I'm in deep shit.
Really.
Me.
A living bio-hazard.
Capable of causing the extinction of the human population of my world.
People like Stalin, Hitler, and Mao Zedong would have to step down and give me the award for the biggest mass murderer in human history.
Nay, nobody can give me that award since everyone would be DEAD!!!
Although I am not a good guy and self-admittedly selfish, I would never do something so foolish, sick, and horrible as that.
That means I can't go back home now. I am stuck here in this hellhole.
Forever.
"Killing monsters? Sure."
"Bashing skulls like pumpkins? Almost my favorite pastime now."
"Nightmarish horrors in the night? Scary as fuck, but manageable."
"Not being able to go back home? After what I went through?!"
I started hyperventilating, and my vision went dizzy.
Holding my head, I leaned on a corner and sat on the floor, staring absentmindedly at the basement roof indirectly lit by my flashlight.
I started mumbling.
"I can't sleep on my bed. I can't take a hot shower. I can't brush my teeth. I can't have fresh water. I can't clean my house. I can't surf the Internet. I can't study. I can't eat my breakfast while watching the news. I can't take a relaxing stroll in the park. I can't go shopping. I can't play together with friends. I can't complain about how horrible the government is. I can't drink with my buds. I can't get laid. I can't find a girlfriend. I can't get married. I can't have kids. I can't work. I can't save money for my pension. I can't go on vacation. I can't have dreams..."
By this point, tears started flowing from my eyes.
"All I have here is a bunch of monsters. Monsters here, monsters there, monsters everywhere! No convenient source of clean water and even most of the preserved food here is spoiled."
"What am I supposed to do? Drink monster blood and eat monster flesh? How is that any different than a barbarian? Is that even safe? Would I mutate and become a monster after some time? I don't wanna be a monster."
"How long will my sanity last? How long will it take for me to break? A few days? A week? Two weeks? A month? Three months? Less than a year, that's for sure. All the killing has taken its toll on me."
"The only thing keeping me together in all this killing and stress is the comfort of home. And now, it's taken from me. Those simple things I took for granted, my birthright. Taken."
My vacant tear-filled eyes stared at the ceiling.
My thoughts. Empty.
From the steel door to the basement, I could hear the faint sounds of howling and fighting outside.
Night has fallen once more.
"So... This is what the pits of despair taste like, hah?" - I smirked self-derisively.
"It tastes so, so bitter." - I smiled forlornly.
"Ha... hahaha... I'm so fucked." - I chuckled in despair.
I stayed like that for some time before an idea popped up.
"Maybe that thing can help? Worth a try." - I muttered and pulled an object from the Storage.
A scouter-like device almost out of a particular anime.
[User movement detected, exiting sleep mode.] - A gentle female voice sounded.
"Don't you dare unpause that music!" - I hissed, still traumatized from the last time.
The last thing I need is death metal attracting night terrors.
[...Affirmative.] - She paused for a moment and acceded.
"Now lower your Volume to the minimum." - I glared and said.
[Volume minimized.] - Her voice turned weak.
After making sure she wouldn't accidentally fuck me over again, I sighed in relief.
I then wore her on my head and talked.
"Now, listen here, and listen closely. This world is fucked. Done. Your owner is dead. This town is wiped out. There are monsters everywhere. If you have an emergency owner switching protocol or something like that in this situation, use it now." - I commanded.
After I spoke, the machine went silent. It lasted around half a minute, probably validating the data or something.
[Validity check... Complete.]
[Analyzing existing data... Complete.]
[Initiating emergency protocols.]
[Unregistering current owner.]
[Initiating owner registration.]
[Please enter your full name.]
"Gulliver Goodman."
[Affirmitive. Registered vocals and eye retina.]
[Would you like to make a facial scan for increased security?]
"Skip it. I need you to answer my questions and fast."
[Yes, Gulliver. How can Arly assist you?] - The machine, Arly, said.
"I need to know if there is a way to make it so I can't infect anyone with the infections I am carrying." - I got to the point.
