Мастер Исандер
Verse and Dimensions: Stories
Running out of ways to defend himself, Peralitus resorted to accusing the other Supergods, claiming the motives and alibis of nobody else had even been discussed. Matharin extremely quickly attempted to shut this down by claiming nobody else had any incentive to murder Abstractil, although just about everyone could certainly name another Supergod who had every incentive to murder Abstractil. Since nobody else was willing to mention the possibility, Peralitus argued that Abstractil had just staged a coup of Xenixel’s Council, and he had every reason to seek revenge! Xenixel was outraged beyond belief to hear that anyone would even consider such a possibility! Paradoxus had to side with Xenixel, reasoning that Xenixel had never been discrete about his opinions of others or his unquestionable authority, and if he wished to murder Abstractil, it would’ve been a public execution. Empiroxus felt like he had heard enough and asked, mostly rhetorically, if anyone else still had any qualms about punishing Peralitus for the murder he very obviously committed. While he was expecting no answer, what he instead heard was Logixel mumbling a very quiet “Welll…”
Paradoxus could not believe Logixel was still hesitant to blame Peralitus despite all the evidence against him, but Conceptilum requested Paradoxus and the others hear Logixel out, faintly hoping he’d have at least some reason to hold off on what he felt was very clearly a rash and poorly thought-out decision. Logixel slowly and quietly explained that, well, Xenixel said the attack was very precise and took advantage of Abstractil’s pre-existing injuries to deal damage in the most efficient way. Logixel, um, recalled there was a point in metatime when Peralitus thought Conceptilum and Abstractil were the same person and, well, um… Peralitus just didn’t really seem like he’d be capable of knowing how precisely to target her while locked in a cage most of the metatime?
An excited Peralitus exclaimed “Exactly!” when he finally heard a decent argument in his favor, treating it like a smoking gun that proves his innocence, while in reality the others were far less convinced. Empiroxus certainly saw Logixel’s point, but in light of all the other evidence he felt like it affected very little. Xenixel further added that if Peralitus hadn’t done it, who did? Was Logixel accusing him of this as well? But Logixel quickly reassured Xenixel that he didn’t think he murdered Abstractil. Logixel instead thought, well, maybe none of them murdered Abstractil? Logixel didn’t think it was likely that any of them actually would’ve done it. Maybe some, um, non-Supergod entity did it? Empiroxus thought this was getting to a ridiculous point and stated that they needed to move forward. Xenixel agreed, demanding that Peralitus be immediately exiled.
Conceptilum wasn’t surprised by this turn of affairs whatsoever but was still extremely worried by it. The blue Supergod once again tried to state that while he did believe Peralitus was the most likely candidate, if they make the wrong call here, they’ll have not only killed a mostly innocent Supergod but also left whoever the real perpetrator is open to attack again. But Empiroxus was certain that it must be Peralitus and agreed with Xenixel that exile was the only option. This turn of events Conceptilum was surprised by, and asked Empiroxus whatever happened to leaving no mortal or Supergod behind? But Empiroxus wasn’t listening to any more of this. Peralitus murdered his partner. The only one who truly knew and understood him. He was a danger to everyone around him and there was only one thing that could be done. Matharin agreed with Empiroxus and Xenixel, echoing her earlier assertion that if Peralitus wasn’t dealt with, they’d all end up dead before they got back to Beyond. Paradoxus didn’t necessarily agree that execution was the best and only option, but he certainly understood the reasoning and if the other Supergods believed it was the clear course of action, he wouldn’t try to stop them.
It seemed to Xenixel that it was settled, and using his Omniscience^3, he began to move the still paralyzed Peralitus to the edge of Hellensoerensen for execution. Peralitus was in complete disbelief of what was happening. They were really going to try and kill him for something he didn’t do? Again?? Matharin framed him last time; she’s probably framed him this time as well! Peralitus shouted that this was a deliberate attempt by Empiroxus and the others to frame him and get him killed!!
Conceptilum avoided directly opposing Empiroxus and Xenixel but still quietly suggested that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to take action this early, especially when there are so many others factors they can still assess to find evidence. As they got closer to the edge of Hellensoerensen, Peralitus began to rant and rave desperately about how it wasn’t him who killed Abstractil, before eventually devolving into purely shouting and screaming for help, meanwhile Empiroxus and Xenixel only became more determined to throw them out as Matharin encouraged them from the sidelines.
