LIMINALITY
Table of Contents
Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 56 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 ENDChapter 2
"It is the end. They have come down through the gloaming of the stars. Now all is over, and beyond the Arinurian streams, we shall dwell blissfully in Teloe."
The otherworldly voice of a child speaking an indiscernible sentence could be heard all over the horizon, sounding as if someone were projecting his voice all around the vast plains of this vast, empty place, much to everyone's shock and surprise.
"Who was that?" Said the frightened Saturn, having no recollection of ever meeting such a person or knowing what or where exactly this mysterious figure was coming from, "Please don't tell me it's you, Culsans!" Accusing the other voice of his inappropriate pranks.
To their surprise, he denied it and shared the same sentiment as they were having: "Hey now! I'm not responsible for this. I swear on it." The offended god proclaimed that it had nothing to do with it as the other voices began to argue over who it could've been.
As they mumbled about, Janus attention was elsewhere; "its approaching." There was mix of dread and uncertainty in his voice about what to make of it as it got closer. The other voices are still arguing with one another while he himself wonders what's coming.
The radial symmetries emanating from whatever entity was arriving felt so insanity-inducing that it felt weirdly welcoming to some extent. But the danger was obvious to all, as they soon became aware that the incoming entity was neither benevolent nor pragmatic.
All of them then froze as his eyes widen at the sight in front of them: unusual planets manifesting out of nowhere that begin to orbit around this small red dot in the middle of infinite nothingness, creating a melody of turbulence and explosive sounds as they crash into each other.
This orchestra of calamities caused the astral heavens to shine brightly, releasing a shockwave of power that rippled throughout the endless space. An overwhelming sensation of madness, granting awe to their sight, as if they are standing at the edge of existence.
There was no other being than this eldritch visitor; its enormous height, which vastly dwarfed all the solar systems combined, was standing there, floating in all of its sensational, bloodcurdling, and horrendous glory. This entity that defied description made reality all around them shift into warping spires of unfathomable shapes.
"How...?"
Was what escaped from Janus nonexistent lips, for it is said that this permanent prison they have created for him is borderline inescapable? To add more of it, impervious to any magic or force, only the combined Roman gods can possibly manage to open this place.
Yet here it is, a visitor or entity that is neither physical nor abstract, just a haunting image of what makes the universe so cold and emotionless, as he can't stop himself from staying silent from this whole ordeal; even the voices in his head kept their mouths shut.
And then this unnerving guest spoke, speaking in a courteous male voice albeit carrying malevolence in it: "Janus, the Roman God of all beginnings, gates, transitions, time, choices, duality, doorways, passages, and endings," as it pronounced its name in a slow, polite, and harmonious tune with a slight hint of arrogance.
Inaudible, the air around this astral place was quiet, like an ocean that is in constant wave; the silence held on in an eerie, almost ominous manner that makes all question if their mind is playing tricks on them or if the god of time is indeed hallucinating.
Either way, he knows this is his chance to ask, "Who are you?" Janus questioned, expressing astonishment at this discovery, "And how did you get into my prison? The Gods have sealed this place, where escape and entry are insurmountable without their combined efforts," trying to make sense of it all.
But this unknown visitor simply laughed, not with warmth but with delight, for some reason. This mysterious entity then announced with bright confidence, "I am the master of reality and the controller of all things in existence, the physical and metaphysical, the tangible and untouchable," boasting out its own title with such grandiosity and extravagance, as if the very notion of having such power is a reality.
Such a personage made him scoff at its arrogance, and even the Narrator commented on this, "My, what a pretentious being," causing the rest of the voices to agree on this. The Narrator further remarked on the visitor's presence, "Be careful, Janus; something tells me this fellow is bad news; it might be an other god who's looking to kill you for all I know. But I am confident that you will make the right choice," advising his host as to what to do in this predicament.
