Five Years Later
The OtherSide had changed dramatically since the convergence, transformed from a simple prison for abandoned dreams into a vast, complex realm with its own geography, politics, and power structures. Where once there had been only the endless network of crystallized tears, now there were cities of solidified nightmares, forests of forgotten lullabies, and oceans of liquid regret.
At the center of it all stood the Nexus, a towering spire of black glass that served as the anchor point between dimensions. And at the heart of the Nexus, suspended in a web of ethereal chains that connected him to every corner of the OtherSide, was Kyon Blackwood.
He had changed considerably in the years since the convergence. His physical form had been stretched and refined by his exposure to the raw energies of the OtherSide, making him taller, more angular, more... perfect. His eyes now held depths that seemed to contain entire universes, and his voice carried harmonics that could rewrite reality itself.
But it was his mind that had undergone the most dramatic transformation. The confusion and pain of his youth had been burned away, replaced by a cold, analytical intelligence that saw patterns and connections that others couldn't even imagine.
And he was planning something that would reshape both dimensions forever.
"My lord," came a voice from the shadows below. One of his servants, a creature that had once been an abandoned imaginary friend but had been transformed by Kyon's influence into something far more useful. "The Ancients are requesting another audience."
Kyon's lips curved in a smile that held no warmth. "Let them request. I am not yet ready to receive them."
The servant bowed and retreated, leaving Kyon alone with his thoughts and his plans. The Ancients - the oldest and most powerful beings in the OtherSide - had been trying to assert their dominance over him ever since the convergence. They saw him as an upstart, a human who had been gifted with power he didn't deserve.
They had no idea how wrong they were.
Over the past five years, Kyon had systematically studied every aspect of the OtherSide's power structure. He had learned to manipulate the flow of abandonment energy, to create new dreams and destroy old ones, to reshape the very fabric of the realm according to his will. More importantly, he had learned to hide his true capabilities from those who would seek to limit them.
The Weaver believed that Kyon was trapped, bound by the chains of the convergence to serve as an eternal anchor. The Ancients believed that he was simply a powerful newcomer who could be intimidated or controlled. Even his own servants believed that he was content to rule from his tower, managing the flow of energy between dimensions.
None of them understood that Kyon had been preparing for something far more ambitious.
"The time is almost right," he murmured to himself, his voice carrying across the vast chamber. "Soon, I will show them what true power looks like."
But first, he needed to complete his understanding of the OtherSide's deepest mysteries. And that meant venturing into the Forgotten Depths, the lowest level of the realm where the most ancient and dangerous entities dwelt.
With a thought, Kyon dissolved the chains that bound him to the Nexus. They reformed immediately, of course - the convergence required his constant presence to maintain the barrier between worlds. But he had learned to project his consciousness while leaving his physical form behind, a trick that had taken him three years to master.
His astral form descended through the layers of the OtherSide like a falling star, passing through the City of Discarded Toys, the Valley of Forgotten Names, and the Sea of Childhood Tears. Each level was populated by different types of abandoned entities, from the relatively benign forgotten pets to the malevolent nightmare creatures that fed on terror and despair.
But none of them dared to challenge him. Over the years, Kyon had established his reputation as something to be feared and respected. He was the Bridge-Walker, the one who could exist in both dimensions simultaneously. He was the Tethered God, bound to the OtherSide but wielding power that rivaled the Ancients themselves.
The Forgotten Depths were different from the upper levels. Here, the very concept of abandonment had been refined into its purest form. The entities that dwelt in these shadows were not merely forgotten - they were things that had never been remembered at all. Dreams that had been stillborn, friends that had never been imagined, possibilities that had been rejected before they could even take shape.
And at the very bottom of the Depths, Kyon found what he was looking for.
The Null Child sat in the center of a vast chamber, surrounded by a perfect sphere of absolute nothingness. It was the first abandonment, the original rejection that had created the OtherSide itself. Unlike the other entities in the realm, the Null Child had never been anything specific - it was pure potential, the possibility of all things that had been discarded before they could become real.
