Building a magic system on threat of destruction

A few days ago.

Plexion walked out into the void. He had seen something in this general direction multiple times. He wasn't sure what could possibly be here in the void but was interested in finding out. Truth be told, Plexion was desperate for stimulation. The white void could easily drive someone mad, a person left alone with nothing but time and silence would quickly lose sanity.

Plexion had always been a curious person, anything he didn't know or understand was enjoyable to him. Demons, by nature, tended to be a bit obsessive, and Plexion had been obsessive with learning. This had led to great success in his personal life, magic, politics, and even personal friends had all come easily to him. With enough time and effort, almost everything in his life could be understood. When he had died, he had been forced into this hell. Days spent alone, with no stimulus or ability to do anything had been enough to make him pull his hair out.

That had all changed when he had found Jack. The strange spirit had single-handedly saved Plexion. His work with the system was unlike anything Plexion had ever seen, and he dived into it eagerly. It had only become more of a saving grace when Jack became able to see him. Actually talking to another person had done wonders for his sanity, even if he was fairly sure his mind had changed forever in the white void.

But these days, Jack was busy on Drowl. Plexion had the butterflies, and he could watch people through screens, but it just wasn't the same. Most of the people he wanted to check in on didn't have statuses, and peering at people without their consent was...a little creepy to him. It made him feel like a hypocrite, after all, he had hated the High Deity for doing exactly that. So in the interest of keeping himself entertained, he went to go investigate something new.

As he got further from Jack's workstation, he left a trail of magic behind him. Small, personal signatures that only an expert would be able to detect. They would help him find his way back if he lost sight of Jack's station in the distance. He moved generally toward where he had seen small smudges of color. The only thing he could think of was that somehow, another spirit had gotten stuck up here.

He wasn't sure how something like that could have happened, the only reason Plexion had gotten stuck here was that he possessed the ability to hide from the High Deity, even in death. The idea that someone else could have discovered the magic to hide themselves between the time the High Deity became neutralized and now, and then died? It was ludicrous to consider, but it was the only theory Plexion had.

There were no hills in the void. But things far away seemed to fade from sight, blurring into obscurity before disappearing. As Plexion kept walking, he started to see some blurs in the distance. They seemed to be getting closer, and Plexion approached them quickly. Soon, the shapes of three figures materialized. Three humans in simple clothing jogged toward Plexion, two men and a woman. One of the men raised his hand in greeting, calling out to Plexion.

"Ho, friend!" the man called out.

Plexion continued his quick walk towards them, raising his own hand in greeting.

When they were a bit closer, everyone slowed before stopping about eight feet apart. The man who had called out earlier smiled at Plexion, his posture easygoing. "Hello there. You new to this place?"

Plexion glanced at the other man and the woman. They had neutral expressions, but their posture seemed guarded, even a bit hostile. Crossed arms, bodies turned away slightly, jaws a bit tense. He addressed the friendly-looking man. "It's hard to say." Plexion put a smile on, trying to be vague. "It feels so...alien here. Can't even measure time passing."

The man nodded sagely. "Yeah, it hits some people harder than others. Most get over it pretty quick though. The name is Brims, by the way." Then he pointed at his two companions. "This is Strig and Frim. We're looking for wanderers around here."

"Wanderers?" Plexion asked. This man was talking as if there were dozens of people up here, just milling about in the void.

"That's right. We've got a community around here. I volunteered to scout around for people." He gestured to the surroundings. "Not like there's much danger, but people are popping up all over the place."

There was an undercurrent to this situation. Plexion had come from the direction of Jack's workstation, and unless he missed his guess, these people had been keeping an eye on them from a great distance. They hadn't ever gotten close enough to identify Plexion as someone staying there, but they might assume he was. The fact that they weren't outright asking him though, they didn't want to let him know there might be other groups out there.

They wanted him to need them. Likely, if he played along, they would take him back to their community. Plexion was very curious about this gathering, how many people could really be up here? "Well, I'd sure love some friendly faces. Mind if I join you?"

Brims smiled. "Of course, friend. Follow us." The group turned and began leading Plexion further away from Jack's domain. Brims turned back as they walked. "Didn't catch your name, by the way."

The odds that someone at the camp would know who Plexion was were high, but that was a later problem. For now, he would lie. "Mixix."

Brims chatted aimlessly as the group walked. The other two kept their heads on a swivel, not speaking. The three of them walked in synch, their steps in time with each other. They seemed like a trained team rather than three random people, and Plexion decided to be a bit more wary of them.

As they walked, blurs began to appear in the distance in front of them. Dozens upon dozens of blurs appeared, and more materialized with every minute they walked closer. Plexion was shocked at the growing sight in front of him. Hundreds of people sat and stood around, talking and playing. There were people of all ages and races, adults and children mingling and interacting.

Plexion stared, openly shocked at the gathering before him. People raised their hands in greeting as Brims and the others walked closer, Plexion in tow. There were just people and the things they wore. It was odd to see so many people gathered and...not doing anything. There was no food, no drinks, no furniture, or any kind of distractions. There were people at the fringes, clearly uncomfortable with the large crowd but not willing to leave.

A number of people pointed and began whispering as Plexion walked through the camp. Brims seemed to be leading him into the center of the group, looking around as if searching for someone in particular. Plexion knew his cover had probably been broken, but was too astonished at this to really care. After a moment, Brims called out to someone. "Hey! Jimmel!"

An older human man turned to look at them, smiling as they approached. "Welcome back Brims, Strig, Frim." He shook each of their hands, and the other man and woman seemed to relax. Jimmel turned to regard Plexion. "I see you found someone. Good to meet you, friend."

A demon Jimmel had been speaking to whispered something in the older man's ear, and Jimmel's eyes widened in surprise. "I've just been told you very closely resemble the former king of all demons. Anyone ever tell you that?"

Brims turned in surprise to look at Plexion. Plexion sighed, then nodded. "You caught me." He posed dramatically. "You stand before the late King of all Demons, Plexion the first, bane of the High Deity!" The last title had been one he had given himself after death, but he was rather fond of it.

Instantly, some of those assembled bowed deeply. Plexion laughed, ushering them back up. "None of that. I'm dead now, a king without his kingdom is no king at all."

Jimmel chuckled, shaking Plexions hand vigorously. "Glad to have you here. I'll be honest, I thought I was one of the oldest spirits here."

Plexion shrugged. "I didn't even know there were other spirits up here. How is this possible?"

It was Jimmel's turn to shrug. "Don't know. I died peacefully on my bed and wound up here. I waited for the High Deity to come and reincarnate me, but he never did. More and more people started popping up, and I felt like I needed to do something. So I gathered people up, and here we are."

Plexion's mind was racing. All these spirits and none of them were being reborn. Did the High Deity actually reincarnate them all personally? If the process wasn't automatic then...that meant that he and Jack had accidentally broken the world in a way they couldn't fix.