"My kin! Why aid this outsider? Can't you sense the threat his power poses to us?"
In imaginary number space, Nyarlathotep was confined within a small orb by Tiamat.
Tiamat's hands, one above and one below, palms facing each other, formed a gray sphere imprisoning Nyarlathotep.
Crimson-gold tendrils extended from afar, piercing the orb and linking to Nyarlathotep's form.
The orb was a world—a blank realm crafted by Tiamat.
Her Authority, the fearsome Nega-Genesis, relentlessly suppressed Nyarlathotep, nullifying all He created, leaving Him powerless to resist.
The crimson-gold tendrils of light ceaselessly analyzed Nyarlathotep's essence and concept.
For entities like Nyarlathotep and Tiamat, their forms were manifestations of their concepts, not material but capable of material effects.
Strictly speaking, Nyarlathotep and Tiamat were indeed kin, both classifiable as "Earth Mother Goddesses."
Tiamat's "Life" and Nyarlathotep's "Existence" or "Chaos" were divine powers that birthed and shaped all things.
The "threat" Nyarlathotep spoke of was Samuel's "Calculation."
Once an essence was fully understood, combat yielded an inevitable outcome—escape became impossible.
This was unacceptable to any powerful entity, especially one as "playful" as Nyarlathotep.
"No... need... to... say... more... He... is... my... child... If my child... asks this... of me... I must... fulfill it..."
Tiamat spoke haltingly in a human language Samuel had taught her. With her level of intellect, she mastered it instantly, though she wasn't accustomed to speaking this way.
"Your child? You're joking! He has no connection to you!"
Nyarlathotep exclaimed in disbelief.
For Eearth Mother Goddesses like them, their progeny typically bore their essence.
But exceptions existed—like humans. After millennia of evolution and countless transitions, they lost that essence.
Nyarlathotep knew this, but such a powerful being was usually a first-generation descendant. Samuel's essence had no trace of Tiamat's, which shocked Him.
"Stop struggling. You've lost—defeated by your own arrogance."
Samuel perched on Tiamat's shoulder, his light wings piercing Nega-Genesis, threading through Nyarlathotep's form, relentlessly dissecting His existence.
Time held no meaning in this space. Samuel could fully analyze Nyarlathotep before speaking again.
"Hey, no need to keep me locked up! You want my knowledge and for me to stop messing with your turf, right? Fine, let me go, and I'll hand over all my knowledge!"
Seeing Tiamat unmoved, Nyarlathotep turned to Samuel, though with little hope. After all, he was the fish on the chopping block.
"Another deal? Sure, why not!"
Surprisingly, Samuel agreed.
But...
"As the loser, pleasing the victor is an art. You don't quite get it, but I can teach you... Here, take this form—it might amuse me."
A photo materialized in Samuel's hand. He tossed it, letting it glide into Nega-Genesis.
"Oh? This is the aesthetic you've cultivated? Odd, but not bad!"
Nyarlathotep glanced at it, and His form shifted.
Silver hair flowed in the breeze, flawless skin gleamed, and a uniform resembling a high schooler's outfit hugged a delicate frame, paired with black thigh-high stockings.
Nyarlathotep inspected His new form, nodding in satisfaction.
"Tch, tch... Not bad for the Thousand-Faced God."
Nyarlathotep's original form was less a creature and more a mosaic—different observers saw different things. Samuel's calculations saw His true essence: "Chaos."
Now... it was far more pleasing to the eye.
Since creating Leumas through Human Order Observation, Samuel's mind had shed its mechanical rigidity. His thoughts grew closer to his old otaku self, tinged with Nyarlathotep's penchant for the amusing, the beautiful—or ideally, both.
His silver-hair fixation, a perfectly normal preference, had smoothly reintegrated into his being—though whether he still had DNA as humans understood it was questionable.
"Hey, how authentic is your transformation?"
"???"
Nyarlathotep didn't grasp Samuel's meaning.
"Lift your skirt, let me—"
"Ah!"
Tiamat, with a mother's instinct, interrupted Samuel in her most familiar way.
"So, how about it? Ready for a deal?"
The situation had flipped. Samuel held the upper hand. While he couldn't kill Nyarlathotep, eternal imprisonment was feasible.
For such beings, time was meaningless, so it shouldn't matter.
But Nyarlathotep's "playful" nature made eternal confinement torturous.
Thus, He yielded to Samuel. Compared to eternal imprisonment, it cost Him nothing.
"Of course! You've shown sincerity, so... name your terms! First, you want all my knowledge, even my essence's understanding."
Nyarlathotep nodded helplessly. It was already Samuel's to take.
A tycoon doesn't beg a thief who's seized his home for his wealth.
"From now on, you serve me—my subordinate, doing my bidding, working like a beast of burden!"
Harsh terms for most, but for entities like Nyarlathotep and Samuel, it was trivial.
They were immortal, undefeatable. If unwilling, no one could force them. Agreeing to such terms showed it didn't matter.
It was a verbal pact—meaningless.
"Fine, but you must keep me entertained!"
"Amusement" was Nyarlathotep's raison d'être. From primordial Chaos, aimless and unaware, a sacrifice sparked this emotion in Him.
Since then, He chased it. For amusement, He'd even serve a mortal.
Of course, that was rare.
"Deal! Once I've analyzed you, Mama will release you. Now... open your legs—er, drop your defenses, let me access! Don't worry, it won't hurt~"
"Hurt? What's that?"
Nyarlathotep asked, curious.
"Like this!"
A light wing lashed out from Samuel, striking Nyarlathotep's back like lightning.
Clothing tore, a red mark blooming on pale skin.
"Ah!"
A novel sensation flooded Nyarlathotep—pain.
Samuel's infusion of human concepts made His form akin to a human's, allowing this feeling.
Gods don't feel pain...
Only living beings do!
"Can... can you do it again?"
Nyarlathotep, face flushed, looked up at Samuel atop Tiamat's shoulder, like a puppy awaiting a treat.
"???"
Handsome man tilts head?
***
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