1 A new beginning

I am your ordinary guy, there is nothing particularly extraordinary about me, if I would have to pick something for the sake of picking it, it would be the fact that I still have pimples at an age of 21. Hanging out with friends, trying to finish my college degree and somehow having a somewhat picture of how my life will be in the future, unless I meet some really unfortunate happening. I'm not a virgin, so the great arts of wizardly is beyond me, let's not even talk about being a great sage. Although not a virgin, I'm not exactly experienced either, my first and only tap being the school hoe at that time. Everyone who wanted some could get some, unless you were a mentally retarded psycho who looks like a homeless dude. In some aspects I may have lucked out, I'm not particularly good looking, but i'm not bad looking either. But instead of discussing the horror of what my life is, no matter how nice I try to put it, let's get on with the story - shall we?

It were an ordinary day, I were walking down the streets minding my own business after a hard work at school(Pronounced 'sleep') When I spotted an unusual sight, it were some kind of swirling mass of colors, interweaving with each other and producing a sight akin to some kind of portal. I appeared to be the only one who could see the mystical sight, owing to the lack of reaction anyone had at the sight of such a phenomenon. Lost in my own thoughts I spotted someone about to walk into said swirling ball of chaos, I instinctively reached my hand out and shouted "Hey, you, watch out!" But it were too late and he walked into the mass of colors before jumping back, startled "What was that for, kid? You get some kind of kick out of scaring your elderly? Your parents must be real proud, if I had a say in the matter you would be grounded… grounded I say!" I waved my hands in front my my face to placate the irate elder "No, I'm sorry, I thought I saw a snake. My bad, my bad" I sheepishly smiled. The elder looked at me with an expression of disbelief, as if saying 'Do you really want me to believe that?' before turning on his heal and walking away, straight into the swirling mass of colors, grumbling to himself about delusional youth. I scratched my head and looked around me, seeing no one nearby. "I can't believe I'm doing this, this is completely crazy" I said to myself as I reach my hand out for the swirling vortex, ready to jump back at any moment.

Just the tip of my finger brushed the barest of green, so little it's almost transparent, but the moment we came into contact I felt an incredible suction. I tried to pull my hand back, to get out. But it is hopeless, the more my body came into contact with the light the stronger the force became and separating the two seemed impossible at this point "I knew I should have left that light alone!" I screamed to myself internally, completely deranged while I kept pulling. Then a strange thought popped into my head "Since no one saw this vortex, but me, is my hand now shrouded in these colors, also invisible?"

And that was my last thought before disappearing into the unknown.

My eyes were peeled open as I took in my surroundings, unknown colors, in a strange sort of symphony treaded my very being as I were pulled through a narrow tunnel with immense force. I could see farther than I should have, colors and … colors obstructing my sight were not so much transparent as my sight simply overlooked them. It's hard to explain, as if a radar, taking in all at once and letting me focus on something. A kind of.. Sixth sense.

Holding my hands up I could see the flesh on my right arm starting to disintegrate, the immense pain resulting from this was just a drop of water compared to the sheer disbelief of this happening. "Am I going to die here?" A part of me asked, another warring with it, not even considering the possibility. As I lost all feelings in my hand I could feel the same happening all over my body, as if an acidic burn on my very eyeballs myself. Peeling of a layer of skin, only to go farther inside. My throat burned as I screamed myself hoarse, all rational thought gone, leading to a wild struggle of survival… or maybe for the simple sake of struggling itself. My voice gone, destroyed by the same forces which gnawed at my bones this very minute, for of course the brain would be the last to give away, encased in a layer of protective calcium as it were. One second pain was all I knew, and another pure bliss the like none I'd ever experienced before. I felt weightless.. I didn't feel, I didn't have urges, I wasn't I simply.. Was. A concept, me, bare of any mortal needs. I knew I'd become something else, some would say… a soul. I wondered if that, too, would be destroyed by these forces of seemingly unquenchable malice, but as if losing the hold on me I began to slow down. I could move, I could see, no, not see as much as sense. I now knew how much my actual sight hindered my ability to sense this space, or maybe it was my mortal body.. Whoever knows.

I sensed around me, seeing the colors swirling, as if guiding my towards a path. Feeling very much annoyed with losing my chance at living a happy normal life, I ignored them and began looking for an alternate solution, sulking when I realised I have no idea what I am doing at all. But, there was something that intrigued me, small stars, the size of pinpricks. They were very out of place compared to the swirling vortex, seemingly standing still in this chaos. I'd already had bad experiences touching things I should not, but it's not like I have much of a choice here, I didn't feel much affinity with this vortex, it already having stripped me of my most precious possession - My own body. Who were to say it would leave my soul alone? No, I had to escape. The more I thought about it the more it made sense, I … touched the star, and knew no more.

