Solution

Our deliberation took more time than expected, and sooner than anticipated, another attack happened, then it became the same story again and again…

One Fear would be attacked by another, the attacker demonstrating a strange disregard for anything, themselves included. The attacks were often short and soon enough one of them would leave. But, of course, when the attacker was found later, they would be of sound mind and deny ever doing such a thing.

Paranoia began to sit like a heavy mist, old and petty dislikes and hatreds began to flare up and keep on burning. I am positive that the Brute would have enjoyed being in an atmosphere with these characteristics… But the mere mention of it seems had a strange effect on the Bride. Her flames, usually bright... They were dim, and her face expressed nothing but sorrow.

Eventually the childish rancour and dreads died away in the face of our predicaments. The few servants that weren’t deluded by their master’s atypical behaviours informed us that these attacks were extending to humanity as well. At first the humans blamed it on terrorist actions and chemical warfare but things began to get worse and worse…

We intervened were we could, always trying to stay out of the way; arriving early enough to catch the Fear attacking and stop them, or at least remove the bodies before they added to general panic.

And then something extraordinary happened. Two fears that came from interrogating a suspect found an attack, by that very same suspect, but something was wrong with it... It was a somewhat perfect copy in countenance but mindless and maligned in conduct. When news of such event arrived, immediately wild theories began to swirl around and between us, it was only the late arrival of an old friend, the Tassiturn, which prevented the ideological chaos from stopping our efforts.

His confirmation as to the nature of these attacks proved vital over the next few days, as we became more productive in our efforts, but it was not enough. More and more attacks came often in places we could not intervene, for fear of alerting humanity to us. Regardless, we began to press our servants into use, to speak in our behalf in convincing the remaining human governments to trust us.

This act alone began to turn the tide, perhaps not as much as we could have hoped, for even as we worked, time was growing short. The Tassiturn theorized that while the actions of our opponents were made by instinct and in the interests of spreading general chaos, it still wasn't sure as to why they behaved that way. Moreover, he expressed something that left us in a desperate situation... Among those "afflicted" with this bout of madness, was the Quiet. Its presence, coupled with he multitude of attacks by many Fears, were eroding the Veil... Without it, any unwanted reality may bleed over... 

 

At the rhythm this is going, we dread that a complete overlay may happen. Through our servants, and later by our ally’s help, we have learned that a particular universe is trying to converge. We have seen little flashes of it, which became longer in duration the more the Quiet tears at the veil…

Through the little "visions" we have seen of this reality, we noticed a particular presence. A creature unlike any other… golden and majestic in look, with a mask shielding its features…

What it was, we could not be sure. But the strange and cold rule over the remaining humans in that world told us of a creature alien in mind… That was not dissimilar to us…

And curiously… we never found others of us.  It was only that creature…. And nothing else.