Pure white and endless cold emptiness forever.
Then a flash of sensation. Dimly, there came a touch of warmth and with it a sudden cluster of knowing. It, whatever it was, had been given a purpose and a form. Floating in the light it turned towards the foretold destination. It fell through a gap in the brightness and was swallowed by a similarly cold darkness. A small orb was also there in the vast black, vibrant and full of energy. Reaching out with its senses to grab at the sphere and surprisingly the blue, green, white orb gripped back. Pulled down, it felt others with it. Sensing them it turned its attention to them and grasped at them too, each of them a tiny mote of power and intent.
Feeling no reaction, the mote tore away from its fellows only to discover it was hurtling towards the coruscate sphere. As it did, the mote’s senses shrank and its power slowly dwindled. In the dark, that warmth that had imbued it with an incredible amount of energy only seemed to be expended in this descent. The mote fixated upon the orb and a new twinge of purpose drove it forward.
Grow and Understand.
The mote barely understood the thoughts swirling inside it. All it knew for certain was that this orb was tearing it from the dark. A mix of emotions bubbled within the immaterial fleck of reality, anger and frustration amidst wonder and joy, but rising high above them was the desire to experience this gift. To boldly explore what was presented before it was the mote’s one and only priority, to grow and understand. As the descent grew ever more rapid, the tiny transparent speck drew its consciousness inward and tried to focus on this truth, this purpose. A small trickle of understanding washed through it as that wordless voice presented the Journey’s understanding of the mote itself.
Nameless
Role: Mote of Existence
Ascension: 0
Force: 1 Endurance: 0
Intellect: 10 Potency: 5
Skills: Discernment, Embody
These concepts were far beyond what the mote could understand. Overwhelmed with the information that flooded its consciousness, the sliver of reality fell like a meteor towards the shining ball before it. The sphere grew larger and larger in its senses until it was all that the poor confused mote could sense before it. Then the fall slowed into a gradual descent, and then the mote stopped, just before touching the surface of the ball itself.
[Paelothian forest]
Floating there, the mote of existence could feel a tiny tug still grabbing it and forcing it down through the surface, but nothing that the speck couldn’t ignore. Afterall, there was so much to take in. Towering foliage that were a myriad of kinds of what the mote instinctively knew to be called “trees.” In these pillars of living tissue was a tiny pulse of potential that the mote felt it could latch onto should it chose to do so. However, the mote thought that this would be a mistake. The nameless thing couldn’t identify why it thought that, only that it did. Maybe because the potential was so small? After contemplating it for several minutes, it came to the conclusion that yes, it would need more of a spark to hold onto than that.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Turning its attention away from the trees, it noticed another mote had drifted down nearby. Hearing a jolt within the bushes and sensing a surge of energy, the mote felt this newcomer immediately channel its remaining power into one rush of potent vitality. Next to this other fragment of existence was a diminutive creature. Not wanting to interfere in the display its sibling was performing, the mote reached out with the lightest of touches to inspect this living thing.
The mote could see the bright spark of potential this creature possessed. However, even as it reached out to grab it, the other mote completed its ritual and began to morph and change, freeing the thing to scamper off into the undergrowth. The mote watched its sibling heave and struggle, limbs apparating from thin air and scrabbling to gain purchase amid the fallen leaves and detritus of the forest floor. In mere moments a fully fledged creature, nearly exactly the same as that earlier one, bounded forward following the being it had copied.
The mote followed tentatively behind, unable to grasp any potential at all from this new being. The winding trail led through the trees and out into a rocky slope out of which sprung a thin brook, which cut along the stones and down the ridge. The mote took it all in despite a growing sense of panic. It could feel that core of itself fading. Was its time up already? Frantically, the mote scanned the brook for any lifeform it could take the shape of, following in the footsteps of its sibling.
Then a stone moved, catching the mote’s attention. There was a miniscule presence. Smaller than the other’s target but similarly burning with a spark of potential. Without fanfare the mote repeated what its sibling had done. The rocky looking thing froze and stared at the mote, transfixed as the fragment absorbed all it could of the creature’s identity. Then it was over, and the animal hurriedly moved away.
The mote struggled and kicked, thrashed and snapped until it stood on its legs next to the burbling water. Casting its mind inward again it took stock. It was no longer hemorrhaging energy and had a new form to explore with. But what had it become?
Nameless
Role: Lesser Migrant Crab
Ascension: 0
Force: 4 Endurance: 10
Intellect: 10 Potency: 5
Skills: Discernment, Hide, Scuttle
Its senses were much more restrained in this form. Desperately it tried to hear and to feel. But they were distant now, though it could feel vibrations and interpret them to a degree. It could see still, though not in all directions, it could smell to an extent though some of its newfound appendages. Moving was more difficult too. It seemed that being material was going to have challenges all its own. Turning slowly on all eight of its lower limbs, the mote turned crab twisted to follow the creature it copied with its eyes. The animal wasn’t far away, but seemed wary of the newly apparated crab.
The newly made crab began stretching its legs, the movement scaring the other further off. Undaunted, the crab began to test the limits of its new form and tried to puzzle out what it was going to do next.