Chapter Twenty-Six: The God of Darkness

At the edge of the multiverse, a colossal shadow swept past universe after universe. In its wake, countless worlds vanished like soap bubbles, while the shadow plunged headlong into a dimension of unfathomable darkness.

The will of chaos spread outward, and the master of that dimension opened his eyes. As they opened, a fallen hymn rang out, ethereal and haunting—anyone who heard even the faintest note of this sacred song would descend into eternal madness.

“So, a god descends? It matters little; there was never truly a plan,” mused Emon, the God of Darkness. Through his offspring, he learned of the previous battles, but cared not. Since his deep fusion with the laws of chaos, his very mind had been utterly transformed.

“Let this world fall into everlasting darkness. Only chaos can save them now.” Emon closed his eyes once more. He had given everything to save this world—why, then, did so many still fail to understand?

Emon, the God of Darkness, was the nemesis of Ael the Star Soul in a former life. When Ael had escaped using the little clock, Emon had forcibly attached himself to it as well. Unlike Ael’s rebirth, however, Emon’s divine spirit was nearly obliterated as he traversed the worlds. Yet fortune smiled upon him—a trace of his essence survived and passed through the Sea of Laws. Because he arrived at the same time as Ael, carrying malice, he succeeded in inheriting the antithesis of the Law of Wisdom: the Law of Ignorance, or rather, the Law of Blind Folly.

Though Emon lost all memory of his past life, his malice toward all living things permeated every fiber of his will. Upon awakening, he instinctively received the messages granted by the laws, understanding that he was the calamity destined for the God of Wisdom.

But Emon never believed in so-called fate. He swore to show those arrogant gods that he would not remain their pawn. He would devour Ael and become the new creator god—until he encountered the Planet Devourer.

The Planet Devourer: the ender of this universe’s destiny, and the harbinger of the next. What an absurd being! When Emon learned of the Devourer’s purpose, a nameless fury rose within him—a hatred that, unbeknownst to him, came from his past life’s enmity with the Xal’naga.

Naturally, Emon chose the same path as before: to halt this ridiculous cycle. He would forge an eternal world and become its supreme deity.

Thus, as the God of Blind Folly, he prepared his plan for hundreds of millions of years. He knew the Creator God would enter slumber to uphold the laws of the universe. He also knew that the Infinity Stones were the foundation of the Creator’s reality. Therefore, to destroy or corrupt the Infinity Stones was essential to his aim.

For this, he did not hesitate to expend his already meager essence, seducing a native of Ael’s world to steal the Mind Stone and begin its corruption.

Yet, Ael was too keen in that era, and Emon was forced to bide his time. Unexpectedly, that fool exposed himself and was captured by the Protoss Empire. Fortunately, before dying, the fool cast the Mind Stone into the cosmic abyss, leaving Emon to seek out a new servant.

In the search for another pawn, Emon discovered the Celestials, those demigods traversing countless planets, sowing life wherever they went. Their actions stung Emon’s heart anew.

So in one of the Celestials’ ventures, Emon led his progeny to attack and began to corrupt them. Sadly, one escaped, and the Power Stone, hidden away by the Celestials, eluded him as well. Still, Emon believed he would ultimately possess it.

Next, Emon set his sights on the Celestials’ “perfect creation.” He loathed these so-called flawless beings above all else. Thus, he personally corrupted Thanos, the genius of the Eternal race, all without Thanos ever suspecting a thing.

The ensuing events pleased Emon greatly—the Eternals were annihilated by Thanos, who then began his quest for balance. At the opportune moment, Emon’s servant revealed the existence of the Infinity Stones to Thanos, guiding him to the Mind Stone.

The Mind Stone, of course, had already been tampered with. As soon as it touched another Stone, the corruption would silently begin, for the Stones would never resist a force of the same origin.

This plan was shattered by Ael after godly descent, and both the Mind and Space Stones fell into enemy hands. Yet, Emon cared little—he had long prepared to confront all adversaries. The Power Stone was already within reach; with it, Emon could still achieve his goal. Ael’s threat was negligible.

After corrupting the Celestials, Emon’s offspring began to covertly spread the doctrine of darkness. Countless fallen souls encountered his teachings and began to worship the God of Blind Folly.

They proclaimed the universe’s doom, declaring that only faith in the God of Darkness could grant eternal life. Through wicked rituals, they sought his power. Some gained immortality, some strength, others beauty—but all received madness.

There would always be the ignorant and the greedy, willing to surrender their sanity for such wicked gifts. After corrupting the Celestials, Emon’s ranks swelled with a host of Old Ones.

Once bringers of life and hope to the universe, these beings had been twisted by Emon into sources of corruption and decay. He despised the life they created above all, so every Old One would infect all intelligent life it encountered, granting them so-called immortality.

To Emon, the cycles of life and death, the endless wheel of reincarnation, were the world’s greatest flaws. He detested them with all his being—thus, he frantically created all manner of deathless monsters, and the worship of fools only deepened his conviction.

These creatures, empowered by the God of Darkness, worshiped him from the depths of their souls, hailing him as the Primeval Core of Chaos, the source of all things.

As for the changes wrought upon them by his power, they believed that, after the remaking of their minds, only now were they truly perfect.

Through long-term contact with the Mind Stone, Emon’s understanding of Ael deepened. Thus, every deity of the Dark God’s lineage bore the traits of being unknowable, unseen, and unheard. Emon would make this world understand: only madness is truth.

Though Emon had closed his eyes, his offspring had already set his plans in motion. Since Ael had descended as a god, the next steps must be accelerated. The primary objective: to seize the Power Stone.