Renaissance of Chaos

XIV

It is the best feeling ever. To be on top of the world, to have it all at the tip of your fingertips. To walk wherever the heart desires without fear, to let the eye feast upon wondrous, forbidden sights and allow the mind to dwell in seas of cosmic truths without the dread of madness lurking around, ready to snatch it away and torn it asunder. It is a sensation most wish to experience, if not all, and would go to great lengths to achieve it. But few, oh, so very few ever got the chance to actually get as much as a taste of it. And when they did, they hardly ever managed to maintain it within their grasp before losing it to another.

As such, he knows, that this is mere fantasy and not reality. Regardless, he basks into it, for even a fake is enough when the real thing is unachievable.

He walks down golden paths and takes in the sweet scent of unknown flowers whose beauty had no rival. He listens to the songs of unseen flutes echoing through the great city of gods and he dances now and again on the peculiar tunes. He looked at the great buildings, the architecture that bore so many influences, from both the Earth and the cosmos. The streets were empty, no gods coming to greet him and share with him their knowledge. Just like back then.

However, he didn't mind. He knew it was too much to ask for from a mere dream. And it wasn't like he wanted their secrets anyway. Not when he had the Answer and the Question by his side.

Besides, it wouldn't have been good for things to be too realistic. If that day were to be recreated fully, he feared having to relieve that moment again, that confrontation between him and ...

"You know, clinging to the past is not healthy for your mental health."

Randolph Carter nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of Nyarlathotep's voice so close to his ear. He looked up to find the young pharaoh look down on him, with a wide, sardonic smile. He was in his human form, dressed in stark white and gold. He stood before the human as he did that day, back at the top of Kadath's onyx castle, looking down on him, just like back then, the black of his eyes sparkling with disdain for him. The longer Randolph gazed into them, the more he was aware of his own worthlessness. But, unfortunately for the Outer God, he was an awfully stubborn human, who right now, wanted an explanation as to what a certain chaos was doing in his dream.

"What-" he opened his mouth to speak, when the deity pushed what looked like a rolled-up parchment paper into his arm.

"Here's a list of how to take care of Yhoundeh's plants. Pay great attention to her roses. She'd skin someone alive if something were something to happen to them. And here," the Crawling Chaos continued, shoving another parchment in the human's arms, "are lists of how to maintain my inventions. Careful. Some are still in their prototype phase, and they tend to be quite... temperamental when not handled gently."

"What?" Randolph asked, arms full to the brim with scrolls, and mind filled with confusion, while the Outer God kept going on, giving him instructions over instructions about things he was far too out of it to understand.

Something wasn't right. Though he appeared calm and almost amused at the situation, as the Black Pharaoh often was whenever he had plans to humiliate the Dreamer, there was a certain tension present in his shoulders and his eyes, despite their mocking gaze, still bore a tinge of concern. Even as he spoke to Randolph, it didn't feel like he was actually paying attention to what he was saying. His mind was wondering somewhere else, and the human knew, that was anything but a good sign.

"Also, I suggest-"

A loud scream suddenly pierced the air, making Randolph Carter jump back and fall on his rear. He looked up at the shattering sky, the scream still resonating through his dream, crushing everything that was inside.