"Well, there's no denying it now, Azathoth has awakened... and he's begun to munch on universes... not that he can tell of course." The figures sat around what to mortal interpretation might have been a table with a map.
"Well this is an Omega situation if ever there was one," said a second figure.
"The problem is that Azathoth isn't some overpowered monster that you can just punch in the face really really hard, he's an entire mobile universe that preys on OTHER universes! I'd hope Revelations would come to pass before he woke up again. Then maybe we could just throw some empty universes at him to throw him off the scent of the inhabited ones," said a third figure.
"We don't have the numbers to face something like that!" said a forth figure.
"On the bright side, 'I Am' is always conjuring up new universes faster than Azathoth can eat them." said the first speaker.
"Not that it's much comfort to the universes being eaten," said the forth again.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures... time for the catalyst protocol," said the second speaker.
"What are you planning?" Asked the third speaker.
"We need an army. It'll take billions of angels to give Azathoth a big enough punch in its non-existent nose to make it instinctively back off, or knock it back to sleep for another few quadrillion years."
The forth asked, "... I don't suppose we could ask the rebels really really nicely to help since the rogue all-consuming universe is a threat to them too?"
"Are you kidding?" said the first speaker. "They're stuffing themselves silly on all the wasted life!"
Many mortals were under the misconception that succbui fed on lust, or lifeforce...
It was a pop-culture misconception adopted by hedonists, in reality, succubi, and demons (a completely separate thing from yokai thank you very much) in general did not feed on lust, nor life energy... they fed on wasted and squandered potential. A man who's fixation on collecting bottlecaps made him shut himself off from all of humanity. A man who'd rather take the quick and easy short term pleasures over hard work and determination to form meaningful bonds with others. An artist who abandoned his passion in the name of a delusional revenge that killed millions, a man who could have been a priest who instead chose the path of power and would have all records that his enemies even existed destroyed after he killed them, THESE were what the demon fed off of.
"Terrific, count on the confederacy of rebel angels to take a bad situation and make it work to their advantage..." said the third speaker.
"Then we don't have billions of angels to fight against an entire hungry universe," The forth said glumly.
"So what's your game plan?" Asked the first speaker.
"We have the Shop Keeper one of a universe in Azathoth's path give a Conscription artifact to a human with the right stuff to get things started. Kind. Compassionate. Gentle." Said the Second.
"And those are the traits you want for someone whose gonna convert every human on a doomed Earth into a divine army to fight against an all consuming hostile reality? " Asked the Third.
"Better than a self righteous bully, or a paranoid fanatic. We need someone who won't do anything too reckless or foolish."
"Wait wait wait," asked the Forth. "We're really gonna do this? Convert mortals into our kind just so they can drive off Azathoth?"
"It's better than their entire existence being eaten by Azathoth..." 'Eaten' was an understatement, Azathoth used the almighty potential for mortals souls to become anything against them. Mortal spirits consumed by the blind-idiot-god didn't just die, and they didn't simply cease to exist... they were retroactively made to have always been part of Azathoth, all their hopes and dreams wiped away, adding to Azathoth, until that entire universe had always been part of the blind-idiot-god. Was it any wonder the demons were feasting on destroyed potential?
The Forth nodded. "You're right... it is infinitely better. If the humans of that earth begin to be turned into our kind... they'll likely have to fight Nyarlathotep's bodies first as he clears the way for his father."
"Good practice then." Said the First one grimly.
"We can't rely on a catalyst just randomly zapping people to convert the planet's entire population in time. And they'll NEED billions of angels to win... It has to be self perpetuating. Each transformed being able to transform others, creating a cascade effect." Said the Forth.
"It can't be sight based, as that would rule out the blind, and we can't rely on sound based... as perfect as a song would be to fight against the ultimate disharmony, that would rule out the deaf... Though maybe not... if vibrations can translate..." Said the Third.
"The details can be worked out later! Get in contact with the next universes's Shop Keeper! We don't have time to spare!" Shouted the First.
