am expendable.”

  “And I am not expendable, because…?”

  “Don’t you realize it? You are growing and might become something different. Something ‘fun’!”

  This answer did not relax Null at all. Somehow he was played with and he did not even know what game it was.

  “So what now? Opening a place into the void so you can vanish?”

  “Oh no, no, no! I can not be removed from this foolish God. The second she reached into the Void I was with her.”

  “But you need to go. She needs to wake up again.”

  “Oh she is awake, but can not move. If she loses concentration I will grow and take her over like the parasite I am.”

  “So, what am I to do?”

  “That is your choice. You always wanted your own choice, right? Attack the Goddess and Fate will become I, total chaos! Go and let her suffer forever without a way to pay her tribute! Break this place and unwind all strings of Fate to make the World reset everything! Or just try to kill me and maybe the World will heal.”

  “There is no choice, is there?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The Cultists said what needs to happen.”

  “They are corrupted by Chaos but got visions of the Future by her. When I grew on her arm she bled on the closest strings, see?”

  Like a small child it showed proudly the strings stained in the tar like blackness but also silvery liquid. Those strings moved over the blob like some kind of string game children play with their fingers.

  “The are just mortals being cursed with a little bit of Chaos and gods blood. Like an Ant understanding the complexity of pure love or a human seeing through the fabric of reality getting a glimpse of the truth. Insane on one hand, blessed on the other. They can not understand and still they try. Poor creatures, haha!”

  “You are not nice.”

  “I am what I am. Who wants to be something else? Oh, you want to be something else, but better think of what you want to really be!”

  Contemplating the next move the giant Woman moved a bit. Not much, but it was obvious she did it on purpose. Not much happened after but Null understood, she was not only alive but conscious.

  “I do not even know your Name Goddess, but this will hurt. I do not know how pain works with Gods, so better prepare if it is needed.”

  “And what do you think you are doing now ‘brother’?”

  “Killing you?”

  “So it really is like that! Hahaha! I am glad to see what comes after something died, in a World where casual eradication does not exist! Do I get an afterlife or do I just vanish? I can’t wait, hurry up!”

  Being that eager Null was a bit shocked, but started his Operation. Tendrils started to form from his spherical form looking like drills ready to dig deep into the black flesh of that thing. The eye was the prime target for Null.

  “So this is what fear feels like. I can’t get enough of these new things! So much I do not understand, it is fun! How you want to be ‘male’ while you are nothing, how you create instead of devouring all, how our creator made sure you would come here, how-”

  *squish*

  “You talk too much!”

  Noticing himself being again the black sun in the broken Sky black flesh was entering the place. Squirming and looking for a place to parasitize Null made the quick decision to drag it into himself, the black Sun. Before it could even struggle it was engulfed in the darkness and disassembled before reformed inside of himself. More and more Flesh was absorbed that way. Silvery blood came too into his realm and shot to the Sun.

  But Null rejected it. With all his might he rejected any and all blood of the Goddess, as he do not want anything to do with Fate after this ordeal. Never be bound by Visions of the future or being controlled by strings he can not fathom.

  I am NULL! I am NOTHING where there should be SOMETHING! I am unfettered by all and follow only me as I am NULL!

  Returning to the white Room the hand of the Goddess was mangled and ripped. If it can heal was nothing Null was caring about. What he was caring about was the stronger and stronger will to expel or destroy him from the surroundings. Quickly making his way out the Goddess finally started to move again.

  Fiend, you are a blight of this World, but as you helped me I will allow your existence for now. As you wish you are now unfettered by Fate and all you hold dear are connected to only you. Make music on your own strings of fate, as of now you will be playing a different Song.

  Standing tall in the mist seventeen of the eighteen arms reach into the sky to the threads everywhere. Fingers find the strings and they start to pluck and slide over them. A strange Music started to play, the intertwined strings spread the humms and pluckings in ways Null does not understand, but he knew one thing, if he stayed too long this song would hurt him in some way.

