Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

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"A hive-mind...you know that's not impossible." Chief Blackwood muttered his reply, "Void Creatures do answer to the will of the Void, after all."

"But if that's the case, then shouldn't it be more aggressive? It should be looking to kill or eat us instead of going on a pilgrimage to meet the 'Queen,' whoever that may be. It's the Void's will to swallow the Primordial Chaos, isn't it?" One of the researchers chimed in.

"That's true." Another one spoke, "Actually, this is probably the best time and place than any other. It is, after all, past the Scarlet Division Wall. Its instincts should be raving to destroy everything within its sight."

"Well...it is trying to escape."

"But look at the direction it's facing," someone pointed out. "That's the same direction as the wall. My 'All Speak' might not be as sharp as this gentleman over here has, but even I can tell that it's trying to go back to the void. The translation shouldn't be wrong. It must truly be trying to make its way to the void to go to this 'Queen'."

"Which brings us back to square one... Who is this 'Queen'?"

Silence returned once they got to this point. Every researcher was staring at the clamoring test subject, entertaining varying thoughts on their own. They don't doubt Cedric's translation at this point; however, this entity, this 'Queen' is a puzzle that they just can't solve right now.

"What if it's not a 'who,' but a 'what' instead?" Cedric muttered just loud enough for them to hear. "Well, that sounds a little redundant since all Void Creatures can't be considered as living beings. But, well, instead of something that has form, what if it's like a conceptual thing instead? Like, the Void itself, or something close."

"..."

That put some perspective on everything. But it's not a solid answer. If anything, that just makes them even more confused.

"Pardon my lack of knowledge, but I'd like to ask, do we know if there's anything beyond the 'True Abyssal Zone'?" Cedric asked, because he had a theory in his mind.

The researchers looked at each other, puzzled as to why he asked this. None of them were surprised that he didn't know. Cedric was, after all, new to the team, so it makes sense that he doesn't know yet. It's the fact that he vaguely guessed this that surprised most of them.

"Yes, there is," Chief Blackwood answered him.

Because if there's anybody who should inform him, it could only be his superior.

"We call it the 'PONR,' the Point Of No Return. It can also be referred to as the 'Heart of the Void'. Nobody, and I mean nobody, has ever come out of that place alive. Nobody knows what's in there, if there's even anything in the first place."

"We only learned of its existence because of the historical texts left by our predecessors. Many have seen the path towards it, but only a single one returned with some of their sanity left intact. All who saw it, even just a single glimpse, lost it completely. Mind you, all of them were cosmic-level experts at minimum. Their willpower was something that cannot be questioned, yet all of that power, that grit, experience, and whatever, became nothing but useless junk in the mere sight of what they saw there."

Chief Blackwood himself couldn't help but feel himself shuddering as he retold the story. Since he's still sane, it means that he hadn't seen the place he was talking about. But even though he only heard stories about it, he still firmly believed it.

He was in no position to doubt this.

"Why'd you ask, by the way?" Chief Blackwood asked.

"Because I think that that's where it's trying to go," Cedric replied, pointing to the squalor. "You said that that place could also be referred to as the Heart of the Void."

"Are you saying that the 'Point Of No Return' is the 'Queen' it's referring to?" Willow asked, somehow connecting the clues Cedric was alluding to.

"Just a theory," he more or less confirmed. "Just as how we refer to our home worlds or continents as the 'Motherland' or something similar, that might be what's happening here too. Maybe it's the difference between our languages that's confusing all of us."

"Okay, say that's the case; any ideas why that place is calling to it?" Willow isn't trying to antagonize Cedric here; he genuinely wanted to hear more of his thoughts because he believed that this guy was onto something.

"It might be calling all Void Creatures, actually, not just this one." Cedric wore an ugly smile beneath his visor. "Aren't we all puzzled as to why the Void's been acting so strangely within this past year?"

Everybody's eyes widened when Cedric reminded them of this.

"T-that is true..."

"The Void Density has been the most turbulent this year, creating a historical record that is rather alarming."

"Add the scattered invasions in lieu of the holes in the wall. We've lost a lot of our soldiers because we're not only caught unprepared but also because the creatures that invaded were the ones that usually roam the depths of the Danger Zone."

"The sightings and assaults of void creatures on our patrol and population control teams had been at an all-time high too. Even creatures that we deem non-aggressive unless provoked initiated attacks on them."

"And, let's not forget about the early occurrence of the Void Shift this time. Shit! How come none of us noticed this!?"

The researchers are starting to panic now, because it was only when the roof had been stacked together that they were alerted to the storm accumulating right above their heads.

"Ah! Shit! Now, that finally makes sense!" Willow suddenly thought of something and looked at his master. "Wasn't it reported that sightings of Void Creatures had been scarce lately? Wouldn't that be because all of them had gone to the Heart of the Void, just like what our test subject wanted to do?"

Chief Blackwood inhaled sharply at the implications of his student's words. However, he suppressed the panic he was feeling and instead looked at Cedric, because he could tell that this child had something more to say.

And as if sensing his intent, Cedric smiled wryly and continued:

"Remember the recording that caused me to bleed and faint?"

Chills ran down everyone's spine; some even visibly shuddered at the thought.

No, they didn't react this way simply because they had all seen what happened. It wasn't also because they dreaded what it did to Cedric, nor were they afraid of that recording, even though it's true.

They reacted this way because the translation haunted them.

**

'The Void embraces all.'

'The noise of the Primordial Chaos has long been a nuisance to our once silent home.'

'I, as the Oracle, am chosen to enact the will of the Void.'

'Hear me, Children. Our Mother carries the Prince and soon, he will be born to lead us all!'

'He will be unstoppable! We will be unstoppable!'

'Break their walls! Swallow the Primordial Chaos! Plunge everything back into eternal silence!'

'The Void will never be stopped!'

**

And remembering how it specifically went, they finally understood Cedric's thought process.

"...'Our 'Mother' carries the 'Prince' and soon, he will be born to lead us all'..." Chief Blackwood muttered, feeling a mounting crisis pressing down on him.

He then looked at the Squaler and said, "So the Void is calling all of its creations to bear witness to the birth of the 'Prince', who will undoubtedly become a 'King' in the future, or maybe even an 'Emperor'."

"It might be uniting its forces. Learning from us, creatures of the Primordial Chaos, and using our knowledge to fight us back. Under the lead of one really strong entity, the speed of which they learn will skyrocket. Given time, who could say that won't reach our level of intelligence?"

The Chief then looked at Cedric and asked, "Is this what you think is happening?"

"...yes, Sir. But I'm also hoping that I am awfully mistaken. That I'm just being paranoid or whatever."

Well, all who heard him were hoping that he's mistaken too. Because if he wasn't, then they're about to face the most difficult and terrifying challenge of their lives.

"I see. Very well, whether this turns out to be true or not, we need to alarm everybody who must know it anyway. This matter needs to be investigated thoroughly and carefully because this might just be the toughest challenge that the Primordial Chaos will face from the Void."

Chief Blackwood walked up to Cedric and placed a limb on his shoulder.

"You did well; you go and return to your usual duties. Let us handle this for now, though keep your lines open as we might need your assistance from time to time."

"Understood, Sir." Cedric saluted before leaving the lab.

As he made his way out, he did his best to calm his racing heart. He too was feeling a sense of crisis mounting upon him, and he's even more affected because of his apparent weakness.

"I'll finish up as much work as I can for today and then go back to train. I must enter the Transitional Realm as soon as I can."