One might think that non-euclidean entities like me don’t need to sleep.

  Wrong!

  It is quite the contrary. Some things, eldritch or otherwise, can only exist in the hallowed landscape of dreams.

  I am, therefore I dream.

  The first thing I dream of isn’t a picture or visage. It is sound.

  “Wua~aaa~aaa ?,” it rings, getting louder by the second.

  “Aaa~Aaa~Aaa ?,” it fills my mind entirely. It's loud but not overbearing.

  “Aaa-aaa-AAAHHH!” it culminates. The voice is angelic.

  Then, the world I dream of flashes in bright and blinding light.

  And then I see… I see IT.

  I observe it, therefore IT exists.

  I am graced with its majestic image.

  I am filled with joy. I am awed. I am lost for words.

  The thing I see is… It is a cube. No, not just a cube.

  It is the CUBE, cube of all cubes. The one, The only, The legendary.

  The Cube.

  How do I know it? – I don’t.

  I feel it with my very being.

  How am I so sure?

  You don’t know love. You feel it!

  And I feel so much that I fear I might explode.

  IT is perfect in every way.

  Its geometry is superior. Its shape is no less than divine.

  It has six faces, all shiny and smooth, each better than the last.

  The cube is perfectly symmetrical. Its faces are extremely handsome.

  The surface is without a single crack or blemish.

  It’s made out of cool, glistening obsidian.

  It blows out any pretender sphere by leaps and bounds.

  Those who say the Universe is round, elliptical, or stretched out like a string…

  Those are fools. Fools, I say!

  The TRUE face of the Universe is right in front of me.

  It is how the Universe perceives itself.

  Cubical. Symmetrical. Perfect. True to its nature.

  But also… Embodiment of ORDER.

  Yes, cubes radiate that don’t they?

  They are rather orderly. And this one is THE symbol of it.

  But isn’t it strange? – It is!

  The Universe is nothing but chaos.

  Actually, it's all chaos.

  A thousand layers of chaos, each layer slathered with a generous amount of entropy.

  There is nothing orderly about the Universe. And yet…

  IT sees itself as a Cube.

  Perhaps it desires order. Perhaps it loves rules and laws.

  Perhaps it craves that which it doesn’t have.

  Perhaps that’s why… Why, I see a cube, the Cube.

  Either way, I bask in its glory. Angelic Aaa?’s ring in the background.

  I’ve never had a dream vivid like this.

  I feel drawn to the cube, my shadows drifting closer.

  I want to touch it. I want to embrace it.

  I want to…

  The cube vibrates with power. The angelic voices stop.

  I am faced with its overbearing presence. Its aura is thick like water.

  I feel my shadows wavering. I feel like drowning in its now suffocating presence. My membrane bubbles, its surface spiking up.

  IT doesn’t want to be touched.

  The Cube turns rapidly, each turn a different face.

  It keeps turning as if telling a coded message.

  It has no voice, but I can hear IT speaking.

  It’s a perfect cube, each face a perfect copy, yet I can tell each face apart. I know their meaning.

  And it’s telling me…

  “If you build IT, they will come.” It booms in my mind. Voice clear and unforgettable.

  “IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME.” It repeats. The voice is so strong it might break my mind.

  “??????????F?????????? ??????????Y??????????????????????????????? ??????????B?????????????U????????I???????L????????????????????? ????I???????????T??????????,???????? ?????????T???????????????????????????????Y?????????? ????????????????????????????L???????????L????????? ?????????C?????????????????????M??????????E???????????.???????????” I feel my mind breaking. The voice of the Universe is too much.

  It’s painful.

  I sense my shadow unraveling, my inner vortex grinding to a halt.

  Right before I cease to be, I ask a single question.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “Build? Build what?”

  "T?????????????H?????????ē????????? ????????????C????????????U??????????B???????????ê????????????"

  I can’t make it. I don’t know what IT says.

  My mind unravels.

  … … …

  I find myself awake.

