BEYOND VOID.
...
Far beyond
the worlds
that called themselves worlds...
something had changed.
...
An order
had been given.
...
Not to Nollveil.
Not to JHARAA.
Not to anything
inside SIRNA.
...
The order reached
THE SECOND STRONGEST.
...
He stood still
for several seconds.
Listening.
...
The message came from:
????????
...
No one else heard it.
No one else
needed to.
...
When it ended...
the Second Strongest
looked toward the distance.
...
There were beings
waiting there.
...
The strongest
among those
who existed
BEYOND VOID.
...
One hundred.
...
And at their head...
NULL.
...
The Second Strongest
appeared before them.
...
No introduction.
No ceremony.
...
Only an order.
...
THE SECOND STRONGEST:
"Nafsan must be killed."
...
Silence.
...
NULL looked at him.
...
"Immediately?"
...
"Immediately."
...
NULL:
"Wait."
...
The Second Strongest
looked at him.
...
NULL:
"Why now?"
...
No answer
came immediately.
...
NULL continued:
"We knew about Nafsan."
...
"Yes."
...
"We watched him."
...
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"Yes."
...
"And now,
suddenly,
he must die?"
...
The Second Strongest
became quiet.
...
Then...
"Nafsan was not
what we thought."
...
Several of the hundred
looked toward him.
...
"He is dangerous."
...
NULL:
"We already knew that."
...
"No."
...
The Second Strongest
looked directly at Null.
...
"We underestimated
what that meant."
...
Silence.
...
"He may be
a direct threat..."
...
A pause.
...
"...to everything."
...
The words
settled differently.
...
NULL:
"What happened?"
...
The Second Strongest
looked away.
...
For a moment...
he remembered.
...
That day.
...
The first time
Nafsan appeared
BEYOND VOID.
...
No warning.
No explanation.
...
He simply...
appeared.
...
The Second Strongest
had watched him then.
A stranger
standing somewhere
a stranger
should never have reached.
...
THE SECOND STRONGEST:
"I never liked him."
...
NULL:
"That isn't an answer."
...
"I didn't like him
from the first day."
...
NULL waited.
...
"When he appeared
from nowhere
in Beyond Void..."
...
The Second Strongest
narrowed his eyes.
...
"...we should have known."
...
Silence.
...
NULL:
"Known what?"
...
"That something
was wrong."
...
...
The Second Strongest
continued.
...
"When ????????
sent Nafsan
into SIRNA..."
...
The others listened.
...
"...Nafsan intended
to use his ordinary power."
...
NULL:
"And?"
...
"He couldn't."
...
A pause.
...
"So he was forced
to use something else."
...
The Second Strongest
looked toward Null.
...
"His Original Origin."
...
Silence.
...
Even among
the hundred...
the words mattered.
...
NULL:
"How much?"
...
"Not all of it."
...
"Then how much?"
...
"Only a portion."
...
NULL:
"And that was enough?"
...
The Second Strongest
didn't answer
the question directly.
...
"???????? already had
an idea
of how strong
Nafsan was."
...
A pause.
...
"That portion
of his Original Origin
was supposed
to be enough."
...
NULL watched him carefully.
...
"But?"
...
The Second Strongest
looked at him.
...
"But even that..."
...
"...couldn't measure
Nafsan's strength."
...
...
Silence.
...
Not defeat.
Not victory.
...
Something worse.
...
They had tried
to measure him.
...
And the measurement
had failed.
...
NULL:
"So now
you want all of us."
...
"Yes."
...
"To kill one man."
...
"Yes."
...
NULL remained still.
...
Then:
"Where is JHARAA?"
...
Silence.
...
Someone among
the hundred answered.
...
But the words
came strangely.
...
The end
seemed to reach them
before the beginning.
...
"—SIRNA."
...
NULL turned.
...
The voice continued
backward through
its own answer.
...
"JHARAA entered..."
...
A pause.
...
"...SIRNA."
...
NULL:
"Why?"
...
No one answered.
...
NULL looked toward
the Second Strongest.
...
"You knew?"
...
"No."
...
NULL:
"Then JHARAA
went there
without your order."
...
"Apparently."
...
NULL:
"Looking for Nafsan?"
...
The Second Strongest
said nothing.
...
NULL stared at him.
...
"You still haven't
answered my question."
...
"What question?"
...
"Why now?"
...
The Second Strongest
turned away.
...
"Because we no longer
have the luxury
of finding out
what Nafsan becomes."
...
He began walking.
...
NULL:
"Where are you going?"
...
The Second Strongest
stopped.
...
"There is someone
I need to deal with."
...
"Where?"
...
The answer was simple.
...
"A universe."
...
NULL:
"Who?"
...
The Second Strongest
did not turn around.
...
"Someone."
...
Then...
he disappeared.
...
Leaving the hundred
with one order.
