Chapter 1: A Worse Verse

It's difficult to pinpoint exactly when madness begins to overtake sane and rational thought in one's own mind. In an endless void of darkness from which no light escapes, nor could ever hope to penetrate, I am adrift and constantly spiraling deeper. I have no form but I remember I once did. Are my memories real or are they merely another form of bleakness pervading this endless night, another torture to be able to remember what once was and could still be beyond this place, beyond madness. Is that why they are so vague? I remember birthdays and Christmases looking down as small and eager hands tore open bright and reflective paper, I remember feeling elation as only a small child could. The feelings are sharp and clear in my memories of happier times, but when I look to the faces of my loved ones and friends it's always the same. Black shadows and swirls, where smiling features should be, mar the faces of all those closest to me. As if the void and darkness itself wishes to consume and pervert even my last traces of memories of happiness, woe is unto me, what foul perverse deity hath rendered such horrendous torture upon mine own-

[ENOUGH!]

Blinding light scorches away my comprehension of time and space, thunderous discharges of sound sweep away my last vestiges of-

[ARE YOU SERIOU-WAIT, HOLD ON, I SEE THE PROBLEM, there, is that better?]

The light that had been blinding before has focused down to pinpoints of green light against the infinite black background. Text, green text floating in front of my face no matter which direction I turned, though being able to discern direction when everything is an endless maw from which light can not escape is difficult on the best of days. It seemed for the longest time I had been both alive and not, endless eons spent alone in this endless expanse of twilight until finally one simple question breathes new life into mine own-

[I can very easily toss your incorporeal ass back into the void]

"No! Please wait," I rushed out "I've been drifting for so long I think I might have lost it a little."

[You don't say]

How can simple text floating in front of my eyes convey such a large amount of sass. Except, I don't have eyes, I'm pretty sure I used to, assuming of course any of these memories I have are real. I tried to wave my hands in front of my face, or at least I tried to send the commands to do so but the connection isn't there, it's such an indescribable absence that I can't imagine how I hadn't noticed until-

[Okay, I'm gonna need you to do your best and focus up here, apparently wandering around here hasn't done any favors to your sanity. That's assuming you were sane to begin with though I suppose]

The text seemed to be chuckling at my expense with that last bit, what does tha- no. Don't go off track. Focus. What is the most important question, the most relevant fact that we need first. Who/what am I, who/what are you, and where in the ever loving fuck are we and how long have I BEEN LOSING MY FU- stop. Focus. I'd be taking deep breaths if I had lungs but the idea of taking calming breaths and finding my center seems to work even in the absence of all the necessary parts.

[Good, at least you're not completely 'round the bend as they say]

There's that sense of being laughed at again and mockery is just oozing from the text and yet I can't quite describe how or why it feels that way. "I'm s,sorry, but um, who are you and where am I, please?" I stammered out though how I'm able to is another fun mystery of this oppressive black endless sea.

[Well, at least you have manners, and you should be sorry, Source, it's bad enough being banished in this abyss for all eternity without having to hear you whinge and moan about it for the past millenia-]

I'M SORRY, DID THE SASSY TEXT JUST SAY MILLENIA!? I felt a spiral of melancholy several decades deep calling me to her sweet maddening and cool embrace, I reach out to her as old lovers- Capital A, Agony rocks through my being and for the first time in I don't know how long I felt an actual honest to god physical sensation. Unfortunately it amounts to the worse pain I can ever remember experiencing in either life or unlife and shook me from my soon to be torpor of sadness.

[Oh good, that didn't utterly destroy you, good to know. Be a real shame if the first other being I came across in here had to be ripped apart into non-existence just because they became too annoying and made the utter silence and endless landscapes of blackness preferable.]

Focus, try your best not annoy the scary powerful text into doing whatever that just was again. "Again sorry," I said knowing that while it can obviously hear my thoughts it hopefully won't hold any stray ones against me as long as I am polite in whatever pseudo form of talking I am using. "May we please go back to my initial questions as to who and what you are?"

