Chapter 492 – Observers

After the rift finally closed and the gigantic eye disappeared from my view, I naturally asked Selyra what the hell that had been. On the outside, I probably looked relatively calm. On the inside, though, I was practically freaking out. Whatever the hell that terrifying thing actually was, there was one thing that bothered me deeply: that eye had clearly seemed to recognize both Selyra and me.

How was that even possible? What the hell? I was certain I would remember if I had ever encountered a creature that terrifying before. That wasn't exactly the kind of encounter someone could simply forget after a few days... But then I realized that might have been exactly the problem. My memories.

In the end, the only conclusion I could come to was that the gigantic eye and I had probably known each other somehow. At some point in the past, before I lost my memories, our paths might have crossed. That would also explain the overwhelming sense of disgust I felt the moment I saw it. My mind couldn't remember anything about that thing, but my body... My body seemed to remember it perfectly.

I tried questioning Selyra about the enormous, terrifying eye that had somehow clearly known who we were. I still couldn't get the image out of my head. There was something deeply unsettling about being watched by a creature that seemed to know exactly who we were while I didn't have the slightest idea who, or what, it was.

According to Selyra, though, that thing couldn't hurt us for the time being. Apparently, it existed in its own dimension, completely isolated from ours, and I had been the one who banished it there in the past, following the orders of the "Mother" as Selyra herself called her. The strangest part was that the giant mushroom we had fought wasn't even the creature itself.

It was just a tiny part of it. Apparently, some fragment had broken away from that thing and somehow found its way to Earth. The fragment eventually took the form of that enormous mushroom, developing the ability to release spores with properties capable of manipulating the mind and distorting emotions.

As for how that fragment had managed to cross the barrier isolating the two dimensions... Selyra simply didn't know. According to her, I had been extremely thorough in the past when it came to making sure that thing remained completely isolated. There shouldn't have been any breach, pathway, or connection that could allow something from that dimension to reach ours.

And yet, somehow, it happened. Honestly, I hadn't even expected to get an answer to my question in the first place. After all, we were talking about something connected to the life I'd lived before losing my memories. It was hard to imagine anyone being able to simply explain something that even I couldn't remember. Selyra, however, seemed to think differently.

According to her, it was probably about time I started remembering things. Apparently, gathering all of my little sisters had been the "trigger" I'd implanted within myself to recover my memories. And now that it was practically complete with Selyra's appearance, it was only a matter of time before I started recovering some of the fragments I'd lost.

It wouldn't all come back at once, of course. According to Selyra, recovering all of my memories simultaneously could end up overwhelming my mind. I wasn't exactly sure what that meant in practice, but considering she seemed to know far more about the subject than I did, I figured it was better to trust her. I also decided not to question her any further.

Although I'd clearly noticed that Selyra was still hiding certain things from me, I didn't want to pressure her. Maybe there was a reason she couldn't tell me certain things, whether it was because of some rule, a limitation, or simply because it wasn't the right time yet. Honestly, I'd feel bad if I had to force her to reveal something she apparently wasn't allowed to tell me.

Besides, I would eventually recover my memories sooner or later anyway. There was no reason to panic or try to force answers out of her before the time was right. For now, all I needed to do was wait. Still, there was a small part of me that hoped that when my memories finally returned, they wouldn't come with yet another completely absurd surprise.

Finding that gigantic eye suddenly appearing out of nowhere had already been strange enough. I was really starting to hope that things like that wouldn't become a regular occurrence in my life... Although, thinking about it, even I couldn't believe I'd be lucky enough for that to happen.

***

In the absolute void, where only darkness reigned and not even light dared to pass through, there was something. Or rather... someone. The Thing, which had no name, remained in complete silence. There was no sound in this place, not even the faintest trace of movement, yet the last image it had witnessed continued to replay within its mind.

Once. Then again. And again. And again. The same scene, endlessly repeating, like a memory trapped within a cycle that could never reach its end. The Thing did not possess a physical body in any conventional sense. The form it currently wore was merely a reflection, a limited representation of what those pathetic and harmless humans had imagined when they attempted to comprehend it.

It cared little for physical appearance. For something like it, capable of changing its form as easily as a human formed a thought, having a specific appearance meant absolutely nothing. Forms were merely forms, more coherent ways of presenting itself to those who called upon it, allowing their fragile minds to at least conceive of the existence of something they should never have seen.

