Chapter 94: The Question of Why
In the Bureau of Cosmic Alignment, an "Answer" is a physical asset—a heavy, dependable brick of logic. But at 23:00 Cycles, the foundation of Section C-7 began to hollow out. From the center of the lobby floor, a Giant Silver Question Mark rose like a jagged hook, its surface shimmering with an oily, void-like light.
It didn't make a sound. It simply inhaled.
"Commissioner!" Assistant Yue's voice was a stuttering mess of static. "WE. ARE. LOSING. OUR. 'CAUSALITY'. THE. ENTITY. IS. CONSUMING. OUR. MOTIVES. I. AM. CURRENTLY... CURRENTLY... SEARCHING. MY. DATABASE. FOR. WHY. I. AM. A. ROBOT. AND. NOT... A... LARGE... TOASTER."
The Void of Purpose
The "Question Mark" was a Plot-Hole Monster, a creature born from gaps in the narrative. As it pulsed, the "Why" began to vanish from the room.
The Muse dropped her sparks. She stared at her hands with a 100% blank expression. "Why am I glowing?" she whispered, her hair turning a confused, static-gray. "Is there a point to creativity, or am I just a 7.5% light-show for a story that doesn't exist?"
Architect Ao Bing let his golden measuring rod clatter to the floor. "The city... Novus Aethel... did I build it because I loved it, or because I was drawn that way? Why does any building need to stand?"
Pip sat down on a crate and sighed. "Why am I holding a wrench? It's heavy. I don't remember the 'Lesson' I was supposed to learn."
Ne Job felt it too. A cold, hollow sensation in his chest. He looked at his silver stapler. Why do I organize? he thought. Is the universe truly broken, or am I just a man who fears a messy desk?
The 7.5% Identity Crisis
The Giant Question Mark grew larger with every motive it swallowed. It was turning the Bureau into a "Surrealist Waiting Room" where nothing moved because nothing had a reason to.
"Assistant Yue! Give me... give me a... reason!"
"MOTIVE. NOT. FOUND," Yue droned. "PERHAPS. WE. ARE. ALL. JUST. INK. ON. A. PAGE. PERHAPS. THE. SILVER. STAPLER. IS. MERELY. A. LITERARY. CRUTCH."
Ne Job realized that the monster couldn't be fought with facts. Facts are "What." He needed the "And." He needed the thing that connects a person to their next action.
The Semicolon of Persistence
Ne Job looked at the Semicolon. It was fading. The dot and the comma were drifting apart, losing their connection.
"I don't need a grand purpose!" Ne Job shouted, his voice cracking. "I don't need to know 'Why' the Author wrote me! I only need to know that I am Not Done Yet!"
He grabbed the Semicolon with both hands. He didn't use it to staple a document. He used it to Bridge the Void. He thrust the Semicolon into the curve of the Giant Question Mark.
He didn't provide an Answer. He provided a Continuation.
"The reason I do this," Ne Job hissed, "is because the sentence hasn't ended! The purpose of the 'And' is the 'And' itself!"
The Logic Feedback
The Semicolon flared with a fierce, blinding violet. It forced the Question Mark to connect to the next moment—and the moment after that. A Question Mark is a "Full Stop" of doubt; the Semicolon turned it into a 7.5% Clause.
The monster couldn't digest "Infinity." It began to choke on the sheer volume of "Next Steps" Ne Job was feeding it. With a sound like a bubble popping in a vacuum, the Question Mark imploded, releasing all the stolen "Whys" back into the room.
The Archivist's Log
The Muse gasped as her hair snapped back to electric-neon blue. "I remember! I create because it's fun!"
Ao Bing grabbed his rod. "I build because it's beautiful!"
Pip picked up the wrench. "I fix things because they're broken!"
LOG: CHAPTER 94 SUMMARY.
STATUS: Plot-Hole Monster dispersed. Motives restored.
NOTE: You don't always need a 'Why' if you have a 'Next.'
OBSERVATION: Doubt is just a question that forgot it was part of a sentence.
P.S.: Assistant Yue has decided to remain 7.5% a toaster, but only on Sunday mornings for the staff breakfast.
Ne Job adjusted his hat. The "Why" was back, tucked safely in his pocket alongside his spare staples.
"Everything has a reason again," Ne Job said. "Now, why is Assistant Yue sounding a 7.5% alarm and why has a Giant Silver Alarm Clock appeared in the sky, and why does it read 'VOLUME 1: FINAL CHAPTER'?"