As the edge of Hellensoerensen was opened and all three were mildly exposed to open Transcendentem, Peralitus suddenly and without warning struck the hide of the automaton, shaking it slightly and knocking Empiroxus and Xenixel further towards the Breaker’s Slime. It didn’t harm them, but it did allow Peralitus to escape their control and smash open a powerful energy source to retrieve the Phire inside. Peralitus warned them to stay back, or he’d use it on them. This didn’t deter Empiroxus or Xenixel who charged forward anyway, with Matharin and Paradoxus also intervening to hopefully restrain Peralitus and cause less harm to the others. Conceptilum decided it would be a good idea to keep his distance, while Logixel watched the confusion from significantly further away, terrified and hating everything about it but not knowing what to do.
Suddenly, Conceptilum's vision was obscured by a massive bright red light and a cataclysmic wave of energy, before Peralitus was suddenly set on Phire which rapidly began to burn through his Godverses as he screamed for help. Conceptilum immediately decided to step back and keep his distance and hoped the others would do the same, so that whoever potentially assassinated him would become obvious as the only one near Peralitus, but it seems like precisely zero others thought to do that as everyone else immediately rushed towards him. Brilliant. Logixel at first hoped he could somehow save Peralitus, but it became clear almost instantly that the Phire was spreading too rapidly and Peralitus was very quickly reduced to a pile of informational ash.
Briefly wondering if Peralitus had set himself on Phire in his own incompetence and stupidity, Xenixel was quickly able to calculate that the incredible rate at which the Phire spread through him could only have been caused by a large release of energy (presumably the red light) targeted directly against him—which could only have come from a separate entity. Peralitus wasn’t the killer.
Matharin slowly looked up at the stunned and shaken Empiroxus and said “I understand why you did what you did.” Empiroxus looked around at the others for a few metamoments before quietly apologizing to everyone in a low and shameful tone. He had let his emotions get the better of himself and attacked someone who hadn’t done anything wrong. Xenixel had no intention of apologizing for his actions however and focused instead on attempting to figure out who exactly the killer was, if not Peralitus. While most Supergods seemed exceedingly confused by the revelation that it was someone else, Matharin said she thought the answer was clear, and gestured towards Empiroxus.
Empiroxus (and everyone else for that matter) was completely baffled and questioned if Matharin was seriously claiming he had murdered his own partner?! Matharin reassured him she didn’t believe anything of the sort, but also posited that the two attacks didn’t necessarily have to have been committed by the same person. Matharin believed that it was indeed Peralitus who initially murdered Abstractil, and as the struggle to exile Peralitus turned aggressive, Empiroxus struck out in a fit of rage which annihilated Peralitus on the spot.
A still somewhat shaken Empiroxus claimed he didn’t kill Peralitus, to which Matharin responded that he didn’t need to lie about it—they were already planning to execute him anyway and as far as she was concerned, Empiroxus had done nothing wrong. But Empiroxus once again asserted, far more aggressively this time, that he did not kill Peralitus! An exasperated Matharin questioned who else would’ve apparently tried to murder him? There’s very little chance that any of them besides Peralitus secretly murdered Abstractil, and the only ones with the motive and ability to kill Peralitus were him and Xenixel, so one of the two must be lying!
After hearing Xenixel express his utter fury that Matharin would ever even consider that he might actively tell the Council falsehoods, Paradoxus questioned Matharin’s conclusion by arguing that if this was merely a case of Peralitus killing Abstractil and being dealt with by Empiroxus, who exactly stole or destroyed the missing Trosinium? But Matharin treated the issue somewhat flippantly, asking if the missing Trosinium even mattered anymore? After what had happened, there were only six Supergods left, meaning they only needed five functioning modules to return to Beyond! Most Supergods viewed this as a fairly reasonable and accurate observation; however for some strange reason Conceptilum was utterly appalled that this of all things was what Matharin was thinking about, after everything that had happened! Matharin quietly encouraged Conceptilum to Just follow along with her for a while and promised it would all work out well for them in the end. This apparently did nothing at all to quell whatever fears Conceptilum had developed.
