FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Silence. An eternity wrapped in a blanket of stars, all shining their light from the farthest reaches of the cosmos. Beacons of life, of beginnings and ends of countless stories. A tiny slice of the night sky of a thousand-billion worlds. Upon this unmarked throne of creation sat a mechanical leviathan, its bone-white surface reflecting only the faintest hint of light from the distant stars upon which its lonely denizen gazed. The smooth, factory-like structure gave way to long, piercing spires on the top and bottom, around which glowing metal rings circled, their mysterious energy holding the colossal structure in place.

Perhaps the most striking feature of this cosmic mystery, however, was the protrusion of a metallic representation of a hominid from the tallest, most central spire above the main structure; a depiction of a feminine entity, clad in a long, flowing dress, her hands pressed delicately to her chest, as if clutching something unspeakably vital to her heart. Ten wings, crafted of the same bone-colored metal, protruded from this feminine colossus' back and melded with the spire from which she observed the universe around her, her unblinking eyes keeping watch over the glimmering starlight of an infinite cosmos.

It was from this colossus that a figure did emerge from the metallic casing of the mechanical marvel floating in this otherwise empty corner of space. The very image of the metal-crafted matron faded into view from seemingly nothing, her ten wings unfurling and shining like the very starlight that lit her machine's structure. One leg emerged from the hull, and then another, the colossal woman taking slow, careful steps across invisible and untouchable planes of space and time, until her brilliant wings had finally separated from the leviathan behind her.

The womanly figure slowly descended from her perch, high above the machine, and came to a stop before the bulky center of its masterfully-crafted hull. Brilliant blue eyes opened and surveyed the cosmos set out before her with an unknowable perception; an appreciation of details far too fine, too far off for mere mortals to ever understand.

"Is it that time already?" she asked to the void, the endless emptiness before her all-seeing eyes. She asked, knowing no answer would be given in return. She asked, knowing all too well the answer to her own question.

The woman's wings extended to their full, enormous span and shone with their brilliant starlight, and the leviathan at her back began to stir. A mechanical hum, nigh imperceptible in the emptiness of space, signaled the beginning of a series of processes. The mysterious machine needed only a brief moment to complete her request, and from its shining hull came a faint sphere of light, gently floating outward and merging with the light within the woman's outstretched wings.

Her arm stretched out before her, hand turned upward, and the glowing sphere appeared once more. It rode up over her shoulder, circled three times around her arm as it approached her hand, then sat sleepily upon her open palm, its curious inner light pulsing weakly, like the heart of a sleeping child.

"It is time for you to awaken once more, O purest of souls, O he of the Silver Heart." the colossal woman spoke once more, bringing her other hand to the ball of light held in her grasp. Her arms bent, raising the orb carefully upward to her lips as she drew in a breath of the airless void. Deep blue eyes shut as she exhaled, cupping the orb in her hands as she breathed so slowly, so carefully into it. A deep, warm light shone out from the spaces between her fingers, and the once weak pulse of the sphere in her hands now beat with a strong, excited rhythm.

A brief pause separated the last seconds of her exhalation and the release of the sphere, which floated down a short way before falling still once more. In its brilliant white depths, a figure began to take shape; a roughly-humanoid form, tall, if not for the fetal position in which it emerged, and toned like a warrior. Bright white fur became apparent as the surrounding light began to dim, and a vulpine head formed out of the vague shape that had preceded its once featureless face. Silver-gray hair topped the emerging male's head, and two brilliant white wings budded and quickly sprouted from his back, folding there neatly and resting against his soft fur. The bright glow of this soul given life faded to a dim aura around the angel's body.

Deep blue eyes opened and beheld the cosmos for the first time in countless years, blinked twice, and then rose to gaze upon the divine figure floating in space before them. An awe-struck gaze was the angel's first response, and just as a man who'd just met God, he could do little but stare.

"Good morning, Ildac." the colossal woman's voice rang in his ears.

"Il...dac." he tested the word on his tongue, and as if a switch had been flicked, the answer to his unvoiced question came to his lips, "That's... me."

"Good, you remember." the woman's lips formed into a smile. One hand rose and pressed against her chest as she asked, "Do you remember me? Who I am?"

Ildac blinked again and paused for a long moment. He was confused and very groggy, like he'd just woken from a long nap, but somehow the whole situation felt... familiar to him. And that woman's smile, even as large as it was compared to his small body, put him at ease. Despite that, however, he could not quite place why any of this was familiar, and answered with a slow shake of his head.

