Chapter 746

"From the heart of primordial chaos came the three primordial gods of order."

"Originally, our powers were equal. We simply developed different interests and chose different domains."

Nyarlathotep paused, then began evaluating her fellow gods with the casual enthusiasm of someone sharing embarrassing stories about old friends.

"Take Yog-Sothoth, for instance. That fellow is spectacularly lazy."

The contempt in her voice was unmistakable, though it sounded more like affectionate mockery than genuine dislike.

"He couldn’t even be bothered to choose a domain. So he kept his original power in its entirety."

She leaned back, an amused smile spreading across her face.

"Mindlessly observing the past, mindlessly weaving the future, mindlessly establishing the endless cycles and countless truths of existence. He knows everything, sees everything, and still can’t be bothered to do anything about it."

She clicked her tongue.

"Honestly, I think he’s surpassed even our boss in the art of laziness. The last time I visited him, he was exactly as I’d remembered. From the moment of his birth until now, he’s remained at the place where all things converge. The creature hasn’t even bothered to roll over."

Evenson, Claire, and the Ancient One exchanged glances. They weren’t sure whether to laugh or worry.

Nyarlathotep continued without giving them time to decide.

"The funniest part is that he’s actually quite generous and good-natured. Probably because getting angry requires too much effort. Anyone who manages to find him and establish communication is welcome to share in the truths he possesses."

She spread her hands.

"Unfortunately, he doesn’t bother preparing teaching materials or compressing files. He simply dumps the entire, unfiltered contents of his mind into the unfortunate visitor’s brain. You can imagine how well that works out."

Evenson and the others could all imagine it.

Anyone who had established direct contact with the Source Vortex had suffered a miserable fate. Countless scholars had speculated that Yog-Sothoth was temperamental, that he ruthlessly destroyed any thief foolish enough to covet the truths he guarded.

And all this time, the problem had simply been that he couldn’t be bothered to compress his files.

No wonder everyone who crossed the Gate of Truth came back with a fried brain. The unlucky ones either died or went mad.

Apparently, even cosmic knowledge had a bandwidth limit.

"And then there’s Shub-Niggurath, that Black Goat."

Nyarlathotep’s smile widened.

"She’s a masochist who actually enjoys the pain of childbirth. Producing offspring is her greatest pleasure. Strange hobby, isn’t it?"

She paused for effect.

"And after Hastur, that lesser creature, took advantage of her, she developed an even stranger obsession."

Nyarlathotep fell silent.

Evenson recognized his cue.

"What obsession?" he asked dutifully.

"Wondering just how strange her offspring could become, and how many different varieties she could produce."

Nyarlathotep looked delighted by the memory.

"So she started producing them with an almost suicidal level of enthusiasm."

Evenson’s expression grew increasingly troubled.

"Thanks to that peculiar hobby, she became the Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young, the Dark Mother of Fertility. Every form of life across countless universes can ultimately trace its origins back to her."

She raised a finger.

"Every form of life. No exceptions."

"R-Really?"

Evenson hadn’t meant to sound so uncertain, but he couldn’t help himself. Was she seriously claiming that all life descended from the same cosmic entity?

"I’m afraid she may be right."

To his surprise, the answer came from the Ancient One, who had seemed close to abandoning all hope of making sense of their current situation.

"As far as I know, every magical incantation associated with healing and life contains hidden references to Shub-Niggurath."

Evenson frowned.

Warlock magic included its share of life-based spells. Drain Life and Life Tap were fundamental parts of his arsenal, and he’d long since memorized their incantations. He’d even reached the point where he no longer needed to speak them aloud. A moment’s mental recitation was enough to trigger the magic.

Previously, he’d focused on casting the spells successfully rather than examining their linguistic structure. But now, he mentally recited the incantations again, paying particular attention to the syllables that his spellbook marked as indispensable.

He isolated those sounds, emphasizing each one.

Then his expression darkened.

The grammatical order had been altered, but the essential syllables, when assembled correctly, formed the name of Shub-Niggurath.

He rubbed his forehead.

Warlock magic came from the Burning Legion. How could its spells be connected to Shub-Niggurath?

Was it merely a coincidence?

He selected the incantation for creating a Soulstone and examined it next.

That spell was fine.

Its activation, however, still contained the Black Goat’s name.

Evenson’s headache intensified.

The Burning Legion had been founded to defeat the evil gods of the Void. They were supposed to be mortal enemies. Why would the Legion’s magic incorporate the name of one of the very entities it sought to destroy?

Then, after a moment’s thought, he saw a possible explanation.

Perhaps he’d been looking at the matter backward.

Borrowing an enemy’s techniques to fight that enemy wasn’t exactly an unprecedented strategy. Even bitter opponents could study one another’s magic, and incorporating a little of the enemy’s knowledge into one’s own arsenal wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Satisfied with that explanation, Evenson lifted his head.

