Holy shit.
I was just asking offhandedly. You really didn't need to respond that fast.
Lynch reached for his ring, preparing to react, but the Yithian's reminder echoed in his ear. Hesitating for a fraction of a second, he checked his movement and allowed Mulsith-ha to swallow him whole.
In essence, Mulsith-ha was similar to an ordinary Hound of Tindalos, composed entirely of time dust, only far more condensed. It possessed no true physical body and certainly no mouth in any literal sense. Being swallowed was merely a description of the process, much like how the stagnation block had been delivered earlier.
In reality, he was simply enveloped by Mulsith-ha's body.
The moment they made contact, Lynch felt a sharp jolt through his spirit body, followed by countless fragmented visions flooding his mind.
One instant, a flash of light ripped through chaotic darkness. The next, a crimson planet streaked across the cosmos, awakening countless slumbering shadows. Then came swirling snow over a desolate, dying world, followed by cracked earth and erupting volcanoes, a chick pecking through its shell, and a vast, scorched wasteland littered with corpses.
The images were frantic, shattered, and utterly chaotic, bereft of logic or continuity. They were temporal glimpses—imprints left behind as Mulsith-ha gazed into the River of Time.
What featured most prominently, however, was the chaotic Dreamlands engulfed in dense red fog. On a frigid wasteland, countless giant spiders wove monumental webs of fate. Through mists that blurred top and bottom, strange birds resembling stitched monstrosities spread their wings and soared. Deep within the fog, dark, colossal shapes writhed, unfurling massive tentacles. Around them, space and light bent, warping their titanic frames into bizarre, horrifying geometries.
Deep inside that mist hung a red moon. Its crimson moonlight parted the fog, carving out a sanctuary of quiet composure amidst the madness and distortion.
Beneath the moonlight, a massive, indistinct shadow hung suspended in midair, floating silently as if locked in a deep slumber.
The flickering visions before his eyes continued to shift, but suddenly, a bolt of realization struck Lynch, making his heart leap into his throat.
This scene... was strikingly familiar.
He had seen it several times before, whether in his dreams or within the Red Moon Memories. He had always brushed it off as just another strange illusion, but viewing it now from a fresh perspective, a disturbing familiarity washed over him.
If I replace that black shadow beneath the moon with myself... isn't that literally what happened after I transmigrated?
I crashed into my neighbor's moonlight and mooched off it for who knows how many years. The only difference is that in this image, I'm that messy, monstrous thing.
So before me, did my neighbor shelter someone else? And it was such an ugly, grotesque monstrosity?
That made him almost jealous.
Yet before the jealousy could fully take root, an even more horrifying thought surfaced.
Holy shit. Wait, no.
What if my neighbor never sheltered anyone else?
That grotesque thing... couldn't be me, could it?
In an instant, Lynch's heart hammered against his ribs. His throat went bone-dry, and his body froze solid. He completely stopped paying attention to the flashing visions before his eyes:
“Neighbor... Neighbor...”
【...】
“Did I hit the mark? Was that thing actually me?”
【...】
“Why does my soul look like that? Ever since I gained the Gaze of the Dead, I've seen plenty of wandering souls, and not a single one looked like that. Why am I the exception? What on earth am I?”
“Say something.”
【I am merely the Witness to your journey, Lynch. The answer is something only you can ask yourself. What, truly, are you?】
“A shut-in transmigrator,” Lynch answered without a second thought, before pausing as an idea struck him. “Is it because I'm from another world, so my soul isn't like the people here? Is that why my soul manifests as that hideous mess in this world?”
【Perhaps. This is your own journey. All answers must be found by you, and all the joy, anger, sorrow, and delight along the way can only be savored by yourself.】
“You didn't stay silent, which means my guess is wrong. But you didn't deny it directly either, opting for a vague response instead. That means you actually want me to believe my own theory and stop overthinking. So, is everything about me really limited to my current understanding? If not, what are you hiding? And what is your goal in wanting me to stop prying and stay in the dark?”
【Lynch, you...】
“Fine, I'll stop digging.”
【???】 A nearly physical sense of confusion resonated in his mind.
“Nothing to be surprised about, Neighbor. If you had just given me a half-hearted 'yes' earlier, none of these deductions would've happened. But you refused to lie to me, which led to this train of thought. I don't think I have any leverage to force you not to lie. You refrain from lying for your own reasons—whether out of disdain or personal principle doesn't matter. What matters is that you won't even resort to deception. So I believe that even if you wanted to harm or screw me over, you'd do it openly rather than like this. Which means your desire for me to stop digging is, at least in part, for my own good.”
【...】
“Back in the Mythological Era... oh, wait, back in my hometown, there's a saying: 'Listen to advice and you won't go hungry.' You won't harm me, so why shouldn't I listen to you?”
【And if I do harm you?】
“Then I'll accept it. Everyone has to take responsibility for their own choices. Since I chose to trust you, I'm prepared to bear the consequences. So that wouldn't be your problem—it would be mine.”
【...I didn't anticipate that what it showed you would lead to such deductions. However, knowing certain things right now will bring you no benefit; it will only cloud your judgment and choices. So leave what you've seen in the past and stop pondering it. I assure you that in the foreseeable future, you will come to understand the full truth.】
“Yeah, I believe you,” Lynch chuckled internally. “So, what exactly did it show me?”
【Temporal glimpses. It was likely sharing a portion of what it has witnessed as a token of gratitude.】
“What? You call this gratitude? Who thanks someone by showing them the shadows of evil gods? That feels more like assault! Sure, they're just shadows, but anyone else would've been driven insane! Are you sure it isn't trying to murder me and steal my stuff?”
【This is the fundamental difference between these heteromorphs and the major gods, even those evil gods that lean toward order and benevolence. They answer their followers' prayers and grant mortals rewards, but mostly by cramming forbidden knowledge straight into mortal minds—completely unconcerned with what that entails for the recipient. For you, however, the impact is minimal. Your willpower is unique; as long as the forms of the highest-ranking evil gods aren't displayed directly to you, your mind won't easily collapse.】
“Fine, I'll count it as gratitude then. But couldn't it give me something actually useful... Holy shit!”
Just as Lynch was complaining in his heart, a terrifyingly incomprehensible will suddenly slammed into his mind. It nearly shattered him on impact, left behind a mark, and vanished without a trace—leaving behind a victim who almost needed to be glued back together.
Son of a bitch. Whether I'm human or not is still up for debate, but you're a real dog.
Rate on N.U.
