Vastarael stood in the oppressive, swirling darkness of the Cosmic Horror Abyss, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised as the voices began to speak. It wasn't just a single voice or even two. This was a full-blown committee of voices.
The so-called Amorphous Souls, self-proclaimed ancient gods of Dimensium who'd been cast out for reasons he still didn't understand, clearly had decided he was worth their time. Or maybe they were just bored. Either way, they weren't exactly the terrifying eldritch beings they pretended to be.
Vastarael had already decided to give them names.
Voice 1 (smooth but condescending): "Ahhh, he returns! The mortal with the sassiest tongue in all the realms."
Voice 2 (raspy, giggling): "Yesss, the shiny one. The sapphire child! Always so glowy and dramatic."
Voice 3 (booming but slightly unsure): "We... missed him. Yes, we missed him. Didn't we, brothers and sisters? Yes, yes, we did."
Voice 4 (sweet and honeyed): "Don't scare him away this time, you oafs! We want him to like us. He's our little... what's the mortal word? Buddy?"
He didn't exactly like the way he viewed them. Every single time he was sent here, there were eight beings. He saw some of them and others hid. Either way, they were all creepy.
Also, it was better to see them this way. He was impressed by how he saw them. Anyone would be losing their minds just by looking at them but he was used to it.
Or maybe he was already insane...
Vastarael pinched the bridge of his nose, already regretting this.
"Oh, gods, here we go again. I didn't come back, okay? You all dragged me here. Against my will. AGAIN."
The voices collectively ignored his complaint, as usual.
Voice 5 (deep and gruff): "Ohhh, the complaining. He does it every time. Doesn't he ever stop?"
Voice 6 (snarky, overlapping): "He's got a point, though. We did kidnap him. Again. Not a good look for us, honestly."
Voice 7 (whispery and excited): "But he's so interesting! We couldn't resist! His soul, his defiance... it's like candy. Sweet, shiny candy."
Voice 8 (mock-serious): "We're not eating him, though. Let's make that clear. No eating the mortal. Not yet."
Vastarael held up a hand, silencing the cacophony like a frustrated schoolteacher.
"Whoa, WHOA. First of all, I'm not candy. Stop talking about me like I'm a snack. I'm a prince. A very busy prince. I've got trials to beat, placed to be and floors to climb. So unless you have something useful to say, stop wasting my time."
The voices paused for a moment, almost like they were collectively offended. Then, they burst into overlapping chatter again.
Voice 3: "He's always so rude. We're ancient gods, you know!"
Voice 4: "But he's got spirit! I like that about him. So fiery, so sharp-tongued."
Voice 1: "Perhaps we should tell him a secret. Mortals love secrets, don't they?"
Voice 6: "Pfft. He doesn't deserve secrets. He just insulted us. Did you hear him?"
Voice 2: "I think he's funny. Can we keep him?"
Voice 8: "We can't keep him. He's not a pet, you idiot."
Voice 5: "Oh, come on. He'd make a great pet! We could call him Shiny."
Vastarael groaned, dragging a hand down his face.
"Okay, STOP. I am not your pet, your candy, or your shiny little plaything. What is wrong with you people—I mean, gods. Whatever you are. Amorphous Souls, right? Ancient gods of Dimensium? Cast out for reasons I'm guessing involve being this obnoxious?"
There was a collective gasp from the voices, like he'd just insulted their entire existence.
Voice 7 (dramatically offended): "Obnoxious?! How dare you! We are the keepers of forbidden knowledge! The architects of realities! The—"
Voice 4 (cutting in): "—most misunderstood beings in the multiverse!"
Voice 6: "Yeah, what she said! Misunderstood. We were betrayed, okay? Dimensium wasn't big enough for our... uh... personalities."
Voice 2: "They couldn't handle us. Mortals and immortals alike. Too brilliant, too chaotic."
Voice 1: "And maybe we... broke a few rules. Just a few tiny rules."
Voice 5: "Okay, a lot of rules. But the rules were stupid! Who cares about laws of causality anyway?"
