Within the unyielding void stood an unlikely pair—a small, pale boy whose forest-green eyes flickered with a hint of something far more daunting, and a gargantuan leviathan, reminiscent of an anglerfish, its green lure casting light upon its terrifying features. For some reason, the monstrous sea creature treated the boy with strange reverence, always keeping itself lower than him.
Eldric stroked his jaw methodically. "So this is the Garrison's base after all."
The massive creature stirred, its lure flickering. Emotion pulsed through the black around them—rageful denial. Even without his uncanny ability to sense the creature's feelings, its guttural growl made its disgust at the mere thought of humans calling the endless void their home painfully clear.
Eldric raised a hand to calm it. "Okay, okay. I believe you."
He looked around again, trying to fathom how any human could survive in such an environment. The only reason he was still alive was likely due to the nature of his Stigma—and even then, the abyss had already destroyed him once before realizing what he truly was.
He turned his gaze back to the creature. "Are you an Aghorath?"
The leviathan's eyes widened, and the entire world seemed to tremble. Eldric sighed. "Okay... definitely not."
'Looks like I have a real talent for pissing this thing off.'
If it wasn't an Aghorath, then what was it? A Voidborne—like him? Aghorath were inherently violent beings, they would never pass up the chance to devour a human. Yet here this creature was, patiently awaiting his command—though it had tried to eat him only moments ago.
There was also the question of whether an Aghorath could even survive in the void. Some claimed they hailed from the endless abyss itself, yet Eldric couldn't help but reject the notion.
He shook his head. 'I'm getting distracted.'
What did it matter what the leviathan was? What mattered was whether it could help him—and he had a strange feeling that it could. He still needed to reach the Garrison's treasury, and who better to guide him through the void than one of it's residents?
Eldric smirked. "Could you take me to the others?"
Moments later, he was riding atop the towering fish. Its fins flapped within the black as it surged forward at staggering speed. There was nothing around them to gauge their velocity, but Eldric could feel the void itself parting for their passage.
His hair drifted aimlessly in every direction—up, down, sideways—as though they were submerged in a deep ocean. Come to think of it, he didn't even know how he was breathing. The abyss wasn't exactly rich with oxygen, yet he could still take deep, satisfying breaths. Nothing tangible entered his lungs, but each hollow inhale somehow quenched his need for air.
After a while, a quiet chuckle escaped him.
Eldric couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. He was riding through oblivion, trapped in the body of a six-year-old boy, atop a giant anglerfish. It felt like just yesterday the most exciting part of his life had been watching baseball on their beat-up television.
They traveled through the darkness for what felt like hours, with no sign of human life. Eldric began to doubt the leviathan's claim that others existed here.
"Are you sure there are other people here? This place seems completely barren..."
Affirmation pulsed through the void.
Eldric rolled his eyes. Leave it to a human to get bored in a situation like this. "Are we almost there, at least?"
The great beast did not answer. Instead, it halted—and suddenly the lightless world turned pure white.
Eldric's eyes widened for only a moment before he had to cling to the creature for dear life.
The enormous fish catapulted forward at breakneck speed. Eldric felt his skin pull tight from the inertia, his entire body yanked upward as he clutched the leviathan's scaly hide with every ounce of strength he possessed.
…
He had no idea how much time had passed. He'd long since exhausted his stamina trying to hold on and now relied solely on his Ether to keep himself anchored to the beast.
Eldric grit his teeth under the strain. He wanted to groan, but the speed was too immense to even allow that much freedom. The leviathan showed no sign of slowing.
Eldric's fingernails dug deeper into its hide. 'Damn it!'
Eventually, the giant fish slowed, and the world around them turned black once more—though it was no longer devoid of light.
All around, specks of radiant brilliance littered the darkness, forming a breathtaking portrait of a starry night sky.
But Eldric was in no state to admire it's beauty. During the journey, he had passed out several times and was now hurling vomit into the abyss. Fortunately, his Ether reserves were still plentiful—it didn't seem to diminish within the confines of the void.
He circulated it through his body, easing his fatigue. Only then could he truly take in the splendor surrounding him.
He froze. Taking in the visage of countless stars, each a different hue, filled the expanse. Hundreds of billions of colors danced across the void, blending into a vast, shimmering aurora.
He looked down at his gargantuan mount, awe-struck. "Is this... it?"
The void rippled.
Affirmation.
Eldric raised an eyebrow. "I don't get it... Where are the humans?"
The leviathan moved forward toward one of the luminous bodies in the distance. At first, it seemed impossibly far away, but within minutes, they reached it—whether because it was closer than it appeared or because of the creature's unimaginable speed, Eldric couldn't tell.
The nearer they drew, the dimmer the light became. Slowly, something materialized behind the radiance.
Eldric's eyes widened, his jaw slacked as he muttered.
"The Garrison..."
Floating in the void was a three-dimensional, hollow cube—its contents laid bare to any outside observer.
Inside were two bunk beds on opposite sides, a tasteful, beige carpet in the center, and a simple wooden table atop it.
Around the table and on the beds, Garrison soldiers in black bodysuits chatted idly and played cards.
Eldric couldn't believe what he was seeing. "These maniacs... They actually live here."
He glanced at his companion. "No offense."
The leviathan let out a low, disgruntled growl—quiet by its standards, yet loud enough to be heard for miles by any living being. Still, the Sigiled warriors inside remained oblivious, even with their superhuman senses. I
t seemed like they couldn't see the outside of their room. If they could, they'd have laid eyes upon a gargantuan, grinning beast watching them from the depths of the never-ending darkness encompassing them from all sides, only illuminated by the faint green glow of it's lure... and the pale little boy perched atop its back.
After observing them for a while, one of the soldiers stood, angrily flinging his cards to the ground. He strode toward the edge of the room, grasped at nothing—and a wooden door appeared beneath his hand. Without hesitation, he opened it and stepped into the void, disappearing before his body made contact with the darkness. The door closed behind him, vanishing from sight.
None of the others even reacted.
Eldric tilted his head. "No... to them, there's probably a hallway, or another room behind that door."
The creature swam toward another radiant speck, then another—each revealing itself as a different room. Some were lavish offices with mahogany desks and ornate paintings; others were vast training chambers of dark metal that absorbed the monstrous blows of their inhabitants. Some of the Sigiled's strikes made even the void itself tremble.
Eldric reclined against the creature's spine, baffled. What would compel the Garrison to set up their base of operations in literal oblivion? "Jeez... property tax can't be that high."
He gazed at the countless lights surrounding him. They were so numerous that even counting them was hopeless. How could he ever find a single room among the billions of glowing stars? Even with the leviathan's help, the search could take decades.
He sighed, dejected. "Is that really it?"
Then, in the distance, something glimmered—a dull grey light shining brighter than all the others, drowning them out as though beckoning him forward.
How convenient...
A slow smile crept across his lips. "Well then... don't mind if I do."