"That's alright. It's normal to forget some things upon rebirth."

"Rebirth?" this question quickly sunk under the next, "Who... are you? Where am I?"

"I?" the woman's arms moved out to her sides, motioning with one, then the other, to the vast cosmos surrounding them and her machine. "I am everything... and yet I am nothing. I am all there every was, and all there ever shall be. I am the beginning, and I am the end." her hand returned to her heart, fingers gently closing, "I am the All Maker. All things in the cosmos are my creation. Including you, my ray of light."

"The All... Maker." again, he tested the words. It was a wonder he'd even remembered how to speak. Words felt so foreign, so meaningless to him in this strange state of absolute grogginess. Just how long had he been... asleep? Hibernating? Or even... "All Maker... Am I..."

"Dead?" she finished his question and nodded slowly, "You have been for quite some time. But death was never truly the end of anyone or anything. Not for man, nor beast, nor angel, nor god. Death is a step in a cycle, one that my machine helps to facilitate."

Only then had Ildac become aware of the mechanical marvel framing the body of the All Maker. His curious eyes went wide, and perhaps humorously, he leaned his body to the left, as if it would reveal something blocked by the imposing figure of the Goddess before him.

"I'm sure you must have questions, my child. What happened millennia ago, what you did in your life before your Long Sleep, and where you are to go now." the All Maker's head bowed just slightly, as if she regretted having to continue this statement, "I'm afraid I can answer only one of those questions now... and it will have to be through actions, rather than words. There is much to be done, and so little time to prepare."

Ildac's mind raced. Indeed, he did have questions. Too many to voice, in fact. Too many to even fully process even half of them in this groggy state. But he would be given no time to gather his thoughts, it would seem. A wave of the All Maker's hand surrounded his body in light, and he could feel a most peculiar tingling all over his body. He looked down at his hands, his waist, his legs, and found that they were quickly dissolving back into the light which had made him! His eyes darted around frantically, and for a moment he was able to bring his gaze back up to his creator. "What... What are you doing? What's happening?"

"I'm sorry, Ildac. I must send you on your way."

Already? He'd only just awakened, and he was being sent to places unknown. A familiar feeling crept up into his chest, and before he even knew what it was, his lips had given it voice, tears welling up in his eyes. "I... I'm afraid..."

This appeared to give the Goddess pause. Whether it was from shock or pity, the angel could not tell. That serene smile returned a moment later, however, and calmed his fears somewhat. The All Maker leaned forward and placed a large finger under the angel's chin, "It's ok, my child. Where you're going, you will be safe. You will be ok, Ildac."

The fox could say nothing more. His thoughts began to fragment as the rest of his body dissolved, and a feeling of peace spread over his mind and soul. His eyes shut just as the last of his form returned to the light, gravitating toward a central point and becoming the orb of light he'd formed from.

The All Maker's hand once again took hold of the sphere, the Goddess scanning the star-filled horizon with her all-seeing eyes. With a confident nod, she released the angel's soul and gave it a little pat. The orb of light flashed twice, then took off at light speed, its motions near imperceptible by even the Goddess of all creation. In seconds, it was out of sight, fully on its way to its destination.

"Rest well on your trip, my ray of light." the Goddess said, ascending to the metallic figure crafted in her image, "For it will be the last True Sleep you experience in a long, long while."

The All Maker's form slowly turned translucent and began to meld into the colossus from which she'd emerged. Her eyes slipped shut, and in moments, she was gone, leaving the space around her marvelous machine empty of all signs of life once more. From within the depths of the leviathan, she called out to her newly reborn angel one final time, "You are the last ray of hope for the continuity of life. Should you fall to darkness, the cosmos will soon follow. Be strong, my angel..."

The mechanical hum of the All Maker's machine fell to a low tone, and the throne of creation was silent once more.

"...for I will not be there when your finest moment arrives."

Ildac's blue and green eyes shot open, and he quickly looked left, then right. He blinked twice and squinted as a ray of sunlight fell upon his face. A quick inspection of his body alleviated his concerns that he'd really been turned into a ball of light, and he slumped back onto his bed and heaved a heavy sigh. He stared at the ceiling for a long moment before slowly pulling himself out of bed, his black-feathered wings slumping lazily behind him.

"I swear I have the weirdest dreams..." the angel grumbled to himself, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. It had indeed been a dream most surreal, one deserving a quick jot down into his journal. But that could come a little bit later. A growl in his stomach signaled his need for breakfast, and thus another day in the angel's life began.