In a place, far, far away.

A red humanoid looking creature sat hunched over a sphere of swirling whites and blues, seemingly examining the read dots that would appear from time to time. His eyes widened imperceptibly before rushing towards the door. A few minutes later he'd arrived before a large double door, trying to compose himself, he steadily knocked on the door. "Sir, there is an emergency!" A long silence permeated the building and the man considered knocking anew, but restrained himself because of the inherent fear he held towards the figure he were about to see.

"Come in" A deep voice rumbled. The humanoid looking creature was visibly agitated and opened the doors slowly, as if reverent. His hands shook as he put them down, slowly walking into the room and hearing the doors close behind him. "Report" the same voice rumbled from a shadowed platform, looking out over a city glowing with sickly green colors, pulsating and turning as if it were a living creature, maybe it is. The glow upon his face highlighted his calm expression, half-lidded eyes and strange horns sitting upon his head. In a human sense, he would not be particularly handsome, but he had a regal aura around him, seemingly invading his every action.

The red man stood stupefied for a while and it was not before he heard the man's voice that he reacted. Scrambling to put his hands behind his back, he would then go down so one knee touch the floor before putting a hand upon the other one. The hand being directly proportional with whichever knee still stood tall.

"Oh lord, there have been a grave happening, a subject have disappeared from the everflowing realm!" The calm aura encompassing said lord seemed to shift, his half lidded eyes twitching ever so slightly "Oh?" He said, turning his head to give a glance shaking form of his own subordinate "However did such a thing happen? Especially, today…" His eyes strayed the the pulsating form of his property once again, waiting for more information. "I-I'm not sure, my lord. One second he's there… and then he's not, it's like.. Like.. he disappeared!" He almost wailed, but his pride and honor held it back. "I see... " The same rumbling voice answered, but his eyes held a hint of disdain. "Have you told anyone else of these matters?" The man in red shook his head repeatedly, a squeak sounding like 'No' coming from his mouth. The lord sighed tiredly at his subordinate behaviour, opting to reply with a column of acid green yet of light erupting from beneath said subordinate, the light fading to reveal.. Nothing. Having disintegrated the creature the moment it came into contact with it, the humanoid did not even have time to feel pain or register what had happened. The lord raised his voice, as if to make sure someone would hear "Do nothing for now, this is most interesting" and a slight smile played at his lips before disappearing entirely, returning his features to the same cold calm he'd began at, his eyes glowing with a green sheen.

I'd never woken up quite like this before, groggily? Yes. Warm? Yes, indeed. Comfortable? Oh, don't even question it! But, this all permeating weakness? The dull senses? The booming sounds and blurry shapes? It was all very new to me. I remembered what had happened to me and felt having a body in itself was very strange. Not that I complained! No no, it was just… I'd thought I lost my body, and now I find myself well and alive, if not very groggy. There was something strange going on, maybe I'd just imagined it all, gone into a coma from a car accident and had these strange - realistic dreams which he remembers with full clarity. As if to validate his own thoughts a headache began to form in the back of his head, gaining with intensity for every moment he'd stay awake. At some point it became so bad that he resorted to meditation, in hopes that it would alleviate some of his burden. Feeling slightly better, he nodded to himself and kept meditating for some while, no use to panic when you can do literally nothing.

'Observe your breath, breathe in, breathe out, use your diaphragm to inhale… and exhale' As I did this I came upon a strange sensation, almost as if I were floating. It felt divine. He'd never experienced this before, but the situation he found himself in at this point was so bizarre that he didn't question the phenomenon, opting to continue doing the one thing he already were and placing focus on his breath once again. Before I knew it I once again awoke, as if from a dreamless sleep, but I knew I had not slept even a second. I opened my eyes to see if the situation had changed any and found that I still could not see, but, I could sense. 'Like in the dream' I realised, and shuddered at the memory of a slow death. The colors were not as clear as in the dream, but I sort of knew they were there. I tried reaching out for them, but they were as if liquid, slippery and intangible. Giving up on the endeavour for now I observed my surroundings, hardly making any sense of the mass of colors, though, there was two humanoid shaped ones. One feminine, the distinct alluring figure of a woman, another masculine, tall and strong. I was confused and unconsciously said 'Mother?', but with widened eyes realised I'd only let out a strange sort of babbling. I once again heard the booming sounds and 'saw' the figures move, colors swirling where their mouths would be 'Are they speaking?' I questioned with astonishment. At this point I were completely disoriented by the situation and had an inkling of what had happened, as if to confirm my fears a fleshy, but plump appendage inserted itself into my mouth, I realised with horror that the womanly figure were looming over me in a gentle way and my fears were as good as confirmed.

I, Edred Brant Aylmer, have been reborn.