The Litany against Fear

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.

I have fond memories of Dune... Granted I never read the books... or seen the movies... Or really had any interaction with the series outside of having a father who was a huge fan of it and who used to quote the litany and constantly tell me things about the series... So I guess what I'm saying is I have fond memories of my father which I disguise as fond memories of a series I know pretty much nothing about...

Hell even that quote isn't from memory...

This is Dr. Malice btw... Nathan's relationship with his father ended with him joining The Archangel trying to kill Megan and Nathan eventually murdering him... So I'm pretty sure there are no fond memories there...

I'm rambling aren't I... The point is The Litany against Fear would be very useful right now as it appears to be running rampant.

The servants are panicking and killing each other. Unikeia has completely lost control and has been spotted at times reverting to her Unnamed Child form for an unknown reason. Whatever is causing this still hasn't arrived as far as we know and already it's tearing us apart.  That black sludge is becoming more apparent as well. Some people have black stains under their eyes or constantly have a couple of streaks of it dripping down...

A guard yesterday snapped and shot two others before he was eventually subdued and proceeded to kill himself by biting off his own tongue... Our group seems unaffected but it's hard to really tell. We stay together when possible now but Harold is often on his own somewhere, Faceless doesn't have eyes and Unikeia keeps Portnoy by her side and won't let us near him much anymore.

The only ones I'm sure of our myself, Nathan and Megan...

Actually Harold's behaviour is pretty strange... Why is he by himself so often? 

A... very interesting meeting.

It's Muffin. We arrived back at Unikeia's place to await whatever is coming. Dr. Malice is right. Unikeia and, as a result, most of her servants seem afraid. My guess one of the last two Ne Timu is mounting some sort of attack. There haven't been more incidents like the one Dr. Malice reported but we're pretty sure it may happen again. Attempts to question Unikeia have been fruitless. She seems to want to tell us but every time she starts to speak she seems to lose her nerve.

Regardless my post today isn't so much about that as about another strange meeting I've had today... It wasn't Jack this time it was... Well something that shouldn't have happened.

I was walking towards my designated room and as I reached for the door it suddenly opened inwards. The door opens outwards normally. I looked out into a vast empty city but not for long. My amazement at seeing The Empty City before me was overcome by my amazement at seeing myself standing in front of me. He seemed surprised to see me too. I stepped back to let him come out but he didn't.

Other Me: Can't set foot in this universe. Part of the agreement.

Me: What agreement.

O. Me: The Empty City wanted to show me this universe. It brought me here but said I couldn't set foot inside. Something about not being able to properly manifest here and if I stepped out I couldn't come back.

Me: Makes sense... The Fears are all dead here. So The Empty City is probably breaking all sorts of laws just showing up here at all.

O. Me: So this is the universe where we succeeded?

Me: Yep. We killed The Fears and doomed the universe.

O. Me: Shit really?

Me: Worse then that... We killed Megan...

O. Me: ... Tell me everything.

We spent the next few minutes telling each other what we know and what's been happening in our respective universes. Eventually he started fading.

O. Me: Thank you... I think I know how to fix things in my universe now... Good luck... I'm sorry.

Me: Me too...

He disappeared then... The door closed. I opened it outward went into my room. Oh to explain. While it is an airport Unikeia has modified it heavily. I believe my room was once part of a coffee shop... Anyway . I went inside thinking deeply about the conversation before falling asleep and dreaming about the universe I had just learned about... A universe where Megan was still alive and The Fears still had power... Compared to this one that seems like a paradise despite my other's problems...

Fear Goo...

Couldn't resist the horrible title.

It's Dr. Malice. Congrats to Muffin and the others for taking down Dreslith. Unfortunately we have another problem here and I think you guys should come back here right away.

Yesterday we were all in the throne room again Portnoy and I beside Unikeia. We were watching some of her servants perform circus tricks... That they couldn't do... She's a bit of a sadist and lkes watching them screw up and usually get hurt. Suddenly her laughter stopped and I looked at her. Her face was a blank but I could see something... It looked like the same Greyish Goo the Ghosts bled... It was dripping from her eyes. I turned to look at the performers and they were standing in place with the same dazed expression and goo coming from their eyes. Portnoy didn't seem to have it but everyone else did. I shook Unikeia and she snapped back to reality and wiped the goo from under her eyes then looked at it. I saw her eyes change momentarily... Reflecting an emotion I didn't expect to ever see... She looked afraid. She then quickly recovered wiped the goo off on a nearby servant and ordered the performers to stop just standing there and get back to performing. They all came out of their own reveries and returned to what they were doing. Unikeia continued looking worried whenever she thought I wasn't looking at her...

Something is coming here. Something dangerous enough to make even Unikeia worry.

