Chapter 6: In the Abyss of the Nulli Void... Part I
A bustling sea of life energy had gathered to form a giant swirling ball against the dark. Word had gotten out that the Goddess had momentous news to deliver. Pog and his older brothers like every other Nulli had gathered high above their makeshift city in anticipation of the Goddess's announcement. The life energy that belonged to every Nulli dotted across the Void like glimmering stars of bioluminescence.
Pog would often stray far from the Nulli city on his own to float and admire their glow. Their bodies were the only source of light in the Void despite the best efforts to provide otherwise. From afar, their varying gleams of blue, green, yellow, red and so on looked like fireflies floating aimlessly. Sometimes the lights darted from one point in the nothingness to another. The afterimages of their movements left beautiful, intricate patterns that he traced with his eyes. It was peaceful for him to watch his people. He could forget their unhappiness. He could forget their dour expressions and their listless roaming to find something other than darkness in the never-ending nothing.
The Goddess Vyomi appeared before them in the center of their gathering a shining thing carved from an otherworldly material. Normally, she blended into the darkness of the Void, becoming part of it and being everywhere at once. Pog shivered at finding comfort and discomfort in that knowledge. How often had he felt smothered by the darkness enveloping him? And yet how often had he thought his fellow Nulli ungrateful to say so out loud, not caring if the Goddess heard. They knew beyond the Nothing lay something even bleaker. And yet, the Goddess had silenced none of the grumbling. In fact, she had tried to make life more comfortable for them as much as possible.
His mind recalled the orbs of light called Sols that the Goddess had placed in various places in the Void to illuminate the realm. The orbs had always died out without natural life energy to fuel them. Many Nulli had been willing to feed the orbs from their own life force, some denizens at the expense of their own lives, thus forcing the Goddess to remove the orbs completely.
He remembered the Goddess opening glimpses into other realms to abate their loneliness. This had only amplified their feelings of isolation. The Goddess had even brought abandoned structures from other worlds into the Void to create the Nulli city. The Nulli had been so happy in the beginning until the three Goddesses of Creation had accused Vyomi of stealing. Vyomi could bring no other materials into the Void so the Nulli could continue developing their domain. With that, a depression fell upon the inhabitants darker than the Void itself.
Many of the Nulli viewed their city as a hollow imitation of the lively metropolises in the worlds of light they got to occasionally spy upon. A city would not make the Void conducive to life. The Goddess altered the bodies of the Nulli from flesh and blood to pure energy to allow for their survival in the Nothing. How could the Nulli say they were alive when they saw themselves like wraiths roaming the scavenged buildings of ghost towns? Over time, the spirit drained from the eyes of his people, and the Goddess had appeared before them less and less.
Despite the milling crowd of Nulli surrounding him, Pog recognized the pulsating energy of his three elder bokoblin brothers when they bristled against his own. The four of them were closer to the center of the gathering. He watched the lights of the largest Nulli among them—four whale-like Moldugas outlined in red, orange, and dark blue swimming in slow circles on the outermost layer of the spherical assembly. Their great tails and the large fins lining their backs swished gracefully. The one-eyed giant Hinox and elemental stone Talus formed the next layer. The feline centaurs called Lynels, boar-like Bokoblins, Moblins (larger piggish cousins to the Bokoblins), and reptilian Lizalfos were after that. Forming the innermost layer at the core was the Pebblits (smaller versions of the giant Talus), bat-like Keese, the impish Wizzrobes, globule Chuchus and tentacled Octoroks.
Duroc's energy flickered and sparked like a live wire around his fluorescent body. He looked ready to shock and singe anyone who came too close, or frankly, pissed him off. "So glad to see the Goddess grace us with her presence," he mumbled. He crossed long arms over a broad chest and his piggish snout wrinkled with a snort. His energy always glowed a deeper blue to match the intensity of his mood.
Pog shook his head at his brother's glib comment. He squirmed when Boggu's energy splash unpleasantly atop his own like keese droppings. Boggu's normally blue-black energy, though green more often than not these days, had always been sticky and slow. Unfortunately for Pog, it seemed runnier than usual and was oozing down the side of his face. He was sure he looked very much like a used handkerchief.
He pleaded with Boggu and was tempted to zap him into soberness. Exhausted as he was he decided against it. His other two brothers shifted away, leaving him alone to shoulder Boggu's drunken presence. It was clear Boggu had been partaking in energy swapping before arriving. Nulli didn't need to eat or drink in their current forms (with the exception of sleep), but the exhilaration that came with energy exchange was a diversion many had taken to during the depression.
