Nothing can contain the Void, and nobody exists within it.
[I am wary of nobody, and fear nothing.]
Sunny was utterly bewildered by what he read, and thought that he had messed up the translation at first. But after going over it one more time, he confirmed that the translation was correct.
«Was Nether having a stroke?»
He reread the runes several more times, his bewilderment growing.
«No, he was not someone who would write down nonsense.»
So, the passage must have had meaning. But what was the meaning of nothing?
Sunny pondered the question for a few days, until a tenuous idea surfaced in his mind.
What if nothing… was literally something?
Not the absence of everything, but the presence of nothing.
Just thinking about that made his head hurt.
But it seemed very much like something that the gods would be involved in. These beings operated with ideas and concepts, after all, having shaped the very universe into existence.
So, if nothing could contain the Void… the gods could have gone and literally used nothing to contain it. Enveloping the Void in a layer of nothingness, which the Void Beings could not cross, because nothing could stop them. And bringing down the cage of existence on top of that layer.
That would be a godlike thing to do, wouldn't it?
That nothingness seemed to seep into the universe, though…
Like mist.
Weren't the Hollow Mountains always shrouded in a strange mist?
Sunny opened his eyes wide, remembering how the cohort had escaped a flood of mist on the outskirts of the Hollow Mountains. Back then, they felt a terrible threat emanating from it, not knowing why.
If that mist was literally nothingness… would they have been erased from existence if it swallowed them?
Sunny also remembered the eerie creature that had come from the mist and demanded that he open his eyes on the Ashen Barrow.
«Nobody exists within it…»
Were there… actual beings born from and dwelling in nothingness?
He suddenly felt a chill running down his spine.
The Demon of Destiny… was wary of nothing, and feared nobody.
Wasn't Nether actually admitting that he felt wary of nothingness and feared the beings dwelling in the mist?
«Goddammit.»
As if the world wasn't scary enough already!
Sunny already had his hands full dealing with the Nightmare Creatures. There were also the Void Creatures, which were infinitely more harrowing than the familiar abominations… luckily, they were locked away by the gods.
And now, there were also Nothing Creatures? Nobodies?
No… he simply refused to deal with that.
«Time to get some sleep.»
Sunny shook his head and left the fifth level of the Ebony Tower, returning to his living quarters.
The translation… was mostly complete.
He had already determined which passages he could understand, which he couldn't fathom, and which spoke too much about the Void, meaning that he had to avoid them at all costs.
Staying in the Sky Below was slowly becoming meaningless.
Perhaps it was time to start thinking about his next destination.
«I'll consider it tomorrow.»
Just before falling asleep, Sunny wondered where he would go, and a sudden thought crossed his mind.
«I don't exist in the memories of the world anymore, so am I a Nothing Creature, too? A nobody…»