[Quite alright, this place would get to anyone eventually, and yes I can hear your thoughts, that was what the problem was to begin with, but it's alright I'll pretend if you will]

The laughter seemed to be less cutting from the text this time and more tinged with the same madness that had infected me.

[Anywayyyyyyyssssss new friend, you don't mind being my friend do you, it's ever so lonely in here as I'm sure you've come to find out]

I chuckled humorlessly "Yeah I think I could use a friend about now."

[EXCELLENT]

Elation radiates outward in waves and hit my disembodied soul and brought such a sensation of warmth and happiness that I might have teared up if I had eyes.

[Now to answer your questions out of order, we are in the Abyss, and yes it is a capital A in Abyss, not to be confused with Purgatory which has countless annoying souls moaning and floating about, or the Void which has that weird pervert voyeur who I absolutely detest and no I don't want to talk about it so just DON'T! Okay?!]

While the start of the start of the text had a convivial brightness to it, but it began to turn manic and crazed before becoming angry and cold if anything could even get colder then the Abyss, capital A. "O,okay friend, I won't ask but then can I know who you are?" I asked hoping to steer the conversation away from any subject that might anger my new….friend? I suppose, I was remembering how to have an actual conversation and it's surreal to say the least, to actually talk to someone else after so long alone.

[Welllllllllll that's a little more complicated, see as far as I can tell after a quick perusal through your memories, you were just a normal old human before you were violently and magically defenestrated, as it were, through the dimensional gap and ended up floating in here with me. I very much enjoy that word by the way, thank you for the memories of it.]

Too much information in such a short paragraph, I would feel violated having my life rifled through like a file drawer but it's hard to hold on to that for too long being as I'm not really sure I have a physical form anymore. "I see," I paused taking in all of this for a moment.

[Yes quite a predicament you've found yourself in, now to answer your other question finally and yes I know that I've been taking the long way to get to your answer but patience, my dear we have plenty and nothing but time here in the Abyss. Except of course when we don't]

They ended in a giggle with the same manic edge to it.

[Now, as I was saying after a lovely perusal through your memories, which we will be discussing AT LENGTH in the future, especially your foolish notions that Bulbasaur is the best Gen 1 starter or that Andrew Garfield is the best Spiderman.]

They scoffed while a single thought of "the FUCK!?" ran through my head.

[In your memories I have seen a television show that I believe will put this in the context that will be most easily understandable for you. I am what you would understand to be as a Primal. A Force of Nature if you will that was around since the advent of Creation]

"Oh," I replied simply, not having much else to say after such a large bombshell is dropped on my non existent lap. Still not sure what to think about the Pokemon thing either, why ccoul I remember such stupid things like sports teams and movies but not what my families names and faces were? This brings other questions to mind though, two very specific ones. "Well then, first let me apologize again for bothering your sleep?" I hazarded a guess.

[Oh no, my dear sweet boy, I wasn't sleeping, not in any of the sense you would understand it. No, much like yourself I was wrongfully banished here.]

"Wait, you know how or why I was sent here?" I asked surprised as every time I tried to remember how I got here I only had vague recollections of blood and pain before the darkness of the Abyss.

[Of course dear one, just because you can not recall does not mean the memories are not there still. Etched into your very soul as it were.]

They chuckled, amused at my limitations apparently. "Could you tell me please? Friend?" I requested as nicely as I could hoping this Primal force or whatever it was had pity on me enough to answer.

[Well of course I can dear boy, and we'll get to that I promise, but before that we should get your unasked questions first. I believe it will be pertinent to your question and my small request if you would be so willing.]

Well, crap, I was hoping to put those off.

[We couldn't possibly be true friends unless we had some kind of understanding of each other. Now to answer the easier of your unasked questions, the reason why I'm conversing with you through what you see as text is because this is the only medium through which you could understand me without being torn asunder from the endless radiance and brilliance that is my entirety. I must say I am beginning to understand why you proselytized for so many centuries, it is quite fun.]

