"What?"
"...I'm sorry. We don't know how it happened."
"No. Explain to me again what happened."
"..."
7th of February, Friday.
Men in dark blue uniforms with collared capes were scattered around the white-colored facility floors. There was a red floating vehicle that stood out, and paramedics were pushing a stretcher towards the vehicle. On the stretcher seemed to be a person covered with a white sheet from head to toe.
There was a large crowd of scientists around the vicinity who were watching the commotion. There was a yellow police tape that prevented them from coming close. The yellow police tape was mostly placed around the entrance of an office.
"I guess this is what the pursuit of knowledge does to someone. Either it can grant someone enlightenment, or drive them to madness. This time, it was the latter…" said a random scientist wearing a white lab coat.
"Man… I remember having lunch with her a few weeks back. Why'd this have to happen…?"
"Damn it. What a terrible day."
"What did she see in the corpse's memories, anyway? Something so horrible that it made her go crazy…"
"I was so looking forward to being her assistant…"
The regretful and sorrowful murmurings of the grieving scientists were almost visible around the area, that it was even affecting those who had no connections with the deceased person on the stretcher.
But one person among them was the one being affected the most by this.
"I said, explain to me again what happened. I won't ask a third time."
"...I don't know either. All we know is that Aria is dead. She died so suddenly! We… damn it."
Violet Zetar closed her eyes, and put a hand to cover her face. Her head was facing down on the ground, and her entire body was motionless.
Then, she said with a chuckle full of resignation, "Just like that, huh? You said… You—"
She bit back the rest of her words, and stayed silent instead.
The female scientist in front of her was also feeling the same as her. "It—... The corpse's memories must have something to do with her death. I don't know why she lied about the MCE not working on the corpse, but that led to her demise. She's—"
"Enough. Get out of my sight," said Violet.
The female scientist reluctantly walked away without another word.
Violet Zetar removed her hand on her face, and looked up. Then, a black hole appeared behind her, and she disappeared with it.
***
The lit candle was knocked over, and its flames began to burn a book.
A man dressed in a black vest, a white dress shirt, and brown tailored pants, was sitting on a wooden chair. The man's white glowing eyes stared at the flames the burning book produced. Then, he leaned into the wooden desk, resting his head with his arm.
The flames continued to burn right in front of his face, but it didn't seem to be affecting him. The man hummed, and spoke with a gentle, low voice that echoed throughout the dark, endless void.
"And… so it begins. I wonder how much of 'it' you witnessed before beginning your rest which you so deserve? Well then. I guess I must begin as well."
He chuckled. "Thank you. You did well. I'll take it from here," he said.
The man with curly, dark hair stood up from his wooden chair, and turned around. Clapping his head one time, a white paint began to drip down the dark, endless void. Eventually, it was no longer a "dark," endless void. It was now a "white," endless void.
One by one, Blots appeared in front of the man in the far distance. In only a matter of seconds, there seemed to be millions of them.
"Brothers. Sisters. It is time. The day the prophets have always spoken of, it is now here. It has arrived. The machine that served to set things in motion, it has served us well. So well, indeed."
At that moment, each and every Blot fell on one knee.
The man continued, "But now, in accordance with the prophets' instructions, the hour of being universally close to Destruction is upon us. Together, we shall destroy the creation of the God of Technology's people."
He raised his arms, and said, "For years, we have made preparations for this day. The numbers to complete such an act, and… tiny fragments of three authorities. The Authorities of Space, Time, and… Destruction. Using these, we shall be able to reach every corner of the universe instantaneously, and reduce the machines to dust."
At the moment the man finished speaking, two glowing balls of light appeared in his two hands. One was glowing dark blue, while the other was glowing purple with a bit of green mixed in.
"Now, go, my brothers and sisters! The beginning of the end is upon us!" shouted the man with great ecstasy.
***
A family of four were excited to witness the memories of the woman that took care of them. The husband, although filled with sorrow, wanted to see memories of him and his late wife. His children also wanted to see memories of a time before their mother gave birth to them.
The operator of the MCE pushed the machine, bringing it beside the table in which the deceased wife was lying on.
