This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/Klokinator on 2025-05-11 18:44:49+00:00.
Author note: The Cryopod to Hell is a Reddit-exclusive story with over three years of editing and refining. As of this post, the total rewrite is 2,532,000+ words long! For more information, check out the link below:
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…
(Part 001)
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Attention readers. I wanted you guys to know that in the near future, I plan to go back through the TCTH serial and start marking the exact day each part takes place. After doing so for the Rewind timeline, I realized I should have been doing this all along. For now, I’m going to start using the term “After Jason’s Rewind - AJR” but in the future, once I’ve actually gone through all the old parts, I’ll be using the terms “After Cryopod’s Exit - ACE” for keeping track of how many days/years the story progressed following Jason’s departure, then I’ll use a special term for the Ancient Era too (Maybe something like “After Dragon Empowerment - ADE”) or whatever. For now, I’ll stick with AJR starting with this part and let you guys know if/when I complete that re-read of TCTH, followed by the marking down of the timeline.
I may also use a specific term for the various timelines like Gold Timeline, Silver Timeline… maybe. But that could spoil new readers about the existence of time travel, which I don’t want to do, so… we’ll see about that.
Enjoy the return to TCTH!
…
Far-Future Era. Day 2, AJR. Volgarius.
Founder Unarin stood inside the hangar of the Founder’s Thumb, his toes mere inches from the edge of the outcropping that stuck out to allow small starships to land safely inside. He looked up at Volgarius’s sky, the planet’s wind whipping his head tendrils from side to side as a rather fierce gale buffeted his body. He paid it no mind. No breeze could move him, no matter how fierce, for he was indomitable.
Volgarius’s dull, gray sky spoke to any who looked upon it; calling out the horrors of tens of millennia of decay. What was once a beautiful homeworld had slowly collapsed into a featureless blob of metal, glass, and duracrete. Stratoscrapers might look impressive when standing amidst a sea of smaller buildings, but once an entire planet had been covered in them, they lost their impressiveness and instead became a symbol of destruction. What was once a beautiful world had now become utterly featureless, any given square kilometer of its surface indistinguishable from the rest. All that remained of the Volgrim homeworld’s former glory now resided at the Founder’s Hand; the last patch of greenery remaining of its original soil.
Unarin’s eyes narrowed slightly. His keen eyes picked out a tiny speck in the sky, one that approached at a speed that would alarm him if he didn’t already know who it was. Within seconds, Executor Nufaris rushed toward the First Founder, an unconscious body held in his psionic grasp. That body was none other than Founder Dosena.
Nufaris instantly came to a stop right before colliding with the Founder’s Thumb. He spun his legs downward and pressed his bare feet against the cold metal floor of the hangar, not feeling its frigid temperature in the slightest.
“Has her condition improved?” Unarin asked, as he walked over and pressed his palm against Dosena’s forehead.
[I’m afraid not.] Nufaris replied.
The two men didn’t exchange many words. Nufaris fell silent, allowing Unarin to close his eyes while continuing to rest his palm on Dosena’s forehead.
Before long, he nodded slowly, then opened his eyes and removed his hand.
“I believe it need not be mentioned, but this is a terrible situation for our Empire, Nufaris.” Unarin said, though his vocal tone didn’t seem to contain even a hint of worry or urgency. “Dosena is our pillar of strength. Without her, we have no Middle Cosmic, while the demons now consist of many. Trapped they may be on their worlds, but far from useless. Through Demon Deity Yardrat, they already possess a means of projecting power across the galaxy. They are more than capable of rendering unto us extreme harm.”
Nufaris knit his eyebrows together. “Your orders?”
Unarin did not immediately respond. He folded his hands together behind his back, then closed his eyes once more to ponder his future plans.
“This is a nexus point for the Volgrim Empire…” Unarin said slowly. “I sense… a potentially disastrous future awaiting us. But at the same time, a chance to reach heights we never have before. Dosena was close. She was so very, very close to reaching the 10th Level. She believed with all her soul that becoming a High Cosmic through pure psionics was possible. But this setback has ruined her prospects for potentially tens of millennia. She has fallen all the way back to the beginning of the 9th Level. If her condition worsens, she may even fall to the rank of Executor.”
Nufaris’s expression hardened. This was not something he wanted to hear. Though he, like all Executors, envied the power of the Second Founder, he did not do so while wishing to usurp her power. A strong Dosena meant a strong Empire. He himself was ages away from reaching the 9th Level. He would not be able to replace her even if he tried. Neither did he want to. He had his own ambitions.
Unarin opened his eyes once again. He reached up and massaged his chin thoughtfully.
“It pains me to say so, but we are in a weak position. The Plague on all sides, the demons possessing more military power, the humans injured but having found a new ally in Demon Deity Melody as well as the fairies. They will lick their wounds and recuperate, providing us no threat for the moment… but this stalemate will not last forever. Whether it takes one day or one millennia, the humans will rise again. They have proven themselves to be like unkillable bugs. Even if we try to exterminate them, they will endure.”
Nufaris nodded. [Therefore?]
“I do not yet have an answer.” Unarin said. “I tend to think in long-term timescales. Too much has happened recently. It has thrown all my future plans into Chaos. I fear there is more going on behind the scenes than what we know. There are enemies in this game who have yet to play their cards.”
Unarin held out his arms. Nufaris hesitated, then he levitated Dosena into the First Founder’s grasp.
Unarin carried Dosena like a princess. He looked at Nufaris gravely. “Investigate the galactic situation, but stay at the homeworld. You are now our strongest protector. If something should occur, you are our last remaining bulwark.”
Nufaris tilted his chin. [First Founder. There is one individual I fear you may have overlooked.]
Unarin blinked. “Who?”
Before Nufaris could respond, Unarin realized who he was referring to.
“You weren’t able to recover her?”
[Demila remains at large. She betrayed the Empire.] Nufaris responded. [She might be a pitiful excuse for a Psion, but she is still an ancient monster capable of great destruction. I fear what might happen if we allow her to go into hiding.]
“If she merely hid herself away, I would not be so worried.” Unarin said calmly. “There are much worse things she could do right now. If she has aligned herself with the demons, she might provide them with a treasure trove of knowledge about our internal workings.”
[We need to execute her.] Nufaris said.
“Yes. Yes we do.” Unarin said, before frowning slightly. “But the galaxy is a vast place. Where do you suppose she might go first?”
Nufaris appeared troubled. He looked away.
[I am… not certain. You are more familiar with Demila than I. I hoped you might have an idea of her machinations.]
Unarin lowered his eyes.
“I have always prided myself on seeing through the thoughts of lower beings. But Demila fooled me until the end. I only realized her betrayal was coming when it was already too late. I failed to prepare for her actions, and Dosena paid the price. At this point, I dare not guess at her movements lightly.”
[Then we have no choice but to monitor the situation patiently.] Nufaris concluded. [We have already informed the rest of the Empire. If Demila is spotted, we will receive word immediately. I will be able to intercept and kill her.]
“No. Not you.” Unarin retorted. “You are to stay here until Dosena has recuperated. We’ve already lost Sartran to Demon Deity Beelzebub. Our list of reliable allies grows thinner by the day. Dispatch two of the other Executors to hunt down and kill Demila. Use your discretion.”
Nufaris bowed his head in respect.
[As you command, First Founder.]
…
Thousands of lightyears from Volgarius, in a secret location hidden somewhere in the Milky Way, the very Psion Nufaris and Unarin were just discussing levitated in the Void. She stared at a hideous world colored complet…
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