Chaining the Nameless
Ezra dove into the void.
Cold. Hollow. Endless.
It wasn't like falling—it was like being erased. Like the universe had given up on recognizing his existence.
But he didn't stop.
The weight of the thing pressed against his mind, its whispers brushing against his thoughts like a million unseen hands.
"You cannot bind me."
Ezra gritted his teeth. "Watch me."
He reached into himself, deeper than thought, deeper than memory— to the thing that had brought him here.
The whisper in his head—that constant, quiet presence— flinched.
His other self's voice rang out, sharp and amused.
"Ah. So you're finally reaching for it."
Ezra didn't respond.
Because this time, he wasn't just listening.
He was taking.
Power surged.
A force that wasn't magic, wasn't divine—something older , something fundamental.
Something that had always belonged to him, even if he'd forgotten.
The chains weren't physical.
They were conceptual.
The same way the throne hadn't been a seat of power, but a cage.
The same way the thing in the void wasn't a monster, but a force that shouldn't be free.
Ezra reached out—
And the chains formed.
They weren't made of metal.
They weren't made of anything real.
They were made of order.
Of meaning.
Of the very structure of the world that had been built to keep this thing locked away.
The void screamed.
The chains snapped forward.
And for the first time—
The thing fought back.
---
Ezra's vision blurred.
The world shattered around him.
His mind burned, the sheer effort of forcing this concept into reality nearly breaking him apart.
But he held on.
Because this was what he had done before.
And it was what he had left behind.
The throne. The chains. The burden.
He had abandoned it once.
Now, he had no choice but to take it back.
The void twisted.
The chains tightened.
Ezra grinned through the pain, voice hoarse.
"Stay. Down. "
The weight of the universe snapped shut.
The thing in the void howled.
And then—
Silence.
The presence was gone.
Not destroyed.
Bound.
Again.
Ezra staggered.
The world snapped back into place.
The throne room was gone. The void was gone.
And he was somewhere new.
His legs gave out , his breathing ragged.
And then, beside him—
A slow, mocking applause.
His other self crouched down, golden eyes gleaming.
"Well, well."
A grin spread across his face.
"Looks like you're the warden again."
Ezra groaned. "Shut up."
And passed out.