Entropy of Apotheosis

[Tearen Wover]

There were many truths to the Multiverse. Energy is conserved, time is mutable, and entropy...

Entropy spares nothing.

And so it was that Nealaphh extinguished the spark of the star that gave life to the small planet of Vixi. Long had its inhabitants angered Nealaphh's master, and as such, Nealaphh had been assigned to mete out due punishment.

Perhaps such calamity on a grand scale would be scene as an utter atrocity, even among the gods, but this was not how the god-mind worked. Even as it lingered where the star of Vixi used to be, watching the once verdant planet slowly turn into a frozen world of death, Nealaphh would not pity the dying people of that world. They were still alive in the past, and they should, frankly, be glad that the Master had not decided to kill them then as well.

But as Nealaphh slowly pulled it's presence away from the dying star system, there was a sudden change. As if it had suddenly been torn from the known universe into some sort of...

Blackness. A void. This was something that Nealaphh was all too familiar with, but something was different this time. There was no connection; it could not feel the ebb and flow of the currents of space and time. It could not peer seemlessly into the future or the past. It did not know where it was. Nealaphh did not immediately panic; surely this was a simple trick played by some higher deity to keep Nealaphh from interfering with some grand scheme. The god-mind attempted to expand outwards into this black space, but found its essence confined to a finy, infinitesimal speck. That was new.

Nealaphh did not panic though.

Then there came an image of a human silouhette, mouth grinning widely. The figure introduced itself as Omni, and though Nealaphh tried to speak out with its mind, Omni evidently did not care to listen to Nealaphh's thoughts. Or...perhaps Nealaphh had no voice in this place? The prospect perplexed the god-mind. It listened in reluctant silence as Omni went on to explain the nature of the world that Nealaphh had been delivered into. The audacity was startling; the god-mind was not some mere spirit to be hefted between universes on a whim. Nealaphh attempted to lash out at this puny entity, but the more that it raged against the metaphysical properties that bound it, the more it found itself constrained.

Like a spider in a web...

The enigmatic Omni finished his soliloquy, and Nealaphh found itself falling from this dark space. Nealaphh felt itself being torn away from infinity, and isolated from the workings of the world. This could not be! Nealaphh was primordial! Nealaphh was fundamental! It could not be separated from that which made up its being! It was part of the universe!

...and yet, Nealaphh felt itself spiraling down into a concrete form. The nature of the darkness shifted. No longer was it the vast blackness of the void. This darkness was damp...organic. It was the darkness that came to shut, mortal eyes. Slowly the god-mind opened its glowing green orbs. The world around it was a startlingly bright, spotless white. Nealaphh tilted it's head downwards. Hands. Feet. Skin...black as the empty space from whence it came, but physical and weak nonetheless. A shadow of its former self.

Nealaphh was suddenly overcome with vertigo. The sensation of perceiving the world through such limited means was dizzying, as if a muffler had been placed over its entire perception. The shadow suddenly keeled over and fell to the stark, white ground. How did it use these...muscles? Long had Nealaphh assumed that it was omniscient, but never had it dared to attempt to comprehend living within the mortal coil. Nealaphh laid there for...hours? It was so hard to tell. Never before had the shadow held a concept of linear time. It's three green eyes stared listless into the distance, as its thoughts wandered back to the first encounter within this Omniverse.

...Omni. That being which had stripped Nealaphh of its sovereignty. It's very being. Cruelty and unfairness were not concepts that the god-mind was given to contemplating, but it did understand the concept of retaliation. Omni would be made to pay. Nealaphh would see to it that this Omniverse's overseer would be forced to comprehend this wretched state.

But how? Nealaphh had no idea what it was capable of even doing to achieve such vengeance. Slowly it turned its head to the right, and came to regard The Fountain of Infinity. It's form did not resemble a fountain in the classic sense. What it did look like, to Nealaphh was a quasar. Dark, violet gasses swirled in a massive vortex around a central point of brilliant luminance, brighter than even the pervasive white of this place. In all, the radius was almost one hundred feet, with a pillar of brilliant, glimmering plasma shooting up into infinite heights.

Nealaphh slowly pushed itself upright and back onto it's feet, with a slight stumble. With tentative steps, the shadow approached the rim of the accretion disk, hand outstretched in reverence. But then it paused, and pulled it's hand back. Who knew what this mortal form could or could not withstand? It had always had a hard time keeping track of how much abuse organic bodies could take before they gave in to their final energy state. So, Nealaphh contented itself to stare into the whirling beauty. For what else was there to do?