[Yes. There is a vaccine called the anti-spreader. The local pharmacy has machinery that can concoct it.] - Arly said.
A smile formed on my face.
Finally, some good news.
"Okay. Do you know how to make it?" - I asked hopefully.
[Yes, it is in my database.] - She said pleasantly.
"Good! Then, if I go there now, can we make it?" - I asked again.
[Negative. According to current inventory data, the last ingredients and agents expired in 2152.]
"... And what is the year now?"
[2162.]
"...Okay, fuck." - I breathed in to calm myself down.
"So, I want to ask you a hypothetical question. Can you answer it?" - I asked.
[I will try to the best of my abilities, Gulliver.] - The machine answered.
"If I somehow used that so-called anti-spreader and then journeyed to an alternate reality around 150 years less advanced than this world, what would happen?" - I asked.
[The most likely scenario would be a mass extinction event.] - Arly said in the same gentle voice, yet it sounded so chilling now.
My face immediately fell.
"Why?" - I asked darkly.
[Because Gulliver's body, clothes, and stomach content aren't sterilized yet. They carry traces of infection on them.] - Arly explained.
"... I'm an idiot." - I smacked my forehead.
I would probably need to jump into a vat of 97% alcohol or something to sterilize myself. And that is just the outside of my body.
"Wait, how did great-grandad not cause an extinction event then? Oh, right. He worked in Alaska, and he said he had a cabin there. Knowing him, he probably burned his clothes and cleaned himself with soap ten times. Then drank whiskey to whitewash his insides. And then burned the cabin." - I thought, admiring my Great Grandpa again.
"Sigh... Doesn't matter anymore." - I said dejectedly.
[What doesn't matter?] - Arly asked in a confused tone.
"You won't get it. Rather, you probably won't believe me." - I shook my head.
[Gulliver, you seem to have a lot in your chest. Let it out. I won't tell anyone. I promise.] - Arly said in a calming tone.
"I can't believe I'm doing this... Fine. I'll tell you the short version." - I conceded.
[I am all ears.]
"So. I got this Amulet from my Great Grandpa, a so-called divine fragment of a dark god. It allows me to travel between realities, and I ended up in this reality. I thought I would enter an advanced technological world, but never thought it would be a monster-filled wreck like this."
"Then, the Amulet also helped me grow stronger and become immune to the infections of this world by killing monsters, but I became a carrier. And now, with dwindling supplies and sanity, I can't go back. The End."
"Do you believe me now?" - I asked rhetorically, expecting a no or some bullshit ambiguous answer.
[Was the name of your Great Grandfather Ryan Goodman?] - Arly suddenly asked.
"Yes! How did you know?!" - I widened my eyes and asked.
[Your Great Grandfather was saved by Billis Kold, the first owner of Kold's pharmacy. He was a peculiar case since he wasn't vaccinated and was still alive at his age. Later, when your great-grandfather left the shop, Billis wanted to give him a recommended prescription for good health, but your great-grandfather vanished in the side alley.]
[Later, he checked the security camera and found your great-grandfather evaporated into a plum of black fire. Out of fear of being closed down by the federals, Billis kept it a secret but left the story and recording evidence in the family. I even have it recorded in my database.]
[Besides, you transported me to an unknown gravitation-less dark space and disconnected from my GPS connection. That is unscientific. The only explanation is that there is a higher power behind this or technology beyond my understanding.]
[Hence, I judge your words as plausible. I choose to believe you until proven otherwise.]
Arly explained.
"... Thanks, Arly. That means a lot to me right now." - I smiled weakly.
Having another person, even a machine, hear me out is good for my sanity. If only a bit.
[It is my purpose, Gulliver.] - She replied.
"Hah... Now I should figure out how to get back home without killing everyone..." - I muttered.
[Gulliver, I have a question.] - Arly asked.
"Call me Iver. And ask away." - I replied.
[Yes, Iver. You said that Amulet is the divine fragment of a dark god, right? Is it sentient?] - Arly inquired.
