The Protean flies through the positive energy plane, deeper than any conventional creature could possibly survive, but that is one of its Quirks. A weirdly rare Quirk, but that just made it better.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.