"You want to bring your species to this world?!" Celestia uttered in shock, "In their old form, nonetheless?"
The purveyor remained impassive and continued to stare at the empty cradles. "I do..."
"It is impossible!" Celestia shook her head, "No deity of this world or even you could possibly possess the kind of power required to bring back an entire race..." the words failed to leave her mouth as she realized something. When she finally understood what the purveyor intended to do, she simply stared at him with dread in her heart.
"That's why you came back... isn't it?" she whispered in horror, "You could have gone to any world you desired, a younger world just born, full of resources and free of other races... Yet, you came here..." He didn't reply, but only turned his head slightly to look at her.
Celestia's eyes narrowed, "It never stopped, did it? You want to use them..."
"Them?" he answered with a hollow voice, "There is no them, Celestia... it never collected the souls, only those last sparks of life. And yes, the void I embedded into this world still functions to fulfill its old purpose, just as it has done for all these past years..."
She shook her head. "What you intend is monstrous!"
"Is it?" he replied, "The energy accumulated was always intended for this sole purpose... it holds no difference now whether the life brought forth from it is created in the void or here."
"It holds too many risks! How would the other races react to a whole new species? It could bring forth a new struggle for power and resources, old beliefs would struggle with new ones... it could mean war!"
He shook his head. "Their presence will go unnoticed by the other races at first. I plan to give them a new home secluded from the other races of this world. A nation of their own, outside the boundaries of others... hidden from the influence of those that think themselves to be gods."
Celestia gave him a questioning look. "Where?"
"The barrier," he replied.
"The barrier? It is nothing but barren and broken land brought forth by volcanic activity, it will still take thousands of years before any form of civilized life will be able to take roots there!"
"Or only a few, single years if I accelerate the process," his words hovered in the air for a moment, "Everything required for the new nation to grow is already there... it only needs to be brought to the surface. They will live there, and they will build themselves a new home and continue to grow until they are ready to cross the Empty Plains to make contact with the other races on their own. Old souls will be reborn, and new souls will come into existence with time. When the times comes for them to step forth, I will see what it may bring."
"And who would the new race follow? Would you rule over them? Would you become their god?" Celestia asked with dread, "The other deities would never accept..."
"The other deities hold no interest to me," he stated flatly, "Must I remind you that I have been here far longer than any of you? That I saw this world shake and fall when your old deities died?" He studied her face for a short moment. "But no... I do not intend to rule, and neither do I intend to show myself to my own kind. I will remain hidden, and I will watch them create their own gods. It will be their choice alone who to hail or what to call themselves. They shall be free to make their own decisions, whatever it may bring..."
"But the deities..." she started to protest.
"The other deities will remain unaware of their presence just like they are unaware of mine, at least until my kind will make themselves known to them," he interrupted her, "Until then, they shall remain hidden from this world, and the rest of the world shall remain hidden from them."
"Then why are you telling me of your plans? Why not just simply do it without my knowledge? You cannot expect me to simply maintain silence to the other deities or my subjects over what you are doing when it threatens to upset the very balance of this world!"
"I expect you to do even more," he said with an even voice. "I expect you to help me."
"What?"
The purveyor gave her a contemplating look. "I have the required energy at my command. I can create the bodies from nothing but dust... I can even establish a link between them and the souls. But... there are two things I cannot do. Neither can I cleanse the souls of their old memories, nor can I make the bodies draw their first breath on their own." he paused "But you can. You are the very incarnation of life in this world, and you can do what I can not."
"Why? Why would I help you with something like this?" Celestia asked.
"Because," he replied, "You'll still need my help when the end comes."
Celestia cringed, the very thing she feared had been used to put her at a disadvantage. She gave him a distrustful look. "And what will guarantee me that when the end comes, you won't simply save them and abandon us?"
"I do not need to save them to uphold their existence. When the end comes the souls of those I brought with me to this world will find me once more and I will move on. This means that I will be able to use what energy I have at my disposal to save as many of your race as I can. Most importantly, I will still require the magic your kind holds to give birth to my race again. And as long as I do, I shall help you."
"And what about the souls created here?"
"They will have no connection to me... and will be lost," he replied without emotion.
"You would sacrifice them?!" Celestia protested, "Are you really so cold that you are willing to leave them behind?!"
"I am willing to do what I must!" His voice became hard and cold; "Even if I concentrated all of my efforts to help you, I will not be able to save them all. How many would you be willing to leave behind?"
"I would find a way to save them all!" she shouted back.
For a moment, he simply stared at her. Then, a soft laugh escaped his lips, the hollow sounds echoing softly through the hallways. "How commendable, you haven't changed at all," he sighed. "Maybe... with time, we may find another way... but for now, I have a race to revive."
Celestia let her gaze travel over his mask for a lingering moment, trying in vain to feel his presence.
"If I am really to agree to this, I require for a concession from your side. I refuse to lie to the rest of the world about what is watching from the dark any longer." Unseen by her, the purveyor frowned. "I will call for a council, and you will make your presence known to the other deities because they need to know they are not alone. When the time comes for your race to step forth, they need to know who it is connected to. The knowledge of your existence will hopefully help them to accept the fact that a new race walks among their subjects."
She drew a deep breath. "What you actually tell of your intents, our pact or our past I shall leave to you, just as I will leave your race in your hands, but I cannot trust you if you remain a phantom to us." She paused, "This act of trust... If you do this, and promise to help me save our world... if you show me that I can trust you, purveyor... I will help you."
The purveyor remained silent for some time. "And are you willing to accept whatever will happen when our races meet for the first time? What will you do should their first meeting turn into a conflict?"
"I will do what I have always done," Celestia replied. "I will do my best to uphold peace."
He observed her for an agonizing moment before the shadows around him started to pick up speed. "Very well then, call for your council... tell them that the void has come to take its place among them." The shadows started to enclose him, "And then... my race will finally live." and with a last tremble of the shadows, he was gone.