Vastarael folded his arms, smirking slightly. He hated to admit it but... they were kind of interesting to be with.
"Let me guess. You messed with time, space and reality until the universe said, 'Nope, you're out.' Sounds about right."
Voice 3: "Pfft. It wasn't that bad. Just a few... incidents. Nothing catastrophic."
Voice 7: "That one dimension was fine. Barely even imploded."
Voice 4: "It's not our fault mortals can't handle a little existential collapse!"
Voice 5: "Or that one time with the screaming stars. They started it."
Voice 1 (sighing): "Look, the point is, we've been misjudged. And now we're stuck here. Forever."
Voice 2: "But at least we have you now. Our shiny mortal friend."
Vastarael raised an eyebrow. "I'm not your friend. If anything, I'm your hostage. Again, against my will. Also, I'm an Immortal. You're being racist."
Voice 6 (cheerfully ignoring him): "So, what's new, buddy? How's the bloodpot trial going? Did you win? Did you smite it? I bet you smited it."
Voice 8: "Smitten? Smote? What's the past tense of smite? Never mind. Details, details."
Voice 7: "Tell us everything! We live for the drama."
Voice 3: "Oh, yes, do share. We've been dying to hear about your little adventures."
Vastarael rubbed his temples, trying to figure out why he was even entertaining this nonsense. But something about their chaotic energy was almost... endearing. In a migraine-inducing way. But still fun.
"Fine. You want to know how it went? I destroyed the stupid pot, survived the blood spikes and now I'm trying to move on to the next trial. But nooo, you had to yank me back here for... what, exactly? A chat? A catch-up session?"
The voices buzzed with giddy excitement.
Voice 1: "Oh, he's so fiery. I love it."
Voice 4: "We just missed you! You're our favorite mortal—sorry, Immortal, after all."
Voice 2: "The only mortal who talks back to us, honestly. It's refreshing."
Voice 6: "And let's be real, you love it here. Don't lie."
Voice 5: "Admit it, shiny prince. You'd miss us if we stopped dragging you back."
Vastarael snorted. "Miss you? Not in this lifetime. Or any lifetime. Ever."
The voices laughed in a strange, overlapping sound that somehow felt both haunting and strangely warm.
Voice 7: "Oh, you'll come around. They always do. Now, tell us more about that pot! Was it cursed? Was it gross? We need the details."
Voice 3: "Yes, yes! And don't skip the part where you were almost impaled. That's the best part."
Voice 8: "Oooh, do the blood spikes have personalities? Maybe they want to be friends too!"
Vastarael threw his hands up. "You're all insane. Completely, utterly insane."
Voice 4 (cheerfully): "We try!"
As Vastarael floated in the cosmic abyss, surrounded by the ever-shifting mass of the Amorphous Souls, their forms blended and swirled like ink in water. There were no definitive bodies; just twisting, coiling, and morphing tendrils of pulsating energy. Vastarael squinted, trying to discern which appendage belonged to which voice, but it was a hopeless endeavor. They were too massive, too abstract, and far too intertwined.
The voices, however, were distinct, and as they continued to chatter, he began to piece together the personalities behind them.
Voice 1: "Honestly, I don't know why we even bother explaining things to him. He's not capable of understanding our magnificence."
The first was smooth, haughty, with a tone that dripped with condescension, like an aristocrat who thought he was better than everyone else. Male, definitely.
Voice 2: "Oh, stop it, Voice 1. He's cute when he's confused! Look at him, floating there like a little lost bird!"
Her voice was raspy, chaotic, and filled with giggles. It was playful in a way that made Vastarael feel like she was on the verge of pranking him. Female. Definitely female.
Voice 3: "Well, maybe he'd understand if we just told him directly instead of—uh—oh wait, uh... what were we talking about again?"
Booming, loud, but strangely unsure of himself. It was like a giant trying to sound imposing but constantly second-guessing everything. Male.
Voice 4: "Hush now. Don't confuse the poor dear. Shiny Prince sweetie, just ignore them. They're being ridiculous."
