"I was born in what many would consider to be a paradise." A quiet and ethereal voice echoed around, as a plethora of soft lights quickly flickered in and out of the darkness. The words themselves, seemingly the cause of this phenomenon.

  A gentle thrum became audible as the multi-colored lights began to slowly solidify and brighten, starting to form various large shapes and outlines yet unknown to any viewer.

  "Truly?- GAH!" A young and clearly feminine voice arrived, only to be frightened by a giant, almost blinding blue amalgamation of light in the distance, the sound and light together cutting through the beautiful atmosphere. Seconds passed as the lights quickly faded, and silence resumed.

  It was then that muffled breathing and a slight gulp was heard, the inquisitive speaker having covered their face in surprise. "Bastard! My poor eyes.. Where are we, anyways? Why is it so dark?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper halfway through.

  Indeed, there was a complete absence of light in this place. There was no sound either, other than the quickened breathing from a shining blue figure, apparently floating in the dark quagmire.

  The light was dull, but it shone nonetheless, albeit much dimmer than the luminescent colors previously visible in the distance. At first glance it was clearly human-like, its appendages slightly hazy, but still visible against the surrounding black. The only thing giving an idea towards its sex was a head of long hair. A stunning flow of blue strings, stopping only at what should be the ankles. It was an otherworldly sight.

  After seeing the colored, blob-like thing pressed against her mouth, the girl gasped heavily, causing yet another explosion of blues to commence. Perhaps only now realizing the oddity of her own 'body', she thrust the now slightly saddened arm away from herself, desperately trying to understand what was happening here.

  She turned left and right, searching for any explanation to this mystery. This had to be one of the oddest things she had ever experienced!

  "Mm.." The ethereal voice mused, clearly enjoying the sight of this damsel in distress.

  The hum paused only a moment, before an ash gray figure stepped into view opposite her. This one much more defined and clearly masculine, having a tall, muscular shape compared to the girl. The most notable thing was his head, which didn’t have a definable shape. The man seemed to be wearing a mask of some sorts. A twisting blur that would make one dizzy if they’d stare. Not even a pair of eyes could be seen.

  The girl froze, but didn't seem too surprised at his appearance. In any case, emotions could hardly be visible in her current state. Only a set of blue eyes and a slit of a mouth graced this form, not even a nose or eyebrows.

  “Gray.” She monotoned, folding her arms over her breast, giving a not-so-light huff as her body weight shifted to one leg. It would seem that a good explanation was well overdue.

  "This Sanctuary is-" Gray paused his words, mulling over whether the specifics were even important at this point. “Well, this place is safe, for you and I at least. I won’t bother explaining. But, if I’m going to continue what I was saying earlier, you should just relax as best you can.” His voice no longer echoed, and it had a slight discernible arrogance to it, as if he placed himself a step above all others.

  “Ahh, forgive this lowly one for being startled after literally waking up in HELL! Where am I, damnit? If you can’t answer that, then at least explain to me why the fucking sun keeps showing up when we speak! Or why I’ve turned into a blue slime thingy, and you look like burnt firewood incarnate. Fuck!” She practically bounced in agitation, continuing to press for answers while pointing what would normally be considered a hand forward towards the man’s chest.

  “Heh. Ay, so fiery. How could you be blessed by Water? How is it my fault you’re so uneducated? Listen, my little waterspout-” Gray teased and stepped forward, closing the distance between them. He hesitated, before bringing an arm out from behind his back to pat her head. “Just let me continue, and I promise I’ll show you everything.” Then, he turned away from her disgruntled figure while muttering under his breath, “Even the things you won’t want me to.”

  Not giving her a chance to retaliate, Gray quickly continued. “Now where was I? Paradise, They called it so.” Something was different when he spoke this time, there was an edge in his diction. A tangible anger. Hatred was present.

  The distant lights responded as always when they spoke, yet they shone brighter than ever before as an almost deafening CRACK was heard. The world started to shake as lights and explosive noises continuously exacerbated throughout the space.

  A visceral fear grew in the girl’s mind as she unconsciously reeled back. This display of power came out of nowhere, and was completely insane to someone of her level. He didn’t even let her speak! It felt like her mind was suddenly being shaken back and forth relentlessly, like a small boat facing a towering tsunami, she was simply helpless in the face of it.

  It was then that Gray’s figure stepped in front of her, his chest blocking the brightest of the lights from her view. Her body half collapsed against his broad backside as the commotion immediately became bearable, and her mind gradually stabilized.

  Gray inwardly smiled, something he now only ever did around her. ‘Hah.. This feels surprisingly nice. However, even as a beginner of The Path, her mind is far too weak. I very much dislike it, but I must help her. Even if it’s torture for the both of us.’

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  The revolving mass of colors was far, far in front of him, yet it still enveloped his entire field of view. It started as a haphazard amalgamation, but now it was slowly solidifying, Its colors combining and stretching, gradually compressing to form a gigantic circular shape. Thousands of small sparks were reflected in Gray’s eyes, launched away from the ball at high speeds. They became glittering dots throughout the black ocean. They became the stars.