Xenixel overheard the conversation and demanded to know what exactly Matharin meant by that, and Matharin responded that she just wanted to make sure her and her children were safe. Xenixel questioned whether this meant she was willing to undermine the Council for her own means a second time, not forgetting her betrayal during the Collapse. Empiroxus normally attempted to compose himself when Xenixel made these kinds of absurd remarks, but after everything that had happened, he’d had enough and barked at Xenixel, criticizing his insane demands of absolute allegiance, even in circumstances as dire as this! Matharin didn’t even get a chance to assure Xenixel she had no intentions of betraying the Council again before he began to bellow at Empiroxus about his increasing disloyalty ever since he returned from his final mission, something Xenixel deemed absolutely unacceptable and intended to ‘rectify’ when the circumstances were right! Empiroxus began to shout that if Xenixel was willing to talk about people like that, maybe he was the killer! Xenixel outright screamed at Empiroxus that this kind of disloyal behavior was exactly why they were unable to come together and resolve this issue quickly instead of wasting time pointing fingers and questioning authority! Xenixel further questioned if Empiroxus even cared about the Council now that his treacherous partner wasn't a part of it! Now that he had become another 'story', maybe this entire issue wasn't worth solving! Empiroxus slammed Xenixel into the side of Hellensoerensen and threatened to attack him if he spoke another word about Abstractil. Just as Xenixel was preparing to pre-emptively strike the disloyal traitor, his Omniscience^3 altered him to another entity that had appeared nearby.
The mechanical god had apparently noticed the situation and believed they had some helpful suggestions. Xenixel, after blasting Empiroxus halfway across Hellensoerensen to get him out of the way, immediately dismissed the idea that they could make any useful contributions—given that the Supergods were all Omniscient^2 or above, they had likely already discovered and dismissed anything the mortals may have found. But the god claimed that in this case, being mortal gave them an advantage: it provided them with a sense of scale compared to the Supergods. Very minor aspects of Supergod powers and abilities are very rarely considered as they’re thought of as insignificant and meaningless to Omnipotent^2 or higher entities, but to mortals these fine details can have impacts on whole civilizations, making them much easier to notice and record. This was important because after extensive research on Abstractil’s constituent -verses and logical residue left over from the conceptual attack, they concluded that the attacks were so precise and effective they could have only been performed by either an Omnipotent^3 Supergod with the powers necessary to perform them, or an Omniscient^3 Supergod who had the knowledge necessary to accurately replicate them. Thus, Peralitus could not have killed Abstractil and must be innocent.
After hearing this, Xenixel immediately and aggressively demanded the mechanical god give him the logical matter they analyzed to come to this conclusion, which they quickly provided for fear of being erased. Xenixel then extracted some specific energy from the remains of Peralitus and quickly examined the two. With help from his Omniscience^3, he concluded that the energy remnants from the attack which the mortals measured were completely identical to the remnants found on Peralitus’s Godverses. The exact same Supergod must have used the exact same technique to kill them both.
With the news of this revelation, Matharin began to run through all the different possibilities in her head, mentioning some conclusions out loud. It couldn’t have been Paradoxus or Logixel as they didn’t possess the necessary Omnipotence or Omniscience, it couldn’t have been Conceptilum because he wasn’t near Peralitus when he died, it couldn’t have been Empiroxus because he would never kill Abstractil, so the only possible conclusion left was that it was… Xenixel.
Matharin knew as soon as she said it that Xenixel would be completely infuriated upon hearing this, but she maintained that it was the only logical conclusion. Xenixel had hated Abstractil far more than any of the others ever since the events of the Collapse, and he was already attempting to execute Peralitus by throwing him into Transcendentem! An increasingly less mentally sound Xenixel warned Matharin that if she did not halt her egregious slander this instant, Xenixel would throw her into Transcendentem before she had time to finish any more 'calculations'! Empiroxus rushed back into the module, shouting that attempting to murder those who make logical conclusions not in your favor are the actions of a violent dictator, which is nothing short of exactly what Xenixel has become! Xenixel insisted that he, clearly unlike everyone else, was working in the best interests of the Council, even if that meant dealing with clear traitors such as Matharin! If she were correct, and the only two who can’t be ruled out are himself and her, then she is clearly the one most likely to have committed the murders, as his word was to be treated with absolute respect!! He has lied to no one this entire time, while clearly Matharin has!