The tone was honeyed, sweet, but with an undertone of sharpness. It reminded Vastarael of an overbearing aunt who'd hug you and then immediately criticize your life choices. Female, no doubt.
Vastarael, still floating and trying to make sense of the chaos, folded his arms. "Okay... okay. So far, I've got two males and two females... but there are eight of you. Who else is talking?"
Voice 5: "Tch. Figure it out yourself, kid. Why should I care what you think I sound like?"
Deep, gravelly, and gruff. This one sounded like he smoked too many cosmic cigarettes and didn't have time for nonsense. Male. Obviously.
Voice 6: "Oh, relax, Voice 5. Don't scare him off. I mean, we do kind of need him around, don't we? Or do we? Wait, do we?"
Quick, overlapping, and filled with sarcasm. The tone was light and almost flippant, like a younger brother who found everything funny. Male.
Voice 7: "Ooooh! He's figuring it out! This is so exciting! Vastarael, do you think we sound cool? Or do you think I sound scary? I'm scary, right?"
Whispery, full of eerie excitement. Her enthusiasm felt unsettling but... oddly endearing. Female.
Voice 8: "You all sound like idiots. Really, Vastarael, you're the only sane one here. Though that's not saying much."
Mock-serious, dry, and dripping with sarcasm. She had the tone of someone who claimed to hate everyone but secretly cared. Female, without a doubt.
Vastarael groaned, rubbing his temples.
"Okay, I've got it now. There are four males and four females. That's the only way this madness makes sense. Voice 1, 3, 5 and 6 are males. Voice 2, 4, 7, and 8... females. Am I right?"
There was a pause, followed by a chorus of overlapping voices.
Voice 1: "Hmph. About time you figured it out."
Voice 2: "Yaaay! He got it! I told you he was smart!"
Voice 3: "Wait, am I a male? Oh, right, yeah. I am."
Voice 4: "Well done, sweetie. It only took you an eternity!."
Voice 5: "Tch. Lucky guess."
Voice 6: "Ugh, now he's going to think he's clever. Don't let it go to your head, kid."
Voice 7: "He figured me out! Yay! I'm totally scary, right?"
Voice 8: "Can we please move on now? I'm already bored."
Vastarael sighed, letting himself drift in the abyss.
"Great. Glad we cleared that up. Now can you tell me why you dragged me back here instead of letting me go to the next floor?"
Voice 2: "Because we missed you, silly!"
Voice 7: "Yeah! It's not every day we get to hang out with someone who doesn't scream in terror just by looking at us!"
Voice 5: "Not that I care, but it's kind of entertaining to watch you flail around."
Voice 6: "Also, we might be a little bored. Maybe. Just a little."
"You dragged me back into the abyss because you were bored?"
Voice 4: "Oh, don't be dramatic, darling. It's not like you were doing anything important."
Voice 1: "And besides, we're fascinating company. You should be honored we even bother speaking to you."
Voice 8: "Honestly, the fact that you're complaining about this says more about you than it does about us."
Vastarael couldn't help but chuckle. "You know, for ancient cosmic gods, you're all surprisingly... human."
There was a collective gasp from the voices.
Voice 3: "H-Human?! Did he just call us human?!"
Voice 5: "Take that back, kid. Take it back right now."
Voice 2: "He didn't mean it! Right, Shiny Prince? Right?!"
Voice 7: "Oh no, oh no, oh no! Are we human?!"
Voice 6: "Ugh, way to give us an existential crisis, dude."
Voice 8: "Calm down, everyone. He's clearly just trying to get a rise out of us."
Voice 1: "The audacity of this mortal...!"
Vastarael smirked, folding his arms. "You know what? I take it back. You're not human. You're worse... you're like bickering siblings who can't get along."
The voices exploded into overlapping arguments and Vastarael couldn't help but laugh. For all their supposed eldritch power, the Amorphous Souls were nothing more than a chaotic, dysfunctional family. And strangely enough, he didn't mind their company.
Voice 1: We actually are siblings.
"Wait what?"