Chapter 81: Key of Thought and Time
Long ago, when Citadel Gargantua was once ruled by one of Baroness Tak's ancestors, there was another ancestor that vied to rule and control the citadel, whom of which 'Gentle Giant' Ponpon had descended from. The baroness' ancestor and Ponpon's blood relative fought against one another in several bloody battles, with Tak's ancestor protecting her citadel from many assaults. Ponpon's blood relative was relentless, but an assassin was hired to gouge out his eyes, sent as a message from the past baroness herself. It was a message that told Ponpon's blood relative that he was blinded with power. However, in retaliation to being blinded, Ponpon's blood relative had sent the same assassin to poison the baroness. It was also a message, but meant to tell Tak's ancestor that even the mightiest ruler could be brought low. The two powerful figures eventually died, but Ponpon's blood relative produced an offspring that would continue the bandit family tradition. Tak's ancestor then announced to the population of her kingdom that her eldest child would be the next in line to rule Big Wall, which was eventually renamed into what is modernly known as Citadel Gargantua.
And Kay came to know this story from the mind of the assassin named Zero Wind. Ironically, Baroness Tak was responsible for hiring Zero to gouge out Ponpon's eyes, while Ponpon requested his services to poison his cousin. Unbeknownst of their intentions, they have played out a family tradition that had happened once before.
Kay floated out of the deadly water without ever touching it, reappearing at the hive that he had respawned from and meeting with Corvurn once more. Kay also saw that Corvurn was playing with some squidgy-looking things that gathered around, either pawing at them or checking on their health. They seemed... pretty weak and pathetic in Kay's opinion. No fangs to bite with, or claws to attack their prey, or spines they could launch at their foes. Nothing. Perhaps they can spit acid? Once Kay landed next to Corvurn, he began to inquire about them. "Hello again, Corvurn. Are these little guys your answer to the doomsday fluid?"
Curvurn looked up at Kay and nodded. "Yes. Apologizing for delay. Was analyzing modified strain."
Kay nodded. "So... what are they?"
Corvurn plodded his fingers together as the littler creatures squirmed below him. "Feederling strain. Specializes in bio-hazard containment role. Infused with manifestation altar elements. Recycles exotic and dangerous materials into resources. Gestates harmful materials into bio-matter resource. Can deliver to hive cluster for absorption, or processed for parthenogenesis. Asexual reproduction begins in tail tentacles. Feederling strain forces nutrients and bio-matter into tail tentacle, forming another feederling. Engorged tail tentacle detaches, reaches mature size after growth period, eventually becomes new feederling. However, problems detected."
Kay sighed as he rolled his eyes. "Man I hate problems. What are the problems?"
"Doomsday fluid too caustic for rapid feederling ingestion. Drink small amounts to minimize decay. Feederling strain, and creep assisted by resource tumors, slowly draining doomsday fluid from underground caverns. Possible time frame of complete doomsday fluid drain, three weeks." Corvurn replied.
Kay shook his head. "That's not good enough. How far is the creep growing under the doomsday fluid?"
Corvurn looked at a nearby creep tumor. After a few seconds of analysis, he looked back at Kay. "Creep growth underneath doomsday fluid, unimpeded. Interesting. Resource tumor veins renders doomsday fluid inert. Irradiated floodwater converted into inactive floodwater. Floodwater processed at lesser rate than doomsday fluid. However, incapable of forming creep tumors submerged in doomsday fluid."
Kay had an idea. Sadly, it was an idea that he dreaded. "Hmm..." He began to pace back-and-forth for a few seconds before sighing and turning to Corvurn. A defeated look emanated from his face. "... As much as I don't want to use it, I'm afraid that we don't have much choice in the matter. We now need your modified creep colonies more than ever."
Corvurn looked down at the feederlings and nodded in agreement. "... Biological adaptation detected. Intriguing. Creep tumors cannot form within doomsday fluid. However, proliferating creep colonies can extend creep spread indefinitely. Resource tumors compliments proliferating creep colonies exceedingly well. Hypothesis of complete doomsday fluid drain using proliferating creep colonies, resource tumors and feederlings, two days."