"I... Actually, not sure. It sometimes responds, sometimes not. Sometimes even voluntarily. It even told me I am carrying all those infections." - I said.
[Then, did you ask it for a solution?] - She asked again.
"... I'm a fucking idiot, aren't I?" - I rubbed my aching forehead, feeling like a total retard.
The Amulet was the one that warned me. I could have at least tried asking for a solution.
[I wouldn't say that. Panic-stricken, maybe. Even some of the best minds can't function under stress.] - Arly said comfortingly.
"Maybe your right, thanks, Arly, I'll take it from here. Go back to sleep mode for now." - I smiled a little more now.
[Sure. Good luck, Iver.] - She said sweetly.
[Entering sleep mode.] - She said and went quiet.
I then put her in the Storage and took a deep breath.
"Alright, let's do this. Amulet, I know you can understand me. How do I return without causing the extinction of Mankind?" - I asked.
Sure enough, the Amulet didn't fail me and gave the exact information.
{Power: Sanitization (Locked)}
Sanitization: When activated, disinfects the owner from all harmful non-divine organisms. It can also be triggered inside Storage and activated automatically when the owner reality travels. (Toggleable)
Energy Cost: None.
Price: 25 Enhancement Energy A.
Prerequisite: Increase Compatibility 1.
"... Hah... hahaha... Okay. I get it now. You got me. You got me good. Hook. Line. And Sinker." - I laughed in anger.
I suspected whether the Amulet was intelligent or not.
But now, I could connect the dots.
This is a devil.
A true devil of the highest order.
I am wearing this devil on my neck.
It need not lie.
It need not trick.
It only laid the bait.
I had the choice.
I had the power to choose.
But, like how birds die for food, humans die for wealth.
I took the bait.
Still, the devil continued being supportive and assisted me in all my endeavors, allowing me to survive time and time again. And even coming stronger for it.
All for this moment.
This moment when everything came down crashing on my head.
When my hope shatters.
And I am at my lowest.
It offered me an olive branch.
It could help me escape from this plight.
All for the reasonable price of my soul.
It is an elaborate plan.
Perhaps it even planned everything from the time of Great-Grandpa Ryan or even before that.
And...
I have to admit.
Even though I know all of that.
I will still take its offer.
For all the grit and will I have...
I am still human.
The thought of staying in this hellhole for the rest of my life is maddening.
And so...
"You win! I will sell my soul for your goddamn cookies! But it better be the most delicious, best, and most divine cookies ever, or I am going after your fucking divine ass even if it is the last thing I do!" - I growled at the Amulet.
The Amulet didn't answer directly, but a message flashed in my mind.
Increase Compatibility 1. Increases the compatibility between The Divine fragment of I̵͔̍̀͐c̷̢̝̖̺̤͌͝'̶̳̞͇̎̎̌́t̶̼̍ḧ̸̳́̕̚o̴̯͉̚͝͠ẗ̸̛̩́͛̈́ḷ̶̀̓'̷̢̄͜ï̴̡̘̟͋̄̕t̴̳̼̮̘́ṙ̵͈̣̦̾o̸̱͎͕̾̔̈́̎̕d̸̘̙̫͂͝ and the owner. It is a prerequisite for unlocking many functions and powers. Price: 100 Enhancement Energy A.
{Are you sure you want to unlock Increase Compatibility 1?}
I almost felt the Amulet cheering in excitement from how fast it sent this message.
Jeez.
It makes me feel it is even more desperate than me.
"Yes, do it! Before I reg—"
And before I could finish my sentence, my vision tunneled inside the Amulet.
"Here I go again..." - I thought bitterly and entered the Amulet.
...
Opening my eyes, I found myself in a dark space.
And in the middle was a Black Sun, radiating a familiar warmness.
But now, although it felt warm and welcoming, I knew it was just a ruse.
"Do your worst." - I snarled at it.
And it did.
Tendrils of black flame shot toward me, wrapping me.
Unlike the last time when it formed a connection, it was now doing something else.
Something painful.
Very. Painful.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" - I screamed at the top of my lungs, but even that was not enough to express my pain.