Its current appearance was, perhaps, particularly grotesque. A gigantic vertical slit, resembling an eye, tore through the empty void. Around it, flesh and black veins spread across nothingness like the roots of some impossible tree, reaching out in every direction. At the center of the opening was an enormous white eye, motionless and silent, watching everything.

Behind it, indistinct shapes appeared and vanished. Tentacles. Limbs. Things that resembled faces. Or perhaps they were none of those things. It was impossible to tell. The Thing itself was hardly certain what to think of this appearance. It had not been the one to choose it.

Still, the form seemed to please those who allowed it to enter the dimension where humans existed. Perhaps that was why it continued to use it. After all, if humans wanted to perceive it this way, why should it bother changing? And so, it remained as it was.

“Fufufu... Your plan didn't exactly go the way you imagined, did it?” As it allowed itself to become distracted, the gigantic floating eye heard a feminine voice, soft and almost melodious, yet carrying something that made it impossible to trust its apparent delicacy.

The voice had come from nowhere in particular. It simply appeared within its mind. The pupil of the enormous eye slowly shifted to the side, searching for the source of the voice. It did not take long to find her. There stood the owner of that voice. A gigantic female humanoid entity towered before it. Her body was covered in a thick, irregular layer of bone-like armor, unnaturally massive and disturbingly sturdy.

Two large black eyes occupied the center of her face, surrounded by dozens of smaller eyes that moved independently, observing everything around her. Her jaw opened slightly, revealing row upon row of razor-sharp teeth overlapping one another, forming a smile that was anything but reassuring.

The lower half of her body, however, bore no resemblance to that of a human. Hundreds of tentacles writhed beneath her waist, constantly intertwining and separating, supporting her enormous body while creating a continuous, grotesque motion. For several moments, the gigantic eye simply stared at her.

Then the woman's voice echoed directly through its mind once more, filled with playful provocation: “Looks like you ran into a little complication, didn't you?” The entity's countless eyes narrowed slightly, as though savoring the situation: “Or should I say... a big complication?”

“I imagine Hope gave you quite a bit of trouble. You two have always been incompatible with each other...” a second voice spoke up, this time male, carrying an unusual tranquility: “I suppose I couldn't expect anything less from her ability to locate the piece you detached from your own body” The gigantic eye blinked slowly. However, it did not even turn toward the voice. There was no need. It already knew exactly who it was.

For a few moments, silence answered the words, broken only by the wet, nearly imperceptible sounds of the creature's movements. Then, as though he had simply emerged from the void itself, the owner of the voice appeared before the gigantic eye. His appearance was, to say the least, disturbing.

He was an extremely thin humanoid creature, his body seeming as though it had been stretched to its absolute limit. His black skin was wet and glistened beneath the faint light of the surroundings, as if it were perpetually coated in a thin layer of water.

But it was his eyes that drew the most attention. Dozens of them were scattered irregularly across his head and neck. Some were tiny, while others were surprisingly large. Every single one moved independently as they observed the surrounding void.

From the creature's back, dozens of thin tentacles extended outward, slowly snaking through the air. They moved restlessly, as though possessing wills of their own, sliding over one another while following even the slightest movement. And yet, despite his grotesque appearance, the creature seemed completely at ease in the presence of the gigantic eye.

The gigantic eye slowly looked away, contemplating the infinite void stretching endlessly in every direction around it. There was no ground, no sky, and no other point of reference in this place. Only a silent, endless expanse.

When its voice finally echoed through the void, there was no trace of disappointment or surprise in its tone. Only absolute calm. Almost indifference: “That was expected. The piece I detached from myself possessed not even one percent of my power” The eye paused briefly, as though reflecting upon something: “Besides... the Guardian was there as well”

Its gaze seemed to deepen for a moment: “Her powers also appear to be returning. They are still severely limited compared to what she was capable of before, but... the mere fact that they are returning is already significant”

The other two entities did not respond immediately. They remained silent, each absorbing those words in their own way. Though their expressions were difficult to interpret, it was obvious that the information had stirred thoughts, and concerns, in both of them.

After a few moments, the female voice finally broke the silence: “In that case, I'll speed up my preparations. See you soon” Before another word could be spoken, her presence began to fade, gradually dissolving into the endless void.

The male voice responded moments later, carrying a strange confidence: “Very soon”

And just like the first entity, his presence also disappeared, leaving the void silent once more. The gigantic eye remained alone for several more moments. Its enormous eyeball continued to gaze into nothingness, motionless, as though it were observing something none of the others could see. Then, without saying another word, it disappeared as well. In the next instant, absolutely nothing remained.