The citadel of the Endless floated above a dead star.
No walls, no floor, no ceiling — just infinite platforms suspended in the void, each shimmering with the color of its ruler's domain. Between them, rivers of starlight flowed, carrying fragments of broken universes like leaves in a current.
Ethan hated it here.
It wasn't the scale — he'd faced kaiju, Elder Gods, and SCP megafauna before. It was the stillness. This was a place where the rules were written, not fought over.
Jason Wayne, standing beside him, was unreadable as ever, his half-Presence aura subdued. Sherlock drifted behind them, his coat flaring in the void-wind, TARDIS-blue light spilling from the Will Lantern ring on his hand. Kareth, bound in voidsteel, was held within a spherical construct of green light — silent, but smiling faintly.
The Council of the Endless was already assembled.
Dream sat on a throne woven from stories. Death leaned casually on her scythe, eyeing Ethan like he was a new puzzle. Destiny's book was open — always open — though no one had ever seen the first or last page. Desire lounged across their own platform, a smirk curling at the edge of their perfect lips. Despair sat in the shadows, pulling at her chain.
And then there was Delirium. Eyes like spinning galaxies. She waved at Ethan.
"You've got a bit of Nyarlathotep in your aura now. That's… dangerous. But fun."
Ethan shifted uncomfortably.
Jason stepped forward, his voice carrying across the void. "The breach was not an isolated event. SCP-2317's Keeper was partially unbound. SCP-682 adapted to Shub-Niggurath's corruption. And a fragment of Azathoth's Dream manifested here. All of this was coordinated."
Dream spoke without lifting his gaze. "And the traitor?"
Jason gestured to Kareth. "Still alive. For now."
Destiny turned a page. "He will be needed. His role has not concluded."
Ethan frowned. "Needed? He sold us out to the Outer Gods."
Destiny's gaze met his. The voice was calm. "And yet without his actions, your survival in the breach would not have been possible."
That didn't sit right with Ethan. The Carnitrix whispered in his mind:
> Probability webs detected. Council operates on nonlinear causality. Host frustration: anticipated.
Sherlock stepped forward. "This council needs to know: there are SCP containment sites already compromised by cult infiltration. Kareth's signal wasn't just calling backup — it was a network ping. I traced it. There are forty-three other sites with latent connections to Nyarlathotep's dream-pattern."
A ripple of voices passed among the Endless.
Death sighed. "So the infection has spread wider than we thought."
Jason's tone was sharp. "We need to move the containment assets. Reclassify any SCP with higher-than-normal metaphysical resonance as 'Omega-Forbidden.'"
Dream finally looked up. "That will cause fractures in the SCP Foundation itself."
Ethan interjected. "Good. If there's a rot inside, better to tear it out now than let it spread."
Desire's smile widened. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? More chaos. More battles. More reasons to… change."
Their eyes flicked toward the Carnitrix at Ethan's wrist.
The conversation spiraled. SCP politics clashed with Endless philosophy, Lovecraftian incursions looming over every sentence. Kareth stood silent through it all, but his smile never faded.
---
The Proposal
It was Delirium who broke the deadlock.
She spun in the air, giggling, then froze mid-turn, her expression snapping into sudden clarity. "We need… an anchor. A place the Elder Gods can't touch."
Destiny nodded once, as if a page had just been turned. "The Nullpoint."
Sherlock blinked. "That's… fictional."
Dream corrected him: "It is not fictional. It is unreal. A concept removed from existence. You will need Ethan to reach it."
Jason didn't like it. "That place kills gods."
Destiny's gaze was heavy. "And yet it is the only place that can hold what must be held."
Death looked at Ethan. "If you go there, you won't come back the same."
Ethan crossed his arms. "Story of my life."
---
The Vote
The Endless voted. Destiny, Dream, and Delirium in favor. Death abstained. Desire and Despair voted against. Jason reluctantly agreed. The SCP Foundation's O5 Council, patched in via secure dimensional relay, signed off on the operation — though O5-1 made it clear they'd be watching Ethan "for deviation indicators."
The mission was set:
— Locate the Nullpoint.
— Seal the Nyarlathotep fragment within it.
— Survive.
---
The Departure
Back aboard the TARDIS, Sherlock ran scans on Kareth's mind, keeping him sedated. Jason reviewed SCP site maps, identifying breach points Ethan might have to pass through to reach the Nullpoint. Ethan stood apart, hands resting on the Carnitrix.
The device was humming in a way it hadn't before.
> Host… the Nullpoint's frequency is resonating with dormant transformation slots. Entry into its proximity will unlock two to three latent abilities. Unknown parameters.
Ethan frowned. "Two to three?"
> Correct. But probability matrix suggests these will not be… normal. The Nullpoint alters definition as much as it alters form.
Jason stepped in. "Ethan. You're not just going to the Nullpoint to drop something off. You're going to have to fight your way there. Expect SCP resistance, cult ambushes, and possibly… other Endless who disagree with the vote."
Ethan gave a humorless smile. "Guess I should bring my best."
---
Meanwhile… Elsewhere
In a temple that did not exist in space or time, an avatar of Nyarlathotep knelt before an altar of shifting stone. The shadows spoke in voices older than the universe.
"The bait is set. The Carnitrix host will come."
The shadows smiled — all of them.
---
Next: Chapter 8 — "The Nullpoint Run"
Ethan's journey will bring him into contact with three converging threats: SCP anomalies reclassified as Omega-Forbidden, Lovecraftian cults in full war mode, and a rogue Endless faction. In the process, the Carnitrix will unlock two to three new powers/abilities — but they will come with consequences that cannot be undone.