To say he was both intrigued and bored by their long conversation about his capabilities as the main character of his own story was an understatement. Everything this kid, or rather, thing, said about being special is true; a part of him still finds it hard to believe it until they dig deeper into this conversation.
The two spoke about how to use his powers and their limitations in full detail; Nya informed him that the gift of being the main protagonist is that he can alter the rules of the world depending on his mindset, beliefs, and choices, as well as the direction his story will go, shaping and modifying his environment as he sees fit through either words or strong emotions.
Carter was able to bend reality at will by believing what he wanted to happen would happen by saying anything he believed would happen as long as he believed it to be true. He can do this subconsciously, though if he knows what he wants to happen and focuses on it, he can control it much more directly.
The first test was when Carter told the floor to rise a few centimeters. The ground rippled, and a ridge appeared around the landscape as he imagined it would. It's just a slight wave, not even enough to trip over. The second one is when he tried to replicate what Nya said, telling this dwarf planet to have oxygen, which it did.
And the last one is when Carter believes he has the powers of flight by lifting his body up to the sky with nothing supporting his weight and falling back to the ground without hurting himself. This led to a better understanding of his own abilities while also trying his best to understand the complexities and reasons for having these gifts by his side.
She was also floating alongside time, impressed but bored altogether; "it seems to me that you can influence causality and story through pure words alone, to the point that it becomes fact simply because you wish it to be, whether the laws of physics allow it or not," she admitted of how Carter can use his power to shape his world; "unlike in other stories, it's not even limited to what you can imagine; the possibilities are endless, so long as you have the sanity and willpower to believe in such things."
Nya and Carter continued flying up in the air until they were outside of the said dwarf planet, having a view of the empty space all around them with endless darkness; however, his eyes lay focused on the distant blue world in the very far distance, or earth, as they call it. Seeing it somehow calms his nerves after being trapped in that white prison.
It is so small and yet so beautiful; it looks so fragile and delicate. There were no sounds in the cosmos, nothing to distract his mind. Nothing except for the presence of this entity beside him Carter looked over at her and found her to be looking at it as well.
"If you're planning to go there and start causing chaos, then forget about it," Carter warned, being certain that Nya isn't going to listen to his words in the end, "because I'm not letting you destroy the world I care about." He clenched his fists, knowing full well he might not able to stop her from achieving whatever goals she wants.
She chuckled, her expression lit up with joy: "Please, I have no interest in doing so, and if I do, then it would have been already done." She answered him in a sarcastic tone, her eyes still staring at earth: "Besides Adam, or rather, I call you Carter, don't you despise humanity?" Nya said while glancing at him for a second before turning her attention back to earth.
He paused for a moment, processing her words until he eventually answered: "Not entirely, well maybe, but I do still believe there are decent people out there; they can be greedy and selfish assholes, but at least there are some people who are willing to do what is right when push comes to shove," he murmured, not sure how he should even respond to a complicated topic like this.
Of course, he have mixed opinions on them despite being human himself, Carter silently confessed while glancing over at the small sphere of light in the eternal darkness that surrounds them.
He knows humans well, perhaps more so than any other person, and that's why he's able to sympathize with not only their achievements but their need to be independent and free to do what they desire in their lives, and because of that, he's also able to empathize with them in their struggle against the absurdity of life itself.
"Is that so?"
She hummed in curiosity as long silence lingers between them. "Say, is there reason for you to be a goody two shoes instead of ruling the world or destroying humanity itself? What's holding you back when you have all the money and charisma to change it in a heartbeat?" She asked inquisitively, wanting to know why he refuses to use his own abilities while also holding back his potential to change the world in whatever way he wants.
Silence filled the space around them when she asked this question; something his not sure why he hasn't become villain yet, "because I still care about some people," admitting to that fact; although he doesn't mind being selfish or cruel at times when the need arise but not to the extent of doing evil things, "myself included," he sighed; "there is also the fact that if they were gone then I wouldn't exist in the first place to meet and experience life itself."
Tilting her head, she turned to look at him; her eyes seemed to burn brightly, as though lit from behind. "I thought you never wanted to exist?" Speaking in a flat, toneless voice that held a note of puzzlement in it.
"Yes, that may be true, but it doesn't mean that I like to be erased from existence itself," Carter answered in an exhausted tone. The truth is that he hates living, but there is also a part of him that doesn't, because despite everything and everyone's faults, he can't help but enjoy some things about being alive, and it's the memories and experiences he has gone through his entire life.
