From the Beginning

Michael was stunned and mesmerized by the view. This domain was unlike anything he had seen before. The vegetation was pretty standard for a meadow, but the vibrance of it all was simply otherworldly. He tried to switch his sight to mana perception and was almost blinded. It was brimming with mana, the amount he had never seen. His heart stirred and turmoil calmed in the face of this beautiful dimension.

There was no somberness or bleak corners, even the shadows seemed lively and peaceful. His heart was warm and an even warmer smile, a first since he fell to the nether, cut across his face. His visage brimmed with innocence, he felt young again, his memories of joy resurfaced, and the hopes and dreams he had harbored resurfaced.

The Nether had been anything but welcoming, he hoped out of desperation and joy was a distant thought. He had long lost sight of his future, his desires were muddled with duty and devotion to a dead god. It wasn't that he was unable to feel anything positive or to look to the future with hopeful eyes, it was that he had been denied that chance.

The crippling sense of not being in control had become normal for him. However, now, he felt at ease in Galia's domain, like he could let go of all that baggage and allow himself to crumble. There was a sadness trapped inside him that broke free and so did the wells of his tears. Their warmth streaked down his cheeks as his mind flashed with memories he had long forgotten.

His life as a child hadn't always been bleak and depressing. There had been a time he had made friends, a time he had played in the rain carefree, a time he had sneaked out of the orphanage with other kids to swim in muddy waters. He remembered the laughter of his childhood, the light that shone in his eyes every time he caught a glimpse of his reflection in a mirror, or the orphanage windows as the children he had grown to call siblings did the chores.

He had felt more than just sadness once. Adulthood had buried that memory under mounds of responsibility.

Yet, for some reason, those shackles had been broken.

His feet felt light as he stood on the carpet of grass; toes wiggling to assimilate the feeling of grass scratching at the soles of his feet. He took in a labored breath as he stifled a cry his vision hazy from the well of tears. The feeling that ravaged him was one he had lost long ago because life forced him to and later like a regretful master pushed him to regain.

That was why his life had seemed hard, that was what he had been chasing all those years. Strength, power, status, they were just empty words to hold room in the empty void that had been carved out by reality.

It was like a veil had been lifted from his eyes, he saw the world anew, his feature appearing brighter, the tunnel of it glowing in new light. His heart too ignited, as his smile widened and the darkness of his soul calmed down. This was it, his goal, his aim, to regain the heart he bore as a child. To become once again innocent and free.

His earlier life didn't afford him this, he wanted to hope his second would but skepticism like a boa constricted the embers that sparked. It wasn't that simple. His eyes turned dark slightly. He remembered his rage and hatred for the control of his fate never once being in his grasp. Then came blame, he blamed himself for not being able to take control of his life.

That was the start of the darkness that veiled his life. So what of his second life? He remembered his vow, how he resolved to make a difference this time. That very resolve had been hollow, he was too scared to admit it, but it was held together by a hollow dream, yet now, in this strange world, he remembered his dream.

He looked to the empty skies where a lonely sun shone brilliantly upon the world and sighed allowing the tears to flow and the burden on his heart to lessen.

He didn't consider Galia, Caster, Death, Amelia, or any other name that fate tied to his path. They were not relevant, they were just names.

Michael had followed Caster without question, despite the man's open show of detest for him, he had allowed himself to walk with him. Mainly because he thought himself without choice, he accepted that he had no choice. And where did that get him? Dead a second time, almost dead once and head buried under a cloud of darkness every passing day.

He lacked the will to move on his own. No that wasn't it, he lacked a reason to. However, he had found it now. The memory of a happy time, the memory of a time when he had been untainted by the vile touch of life's cruelty. That was his goal.

True to say, at his maturity, there was no way to regain that innocence. But it was more than just innocence for him now, it was freedom, it was the liberty to choose his path and where his future went.

He had accepted his fate uncaring for what his future would look like, but that was not the only option. So what he had to brave the Nether, conquer a king, and many other horrors; harrowing as it may seem, it was still part of his path. But that didn't mean there couldn't be more to it. To grow in strength of all forms. That would be his aim.

It sounded childish to anyone else, who would, in this hellish nightmare think about a life of rainbows and roses. Michael didn't care, he didn't have to. It was his life, would he simply throw it away and neglect his goals, his desires, and wants? No.

Galia stood by his side, saying nothing, doing nothing. Her gaze fixated in the distance as the ambiance of her domain allowed Michael to find what his heart craved, to find the purpose he so much sought.

She felt it too. The innate ability of her domain allowed her to understand the feelings of all those whom she allowed into it. Their souls were lain bare and their emotions like a page in an open book. The other side of that coin was darker and much more dreadful. But that was not the purpose of today's trip. She wanted this for Michael, the young man needed it.

So she smiled as the light of her soul that hung high in the sky illuminated the vast expanse and gave her face a soft glow that made her even more beautiful.