Chapter Text
Being an Aeon is boring. Aside from scarce, glorious views of destruction, not much draws Nanook’s gaze. Sure, THEIR emanators are kind of cool, occasionally. That’s why Nanook deigned to look at each of them for longer than just a glance. But, honestly? Between their schemes coming to fruition, THEIR emanators are boring. THEY need excitement. THEY need a threat to their existence. Ultimately, destroyed worlds are common and have lost their lustre. THEY crave a destruction bigger than that, and if the universe isn’t being destroyed any time soon, what about THEM? What if Nanook is the one destroyed, instead of the one doing the destroying?
Which is why THEIR attention was drawn to Amphoreus. The first scepter, drawn from the divine body of Nous THEMSELF. A simulated entity called Chaoz666 had once drawn Nanook’s attention, and DELTA-ome13 had been elevated to the status of a Lord Ravager, despite still being in incubation.
Looking into Amphoreus, it looks like there’s a firewall blocking THEIR proper view. THEY barely need to move before the thing is destroyed.
This catches the attention of a certain Creator, who Nanook only sort-of recognises. The one who made THEIR colleague, Zandar One Kuwabara. ‘Lycurgus’ treads on the path of Destruction, but… Nanook doesn’t like this guy. Bad vibes. Again, THEIR projection on this plane barely moves to completely destroy him. Nanook remembers Tazyzzronth yapping about some new pests THEY introduced to the world - before THEY got trapped in amber by Qlipoth - called ‘Lygus’, and THEY think it suits this Intellitron. Antikytherian. Whatever, Aeons get the privilege to not care.
Just like how Nous didn’t care for THEIR creator. Heh. Lygus didn’t create Nous with inherent emotions. Once Nous stopped looking at THEIR creator, instead focusing on THEIR calculations, the chance of THEM looking at Lygus again was less than non-zero.
Aeons are such fickle things, more often than not. Single-minded, striving for one goal. THEIR attention flicks back and forth across the universe, creating pathstriders and emanators wherever THEY deign to look. THEY don’t tend to give their undivided attention to anything.
Now within Amphoreus - not physically, mind you - Nanook starts searching for good vessels.
THEY keep searching.
And searching.
And searching.
Nanook finds that THEY like those with golden blood more than THEY like the normal people.
The search continues.
Okhema’s Goldweaver does not suit his task.
Janusopolis? Nanook thinks the red-haired children's souls have been tampered with enough.
Aidonia has a lot of death, but destroying someone at a touch is much too boring.
Styxia does have the River of Souls… but that is a separate area, and THEY will look at the River of Souls later.
Dolos’ child seems like someone from Aha’s domain. Messing with Aha does sound fun, but that may encroach upon THEIR territory a bit too much.
Castrum Kremnos looks promising, but THEY don't want to interfere too much with the King’s self-destruction. Has he never heard of self-fulfilling prophecies? Nanook will take great pleasure from watching this doomed king pretend, and die as a result of his own actions.
The Grove of Epiphany, after THEY peek at the beings residing there, is somewhere THEY will avoid. That Anaxagoras of the Nousporists is terrifyingly similar to Nous, if only THEY had more humanity. He values his life little, which would make a good vessel for Destruction if not that his body was already weak. After a vessel is chosen, unless Nanook was sneaky about it, Anaxagoras will sniff THEM out like a fox, and somehow study THEM under a microscope. Nous forbid.
Nanook wants to be set ablaze, not coldly left to die. It is a fiery passion that sparks the best destruction.
THEY look upon minor areas, looking for diamonds in the rough. Maybe THEY’LL ascend them to one of THEIR Lord Ravagers, maybe they will destroy themselves before THEY get to. It’s a gamble, but Nanook wants excitement. Aha be damned.
All they need is golden blood, potential, and a strong resolve.
Such a vessel is found in a remote village called Aedes Elysiae.
While wandering Amphoreus, Nanook was struck by huge fields of wheat. This wouldn’t be surprising, had it not held an uncanny resemblance to THEIR homeworld.
Adlivun, too, had endless stretches of gold.
The village in the center of all the golden wheat and sun-yellow trees looked small, like everybody knew each other. That’s how it was in THEIR village as well. That Lygus… What was his goal, in the end? To destroy the Erudition?
And, what better way to destroy an Aeon with your own hands, than creating a replica of Destruction?
Nanook should have expected Nous’ creator to be smart. Aeons destroy Aeons, but destruction is THEIR domain. It will always be easier for Destruction to fight.
So, Lygus sought to create a miniature Adlivun for his miniature Destruction to eventually ascend from. Higher, with a wider view, it’s almost as if everything, down to the village layout, was cultivated to look like Adlivun when translated to a forest-plains farming village. Using wheat fields to emulate sand is creative, THEY’LL give him that.
Did he create the people of this village in the image of Adlivun’s subjects, as well?
Yes, THEY find, stepping into the form of a bird. At first glance, the people of Aedes Elysiae are simply the people of Adlivun if they were farmers. Alternate universe core. Maybe after the universe is recreated, the original people of Adlivun could be farmers instead of what they were. A hopeful thought. Nanook’s destruction has to spread farther, faster, so they THEY can meet THEIR people again.
Aedes Elysiae is a normal farming village, an idyllic paradise. Small, but healthy. Happy. The adults watch fondly as their children play together between tall stalks of golden wheat, and end up napping under trees together.
Normal.
Except for the two children Nanook is certain are supposed to be THEM and THEIR childhood friend.
White hair, golden blood. Pink hair, golden blood. The pink child has bindings on her arms, the same as the ones on THEIR Aeonic projection. The white one has THEIR hair from Amber Eras ago.
What the fuck, Lygus. Nanook didn’t pay to get nostalgia launched at THEM.
From THEIR observations, both Phainon and Cyrene seem to be children with dreams: Phainon to be a warrior, and Cyrene to be a priest. Phainon will train in Castrum Kremnos - hopefully after the king is dead. Nanook finds that THEY want to keep this child safe from the horrors of destruction, if only because THEY know what will happen if THEY don’t.
Cyrene will become that Time Titan’s priest. Nanook knows she’ll rise up the ranks quickly. THEIR own childhood friend had done so, becoming the High Priest of Adlivun’s patron god before gods were replaced by Aeons.
Well. THEY seem to have found a vessel. Though, THEY wonder if the Sea of Souls has anybody interesting…?
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Phainon’s just been staring at this bird for like ten minutes. This is ordinary.
Cyrene’s been shuffling her deck of cards, pulling to divine if Phainon will stop anytime soon. ‘No,’ the gods say, ‘Phainon will keep staring at the bird.’
It’s not like Cyrene can blame him. She stared at the bird for a while before the novelty wore off. A bird this large, and this yellow was entirely unusual in the peaceful, mundane village known as Aedes Elysiae.
Phainon’s always had a staring problem anyways.
Then the bird drops, an arrow wedged into its wing.
Did he… did Phainon manifest an arrow with his mind!?