"Keep in mind that the machine will only play memories that are most important to the deceased person. I'm sorry, but some of you might be disappointed, or even feel mixed feelings about her death. Such is the cruelty of the MCE," said the female operator.
"I don't mind," said the husband, "do it."
The operator nodded. But then, just as they were about to turn on the machine, a Blot appeared out of nowhere!
Children screamed, and even the two adults were shocked. Just then, the Blot raised its tentacles, and crushed the MCE. After that, the machine and the Blot slowly turned into piles of dust.
***
"Finally, after years…! I'll finally be able to discover your secret. Tell me, the method to receive a god's gaze…"
The man smiled sinisterly, bringing the MCE beside a corpse lying on a metal table.
…Just then, a Blot appeared out of nowhere. The man was shocked, and scrambled to the ground. "Ah! Ahhhh!"
The Blot then slashed at the machine with its sharp tail, and it, as well as the machine, slowly turned to dust…
***
From every corner of the universe, the creation of the Inventors, a disbanded faction of the God of Technology, was being destroyed by Blots.
This was an event with which its ripples would spread throughout the cosmos. An event that captured the attention of the gods. An event that was put into motion by the death of one woman. An event that serves to push the grand calculus of the universe closer to the beginning of the end.
The Destruction of a God's Creation.
***
Donovan, the man with a goatee beard, and the elderly man were sitting motionlessly on their respective beds. Their attention was focused on the news.
Layla was in the middle of eating dinner, watching the news with great focus.
Dean, Vincent, Sylvia, Clara, Tiero… and everyone throughout the cosmos were in shock. Just out of nowhere, Blots appeared and destroyed every MCE machine. Absolutely no trace of it could be found anywhere, as they were all now just piles of dust.
"What is the meaning of this?!" shouted a man inside a lavish room full of expensive items. Paintings, statues, and gold could be found inside the room.
"W-We don't know, sir! The scale of such an event… It's catastrophic! Unprecedented!"
"Shut up! I want those machines rebuilt, now!"
"Sir… I'm sorry to say this, but I doubt that anyone in the cosmos has any idea how it was built. The only ones who know are the Inventors, but their current status is unknown…"
"You've gotta be—..."
Inside Umbrellas HQ.
"Trace the source of that energy, now! To be able to do such a thing, they must be in possession of a fragment of the Space Authority!" shouted a man in black uniform and a military cap.
"Yes, sir!"
***
A ship was headed towards the floating city.
"...Sheesh, those Blots have outdone themselves. I'm impressed, really," said a man with dark red hair and wearing a red shirt with black pants. They were none other than Paul Bennett, a Shade of Umbrellas.
"Indeed. Who knows how long they were preparing for this. I'm not sure what started it, though…" said the pilot.
Paul Bennett chuckled, and said, "Or, they could be trying to make themselves seem significant to the universe again, just like all those centuries ago."
"True that."
***
"You've gotta be sh*tting me." Dan Gurto sat down, placing his hands on his face. He was inside his high-class apartment, filled with expensive antiques and items.
Just a few minutes ago, Blots were reportedly sighted, appearing out of nowhere inside Umbrellas, and destroying every MCE in the city. The Blots, too, died along with the machines. Only dust remained.
Dan Gurto was quite familiar with events that involved the gods. He's witnessed one himself. However, this event, he was sure, caught the attention of every god of the universe, particularly because of the use of a spell from an authority that he was familiar with.
Cosmic Teleportation, a spell that belonged in the Authority of Space.
"No, wait… If we're able to trace where that energy came from, it'll be big for us," said Dan.
***
The man with dark, curly hair fell on one knee inside the endless void. There was black liquid that constantly seeped out of his mouth. His white, glowing eyes slightly became dimmer.
The use of three Authorities at the same time, though only tiny fragments, had taken an extreme toll on him. The black liquid stained the white ground with black. He was nearing his end.
His human form was also distorting, sometimes turning back into his original form, the Blot.
Writhing in pain, he managed to blurt out with a trembling voice, "It is done… Master."
"We've… completed our duty… and our role. Some Blots… still live… and I promise you… that they shall… be of great assistance… to your lead actor…"
Shortly after that, the endless void began to shatter. The Blot's figure fell, unmoving.