  On the way out Null saw two small things on the floor which should not be here and just threw them into himself before escaping further. Melting inside him and also fusing with the black Sun, Null had a bad feeling, but had no time to relax for now. His way out was of utmost priority.

  —

  Breaking free of the Crystal Null felt himself back in the Body he had brought. The Crystal started to dim and more and more cracks started to appear.

  “Chief, we have to go, this Crystal is going to ex-”

  Null’s words were stuck in his throat as he looked where the Chief had sat down. In the time he was gone the Chief had doused himself in that liquid, which had been flammable. The pouch contained two firestones which were in the hands of his charred corpse. The most eerie thing was the smile he had after he was burned to charcoal. This Goat person just burned himself right here like it was his destiny to do so.

  Not taking too long to look at the corpse Null hurried to the ladder where he used his superhuman strength to launch himself multiple steps at a time to get out faster. If this large Crystal explodes he would lose another Body, and this one had been made as the best for now. It would hurt him to have not such an able body at hand so he did everything to keep him alive.

  Exiting the shaft Null made a beeline to the tent entrance.

  “Null! I am so glad you are back. Please let us go, those guys are scary, they just lay down and put a torch under their grassy beds and burned themselves!”

  Seeing the cremations everywhere Null was sure, this was the End of the Sect of the Dreaming Machine. In the Fire he saw a large Beastman with four Arms and four Horns kneeling and praying. While Null really wanted to let him finish the time was not right.

  “Baphomet, we need to go, this Place might blow up any second now!”

  “As you command, let’s go.”

  Baphomet stood up and created a Rift. Entering the Rift they were still in the Steppe but far away. The next second a bright Light shot into the sky and afterwards… nothing. No noise, no shockwave, no quake. Like the Light was an Illusion.

  Trekking back to the original place of the Ruins all they could see is white crystals. Baphomet knelt down and scooped some up and smelled on them.

  “Salt. All turned to salt. Nothing was spared.”

  “Oh boy, was she angry. At least she is free.”

  “Who is now free, Null?”

  “Goddess of Fate. She was trapped by her own rage and folly. To stop the World from stagnating in one direction she destroyed the Old Kingdom by bargaining with something inside the Void while destroying the mockery of her Domain being built here.”

  “And you know that, because…?”

  “Because of some things who would not stop talking, if beaten by a pipe. We are finished here. Better walk home I… ate something that needs digestion.”

  The walk back was calm and idyllic. Many scouts just saw them and escaped right away. Some waited to be seen and bowed before running away. It was surreal as Null made a massacre and suddenly the people in the Steppe were more passive than active. Something might have happened he did not know about.

  After being close to the Forest Baphomet just opened a Rift directly to the Castle. Entering Snow excused herself and was going to rest. She might have seen things she does not understand and tries to be alone for a while, so Null took this as a good opportunity to talk to Baphomet.

  “So Baphomet, now that this is over you might go, right?”

  “Why should we go?”

  “I killed your Family, your tribe and every friend.”

  “You did nothing of that, our Lord. They were trapped in knowing their life without the ability to change even a single grain of corn they would eat every day. Every day they had detailed knowledge of how it would end before the first step out of their beds. Like knowing a book by heart and how every Letter was written without being able to forget even a single stroke of ink. They were all so sick of it.”

  “So, they were trapped in their own life?”

  “They were prisoners of fate. Death was the last thing they knew and after that was nothing written. Being at the end made them glad, as the torture of knowing all there is and will be for them was finally over.”

  “Still they died.”

  “They were dead the second they were tainted with the knowledge of their life. Nothing to be excited about nothing to mourn, nothing surprising which may be good or bad. They were just waiting for the final release. Everyone burned themselves right at the end, you did nothing to force them to do that. They just wanted it to end and now it did.”

  “So, what will you do now?”

  “We are staying. We hate what did this to our Family and you, our Lord, are somehow defying it without care.”

  “The thing that did it is dead, do not worry.”

