Aurelion sat on the asteroid, his legs dangling over the edge, staring out at the endless void.
He was stranded.
On a rock.
In the middle of nowhere.
"Well," he muttered. "This is fine. This is absolutely fine. I've been in worse situations. I've been thrown into black holes, punched demon kings, survived the collapse of a fortress. I can survive this."
He paused.
"I just have to figure out how."
He looked around. The void stretched in every direction—just open space, endless and empty. No pathways. No glass-like network. No distant points of light leading anywhere. Just stars and darkness and the overwhelming silence of nothingness.
He sighed.
"Great. Just great."
He was about to start brainstorming when a shimmer of light appeared in front of him.
It was small at first—a flicker, barely visible. Then it grew, expanding into a shape. A small robot materialized out of the void, its body sleek and metallic, its single optical sensor glowing with a warm blue light. It hovered in front of him, its little arms folded behind its back.
"Well," Aurelion said. "That's new."
The robot tilted its head. Then it spoke in a little cheery voice, chirpy and bright.
"Hello, traveler! Congratulations! You are now in the space between worlds!"
Aurelion blinked.
"Uh. Thanks?"
"You are welcome!" The robot bobbed up and down, its sensor flickering. "My name is K-7. I'm a guide! I am here to assist you in navigating the Great Structure and understanding the nature of your current predicament."
Aurelion stared at it.
"Great Structure?"
"The network of pathways that connect worlds! The glass-like surfaces, the rippling pathways, the junctions that lead to distant realms! It has many names. I prefer 'Great Structure.' It's more accurate."
Aurelion looked around at the empty void.
"Right," he said slowly. "But there are no pathways here. It's just... nothing."
The robot bobbed. "Correct! You are currently in the open void. The pathways are elsewhere. You were removed from them."
"Removed?"
"By the Chrono Guardian. It ejected you from the Great Structure. You are now floating in the space between spaces, separate from the network that connects worlds."
Aurelion absorbed this.
"Okay," he said. "So... you're a guide for the Great Structure."
"Correct!"
"And you're here to help me navigate it."
"Correct!"
"Great." He stood up, brushing off his clothes. "But I'm not in the Great Structure right now. I'm in the void."
The robot beeped. "That is correct! But I can still assist you. My purpose is to help travelers who find themselves lost in the space between worlds. Even if you are not currently on the pathways, I can guide you back to them."
Aurelion nodded slowly. "Okay. Good. So... questions. I have a lot of them."
The robot bobbed. "Ask away!"
"Alright." He pointed in the general direction of where he had come from. "What the hell was that giant starfish thing that smacked me across the void?"
The robot beeped booped for a moment, its sensor flickering as it processed the question.
"Ah! You encountered a Mundikuni!"
"A what?"
"A Mundikuni." The robot's voice took on a slightly more informative tone. "They are not a species per se. More a category of being. Any hyperorganism dwelling in the space between spaces that is large enough to host complex life inside of itself is considered a Mundikuni."
Aurelion frowned. "So... it's a living world?"
"Correct! They are living worlds, creatures that have grown so large that they serve as worlds unto themselves. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some are no larger than a small moon, while others outsize galaxies and are capable of hosting thousands of complex societies within their gargantuan forms."
Aurelion's eyes widened. "Thousands of societies?"
"Indeed!" The robot beeped. "Unlike Mimic Planes, which consume their inhabitants, Mundikuni exist in harmony with the beings they host. They serve as oases of life for travelers gone astray in the whipping currents of the space between spaces. Some are even rumored to host remnant Archaean factions that were lost amidst their species' initial expansion into the Great Structure."
Aurelion absorbed this.
"So... that giant starfish thing is basically a living planet. With people living on it."
"Correct!"
"And I just got smacked by it."
"Correct!"
He sighed. "Of course I did."
"Tread carefully should you find yourself exploring a Mundikuni," the robot continued. "Despite their size, they are sensitive creatures. Those who dwell within them know best how to avoid stimulating an immune response from their hosts, and you would do well to seek out and heed their advice."
Aurelion nodded slowly. "Okay. Good to know. I'll keep that in mind."
He looked around again.
"Any idea how I get back to the Great Structure? I need to get back to my world."
The robot beeped. "That depends. Do you have a destination in mind?"
"Earth. That's where I'm from."
The robot's sensor flickered. "I apologize. I am not familiar with that designation."
Aurelion blinked. "Earth? You don't know Earth?"
"I am a guide for the Great Structure. My knowledge is limited to the pathways, the realms, and the entities that dwell within the space between worlds. I have no knowledge of worlds beyond the Great Structure itself. I am not built to remember individual worlds—only to help travelers navigate the network."
Aurelion stared at the robot.