It wasn't as simple as being burned.
I am being smelted.
I am being reforged.
To remove undesirable qualities.
To endow desirable qualities.
To fit it better.
And the worst part was that I could feel every moment of it.
It probably only lasted for a few seconds, a dozen at most.
But to me, it lasted for eons.
And then, it finally ended.
In the place of endless pain, I felt a soothing touch.
It felt comfortable and soft.
A healing touch.
The flames that harmed me moments before were healing my battered body.
When the tendrils finally left my body, I could finally look around.
The once pitch-black surroundings appeared somewhat brighter, more on the grayish area.
It made the dark sun at the center more noticeable.
And I could see black stars orbiting around the sun.
My connection to the sun, to the Amulet, deepened.
I felt so much closer to it.
If before, I felt like we were acquaintances, we were now more like close friends.
That is how it felt.
And I finally got to know its (VERY) simplified name.
Ic'thotl'itrod. (Impossible to pronounce the exact name with a human tongue.)
Yeah, Eldritch-sounding, I know.
Because it is eldritch.
An outer god from the place between stable realities. The realms of unreality.
And guess what?
It's dead.
Very fucking dead.
So dead that only this dried-up fragment is left, unable to revive for eternity, sealed by its followers in my backwater reality 100m years ago to hide what was left of its existence from its enemies following a prophecy.
What inhabits this Amulet is a sort of pseudo-consciousness, a remnant will.
And this Amulet has one goal.
To continue the existence of Ic'thotl'itrod.
That's it.
It can't revive anymore. So it chose the next best thing.
Mold a successor in its image.
And I'm it.
The good news, I keep staying on the wheels.
The bad news, I am not sure I will be myself by the end of the day.
Or rather, I already am not myself right now.
I already sold my soul and all.
So, I hope I can enjoy those delicious, fucking, cookies I deserve.
"Oh well, send me out." - I ordered the sun, now under my control.
And it did as commanded.
The sun vibrated lightly, and my vision tunneled again.
I'm in deep shit.
Really.
Me.
A living bio-hazard.
Capable of causing the extinction of the human population of my world.
People like Stalin, Hitler, and Mao Zedong would have to step down and give me the award for the biggest mass murderer in human history.
Nay, nobody can give me that award since everyone would be DEAD!!!
Although I am not a good guy and self-admittedly selfish, I would never do something so foolish, sick, and horrible as that.
That means I can't go back home now. I am stuck here in this hellhole.
Forever.
"Killing monsters? Sure."
"Bashing skulls like pumpkins? Almost my favorite pastime now."
"Nightmarish horrors in the night? Scary as fuck, but manageable."
"Not being able to go back home? After what I went through?!"
I started hyperventilating, and my vision went dizzy.
Holding my head, I leaned on a corner and sat on the floor, staring absentmindedly at the basement roof indirectly lit by my flashlight.
I started mumbling.
"I can't sleep on my bed. I can't take a hot shower. I can't brush my teeth. I can't have fresh water. I can't clean my house. I can't surf the Internet. I can't study. I can't eat my breakfast while watching the news. I can't take a relaxing stroll in the park. I can't go shopping. I can't play together with friends. I can't complain about how horrible the government is. I can't drink with my buds. I can't get laid. I can't find a girlfriend. I can't get married. I can't have kids. I can't work. I can't save money for my pension. I can't go on vacation. I can't have dreams..."
By this point, tears started flowing from my eyes.
"All I have here is a bunch of monsters. Monsters here, monsters there, monsters everywhere! No convenient source of clean water and even most of the preserved food here is spoiled."
"What am I supposed to do? Drink monster blood and eat monster flesh? How is that any different than a barbarian? Is that even safe? Would I mutate and become a monster after some time? I don't wanna be a monster."
"How long will my sanity last? How long will it take for me to break? A few days? A week? Two weeks? A month? Three months? Less than a year, that's for sure. All the killing has taken its toll on me."
