CREEPS'S GOAL.

1777, APRIL 10th, SUNDAY10:11 am.

Noche crossed her arms and frowned. It was nice to have two arms to cross again. It was even nicer to have depth perception once more. Still, it was hard not to be irritated when one learned what she just did.

"So you're telling me the POE won't clean up their own mess because they don't want to?" She asked.

"If someone told you to clean up your own mess and you'd have to get trapped in that desert to do so... Would you want to?"

Noche scowled. "Fair point."

Dia's grinned widened and Galloway turned to her. Noche couldn't make out a face within the black void that was his hood, but it seemed like he was scowling at the tar harpy.

"So tell me more about Creeps and yourself," Noche said.

"Both of us are concepts brought to life by the POE's subconscious, Galloway said. "Creeps is fear. I am hope."

"Say what now?"

"You shouldn't be surprised. The subconscious can come to life in the surreal. Just look at Dia—"

"—Sup."

"She came to be when you subconsciously wanted a scapegoat. Or look at Jackalope and Grasshopper, subconscious desires for a father and mother figure."

"Wait, that's what they are?!"

"The POE's subconscious created Creeps and I. Afterall, as a personification the POE is human. So they have a human mind, and thus a human subconscious," he continued. "We are the strongest aspects of the POE's subconscious. Hope and fear."

"So you are hope?"

Galloway nodded.

"And Creeps is fear?"

"Correct. It would be accurate to say Creeps is fear itself, given form. The fear of every consciousness in existence manifested into reality."

"I can understand fear being a strong emotion... But hope?"

"Hope is essential to humans. It motivates them to act, to be. Without hope humans would be stagnant. People need hope. It gives them purpose. It gives them life."

"I think it says a lot about the POE that their hope takes the form of a grim reaper," Dia said.

Noche was dumbstruck by that. "Right. Fair... So how do I take Creeps out?"

"As long as fear exists in the hearts of humankind, Creeps will persist too," Galloway stated.

"Then how are we going to defeat Creeps?"

"By denying Creeps what it wants."

"And what is that?"

"You may have noticed that while I'm closer to a person, Creeps is closer to a force of nature. Creeps only wants to do one thing... Spread fear."

"That's why that bastard likes to eat children," Dia said. "Not because kids are a balanced part of an evil breakfast, but because kids are afraid of being eaten by monsters."

"Dia is correct. The only reason Creeps eats kids is because that's what kids fear. If anything, the rhyme is counterproductive. It makes it easier for Creeps to find kids."

"So Creeps's goal is to spread fear. Since it's a part of the POE's subconscious, I imagine it wants to do so on a large scale."

"You imagine correctly. Creeps intends to consume the seal on the POE's powers. A container that holds all of existence within it."

"The white orb."

Galloway nodded.

"Noche, do you understand what would happen if Creeps eats the seal?" Dia asked. "That's basically fear consuming all of existence. You can't get much more literal than that."

"If we do not stop Creeps, fear will consume everything," Galloway said.

"Sounds poetic," Noche stated.

"Believe me, it will not be... Let me state this clearly, Creeps is stronger than I. We are reflections of the POE's subconscious, and their fear outweighs their hope. However, with your help, we can prevent Creeps from consuming the white orb."

"And how will we do that?"

"You need to get to the white orb first and break it. Once the seal is destroyed the POE will regain their full powers and prevent Creeps from consuming existence."

"Won't Creeps then just try to eat the POE instead?"

Galloway chuckled. "Believe me, Creeps won't be a threat to the POE once they regain their power."

"However, you are the most important part of this plan," Dia said. "Your fear makes you stronger. Combined with your resistance to corruption, immortality, and ability to use Limbo. You actually have a chance of succeeding against Creeps."

Galloway approached Noche and pressed a bony finger into her arm. It left a scratch that started bleeding, however, something was wrong. Her blood was gold.

"Now that you're learning how to control Limbo and the immortality it bestows, your blood has become ichor," he said. "In fact, it would be reasonable to classify you as a kind of Demi-God now."

"Ok. That's actually kinda cool," Noche says.

"Nacho cheese," Dia chuckled.

The blonde shot a glare at Dia.

"Back when you were still new to Limbo, your blood was orange. However, now that you have a solid grasp of dying and resurrection it is now gold."

"That reminds me, I've seen orange blood before. I've never put much thought into it until now, 'cause I've seen a lot of weird shit."

"You are thinking of Tak, Vulture, and the anglerfish soldier. All of them are immortals."

"But the anglerfish soldier is dead."