"She's beautiful like a black diamond," Boggu drawled dreamily. "Like smoke captured in glittering glass." He smiled contently at the Goddess while his large bulbous eyes lulled around lazily in his head as though floating in water. Then looking over at Duroc, he hiccupped. "Lesson to you, gift from me: never mix octorok and lizalfos montessence unless you plan to chase it with milk of molduga."
Duroc grimaced and rolled his eyes. "Look at yourself! You're dripping everywhere like ChuChu snot," he snarled ready to tear into their befuddled brother but paused to raise a heavy scrutinizing brow at Pog. It was only now that he noticed Pog's usual vibrant red luminesce had dulled. "Not you too, Poggle?" Pog didn't have the energy to wave off his brother's inquisition, so instead he yawned. His fatigue and tiredness were for a reason he didn't much understand at the moment, much less cared to explain. And anyway, he'd never had an interest in joining Boggu on one of his excursions.
Muko raised a hand, calling for their silence. They reluctantly complied. The silver bokoblin's attention fixed intensely on the Goddess. Pog did his best to follow his eldest brother's lead while still juggling Boggu. Muko was the most sensible and levelheaded of his three siblings. It was no wonder the Nulli appointed him head foreman when the city was being developed. Pog frowned, knowing Muko had also taken it the hardest when development had stopped.
Still following Muko's example, Pog kept his eyes on the Goddess. The red bokoblin's gaze didn't contain the mistrust and disappointment like a great number of his Nulli brethren who had gathered. Pog hoped today would answer the questions on the minds of many. He was sure there were others who continued to have faith in the Goddess's intentions.
With luck, there would be no more wondering if she had long stopped caring about their wellbeing. There'd be no more despair at the thought of being abandoned. She appeared to him like a young woman as black as the Void from head to toe. Vyomi gleamed, looking dipped and polished in their light. Her abrupt appearance before them had been startling and everyone quickly grew quiet. The Goddess's voice resonated and echoed.
"A reprieve to your suffering has finally come," she announced. "Your true home...the world of light known as Hyrule awaits your return. Although that world shunned you, you're still of it. When you all were exiled, I'd hope to give you a place to belong. I understand that this darkness is not enough for you." She paused for a bit and then continued. "But an invitation was extended to you from one who has an affinity with one of the Goddesses of Creation. I've spoken of this to all of you before. His name is Ganon. He invites you to return once again but not without condition."
The energy arising from the crowd was tepid. So far, she had not presented a deal unlike anything different Ganon had offered them in the past. She sighed as she continued knowing the rest of what she had to say would be familiar, but would still likely anger them.
"Remember, when you all return to Hyrule you will be in servitude to this being as you've been in the past. Your wills and your bodies will be his to command. The Nulli are to be his army in another war for Hyrule. If Ganon should lose his war, you'll return here, memories wiped of all participation."
The Goddess had taken to wiping their memories after any period of indentured servitude out of what she claimed was a kindness. "You'll not be yourselves when you go to Hyrule and if you return to the Void, you'll cope better if you have no recollection of any unsavory events or actions." Many had argued against this in the past, but the Goddess always held firm to this rule. "If you die during your service in the war in Hyrule, your spirit will return to the Void where I will hold it in stasis until you can be reincarnated at the next blood moon."
The silence upon hearing these words crashed down flat and heavy. An undercurrent of anger simmered beneath it. A wave of voices broke through and crashed down upon her in an assault. A few stood out to her.
"First the three Goddesses condemned us to float in this lifeless limbo and now if we return to the home of our birth we're to be slaves! Again, in a never-ending cycle! Why is this always our only choice?"
"At least it's a chance at life! We don't belong here!"
"Anywhere is better than the abyss! I can't bear another endless moment of this place!"
Their words slammed into the Goddess hard and bruising. She took it all in, becoming like a black hole. Then, keeping her face impassive, she continued.
"I've bartered with Ganon that all who cross into Hyrule shall pay this toll... all but one." Again, silence pervaded the Void.
"A single one among you may cross into Hyrule with free will intact. He'll be the Hero among you to one day earn the right of all Nulli to walk freely in that World of Light. It's my hope that this One working for the Many will change the hearts and minds of the Hyruleans so they will invite you to stay permanently."