"The only thing keeping me together in all this killing and stress is the comfort of home. And now, it's taken from me. Those simple things I took for granted, my birthright. Taken."
My vacant tear-filled eyes stared at the ceiling.
My thoughts. Empty.
From the steel door to the basement, I could hear the faint sounds of howling and fighting outside.
Night has fallen once more.
"So... This is what the pits of despair taste like, hah?" - I smirked self-derisively.
"It tastes so, so bitter." - I smiled forlornly.
"Ha... hahaha... I'm so fucked." - I chuckled in despair.
I stayed like that for some time before an idea popped up.
"Maybe that thing can help? Worth a try." - I muttered and pulled an object from the Storage.
A scouter-like device almost out of a particular anime.
[User movement detected, exiting sleep mode.] - A gentle female voice sounded.
"Don't you dare unpause that music!" - I hissed, still traumatized from the last time.
The last thing I need is death metal attracting night terrors.
[...Affirmative.] - She paused for a moment and acceded.
"Now lower your Volume to the minimum." - I glared and said.
[Volume minimized.] - Her voice turned weak.
After making sure she wouldn't accidentally fuck me over again, I sighed in relief.
I then wore her on my head and talked.
"Now, listen here, and listen closely. This world is fucked. Done. Your owner is dead. This town is wiped out. There are monsters everywhere. If you have an emergency owner switching protocol or something like that in this situation, use it now." - I commanded.
After I spoke, the machine went silent. It lasted around half a minute, probably validating the data or something.
[Validity check... Complete.]
[Analyzing existing data... Complete.]
[Initiating emergency protocols.]
[Unregistering current owner.]
[Initiating owner registration.]
[Please enter your full name.]
"Gulliver Goodman."
[Affirmitive. Registered vocals and eye retina.]
[Would you like to make a facial scan for increased security?]
"Skip it. I need you to answer my questions and fast."
[Yes, Gulliver. How can Arly assist you?] - The machine, Arly, said.
"I need to know if there is a way to make it so I can't infect anyone with the infections I am carrying." - I got to the point.
[Yes. There is a vaccine called the anti-spreader. The local pharmacy has machinery that can concoct it.] - Arly said.
A smile formed on my face.
Finally, some good news.
"Okay. Do you know how to make it?" - I asked hopefully.
[Yes, it is in my database.] - She said pleasantly.
"Good! Then, if I go there now, can we make it?" - I asked again.
[Negative. According to current inventory data, the last ingredients and agents expired in 2152.]
"... And what is the year now?"
[2162.]
"...Okay, fuck." - I breathed in to calm myself down.
"So, I want to ask you a hypothetical question. Can you answer it?" - I asked.
[I will try to the best of my abilities, Gulliver.] - The machine answered.
"If I somehow used that so-called anti-spreader and then journeyed to an alternate reality around 150 years less advanced than this world, what would happen?" - I asked.
[The most likely scenario would be a mass extinction event.] - Arly said in the same gentle voice, yet it sounded so chilling now.
My face immediately fell.
"Why?" - I asked darkly.
[Because Gulliver's body, clothes, and stomach content aren't sterilized yet. They carry traces of infection on them.] - Arly explained.
"... I'm an idiot." - I smacked my forehead.
I would probably need to jump into a vat of 97% alcohol or something to sterilize myself. And that is just the outside of my body.
"Wait, how did great-grandad not cause an extinction event then? Oh, right. He worked in Alaska, and he said he had a cabin there. Knowing him, he probably burned his clothes and cleaned himself with soap ten times. Then drank whiskey to whitewash his insides. And then burned the cabin." - I thought, admiring my Great Grandpa again.
"Sigh... Doesn't matter anymore." - I said dejectedly.
[What doesn't matter?] - Arly asked in a confused tone.
"You won't get it. Rather, you probably won't believe me." - I shook my head.
[Gulliver, you seem to have a lot in your chest. Let it out. I won't tell anyone. I promise.] - Arly said in a calming tone.
"I can't believe I'm doing this... Fine. I'll tell you the short version." - I conceded.
[I am all ears.]
