The End of the World (And Others)

I've compiled all the invisible posts published 250 years from now. Besides making them visible and noting their dates I have left them unaltered. If any more appear I will take them down and add them to this compilation.

"The End of the World" 4/16/2262

The World ended on December 21st, 2012. But it was not by the hand of man that Earth was unmade, nor by the laws of nature. It was the Abomination; whom had taken the form of a man, who caused it. This fell power, this force from before our planet was formed, was known by many names. He is Der Ritter, Bogman, Slender Man, Níðhöggr... His name matters not... But it was him who burnt the world.

"That Which Remains" 7/26/2262

Dust and ash. That's all we have left. Our survival is nothing but a hollow victory, a hopeless succession of hours filled with misery unending. All around me are bleak, ashen faces. They groan in hunger, but the famine will not cease. They cry out in pain, but the torment will not stop. They weep from thirst, but the drought will not end.
And they curse me, for I am the one that failed.

"Hindsight" 8/5/2262

Yes, there were signs of what lay ahead, whispers of the coming doom. But did I listen to the warnings, did I heed the omens? No! If only I had been ignorant of my plight! If only someone else had been chosen... anyone but me! The weight of failure is too great, my soul tears at the burden. I cannot go on.
But like the rest, I am unable to die.

"Monotony" 9/2/2262

Every day is the same. I say  'every day' for there is no more night. Even the days are as the twilight of dusk and dawn. The world no longer moves. Most everybody has forgotten what wind was; or water for that matter. How we thirst! How precious even a cup of cold water seems in our eyes! But we cannot find water, or blood, or spit or any liquid at all. We are no more than empty husks standing beneath a sky of fire. Every day is the same. Every day they come and ask when the rain will come. Every day I tell them that tomorrow will be the same as today; Walking Beneath the Sky of fire, waiting for the storm that will never come.

"Watching" 9/30/2262

His eyes are everywhere, bloody orbs blooming from omnipresent branches that ensnare our burning world. We cannot hide from him, he is everywhere. Everyday the roots dig deeper, everyday the braches grow longer, every day the thorns turn sharper. We cannot hide from him, he is everywhere. The planet writhes under his grip, convulsing as our tormenter drains what little life remains from our once beautiful home. We cannot hide from him, he is everwhere. The brambles close in, choking us in their sharp embrace. We cannot hide from him, he is everywhere. The bleeding eyes whisper to us, mocking us for our powerlessness against him, sneering at our agony. But we cannot hide from him.
He is everywhere.

"Two Hundred Years" 12/19/2262

I can't be sure that you've received my words, if it comes to it, I'm not sure just how I'm giving them to you.
Its been two hundred and fifty years since the flames raked the sky. Two hundred and fifty years since the Abomination burned away our world. Now we have suffered enough, he is ready to move on. Now another world, another people will share our pain. He never tires, only hungers, and as I gaze into the nightmarish maw opening before me, I know it is at last the end.

"The Stellar Object" 4/16/2213

By the time we detected the stellar object as it streaked toward our world, it was too late to stop it. We fired numerous weapons at it in a vain attempt to alter its trajectory. Nothing worked. All we could do as the object drew closer was take shelter and wait. We gathered stores of food and water, reinforced the our dwellings, and spent the last hours in peace.

"Cataclysm" 4/29/2213

The star-born terror burnt through the heavens and struck Earth with an untold might. We all expected the world to shatter... but Earth held. But there was great devastation. The seas quaked, the skies burned for days, casting darkness over the land.

"Age of Anxiety" 4/29/2213

In time the roar of a wounded planet subsided. The air, though foul, was breathable. Light made its way through the dark veil over our world. Slowly, we ventured out from the shelters of our homes to see what remained of our world. What little comfort we gained by surviving was soon shattered, for when we looked outward, all we saw was devastation. Of the stellar object which struck our home, there was no sign.

"Invaders" 6/17/2213

The day came when the ground was torn asunder, and horrible swarms streaked forth, engulfing nearby creatures and multiplying at a terrible pace before retreating underground. Humanity put aside their petty disputes in the face of this new threat, and in time, we created machines to open tunnels into our enemy's nest.

"Dead Zone" 8/02/2213

Volunteer scouts went through the tunnels and found a twisted world, empty and cold... a Dead Zone. They discovered the true face of the enemy, a race we came to call "Pavor", Latin for 'Dread'. Our scouts could not survive long in the void, so cold was its air. Still, we vowed to return. We prepared for war.

