Chapter 4862: THE Prima Indifferentia II

THE Primordial Paradox looked around, and the proto-matter near him seemed to calm slightly, recognizing something familiar in his presence.

"Beyond the Crack of Observable Existence lies something that predates existence itself."

He reached out and let the churning substance flow through his obsidian fingers, strands of undefined potential shifting through every possible color before dripping back into the greater mass.

"It is THE Prima Indifferentia, the First Undifferentiation, the state that was before anything was sorted into categories. Before Observable and Unobservable separated, before Chaos and Order distinguished themselves, before Existence knew it existed."

He withdrew his hand, and the proto-matter clung to him reluctantly before releasing its grip.

"Proto-matter is the technical designation for this substance, and most beings who glimpse it assume it is merely chaotic refuse, the detritus of pre-existence. They are catastrophically incorrect. Proto-matter is undifferentiated Civilizational Authority, holding within itself the potential to manifest as any of the four aspects of the oldest paradox with equal probability. A single grain contains the seed of Phonemes not yet spoken, Chaos not yet unleashed, Paradoxes not yet formed, and Existence not yet actualised."

The proto-matter around them brightened as he spoke of its potential, as if pleased to be understood.

"This is why THE Prima Indifferentia is simultaneously the most valuable and most dangerous location in all of reality. When proto-matter floods into a sufficiently defined existence, that existence can direct the undifferentiated authority toward whichever aspect they wish to strengthen, and the versatility is absolute because the substance itself has made no commitments regarding what it shall become."

He began to walk through the churning expanse, his form leaving ripples that spread outward before being absorbed back into the undefined mass.

"Resources of incalculable value can be harvested here, including Spark Fragments that contain echoes of THE First Cause, Pre-Phonemic Resonance that can be refined into Phonemes, Contradiction Cores that embody paradoxes from before Paradox itself differentiated, and Pure Possibility that grants access to Chaos in its most fundamental state."

The proto-matter darkened as his tone shifted.

"However, proto-matter does not merely possess the quality of becoming but possesses equally the quality of unbecoming. It exists in a state prior to differentiation, and that state actively resists differentiation the way fire consumes fuel rather than the way water resists being shaped. When it floods into an existence, it does not merely offer the opportunity to become more but simultaneously exerts pressure to become less, to undifferentiate, to dissolve back into the formless potential from which all things emerged."

...!

Noah’s eyes shone brightly as he listened since THE Primordial Paradox had actually gone into lengthy explanation mode.

"THE Prima Indifferentia has collapsed Absolutes because of its makeup and the things that have risen due to it. There are entities that were never differentiated in the first place, known as THE Undivided Ones, who existed before existence differentiated and refused to participate in the process. They remain undivided, undefined, and unlimited, possessing no qualities because qualities require differentiation and having no form because form requires distinction between self and environment. They are simply potential that never actualised, and they are functionally invincible against any attack that relies upon differentiated concepts."

The churning proto-matter around them seemed to grow more agitated at the mention of THE Undivided Ones, as if even this undifferentiated substance feared what lurked in its depths.

"There are many more things as well, some that I know and much more that I probably do not know since even I cannot claim comprehensive understanding regarding this place."

His obsidian crown spun with weight that spoke of ancient experience.

"This is the place for the big boys and the big players, and THE Creature seems to like this place a great deal."

...!

A place for the big boys and the big players.

Noah only felt immensity and wonder at the thought of this place as the proto-matter continued to churn around them, storms of undefined potential pressing against his existence while simultaneously flowing into his foundations. He turned to THE Primordial Paradox with curiosity burning in his eyes.

"You said Absolutes have been collapsed in this place. Who? How?"

THE Primordial Paradox paused in his walking, his obsidian form becoming still amidst the churning chaos. The proto-matter around him seemed to calm in response, creating a pocket of relative stability where his words could be heard clearly.

"THE Absolute Sovereign of Distant Flames entered THE Prima Indifferentia approximately seven hundred years before THE Infinite Unfurling’s current iteration."

His voice held that precise diction, each word deliberately chosen.

"His Foundation was substantial. His Civilization was well-defined. His Way had been established through genuine hardship. By all conventional metrics, he possessed sufficient weight to navigate these waters."

He paused, and the proto-matter around them darkened slightly.

"He lasted forty-seven cycles of what we might loosely call time here."

The words hung in the undefined air.

