"I can write death across the stars. I can cast chaos through the universe. I can sling rage, pain, and hate for gigaparsecs. This has been my occupation for centuries. And you come to me, you insignificant, puny thing, daring to ask me for a boon. You ask me for a kindness? And for what? The notion of love? Love, that most fleeting and insipid of disgusting human traits. It defies definition, it rejects explanation...and yet, such courage. So very much courage it gives you. Astounding." "But will you?" The creature looked down into his eyes; almost with what the man could almost imagine was compassion. "No." “And why not? Surely you must have a reason.” The despair in the man’s voice was practically tangible, here in this world beyond worlds, this outpouring of the void, where mere thought gave things shape. “Because you have nothing to give which I could desire,” it said. “You are without import for my universe. Your very existence has no meaning for me, and your deeds, however great they may seem to be, are beneath my notice. Without your audacity, I could have eliminated your entire planet with no more thought than you may have given to brushing dust off of your clothing.” The sound of the human’s heart breaking echoed across the nothingness like a gunshot. Tears began to pour down his face. He attempted to form words, to argue or rant or cajole or even perhaps attempt to bully, but the realization that his quest was utterly hopeless crushed all the air from his chest. It weighed down upon him like a thousand worlds here in this place where ideas had form but matter itself was meaningless. He looked up at the creature in front of him again in time to see it shift toward him. The creature did not stoop; nothing so formless could be said to truly have position at all. But if you had asked him, the man would have said it stooped down to his level. It spoke again, slowly. “But it is also because, dear little small thing, you insect among giants, you speck of stardust among the universe – with courage like that you can accomplish anything you need to do, with or without my help.”