Before him stood a vast expanse of Stone Pillars.
The pillars were carved with unbelievable, bizarre patterns. Their twisted lines outlined mysterious and eerie images. Light emerged from the firmament and spilled onto the hexagonal platform before him. Some heavy curtain concealed whatever lay within, leaving only a vague silhouette visible.
That shadow looked human, but Fang Zheng knew perfectly well that it was absolutely not human.
"I don't know who you are."
A voice echoed in Fang Zheng's mind.
"But I can sense the power you possess. It is a power I know very well. Who are you?"
"That's not an easy question to answer, but for now? You can think of me as someone cleaning up the Goddess of Order's mess."
Fang Zheng sighed and stepped forward.
"Nyarlathotep isn't exactly a pleasant fellow. I hope you have better manners than it does. In fact, since you claim to be omniscient and omnipotent, I assume you understand why I'm here. You have something I need. Either hand it over obediently, or I'll kill you and take it from your corpse... Either way, the result will be the same."
"..."
The world fell silent.
Then space began to tremble.
In an instant, Fang Zheng felt the world change.
At that moment, he was still himself, yet he was no longer only himself. He had become one among countless versions of himself, appearing simultaneously in different places against countless backdrops. He stood beside Nymph, accompanying her as she gazed upon Dunwich's towering mountains. He stood along the Nile, watching slaves haul enormous stones to build Pyramids to the blare of horns. He saw the moment humanity entered space, and he witnessed firsthand the spark that ignited the world war.
But that was not all.
He—or rather, they—continued to exist, not merely