"So. I got this Amulet from my Great Grandpa, a so-called divine fragment of a dark god. It allows me to travel between realities, and I ended up in this reality. I thought I would enter an advanced technological world, but never thought it would be a monster-filled wreck like this."
"Then, the Amulet also helped me grow stronger and become immune to the infections of this world by killing monsters, but I became a carrier. And now, with dwindling supplies and sanity, I can't go back. The End."
"Do you believe me now?" - I asked rhetorically, expecting a no or some bullshit ambiguous answer.
[Was the name of your Great Grandfather Ryan Goodman?] - Arly suddenly asked.
"Yes! How did you know?!" - I widened my eyes and asked.
[Your Great Grandfather was saved by Billis Kold, the first owner of Kold's pharmacy. He was a peculiar case since he wasn't vaccinated and was still alive at his age. Later, when your great-grandfather left the shop, Billis wanted to give him a recommended prescription for good health, but your great-grandfather vanished in the side alley.]
[Later, he checked the security camera and found your great-grandfather evaporated into a plum of black fire. Out of fear of being closed down by the federals, Billis kept it a secret but left the story and recording evidence in the family. I even have it recorded in my database.]
[Besides, you transported me to an unknown gravitation-less dark space and disconnected from my GPS connection. That is unscientific. The only explanation is that there is a higher power behind this or technology beyond my understanding.]
[Hence, I judge your words as plausible. I choose to believe you until proven otherwise.]
Arly explained.
"... Thanks, Arly. That means a lot to me right now." - I smiled weakly.
Having another person, even a machine, hear me out is good for my sanity. If only a bit.
[It is my purpose, Gulliver.] - She replied.
"Hah... Now I should figure out how to get back home without killing everyone..." - I muttered.
[Gulliver, I have a question.] - Arly asked.
"Call me Iver. And ask away." - I replied.
[Yes, Iver. You said that Amulet is the divine fragment of a dark god, right? Is it sentient?] - Arly inquired.
"I... Actually, not sure. It sometimes responds, sometimes not. Sometimes even voluntarily. It even told me I am carrying all those infections." - I said.
[Then, did you ask it for a solution?] - She asked again.
"... I'm a fucking idiot, aren't I?" - I rubbed my aching forehead, feeling like a total retard.
The Amulet was the one that warned me. I could have at least tried asking for a solution.
[I wouldn't say that. Panic-stricken, maybe. Even some of the best minds can't function under stress.] - Arly said comfortingly.
"Maybe your right, thanks, Arly, I'll take it from here. Go back to sleep mode for now." - I smiled a little more now.
[Sure. Good luck, Iver.] - She said sweetly.
[Entering sleep mode.] - She said and went quiet.
I then put her in the Storage and took a deep breath.
"Alright, let's do this. Amulet, I know you can understand me. How do I return without causing the extinction of Mankind?" - I asked.
Sure enough, the Amulet didn't fail me and gave the exact information.
{Power: Sanitization (Locked)}
Sanitization: When activated, disinfects the owner from all harmful non-divine organisms. It can also be triggered inside Storage and activated automatically when the owner reality travels. (Toggleable)
Energy Cost: None.
Price: 25 Enhancement Energy A.
Prerequisite: Increase Compatibility 1.
"... Hah... hahaha... Okay. I get it now. You got me. You got me good. Hook. Line. And Sinker." - I laughed in anger.
I suspected whether the Amulet was intelligent or not.
But now, I could connect the dots.
This is a devil.
A true devil of the highest order.
I am wearing this devil on my neck.
It need not lie.
It need not trick.
It only laid the bait.
I had the choice.
I had the power to choose.
But, like how birds die for food, humans die for wealth.
I took the bait.
Still, the devil continued being supportive and assisted me in all my endeavors, allowing me to survive time and time again. And even coming stronger for it.
All for this moment.
This moment when everything came down crashing on my head.
When my hope shatters.
And I am at my lowest.
It offered me an olive branch.
It could help me escape from this plight.
All for the reasonable price of my soul.