"I want to change the topic," he says, getting a headache from this due to how mixed he is feeling from all of these shenanigans. "Can I also ask you another question if you don't mind?" He asked it in a somewhat polite and quiet voice, not wanting to anger this thing that could squash him like a bug.
Blinking for a moment, Nya nodded in acknowledgement. "By all means, speak." She spread her arms open wide, allowing him to freely speak about whatever topic he wants. "I shall acknowledge this question of yours as payment for being one of the few beings to have the privilege of basking in my presence," she said with a chuckle.
Thinking deeply for a moment, Carter eventually gathers the courage to ask one thing that has bothered him ever since he learned some details about her: "Why are you evil?" He asked in a curious and anticipated tone, hoping she wouldn't be angry for asking a stupid question like this.
"From the information I learn, the one known as Nyarlathotep or other names related to that are nothing but wicked and horrible deity that serve no purpose other than torture and torment people for fun," explaining some facts in hopes of understanding why such entities like her exist in the first place.
"So why are you the way you are?"
At first, she was quiet, staring off into the abyss, her eyes narrowing in a deadly gaze if he had ever seen one. She stayed like this for quite some time until she finally spoke, "Are you familiar with the concept of nihilism?" She asked as she glanced over, waiting for his answer with a raised eyebrow.
Slowly nodding his head, Carter already knew what she meant: "I learned it back in private university from studying philosophy; it means to believe that life and the universe itself have no meaning, that no one or nothing in life has any objective inherent value or any inherent meaning whatsoever."
He explained what it means with his own words, "logically leading to the conclusion that existence has no intrinsic reason or goal, nor is there any chance of reaching perfection and attaining the highest form of happiness because we as individuals can only experience suffering and unhappiness," adding in a grim tone at his last sentence.
With a satisfied hum, Nya mused, "Yes, that's what nihilism is in your own words; however, I do have my own reasons and beliefs, stemming from what I do, which is committing as much madness and chaos as I can to all life forms and existence at large just for the sake of causing all of it to break apart, becoming nothing more than a senseless and meaningless void of oblivion where all will suffer for eternity until I get bored of this pointless existence that is life."
He was disturbed by what he had just heard: "You don't think life is precious or worth living for?" Carter questioned as he listened to her explanation with an unnerved expression; it would be an understatement to describe her reasoning as questionable: "Is that the reason why you did every unthinkable atrocity known to man? Questioning further this entity's goal, or goal as he assumed it to be.
Grin widened, she chuckled as her eyes shined brightly with glee, "Now you're getting the picture of what I intend to achieve, Carter!" She announced her admiration for seeing his mental state deteriorate into hopelessness: "My sole goal is to commit as much madness and chaos to everything that all of you and all of us would never want to live again. Of course, the final solution is to keep repeating this because of my boredom." Her voice filled with excitement at the thought of it alone.
Disgruntled by this notion, "because you're bored?" He asked of her motive, slightly confused as to what is the true purpose of this entity or rather the reason for her being chaos itself: "Couldn't you, I don't know, use your powers on yourself instead of getting others involved?" Don't get him wrong; he doesn't care about what she does to other people, but the chance of affecting those he cares about is alarmingly worrying to him.
That same grin disappeared from her face as her eyes narrowed in disdain of being compared to those inferior to her. "Adam, or should I say Carter, life is a pointless thing in the end, existing without purpose other than to be the source of my own amusement and satisfaction while fulfilling my own goals in playing with these insects beneath my boots." Her tone was flat and cold as if she'd given thought to this very thing before.
"Why must I sacrifice my own goal for them? That's something that makes no sense at all," she answered, being honest about what she thinks about living in general.
Clicking his tongue, he had no idea what else to say other than that this is a very evil entity hiding behind the calm demeanor and form of a creepy little girl. "Anything else I should know about that can cause the world to end?" He grumbled, seeing that the only way for him to survive this situation is to humor whatever she wants to talk about.
Giving a thoughtful nod, "perhaps, but for now, let's talk about what you plan to do next and how I can benefit from it," she said in an amused voice. "Trust me, human, whatever goals you have in life, I can make them happen with a flick of my wrist, and not only that, I can even grant you your heart's desire as long as you entertain me in the slightest," she promised with a grin that seems to be as wide as the horizon itself.