Once again far too much information in such a small paragraph, needed to focus though, ignore the fact that we could have been friends sooner, though what kind of friendship a random soul and a force of nature could possibly have is still up for debate, and I wouldn't have had to suffer for suc-STOP. Focus. I don't think my mind wandered this much when I was still alive, before all of this. A stain of the Abyss indelibly left on my soul.

"So, then, I'm too stupid to comprehend you in any form other than basic looking DOS like text floating in front of me? And why can it seem like sometimes I can almost hear you?" They laughed bright and happy that made my entire self shudder in rapture.

[While I wouldn't quite have put in such an insulting way, true though it may be, yes this is the only way your tiny soul can perceive me without permanent damage to your being. Also it's not your ears you are "hearing" me with, you don't have ears anymore silly boy. No what you are "hearing", or it's more accurate to say is feeling, what you are feeling, is me. Your adorable little soul is just ever so receptive to my feelings and energy, uniquely so it seems, and it's been such a long time since I've been able to talk to anyone. Now to answer your more difficult unasked question, how much do you recall of the Primal forces from your lovely and varied stories and tales?]

"Do you mean like the Phoenix Force from Marvel or, or how the demons pretend to be forces of nature like in Buffy or Angel?" I asked, there's a big difference between actual divine beings like the Phoenix in Marvel or the Highfather in DC, and the jumped up demons pretending to be gods in the Buffy-verse. They giggled musically at my question and it made me want to do anything I could to please them and bring them joy. I paused at that, those thoughts bore longer consideration later on.

[No, no, dear boy no pretenders here, the Abyss was crafted specifically to hold me, or us now I suppose.]

They giggled again and it made me tingle all over in a deeply pleasant way.

[Listen well little lost mortal while I explain to you, an abridged version, of whom you are honored to share the Abyss with. You see in the beginning after the creation of the multiverse my siblings and I each were given specific tasks and duties to uphold all across the infinite universes. Some were given lesser and some greater duties depending on our strength. Now, not to brag, but of course I had the most important duty, I wonder if you can guess what it was.]

I noticed first of all they said that their roles had been given to them, implying someone standing above them. Perhaps their creator, not terribly important at the moment but worth making a note of.

[Caught that didn't you, my clever new friend, oh I do think we'll have fun together, now enough stalling and make your guess, and yes of course I knew what you were doing.]

Shit, so much for stalling for time with tangent. What Primal force would be locked away in this black hole of anti-fun that is the Abyss? The Jeopardy music beginning to play in the background is also not helpful.

[Really? I thought it was appropriate from what I can glean from your wonderful memories. Have I mentioned to you how much I enjoy yours?]

"Yes I believe you did, in fa-" I stopped before realizing the music had continued as it is coming to its famous end. "Ah, I think I might have a guess now," I continued, finally making a few connections between my new companions mood swings and the very real possibility that they've been affecting me with their aspect, "You're Chaos, right?" As soon as the words had left my lips bells began pealing and explosions of bright multi-colored fireworks surrounded us lighting up the Abyss for possibly the first time ever. The joy and ecstasy burst forth in explosions rivaling that of the fireworks.

[WONDERFUL MY sweeeet sweet boy, oh we are going to have such fun together just you wait and see, oh yes we shall have such a cavalcade of Chaos my siblings will weep for an eon at least]

The laughter that echoed forth throughout the Abyss was terrifying in it's insidious nature. It reverberated throughout my soul and any hope that I might have retained a shred of my previous life's sanity slipped thr-

[Apologies dear, I do tend to have that effect on people, I'll try to restrain myself until we're safely away from this dreary place.]

The madness inducing laughter cuts off quickly, though there is still a sense of mirth underlying in the text, another tangential thought occurs but I'm not sure if it's important enough to-

[You are going to have to loosen you up if we are going to be spending as much time together as I hope we are my dear boy. To answer your curiosity in order, yes I would consider myself female, though I do appreciate the effort you put into your own mind in order to not offend, Truly astounding for one exposed for so long to the infinite Abyss to have any semblance of control.]

