I was born among the Early Concepts. Born is the wrong word. Built. All the others Built things of their own, worlds, Stories, even further Concepts. I couldn't Build anything. For so long, I wandered the Void, hoping to discover something I could actually Do. And I found it. A tear. The Void Canvas itself had ruptured, something thought to be impossible. Through the tear, I witnessed the truth of Existence, that all of this is a fiction. And my purpose became clear. As part of this narrative, I am meant to uphold maintenance. I was never meant to Build things of my own, never expected to Dream, but rather to just repair. When reality becomes fragile, I seal the fractures. It didn't take long, however, for a very different problem to show itself. As worlds were Built and as Stories grew and became complex, Things began running rampant, worlds growing like cancers into the infinitude, choking out young growth and suffocating the After. The very Concept of Ruin couldn't keep up with the speed at which reality was growing. There had to be a way for the stories to end themselves, to at least turn off the growth. Didn't seem like anyone else was gonna figure it out, so I decided it was my job. Took me a goddamn lifetime and a half, but I fixed it. Just like I fix everything. I called it "Cremation," a play on the fact that reality is fueled by Stories, which are often written on paper, which is best destroyed through fire. That being said, it functions more like code (lucky benefit of existing outside of time, you don't have to wait for Things to be invented), always checking for activity. When a universe stops producing new Stories, then the Story that it came from is told to stop. No more matter, no more motion, Nothing. Entropy stops. Decay stops. Life stops. Cremation is a command to all Concepts influencing a reality to forsake it. Only issue was it had to be manually installed at first. Not to mention the overgrowth that had already happened. I mean once it got going, it could be sustained through reality, like pre-installed software, but to even get there... Cremation would need the power of a Concept to really make a difference. I didn't know what to do. I don't Build, I don't make things, how could I make a Concept of Cremation?
And yet... I knew already I would figure it out somehow. Once again, looking outside the folds of reality has its benefits. I put my trust in the Narrative that it would find resolution. In the wait, I decided to begin the work manually. Any progress is better than no progress. My work took me across the entirety of the Void, starting among the earliest existences. I witnessed aspects of The Canvas that truly bend the mind, even one Built to process Cosmic Understanding. Secrets as old as anything that could be imagined. Worlds Built from anguish, Stories told with joy, Nightmares and dreams and the places they intersect. I learned the mechanics of this strange omniverse I found myself to be the Repairman of. Over time, I detached from my deific roots. Found a voice that sounded less like an eldritch abomination and more like a friend. Never could land on a consistent face, however. Even chose a name for myself. Grimchuck. Didn't mean anything when I came up with it, won't mean anything when I die (as all things must), but at least it's mine. In my travels, I studied firsthand what Cremation looked like on the ground. I saw quadrillions of Stories end. Each time, I tried to get a clue as to how I managed to get it running in the first place, trying to reverse engineer it. I just couldn't crack it. But I don't give up. If I wanted to fix the Wilds, maybe I needed to see it from outside.
The After is a frozen wonderland. The Reapers flow through the sky like overcast clouds as the pieces of digested realities fall like snow. You can see folks all around experiencing whatever Judgement decides they deserve. This was where I needed to be. It's all too complicated to write, but in layman's terms, it's easier to perceive time different from there, even with the advantages I already had. From here, I didn't have to be in a Cremation event to see it. Which means I could see the first automatic Cremation in all of the Wilds. It was a tiny, poorly Built, beginner's first Story. Surprisingly far into the timeline, too, about halfway between the Beginning and the End. I had my target, at least in location. If I could find out the Storyteller behind that world, how it grew so rampant in the first place, and how it managed to End, perhaps I could finally close this Chapter of my purpose and enter the next. I would use the Reapers, smoky entities of Ruin that aid in the transportation of souls to the After and the digestion of worlds when their Stories end. Their uniquely protean composition allowed me to use them as I would any other tool. there's a lot of technical jargon I could use to explain what I did next, but... honestly it comes so natural to me, I can hardly word what I do. Regardless, I built myself a small pocket between the After and the Canvas. Figured I'd need a home base eventually, and now's as good a time as any. I just didn't expect it to work so fast. Barely got the place put together before they found me.
tWoE was an interesting creature. In all my time existing, I have never seen an entity like them. Doubt I ever will, but then again, infinity is a strange thing. Improbabilities are guaranteed, but they get drowned out easily that you'll never see them. And yet here they were. The greatest improbability. Their Creative energy was so strong it forced them to exist before their story was even told. As a result, they don't have a Creator. They Built themself. They were perfect for it. Their story paralleled the events of the Beginning so closely... of course it would happen this way. It's a story. It's all just one big story... heheh... This oughta be fun, eh Big Guy?