The Fight with Madness Pt. 2

The inside of the Asylum was... a suitably epic locale for our final battle with Dreslith. We were standing on a dead planet. The ground cracking up and exploding around us as something... I don't know what it was... It looked like a giant mass of... Eldritch... stuff... slowly devoured the stars. Dreslith was standing facing away from us watching the creature. We knew it was Dreslith but it didn't look like him. Even facing away from us we could tell it looked like a human figure... A familiar human figure... It turned around showing me Vadim. It didn't speak. No monologue. No explanation of where we were or what was going on. It just stared at us. Harold raised his gun and instantly Dreslith's form shifted. It became a woman I didn't recognize. Harold did though and he dropped his gun. Faceless went forward to attack and Dreslith turned into a little boy. Faceless shook his head. "Already killed my son once. Won't stop me a second time." He drew his machete and charged and Dreslith shifted again becoming a woman. Faceless hesitated and the planet beneath his feet exploded he was thrown back and landed beside me. I broke out of my thoughts and charged. He turned back into Vadim. Vadim's dead I know that already I just quickened my pace. It switched to My mother and then my father. Didn't slow me at all. It switched to Megan and I let out a bitter laugh... But then it smiled...I hadn't seen her smile in such a long time... Not even just before Genome... Before all of this... It had been so long. I  stopped and fell to my knees. I felt a cold hand on my shoulder then I was tossed out of the way. Genome strode past me towards Dreslith. It switched to people from Megan's memories.

Genome: I don't know any of those people...

It switched to people I assume from Genome's past.

Genome: I don't remember anything from before I was a thoughtborn and I haven't met anyone I care about since.

Genome reached Dreslith and in desperation Dreslith made the planet explode beneath Genome like it had beneath Faceless. It didn't work. The shards of planet and molten lava from the core froze instantly into a block of ice and Genome just hopped up them to get higher and slammed her hand into Dreslith's face. There was a sound like glass breaking and the scenery around us shifted.

We were back on what I'm pretty sure was earth. It seemed like a vast wasteland. It didn't look like anywhere on earth normally but it still had The End in the sky and during The End's attack The entire world was a wasteland thanks to The Herald anyways. My attention was turned back to Dreslith when I heard Genome cry out in Megan's voice. I turned to see Dreslith holding her. Blood dripping down her body. For a second I feared the worst but I quickly remembered that Dreslith's hands drip blood and tears. Regardless I got to my feet and attacked. However, I stopped mid attack and began to think. "Why are we fighting Dreslith? Because Unikeia said too? Dreslith never harmed us until we went after him. He helped us save the universe during The Amalgam attack. Unikeia didn't help us at all. No... I'm not doing this for Unikeia! I'm doing this because Dreslith is a monster. He hurts innocent people. Like Gwen! What about The Fears though? What about The Fears?! You hated them for hurting innocent people... You tried to kill them all and now look. You were fighting alongside The Dying Man. All of your companions served them. The Fears weren't completely evil. Maybe The Ne Timu aren't either. Gwen- Seemed pretty happy when she died. Because she was deluded! So? They say Ignorance is bliss... Maybe the Ne Timu have a purpose... Maybe we aren't so bad." I did a double take and grinned. "You made a mistake. You said 'We'. You're in my thoughts, Dreslith? well here's a thought... Do you know why The Fears were better than you? They didn't make mistakes." I reset my attention Genome and rushed over. cracks began to appear in the earth but I avoided them and reached Dreslith. I knocked Genome from his hands then punched him in the... "face" again and followed up with numerous punches to every part of it's body I could find that was solid. It seemed mostly unphased but didn't try to defend itself so I assumed I was doing something to it. I heard my voice yelled and stopped diving out of the way as Harold fired a bullet into Dreslith's blood arm. Blood poured from the hole and he fell. Another bullet went into the tear arm and tears fell from his wounds like rain. What happened next was weird. He began to disappear and shrink. Like... Like he was draining out of the bullet wounds. The world around us seemed to freeze and as he disappeared he shattered and we were back in our hotel.We're staying here a few more nights to recover and then we're going after the next Ne Timu.

Battle with Madness.

Dreslith's grew tired of running.

We were still searching when suddenly the sky changed. The clouds changed to a sickly green and the sky was a mirror. All of us who had been there at the coming of The End winced at the memory and averted our eyes. In front of us now was a large imposing building. 20 foot high walls of stone, a solid, black, iron gate with a tormented face on it. Beyond the wall the structure was more like a castle than anything. Towers jutted up from it at odd angles, one had a clock face on it but no numbers... At least not numbers we'd recognize. One was open topped and showed to all the world a grim reminder of what awaited... For all that looking at it it was obvious what this building was and it's even more painful to realize how close it is to our own versions. It was an insane asylum. The old kind. Built more like prisons and run more like torture chambers then places of healing.