"And who might you be?" Janus questioned further, tilting his head as his eyes squinted at this entity, "Even with my omniscience stripped away, I still have some recollection of information in regards to the many fundamental aspects that govern our reality," speaking with a neutral tone as the visitor remained silent.
A bolt of purple lighting, radiating with the same dark matter and radiation as that entity's, flashed across from the thing's mouth, moving through immeasurable speeds so fast that even Janus himself became alerted to this sudden display.
Instinctively bringing his spear to reflect this transition, what happened next surprised him, as the moment it made contact with his weapon, the strange lightning swiftly went over his body like an unstoppable force, as a feeling he never would have expected in this life emerged inside him.
Pain.
Janus winced in agony, using all his power and efforts to keep his arm up as his entire body continuously vibrated as if electricity were traveling all over him, while the mysterious entity laughed at this spectacle, enjoying the reaction he was giving out.
As he experienced this concept, all of the voices also screamed in pain from the exposure, causing them to go mad from the intense electric volts as everything within God's body started to shake. Clenching his spear as tightly as possible, he did what was only possible.
Shifting himself outside the boundary of imagination, he and everyone else sighed in relief from escaping that horrible state as the purple electricity vanished without a trace. "That was a close one," said Quirinus with a shaky and distressed voice. He took a deep breath and looked up to the stranger who watched it all unfold, finding this peculiar as it was simply staring.
"I am Nyarlathotep!" He introduced himself with both courtesy and sadism, spreading his arms wide open in theatrical fashion, "The Crawling Chaos, Messenger of the Old Ones and Herald of Flesh-Born Dreams and Nightmares alike, as well as the last TRUE God in your universe," proclaiming its own grand title.
Except that Janus blinked multiple times and asked, "Who are you again?" Confused at his words and expression of showing prideful nature in front of him, the outer god frowned. "I never recall learning anything about your nature." Questioning the stranger by its name, for it sounded ridiculous in his mind.
Hearing this caused the crawling chaos to lose patience, becoming visibly upset before quickly subsiding as a large, almost gentle smile spread across his face. Then he shook his head: "Oh, Janus. Janus, Janus, Janus..." His tone was scolding and almost mocking.
"You think I came here without purpose?" It questioned, causing the Roman deity to remain silent as the messenger of the old ones continued, "Why, yes, I see, and why wouldn't you, really? It's only logical, but to explain it to a simpleton such as yourself would take quite some time, and that simply isn't the case now, is it?"
Janus just stood there, watching the person who recently attacked him, now trying to start up another casual conversation: "What are you even talking about?" Annoyance could be heard within the god's voice as Nyarlathotep let out a sigh, shaking his head.
"I'm here to save you—"
"BULLSHIT!" Managing to briefly take over the host's body, Quirinus threateningly pointed the spear at the assailant, whose eyes widened in disbelief at the audacity: "YOU JUST ATTACKED US AND EXPECTED US TO BELIEVE IN YOUR HYPOCRISY?!"
With rage and anger evident on God's face, the other voices tried to stop him with pleading and panicked tones. But he was having none of it: "No, I will not be swayed by any of you, for we were all deceived by this deceiving monster!"
"Please, oh God! Don't!"
"This is not what I signed up for!"
"Why must we continue this violence?!"
Saturn, the Narrator, and Vesta commented on this horrific change of events, urging him to cease this fight while the rest were observing as the chaos finally began. Finding out about this whole visit was confusing from the start, to say the least.
Shouting at the top of his lungs, Quirinus is going to make sure this disrespect will not go unpunished as he rushed towards him with spear in hand, ready to end this creature once and for all. "I WILL NOT SIT IDLE AS THE WORLD KEPT TORMENTING US, NYARLATH—"
Just when he was inches away from stabbing it in the chest, the outer god froze all concepts into halt, affecting the Roman God himself as Janus and his accompanying voices were forced to watch what would happen next. "To not think of this as a display of kindness," he said in a low, calm but threatening tone.