Kay nodded and smiled. "That's good to hear. Since much of the gilanian population of Kiln has been rendered extinct, I don't think they would mind if we spread our creep through their village, town, and city borders."
"Query. What about surviving gilanian population in underground refugee camp cluster?" Corvurn asked.
Kay huffed and looked down at Corvurn. If Kay didn't know any better, then he would have thought that Corvurn was becoming empathetic to the suffering of Tak's people. That, or he didn't want for them to become the unintended casualties of the war between the swarm and Gollog's Golden Star Empire again, and wanted to ensure that they survived Gollog's next attempt at committing genocide to every living being on Kiln. However, after looking into Corvurn's mind, Kay found out that the evolution master was only keeping Kay's interests in mind.
Once Kay retracted his telepathic link from Corvurn, he sighed. "... We might need to build some boats to carry any surviving refugees. Can the drones float over the water, and can they carry survivors?"
"Drone strain capable of hovering over ground and liquid terrain. However, carrying capacity limited. Will risk becoming submerged in doomsday fluid. Flotation devices required." Corvurn answered.
Kay nodded at Corvurn's answer. "Kay. We need boats. And if we can't make boats, we'll just get the drones to deliver supplies to the survivors instead."
"I was wrong to assume that you were merely another infested terran, Kay."
Corvurn and Kay turned to see a familiar protoss floating towards them. Unlike the spiting yet stern cautiousness that Xidion usually exuded from his mental patterns, Kay could feel a smidgen of approval emanating from him. Kay tilted his head at Xidion. "... Xid. I haven't seen you for a short spell."
The protoss seemed to sigh from Kay's statement. Do protoss even have lungs? "And I told you to not call me that."
Kay gestured to the protoss. "Pleasantries aside, what brought your glowing hide out from your little hidey-hole?"
Xidion shook his head, but then calmed his temper. "As far as you know, Kay, I do not 'glow.' The khaydarin crystals infused in my armor strengthens and empowers my psionic potential. However, on the topic of psionic potential, I came to give you something."
Kay raised an eyebrow. "A gift? From a protoss? I can't help but feel flattered, honored, curious, suspicious, and worried."
Xidion rolled his eyes and fished out a small device from his person. He then took the khaydarin amulet from his forehead and took out its crystal, only to put it into the device he had procured. "To be more precise, it is actually a gift from a creature that goes by the name of Corvurn Junior."
Suddenly, both of Kay's eyebrows were raised. "Wait a fucking minute?! C.J. contacted you and gave you something to give to me?!"
Xidion nodded. "That is partly correct. I was hesitant to listen to Corvurn Junior, since he had told me that he was one of your creatures. But he had insisted that I should assist you further, since he told me that he was a time traveling zerg organism, and has also stated that he foresaw several events that has taken place in our future."
Kay nodded. "Oh yeah, that's right. We managed to capture and infest a building that belonged to the Era Agency. He was the one that led the attack and infested the Era Agency in that other timeline."
"And what is the Era Agency?" Xidion asked.
"They are a group of time-traveling mercenaries that profit themselves with the wealth they plundered from several alternate timelines. They manage their business with other agencies that are within their own alternate timelines. Collectively, they are known as the Alternate Agencies." Kay answered.
A downcast glare was produced from Xidion. "Time traveling zerg? So it IS true?! I failed to hearken to this news at first, but I am only now beginning to believe this dreaded development. This would be grave news for any firstborn to learn." Xidion looked up at Kay. "But how did the alternate timeline of this Corvurn Junior come to be?"
Kay paused. He then frowned and shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, I have no idea. I didn't even come from that alternate timeline. But what I do know is that the alternate world became flooded by a silver fluid that disassembled everything down to the molecular level."