Desperately hoping to de-escalate the situation, Logixel mentioned that he felt maybe they should think about his earlier theory, that it wasn’t any of them. Paradoxus was dumbfounded that Logixel was still childishly hoping for a harmless solution to all of this, despite all the evidence. Conceptilum thought the same, though he intentionally avoided making this clear. But Logixel defended his point by arguing that-, th-that he didn’t really think any of them would be likely to do any of this! The only ones who could’ve done it are Empiroxus, Matharin and Xenixel, and Empiroxus would never hurt Abstractil, Xenixel would never lie to the rest of the Council, and Matharin would never try to kill any of them! After all, she’s been working this whole time to get… get them all home… safely…
Logixel suddenly trailed off without explanation, looking absolutely horrified. Xenixel assumed he must have realized something and began aggressively demanding Logixel explain himself. Logixel first attempted to say it was nothing, only making Xenixel more insistent, at which point Logixel appeared to pause for a metaminute before murmuring that he just realized they might not be able to get large amounts of the mortal population back to Beyond safely. Xenixel was extremely disappointed while Paradoxus was outright angry that Logixel was still thinking about stupid mortals after two Supergods had died! The two then began to argue once more about the value of mortal life, causing an already unstable Xenixel to scream and blast the side of Hellensoerensen, dangerously destabilizing it. Xenixel was sick and tired of making absolutely no progress and declared as he stormed off that if just one more Supergod dies, he is erasing every single potential suspect on the spot!!!
The other Supergods decided to also go their separate ways in hopes of discovering some more information about whatever had happened. Empiroxus was curious if the mortals operating the mechanical god had any potential insight into any of this, while Paradoxus left to investigate the module which the Trosinium had vanished from to look for any potential clues. Matharin, apparently satisfied with how the confrontation had gone, quickly left in the direction of module six without explanation. Conceptilum and Logixel both glanced at Matharin and then exchanged very concerned looks before leaving.
Chapter 3: The Emergency Council
“It's like when your dad leaves the house for a pack of cigarettes and doesn't come back, except the house is a level ω+2 Soupcount Archverse and the cigarettes are a giant broken automaton. Shockingly, a bit much to convey in one sciently-diluted diplomatic negotiation.”
Kalyutim grew increasingly annoyed as the Creator-Destroyer hybrid failed to pick up on his obvious desire to be literally anywhere but here and continued to waste valuable metatime asking questions about Kalyutim’s life instead of getting to the frykking point of the negotiation. The purple Supergod irritably responded that if they liked asking questions about his past so much, maybe they should ask about the eight Supergods currently stranded in the middle of Transcendentem whom he was trying to save? Still seemingly not taking the hint, the god then began inquiring about Abstractil’s past of all things. Questions Kalyutim, for the apparently incomprehensible reason of never having met her, did not know the answer to. The god queried why he wouldn’t be able to use his Omniscience^3 to obtain the answer, to which an increasingly furious Kalyutim retorted that every time he taps into his dangerous and terrifying mystic powers that nobody including him understands, his mind becomes further damaged and fragmented. So excuse him for not feeling like abusing this legendary burden for Supergod trivia. If they so desperately wanted to know what happened to Abstractil, she and Empiroxus seem like pretty good people to ask, so maybe they should let Kalyutim get back to literally saving their lives from imminent danger! It was at this point that the Monocosmic ruler shifted their focus to what kinds of environments Empiroxus tends to spend the most metatime in, and it was also coincidentally at this point that Kalyutim wanted to scream.
Hyperman’s delegate stopped Kalyutim and explained in his place that they weren’t mad, they just hoped some progress could be made towards lifting the sanctions placed on the Barrel. Kalyutim didn’t understand at all why Hyperman was apparently too busy to appear for this and decided to send some spineless politician instead. He especially didn’t understand why this idiotic deity wouldn’t agree to what should’ve been very mundane negotiations unless a member of the Emergency Council was present. He figured it would be obvious from the name that they weren’t the three most readily available Supergods in Transcendentem, yet here he pointlessly was anyway.
