The Darkness After - SCP Foundation

Sorrow. Out of all the emotions to afflict the sapient races, sorrow is by far the most prevalent. Perhaps it's because there are so many things to feel sorrowful about…

The Scarlet King. An ineffable emptiness of unfathomable power, one that had devoured all his pawns for their power. The Gods. Incomprehensible beings of immeasurable strength, beings with weapons made in the forges of creation themself. The most powerful beings in all of existence, fighting to deter oblivion, to delay the end. There was no competition.

The Scarlet King ripped through the Gods like a wet paper bag, consuming each fallen one's essence, growing stronger and stronger. And with each God consumed, so too was the God's morale consumed. Perhaps that is why the sapient species feel sorrow. Somewhere, out there, is something consuming their hope, their joy, their happiness.

Sorrow. Out of all the emotions to afflict the sapient races, sorrow is by far the most prevalent. It was felt by the humans of Earth, where the grounds shattered as the sky ripped open. It was felt by the Writers, as their pages turned to ash and their realities were turned to nothing. It was felt by the anti-narratives, by the God's children, by everything and everyone. All beings from all corners of reality slumped over and wept with the strength of their sorrow as their worlds came crashing down around them.

But the Scarlet King was one and the Gods were many. For every 5 killed, 20 took their place. And for a moment, it appeared as if the King was being overwhelmed, being driven back by the sheer numbers that faced him. For surely not even one as mighty as the Scarlet King could triumph over such power? Surely not even the Scarlet King could hope to survive. But alas, it was not to be. As the Gods had continued to charge the King, so too had the King continued to grow stronger upon their being. Until finally, the Gods were as ants to the boot that was the Scarlet King.

As the Scarlet King finally finished its subsumption of the foolish Elder Gods that had challenged him, so too did a shadow of crimson settle over Creation. All hope was lost, for the Scarlet King had won. There was no one left to challenge it, for there was no one -

And the Scarlet King stopped. For in this void beyond time was something new, something unexpected. For there was light, and there was truth. A God of Gods, a truth of truths. A Creator. And the Scarlet King knew hate for the first time since its inception. And Creation knew hope for the first time since the war. God had come for them. God had come to save them.

And so commenced the indescribable, a battle beyond dualities. God vs the Devil, good vs evil, sorrow vs hope, and yet, so much more than that. And it was glorious. For the first time in existence, this void without time shone with the force of a thousand blazing supernovas. Creation wept and cheered in equal measure, as these two supreme beings exchanged blow after blow after blow. Neither gave ground, and neither gained it. Everything and everyone throughout Creation felt it, ubiquitous as it was.

It was felt by the first Homo erectus, where they bowed down and prayed to obscure Gods, long since destroyed.

It was felt by the space-faring ancestors of Cryptomorpha gigantes, prompting them to leave their dying world for another.

It was felt across all time and all space. And in this short period, every being in existence bowed down and prayed to their Creator for salvation. And they waited in fear, in anticipation of the winner of this mammoth battle. And then it was over. And the dust began to settle.

Emerging from the dust was the Scarlet King. The Devil had slain God. And the Scarlet King walked, walked towards the Tree, towards the darkness after, as Creation marched right beside it. The King entered the Garden, and there it was…

-

-

-

Oblivion.

+ Epilogue

- The Darkness After

Time as a concept had long since ceased to have any meaning. But in this nothingness, this empty oblivion beyond all, long after creation had been rendered nought, the ineffability once known as the Scarlet King stirred in its slumber, opening its non-existent eyes. The end of everything meant nothing to one who was the end of everything. And in this quiet void, the Scarlet King saw Infinity. Rows and rows of neatly lined Trees, in a Garden that stretched on for eternity. And there was going to be blood.

« Metal and Hellfire