  “No, the curse is dead and the Goddess is free, but whatever created this curse is still in the Void.”

  “I am sorry, but I will not be able to kill an ancient Creature of the Void. That will be impossible.”

  “We know, but you are guided by it and still don’t obey, even if you have connections to it, you are untethered and might some day let it feel at least a loss. If it happens we do not know, but for not being enslaved by it already makes you our best bet to be something that might defy it.”

  Null was shocked. Baphomet was putting their faith in him, for the reason of the slightest chance of making that thing inside the Void feel the equivalent of a headache.

  “You are rather rowdy Baphomet. I felt you were always so obeying, but you have interesting ambitions. I like it!”

  “Thank you, Lord. We are rather young, before you fused us and now we understand completely our same hate for whatever made our former Family suffer, so we will be working hard for our new Family.”

  “Yeah, and I am glad you are a part of my Family Baphomet. Now rest, I will remind myself of your wish and maybe I can at least give that thing a punch, even if it does nothing.”

  Bowing, Baphomet slid into a rift and vanished from the Foyer. Right after a few heads of children poked out of different hiding spots. Annette might have said they should keep their distance to the large Beast Person. Null was thinking about telling her not to fear things that are so harmless, when he remembered Baphomet always walked around naked. Shaking his head, Null forgot about admonishing Annette and just got to his Study before thinking about the next steps he had to do. Turning a whole tribe and their prayer site to Salt was not what he thought would happen today, so he needed a bit of time to reform his thoughts and what seems to happen to what should be his soul.

  —

  “Are you sure, Daughter? What Null will do to you you can not undo.”

  “Mother, I am already old enough to understand the World. I was treated by people who I thought as Brethren of the same Grassfields in horrible ways. They hurt not only me but said such vile things, I started to believe them. Until Null came I was close to being fully broken, when I heard how he brought an Army just to save me.”

  “But this does not mean you have to dedicate yourself to him unconditionally, Spot. You know there are other ways.”

  “Yes, but I do not feel good like how I am. Since then I… I feel wrong in this body. It is too close to what those tribes who did so much evil to me are.”

  “And I can not stop you in any way?”

  “Mom, Null is not a vile Creature. He would not make me into something horrifying.”

  “Just as stubborn as the old ox of a Father. If I can not stop you I will wait for you to come back. You better not forget who your Mother is, young calf!”

  “I wouldn’t dare, Mother. Please relax, I know what I am doing.”

  “Since Huffings betrayal everything changes too quickly. I am just worried girl.”

  “Please relax. If we really go with Null to a new place, it would be better for us to be stronger. I do not want to ever be that vulnerable again. I want to be strong to protect everyone I love like Null did for me.”

  “...Just go. You better come back as my Daughter or I never forgive you!”

  “I will Mother. Love you!”

  “You know I do love you too. Now go!”

  Leaving the tent Spot noticed the tears of her Mother slowly growing. It broke her heart but she already made her decision and there was no way back. On the front waited Hoof, her Father, with some Warriors, who willingly want to dedicate themselves to Null for his selfless help and righteous anger for Spot.

  “Sneezing Petals really let you leave? Are you sure?”

  “Do not try the same tactics like Mom, Dad. You are even less convincing as you are going yourself.”

  “Fine. Brothers let us go to the Castle. Last chance to retreat, if you are not sure about this!”

  As no one said a word Hoof nodded and just started the trek to the Castle. Their small camp was at the west side of the Crater, as they do not want to mingle with the Humans. While there was nothing here before they brought up their tents now there was a small grassfield around their camp. Even the slowly growing forest seems to stay clear of this place and marks it as their own little Steppe inside the Crater.

  A small part of the Population said their farewells like they are going to a hunt, but the mood was somewhat mixed, as they don’t know what would come back afterwards.

  Standing in front of the bridge over the ravine made the party of six pause, before stepping over to the other side moving behind the walls. While they did only go in like normal it felt for the people watching at a distance like the Castle devoured them without making a sound.