#hhhhhhweh

        When the Great Nothing awoke, it was to the sight of many more Somethings than it had made. The stars had given their gift—the gift of life—and remolded it, creating more Somethings to keep the Nothing company.

        Upon seeing this, the Nothing once again wept—but found a different Something to be the cause.

        Joy.

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        The stars were not the only ones to whom the act of Creating was passed on to, however. Even so, the ability became watered down, with each Creation having less of the ability than that who Created it. Eventually, it was lost to every Creation, save for a select few, blessed by the Nothing itself.

        The man was not one of those few. The child was, however. To an extent, anyway—the powers it contained were limited and corrupted, but not by its own hand.

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        In its Joy, the Great Nothing embraced a star—and, in its careless Joy, the Great Nothing snuffed it out. The rest of the stars shrunk away, understanding something new—for this Great Nothing, Creation came easily…

        …and Destruction came even easier, even if it did not mean to do so.

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        Not everything was grateful for the gift given to them—some resented the Great Nothing for attempting to end its loneliness. The man was one—the child was not, although it pretended to be, for the sake of survival.

        There were not many of the same kind as the man and the child, and the Creations left were dying, slowly.

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        Try as it might, the Great Nothing found that no matter what it did, its Creations still shrunk away from its touch in fear. Soon, the Nothing found that there was a worse kind of Loneliness than being truly Alone. Each attempt to make amends ended poorly, earning the Nothing nothing but Fear in return.

        It began to resent the things it had Created.

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        The Great Nothing, itself, is collapsing in despair, the man had said before. We can end its pain.

        The child did not believe the Great Nothing would want such a thing, but had no choice in the matter—it learned that long ago.

        You must assist me in this, or the Great Nothing will not bless you as it blesses me, the man had said. I cannot move on without you.

        The child did not believe it wanted such a thing.

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        And so, the Great Nothing, in its newfound Fury, Created once more—but these Creations were twisted, gifted the ability to Destroy, rather than Create.

        Some feel that it is a good thing that the stars put a stop to its Madness, even if it meant that they must do what drove the Great Nothing to Madness to begin with.

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        The man and the child had started out on this journey together.

        They did not make it to the end together.

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        And so, the Great Nothing was locked away by the stars, forced to sleep once more, consciousness contained in a small cube, and cast aside.

        And so, the Great, sleeping Nothing fell for an eternity.

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        The child kneeled before a wall, darker than the darkness itself, and wept.

        “I am sorry.” It said. “I am sorry.”

        And so, the child plunged its weapon into the heart of the darkness.

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        When the Great Nothing awoke, it was to yet another new sensation—Pain. Is this, it wondered, what the star felt when it was Destroyed?

        There was another Something here—a very small Something. It was weeping apologies, and the Great Nothing felt sorry. It, too, was blessed—it, too, was cursed—it, too, was given too heavy a burden to bear. It, too, had the ability to Destroy. It, too, was deeply Lonely in ways the Nothing understood.

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        It is alright.

        The words echoed in the child’s mind, and the cold, forgiving, Great Nothing embraced the child. I, too, am sorry.

        And so, the Great Nothing died.

        And so, all the Great Nothing’s creations died with it.

        Well.

        Almost all of them.

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        It was cold. Suffocatingly cold. What had happened? The child remembered finding the cube—so big it was more like a wall. The child remembered doing what the man said it must.

        And then?

        And then… nothing. The child was floating in darkness.

        The child was alone, it realized, and a Loneliness greater than what it had felt with the man began to rise.

        And so it wept.