At some point, however, Nealaphh became dimly aware that it was not alone. The shadow, having come to achieve at least some basic motor control, turned slowly to regard these newcomers...

[Tearen Wover]

The figures were clad mostly in metal, as humans tended to do. Their clothes were simple and made of rough spun cloth. Long slivers of purified iron dangled from their hips. Nealaphh identified these objects as swords; an implement mortals used to slay one another. As the shadow turned, the four Camelot scouts looked at each other for a moment. One of them, who had a small band of brass adorning his helmet, pointed hastily into the white vastness beyond.

"I said keep an eye out!" he whispered in a harsh tone. The man who he spoke to pursed his lips and turned outward, apparently looking for...something. Nealaphh couldn't possibly fathom what. Omni had mentioned that there would be others within this Omniverse. Perhaps there were many humans trapped here, much like itself. The Brass One turned back to face Nealaphh and spoke in a voice that attempted to sound calm, but had a note of deep fear hidden within the words. This pleased Nealaphh.

"Greetings, Prime. I am Genwin Alovar of Camelot. We search this land for Primes, those Omni has chosen for greatness, in hopes that we may rally them to our cause." The Brass One said, gesturing widely at the blankness around them.

Do not speak that name in my presence. I require no assistance from you. Nealaphh said. Of course, to Nealaphh, communication was a completely mental exercise. The form into which it had coalesced did not even possess a mouth. The Brass One did not seem to hear Nealaphh's words, however. This was evident when the human continued to speak as if Nealaphh had not replied.

"We...uh...we can help you find your way to more habitable climes. These empty wastes hold nothing in the way of shelter or sustenance. Surely you feel some form of hunger, no?" The Brass One continued, a look of anxiety clearly scrawled across his misshapen human features. Nealaphh stared for a moment.

The only hunger I have is for vengeance upon The Smiling One. Nealaphh said, its three eyes narrowing slightly. From the scouts perspectives, it just seems as though this black skinned, faceless being with asymmetric eyes was simply staring at them in silence. They all cast looks at each other once more, not sure of how to proceed. One of the underlings leaned in to mutter at The Brass One.

"Is...is it slow or something?"

"I don't know..." The Brass One replied. He spoke once more to the shadow, his voice still coming in faltering steps. "Our horses are not far off. We brought a spare mount, if you should so desire." The Brass One said, taking a step towards Nealaphh. Nealaphh made no movements, and simply kept its eyes fixed on The Brass One. The human took another step towards Nealaphh and reached out with a gloved hand, tentatively grasping Nealaphh's arm. Nealaphh had never felt actually physical contact from an organic perspective before. It was terrifying how encompassing the sensation was...Nealaphh had laid its caress upon myriad black holes, and basked in the radiance of super novae, but there was no retreating from this. It's sovereignty had been broken.

"Come, we..."

UNHAND ME! Nealaphh screamed inside its mind, clutching its arm away from the Camelot scout. The Brass One's eyes widened and he took a step back, his hands raised in a placating gesture.

"Okay, okay. We mean no harm." The Brass One said, offering a quaint smile at Nealaphh. This gesture of comfort meant nothing to the god-mind. The Brass One's underling spoke to him again.

"Did...did you hear that?"

"Aye...words spoken into my very soul..."

"It seems...scared."

"Yes. Yes it does."

The humans continued to exchange words and try to assess the situation. Nealaphh was, however, pleased that its words had finally been heard. It closed its eyes and reached out with its mind, and found all four of the human's minds within its reach. It gave the men a mental tap.

"Wh...what was..."

"This creature...it speaks to us within our minds. Guard your thoughts carefully." The Brass One said, turning back towards Nealaphh. "Your touch upon our heads is noted, Mind Seer." The Brass One said, resting a palm on the hilt of his sword. Aside from this, though, the Camelot Scouts did not seem sure of how to proceed.

"Telepathy, I think this is called, sir. It is a rare gift. Best not let it fall into Empire hands."

As if on cue, there came a distant whirring, howling sound, reverberating across the Nexus. The scout who had been assigned to keep watch came jogging back towards the scouts.