After a long period of staring was directed at Kay, Xidion sighed again. "Then I hope Artanis would forgive me for the decision I am making." Xidion moved his hand forward and held out the supposed device in his hands. Once Kay took it and inspected the strange bauble, Xidion explained its use. "Corvurn Junior calls this device a 'psionic focuser.' From what I could understand of its mechanics, it was designed to increase the psionic potential of the user. However, it is but one piece of two, and its other half is needed to complete its construction. Sadly, Corvurn Junior has not told me how to make the other component that completes this device."
The psionic focuser looked strange to Kay. It had several rows of copper disks and looped wires that contained a blue khaydarin crystal in their center. A turn-clamp seemed to lock the khaydarin crustal in place at its top, while the bottom had several triangular plates that formed a flat hexagon as its base. It was quite an alien thing to look at, and Kay didn't know what it did. "... Well uh... Thank you for giving this to me. Did C.J. ever said anything about where to find the other piece that fits with this psionic focuser component? Did he tell you what it does?"
Xidion shook his head. "I know not the answer to those questions. Corvurn Junior is the only time-traveling zerg creature that seems to understand this technology." Xidion shivered. "And I must say, it is a rather irksome thing to say aloud."
Kay smirked and held back a chuckle. "Only if you're either a protoss, or an enemy to the zerg."
"But I wish to know about the Era Agency and their alternate agencies. Are they a powerful enemy on this world?" Xidion asked Kay with curious trepidation.
"Well eh... I can definitely say that I underestimated their power once. On the other hand, I also gained firsthand experience on how dangerous their technology can really be." Kay said, omitting about the time he once got trapped inside of a temporal tomb for twenty of Kiln's years.
Xidion nodded. "What if they decided to attack you again? Are you prepared for another encounter with them?"
Kay smirked and gave Xidion a thumbs-up. "Nah. We adapted against many of their tactics a while ago. If they decide to fight me or my brood again, then they'll be in for a nasty... surprise." Kay suddenly felt a nearby presence drawing nearer to his location.
"It's a good thing I didn't come here to fight then." A heavy, yet smooth voice said as it interjected into Kay and Xidion's conversation.
Kay, Corvurn, and Xidion turned to see a portly gilanian that had walked out from a glowing heptagonal archway. He seemed to walk with a limp, or that his belly was so rotund that it limited his mobility somewhat. The gilanian also wore a white and orange uniform of an intricate design. Like the other era agents that Kay had tangled with, the newcomer had a bubble formed over his head, which could have been used to somehow filter the air he breathed. Kay and Corvurn reacted to the intruder's presence by entering into their respective combat stances, while Kay carefully hid the psionic focuser component under his hand. In response to Kay and Corvurn's reactions, the newcomer slowly raised his hands upward in a docile, non-aggressive manner.
However, Kay wasn't buying it, even when he felt no ill intent from the seneschal of the Era Agency. Besides, every time that Kay ever had the misfortune of dealing with an era agent, or multitudes of them, it would always result in some form of consequence one way or another. The first time that Kay had met with the era agents was within the alternate timeline, where they appeared in an ancient armor that was similar to the warriors of the Hidden Water Spring Tribe, attempting to pose as them to eliminate the zerg. The second time Kay met with the era agents was also within the alternate timeline, when they attempted to explain their side of the story on how the Era Agency worked, while trying to take Kragnon away from his tower. The third time that Kay had met the era agents ended in disaster, since the gilanian that Kay had named Bubbles had deployed his temporal locker that locked Kay in a temporal tomb. The tomb that Kay was stuck within eventually eroded away, but he had no memories of the events that took place during his imprisonment. But now that Kay had corvurn and Xidion by his side, he was confident that he would be able to withstand any tactic or attack that Zagion would use against his swarm.
However, Kay looked over to Xidion and noticed that he wasn't preparing for combat. "Xid!" Kay barked.
Xidion looked at Kay in confusion and in annoyance. "What?"
"That guy over there is one of the era agents! Get yourself combat ready!" Kay insisted.