"He was erased by corruption, not killed. Remember, only you can survive your body being destroyed like that because your consciousness is actually in this realm and not in your meat suit," Galloway said. "Those other immortals have their consciousness reside in their bodies. If they were erased by corruption, they are gone permanently."

"So they have orange blood because their immortality isn't as foolproof as mine?"

"Correct. They are limited to one body. You are not. You are legion."

Noche perked an eyebrow, then took out the anglerfish knife and stared at it. She was once hunted by an unkillable monster throughout the DeathTech base. A nightmare from her past she couldn't hope to face. Now with corruption and infinite lives, it would be a breeze to destroy it.

"They can't come back from nothingness... I can."

"Yes."

"I'm more immortal than Tak."

"Again, yes."

"Wow," she put the knife away. "That's weird."

"If you get to the seal first and break it, then we win. However, if you do so, the POE can no longer live life as a normal human."

"Yeah, without the white orb sealing their powers, the POE would become omnipotent again," Dia said. "Eventually their little drop of ink would fall into the ocean... Against their wishes."

"But the POE would agree, it's better to break the seal than to let fear consume everything," Galloway said.

"Speak of which, why hasn't Creeps consumed the seal yet?" Noche asked.

"The seal is still too powerful. It's the same reason you can't break it right now. Creeps is waiting for it to weaken more."

"How long will that take?"

"A few more months."

"And where is this white orb seal again?"

"Currently it resides in a pocket dimension hidden in the center of the sun."

"Ok... I have to go into space and travel nearly a hundred million miles. Great."

"Ohh, I'm surprised you knew that," Dia grinned.

"I'm rash, not dumb," Noche huffed.

"Could've fooled me."

"Bitch."

"When the seal weakens, Creeps use all its power to get there first," Galloway said. "To that end, it will appear in the spot on the planet with the most fear."

"I'm assuming it's because more fear means more power."

"Correct. Currently, the two places with the most fear in the world are the DeathTech army—"

"—obviously," Noche rolled her eyes. "Everyone is afraid of that army."

"and MoveCity... Due to it's fear of having a civil war."

"Which is perfect for you," Dia said. "Cause if MoveCity is no longer afraid of the civil war, then Creeps will be forced to appear at the heart of the DeathTech army."

"If you know where Creeps will appear, then you'll know when the seal is weak enough to be broken."

Noche put both hands in her jacket's pockets and leaned back on her heels. She looked straight up and repeated this motion a few times, bobbing up and down.

"So let me get this straight. The objective is to get rid of MoveCity's fear, force Creeps to appear in DeathTech's army, outrun it to the center of the fucking sun, and break the white orb," Noche said. "Then, and only then, I'd be rid of you, Creeps, and Edward forever."

"That about sums it up," Galloway nodded.

"Fucking... Grand."

"To clarify, Edward is an extension of Creeps. He's like a tree branch and Creeps is the tree. Similarly to how when Vulture transforms the new identity believes it's real, when really it's a costume of flesh."

"So at the end of the day, the objective is the same, cause Edward will get fucked either way."

"Basically," Dia said.

"Anything else I should know?"

"Anyone Creeps devours lives their worst fear for all eternity. That's what all the agonized faces on its back are. Unfortunate victims consumed by fear," Dia said.

"That's... Disturbing," Noche paused. "Wait, Jack's face almost appeared when he was eaten."

"You were fortunate, the sunlight interrupted the process. Jack's consciousness is not trapped in eternal torment."

Noche let out a sigh. "That's good to know."

"Shall we continue your Limbo training?" Galloway asked.

"Sure."

"You know the way out."

Noche nodded and turned to the flaming forest. She focused and a moment later the forest parted as if space itself was warped. Before her was the gold and black lighthouse. She didn't approach the door, it came to her. Noche raised her hand and twisted the knob.

The blonde stepped back out into the Neverafter forest. This time the sensation was like taking a bunch of pills right before a roller coaster ride and they all hit right before the drop. The sheer adrenaline running through her veins would've killed a normal person.

"Woah – what a rush," she blinked. "Not as bad as touching infinity, but still, that had quite the punch."

"You'll get used to it," Galloway said.

Noche turned to him and her eyes fell down to the beartrap. She grimaced and then felt around her pockets. The blonde pulled out the mirror Shaylin gave her. It was impossible not to linger on her reflection, a face clear of scars and with both eyes. Even with her depth perception back, it was hard to believe.

"I have a pinhole in my left eye's pupil?"

"That's not a normal scar."

"No... No, it isn't," Noche muttered. "I think I'll keep it. After all, it's hard to forget someone plunging a syringe full of acid into your eye."

"Come then. It's time for the next part of your training."

With that, the two walked into the depths of the forest.