After countless timeless eons of bickering, the two factions eventually settled on an agreement which even Kalyutim’s Omniscience^3 couldn’t discern the nature of. This was probably because the entire thing was complete nonsense aimed at making negotiations even longer and more painful. Desperate to return to working on a new Tunnel he was sure was nearing the wreckage of Hellensoerensen, Kalyutim exited the Monocosm as fast as possible and rushed to the edge of Beyond, picking up his Tunneling device along the way which… wasn’t there. Wait where’d it go?
Omnarin picked up a small synthetic device of a strange but simplistic shape without any discernable purpose floating harmlessly in Beyond alongside many other such pieces of scrap. The green Supergod slotted it into an elaborate contraption composed of such conceptual junk attached to the side of a Monocosm, though he hesitated for a moment, wondering if a separate and slightly more colorful piece of scrap may look nicer, before deciding that the one she was holding had the funnier shape. An outraged tetrahedral mortal emerged from the Monocosm and demanded to know what exactly this luminous lettuce-shaded lunatic was doing to his Omniverse, exactly?! Omnarin excitedly exclaimed “Hi!” upon seeing the creature, introducing him to her new scrap project. Floyd didn’t care to hear a word of this contemptable chartreuse charlatan’s nonsense, certain that their mere presence was enough to guarantee trouble! Non music – based weapons of mass destruction were strictly forbidden anywhere near this Monocosm!
The obnoxious olive oaf quickly explained that the contraption doesn’t hurt anyone, of course not, it just bewilders them! Floyd seemed confused and demanded further explanation, so Omnarin clarified that it bewilders them! The impatient mortal insisted that Omnarin take this seriously, what does it even mean to “bewilder” someone specifically?! Omnarin thought it was pretty clear—it inflicts a state of bewilderment! Floyd got that, but what the Hell did “bewilderment” mean here? Like, confusing them? Omnarin corrected that it bewilders people, it doesn’t confuse them. Floyd didn’t understand how that wasn’t the same thing, they were literally synonyms! Omnarin thought they were easy to tell apart, one starts with a ‘B’ and the other starts with a ‘C’! Omnarin could tell neither Floyd’s anger or his confusion was being absolved by this conversation and figured a practical demonstration might be more helpful. Floyd attempted to shout “DON’T YOU DARE-” but was interrupted by Omnarin quietly vocalizing a “boop!” as they flicked the Bewilderer on.
An amplified voice of a random mortal within the Omniverse exclaimed their astonishment at the extreme state of bewilderment they had just found themselves in. Floyd didn’t see how that counted at anything different from confusion, at which point the bewildered being clarified to nobody they were aware of that they were specifically bewildered, more than anything else. If there was one word in their entire language that could perfectly sum up their current mental state better than any other, it would be “bewildered”. Omnarin gestured happily towards Floyd, who surely must understand better now. He did not.
At his wits end with this insufferable ivy idiot, Floyd warned Omnarin that they’d better get out of his Monocosm this instant, or else- …o-or else, well- his husband works for Hyperman, and he’ll send over one of those giant voidships to blow Omnarin to smithereens! Yeah! Omnarin found this very interesting, since usually members of the Melodic Pantheon alter their light prisms to emit a slightly wider range of light when they get married, they figured in human terms maybe 300nm or so, and Floyd’s sigil represented all six Melodic Prophets, usually only held by the leader, so he’s probably a pretty religious person. Omnarin wondered if the lack of UV light (had Floyd been deposited back into his home universe) was maybe some sort of cool new trend, or- or a new domination?? That’d be really fascinating, could Floyd tell them more abou-
Floyd abruptly admitted that alright, Omnarin got them, it was a lie, they don’t have to rub it in. Omnarin was genuinely surprised by this reveal and excitedly asked who their husband really worked for? A nearly speechless Floyd could do nothing but express his absolute bafflement at how Omnarin can even function, much less as part of Beyond’s highest governing body. Omnarin wondered if Floyd would say he’s… bewildered? Eeh? Eeeehh?