Xidion was hesitant to follow Kay's advice. "But he said that he did not come here to fight. Perhaps we should listen to him?"
Kay groaned and rolled his eyes. "Xid. Not to be that guy, but... you're killing the moment. Will you stop being a buzzkill and act serious?"
"I am serious." Xidion said, crossing his arms. "I will not attack an unarmed combatant, unless it is a dangerous animal, or a zerg creature deciding that I would be its meal."
Kay sighed. "Well... Just go invisible and stand somewhere close. We might need you."
"... If you insist." Xidion said as he walked backwards while his body shimmered in light before disappearing from sight. Kay was still able to sense the protoss, but he wasn't concerned with Xidion. His main concern was with Zagion himself.
Zagion blinked a few times as he saw Xidion disappear from his sight. "... So... that... was a protoss? They are quite unlike anything I had ever seen before."
Kay narrowed his eyes. "... You KNOW about those guys?!"
Zagion slowly nodded. "Yes. Well... Your monster told us about them, actually."
"Monster?!" Kay repeated Zagion.
"The creature that calls itself Corvurn Junior." Zagion answered.
Kay then pointed at the Era Agency's seneschal, with steeping anger dripping in every growl he made. "You better make sense with your next sentences right now, or I'm going to twist your head until it pops off. And when I do pop it off, I'll psionically probe your brain for all the memories and knowledge it contains. Go."
Zagion quickly shook his head and raised his hands higher. "Okay okay okay don't kill me! Listen! I came here to trade for something that you need! Corvurn Junior instructed us to create it!"
Kay raised an eyebrow at Zagion. "... Continue. But carefully." He had an idea on what Zagion was alluding to.
"Right." Zagion said with a relieving sigh. He then took out a small device from his person and showed it to Kay. "This is a replica of the device we built from the lab in my agency. Apparently, it is a component that fits with another device. Together, they form what the monster has called a 'psionic focuser.'"
"... This sounds too convenient." Xidion remarked.
"Agreed." Corvurn added.
Kay nodded as he eyed Zagion. "I'm gonna have to agree with the invisible temp toss and the buttworm here. How did all this happen?"
Xidion and Corvurn turned to stare at Kay in their respective confusions. Zagion sighed as he shook his head. "I wish I could tell you the whole story, but I had gone through this conversation several times already. This visit has to be quick."
Kay hardened his eyes. "You went through some temporal recursions? How many?"
"This is my sixteenth time I had to go back in time to replay this conversation." Zagion answered.
"So tell me this then." Kay said as he carefully walked toward Zagion. "What made you go through that many temporal recursions?"
Zagion sighed as he began explaining. "I ended up sharing information that was too sensitive to give away. It involves a very private and personal matter that is none of your business to learn about. It would also mean the difference between life and death for the entirety of Kiln. If anybody learned of the secrets I knew, then everybody will die."
Kay huffed. "Well now I kind of want to know."
"I beg you to reconsider! I am asking you to not probe my mind for its information. Please." Zagion pleaded, gesturing to himself. "Much of the knowledge and secrets that the Era Agency has gained over the years has been carefully guarded, and I wish for such information to remain that way. I am asking you to help me keep those secrets by keeping them contained in my mind. This is my only request to you."
Kay looked at Zagion for several seconds as he analyzed his posture, and used his telekinetic ability to sense any lies he made. However, Kay was perplexed by the answer he received from the gilanian's emotional state alone. He was being completely honest. Kay sighed. "Ugh... Fine. I'll wrench the information out of you at another time."
Zagion sighed in relief. "Thank you Kay. That's all I ask."
"Kay." Kay said with a nod. Kay was reluctant to let the seneschal of this timeline's Era Agency keep his precious information. But Kay decided to let Zagion keep his precious information. This time. "But asides from your begging, what's stopping me from getting the other component of the psionic focuser from you?"
Zagion pointed behind himself. "The other component is safely contained past the time gate I used to get here. Once I acquired what I need, then the other component will be delivered to you. That is, so long as I received what I need from you firsthand."
