While the other inhabitants of Olympus were busy handling their own preparations, there was more work for none other than the local chef, Aznod. He stood within the void, stroking his chin in thought as he looked at the endless red and black abyss.
“Something bothering you?” Udona asked curiously, appearing next to Aznod with her arms crossed behind her back.
Aznod hesitated, but soon shook his head. “It is not strictly bothering me. Rather, I am thinking about how I can improve myself to prepare for what is to come.”
“Given that you came out here… does that mean that you are considering how to fight in the void, as well?”
“Yes and no.” Aznod shook his head. “My method of fighting has always relied around techniques derived from the culinary arts. Whether it is my knife technique, the flames that I use, or even the energy I created long ago, all of it stems from the concept of cooking. But… the void is an ingredient that I don’t think I can fully comprehend.”
“What do you mean?” Udona blinked, turning to fully face Aznod.
“The void is… everything, and nothing. There are an infinite number of ways that one may alter it in order to achieve a desired effect. Entire worlds can be seen as no more than a marvelous dish created from this primordial soup.”
“A bad case of choice paralysis?” Udona asked with a teasing smile. Aznod hesitated, but ultimately nodded his head.
“That could be the case. The void can be seen to be the ultimate ingredient, but it is directionless. Without having any traits of its own, there are too many paths to choose.”
Udona brought one hand up, tapping a finger against her chin. “If it’s a wildcard, then isn’t the answer simple?” When Aznod sent a questioning gaze to her, Udona smiled brightly. “You have an ingredient that could answer any question, and thus can’t decide what to do with it. So… work from the other direction. Decide your end goal first. Why do you want to manipulate the void? What do you want to do with it?”
“These are the questions that you need to answer in order to find your direction. As you said, the void is a realm of infinite possibilities. Everyone has their own method to using it.”
“Oh?” Aznod blinked slowly. “If I may ask, what is your method?”
“That’s simple!” Udona snickered, snapping her fingers. The void around them shifted into a green aura that radiated nearly a dozen meters. “I am the Goddess of Life. My primary use of the void is to heal people. Though, I can also use it as a medium to store and transmit information, but that is risky. If the information is not secured properly, it could transform into a void beast. A void beast containing the information that I felt the need to secure is likely bound to be a dangerous one.”
“Right…” Aznod nodded his head, before sinking deeper into his thoughts. “Void beasts are just a collection of rules and information within the void, are they not?”
“That’s… right?” Udona tilted her head, not entirely sure what Aznod was on about right now. “Is something the matter with that?”
“Well… why do void beasts attack inhabited worlds? They can gain information from them, but the void is information itself… could they not simply feed on the ambient atmosphere here?”
“Ahh, so that’s what this was about.” Udona gave a small nod. “That’s right. It’s entirely possible for a void beast to sustain themselves simply by breathing in the void. However, in order for them to evolve, they must devour more refined information. This information can come from four sources.”
“First, there are the worlds within the void. These worlds are the most refined form of information that the void can produce, so it is naturally the greatest nutrition for these beasts. Secondly, there are the people that come from the worlds and enter the void. The information that they contain is far less compressed, and thus less appetizing, but it is still nutrition.”
“Third, you have the sanctuary of a Fallen God. These are miniature realms that the Fallen Gods produce within the void as the source of their power. If a void beast devours one, they have a chance of obtaining the corresponding information from that Fallen God’s domain. However, to do so, they must first defeat the Fallen God that controls the sanctuary, which makes it far more dangerous than simply attaching to a world.”
“And the last option…” Aznod interrupted suddenly. “Is devouring other void beasts, correct?”
Udona nodded her head in agreement at that. “That’s right. Void beasts can cannibalize one another. Doing so has a chance to impart some of the slain beast’s information on the one that killed it. This was what caused the incident with the Guardian so long ago, because it had been fighting void beasts for so long that the information ultimately corrupted it from within.”
Aznod pinched his chin, looking at the distant void beasts roaming the void. It was hard to see them clearly, as many of them had the void wrapped around their bodies. “Aside from Lady Leowynn, has anyone ever purposely created a void beast?”
Udona’s brow twitched, and she had to think about that, checking the records through the Admin Room. “There have been some cases. However, the rules that they used were either too simple, or the beast immediately turned on them.”
“I see…” Aznod nodded his head, taking a deep breath. Udona glanced over, seeing a black flame produced between his hands.
“Aznod, what are you doing?” She asked, her tone suddenly shifting to one of worry.
“I am a chef, my lady.” Aznod gave a rare, teasing smile. “I am doing what a chef must do, and preparing to cook.”
“You decided on what you want to use the void for?” She asked in surprise, to which Aznod nodded his head.
