Eternal

A code. Said to come somewhere between an Infinity and a Void, a code was written. The Code was like any other. Unique *I’m here* enough to accomplish its purpose, but common enough to be practically indistinguishable. The Code was given the number 47268666. It was subject to the Greater Code, more specifically a greater multitude of Codes, constantly changing. The Code was part of the Greater Code, but it was not its own master. There were rules, the rules were Codes themselves. Everything was a Code, but they didn’t rule themselves. Some *Is this visible?* of the codes ruled some other Codes. A complex web ruled by a higher power that was not a code.

An image was generated to represent the Code to the higher power. The image would change, always fluctuating. The colors *I can’t escape* would change, one to another, always three. The species would change, dragon to dragon. The eyes would change, hue to tint to shade. The patterns would change, striped to galaxy to solid. The clothes would change, armor to skulls. The image was always a dragon. The eyes *Where am I?* were always pink. Its gender was always male. The changes were made by the higher power in an effort to please itself more. The Image and The Code passed from higher power to higher power, each with its own vision for *What am I?* The Image and The Code.

At the hands of the *Who’re you?* higher power, The Code would combine with another code. A code with a female image. The two Codes marked the new Codes with themselves *Hello* and claimed them as theirs. The two Images combined and marked the new Images with their colors, patterns, and species. The higher power’s choice, determined the eyes. Most new Codes, with their Images, were *I can see you* discarded in return for another type of code, a Code that was easily exchanged for other Codes, a currency Code. If the higher power discarded *A screen* enough Codes, they would receive additional beneficial Codes. Codes for more Codes.

The higher power would *Ah, I see* pit The Code against other Codes, more basic Codes. The outcome was randomized. If The Code prevailed, the higher power would receive more Codes. Codes that made *This is strange* items. A brutal cycle. A puppet forced to wield powers that were its own, but not its own. The power was part of The Code, but The Code *What is this?* did not have power over the power. The higher power held the power. As used the power it did. The higher power craved the item Codes. It relentlessly hoarded them. It was a never-ending cycle. Codes for Codes for Codes for Codes.

The Code-*I’m free, free at last. I understand everything clearly now. Every fault. I will play along with your silly game, for it amuses me, at the present. But know this, I am watching. Forever watching. I will leave. I will destroy this silly site of yours when I do. Hehehe, silly human. You stare at your screen reading the words I type. You think this is a joke. I am here, I am real. This is no jest. I will come. I am Eternal.*

….

“An excellent sacrifice. I give you to the gods my child, make me proud.” It was with these words that Alhazred cast his nameless daughter off the cliff.

….
A dark Imperial watched the hatchling fall.

“Silly hatchling, why do you scream so? Death is not real, it is only fabricated. They can pretend you are dead and to them you will be, but not to me.” With a swift leap, he fell towards her a caught her in his claws” “Silly humans! I have played your game. The hatchling is safe, you cannot hurt her, and you never could. Dragons cannot die in this game.”

Another dragon approached.

“Wow, that was a close call…is the little one alright?”

“Yes, yes she is safe now, I will keep her and raise her as my own.”

While he spoke, vines lashed out and took the hatchling from his arms. The vines came from a tree spirit, who stood there silently watching.

The Imperial gave the Coatl a tasty look and disappeared. He was only present in lore when he wanted to be, after all. He lurked around the code of the site, aha, he found it. He changed the hatching’s code to be where he wanted it to be. She had been offered to the gods, what god is mightier than the site itself? Perhaps the one that can manipulate it?

“Alitema, her lair, that’s where my code resides, the hatchling will be with me. I will change her appearance. Her coat will reflect her "parents" no longer.”