"I don’t think we can conclude that all life comes from the Black Goat."

Nyarlathotep tilted her head.

"Oh? And why not?"

"Because of inorganic life."

"Inorganic life?" Her interest sharpened. "Such as?"

"Titans," Evenson replied. "Beings of absolute order, fundamentally opposed to chaos. They dwell in the Pantheon, and their power allows them to shape the countless laws governing the universe, much like Yog-Sothoth. Yet they also possess the life-giving power associated with Shub-Niggurath."

"Titans... The Pantheon..."

Nyarlathotep raised a hand to her face, gently lifting the fringe from her forehead until one eye stared directly at Evenson.

"Hm. Hm-hm..."

Her lips began to twitch.

"Ha... Hahahaha!"

She suddenly burst into laughter.

Her mouth stretched open so far that her jaw looked as though it might dislocate.

When the laughter finally subsided, she regarded Evenson with the delighted attention of a collector who had just discovered an extraordinarily rare treasure.

"I have to admit, I underestimated you at first. It turns out you’re the most interesting person here."

Every gaze in the room shifted toward Evenson.

He reacted immediately.

With a sharp flick of his robes, he turned his back on the others, raised a hand, and began slapping himself across the mouth.

That’s what you get for running your mouth!

She says something, you nod and move on. Why did you have to argue? And why bring up the Titans? Are they going to save your life now?

Congratulations. The most unpredictable of the three primordial gods has decided you’re interesting. This can only end well.

His private tirade was interrupted when Nyarlathotep casually extended a hand.

Evenson’s arms rose against his will.

The runes tattooed along them suddenly grew scorching hot.

A moment later, two figures materialized before him.

The Eredar Twins.

They had been forcibly summoned.

For a brief moment, Evenson could only stare. Then he hurriedly tried to introduce Nyarlathotep before the sudden arrival turned into a misunderstanding.

"Ladies, this is—"

"Eredar," Nyarlathotep interrupted, identifying their race before he’d finished speaking. "How interesting!"

The twins exchanged a glance.

Neither was easily rattled. They’d experienced more than enough horrors and upheavals to keep their composure under ordinary circumstances. Still, something about the woman before them seemed strangely familiar.

They studied her face.

"Have we met somewhere before?" one of them asked.

"What a coincidence. I remember you, too."

Nyarlathotep smiled brightly.

"Alythess. Sacrolash. It’s been a very long time."

The twins exchanged another look, this time with considerably greater uncertainty.

Then, almost simultaneously, they spoke a name.

"Nasaya?"

The moment the name left their lips, Nyarlathotep’s appearance changed.

Her humanlike features gave way to those of a female Eredar. She wore a red robe, her skin had turned a pale blue, and a pair of horns rose sharply from her head.

"That’s right," she said. "It’s me."

The twins clearly recognized this form. Their wariness vanished, replaced by the warmth of an unexpected reunion.

"It’s been ages, sister!" Alythess exclaimed. "We never saw you again after we entered the Legion. We thought the vindicators had finally caught you."

"So you really did escape." Sacrolash sounded almost smug. "I always said those useless vindicators wouldn’t be able to catch you."

But the reunion didn’t remain friendly for long.

Once the initial excitement had passed, Sacrolash’s expression grew guarded. Their circumstances were complicated enough without unexpectedly encountering an old acquaintance.

"What are you doing here?"

"Me?" Nasaya tilted her head, looking entirely innocent. "Think of it as a little sightseeing trip."

She gave them a playful wink.

"Though, to be fair, I didn’t exactly choose to come. You could say I was summoned."

A chill crept down Evenson’s spine.

He barely had time to react before the twins moved.

One instant they were standing in front of him. The next, they had surrounded him.

Alythess seized him by the collar and lifted him off the ground.

The two Eredar stared at him with expressions that could have curdled fel energy.

"Care to explain?" they hissed.

We were already here, and now you’ve brought another hooved woman into the picture? What exactly are you trying to pull?

Evenson felt his soul leave his body.

"I didn’t summon her!"

Being considered interesting by Nyarlathotep was one thing. Having that interest turn him into a source of entertainment was another.

And somehow, he’d managed to land himself in both situations at once.

Nyarlathotep covered her mouth, giggling behind her fingers.

"Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. This is even better than I expected."

Claire stared at her with an expression of profound disbelief.

"You find this entertaining?"

The setup was so painfully familiar that Claire could scarcely believe anyone could enjoy it.

Then again, judging by Nyarlathotep’s apparent tastes, few things were likely to strike her as genuinely unpleasant.

"Now, now." Nyarlathotep waved a hand, her smile never fading. "A good drama doesn’t need an elaborate production. Sometimes a small, low-budget film turns out to be a masterpiece."

"I’m telling you, I didn’t summon her!"

Evenson finally wrenched himself free of Alythess’s grip.

