Absolute Zero by InvincibleSol on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

Rationality incarnate.

The entity that has come to be known as 'Absolute Zero,' in actuality, has never stated any name or title by which to address it or reference it. The name was given to it by witnesses and pupils of the entity, those who had been fortunate enough to have an audience with the fleeting presence. Those who came to know the entity gave it this name because of the bizarre and beautiful appearance it took in its 'true form,' or the form that mortal creatures came to assume to be its true, raw form. In this form, Absolute Zero appears as a brilliant sapphire and white, perfectly shaped sphere approximately twelve centimeters in diameter. Around the central sphere burns a dark blue, almost black fire, which silently rages, and which warms, but never burns. This fire burns all around the surface area of the sphere and protrudes upwards, a line of black and dark blue fire always ascending upwards before fading from sight. Upon closer inspection, however, it can be seen that there is an intermediary layer between the sphere and the flames, almost as though the actual 'core' of Absolute Zero were somehow shielding itself from the flames, untouched by them as they burn around him.

Superstitious mortals had long believed that the old great ones to be sympathetic in spirit, often answering when called upon by mortal lives. This had always taken the form of myths of mortal prayer followed by divine intervention and miracle, from the parting of the Red Sea of Moses to the lifting of the seas of fire of the Myssos. Absolute Zero embodies this spirit of sympathy well. Among all of the Inscrutable Ones, Absolute Zero is most wont to answer the prayers of mortals, to encounter them directly, interact with them, and, more than anything, to teach them. Despite possessing nearly infinite power, Absolute Zero is not wont to employ it in any way that would directly affect other mortal lives, unlike the vast majority of the Inscrutable Ones, who are keen to manipulating, toying with, or outright tormenting mortals. As such, Zero's power and wisdom tend to remain hidden, even to the point that he will appear to other mortals in mortal disguise, never leading on that he is actually a god of incomprehensible and nearly infinite power.

Like with almost all Inscrutable Ones, the workings of Absolute Zero's mind and his motivations are almost inherently beyond the grasp of mortal conception. However, it can be gleaned that he wishes to bring mortal lives under his tutelage, seemingly with the goal of instilling in them the secrets of his own power and godhood. Surprisingly, despite such an alluring gift, few have ever taken to Zero's tutelage, either because they have disregarded the masked god as a mere charlatan, or more so because they reject the substance of what he teaches, as it too often requires one to reject key, but false tenets of mortal life upon which too many have become reliant. In addition, Zero's philosophy clearly espouses tenets of the non-initiation of violence and justice, teaching his students that life has value that may not be violated; unfortunately, this just pacifism is often looked down upon by those who find it inconvenient. It is those whom Zero endlessly opposes.

THE INSCRUTABLE ONES

Absolute Zero is considered an abnormality among his own kind. Indeed, his own 'kind' are not wont to consider him a member of their kind altogether. To the others, Absolute Zero is considered a 'Deep One,' or, more specifically, what the other godlike beings refer to as an 'Angel.' As such, he is an Inscrutable One: the title given to a wide classification of ascended beings who maintain power and complexity beyond the confines of mortal understanding and of the scientific universe. The delineations among the various 'species' of Inscrutable Ones are not understood, however, it is clear that every Inscrutable One has the nearly limitless power of a god of old myth. More so, Absolute Zero's designation as a 'Deep One' indicates that he hails from a place that the other Inscrutable Ones consider even further removed from the filament universes of mortal life, and perhaps beyond the Bulk altogether.

Inscrutable Ones are very inherently defined by their power to manipulate, create, and destroy aspects of reality itself. Whether it is seemingly materializing matter, energy, or even entire, complex organisms by mere force of will, or whether it is transporting themselves across entire universes, through time, or into other realities, these godlike entities are unparalleled in their capabilities. Zero is no exception. Like all other Inscrutable Ones, he hails from a place that he calls the 'Bulk,' a massive, 'centralized' dimension that underlies all of the 'filament' universes that contain life as we know it. Unlike the many filament universes, however, which rely on objective laws of physics, logic, and reality, the Bulk is a place of pure subjectivism and force of will. In this place, time, space, and causation have little meaning, and what meaning they do have is fluid. Those who have mastered this power can change what they wish at will, and indeed, it seems that this power, carried over into the filament universes, is what makes the Inscrutable Ones so godlike. This realm is defined by its massive size, being much larger than perhaps all of the universes put together, with four white 'suns' in its center. These four sources of light are indeed the source of forms, as the ancient Plato would have put it: they radiate not light, but the very substance of ideas, which reach out and endlessly inform the universes in a cyclic manner.

The personalities of the Inscrutable Ones, as much as they can be comprehended by mortals, are as varied and as different as those of mortal creatures. There are ones that are indifferent to mortal species. There are those that take great interest in them, whether it be to torment them, to toy with them, or simply to experiment on them. Conflict among Inscrutable Ones is largely nonexistent, as it is fruitless: even if an Inscrutable One did destroy another, the one that had been destroyed would likely simply reconstitute himself, since time, space, and logical causation have little meaning in the Bulk.

The Inscrutable Ones seem to have few limitations or weaknesses. The most notable among these is that the grand, nearly infinite powers of the Inscrutable Ones seem dampened or even canceled out if they are in very close proximity to large bodies of water. Some of the Inscrutable Ones even seem to fear large bodies of water for reasons beyond the mere, temporary divestment of their powers. But they have never revealed the mechanics of such a weakness or why large bodies of water strike terror into their hearts so profoundly. If these entities have any other weakness, it is not known. Otherwise, they are bound only to their own whims and to each other, as only an Inscrutable One can realistically pose a threat to another.

Absolute Zero, however, seems to be an aberration among his kind. Aside from the pacifistic and sympathetic attitude he takes with mortal lives, his origins are also unique. Almost all Inscrutable Ones are the ascended legacy of ancient, once-mortal species who learned to ascend to higher realms, thanking long tracts of evolution for their physiological supremacy. This was not the origin of Zero. Legend has it that he was once a mortal, much like any other: not highly evolved, nor one blessed with common knowledge of ascendancy, and not one who was, by all standards, ancient. However, through his own machinations and merits, Zero achieved the unthinkable: as a mere mortal, he slayed an Inscrutable One. In the years to come, completely separate from such an unprecedented victory, Zero would learn the secrets of the Inscrutable Ones' power, and in doing so, he would ascend to become one himself.

In this, however, Zero is also unique. He stands apart from most other Inscrutable Ones, and primarily because of his ideology. He oftentimes criticizes the complacency and the intellectual vacuousness of the Inscrutable Ones. He lambastes their apathy, arguing that they have sat upon thrones of infinite power, leading them to ennui, stifling their exploration of the truths of the many universes. He argues that they have replaced the hunt for even higher powers, discoveries, and realms with the elevation of concern of their own capabilities, pretending as though nothing else matters and that nothing else could matter. They have rejected intellectualism, seeing it as unnecessary, and in so doing, they have become mindless tools of whimsical might. In a word, they have become meaningless: they are now nothing more than slightly sentient forces of nihilism.