The Void shuddered, subtle at first, slow, and measured. Until it wasn't.
A ripple of forgotten power flashed across the ever growing expanse, brushing against regions that had remained untouched since the earliest dawn of existence. It reached into realms abandoned by time, oceans without life or purpose, caverns beneath dimensions that no longer sang.
And something roused.
Ghatanothoa, the Imprisoner of Forms, stirred first. Its immense, coiling consciousness expanded outward, sensing the tremor with grim certainty. It felt the broken edge of an ancient prison, the unmistakable signature of a seal shattered not by erosion, not by change.
But by force.
An outside force.
By a hand that should never have touched it.
Ghatanothoa pulsed with alarm and immediately released a call that cut through the deepest layers of reality.
"The seal has been broken."
The summons carried with it a force of danger and inevitability.
One by one, those powerful enough to hear it awoke.
Cthulhu rose from his submerged slumber, his massive eyes snapping open with a cold green glow. The tentacles across his face twisted as he sensed the disturbance.
"He is free, but not by his own will."
Across fractured geometry, Hastur lifted his shrouded head, his presence bending symbols and meaning.
"A foreign will has meddled with what it should not have."
Tsathoggua, sluggish and shadowed, stirred in his dark cavern. "Who would dare break that seal?"
Dagon emerged from the abyssal depths of a drowned dimension, water cascading from his titanic form. "Can't be mortal. This reeks of outside influence."
Ithaqua's stormy outline wavered atop his eternal blizzard. "A powerful one at that."
Yig, coiled among ruins older than stars, opened eyes like polished obsidian, runes lighting across his scales. "Who interferes with our prison? Who touches what we chained?"
And finally, Ghatanothoa spoke again, heavy with grim knowledge.
"Lady Death of the Endless."
A ripple of cold understanding passed through the gathering minds.
Cthulhu's voice deepened. "Death broke the seal?"
"Impossible," Dagon growled. "She does not interfere with primordial beings."
Hastur whispered, "Unless she had reason."
Tsathoggua blinked slowly. "Death never breaks what we create unless it is a necessity."
Ithaqua's winds howled. "Or unless something has changed in the Firstborn."
Yig hissed. "We sealed Sound for balance and safety. But Death, she sees existence differently."
Ghatanothoa's presence hung heavy with dread. "Sound did not escape. He was let free."
Cthulhu's tentacles twisted. "Then we must gather. We must confront what has been done, before it is too late."
The Void trembled.
The council's decision was formed.
__________
Elsewhere, Within the Endless Dark
(POV - Erik)
A distant glow streaked through the void, faint as starlight in the night sky.
Erik walked beside Lady Death, unhurried, and deeply unsettled. His footsteps left small ripples of vibrations that hummed briefly before fading into the emptiness.
For the first time in eons, he wasn't alone.
For the first time since the dawn of time, he was unbound.
He looked at Lady Death, her presence calm and unflinching, a steady pulse in the endless quiet.
"I still can't believe you did it." Erik murmured.
Death clasped her hands behind her back in a deceptively innocent gesture. "Believe it. You're free."
"You broke a primordial seal placed by the Great Old Ones."
"Yes."
"Any regrets?"
"None." Lady Death replied with an oddly serious expression.
Erik rubbed his face, exasperation mixing with awe. "You do understand that they're going to be furious, right?"
"Of course." She smiled slightly. "That's what makes this fun."
He groaned. "You're unbelievable."
"You're welcome," she said sweetly.
"Lady Death," he said, gesturing emphatically at the surrounding void, "this was a Eldritch prison. Breaking it wasn't supposed to be possible."
"Not for most beings, no," she answered. "But endings are my domain. And a seal is simply a promise of continuity. All I had to do was end it."
Erik stared. "You ended the seal?"
"I end many things."
"That's not reassuring."
"It wasn't meant to be."
He sighed heavily. For countless ages, the Great Old Ones had locked him in that timeless sphere, not from cruelty, but necessity. Sound shaped everything it touched. At the beginning he had been too volatile, too formative. His very presence nudged creation into motion.
They had feared he would accelerate existence faster than the universe could handle.
Death glanced sideways at him, her dark eyes surprisingly gentle. "You were drowning in silence."
"I was surviving."
"You were withering."
He paused. "…Maybe."
She turned to face him fully, voice quiet but firm.
"You are Sound, Erik. Sound is meant to move, vibrate, resonate, and exist alongside others. Not be trapped in a cage."
His throat tightened. "They sealed me because they feared what I could cause."
"They sealed you," she corrected, "because they feared what you would become alone."
He looked away, unable to deny the truth of that.