Rubbing his temples in annoyance of how this conversation is going, he sigh as he looked back at earth once more, seeing it as his only escape route to ending this conversation sooner, "entertain you with what? Spreading evil under your name? Oppressing others or torturing those that refuse to obey your words?" He inquired as he continued to stare at his home planet that is growing smaller by the minute, feeling a hint of sadness in his chest at leaving it behind. "I hope that's not what you have in mind," Carter muttered.
"Now that would be more interesting!"
Her expression brightened up, seeming to have taken a liking to the idea: "However, I have grown tired in my repeating cycle of tricking, deceiving, and manipulating you humans to do horrible things to each other while causing other conflicts in the world, especially from your side." She giggled, finding it entertaining as they continued their conversation. "But all you have to do is continue being you." Nya poked his cheek with a finger.
"Do not forget that I still wished to see you suffer and fail in many different ways possible, so feel free to do what you want or how you like it, after all; all I care about is the show and entertainment I get to see from the sideline," she elaborated with a shrug. "So go ahead, try to resist what's coming, struggle to avoid the fate that awaits you at the end of this road," she encouraged with a sweet and innocent tone that did not match the content of her words.
Looking at this monster's face and seeing her appear to him in human disguise, her innocence was too believable in every way possible: "You think I'm some kind of fucking clown in a circus show who makes you laugh, huh?" He said in an irritated tone, clearly annoyed and aggravated from her words alone: "Listen, I don't give a damn about your intentions or plans to fulfill whatever twisted ideas you have; I just want to live without any of your involvement in my life," he retorted back at her in an angry manner.
This only resulted in her giggling in response: "such impudence from one who stands against an entity whose powers eclipse his own! I know who you are, human, and I know what lies in store for you at the end of the day, for we both are one and the same," she exclaimed, pointing at him in mockery of his feeble attempts at fighting against her. "Face it, Carter, there's nothing you can do to stop me, and even if you did, I'll just come back for round two!" She laughed heartily at this.
It is true that he probably could or could not defeat her if he put his mind to it. Still, she hasn't done anything to him or those he cares about yet. "If I did entertain you enough..." Pausing at this moment, he took a deep breath to calm himself down and asked, "Can you bring my wife and daughter back?
Her laughter died down into a series of chuckles. "Of course! Anything you wish," she waved a hand dismissively, "although you have to wait for it to happen when I see fit," she smiled mischievously, "the future is set in stone, after all," she added with a hint of cruelty in her words.
"This is why I despise gods," Carter scowled back at her, "they always expect people to do their bidding, and even when you do their work, they never grant you the wishes they promised in exchange for service, thinking themselves as almighty creatures that deserve to be worshiped," he uttered out, sounding disappointed from his own experience in interacting with them.
Seeing this as insult, she immediately grabbed his black tie with enraged look. "That's because you mortals are beneath us; you are insignificant bugs that exist for our amusement and purpose," she hissed while glaring at Carter in contempt. "Do not test me, human; I can easily remove your pathetic existence from this world within a snap of my fingers; remember that," Nya threatened in a low, guttural growl while tightening her grip.
Having his built-up emotions overwhelm his common sense, he bared his teeth with anger that matched hers alone. "Then prove it by returning to me my family back," Carter sneered with a defiant glare as he stood up to challenge this monster in front of him. "Or are you just some bluffing god that hides behind words alone?"
Suddenly, her head burst into a mass of squirming tendrils and many human faces. "Watch your mouth, worm, or you'll see just how dangerous a bluffing god can be when you wake up tomorrow morning without a beating heart," Nya snarled menacingly, eyes widening as she moved her hand to squeeze on his throat.
"I can do whatever I want, for I am the crawling chaos, the demon with a thousand names, the black goat of a thousand young, and the prince of lies! Forget not my title, little pig," she cackled wickedly as her other hand morphed into a blade and swung right for his neck, his body tensing as he awaited for the impact only to be stopped near inches from his skin.
Releasing her neck, her head reverted back into normal form. "You may not see it, but I am watching every step you take and every choice that you make. Do not disappoint me now," she warned before vanishing from sight in a matter of seconds. The only trace of her presence left behind is her dark laughter echoing throughout the vast emptiness of space.
Feeling his strength drained from him, Carter collapsed to his knees while floating in deep space, gasping heavily as he clutched his chest in an attempt to regain control of himself after a terrifying encounter. "I don't care...whoever or whatever you are," he growled, eyes narrowing with determination. "I will never allow you to strip away humanity's need to be independent and their rights to be themselves," he said between ragged breaths, refusing to succumb to fear and despair.
"Its the least we can do to keep moving forward."