The Goddess waited for the Nulli to understand what she said.
Muko broke the silence. During the Goddess's address, he'd begun staring down hard at their unfinished city. The combined light of their gathering above it illuminated it in a kaleidoscope of rainbow colors. Pog was sure when his brother looked at the Nulli City he saw the beautiful glowing home of the Zora in Hyrule sitting in its place. The Goddess showed it to them once before and told them they could create something just as wonderful in the Void. The Zora made their city of a glowing ore in Hyrule called luminous stone.
The Goddess had also told them in the past, prior to the last two contracts with Ganon that she would be negotiating with the sorcerer-entity for a large amount of this ore. Enough for the Nulli to use to construct their own city. Pog remembered the excitement and joy of his fellow Nulli. He also remembered the anger on the Goddess's face when she had returned to them. Per the Goddess, Ganon would only agree to give the Nulli the luminous stone if he won his war for Hyrule. They got nothing if he lost. Several failed dealings with Ganon later and they had yet to acquire any of the coveted mineral.
The eye of every Nulli - Keese, wizzrobes, moblins, lizalfos, octoroks, chuchus and more rested on Muko.
"And this hero? Who are they?" Muko asked, deep voice rolling out of his chest. His silver energy crackled brilliantly like striking lightning.
Vyomi gave Muko a long appraising look. "He likely would have been you," she thought to herself wistfully. "Chosen by me, if not for Ganon's condition barring reincarnation... and the intervention of fate."
"He's someone who will never stop fighting for you even when the rest of you have forgotten yourselves," the Goddess answered aloud finally. She hoped this was true. She thought of the second deal she had made after she transported Ganon away from the underground chamber in Hyrule. The Nulli Hero would be whoever the tether found compatible. And she intended to honor that choice.
Muko brooded over this information and then shook his head slowly, irritably. His brow furrowed. He turned to speak to the rest of the gathered Nulli. His words were like a knife sharpened and carefully chosen.
"Banishment, exile, conscription... are not kin to freedom and acceptance. And they are a poison to hope. My hope died with our unfinished city. I have none left for this Hero. The Hyruleans will never accept us. Why should they? We may have forgotten our previous visits to Hyrule, but they haven't. If Ganon wants us to fight for him again, then we must oblige him." A hard, flinty tone that matched the intensity of the gaze he had given the city below further honed his words. "We have nothing to lose and everything to gain."
Vyomi interrupted, noting with surprise the bitterness in her once first choice for Nulli Hero. Had she retreated into the darker recesses of her Nothing for too long? When had his eyes begun to burn with such hate? "Time has shown repeatedly that the One can make a difference. We've seen this with the Hylian Hero of Legend. Would you still say what you're saying if you were identified as the Nulli Hero?" the Goddess asked Muko, analyzing him closely.
Muko faced her boldly, his expression a study in neutrality and just short of challenging. His gaze seemed to say, "But I'm not, am I?" Instead he responded in his gruff voice in grunting tones, "With all due respect Goddess, it doesn't matter who the Nulli Hero is because we still must carry on as we always have. This Nulli Hero will fight an uphill battle. How is he supposed to change the hearts and minds of the Hyruleans while the rest of us are mindlessly plundering and pillaging the land?"
"You're right," the Goddess in feigned concession. Her eyes lingered on Muko momentarily before she spun around slowly to all others in attendance. The line connecting their gazes had been drawn taut and tense. Unspoken words danced on a tightwire between the two. "The Hero has his work cut out for him," she told the Nulli. Her body posture and tone of voice were relaxed and languid. She made a request. "But the changing of hearts and minds will need to begin here before it can ever begin in Hyrule. I only ask that all of you give our Hero, whoever he is, a chance."
Muko lowered his head in a well-practiced bow that masked his face. The rest of the Nulli followed suit. "Forgive me, Goddess. I'm grateful for everything you've done, but we must fight for our place in Hyrule for as long and as many times as it takes. By whatever means necessary."
There was a murmuring in the Nulli crowd.
The Goddess halted for a moment to judge the weight of his words. She released a small breath and then addressed the rest of the Nulli. "Be ready at a moment's notice. Ganon's summons could come at any time. I'll open a point of crossing when the blood moonlight appears in Hyrule again. As for our Hero, the mark should appear soon, and when it does, call to me." Then facing Muko. "Prepare yourselves. All of you still have one last choice to make."
