The day was spent in the lab, as most days were. It was slow and monotonous by this point, but the reward of Taoxhul’s satisfaction was enough for me. Even if it weren’t, I knew better than to step out of line. The demands of the research remained absolute, but the symbiotic relationship that had formed between us- the divine intervention Taoxhul had made into my physical anatomy, had rendered me functionally immune to exhaustion. I have learned to crave the feeling of contact- it’s the assurance of my genius, the verification of my existence. 

Tonight, the work ended suddenly. Taoxhul stood from the terminal, his gaze fixed intensely on me as he commanded me to meet him upstairs in the sun room once more. Without question, I of course complied with the demand. When I met him there, he was fixated on the Null beyond the viewport. 

“We have discussed the flaw of your vessel,” he said firmly, “We have established that your body is a temporary constraint. I want you to see the purpose of our contract.” The air of the room grew heavy, and the usual faint hum of the Null beyond the window grew louder to a painful, low frequency roar. He grabbed my jaw with a heavy hand as I reached him, locking that dazzling eye of his onto me. His tone was sickly sweet as he spoke his intentions to me.

“You have seen the world through your mind,” my scar hummed as he spoke, “Now you will see our future through my eyes. Be still.”

What came next was a brutal, psychic insertion- my mind was stretched across impossible geometries, vast and warping. Time became meaningless, and the Null was no longer a blank void, but an undulating membrane. Then I saw; The Abyss. It was not the fiery chaos of ancient religious texts, but a sprawling civilization built upon Dante’s architecture; spiraling downward into concentric rings. I could see palaces and rivers made of gold and silver in the darkness, a stark contrast to the inky background they resided in. The first ring was dominated by a citadel of hideous celestial beings. 

Then, he showed me the future. I saw the inevitable war. I saw Taoxhul by my side- magnificent and terrible, tearing down the existing royalty. Then, I saw us; a glimmering throne room, my form at his feet veiled in divine light. I was his royal consort. I possessed power and knowledge- able to judge and rule beings far greater and older than myself. There was something fiercely protective about him in this vision, Taoxhul had carved out an entire, eternal kingdom, installing me as its prince. Solely to ensure that no one could ever classify, process, or separate him from his treasured acquisition. The cruelty of my subjugation was merely the process required to elevate me to a state worthy of his eternal dominion.

The vision ended with a shock that sent me staggering back. I staggered back, my mortal consciousness unable to grasp the weight of eons. When the nausea subsided, the world felt flimsy and two dimensional. My eyes no longer saw the room as it spun around me, but the faint overlapping traces of Taoxhul’s home dimension everywhere. Taoxhul leered over me, staring down with a wide grin plastered on his sharp face. He watched with clinical satisfaction.

“The Abyss is the greatest study, Deimos. The throne requires two, and that position requires sacrifice.” I looked up at the being who had broken me down entirely, and built me anew, and I felt a resolute certainty.

“What is required of me..?” the thinness of my voice caused his smile to widen, something unnatural.

“The final sacrifice is always the most intimate, my prince. You must choose to cast off the vessel willingly.”