The Observers

Their disappearance did not go unnoticed. The collective consciousness was aware of the absence of those who had been absorbed by The Gate. Thus, a small group broke away from their usual activities to study this new thing, apparently dangerous since it had caused some of their own to vanish. They approached the monument and observed it carefully, but with no further aspiration to activate it, the passage showed only a vaporous surface.

After a span of time that cannot be measured, for time has no meaning in The Absolute, one of them felt the desire to see one of the vanished, and The Gate showed them. They could observe the vanished one, as well as all the things they had created. They communicated their discovery to the group of researchers, and they all focused on the same Fallen Creator, acting collectively. The perception grew in scope, and they perceived not only images but also sounds, muffled by the fog, as well as the thoughts of the observed world. The cacophony overwhelmed them. They broke contact, bewildered by this lack of harmony.

In the times that followed, the group observed the worlds of other Fallen Creators, scrutinizing the results of their former companions' desires. And what they saw became part of the collective consciousness, shared with all who inhabited The Absolute. But no one came as close to the passage as the vanished ones, fearing they would be propelled in turn into one of these disharmonic worlds.

As time went on, things changed ever more in the worlds beyond The Gate. The realms of Autarcauste fell into disarray, each struck by a catastrophe generally caused by the creatures of those worlds. Those of Mennon, so vast and populous, tore themselves apart in power struggles over the resources of planets, overexploited and vital for the continued advancement of technology. Those of Synchron, far less vast as they existed on the scale of a single planet, were no less terrible, confined in this restricted space that made any escape to other places impossible. Those of Faerie seemed the most protected, but wars of power and ambition took place nonetheless, less deadly than the others only because of a smaller population and weapons of war with more contained effects. When The Observers focused on Okotade, they perceived only demented laughter, screams of terror, and lamentations...