Floyd sighed. At this point it was probably impossible to get rid of that stupid contraption, a real sentence uttered metaseconds before Kalyutim noticed it, seemed to realize something, and smashed the entire thing open to grab his Tunneling device from inside. Omnarin thought this was a somewhat extreme reaction, but nevertheless asked what the Bewilderer had done wrong, so that the next model could be improved. Kalyutim angrily held up the Tunneling device in front of his sibling and reminded them again that this is not a conceptual scrap, but an extremely important device that everyone but himself is forbidden from touching. Omnarin apologized, they had mistaken it for a logic box. Honest mistake! A bewildered Kalyutim pointed out that the Tunneling device looked nothing like a box and was in fact cone shaped. Omnarin figured cones were close enough to boxes, they’re both everything after all. Floyd reminded himself that this klutz was the second most influential figure in Beyond and deeply rethought the fundamentals of society.
Omnarin could gather that Kalyutim was likely overworking himself as usual and out of concern, suggested that he would probably find his job easier if he relaxed a little. Kalyutim, for what felt like the Aleph Umptillionth time, reminded him that their parents and others were stuck in a life-or-death situation and that he had absolutely every reason in the Barrelplex to be as rushed as possible. (As he said this, his Omniscience^3 projected countless faint and hazy potential ‘doomsday scenarios’ in his head.) Omnarin felt that Kalyutim was over-reacting; their situation wasn’t really time sensitive, they were kinda beyond the concept of time and all, and he wouldn’t even be guaranteed to get things done quicker by rushing through everything. High levels of stress can decrease the functionality of Godsmoke, apparently. Omnarin wasn’t really sure where she heard that, but she assumed it must be true if someone had said it. Well, Kalyutim probably wouldn’t mind either way. He says stuff that’s not true all the time!
Kalyutim at this point felt absolutely sick of Omnarin’s nonsense and interrupted their internal monologue to query what exactly they thought he should do instead, hm? Sit around for eternity building elaborate mousetraps out of spare parts, talking to imaginary idiots they made up, inventing Aleph 46 Octadecal fake identities to frighten random mortals “for the funny”?? Yeah, that’ll make everyone’s lives better in every way possible! If only Kalyutim were blessed with Omnarin’s insatiable pathological laziness, all the Barrelplex’s problems would instantly be solved, and everyone would be great friends forever! Everyone remorse for the fact that whatever kind of being Supergods prey to has cursed him to actually be useful and contribute something positive in any conceivable way!!!
Omnarin chirpily responded “Okay then!” and decided to let Kalyutim get back to whatever he was doing, thinking it was best to maybe talk to him later. Kalyutim felt incredibly guilty about his unnecessary outburst but before he had any chance to apologize, he was approached by a very concerned Hyperman. Hyperman had been looking for Kalyutim, briefly distracted by whatever mess remained of Omnarin’s Bewilderer. Floyd raved to Hyperman about how Omnarin was building some kind of weird prank device to confuse innocent mortals, to which Hyperman irritably responded “Don’t do that” before swiftly moving on. Omnarin gladly agreed to never build this specific type of bewilderer again. Floyd hated his life.
Somewhat relieved to see Hyperman but also annoyed by his absence, Kalyutim immediately questioned why Hyperman wasn’t at the summit. Hyperman, however, informed him of a very concerning development elsewhere in Beyond.
Ven, the former leader of the Eternal Legion, had vanished. The Legion’s army had finally been able to corner him inside an empty Monocosm, however after a large release of energy, he had disappeared without a trace. Kalyutim inspected the Monocosm and immediately recognized it as the Monocosm where Ven had based his failed cult. Kalyutim interpreted this as evidence Ven was running out of places to hide, however Hyperman saw this as one of the main reasons for concern. Hyperman was hoping Kalyutim might be able to use his Omniscience^3 to figure out more about the situation.
After reluctantly opening his mind and finding nothing whatsoever besides what Hyperman had already told him, along with no physical evidence inside the Monocosm, Kalyutim concluded that Ven must have attempted to detonate an explosive device and blown himself up in the process. Kalyutim figured Hyperman would’ve been thrilled by this conclusion—they’ve finally gotten rid of the insane dictatorial maniac they’ve been hunting for who knows how long! But Hyperman wasn’t convinced. He believed Ven was sneakier than that and felt he couldn’t make a conclusive announcement until they found proof he was dead. Kalyutim was annoyed by Hyperman’s insistence on dragging this out and felt that if they simply wanted to be “100% sure”, then Kalyutim most certainly had an uncountably long list of better things to do.