Erik had felt something inside him beginning to warp. Notes that had once resonated with clarity had grown brittle. Songs turned darker. Silence felt heavier.
He had been fading.
Death stepped closer, her presence steady. "Your siblings did what they believed necessary. But even necessary acts can be wrong."
"They'll be angry at you." he whispered.
"They'll listen." she countered.
He doubted that, but Death wasn't easily discouraged.
A faint tremor pulsed through the Void.
Erik stopped. "That's them."
"Yes," she said calmly. "They have noticed."
"They're coming."
"They are."
He paused for a second. "Maybe you should go. They won't take kindly to you meddling. Im worried they will bring you harm"
Death raised a brow, amused. "I'm not going anywhere."
She stepped closer, her voice soft but unyielding. "I didn't just break your seal, Erik. I saw who you were and what you were becoming. I chose to help, and I don't abandon my choices."
The emptiness around them began to warp, pressure building. The Void itself bent beneath the weight of approaching entities.
Erik felt their presence. Deep, old, impossible to ignore.
"Very well," he murmured. Quickly followed by, "They're here."
"Yes," Death said. "Brace yourself."
The distortion exploded.
The Great Old Ones manifested in a ring around them, seven colossal titans, each warping the Void with their mere presence.
Cthulhu towered forward first, eyes blazing.
"Brother," he thundered. "You walk free."
Erik lifted his chin. "I do."
Hastur's whisper slithered through space. "Against our will."
"Not against mine." Death replied, stepping forward.
The Void cracked around her, her presence creating a pressure that even the Great Old Ones acknowledged.
Dagon growled, "You shattered the seal."
"Yes." she said without hesitation.
Yig coiled in agitation. "Why?"
Death's reply was simple. "Because he was dying."
The Old Ones stilled.
Erik looked away, shame creeping into his voice. "Don't."
Death continued, unfazed. "His music deteriorated. His very essence twisted. Isolation was breaking him."
Hastur's presence flickered. "The prison was never meant to harm, only contain."
"But it did," Death said sharply. "You trapped Sound alone in Silence and expected stability. You starved him."
The accusation echoed like a bell.
Cthulhu stepped forward, towering above Erik. "Brother. Is it true?"
Erik sighed and met his eyes. "I held on. But, yes. I was fading."
A long silence followed.
The Great Old Ones looked at him, not with anger, but something heavier.
Realization.
Guilt.
Ghatanothoa spoke, its voice rumbling like collapsing stone. "We misjudged."
Tsathoggua muttered, "You should have told us."
Erik laughed, a short, tired sound. "Told you? You sealed me in a void outside time. Communication wasn't an option."
Cthulhu's massive form bent forward, not threatening, but calm. "Then speak now. Have you stabilized?"
Erik inhaled slowly, letting the Void vibrate from his presence.
"Yes. Because of her."
Death crossed her arms smugly.
Yig spoke next. "We cannot rebind him."
"No," Hastur agreed. "Nor should we."
Ithaqua's storm whirled softly. "He is balanced."
Dagon lowered his huge head. "But we must maintain caution."
Cthulhu nodded, decision forming across his ancient features.
"Then let it be known," he declared, "that the Firstborn walks free, not by fate, nor by accident, but by judgment."
Ghatanothoa added, "We will watch. Brother"
Erik exhaled in relief.
Death smiled proudly beside him.
Cthulhu leaned closer. "Brother, walk carefully, and live happily."
Erik smiled faintly. "I'll try, and thank you, Brother"
The titans withdrew, fading one by one into the shadowed deep.
Soon, Erik and Death were alone again.
He turned to her.
"You risked a lot for me."
Death shrugged lightly. "Someone had to."
He smiled, small, genuine, grateful.
"So… what now?"
Death grinned.
"Now, Erik, you learn what freedom actually feels like."
And together, they stepped deeper into the vast unknown.
__________
__________
Yes I know no fight. But there never was supposed to be one. Their brothers born from the same brood, They do care for each other in this novel. They had their reasons why they sealed him. And yes it was necessary. If they didn't the universe itself could have ended before its time. In a way you could have say this is a dead timeline in DC comic logic or dark timeline... you know what i mean. But with this choice by them the timeline changed with unforeseen consequences.
Anyway it might be a little confusing but dont worry about it too much this isn't the main plot really. Might revisit it in the future who knows. It's hard writing about cosmic entities, and how they should sound.
By the way the cover pic is how he looks like in human form. This is his real form. (Pic)
Hope you enjoyed it and see you again. Any questions or concerns let me know.
I might not upload thursday with thanksgiving and all got a 12 hour shift waiting for me. Fun…