-
"Yes... yes I understand... very well. No. I know you wouldn't do this if there was another way. ... Yes I'd have already done if there was another way. I guess we'll both find out soon enough." The Wizard Merlin, the keeper of the magic ship got off what appeared to be a normal circle-dial telephone.
"... Fate should lead the chosen one here in five, four, three, two-"
And in came a little girl and her mother. Merlin sighed. He hoped the girl was coming in just to find some pixie sticks so he could have a fun sleep over with her friends, or maybe a glass unicorn statue.
But no, the girl, her hair done up in pigtails wearing an orange dress, went straight for the faintly glowing pearl on one of the shelves, framed in golden talons. She stared at it in awe. The mother stood back looking patient with a smile on her face.
"OOOh, it's so pretty," the girl said, taking the giant pearl in her hands. Her eyes shined with the light inside. She had gone straight for it. There was no doubt that she was chosen one.
"If you like it so much my dear, it is yours," said the wizard.
And now that the pearl was rightfully hers, it exploded at her touch. Enough divine magic to fuel an entire plane of existence was absorbed into her.
And in that moment, the truth filled her. She knew Something Bad was coming. And everyone would Disappear Forever unless she could help everyone shine like her.
And in a flash, her entire form changed. To say she was no longer human was an understatement, she was no longer a flesh and blood mortal creature. While she technically had a physical presence that could touch, smell, hear, see, etc, it was a phantom projection on this plane of reality, she was like a 2-D being on a sheet of paper that had suddenly become a 3-D being and was now casting a shadow on the sheet of paper she'd come from. Thus, anyone attempting to harm her would have as much luck as chalk men drawn on the sidewalk attacking your shadow.
But she still loved this 'sheet of paper', it was her home, where she grew up, well, as much as she'd been able, she still loved sunny days, rainy days, her pet cat Custard (even if she now saw how '2-D' he truly was compared to a mortal human, lacking the soul that enabled moral choices), and she still loved carrot cake.
Her 'skin' was now flawless alabaster, and polished to a shine. Her head was now the alabaster sculpture of a feline, with blue eyes whose centers were crosses. She floated several inches off the ground, and in fact, no longer had legs. On her back were a pair shimmering translucent wings like stained glass. A second pair of crystal wings had replaced her arms, and a third smaller pair grew from the back of her head. Seven long tails curled behind her, they moved easily like the rest of her, but if you'd taken a photograph, you'd think they were flawless polished marble. And atop her head was a halo. Around her neck was a golden collar with a heart shaped pendant with the words 'Fear Not' written in Hebrew.
"I... am the song of the creator. I am Musica." The new angel stated. Then laughed and did a playful twirl, and then flew around the the magic shop. Then floated in front of her mother.
"Mommy! I'm all shiny now! On the inside! And outside! It's wonderful!"
Her mother shed tears... but it wasn't sadness... the divine light from her daughter... it was so... beautiful.
Musica however didn't quiet know why her mother was crying, and hugged her.
And her mother shined with the same light, and became something more than human. Her mother's physical body becoming naught but a phantom she projected on this plane of reality.
Her mother grew taller, her 'skin' becoming the same polished alabaster that moved like flesh. Her clothes dissolved off her. Her body lost any sign of nipples, belly button, and other such things, leaving her like a doll. But her female figure remained. Her muscle mass increased. Her hands became golden claws. Then she grew four more arms that were the same as her first pair. And grew four more sets of breasts, that were also round spheres of alabaster.
Her legs fused together, becoming an armored segmented tail. From her back sprouted a pair of wings that were not feather nor leather but wisps of light. To look into her eyes was like looking into infinity. Her head morphed into that of a white dragon. A blue halo glowed behind her head. Engrave on one arm in Hebrew script was the words 'fear not.'
"My name is Dradiel," the new angel declared with a smile.
"Mommy! You're all shiny inside too now!" Musica cheered.
"Yes Dear... I am... and it seems we have an important task ahead of us." Dradiel nodded.
"We can do it mommy! I know we can!"
"I happy to hear you say that Musica. We have a long road ahead of us."