"So... you can't help me get home?"
The robot was silent for a moment. Then, softly: "I cannot help you get to a destination I do not know exists."
Aurelion slumped.
"Great," he muttered. "Just great."
The robot bobbed. "I can, however, help you find the pathways. Once you are back on the Great Structure, you can navigate to your destination on your own. If you know the way, I can assist you in navigating the network to reach it."
Aurelion sighed. "I don't know the way. I barely know where I am. I just walked through a door and ended up here."
The robot's sensor flickered. "Through a door?"
"Yeah. A door in a fortress. On Earth."
The robot was quiet for a moment. Then: "I have no data on a door. Or a fortress. Or Earth."
Aurelion rubbed his face.
"Okay," he said. "Okay. This is fine. I'll figure it out."
He looked at the robot.
"Can you at least point me toward the nearest pathway? To get me out of this void?"
The robot beeped cheerfully. "Yes! I can absolutely help you with that."
It turned, orienting toward a distant point of light—barely visible, flickering on the edge of perception.
"That direction. The nearest junction is approximately... some distance away. I cannot calculate exact measurements in the void. But it is there."
Aurelion stared at the distant light.
"Right," he said. "Okay. Let's go."
He started swimming through the void.
It was slow going. The emptiness stretched in every direction, endless and cold. He pushed forward, his arms and legs propelling him through the nothingness. The distant point of light that K-7 had pointed toward seemed impossibly far away.
"Remind me again," he said, his voice strained. "Why am I doing this?"
"Because you wish to return to the pathways," K-7 replied cheerfully. "And the pathways are that way."
"Right. Of course." He kept swimming. "Any chance you have a faster way?"
The robot beeped.
"Actually, yes!"
It hovered in front of him, its little arms extended. A compartment on its chest opened, and two small objects ejected outward. They flew toward Aurelion's feet, latching onto his boots with a soft click.
Aurelion stopped swimming, looking down.
"What are these?"
"Specialized propulsion units for movement within the Great Structure!" K-7's voice was bright. "They will allow you to travel through the void at a much faster pace. They are designed to work in the space between spaces, using the ambient energy of the void to propel you forward."
Aurelion studied the devices. They were sleek, compact, humming with a faint blue light.
"Jetpacks," he said.
"Essentially, yes!"
He grinned. "I like you, K-7."
"Thank you!"
He activated them.
The devices hummed, and suddenly he was moving—fast. The void blurred around him as he shot forward, the distant point of light growing rapidly closer. He laughed, the sound echoing strangely in the emptiness.
"This is amazing!"
"I am glad you approve!"
He slowed down, turning to face the robot. It was keeping pace with him easily, its small form gliding through the void.
"You're sticking around with me?" he asked.
The robot bobbed. "Of course! I am a guide. Every sentient being navigating the Great Structure has one with them at all times. It is standard protocol."
Aurelion blinked. "Every being? Like, everyone?"
"Everyone! The Great Structure is vast and dangerous. Guides are essential for safe navigation. Without one, travelers often become lost, or worse."
"Worse?"
"Some are never found again. Others encounter entities that are less than friendly." The robot paused. "Like the Chrono Guardian. Or the Mundikuni."
Aurelion shuddered. "Right. I've met both of those."
"Indeed. You were fortunate to survive your encounters."
He considered that. "So you're basically my permanent travel companion now?"
"Correct! I will remain with you for as long as you are within the Great Structure."
Aurelion nodded slowly. "Okay. Good to know."
They traveled in silence for a moment.
"So," Aurelion said. "What else can you do? Besides giving me jetpacks and being a walking encyclopedia?"
The robot beeped. "I have weaponry!"
Aurelion perked up. "Weaponry? What kind?"
"Defensive capabilities. They are not powerful enough to defeat a Mundikuni, but they can fend off smaller threats. Enough to give a traveler time to retreat."
"Show me."
The robot complied.
Two small sparklers ignited on its hands, casting a faint, flickering light in the darkness. They sputtered and sparked, barely illuminating anything.
Aurelion stared.
"That's... it?"
K-7's voice brightened. "I am joking!"
The sparklers vanished. A compartment on its back opened, and something massive extended—a comically large railgun, its barrel longer than the robot itself, its surface covered in glowing blue conduits.
Aurelion's eyes went wide.
"Holy—"
"Standard guide-issue defensive armament," K-7 said cheerfully. "Capable of deterring most threats in the Great Structure. Including small Mundikuni."
Aurelion stared at the weapon.
"Okay," he said slowly. "That's... that's impressive."
"Thank you!"
The railgun retracted back into the compartment.
"Alright," Aurelion said. "Let's get to those pathways."
He turned and started moving again, the jetpacks propelling him forward.
The void stretched on.