We approached and the front door opened. Gwen walked out.

Gwen: Why do you fight us? You've seen the truth. You were with us. Join us again. Become free with us.

Her gaze turned from me to the rest of the group

Gwen: This offer extends to all of you. You are trapped in a lie. We can free you. We can free everyone.

She pulled a stack of purple masks out of the air and one mask exactly like the one I had had.

Gwen: Put these on and you'll know the truth.

Me: We already know the truth, Gwen. You serve a monster. There is no truth just more lies crafted by a horrible creature. You've seen it. I know you have. Remember it. Tell me does that thing look like Truth to you?

Gwen seemed to hesitate momentarily then responded.

Gwen: The Truth may be ugly while a lie may be beautiful...

I sighed. I didn't want to have to kill her... I didn't really want to have to kill anyone anymore... The purple masks are too far gone but I knew she could still be reasoned with. It didn't seem like it was going to be easy though.

I tried to speak again but she spoke first cutting me off.

Gwen: Stop. No more words. I had hoped to help you return to enlightenment but I feel it will not happen. I shall show you the truth by freeing you. When I follow you into the real world then we can speak again and perhaps then, with nothing standing between us, we can be what we were for a short time... (I... I'll explain at... some point in time... Eventually... A beautiful lie...)

Me: I don't want to kill you Gwen.

Gwen: You won't be killing me.

At that she attacked. I should probably explain how she fights. I don't know exactly how it works in the real world but here in Dreslith's world it makes a bit more sense. Her arms act like blades. She attacks with essentially karate chops that can cut through flesh like a sword. It makes things a bit weird for me as I'm not sure whether to respect her for using her hands in combat or whether that counts as hiding behind a weapon.

She slashed at me and I jumped back. We fanned out around her and Harold fired at her from her right. Her right hand flashed up and deflected the bullets then she rushed at him and started attacking wildy. He proceeded to block with his guns and deliver a kick to her gut. She staggered back and Faceless launched forward slashing at her but she recovered and grabbed his wrist flipping him over her shoulder. Genome attacked then and the freezing touch of her attacks pushed Gwen onto the defensive as Harold began firing again. Gwen managed to dodge Genome's attacks and deflect the bullets but she couldn't attack back. Faceless recovered and released the birds. They swarmed her but she was still managing to fend off all of her attackers. Her movements were faster and far more powerful than they should of been. Undoubtedly a side effect of our battle ground. I dived into the fight and as she deflected one of Harold's bullets I slammed into her from the side knocking her over. She landed and rolled back to her feet but she only managed to rise in time to get a fist to the face. I didn't let up hitting her with everything I got... I didn't want to kill her but if I had to I wanted it to be over fast. All my hits were too the face... I like to think I wasn't attacking her I was attacking the mask. Eventually the mask shattered. There was a moment... Something I can't explain... What was revealed behind the mask wasn't a face... It was... The opposite of a face? I don't know... There was a burst of energy and her mask reappeared completely purple and she rushed at me again. I tried to b lock her but she ducked under my punch grabbed my arm at the elbow and pulled me forward as her knee connected with my gut. The rest of my friends and Genome rushed to help but the ground began to shake and shards of earth flung up on all sides of us. I fell to my knees and she kicked me in the face knocking me onto my back. She was on me before I could get up. Her hands splayed wide came down on my face and it felt like my head was in a press. The weight of her hand slowly crushing my skull. In desperation I reached up and grabbed her throat. I could feel blood trickling from my ears as I squeezed with all my strength. The crack echoed in my head for what felt like hours. I pushed her now limp and normal weight hand off of me and looked down at her body. Her mask fell off and disappeared. She was still alive... Or it was an echo or something. She smiled at me and though her lips didn't move I heard her voice.

Gwen: I'll wait for you in the real world...

She disappeared then... Like her body was just disintegrated.

It took me a few minutes to break free of the little cage she had created around us but once I was free we all headed inside.

I'll cut the post in half here.

The God.

Hey. It's Dr. Malice. I don't really have anything interesting but like Nathan's strange conversation with Jack I had an interesting conversation with Unikeia regarding The God figure.

I was sitting beside Portnoy in her throne room when she glanced over at us.

Unikeia: Hey, Doctor Malice... What do you know about God?

Me: Um? Depends whether you mean the religious depiction of God, The Archangel or The Good deity figure Jack told us about?

Unikeia:  Well the first and last are effectively the same thing while the middle one is a corruption of the first but, the last one.

Me: Only that according to Jack it doesn't do much. It's true form is unknown and it apparently fails at everything it tries.

Unikeia: Well Jack would say that. He wouldn't want you to have any hope. What if I said I know more?

Me: I'd be curous but a little disbelieving since I'm confused as to how you could know more than Jack about something like that.