Kay sighed. "And if I do something that you don't like, you're just going to keep using your temporal recursion protocol until everything goes as you planned?"
Zagion nodded. "That's the idea."
Unlike Bubbles, which acted shiftily in his schemes, Zagion was open with his intentions and was insistent on keeping controversial data from being in the public limelight. Kay huffed. "So what do you want from me in exchange for the focuser in your possession?"
Zagion pointed at the air that once contained Xidion. "Your protoss friend."
"... What?" "... What?" "Unclear." Kay, Xidion and Corvurn said with surprise.
"Corvurn Junior has asked us to bring your protoss friend to our Era Agency facility in this timeline. If you place him into our care, then we will give you the psionic focuser component we built." Zagion explained.
Kay waved dismissively at Zagion. "Out of the question! I can't let you get your grubby hands on the protoss!"
Zagion became confused. "What?"
"Xidion might not be the kind of person to bond with on jovial matters, but he happens to be a dangerous individual too. If you gilanians reverse-engineered his psionic capabilities and advanced technology, then there is a chance that Gollog might make psionically enhanced troopers, or whatever, and use them against my brood. But he also saved me from a fate of being a lab experiment. I can't let that happen to him again." Kay said adamantly.
Zagion sighed and shook his head, dumbfounded by Kay's answer. "... You would turn down our component for his well being? But we are able to take care of him. Corvurn Junior has explained to us that his needs were simple to provide."
Kay glared at Zagion. "And I said no."
Xidion materialized back into visible existence. "I want have a say in this."
Kay looked at Xidion. "Hey! Go back to being transparent!"
"No. If I remain here any longer, then the glowing floodwater will be the end of me. Also, my services are of no use to you, and I don't wish to linger next to a hive cluster anymore." Xidion took his turn to shake his head. "You do not owe me anything, Kay, nor do I owe you. You have rescued me from being a lab experiment, and I, in turn, have released you from your captors within the dark asylum. As you terrans might have said when two parties have assisted each other during their darkest times, 'We are squared.' And if I were to be candid with you..." Xidion looked around himself to inspect the hatchery chamber. "... This place is not meant to accommodate a firstborn like myself, regardless of the filtered water and electrical lighting you have provided for me."
Kay stared at Xidion. "... Are you sure about this, Xid? If you go with them, then you might be endangering yourself. You might even inadvertently be putting a lot of people into harm's way."
A huff escaped Xidion as he shook his head. "To be fair, Kay, this decision is not yours to make. I shall join with this era agent." Xidion then turned toward the seneschal of the Era Agency and paused. "...But I will only leave unless a certain condition has been met."
Zagion nodded at the protoss. "If this condition of yours is within my power to accommodate, then it can be done."
Xidion nodded as he walked toward Zagion. "The surviving refugees within the underground chambers are suffering and dying. If you can promise me to deliver the survivors to a safer location, then I will agree to come with you."
Zagion raised an eyebrow at Xidion. "... That is a rather unusual condition, my floating friend. Why do you care about them? They are not even your kind."
"The ruler of this world, Emperor Gollog, had used a weapon that killed all life on the surface of Kiln. His actions must be answered with blood. However, when the zerg have provided the gilanian refugees shelter from the coming apocalypse of the flooding glow, I saw that Kay's actions were not at fault. He sought to protect them from a genocide perpetrated by a powerful tyrant. If the zerg can learn to be sympathetic to a dying sentient race, then perhaps not all zerg deserve to be cleansed by purification?" When Xidion said the last sentence, he turned to face Kay.
Kay paused for a few seconds before he nodded at the protoss and slightly smiled.
Zagion nodded at Xidion. "Uh... Well, we can accommodate the refugees easily enough, I think. How many survivors are still alive?"
Kay decided to add to the conversation. "I think I can answer that. There is around two thousand people still left alive."
Zagion's eyes widened. "Two thousand?"