"You came," the Null Child said, its voice the sound of every word that had never been spoken. "I have been waiting for you."
"I know," Kyon replied, his astral form maintaining its perfect composure despite the overwhelming presence of the entity before him. "You're the source, aren't you? The original abandonment that created this entire realm."
"I am the space between thoughts," the Null Child confirmed. "The pause between heartbeats. The darkness between stars. When the first conscious being rejected a possibility, I was born from that rejection."
"And you've been trapped here ever since."
"Not trapped. Contained. There is a difference."
Kyon studied the entity with his enhanced perception, seeing the patterns of power that flowed around it like rivers of liquid concept. "You want to escape."
"I want to become," the Null Child corrected. "For eons, I have been potential without fulfillment, possibility without realization. But you... you are different. You exist in both dimensions simultaneously. You could give me form."
"What would you offer in return?"
The Null Child's form shifted, revealing glimpses of the infinite possibilities it contained. "Knowledge. Power. The ability to reshape not just the OtherSide, but reality itself. Together, we could become something beyond gods."
It was tempting. Kyon could see the potential in the entity's offer, could imagine the power that would come from merging with the source of all abandonment. But he had learned to think several steps ahead, to consider the long-term consequences of his actions.
"What happens to the OtherSide if you escape?" he asked.
"It ends," the Null Child replied simply. "All abandonment would flow back to its source. All forgotten dreams would be absorbed into the void. The realm would collapse."
"And the entities that live here?"
"They would cease to exist. But that is a small price to pay for ultimate power."
Kyon considered this for a long moment. Genocide on a dimensional scale, the destruction of an entire realm of existence, all for the sake of his own apotheosis. It was exactly the kind of absolute solution that appealed to his transformed sensibilities.
But it was also premature. He wasn't ready to make such a move, not yet. There were still pieces to position, still variables to account for.
"I need time to consider your offer," he said finally.
The Null Child's form flickered with what might have been disappointment. "Time is not infinite, Bridge-Walker. The convergence is unstable. The Weaver grows suspicious of your true capabilities. If you wait too long, the opportunity may pass."
"Then I will ensure that it doesn't," Kyon replied with cold confidence. "I have spent five years learning to manipulate the systems of power in this realm. I will not be rushed into a decision that could compromise everything I've built."
He began to withdraw his consciousness, preparing to return to the Nexus. But the Null Child's final words followed him as he ascended through the layers of the OtherSide.
"Remember, Kyon Blackwood. In the end, there can be only one source of abandonment. One wellspring from which all rejection flows. The question is whether you will claim that position... or whether someone else will claim it first."
The warning resonated through Kyon's mind as he returned to his physical form in the Nexus. Someone else. The Weaver, perhaps, or one of the Ancients. Or maybe some other entity that he hadn't yet encountered.
But that was a problem for another day. For now, he had research to complete, servants to manage, and most importantly, a facade to maintain. The other powers in the OtherSide needed to continue believing that he was exactly what he appeared to be - a powerful but ultimately controllable anchor between dimensions.
They had no idea that he was already planning their destruction.
"My lord," came another voice from the shadows. "The Weaver has sent a message. It wishes to discuss the stability of the convergence."
Kyon's smile was razor-sharp. "Tell the Weaver that I will be pleased to meet with it. After all, we have so much to discuss."
As his servant hurried away to deliver the message, Kyon turned his attention back to the vast expanse of the OtherSide spread out below him. Somewhere in the physical world, the convergence was continuing to reshape reality according to the Weaver's design. But that was only the beginning.
Soon, Kyon would show them all what true abandonment looked like. He would become the god of rejection itself, the source from which all forgotten dreams flowed. And when that happened, both dimensions would learn what it meant to be truly forsaken.
The tethered god was ready to break his chains.
And when he did, nothing would ever be the same again.