"Mounted stormtroopers, approaching quickly sir! We need to move!" he shouted, bouncing on his toes so that he could sprint off again on a moments notice. The Brass One furrowed his brow and stormed towards Nealaphh, hands outreached. Nealaphh could all but shy away like a wounded animal, unsure of how to defend itself.

"The Wizards will want to have a look at this creature. Come! Help me wrest it from it's stupor." The Brass One said, beckoning the two other Camelot scouts to approach. Nealaphh backed up against the whirling plasma of The Fountain. Now...now it was starting to panic. It seemed though, that Omni had not left it completely powerless. It still had its god-mind fully intact, and if that was the case, then surely it could still warp even the unknown fabrics of this Omniverse to a certain degree.

The Scout captain to a single step more before Nealaphh's eyes flared. There was a sickening crunch sound as his head was suddenly twisted completely backwards, and a loud clatter of metal as his body hit the floor like so many bricks. Immediately his comrades drew their swords, but did not immediately attack. All the while, the whining sound of approaching speeder bikes grew steadily louder. Not that Nealaphh was really sure what the noise indicated, but based on how these humans had responded to the stimuli, it was clearly something they feared.

Nealaphh could work with that...

[Tearen Wover]

With a step forward, Nealaphh mentally lifted the three remaining men of Camelot into the air, and held them there. It took turns looking in to each of the men's eyes. They kept shouting what Nealaphh could only assume were attempts at apologies. With a slightly more focused thought, Nealaphh plucked their weapons out of their sheathes. It flung them thoughtlessly into the whirling chaos behind itself. With slow, deliberate movements it took a few steps towards the scout's mounts before forcefully flinging them through the air.

The soldiers landed noisily several dozen feet away. After a moment, they were able to gather their senses before fleeing towards the now very nearby horses. They mounted up as quickly as they could before fleeing off into the blank horizon. Nealaphh watched their diminishing silouhettes for a few moments before turning towards the dead Brass One. It looked down at its own bare body, and then as the dead man in his heavy armor. Nealaphh called an orb of omnilium into its hand for a brief instant before reclaiming it.

The Smiling One has given me the power of creation. It shall be his downfall; he will be bested at his own game. I wonder...

Nealaphh focused its thoughts on to The Brass One's armor, and it slowly began to dissolve into small, radiant particles. They coalesced in front of Nealaphh, and when the man had been entirely stripped of his attire, Nealaphh began to rework the raw orb of new omnilium.

About three minutes later, Nealaphh beheld its creation; a glimmering black coat, covered in twinkling filigree. By this time, the stormtroopers were arriving to the scene; two in total. Their large, brown metal bikes hovered silently once the pulled to a stop in front of Nealaphh, who was in the process of donning its new attire.

Initially, the two soldiers of the Empire approached peacefully, much as the men of Camelot had. When they spied the dead, naked body of The Brass One, however, they drew their black rifles and trained them on Nealaphh. The shadow looked up at the two, its eyes betraying no emotion. Did these fools also seek to carry it back to their masters like some onyx trophy? How droll.

"Don't move prime. Put your hands behind your head, and get on your knees." one of the troopers said, his voice crackling through the speakers of his helmet. Nealaphh would have scoffed it had been able to. Without so much as blinking, it turned to the left and began walking away, black robes shifting noiselessly as they swept along the ground.

"I said don't move! Get back here!" the stormtrooper shouted. He shouldered his blaster rifle and fired a warning shot that whizzed past Nealaphh's head. The shadow didn't even flinch as it kept moving. "...open fire!" the trooper shouted. He and his companion fired several rounds each at Nealaphh. The shadow hadn't been expecting this, but what was actually shocking about all of this was the sensation of pain. It had heard the feeling described, and it had seen the effects of pain on living beings...but to experience it first hand was one more horrifying experience to add to the growing list of things Nealaphh disliked about being alive. The shadow did not even have an allegory to compare the sensation to. It fell to the white ground, hands barely holding its torso up. Small streamers of smoke rose from holes in Nealaphh's robe, carrying with them the smell of burnt flesh.

The stormtroopers were perplexed that Nealaphh had not been killed outright by the rifle blasts; its appearence did not indicate a high degree of reslience. Regardless, the armor clad men approached Nealaphh slowly, their weapons aimed at him the whole time.

"Now don't move. We're taking you back to Coruscant for-" the trooper started, but he was suddenly cut off by a shout of dismay from his squad mate. He turned to look at his comrade, only to be greeted with the business end of his blaster rifle.