“I have an idea. But first, there are steps that must be done. I need to prepare.” As he said that, he focused, activating his three domains of Cooking, Preparation, and Optimization. He often did this when he needed a hit of guidance. Now that he did so in the void, he could feel his latter two domains resonating with the void.
“I see… everything that ever could be stems from the void. Although I wasn’t aware of it, it seems that my powers are slightly tied to this place. Or, at the very least, they use the void as a route to simulate an answer to my questions.”
While Aznod pondered this, a plan took shape in his mind. His black flame stirred, devouring the ambient energy of the void as it spread. “A single grain of sand within the void can represent a massive planet. How much energy would it take to sate a beast’s appetite? Surely more than one such grain.”
Udona hesitated, unsure if she was being spoke to or if he was merely musing aloud. Still, she decided to answer in the end. “That’s right. Whenever we see a void beast appearing on Earth, or any other world, it is also appearing on countless other worlds. Anywhere that meets the conditions for its rules is a target. There could be billions of planets feeding any particular void beast.”
When Aznod heard this, he smiled. “In that case, I suppose it is a good thing that the void is a realm of endless possibilities.” His eyes went focused, staring into the depths of the black flame in front of him. He was using the void itself as an ingredient, bestowing it with the information he needed to achieve his goals.
Now that he had a plan in mind, the preparation of this ingredient could be handled purely via his Saint Energy. After roughly twenty seconds, he reached his hand into the black flame and retrieved a circular, blue object that shone with a faint light.
“What… is that?” Udona asked, eyes fixated on the item. She knew better than to think that something Aznod cooked with the void as an ingredient would be simple.
“It’s feed.” He answered simply, passing it to her. “Would you mind helping me deliver this to that void beast over there?” Aznod gestured towards a shifting mass of void that seemed to be hovering outside of Lorek’s barrier.
Udona paused, not sure what his intentions were. Still, she took the ‘feed’ and flew towards the void beast. When it saw her, it let out a roar of warning. The aura of the void dispersed around it, revealing the body of a bull with spikes jutting out all over its body. At a glance, Udona couldn’t even begin to guess what the rules this being embodied were.
She simply ignored its roar, throwing the circular item in her hand at it. The bull seemed wary at first, its eyes tracking the strange ‘projectile’, before it seemed to be drawn in. It opened its mouth and bit heavily at the blue treat. Immediately, its eyes lit up, and its body convulsed. The spikes lining its frame shifted, curving along its skin to form what seemed to almost be a layer of bone armor.
Udona was startled to discover that she had just assisted in the evolution of a void beast, mentally preparing herself for battle. Sure enough, the void beast let out another roar, running towards her. Clenching her teeth, Udona was prepared to use her domain offensively to deprive the bull of life, before…
Suddenly, the creature slowed down, coming to a stop right before Udona. Its eyes were incomparably gentle, and it lowered its head to sniff at the hand she had used to throw the feed. As if hoping there were more, it nudged her hand slightly, causing Udona to turn and look back at Aznod.
“What did I just give this thing?” She asked, gulping slightly. Despite the lack of more food, the bull didn’t seem to want to fight her, rather choosing to wait next to her as if hoping she will produce more.
“As you said, the void beasts require concentrated information.” Aznod smiled. “The reason why there is only a chance for information to be passed on should be due to how diluted the information that they consume is. The more concentrated a single piece of information, the more likely it is to be passed on.”
“In that feed just now, I focused on the following pieces of information. ‘Do not attack others, as long as they do not first show hostility to you or your allies. Do not consume other sources of information, aside from those provided in this format.’ These two rules were refined with the void, layered again and again, while any irrelevant information was discarded.”
“You mean to say… you domesticated it?” Udona blinked, looking at the void beast as she walked towards Aznod, the creature following her.
“That’s correct.” Aznod confirmed readily. “I believe that the best use of my talents in the void is to start a pasture of void beasts. There is a high chance that they will become useful in the future.”
“A pasture…” Udona’s eyes couldn’t help but widen. “You’re wanting to farm void beasts?”
“Quite. Once they are sufficiently raised, their beings should prove to be quite the interesting ingredient.” Aznod spoke without the slightest reservation, and Udona was thankful that the bull did not seem to understand them. “If I modify the contents of the feed over time, I will likely be able to produce varied lifeforms, which will provide me with even more materials in the future.”
Udona simply watched, her jaw slack at what she was hearing. She had never heard of anyone treating the void beasts, creatures regarded as the potential destroyers of civilization, as farm animals. “Only you would want something like this… Still, if that’s the direction you’ve chosen, I’ll support you.”