Pog stared at Muko with newly formed valleys creasing his forehead. He knew how much his eldest brother cared about their people. The feeling was mostly mutual. He watched other Nulli including Boggu and Duroc come closer to mill around the leader of the bokoblins. Most did their best to avoid Boggu, who was still not quite his sturdier self.
A school of bat-like chittering keese glowing in red bioluminescence made quick swimming motions to swarm the large, silver glowing bokoblin. Their wings momentarily transformed to look more like fins for easier movement. Pog sometimes did the same with his feet and hands when he moved through the Void. Often, unconsciously, with little thought or effort. In their energy forms, it was easy to change parts of their body at will when they chose. Although, full body transformations took great skill and very few Nulli were good at it.
Muko feigned annoyance and began fanning away the keese. His face was solemn, but a slight smile curved around the two lower tusks of his bottom lip. It was clear to Pog that the Nulli favored Muko, but he'd never seen his brother abuse that power. Admiration made Pog take a deeper breath as his chest swelled and the corners of his own lips slightly curled. He dreamed of being seen that way. Oh, he was liked well enough, but he was Muko, Boggu and Duroc's runty little brother.
The young bokoblin stared down at his right forearm as though willing the recent, sudden mark of a five-fingered hand to grasp him once again. In his mind, he saw the mark glowing gold, standing out starkly against the rest of the luminous red life energy of his body. The mark had sizzled, stung and strangely left him feeling drained. Then as quickly as it appeared it had gone. The color blending in with the rest of him. He was stunned and told no one. At least not yet anyway.
The Goddess said the Nulli Hero would be marked. Pog shook his head unbelieving. There had to be a mistake. Among his brothers, Muko was the strongest and Pog was the weakest. In fact, being a red bokoblin classified him as the weakest type among his tribe. The order of weak to strong being red, blue, black and silver. Pog was ready to go find the Goddess, but she had already faded into the dark of the Void.
He jumped when the neon blue energy tentacles of an octorok he'd known all his life wrapped around his shoulders. Occy's energy crackled against his own comfortably, exuding an aura of friendship. "Who needs a Nulli Hero when we already have one?" Occy burbled next to his ear.
Pog forced a smile. As far as he was concerned, having a Nulli Hero was the same as having no Nulli Hero if that Hero was him. The red bokoblin feigned amusement though, not wanting to show his melancholy. "Oh, yea, if one's good then why not two?" He swiftly energy-shifted into a near-perfect replica of his eldest brother, white crackling energy and dressed in a green tunic of legendary significance. In his current weakened state, he had difficulty holding the form for very long. Within moments he was his smaller, redder self.
Occy gave another burbling laugh. "The Hylian Hero wished he looked as good!" The octorok then made his own attempt at energy-shifting that resulted in an unintended grotesque approximation of Muko's head atop eight wriggling blue tentacles.
Pog laughed more deeply and full. "That's the stuff of nightmares! I'd pay you to try that on Boggu with his own face. It'd scare him straight off the montessence!"
Occy took his original form but looked away from Pog. He chortled a weak sputter, nothing like his gurgling laughter seconds before. Pog shook his head in disbelief. "Tell me you're joking?" he asked.
Occy gave him a few flitting side glances. His darting dark crescent-shaped pupils reminded him of boomerangs. "What can I tell you? It's the Void." The octorok then turned to face him fully. The liveliness animating his tentacles seemed much more forced. The cephalopod attempted to resume his previous carefree tone. "You should come with me next time. It's not what you think. I was going to meet up with-"
"No!" Pog said sharply. An image of Boggu's glazed eyes floating listlessly inside his own head reminded Pog of wandering Nulli lights in the worst way. The image was followed by one of a brooding Muko whose eyes increasingly seemed locked on a growing, burning hatred within himself, and a bitter, withdrawn Duroc whose tongue lashed like a barbed whip at all who got too close.
Occy stared at Pog, surprised by his outburst. Pog shook his head solemnly, speaking aloud in a murmur to himself. "It's time for all of us to get out of here." He looked at a perplexed Occy once more before gliding away into the all-consuming dark of the Void. "Sorry, but there's something I need to do."
Some time later, the red bokoblin found himself far from the city. The giant orb of light that had comprised thousands of Nulli, had mostly dispersed into tiny little lights now sprinkled throughout the unlit municipal below. Pog took in a breath and exhaled slowly. It was now or never. He called to Vyomi.