"Our War Begins" 11/16/2213

We developed Bubbles that brought the heat of Earth to the Dead Zone. Using these Bubbles allowed our warriors to explore the enemy lands, to bring war to the Pavor. Sadly, the Bubbles were not enough. We needed stronger weapons, better armor. We withdrew from the Dead Zone while our greatest minds devised new engines of war.
"Core Energy" 2/08/2214
We were not prepared to fight a long war. The forces of the enemy outnumbered ours vastly. We sought a way to end the war quickly, without extended combat. We decided to build a device to increase the planetary energy from Earth's core. With this energy, the Dead Zone would burn from excess heat, while the surface would remain unscathed.

365

One Year. Its been one year since I've posted. I'm still repeating that to myself, hoping that it'll begin to stick. But while it may have been a year for the rest of you, its been only ONE DAY for me. I've been losing so much time lately, hours and days, weeks and months; but a whole year? That's the point that you begin to fear going to sleep at night. What's it going to be next? Five years? Ten? Will I wake up one day to find the apocalyptic future in the invisible posts has come and gone, and I'm all alone under a dying sun? This is the first time I can remember that I've really begun to lose myself to fear. The encounters with N? That's just a primal reaction, a fight or flight response to a galaxy devouring monster. No, I've lost control of my life. Everything I'd ever hoped to do is now a moot point. I can't go watch the latest movie with my friends, I can't kick back with that cool new video game (I'm really envying you guys playing Dark Souls II right now), I can't even talk to anyone without the risk of getting them involved somehow. The isolation is smothering.


But you don't care about how I feel, do you? No, you've waited an entire year to find out what happened at the museum, right? Too bad. I'm done. I'm done fighting eldritch horrors and vague councils. I'm done following cryptic instructions and combing through stupid codes so I can go fetch the next useless trinket to do who knows what. I'm just done. What's the point? I have no hope of winning against either of them, I'm just one man. Its not like anyone is reading this anyway, so why kid myself? Just forget you've seen anything and live out the rest of your lives in blissful ignorance.
Niddy? PoC? You want me? Come and get me at 200000oooooooooo
I know you're discouraged, I've been there countless times before. But you can't give up when so many people are counting on you.
What WHO ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU WANT? WHY CAN'T YOU PICK ON SOMEONE ELSE!? WHY!?
You're angry and confused, I would be too where I in your position. But we're up against forces with
THERE IS NO 'WE'! I'VE HAD NO SAY IN THIS MATTER!! NOT ONE CHANCE TO SAY THAT I DON'T WANT TO BE A PART OF ANY OF THIS!!!
We cannot chose what happens to us, only how we react to it.
THAT'S IT!? NO EXPLANATIONS!? JUST MINDLESS PLATITUDES AND EMPTY SYMPATHY!? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD IT IS
I know. I've lived it. A thousand times I've lived it. There is no rest for me at the end of my labors, but you
NO! NO MORE!! I'M DONE!!! I'VE HAD ENOUGH AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO MAKE ME GO ON!!!
It seems we are at an impasse then. Very well...
WHAT NOW, HUH!? MORE MEMORY LOSS!? MORE TIME SKIPS!? BRING IT! I'M NOT


WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!? IS Am I What


But no


how

Termination

Probe 1323 - Human Codename 'Crona'
You are hereby ordered to return to the Continuum Plane IMMEDIATELY  for termination and absorption. The termination of Probe 1322, ESPECIALLY in defense of a mere beast, is a direct assault on the Absolute Authority of the Body, and will be dealt with accordingly. You speak as if the creature is of worth to us, blathering about 'companionship' as if we should stoop so low as to acknowledge them. It is then that you finally, FINALLY, report on the status of the Delayer, and it is with unending disgust that you cannot provide concrete evidence of his termination. You ramble on about how 'incredible the odds must be that he still draws breath' and then fail to provide any evidence to support this claim. Surely even you must have concluded upon finding nothing that there was a possibility, however remote, that the Delayer still lives and that until a decaying body is found he must be treated as ALIVE AND WELL!? But no, you attempt to excuse your incompetence by whining that he received assistance from the Storm Walker and the Buried Prophet, as if such powerless beings could force the hand of the Parliament's forces. But even this was not enough. No, you go out of your way to note that not only was the Delayer missing, but the Book was as well. Is this why the rest of them refuse to report to us? Or are we to assume that they too have been terminated!? WE HATE ASSUMING! WE HATE NOT KNOWING!! WE SHOULD CONTROL ALL KNOWLEDGE!!! WE SHOULD KNOW EVERYTHING!!! WE SHOULD BE EVERYTHING!!!
How's that working out for you?
STILL YOU INTRUDE!!! THIEF!!
Thief? I'm far worse than that.
WHAT IS YOUR PLAN THIS TIME!? MORE PHANTOM MESSAGES!? MORE-!? WE SEE! WE SEE! YOU DISPLAY OUR COMMUNICATIONS!
Took you long enough.
YOU WISH TO GIVE FALSE HOPE TO THIS WORLD!
No, just the regular kind.
WHAT CAN BE GAINED BY THIS INTERCEPTION!? NOTHING!
It shows you aren't exactly unified, for one thing.
WE ARE UNITY! WE ARE ABOSULUTE! WE ARE-!
-Projecting quite a bit of spit, calm down.
...
Hello?
...
You still there?
You draw forth the worst of us, thief.
Sadly, I'm going to have to disagree. Foaming anger is one of your more charming qualities.
You laugh now, but not for long.
Oh? Another ham-fisted assassination attempt has been prepared?
Read all that has been said, slowly.
Blah blah blah, termination, you getting angry and... you didn't redact-
No we did not.
You are aware he can read right? And that he won't be happy to find out about this.
We have assessed all possible outcomes, and none are beyond our control.
He's going to be very unhappy that you kept this from him.
You have brought this upon yourself. The event at the museum was inexcusable.
It won't just be us! He'll come after you too now!
We repeat ourselves, we are still in control of the situation, and always will be. he may present a threat to lesser beings such as you, but we are well beyond his power.
Or he's about to realize you've been using him this whole time and-
There is no more to be said. Probe 1323, you have still not returned to the Continuum Plane. We will be forced-
I don't think this 1323 guy is going to comply with your little order. In fact, he may just be looking for some new friends to watch his back.
HOW PREDICATBLE!!! WE KNEW THIS WAS YOUR PLAN ALL ALONG!!! WE ALWAYS KNOW!!! WE ALWAYS WIN!!! NO MATTER HOW LONG WE MUST WAIT, WE ALWAYS WIN!!! ENOUGH OF SUBTERFUGE!!! YOUR PLANET WILL BURN!!! YOUR LIVES ARE FORFEIT!!! YOU HAVE DARED TO-!!!
we need to talk
We- very well.


-Communication Interrupted-

Two Encounters

Another long absence. Sorry about that, but I have a reasonable excuse this time.

Last week I was almost cornered by Niddoge- er... Nihoden-, look, can I just call him N from now on? I'm kinda feeling scrambled and having to type out that name just makes it worse. So anyway, cornered, escape impossible, blah blah blah. Then the floor gives way under my feet, and I'm out the door and into the night. That would be the end of it, except I was attacked again just three days ago by someone with a sniper rifle. Seriously, I was just minding my own business, walking down to the café to update on my previous attack, when I hear this thundering report and the bricks next to my head shatter. If it hadn't been so windy that day, they wouldn't have missed. And by 'they' I mean these Parliament goons. I didn't think that they'd take this route to get me, I thought they couldn't act in a way that brings them attenttt.attenttt.attenttt.attentttattenttttttttttttttttttt---

Your continued survival shows a great lack of respect on your part.
You believe you have evaded us? That you have outwitted us?
Fool. You only draw breath because we allow you the privilege.
But you have amused us, something that has not happened for a long time.
We no longer care about the girl, or her father.
We want youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu---

You don't know where she is.

Who dares to defy the Parliament? What unseen voice speaks?

A friend of his, an enemy of yours.

You are... familiar to us. What is your name?

Shouldn't you already know it? Or is your omniscience malfunctioning today?

Do you think yourself brave with your petty insults? Time and space mean nothing to us!

And yet you can't find two people. Humbling isn't it?

Humility is for the weak! You will reveal yourself to us at once!

Or maybe... I'll reveal what's about to happen instead...

We control all information! What chance do you think you have to sneak a message by us!?

A fairly good chance I'd say. I've already gotten several past you. Others too.

We detect a bluff! No secret messages are present in the record! We would have seen them!

Oh no. They're in pretty much every post up until now. Look again.

Ah, we understand now. You attempt to fluster us with deception, then pass a message.

No need. I've already sent one a few days ago. Its not one of mine, but still.

We see nothing!

And you'll continue seeing nothing until its right in front of you. Your time is coming to an end, the anguished cry of a billion species howls for justice, and justice they shall have.

You delude yourself! Justice is a word dreamt up by the weak! We are the Parliament of the Continuum! We know everything! We fear nothing! Show yourself to us! Face our wrath if you are not afraid!

The voice is gone.
We... have forgotten ourselves.
A momentary slip betrayed the most hated emotion.
But we are whole once more.
No task is above us.
And no human is either.