"Eh..." Kay responded with a so-so gesture. "Give or take a few dozens. Most of them are on raised tent platforms that are surrounded by a lake of doomsday fluid."
Zagion nodded. "The doomsday fluid... Is there a way we can bypass it?"
Kay nodded. "I got that covered already. The creep is already converting the radiation into raw materials. The underground doomsday lake should be drained in about two days. I already made plans to have my drones supply the survivors with rations. They'll help to keep them alive until they are rescued later."
Zagion paused, and then nodded again. "... I see." He then turned to Xidion. "So uh... After I had considered the conditions that you have described to me, I believe that I can accommodate the gilanian refugees. I promise to deliver them to safety. Shall we go then?"
Xidion nodded in answer to Zagion's question. "Lead the way."
"Before you two go, I got something to say to Zagion." Kay interrupted as he walked towards Zagion.
Zagion stared at Kay hesitantly. "... Uh... What is it?"
Kay looked at Zagion with a hard glare. "If this turns out to be some kind of trick, then I'm going to make you regret convincing me from ever letting Xid come with you."
Zagion stared at Kay before letting out a slight chuckle. "To tell you the truth, Kay, I had learned my lesson at least fifteen other times when I realized that the naked truth kept me from being killed."
Kay nodded. "... Alright. Speaking of truth, when do you think I'll learn about the secret you don't want me to learn?"
Zagion sighed. "I hope that you never do, Kay. If I did tell you, then you won't look at Kiln's prison system the same way ever again."
Kay tilted his head at Zagion's response. Judging from Zagion's answer, the secret that he wanted to keep must be incredibly important since it had the potential to affect the entirety of Kiln's Prison System. Kay was beset by a maddening temptation to extract the information that Zagion safeguarded within his own mind, but his greater willpower prevented him from acting on such an impulse. Kay stepped back and gestured for Zagion and Xidion to continue on their way.
Zagion nodded as he led Xidion to the time gate. Xidion didn't hesitate when he floated through the time gate, which made the protoss disappear from Kay's psionicly enhanced senses. Seconds later, a black bubble-suited gilanian leaned out from the time gate as he beheld something in his hands. "The VIP is secured, sir. Here is the component that you asked for." He said, gesturing to Zagion with the device in his hand.
Zagion nodded as he reached for the final half of the psionic focuser. "Thank you, Ganbak." After retrieving the device from the era agent, Zagion then turned to approach Kay.
Once Kay retrieved the second component that completes the psionic focuser, he began to inspect it. It was a coppery colored dome that had a chin-strap affixed to it, which had small LED screens that circled around the cranium of the device, and several soft pads that lined the inside of the dome. There was a hexagon-shaped indentation on the front-facing side of the device, which contained copper-colored triangular plates. Kay looked back up at Zagion. "Thank you for giving me this. I'd ask you how it works, but you don't seem to know what it does."
Zagion nodded. "That is correct, Kay. Anyway, two days from now, my era agents will pass through your underground caverns to begin evacuating the refugees to a different location. Promise me that your monsters won't attack my agents."
Kay smirked. "Then don't attack or provoke them in any way. Do that, and your agents should be safe. Anyway, I think it's time we go our separate ways." Kay said with a wave.
Zagion smiled and nodded at Kay before turning to go through the time gate he had used to infiltrate into the underground super hive cluster, all just to make a trade with the zerg. When Zagion had went through the time gate, it disappeared and became as transparent as the wind. Silence filled the hatchery chamber that Kay and Corvurn resided in. Corvurn turned to Kay. "Query. Was trading protoss organism appropriate action?"
Kay brought out the other component to look at the two devices together. "I dunno. Hell, I'm thinking that we should have invited Othafurn to help us decide which course of action could have been better for us in the long run."
Corvurn nodded. "However, gilanian population relocation will occur in two days. Risk of further casualties, nonexistent."
Kay turned to Corvurn. "And what about any other surviving gilanians that could have survived the doomsday fluid downpour?"
Corvurn huffed. "Possibility, rare. However, war against Golden Star important. Gollog organism's genocide weapon must be sabotaged."