Unikeia waved her hand dismissively.

Unikeia: Like your good friend Muffin once said. Everyone knows something and you can learn anything if you ask the right questions to the right people.

Me: I don't think he said that exac-

Unikeia: -I'm paraphrasing! The point is I know something about God. I was thinking if I told you do you think you could get Muffin to sweeten the deal a little?

Me: Depends what would you want?

Unikeia: Can I keep Portnoy?

Me: I'm not sure Nathan would agree to that...

Unikeia: Of course I could also just make you let me keep him. I'm actually not sure why I bother bartering at all. Maybe I just find it more fun.

Me: Um... Yes?

Unikeia: You're so cute when you're confused.

Me: Could you maybe explain?

Unikeia: No it's not important instead let's talk about God.

Me: Oh ok.

Unikeia: The God is both one being and many.

Me: Huh?

Unikeia: It is one being split. A piece in every universe.

Me: Oh...

Unikeia: The God feared Jack and his rage and so it hid itself. Erasing its own memory consciously. The pieces don't know what they are on a conscious level and have no access to their powers. The unconscious however remembers. The unconscious can access it's powers in subtle ways to change what it feels it needs to. It's every move acting as a subtle stab to Jack's side.

Me: Interesting.

Unikeia: One being. The same being spread through every universe possibly with small changes. With powers it can't access except unconsciously or possibly with some form of catalyst that would allow it to remain hidden regardless. Maybe something else that exists in multiple universes at once...

Me: Are you trying to tell me something?

Unikeia smiled.

Unikeia: I took a chance and I'm fairly sure I made the right one.

Me: Er... What does that-

Unikeia: Maybe some day you'll figure it out.

I was ushered out of the throne room at this point so I went to patrol the grounds. I'm sure she was trying to tell me something but I'm not sure exactly what.

I feel like she's laughing at me...

Still searching and a small conversation

So this place has now been pretty much entirely taken ove by The Truthseekers but still no sign of Dreslith or Gwen. We've had a few skirmishes with them but we've come out of it pretty well so far. Yesterday night though I had an interesting visitor. I woke up to having a cigar shoved into my mouth and lit. I spit it out and heard a familiar voice.

"Well that was a waste... teach me to try and show generosity..."

A red hand flashed into view and it's fingers snapped and the room was lit up. Jack was sitting on the side of the bed casually drinking from his flask.

Me: What the hell are you doing hee Jack?

Jack: Nothing much. Just got bored and came to talk. Let's have a philosophical discussion.

Me: I'm sorry I'm not exactly in the mood for a headache right now.

Jack: Well too bad it wasn't a request. You ever heard it said "All The Myths Are True"?

Me: I'm not getting into this with you Jack...

Jack: What if it were true? Well it can't be true you say. Many myths contradict others. For instance how can all the different creation myths possibly be true?

Me: Not listening...

Jack: Now that's an easy question. By happening retroactively they can all be true. One creation myth occurs. This in turn creates another which retroactvely becomes the creation myth and creates others which all become "The" creation myth. All occurred. All are true. All influence the world together. The world is simultaneously carried on the back of a giant turtle and is also the mutilated body of a dead god.

Me: Are you still talking?

Jack: So take my own creation myth. According to me I created all The Fears but, there are other myths about the origin of The Fears. One could say they're just all wrong and mine is right but that's not how it goes. They are all true they just didn't actually happen at the same time or in the same sequence. Except they did from the point of view of everyone involved.

Me: I'm going back to sleep.

Jack: Now of course as I said one had to of kicked off the others. So which was it? Well as much as I'd love to say it was me I couldn't do so honestly. See due to the retroactive nature I automatically was first from my point of view but so were all te others. No one involved is aware of their retroactive state.

Me: Wait! Unikeia knew all about the retroactive nature of The Ne Timu! You're lying!

Jack: Ha! I knew you were listening! The Ne Timu know about their own situation because they read your blog where in I explained it.

Me: ... Oh. Well as long as you know I'm listening what the hell does this have to do with me?

Jack: Nothing at all. Like I said I just felt like talking and frankly I like you muffy. Yo're fun to converse with.

Me: I'm so glad the god of Evil likes me...

Jack: Oh that reminds me... I should do something about Harold and Faceless... I don't like being deceived.

Me: Hey wait no!

Jack: Oh? You don't think I should kill them both?

Me: No!We need them!

Jack: True... The game is more fun with them involved... Ok I'll spare them... On one condition.

Me: What?

Jack suddenly turned to face me his eyes sparkling with well concealed anger.

Jack: Play the game, Nathan. Give up on whatever pointless and inane plan you've concocted against me.

With that he disappeared. The only proof of the conversation being the smoldering cigar on the floor.