...
KILL
NAFSAN.
...
...
Elsewhere.
...
SCRATCH.
...
GAAFATAA was walking.
Fast.
...
Very fast.
...
He passed one page.
Then another.
Then another.
...
Until he reached
the one person
he had apparently decided
was responsible
for all of his problems.
...
THE AUTHOR.
...
GAAFATAA:
"Okay."
...
The Author looked up.
...
"No."
...
GAAFATAA stopped.
...
"I haven't even
asked anything yet."
...
"I know you."
...
"No.
This time
I'm serious."
...
THE AUTHOR:
"That somehow
makes it worse."
...
GAAFATAA placed
both hands
on the desk.
...
"Things are coming
into SIRNA."
...
Silence.
...
"JHARAA was looking
for Nafsan."
...
The Author said nothing.
...
"Nollveil entered."
...
Nothing.
...
"SEENEE doesn't know
where they're coming from."
...
Still nothing.
...
"And now..."
...
GAAFATAA pointed
at absolutely nothing.
...
"...even SEENEE'S JOB
IS IN DANGER."
...
THE AUTHOR:
"His job?"
...
"YES."
...
"How?"
...
"HE'S THE NARRATOR."
...
"I know."
...
"AND HE DOESN'T KNOW
WHAT'S HAPPENING."
...
The Author stared at him.
...
GAAFATAA:
"Do you understand
how offensive that is?"
...
"To you?"
...
"TO THE PROFESSION."
...
The Author almost smiled.
...
GAAFATAA:
"Don't."
...
The smile disappeared.
...
"Fine."
...
GAAFATAA pulled
a chair forward.
Sat down.
...
Then pointed
at the Author.
...
"I am not asking
about Nafsan."
...
"Good."
...
"I'm not asking
where those things
came from."
...
"Even better."
...
"I'm not asking
about Original Origin."
...
"Excellent."
...
"I'm not even asking
what the Second Strongest
is about to do."
...
The Author nodded.
...
GAAFATAA:
"I want one thing."
...
The Author already
looked tired.
...
"Give me something
that will calm me down
about the paradox."
...
...
Silence.
...
THE AUTHOR:
"The paradox?"
...
"Yes."
...
"The one you're
obsessed with?"
...
"I'm not obsessed."
...
The Author stared.
...
GAAFATAA:
"Fine."
...
"I am professionally
concerned."
...
THE AUTHOR:
"You're professionally
annoying."
...
"AND YET
YOU CREATED ME."
...
Silence.
...
GAAFATAA leaned forward.
...
"Just one thing."
...
"No explanation."
...
"No identities."
...
"No answer."
...
"Just something
that will make me think:
Okay.
Maybe this isn't
as bad as I think."
...
The Author became quiet.
...
For once...
GAAFATAA waited.
...
Then...
THE AUTHOR:
"Well..."
...
GAAFATAA's face dropped.
...
"No."
...
"What?"
...
"Every time
you say 'well,'
my life gets worse."
...
The Author ignored him.
...
"The paradox..."
...
GAAFATAA listened.
...
"...is something
I still sometimes wonder
how I even came up with."
...
GAAFATAA blinked.
...
"That was supposed
to calm me down?"
...
"I'm not finished."
...
GAAFATAA slowly
sat back down.
...
THE AUTHOR:
"Because the paradox
you're thinking about..."
...
A pause.
...
"...isn't the paradox
you know."
...
...
GAAFATAA stopped moving.
...
"What?"
...
The Author smiled.
...
GAAFATAA:
"What does that mean?"
...
No answer.
...
"Time loop?"
...
Nothing.
...
"Bootstrap paradox?"
...
Nothing.
...
"Predestination?"
...
Nothing.
...
"Cause and effect
changing places?"
...
Nothing.
...
GAAFATAA stood.
...
"THEN WHAT KIND
OF PARADOX IS IT?"
...
THE AUTHOR:
"You wanted something
to calm you down."
...
"THIS DID THE OPPOSITE."
...
"I know."
...
GAAFATAA stared.
...
The Author leaned back.
...
Then asked:
"How would you react..."
...
GAAFATAA became silent.
...
"...if I told you..."
...
SCRATCH.
...
"...that I cracked..."
...
?????
...
...
GAAFATAA:
"...You cracked WHAT?"
...
The Author smiled.
...
SCRATCH.
...
CHAPTER 38
THE THREAT THEY MISJUDGED
...
NAFSAN MUST DIE.
...
THE HUNDRED
HAVE RECEIVED THEIR ORDER.
...
JHARAA
HAS ENTERED SIRNA.
...
THE SECOND STRONGEST
IS GOING TO A UNIVERSE.
...
AND THE PARADOX?
...
THE AUTHOR:
"HOW WOULD YOU REACT
IF I SAID
I CRACKED
?????"
...
END.