Janus was in shock; he should be the master of time and boundaries, but this mysterious entity managed to affect him with whatever otherworldly powers it had, as Nyarlathotep remained partially frozen while still being able to speak and move at the same time.
"You see, there is a place I am going to send you into—a place made of dreams and imagination." The stranger's tone of voice was sickeningly sweet, dripping with poison and malice as it leaned closer toward the paralyzed god. "It's not a request or invitation, but a command you will obey without question."
Reaching out his hand to the nearby celestial body of planets that surrounded them, he grabbed it and casually extended it towards Janus, saying, "This is the world I am going to bring you into," speaking in a calm and collective tone of voice.
While the Roman God could not speak, he nonetheless could see and hear everything present where the very planet hovering above the palm of outer god is a sphere with multicolored gas, clouds, and floating continents, all rotating slowly in the vastness of space. It is unlike any planet that the gods have ever seen, with its breathtaking beauty and unmatched strangeness.
As he gazed upon it, Janus could not help but feel a sense of wonder from it.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" The outer god said with a knowing smile, "This place is filled with wonders, both terrifying and wondrous." A tinge of admiration could be heard in the creature's voice as the planet continued to rotate, casting a hypnotizing glow over the frozen god. "There are many beings that live there; all of them unique in their own way, each with their own dreams, hopes, desires, and fears."
If only Janus could open his voice to speak, then things would be far easier than they are. As Quirinus and the rest could not do a thing but observe from within the mental plane, it was extremely infuriating for them to bear witness as he struggled against the entity's power.
Then the planet spun rapidly, picking up speed to a point of no return as Janus's eyes followed its movements. Moving so fast that it appeared as little more than a blur of colors, blending into one another. Until then, he finally pinpointed each change of motion that ever occurred.
Information entered his mind like a tsunami. At first, the images were nothing but blurs of colors and shapes. But soon they began to come together, forming a tapestry of sights, sounds, sensations, and smells. It became clear what Nyarlathotep wanted him to do.
"I can see it in your eyes," he said with stratification. "No words are needed, God of all beginnings and endings. Some of your voices might not agree on my offer, but I assure you, The Dreamlands will change from what you thought it was when the time is right." crushing the world with his hand, he then opened his hand to reveal nothing but dust.
Sprinkling those remains into the ether, the Roman god can only helplessly watch as the fate of that planet has become lost to the void, leaving no trace behind. Yet, the other entity had something even more sinister in mind: "I will grant you two options for you to choose from." He approached another planet and pulled it with his fingers as if it were a piece of candy.
"First, I will rip every realm to oblivion with my own fingers, piece by piece," he said, threateningly crushing the celestial object between his fingertips as chunks of debris broke off and floated away. "And then when every last world is gone, nothing will remain except us," a threat that he can accomplish alone without lifting a finger.
This person is mad! It's completely insane to ever think of destroying all that's left. It isn't a common fact that he doesn't care what will happen to the lives of those who perished, but more so about the disruption that will befall all of creation.
As it continued, he began speaking softer and gentler: "You can try to stop me, but all the gods have failed before." Words spoke nothing but truth as every deity across the cosmos fell before him. "Let me show you." A warped color of purple and black surrounded him.
Janus cannot fathom what he was feeling from it; the overwhelming power that seemed to wash over him was unlike anything he had ever experienced. It was as if everything he had ever known or cared about had suddenly disappeared, leaving nothing but emptiness behind.
He realized now that he was no match for someone like this monster.
Satisfied, Nyarlathotep returned back to his normal state. "Or I can send you to the place I mentioned earlier, where fate will do the rest," he continued where he left off. "Make your choice," and within an instant, everything returned to its normal pace.
Allowing Janus and the rest to regain control over themselves, "I don't really have choice...is there?" Slowly straightening himself up, he looked up at the horrific outer god with defeated eyes.
Seeing how he reacted, the crawling chaos grinned happily of the answer.
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