  Tens of seconds ticked by as he silently watched the ball begin to twist, then spin faster and faster, eventually gazing upon what was definitely two hemispheres, forming what could only be described as a planet split across the equator.

  “Urgh, my head hurts..” About a minute had passed when Gray felt his companion stir against him. He conveniently ignored her mumblings about a certain “dishonorable ambush” while she stood straight yet again. Cursing her shamelessness, he shifted to the side, facing both her and the planet.

  “I-incredible!” What greeted her sight was simply majestic. A picture she was sure she would never again witness. “How is this possible?” She whispered, her tone one of disbelief.

  The top half was still an enigma. An inscrutable, rainbow like sheen covered the entire hemisphere. One could only wonder what was hidden inside. This was not the same, however, for a small glowing white core, which sat center-stage between the two behemoths.

  There were no bright colors on the bottom half. It was an simple light brown, tinted with red. Quite similar to a barren wasteland, rather than any hospitable place you could think of. It wasn’t even a perfect hemisphere either, as about 30% of the underside was visibly breaking off from the main body, the large chunks and thousands of smaller pieces floated eerily. A massive crater was present, surrounded by large dips, waves, and spines lining the earth, jutting out far further from the atmosphere than usual. None of it looked natural.

  “It is a beautiful sight, right? Exactly how I remember it.” A tingling feeling pricked Gray’s skin as his narrowed eyes watched on. Emotions he hadn't felt in a long time, emotions he buried deep were rising within him. But, he was no longer the inexperienced whelp from the past. Now, he held power. Now, he was in control.

  “Beautiful, yes. It looks sort of like it should be dying though? Is this your Origin Planet, Gray?” She asked, inquisitively tilting her head towards the man.

  Gray nodded, both as an answer to her question and his own, internal musings. “Well, it didn’t always look this way. You’ll see for yourself, soon enough.”

  Ignoring the confused girl, he turned his sheltered gaze back to the planet. An outstretched right palm rose towards the black sky, his chest expanding in tandem as his lungs quickly filled with whatever substance populated the space here.

  As the girl watched on, a few seconds passed in silence, then, it happened. She saw the fist clench shut, felt a faint tremor in the air, and heard a distant roaring very similar to the sound of the lights when Gray was angered. Only, this was much deeper, and clearly intensifying! If her current form had bones and organs, she was sure they would be vehemently protesting against the might of the growing vibrations.

  Slightly started yet expectant, she still didn’t look away from Gray, who was still motionless with his clenched fist above his head. She then followed his gaze to the planet, only to be shocked when she felt a physical force pulling her body. She almost didn't notice until Gray was no longer between her and the planet, but beside her instead.

  It was slow at first, but clearly getting stronger.

  "Hey now, let's not get ahead of ourselves here! What's happening?.. Gray? Bastard! GRAY!" She yelled. Taking matters into her own capable hands, she tried, and failed, thanks to the mysterious obstructing force, to flail her arms in an attempt to grab him. Giving up when his figure let her view, she instead focused her thoughts on the looming planet ahead.

  'I'm being pulled towards the planet. This must be that damn Gray's doing, but why? This guy is so secretive, and always up to no good. I've decided! I must give him a big fine this time- BIG fine! Absolutely!' She resolutely decided, just before noticing her thoughts being interrupted by the almost deafening noise. The now blaring sound carried on, gradually falling in pitch, yet growing in volume as her form was dragged farther and further from Gray. It was now a throbbing bass, pounding against her very mind, causing pain and making it massively harder to form coherent thoughts.

  The lingering seconds ticked by as Gray watched her drift away, his arms now resting together on his lower back. 'May you not only survive, but prosper, my dear.'

  It could have been seconds or hours, she had no idea. While struggling to simply maintain consciousness, she heard a quiet, ethereal voice. It cut clearly through the storm, reminding her of the situation she was in. The mind-numbing bass was no longer present, its former grandeur reduced to a mere whisper. "Prepare yourself." It echoed.

  'Prepare myself. Indeed.' As if flipping a switch, she threw out all her previous distracting thoughts. She no longer had any time to play around, as the bottom hemisphere was now obstructing her entire view. She didn't know what was coming, but a test from Gray would never be simple, or safe.

  Gray stood unmoving. He watched the blue girl become a dot, a mere speck in the distance. He was alone, again. "It's all or nothing now."

  A sigh was let out, followed by a determined voice. Steady and powerful, it sounded out. “Sanctuary, take me back.. to Selphus!”

  Turning opposite the planet, he began to walk with slow, measured steps. He knew it was pointless, but walking often helped ease his troubled mind. However, something odd was happening to his body as it moved. Small motes began to break off, and fly away behind him. They weaved and ebbed through the darkness, looking like ash floating through a gentle breeze. More and more broke off, disfiguring the muscled body. They seemed to be affected by the same pulling force the girl experienced, flowing towards the planet like a small river of ash.

  Gray was indifferent, his body still mimicking the movements of walking even without legs present.

  Eventually, all that was left was a mask. A holeless, black mask. It was only discernible against the backdrop of the planet and stars in this ocean of emptiness. Soon, it too began to move. Soon, it would also reach the planet, Selphus.