Questions of why such a Quirk would be so rare, or what that might suggest about survival would never cross the protean's mind, because why focus on something logical (and therefore boring) like survival when you could focus on Fun?

Besides, it is out of Axis's reach. Clearly far more Fun than focusing on such things.

It is hardly the smartest, or the strongest protean. But proteans are diverse by nature, with strange properties. Usually, at least. Trying to make strong statements about proteans is difficult, as they love to break them. Usually. Proteans, unlike most other quintessence based outsiders, have a remarkable tendency to turn themselves into other kinds, mostly on the grounds that letting something like "being an Axiomite is completely contrary to your nature and desires; and basic convergent instrumental goal reasoning suggests you shouldn't rewrite your values on a whim" stop them from doing so would be Boring.

This protean in particular has something many smarter or stronger proteans lack: an unusual ability to survive the overwhelming positive energy deep in the positive energy plane.

Focusing on why this was happening is Boring. What matters now is that none of Axis's Wards, even the ones from The Beginning, could reach here. And the narration should stop focusing on Boring things and move on to something Fun. Hopefully something explosive.

Proteans, for better or for worse, are often like this. But yes, in the massive energy of a place so deep in the positive energy plane, even what most would call 'nothing', the structures that fill emptiness and go unnoticed so often, can explode. And, at this very moment, there is such an explosion.

Wow, that positive energy just then was insane! This is great!

This is also far too much for its Quirk, actually, but being destroyed now would also be Uninteresting, and free from Wards, and with its Quirk, it is at least strong enough to Ignore that, at least for now.

Being destroyed beyond my ability to Ignore... Fiiiine that would be Boring. Annoying thought. Stop being annoying. I'm going deeper anyway, at least some, annoying thoughts or no.

While it would never realize it, proteans without even the slightest thought of survival did not survive, leaving only ones with such 'annoying thoughts' to act. Even then, their handling of probability and decision theory would make many theoreticians weep. Lawful handling of probability, like all Lawful things, was Boring. 

No math! No logic! No Law! Time for... a pie! Except instead of a circle its shape was itself a pie. And that pie also has a pie for its shape. Again! Again! Aaaand bored now.

The protean's attention withdrawn, the conjured pie destabilized, though at this depth not even a deity could tell you if the furnace of positive energy or the innate instability of the protean's design destroyed it first.

Twitch! Twitch! Nom the positive energy! Spicy! Cold! Hot!

Can we make it taste more Interesting? Sure, it having a taste is Interesting, but what if it tasted some non-taste, like gleaming?

It tastes gleaming!

Yay! Twitch more in Happy Fun!

Something else twitches too.

Something else? Other is Interesting, unless it is Order, in which case it is Boring, and possibly hostile and dangerous, which is something that makes things More, be that More Boring or More Interesting.

The protean doesn't know much about the twitching thing so deep in the positive energy plane, so falls back on a simple default, and applies Do Something New quintessence until the thing Does Something New. 

The twitching thing Does Something New.

The protean can tell that it worked, but can't tell what happened. How very Boring.

A smarter protean might realize that doing Something New that the protean didn't understand itself is Interesting and Worth Poking Further.

This one does not.

You know, the fact that it requires so much Ignoring to make anything (or at least anything this protean understands) exist here leaves so little Ignoring for doing fun. On the other hand, no wards. On the third hand, it isn't like Axis is great at putting wards in the maelstrom. One the fourth hand, having so many hands is great. On the sixth hand, it could skip having a fifth hand. On the twenty fifth hand, skipping is Fun. On the greenth hand-oh, that hand required too much Ignoring. 

Well, that is just too much. Not getting to count to green? Even without Axis, this place was cramping its style. Back to the maelstrom.

The protean appears in just a different part of the positive energy plane. Teleporting through power like that deep in the plane is so Interesting.

A Jyoti spots the protean.

Better leave again before the Jyoti makes things Uninteresting by destroying it.

Astral... astral... ah, the wonderful part of the astral that people call the maelstrom.

They so often call it the maelstrom. So boring. Why use the same word twice?

Oh, a non-protean deity. Not even one of the ones that is Interesting like some of the demons and azatas.

What if deity meant tea? Then it would be a non-protean tea!