She caught him off guard when she emerged from the darkness as though she were trying to step through a black curtain. The curtain and the dim ruby light emanating from his body seemed to wrap tightly around her own. She soaked in more of his red glow and let it fill her eyes. Then taking flecks of his ruby lucent she spun bits of them through her smoky hair which continued to hover around her face.
"Greetings young one," she responded cool and seemingly placid.
Pog made a hasty bow. Fists balled, he ran his thumbs over his knuckles. An urgency stronger than ever before took control of him. Then looking the deity full in the eyes he blurted, "Goddess Vyomi, you've made a terrible mistake."
The Goddess, composed as always, made a subtle tilt of her head. "Have I now?" she asked, her voice still tranquil. There was the faintest curve to her lips and tiniest twinkle in her eyes. So tiny it looked like it may fade any moment. He wondered what her mood would be if it did. And with that, he became acutely aware of her presence all around him. Though she stood in front of him, the parts of her unseen seemed to be slowly circling him. He shifted about, wishing he had eyes in the back of his head.
"Goddess, I meant to say…," he began floundering for his words.
"If I recall correctly," she answered raising a finger to halt him, "Mistake was the term of endearment used for the Nulli on the day of their birth by The Three." Pog merely blinked unsure of what to say. Vyomi continued, "I've always thought of myself as more of a fixer, and on that day, I believe I fixed a most egregious mistake. A terrible wrong."
Pog's large ears flattened against his head. A part of him wanted to retreat but the urgency inside him remained. Taking a breath, he steeled himself and moved toward her, raising his right forearm for her examination. "My apologies, but there has been a misunderstanding," he tried once more.
"Yes, there has," she said exasperated, barely glancing at his out-stretched limb. "It should go without saying that a divine mark would in no way resemble an unsightly bump, boil or whatever else."
The Goddess looked ready to slip back into shadow in the next breath. The urgency swelled. Barely containing himself, he thrust his right forearm in the Goddess's face.
"This is not supposed to be here!" he burst out.
"Little piglet…" she said, her voice moving toward vexation and dark, twinkle-less eyes now peering down into his. "And what exactly would I do with this misplaced limb? Would I add it to my collection of arms, tongues and other unwanted body parts? Or would you prefer I reattach it to the top of your head?"
"What? No, no, no!" Pog startled. He shook his head at his own bumbling, long pig ears slapping his cheeks now. "The mark! I'm talking about the mark."
The Goddess narrowed her eyes once more. The edge in her voice remained. He seemed to poke more and more holes in her patience. "What mark?"
"A golden handprint. It was here on my arm. It glowed and burned bright." He said as his eyes developed a faraway look in some kind of remembering. Pity tugged at Vyomi like an incessant child begging for attention of which she seemed ready to slap away, when suddenly a golden light radiated brilliantly from underneath the innocuous bokoblin's skin. When the light died down, a five fingered handprint was evident. The handprint faded away moments later. Vyomi and the small, red bokoblin stared at each other in surprise.
"What did you say your name was again?" she inquired. To which Pog answered. Pog sighed when recognition entered her eyes only after he mentioned he was Muko's youngest brother.
Vyomi nodded her head several times. She surveyed Pog for many minutes, causing him to further squirm. It reminded her of a certain young man whom she had recently met in Hyrule. She scoffed. Indeed the tether had chosen a compatible, like-minded anchor within the Void. "I should have known," she said to herself.
Pog knew he was small even for a red bokoblin and was certain her response was because of being underwhelmed. His temper lit like a dying fire stirred back to life.
"If you knew then why did you choose me," he responded, ears dropping back once more.
"You were chosen for a reason," she answered. "And there is no changing that fact." She decided she would keep the details of the tether to herself for now. He'd likely view his being chosen as the Nulli Hero as more of a happenstance rather than fate which would do nothing for his confidence.
"But there were so many better choices. Muko would have been-" Pog began.
The Goddess raised her hand. "There is no one else who can do what fate has chosen you to do. Not even Muko."
Pog gawked at her slackfaced and then said softly, "It's not just him. It's all of them. None of them will believe I can succeed."
"It doesn't change your duty," Vyomi answered. Pog fell silent. Pity urged her toward him again. "There's only one person you need to convince to make the others give you a chance."
Pog looked up at her and nodded his head reluctantly.
"I'll take you back to the city, so you can go to him." Vyomi encouraged. "But first, there is one more matter we must attend. Give me your hand and listen well on how you must use the power I'm going to bestow on you."