"Look, I admit I might have something to do with all this, but could someone please tell me who she actually is?"

The Faceless God could change her appearance at will. Looking at her for too long made it difficult to trust even one’s own perception. He was beginning to understand how someone might find themselves questioning whether they were dreaming or awake.

But his immediate concern was considerably more practical.

How, exactly, had his two partners become acquainted with Nyarlathotep?

And why did they seem to know her so well?

"She’s our teacher’s teacher," Alythess explained.

Apparently unwilling to embarrass herself in front of an old acquaintance, she finally stopped tormenting Evenson.

"The Awakened were the first Eredar to make contact with fel magic. And among them, no one was more important than our mentor, Thal’kiel."

Evenson’s hand dropped involuntarily.

He thought of the Skull of the Man’ari tucked away in his inventory.

His instincts told him that things were about to get worse.

Sacrolash took up the explanation.

"Many people believe Thal’kiel discovered the power of the Twisting Nether by accident while studying the energies of the universe. The truth is that someone taught him."

Both twins turned toward Nyarlathotep.

"His teacher was standing right here all along."

"Nasaya."

Alythess continued, "Very few Eredar ever knew she existed. Only Thal’kiel himself and a handful of his most gifted apprentices were aware of her."

"When the vindicators began hunting us, she disappeared without leaving a trace," Sacrolash added.

"After the traitor Taliksa Firecrown betrayed Thal’kiel, she tried to reveal Nasaya’s name in exchange for leniency," Alythess said with a contemptuous curl of her lip. "Unfortunately for her, the vindicators couldn’t find Nasaya. They couldn’t even prove that someone by that name had ever existed."

"Serves the traitor right." Sacrolash laughed scornfully. "Her treachery earned her nothing but suspicion. In the end, she had to flee. The next time we saw Nasaya was after we’d joined the Burning Legion."

Evenson put a hand to his forehead.

His headache was getting worse.

"Fine. I need to tell you something."

He pointed at Nyarlathotep.

"She’s not a person!"

Smack!

Alythess knocked his hand down before he could point any further.

"Who are you calling not a person?" she snapped, then turned toward Nyarlathotep with an apologetic smile.

Sacrolash leaned toward Evenson and whispered, "Nasaya was the very first of the Awakened. Her mastery of fel magic surpassed even Kil’jaeden’s."

The reverence in her voice was unmistakable.

"Even if she let the smallest scrap of knowledge slip through her fingers, we could benefit enormously from it. Not just you. Even Alythess and I would gain a great deal."

The twins were practically glowing with anticipation.

Their initial enthusiasm at seeing their old mentor again hadn’t been motivated by nostalgia alone.

They’d found hope.

If the first Awakened personally taught them her secrets, surpassing Kil’jaeden might no longer be a distant dream. And if the Burning Legion ever came looking for them, they’d finally have the strength to stand their ground.

"Learning from her?" Evenson gave Nyarlathotep a pained glance. "Frankly, I’d prefer to remain ignorant."

"Ah! A sensible man."

Nyarlathotep clapped her hands, looking delighted.

"Intelligent, perceptive, and wise enough to understand when knowledge becomes a liability."

She regarded the twins with a knowing smile.

"Fools are terrified of knowing too little. They want to learn everything, to see everything, to possess every last scrap of knowledge the universe has to offer."

Her smile sharpened.

"But the truly intelligent fear knowing too much. They’d give anything to know nothing at all."

Alythess and Sacrolash stared at her, bewildered by the sudden change in tone.

"What are you—?"

"Enough playing."

Nyarlathotep seemed to have finally grown tired of the game.

"Nasaya is merely one of my old identities. I abandoned that name a very long time ago."

Her appearance remained that of the blue-skinned Eredar, but the atmosphere around her seemed to grow heavier.

"My true name is Nyarlathotep. Naturally, there are several additional sounds in it that your vocal organs simply aren’t equipped to reproduce."

The twins’ expressions changed several times in rapid succession.

They swallowed.

"You’re... one of the Three Primordial Gods?"

"Correct."

Nyarlathotep nodded pleasantly.

For a moment, neither twin spoke.

Then their expressions hardened.

"We don’t care who you are," Alythess declared.

"Whether you’re Nasaya or one of the Three Primordial Gods makes no difference," Sacrolash added. "We’ve always regarded you as our grandmentor. That bond between teacher and student is something neither of us has ever forgotten."

Evenson stared at them.

He couldn’t decide whether to admire their courage or question their survival instincts.

Of course, the twins had already planned to cling to their old mentor’s favor. Discovering that their teacher’s teacher was actually one of the most powerful and incomprehensible entities in existence only made the decision easier.

Why settle for holding on to a powerful patron when you could discover that the patron was vastly more powerful than you’d imagined?

Principles?

Please.

They were high-ranking Eredar Warlocks. If they were worried about keeping their principles intact, they’d chosen the wrong profession.