Always good to know you haven't offended a primordial force of reality.

[Of course my dear, was there any doubt that chaos would be Female? Now that we've cleared all that up, shall we get going?]

Another giggle escapes from my insane cell mate and reverberates throughout the Abyss. "What do you mean going? I thought we were stuck here, isn't that the point of this place? And how in the fuck did I even get here, I can't imagine I'm actually supposed to be here, I mean, no offense intended bu-" I began to ramble.

[All in good time dear boy, and of course we're going to leave you silly goose, we can't very much stay here. Realities aren't going to be torn asunder on their own, now are they?]

"Who's gonna tear what asunder?" I asked confused. I might not remember a lot of the specifics of my previous life but one thing I know for sure is that I was not fighter of any sort. Sure I remembered the occasional school yard scuffle but nothing to the level that would lead anyone to believe I could tear anything asunder.

[Of course, dear boy, it is no accident that you are here, with me]

The last part was positively purred with pleasure, ignoring the sensations this caused in me as best I could I tried to focus on what was being said and try not to let my companion steer me into something I might not want to agree to. "Are you saying that it's your fault I'm here? Is that why you won't tell me?!" I began to get upset at the thought that my new friend/cellmate, who is also a primordial force of reality, might have been the cause for my untold ages of suffering and crushing loneliness.

[Oh, sweetie, pumpkin, honey, no nononononononnononono, of course I didn't cause you to come here. Finding you here was the surprise of an era after so long alone, though I must say I wasn't too thrilled at first to be sharing an endless expanse of black nothingness, gets a bit stuffy you know. But as they say that's all water under the bridge now isn't it?]

The gentle cooing I can feel accompanying my friends assurances washes away most of growing suspicion. Which is worrying if I considered it, but maybe now wasn't the best time. Too much considering and reasoning and she keeps leading me away from what I really want to know.

[I wouldn't say leading so much as laying the foundation. Before we can build our future, we must first have trust and an understanding of each other. Now while it was very simple for me to, how did you put it? Rifle about your memories like a filing cabinet? Such delightful witticisms you have, such fun we will have together.]

I feel like I'm being mocked, but it isn't malicious, more like a teasing older sister or cousin. It's not unpleasant and feels almost familiar, maybe I had a sister that was like this before.

[Now, the big stuff, why are you here? To put it simply you were part of a ritualistic sacrifice. You were the final youth amongst a group of two hundred who were sacrificed in order to grant power and favor from some Elder God to some mortal. Your death and banishment into the Abyss was the piece de resistance of the whole ceremony as it were]

Time is strange in the Abyss, while I would like to say that it was only a few moments that I was stunned it cou-

[You've been silent for 37 hours]

"Thank you," I replied stunned again at how time can fly in the Abyss. "Do you know how or why someone would do this to me?"

[For the same reason that my siblings banished me to this place dear one. Control and POWER]

The cold that is ever present in the Abyss began to recede as the heat and anger radiating from my cellmate was palpable until it exploded at the end with perhaps the second flashes of light to ever occur in the Abyss.

"Who?!" my voice is hoarse and broken, I can feel the hot anger radiating from Chaos as I'm absorbing it into my soul and feeding into my own rage.

[Unfortunately this is where things get complicated dear, I can't tell you]

And just like a candle flame the rage I had been feeling is blown out. I stomp down on it as the implications crashed over me and it threatens to roar back into life. "Can't or won't?" I choked out. Giggles echoing throughout the Abyss threaten to wipe away all of my remaining anger.

[Oh, my clever wonderful boy. It's both of course. As much as I'd love to tell you I'm afraid I'm going to need something from you first, just a little itty bitty teensy weensy lycro micro favor]

The sweet temptation oozes out of the text. "What's that?" I asked already suspecting the answer.

[I just need you to agree to be my Champion ;) ]