"Don’t die, Sirius."
The voice still echoes in my mind, but it quickly fades away, like a distant whisper. I find my body again—the air in my lungs, the sound of my beating heart. I missed this.
I don’t know who could have invented such torture, but three years of struggling just to exist... I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.
Where am I?
Everything is so dark. I can barely make out what’s at my feet. No light has ever existed in this place.
Hours have passed. I’ve walked a long distance through this darkness, yet there’s no end in sight. This place must be enormous.
It’s strange. I feel both a connection to this world and a crushing weight pressing down on .
How do I get out of here?
Splaash.
That sound... It’s far away, but it’s getting closer.
Dood.
A wave—so high I can’t even see its peak—rushes toward at a terrifying speed.
Run.
This ti, I have a body. If I die here, I fear it will be the end.
Faster.
"Damn it!"
I won’t make it.
Pain.
The wave crashes into from behind, swallowing whole in a violent whirlpool. The currents lash at , tearing my skin, twisting my limbs. I have to reach the surface, or I’ll run out of air.
I try to swim, but a sharp pain shoots through my back.
Shit. My spine must have fractured from the impact.
My lungs burn, but I don’t know what hurts more—the asphyxiation or the liquid whips lacerating my flesh.
Cough.
Oh, fuck. Water is rushing inside .
I’m drowning.
No more air.
My consciousness fades.
Am I going to die, swallowed by this ocean?
Everything has beco so quiet.
It’s almost... peaceful.
No.
I can’t.
I must not panic.
I have to silence my emotions, or I’ll have no chance.
I have about two minutes before my brain runs out of oxygen and I die.
I can survive.
No—I will live.
Think, Sirius. What do I know that can help escape?
I won’t let so naless voice be right about .
(I have no soul. I am you. Or rather, we are one—your soul and I.)
Those words...
What if they were true?
My body should be dead in the real world.
I must be sowhere.
(For soone nad Sirius, it’s strange not to like the stars.)
This world without light... feels like a sky without stars.
That familiarity?
Yes. That’s it.
This space... is my soul.
It belongs to .
I can shape it, bend it to my will.
Yes.
I will shatter this ocean into fragnts and bring forth the light.
If water cannot be broken... then I will change its state.
Beco solid.
I command it.
I desire it.
I will it.
Haaahhh.
Air fills my lungs again.
It worked!
The water around freezes, and in the next instant—
I’m trapped in ice.
The temperature plumts. My skin burns.
Pain. My head!
It feels like it’s going to explode.
My body is compressed, my heartbeat slows.
I can’t breathe anymore.
The air has solidified.
Everything around has turned into a giant block of ice.
Who am I?
Should I have accepted it?
No.
I must hold on.
My thoughts are spiraling, but I won’t give in.
Do you think this is enough to break ?
You’re dead wrong.
Vaporize.
I command it.
I desire it.
I will it.
Once again, everything changes.
Aaghh...
Steam erupts in an instant.
Pfoom!
The pressure propels upward.
My body is on fire.
Every muscle, every nerve screams in agony.
A dense mist of scalding gas engulfs this world.
But it’s not over.
I warned you... I will make you shine.
What I desire, I will take with my own hands.
I can feel it.
I can shape it, mold it to my will.
The winds are so violent I’m losing my senses.
I command the gas beneath to solidify and support .
I feel so resistance... but it obeys.
A cloud hardens under my feet.
I extend my right hand.
Co to .
At my command, a vortex is born.
High-pressure gas compresses in my palm.
I can feel it.
The sheer energy contained within my grasp.
And what if...
I close my eyes, focusing entirely.
Blood trickles from every orifice, the pain reaching a whole new level.
But that doesn’t matter.
On the contrary, a grin stretches across my lips.
Because I’ve finally claid it.
This power is mine.
I place my left hand over it.
I command you... ionize.
At those words, the compressed gas in my palm transforms into plasma.
Blinding white.
So small, no larger than a dot...
But it has banished the darkness.
Is this...?
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