"On the forty-eighth cycle, he encountered an Undifferentiation Tide whilst simultaneously being approached by one of THE Undivided Ones. The combination proved insurmountable. His existence began to fragment. His definition began to blur. His Civilization, his Way, his Foundation, all of it dissolved into the proto-matter as if it had never differentiated in the first place."

THE Primordial Paradox’s obsidian eyes held something that might have been distant memory.

"He did not die. Death requires the concept of ending, which is a differentiated concept. He became something far worse."

The proto-matter churned with agitation at whatever was being remembered.

"He became one of THE Formless Terrors."

BOOM!

The designation landed with weight that made Noah’s foundations buzz.

"Entities that were once Absolutes but who lost their definition entirely. They now drift through THE Prima Indifferentia as masses of undefined potential, attacking anything that possesses definition because definition itself has become intolerable to them. They seek to undifferentiate others because they themselves were undifferentiated."

His voice grew colder.

"It is not malice. It is something more fundamental than malice. It is the natural behaviour of undifferentiated existence encountering differentiated existence."

He turned to face Noah directly.

"THE Absolute Sovereign of Distant Flames is still in there. What remains of him, which is everything and nothing simultaneously. He cannot be reasoned with. He cannot be defeated in any conventional sense. He can only be avoided."

The proto-matter seemed to press closer, as if curious about the story being told.

"And he is not alone."

His obsidian crown spun slowly above his head.

"THE Prima Indifferentia contains at least seven known former Absolutes who suffered similar fates across the eons. Each one represents a cautionary exemplum regarding what occurs when definition erodes beyond the threshold of recovery."

...!

Noah was listening to these words intently as his existence continued to draw in the proto-matter flowing all around them.

It was grand and dangerous at the same time, this place that pushed everything toward undifferentiation. But as he considered the warnings and the fates of those who had come before, a thought began to form in his mind.

In all of Existence, could he be considered among those closest to undifferentiation with The First Tongue?

It was the Existential language before everything specialized into different expressions. The foundation upon which all other linguistic authority had been built. And he didn’t just hold The First Tongue, he held the Archai of Undifferentiated Tongue and the Derivative Civilization of Undifferentiated Fate.

He already had many aspects of his existence that touched upon undifferentiation in ways that others couldn’t claim.

Perhaps this place wasn’t as dangerous to him as it would be to-

BZZT!

At this time, the chaotic seas of proto-matter swirling around them in this region paused.

The churning stopped. The undefined potential that had been flowing in lazy currents went still. And then, as if responding to something Noah hadn’t consciously done, the proto-matter raged and flooded into his body with force that transcended anything he had experienced since arriving.

THE Primordial Paradox raised his brows and turned to him in surprise, seeing Noah had frozen in place with proto-matter streaming into his existence from every direction. His obsidian features shifted with concern that looked unfamiliar on such an ancient face.

"Youngest?"

...!

Yet Noah continued staring ahead as if he was frozen, his eyes wide and unseeing as something profound occurred within his foundations. The proto-matter around him had begun to spiral, forming a vortex with his existence at the center, drawing in undefined potential at rates that should not have been possible.

THE Primordial Paradox frowned and instantly moved toward Noah, his obsidian form cutting through the churning proto-matter with authority that demanded compliance.

But at that time...

BOOM!

As if everything around Noah had become a tinderbox waiting for a spark, everything exploded.

Everything.

Proto-matter congealed and detonated into a terrifying storm that held the weight of multiple Embodiments, undefined potential transforming into raw force that expanded outward in all directions. THE Primordial Paradox moved instantly, exerting terrifying power as he forced everything to paradoxically calm, imposing definitions of stillness and stability onto substance that rejected such concepts.

The explosion should have continued. It should have expanded across this region of THE Prima Indifferentia and caused devastation that would have echoed for eons.

But THE Primordial Paradox was one of THE Four, and his authority over Paradox was absolute.

The proto-matter settled.

The storms calmed.

And when the chaos cleared...

"...Bollocks."

THE Primordial Paradox cursed.

The figure of Noah... was nowhere to be seen.

THE Primordial Paradox stood alone in a region of THE Prima Indifferentia that now bore the scars of whatever had just occurred, undefined potential slowly reforming around him as it filled the void left by the explosion. His obsidian eyes scanned the churning expanse, searching for any trace of the being he had brought here.

Nothing.

He had been left alone moments after bringing The First Tongue into THE Prima Indifferentia!

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