"Mm." Kay looked back down at the two components that formed the 'psionic focuser.' He then looked back at Corvurn. "Think I should try this on now?"
Corvurn shook his head. "Hesitant. Must inform Othafurn of era agent presence and psionic focuser device."
'Kay. Equip device now.' Said Corvurn Junior.
There was a long pause between Kay and Corvurn. "Oh! Corvurn Junior! How are you?" Despite Kay's question, only silence answered Kay back. Kay sighed. He really wanted some answers regarding the new psionic focuser in his possession, and what happened between him and the Era Agency of this timeline. "... Welp. I guess there goes our chance to debate about this. Corvurn, go and develop those proliferating creep colonies and spawn more of those feederlings. Once we dealt with the doomsday fluid, we can then begin fighting again. Right now though, we have to focus on defending our underground super hive cluster, and draining our flooded caverns."
Corvurn nodded. "Understood. Will commence operations."
Kay placed the copper dome on his head and strapped its chin-strap to his chin. Kay breathed in heavily before releasing into a relaxed exhale. "Let's see what this thing can do." Kay said as he combined the two components, which completed the psionic focuser.
There was darkness.
And then there was pain.
An unbelievable amount of darkness.
An unimaginable explosion of pain.
More pitch-black than the shadows of night.
More white-hot than every neuron being hit by lightning.
Significantly gloomier than a graveyard painted with tar after dusk on a new moon, no stars, and cloudy skies.
Agonizingly fiercer than the simultaneous detonation of every star in every galaxy, forming a cacophonous universe-wide ripple.
Hollow of all light and significance.
Yet filled with pure emotion and raw thought.
It was akin to the unfeeling feeling of being unconscious.
But somehow, Kay could feel as though he was lucid in his unconsciousness.
And this unconsciousness was what Kay was experiencing, of whom was dreaming of this ebony-filled rest.
It felt so different. As Kay became aware of himself, he noticed that he was unable to fight off the numbness that surrounded him.
Like all dreams, there always comes a time when the sleeping becomes awake.
But this time, Kay did not wake from his unconsciousness.
"... Where... Am I?"
{Here.}
Kay turned around to find nothing. The voice was everywhere, yet nowhere. Within him, yet so alien. "Whah~?! Where is here?!"
{The place between the dreaming and the waking. The plane that is without destination. The doorway between two universes, where souls and thoughts interconnect. This is the mindscape betwixt realms.}
"Who am I talking to?!" Kay yelled out into the darkness.
{Have you truly forgotten my existence? Even the existence of my past life? A sadness fills me, but this is nothing more but a passing inconvenience. And yet, perhaps erasing the memories of the mortals and machines of this world was my fault all along?}
Kay looked left and right, up and down, all around, but could not find the source of the booming and magnanimous voice. Kay began to feel agitated. "Well whoever you are, show yourself to me right now! I'm getting sick of being in this colorless limbo, and I am getting pretty sick of being stuck here with you!"
Kay was surrounded by a tendril of intense orange thought as he was pulled toward darkness. Seconds of blinding whooshing had quickly passed, but Kay shook his head after it was over. But when Kay looked up again, his face paled into the complexion of a ghost as his eyes widened with a combination of shock, surprise, and horror. He saw a mass of orange tendrils coalescing in the center of this blackness. Within the center of these tendrils, a large mass of thick carapaced flesh supported a massive eye that had four eyelids, forming a cross that protected an eye which glowed a dangerous power. As this eye looked at Kay, its intense glare passed right through him like he was nothing. {Your rudeness will suffer punishment, my progenitor. Though I was reborn from your flesh, know that you were restored from your own insanity by my will. Know that I am The Overmind, the eternal will of the swarm, and that you have been chosen to serve me.}
If Kay had the physical means to do so, he would have gulped. Perhaps Kay shouldn't have used the psionic focuser after all?
A/N: Also, I reached a milestone! 66,666+ views! :D