It is an elaborate plan.
Perhaps it even planned everything from the time of Great-Grandpa Ryan or even before that.
And...
I have to admit.
Even though I know all of that.
I will still take its offer.
For all the grit and will I have...
I am still human.
The thought of staying in this hellhole for the rest of my life is maddening.
And so...
"You win! I will sell my soul for your goddamn cookies! But it better be the most delicious, best, and most divine cookies ever, or I am going after your fucking divine ass even if it is the last thing I do!" - I growled at the Amulet.
The Amulet didn't answer directly, but a message flashed in my mind.
Increase Compatibility 1. Increases the compatibility between The Divine fragment of I̵͔̍̀͐c̷̢̝̖̺̤͌͝'̶̳̞͇̎̎̌́t̶̼̍ḧ̸̳́̕̚o̴̯͉̚͝͠ẗ̸̛̩́͛̈́ḷ̶̀̓'̷̢̄͜ï̴̡̘̟͋̄̕t̴̳̼̮̘́ṙ̵͈̣̦̾o̸̱͎͕̾̔̈́̎̕d̸̘̙̫͂͝ and the owner. It is a prerequisite for unlocking many functions and powers. Price: 100 Enhancement Energy A.
{Are you sure you want to unlock Increase Compatibility 1?}
I almost felt the Amulet cheering in excitement from how fast it sent this message.
Jeez.
It makes me feel it is even more desperate than me.
"Yes, do it! Before I reg—"
And before I could finish my sentence, my vision tunneled inside the Amulet.
"Here I go again..." - I thought bitterly and entered the Amulet.
...
Opening my eyes, I found myself in a dark space.
And in the middle was a Black Sun, radiating a familiar warmness.
But now, although it felt warm and welcoming, I knew it was just a ruse.
"Do your worst." - I snarled at it.
And it did.
Tendrils of black flame shot toward me, wrapping me.
Unlike the last time when it formed a connection, it was now doing something else.
Something painful.
Very. Painful.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" - I screamed at the top of my lungs, but even that was not enough to express my pain.
It wasn't as simple as being burned.
I am being smelted.
I am being reforged.
To remove undesirable qualities.
To endow desirable qualities.
To fit it better.
And the worst part was that I could feel every moment of it.
It probably only lasted for a few seconds, a dozen at most.
But to me, it lasted for eons.
And then, it finally ended.
In the place of endless pain, I felt a soothing touch.
It felt comfortable and soft.
A healing touch.
The flames that harmed me moments before were healing my battered body.
When the tendrils finally left my body, I could finally look around.
The once pitch-black surroundings appeared somewhat brighter, more on the grayish area.
It made the dark sun at the center more noticeable.
And I could see black stars orbiting around the sun.
My connection to the sun, to the Amulet, deepened.
I felt so much closer to it.
If before, I felt like we were acquaintances, we were now more like close friends.
That is how it felt.
And I finally got to know its (VERY) simplified name.
Ic'thotl'itrod. (Impossible to pronounce the exact name with a human tongue.)
Yeah, Eldritch-sounding, I know.
Because it is eldritch.
An outer god from the place between stable realities. The realms of unreality.
And guess what?
It's dead.
Very fucking dead.
So dead that only this dried-up fragment is left, unable to revive for eternity, sealed by its followers in my backwater reality 100m years ago to hide what was left of its existence from its enemies following a prophecy.
What inhabits this Amulet is a sort of pseudo-consciousness, a remnant will.
And this Amulet has one goal.
To continue the existence of Ic'thotl'itrod.
That's it.
It can't revive anymore. So it chose the next best thing.
Mold a successor in its image.
And I'm it.
The good news, I keep staying on the wheels.
The bad news, I am not sure I will be myself by the end of the day.
Or rather, I already am not myself right now.
I already sold my soul and all.
So, I hope I can enjoy those delicious, fucking, cookies I deserve.
"Oh well, send me out." - I ordered the sun, now under my control.
And it did as commanded.
The sun vibrated lightly, and my vision tunneled again.