  > You take ExistentialDamage

  I feel shaken to the very core. It hits me leagues harder than a paltry berry bush ‘bite’.

  > Warning. 1/100 HP – I’m left with a paltry sliver of health.

  And yet, despite the pain I feel. I am filled with joy.

  I couldn’t be happier because I was there! And I saw IT.

  I have observed the true form of the Universe, the perfect shape.

  And yet, there is more.

  > Title Unlocked: Beholder of the True CUBE

  A Title, a Passive Skill, and a Resistance.

  Yes. Yes! YES!

  And now… I must build it.

  Whatever it is.

  ===

  Three young, hot-blooded adventurers loom over the guild receptionist’s counter.

  A hot-blooded party leader slams his fists on the countertop.

  “I tell you this was no mere forest wisp!”

  The pretty guild receptionist (half-elf) pays him no mind.

  “And how can you be so sure?”

  “Wisps can’t cast Berserk!” His face flushes red as if remembering that indignation.

  “Wips can’t freeze skills and then flick them back at people!” the ranger adds in equal indignation.

  “I-It wasn’t a w-wisp…” The priest insists.

  “Yes-yes…” the half-elf waves her hand in dismissal. “But forest wisps can cast Illusion,” she says knowingly.

  “Are you telling me that we imagined the whole ordeal?! *SLAM!!!” He slams the countertop again.

  “Perposterous!!! *SLAM!” The ranger slams it too.

  “… *s-slam.” The priest slams the counter, but her action is meek, merely symbolic.

  “Stop slamming my countertop! You will break it!” The half-elf loses her cool. Yet, her frown is soon replaced by her usual smile. “Let’s pretend I believe in your delusions. If it wasn’t a forest whisp then what was it?”

  “A Shadow.”

  “An Undead.”

  “…”

  “You can’t even agree on what it was!” The half-elf slams the countertop. “And your Priest has already confirmed that Smite didn’t work on it. It’s a wisp I tell you!” *Slam-Slam!!!*, she calms down a bit. “Wisps are mischievous and can cast illusions. However, they aren't evil or undead so even if they are spiritual monsters priestly spells won’t work on them.”

  “B-But… *s-slam…”

  “No buts! Your party are merely bronze rank. I doubt you can even Identify monsters properly.”

  True… True. The swordsman lowers his head and the ranger averts her eyes.

  But! But not the priest!

  “I-It wasn’t a forest w-wisp, *SLAM!” The priest girl isn’t meek anymore, she slams it properly. “I felt its presence. It felt wrong! It felt alien and not of this world. *SLAM!”

  ““…”” The two party members are slightly taken aback by the sudden ‘slammy’ force of their priest. Usually, she is all meek.

  Yeah, tell her girl! – they cheer her on by slamming the countertop forcefully.

  “Not of this world?! *Slam-Slam!!!” The half-elf rages. “What does that even mean? Stop making stuff up and admit that you have been bested by a wisp. I know it’s embarrassing, but let's face the facts.” She pauses to look at them meaningfully. “You’re all Level 1. The forest is a newbie-friendly area. And if it was anything more than a goblin or a wisp, you would be Dead! *SLAM!” It was cruel of her to say it like this, but she stood by her words.

  “*SLAM! Stop underestimating us!” He slams.

  “*SLAM! I know what I saw!” She slams.

  “*S-SLAM! T-that’s exactly why the Guild must issue an extermination Quest.” She also slams.

  “Stop slamming my counter!” *Slam-Slam!!!*, she counter slams.

  The poor, oh-so-poor countertop can’t take it anymore. It cracks and breaks, splitting in two.

  “Get out! Out!” The normally cool-headed half-elf rages.

  The party of three (rather wisely) FLEE the scene.

  Then, right before the young and hotblooded trio can make it scarce, the half-elf calms down and shouts back to them.

  “Fine... I’ll entertain the idea. But get me proof first!”

  If you build IT, they will come.

  They?