A rift suddenly tore open inside the endless darkness of the Void Dimension. The moment it appeared, the entire dimension reacted.

The blood-red and black energy surrounding the Void Architect surged violently as if a storm had erupted across an infinite ocean. Vast waves of power rolled out through the darkness.

Countless crimson eyes opened across his enormous body and focused upon the expanding tear in reality.

His agitation grew even stronger.

The rift widened slowly. No light emerged from it or any sound escaped from within.

Instead, the opening revealed something stranger. It was as though the rift connected not to another place but to a region where existence itself possessed a different shape.

Something began emerging.

At first only a thin silhouette appeared.

Then more followed out. The figure did not walk out but slithered.

Its body stretched impossibly long as though it had no true end. Segments of its form continuously emerged from the rift like an endless serpent being pulled from another reality.

Dark scales shimmered across portions of its body while other sections seemed composed entirely of flowing cosmic mist. Stars flickered beneath its translucent skin before vanishing moments later.

Several pairs of arms appeared and disappeared along its elongated body.

Multiple faces formed across its neck and shoulders before melting away.

Its shape never remained consistent.

Sometimes it resembled a woman. Sometimes it resembled a serpent. Then it resembled a constellation.

The longer one stared at it, the more difficult it became to understand what they were actually seeing.

Finally the creature coiled itself through the darkness and stopped before the Void Architect.

A smile appeared on one of its many shifting faces.

"How surprising."

Its voice sounded feminine, soft, amused, and ancient.

"I never expected the mighty Void Architect to summon me."

The Void Architect's enormous body churned more violently.. "I had no choice, Nyssara."

The being called Nyssara tilted her head slightly. Several golden eyes opened across her body and studied him. "Yes. I can see that."

Her gaze lingered upon the Void Architect's current state.

The vast entity who had once been able to shape realities now existed as little more than a colossal mass of blood-red and black energy. A shadow of his former self.

Deep inside, Nyssara found the sight amusing. She remembered warning him long ago. She remembered advising him not to challenge the Creator of the System.nAnd yet he had ignored her and now here he was. Reduced to this.

Still, she wisely kept those thoughts to herself. Not because she pitied him but because she wanted something from him very much.

"Tell me what you want." Nyssara's massive body circled around him lazily. "What exactly do you need from me?"

A low laugh echoed from within the Void Architect.

"Heh. You sound eager." The swirling mass of crimson eyes focused on her. "Have you already decided what favor you'll demand in return?"

"Yes." Nyssara answered without hesitation.nThere was no point hiding it.nBoth of them understood how agreements between beings like themselves worked.

Nothing was ever free.

The Void Architect remained silent for several moments before finally speaking.

"I want you to retrieve my Creation," The Void Architect said.

Nyssara stopped moving. Several eyes narrowed with interest.

The Void Architect continued. "She hid herself inside a world. And now she refuses to return to me. She fragmented herself into multiple pieces. That decision has made locating her far more difficult than it should have been."

Nyssara resumed circling him. This time faster and almost playful. Like a predator teasing wounded prey.

"You truly are pathetic now," Nyssara said. A grin appeared across several of her faces. "I told you not to fight the Creator of the System. But you refused to listen. Look at yourself now."

Her body coiled around the swirling mass of crimson energy.

The Void Architect immediately flared with fury. The surrounding darkness shook.

"Stop wasting time on irrelevant matters." His voice thundered throughout the dimension. "Do you intend to accept the task or not?"

Nyssara burst into laughter. A genuine laugh. One filled with amusement. Several stars appeared and exploded across her shifting body.

"My apologies. What exactly is preventing you from reclaiming her yourself? Other than your weakness, I mean."

The Void Architect's form expanded violently.nEntire regions of darkness cracked beneath the pressure of his anger.

"The Dragonborn."

Nyssara stopped moving.nFor the first time, genuine attention entered her eyes.

"The Dragonborn?"

"Yes." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The Void Architect's voice became colder.

"They have interfered repeatedly. Their strength exceeds my projections."

The name lingered between them. Nyssara remained silent for several moments. Then she shrugged.

"That doesn't sound like a major problem," Nyssara said. The answer came so casually that even the Void Architect paused. "I'll do it."

The words echoed calmly through the Void Dimension. Immediately the atmosphere changed. Both beings understood what came next.

A deal between entities of their level could not rely upon trust. It required something stronger, and absolute.

The Void Architect extended part of his crimson-black essence.

Nyssara extended one of her countless hands.

The moment they touched, reality around them reacted. A massive symbol appeared beneath them.

An impossibly complex circle formed from countless cosmic laws and ancient authorities.

Entire concepts became visible. Debt. Promise. Exchange. Obligation.

The symbols rotated slowly across the darkness. Each line carried power capable of binding even beings such as themselves.

The Void Architect spoke first.

"I, the Void Architect, swear to grant Nyssara one favor of equal value upon completion of the agreed task."

Nyssara smiled.

"And I, Nyssara the Endless Coil, swear to retrieve the Creation sought by the Void Architect and remove any obstacles preventing its recovery."

The circle ignited. Golden light erupted through the darkness, then crimson and then black.

The oath sealed itself.

Immediately both entities felt the contract become real. It embedded itself into their existence.

Into their authority and their very being. Neither could violate it without consequence.

Should either side attempt to break the agreement, the backlash would be catastrophic.

For beings of their scale, there were few things more dangerous than a broken Cosmic Oath.

The circle slowly faded. The agreement was complete.

Nyssara's smile widened.

"Well then." Her body began retreating toward the rift. "I suppose it's time for me to meet these troublesome Dragonborn."

The Void Architect watched silently. His countless crimson eyes followed her movements.

—