Changes

In the cold embrace of sleep, Michael still had the strange dreams from before. They were fragmented bits of a larger puzzle that he just could not piece together however hard he tried in while in the dream. He was lucid while dreaming, conscious enough to understand he was dreaming. Sometimes it was an unending nightmare, other times a blissful dream he wished wouldn't end. All the while, he forgot every detail of them soon as he got up. A vestige of his experience lingering at the periphery of his mind too elusive to be pinned down.

Seated on top of his bed, he tried and failed to recall what he had dreamt. It was not that important anyway; he had just awakened and was eager to explore the extent of his transformation. He had hopes and fantasies that run through his mind as he pondered the many abilities he prospected were at his disposal.

His recollection of what happened was strangely vivid; the flames in the void, the intoxicating feeling of strength, the connection to the void, the sense of how vast and unending it was; promising to hold more secrets that was immediately evident; it was a huge list and he wanted to meticulously go over everything in it. He considered asking Caster for help with his physical changes; he didn't know where to start and the man ought to know something in that regard. The changes in the void, however, he would have to observe himself.

It was weird; up until a month ago, he was just a simple man trying to get through each day burdened by great worries and doubts. Now, he was set on a journey of servitude to a god who he had never had off in a world so alien it was frightening. But this was his life now, he reminded himself constantly, what need was there to worry about the past when the future promised to be beautiful; there was also harrowing, dreadful, nightmarish, coldly terrifying but he wanted to focus on the positives.

The idea that now within him lay great and boundless power nearly got to his head as he sat contemplating his next course of action. He couldn't be blamed, the scope of his power promised to be grand and in that moment, he felt more alive than he had ever before.

He decided to step into the void. The knowledge on how was ingrained in his mind, the instinct of how to access the void at the tips of his fingers.

There was a constant pull to his conscience at the edge of his mind, at the edge of a vast and eerie emptiness he was all to familiar with. He tugged on it initiating the travel to the scape where his soul now lay. Slowly he felt his senses dim as his mind was drawn as if into a deep slumber. He felt the emptiness and expansiveness of the void fill his mind and envelope it in a familiar embrace.

In the next instance, he was standing in the void.

It was different than the first time he was there. The oppressive darkness was replaced by the eerie glow of his soul and the ominous light that illuminated the expanse from somewhere beyond. The surface that had been glossy and water like, reflecting the empty bright skies, was now like an ocean of tar mixed with blood.

Intricate patterns formed on it's surface just like he remembered; baring the same mesmerizing and captivating quality that gripped at his heart.

The skies above, that had been empty and monotonous, were now littered with lazy white clouds that charted their path across it, carried by an invincible wind. Michael gawked in awe as he beheld the grandeur and beauty that was the void. The contrast of ground and sky shattering the monotony that had plagued it.

He felt connected to it. At one with the place that he had grown to dread. He no longer felt threatened by the bareness or depressed by the emptiness; it didn't even feel empty anymore. He felt a fond and almost forgotten feeling of belonging, like he was finally reunited with his true home.

The shadows beneath where he stood rippled and danced as he paced around, the light getting devoured by his midnight cloak.

Wait- a cloak?

Michael was looking down at himself to find he was adorned in a cloak as dark as night. It swayed and danced with his movements flowing over his form like a veil of shadows.

Also his skin that had been bronze, was now a glossy dark purple with a hint of red beneath it's surface. The shade covered only to his wrists neck and ankles leaving only his hands, feet and head with the familiar tone of his skin.

The surface of the Void was the same, and so was the shade of the physical manifestation of his soul. That logic explained why he felt connected to the void now more than ever, and fell in line with the surge of shadows during the process of his awakening. He speculated the purpose of the awakening was to ensure a connection between him and the void, but this reason seemed so obvious and simple he doubted it was the only one.

Something else pulled at his mind; below the surface, there too lay a great emptiness. This one more vast and cold, just allowing his mind to wander to it's presence made him feel like he was falling through a bottomless abyss.

He couldn't make an accurate comparison between the void and what he was sensing but he guessed it was larger and much more boundless and barren. It was like he was walking over a deep hole separated by a flimsy veil of flowing darkness. It was unsettling but weirdly, his body didn't illicit any reaction of fear like was common, instead only his mind birthed panic and paranoia at the vastness of what lay below.

It was puzzling and he wished to ruminate over it. However, as per the existing track record; try as he may, he did not have the right knowledge or resources to crack open the mystery. So he retracted his wandering mind and focused on what he could actually see and had an incline to what its nature.

Crouching, he scooped up the shadows of the surface, curious to see what would happen if he interacted directly with them. There was no practical reason behind it other than to satisfy his growing curiosity.

They flowed as they appeared; like water. The darkness of his body swirled in response and the red that comprised it hummed and pulsed with a steady rhythm. It meant something, he knew that much, but he couldn't tell what. Or maybe his mind was just trying to make sense of everything by labeling it as such. Either way, he marveled at the sight before letting the darkness flow back to the ground.

He walked closer to the imposing floating sphere that seemed to demand his attention, curiosity poorly suppressed as he tried to walk and not haste towards it like a child to an ice cream truck.

It levitated above ground to about 4 ft, it's dark hue illuminating the immediate vicinity in a calm yet ominous light. Darkness shifted within it, swirling and dancing and Michael could feel the air around it hum with power.

It was a breathtaking phenomenal. The sight of it making him smile as he gazed deeper into it's folds. There, in the middle, there was a silhouette. He trained his gaze. It was small, almost the size of an egg but it's shape was hard to define. He squinted his eyes as he approached the sphere, but the thing was too dense and the darkness swirled too wild for him to truly make out what he was seeing.

It's surface, however, he could study to exhaustion.

It was smooth and glossy, as if his soul was bound in a glass sphere. He didn't recall any form of glass forming during his awakening, so this was a welcome surprise. Evidently, he felt the strongest connection to it than the void.

This close to it, he heard its harmony in its depth. It was faint and almost silent, requiring him to concentrate on it to bring it out.

Slowly, the melody rose and echoed through the void.

Unlike song's he had listened to in his past life; beautiful pieces from amazing artists, this particular one was only partially familiar to him. Parts of it made sense to him, resonating with who he was; from worry, to pain to guilt, hope and other familiar qualities of his self, other parts were alien. They made no sense, as if sung from a broken instrument. They did not resonate at all with his person.

The changes of the void were beautiful, curious and largely mysterious. Instinctively, he knew how to get in and out of the void, but it's true nature was shrouded in a mound of mysteries. He could puzzle over them all day, but he knew best from recent experience.

He was content with what he saw, he understood it afforded him power that he was yet to tap into.

Concluding it was prudent he remain patient, Michael followed the pull and returned to his physical body. Maybe the changes to his physical body would have more immediate benefits.