He Who Fights with Monsters 11 (He Who Fights with Monsters, #11)

by Shirtaloon

Another vessel was of a species Jason didn’t recognise. It was an orb of leathery flesh, larger than a person and draped in a dark green cloak. The front of the orb was an open mouth, ringed with long needle teeth. From inside the gaping maw, a single huge eye peered out. Only one figure came from the other door. It was Dawn’s replacement as prime vessel of the World-Phoenix. Jason hadn’t met her before, but knew from Dawn that her name was Helsveth. At that moment, however, she was the embodiment of the World-Phoenix. Another figure stood out to Jason even more than Helsveth or the All-Devouring eye’s strange vessel.

“So,” Jason said as he looked around at the gathering. “Is there a ceremony or something or do we just get to it?” “Ceremonies are pointless mortal practices,” said the Reaper through his vessel, Velius. “I rather like them,” the Seeker of Songs said. “It’s fine,” Jason said, then marched up to the throne and looked down at it. “It’s not like I’m going to make a fundamental change to the entire cosmos, right?” He sat down.

Very few events happened on a truly cosmic scale. Of those, even fewer were noticed by mortals. All across the cosmos were people whose worlds had magic enough to manifest essences. On all of those worlds, in all of those universes, at that moment, the same thing happened to every person who either had essences or had the potential to get them. An intangible screen popped up in front of them. To some, it looked like an illusion, and to others, a hologram. Many had never seen anything like it. Every screen had the same words, more or less. For those that didn’t communicate through words, they didn’t use words at all. They made sounds, released aromas, pulsed with aura or employed whatever other means the species in question used to communicate. The meaning, however, was always the same. Don’t Panic. Everything is going to be fine. Welcome to the System.