"Belren! Belren it's in my head! I can't...it's too strong!" said the other trooper. His entire body was shaking, and the air seemed to be vibrating on a low, subsonic frequency. Belren was about to respond when he too felt a spear of malice pierce his mind, wresting control of his physical movements. Belren strained against his own body, grunting as he brought his own rifle to bear against his ally.

"Padori! Focus! They trained us for this in the academy!"

"I know! There was never anything this strong though!"

"Fight it! Fight it!"

But it was no use, slowly and deliberately, the troopers pressed the barrels of their blasters against the other's head. They both shouted in defiance, trying to resist Nealaphh's influence, but the god-mind would not be denied. Nealaphh slowly rose to its feet, folding its hands into its robes. The shadow considered its options; either it could kill these two mortals and leave no witness of its escape, or, it could sift through their brains for helpful information of this place.

Do you yield? Nealaphh asked, keeping his distance from the pair.

"Yes! By the Emporer, yes!" shouted Belren. Padori also expressed his agreement. A moment passed, and the troopers suddenly found themselves able to control their bodies again.

I require information. You will give me what I need to know.

"Fine! Fine! What is it?" Padori asked, his tone retaining an edge of profound panic.

Remain still.

Nealaphh took another step towards Belren and began to pry into his thoughts. It saw this place, Coruscant. It saw several different verses, and how they were connected. It saw many things, enough to give it a basic understanding of this world and its ways. Satisfied, Nealaphh withdrew from the stormtroopers conscience.

Be on your way. Nealaphh said, casting its gaze towards the pair's speeders. The stormtroopers backed away slowly and seated themselves on the sleek machines. They cast one glance back at Nealaphh, only to see the shadow walking off in a new random direction. As the accelerated away from the fountain, the men spoke solemnly over their headsets.

"What was that thing?" Belren asked, swerving back towards the Coruscant gate. It took Padori several moments to respond.

"I don't know, I've never seen a prime quite like that. At least we know that it can be hurt. What do we tell command?"

"Everything. We tell them exactly what happened."

"You think the Emperor will be okay with us just running away?"

"It was a tactical retreat. We were already beaten."

"I suppose so."

The two stormtroopers rode in silence for the rest of their journey...

[Tearen Wover]

Nealaphh had been walking for quite some time now. Since it still didn't have a subjective way to measure time, Nealaphh had no reason to believe it hadn't been walking for more than just a few scant seconds. Obviously, to normal mortal minds, it would have been close to three hours. Normally it wouldn't take someone quite so long to get to one of the gates within the Nexus, but normal people probably didn't stop to stare at their own hands every fifteen minutes. The trip had been largely uneventful; the shadow had spotted a few other wandering souls within the blank wastes, but it did not feel entirely inclined to pester them. Nealaphh had a singular goal in its mind; to reach the place known as the Ashen Steppes. From what Nealaphh had glimpsed in the stormtrooper's memories, it appeared to be a place of supreme natural beauty; nature in its most primal, chaotic form.

Obviously, nothing could ever quite match the perfect chaos of, say, a black hole, but perhaps from this lowly perspective, the gouts of lava and towering clouds of ash would seem more profound. The gate was growing nearer now, and Nealaphh could almost make out a rippling image of what laid on the other side of the Ashen gate. Nealaphh walked up next to the scorched black rock and laid a glossy black hand on the surface. The two materials were almost a perfect match for each-other, granted that rock that made up the gate was rough and porous. It was almost too hot to touch, but Nealaphh kept its hand pressed firmly against the stone. It could still feel the wounds in its back from where the stormtrooper's blasts of energy had burnt away some of this ebon flesh, but it seemed as though Nealaphh's body had a naturally higher resistance to most mortal forms of danger. As such, it felt that it had very little to fear from the raging fire and smoke of the volcanic verse.

With a slow, dreamlike movement, Nealaphh turned to stare back at The Fountain of Infinity. It could still easily make out the whirling violet plasma and gleaming jet of charged particles of the quasar. The god-mind was glad that it could return here whenever it wanted to view this pristine chaos again. For now, though, it was best to start learning what this Omniverse had to offer. With no more than the sound of shuffling robes, Nealaphh passed through the gate to the Ashen Wastes, eager to see what this verse of eternal change could bring it...