Complot

In a space resembling the cosmos, a hooded figure stood observing an indistinguishable silhouette.

Sometimes, he treats me like I'm his personal babysitter...

The figure approached the indistinguishable silhouette and drew from one of its fingers a condensed droplet of purple liquid. It opened the silhouette's mouth and let the droplet fall.

The silhouette seemed to writhe, and a blue light flickered where its eyes should have been.

It abruptly twisted before attempting to throw something with what should have been its arms, but nothing came out.

"It's pointless. Within this place, your actions are bound by my will."

The silhouette stared at the figure and asked in a firm, feminine voice:

"Where am I?"

"You are in a nonexistent region of space, where all things—even the illogical—are subject to physical and mathematical laws."

"And that means...?"

"That you are in my domain, essentially."

"Why am I here? Who are you?"

"You are here because you were clinically dead for a time, so I brought you to this place to revive you. I am the Mother of the Ephemeral, a Worthy of Grace," the hooded figure replied calmly.

"Why did you bring me here to revive me? And exactly what is a 'Worthy of Grace'?"

"Honestly, I'm surprised you're not asking why you were clinically dead."

"I can guess. I was fighting a man when, after reciting some words, my system began slowing down as if I were rusting. I assume the words I recited had some strange effect on me."

"An accurate assumption. I brought you here because the very man you were fighting asked me to."*

"And the Worthies of Grace are [unintelligible]—"

"What? I couldn't hear what you said."

*"No point in repeating it. It won't change the fact that we cannot say what we are. Anyway, I'll return you to where you came from."*

"Wait, who was that man?"

"I think it's better if you ask him yourself—though I can give you a hint: he is the one who will free you from your chains and give you new ones."

"What does that me—?"

Before the feminine silhouette could finish her question, a luminous crack appeared beneath her feet, and she was sucked into a spiraling vortex.

Just as the hooded figure was about to react, a minigun was pointed at her—she had appeared in a desolate forest.

"Where the hell did she pull that from?" Edward furrowed his brow and curled his lips in displeasure.

"Don't ask where, ask why. I think it's time this young lady gave us some answers."

The feminine silhouette watched them with caution and surprise—she hadn't expected the man to aim a minigun at her.

...

A dog ran down a highway at the speed of a commercial jet, its eyes filled with urgency and fear.

...

Meanwhile, in a hall of mirrors, the reflection of a male figure appeared, draped in a milky-white shroud inscribed with words in an unknown language, wrapped around him like a robe.

The figure spoke:

"Are all preparations ready?"

"Yes, but the final judgment on the Ephemeral's case has yet to be decided."

An indistinguishable figure was reflected in another mirror. It wore a worn, incomplete suit of armor in silver and gold, a whitish spear with a circular black tip emblazoned on its chest. On its back was a black cape bearing a white shield marked with an X. Upon its head rested a crown of thorns and nails. Yet its face was blurred, as if it were an error.

"It doesn't matter. It's only a matter of time before they do, and when it happens, she will be found innocent, buying time to set her plans in motion. If we don't prepare now, we'll have lost this war before it even begins."

"I knew you'd say that. All preparations were complete even before you asked." The armored figure let out a dry laugh.

"You know me too well. It's time to move—we can't let her make the first move before us, though perhaps she already has."

"Very well. Which area shall we destabilize first?"

"We'll start with the Negative Concentration Zone. I'm certain that will buy us time before we find a way to corrupt her bond."

"And what if she already has a countermeasure prepared?"

"It doesn't matter. You know our primary objective. That's just a smokescreen for our real attack."

"Heh. Just testing you."

"Stop that. It's unpleasant." The robed figure clicked his tongue.

"Ah, I almost forgot. That so-called general went searching for the origin of all evils, correct?"

"Yes, in theory. Now, the human has already ingested it. Unless something unexpected happens, it should deal them a heavy blow."

"Perfect. I'm sure that will hurt them quite a bit."

One of the inscribed words peeled off the shroud, and all the mirrors shattered in unison.

The figures had vanished.