A deep sleep, one in which you can lose yourself. A sleep peaceful and lovely enough to have every part of your body refreshed and singing ooh-la-la.

And hence the greatest sin of all, as far as I believe, would be to disturb a person experiencing just that. To deny him the euphoria.

How could someone? I had asked my father a million times, and he always responded with a snicker followed with “It’s already 11 am, you brat. Get up already!”

It would be 7 am.

Anywayyy…. I thought I could confidently say I am experienced enough to keep my composure if I’m forced off of one.

And so I had thought until I was awoken by a gust of wind slamming my face. For a second I believed it to be part of my dad’s new pranks, and had opened my eyes, annoyed yet defeated.

And had genuinely felt awake and terrified when I found myself floating miles in the air beside a geometrically impossible swim-flying fish.

It felt like an amalgamation of every child’s first fish art yet at the same time a masterpiece. A 2D fish yet a 3D at the next instant. And I was trapped between a whole school of them.

They stared at me by their impossible eyes, curling around me in a spiral. Curling around me in an attempt of intimidation? Care? A welcome? Hunger!? I genuinely can’t guess.

I was so astounded by my circumstances that I couldn’t place a finger on my feelings anymore. What was I even feeling, I had no idea.

It took me a bit of floating, and realizing I was floating (!! how cool was that !!) before I looked at things other than just fish, who seemed to be munching at something in the air now.

And man was it a headache.

It seemed like I was floating in a floating country which was floating with stars and a weirdly deformed crescent moon hanging above me from strings.

The stars were the same, white and yellow diamonds across a phthalo blue backdrop of night. But the sun was still overhead and the sky above me was plain white with scribblings of blue.

Somehow night and day existed together, but it looked as if the night was merely just a theatre in the day. A large open theatre with no residents but creepy buildings.

Fascinated, through my headache at looking at such a geometry-less state of the world like the scribblings of a child, I had absolutely no idea what was I supposed to do now.

I couldn’t see anyone else, and it looked as if wherever I was, existed only around me. Cause as far as I can see, it looked empty. Just plain stretches of sky, soul-less and dark.

Oh, by the way, I did see a reallllllly pointy mountain on the edges of this city, where all the paths seem to converge and the house of every kid’s dream sat.

Yep, I realized, I’m still asleep or….

‘Could this be what Artists see?’ I wondered.

It was really suspicious. This whole place was. It resembled far too much of a painting of a child or a great artist at times to not have something to do with Artists. ‘Especially when I might have just joined their ranks too.’

I can now remember the things I had seen and felt while peeking at the space anomaly over my head at the last moments. It was a world of endless colors, of every moment in spacetime stitched at such a level across itself that I had felt a wave of endless euphoria burst within me.

I had felt a weird understanding about me in that instant. A certain understanding of something about something that eluded me. But I felt awoken to understanding of a new ability within me.

The ability to manipulate m-

A wave of peril stuck me like a dart of black. It suddenly stuck me from every direction, skewering me, killing the fish as more curled around me tighter. But they were quickly found useless as more and more kept appearing.

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A wave of dread filled me, and then gratefulness flowed as my body relaxed against this attempt. All that pain couldn’t convince my body to move. I couldn’t convince my body to move!

My body convulsed and spasmed as I felt myself growing weaker. I had not lost blood, but my body just felt weak. Inspirited. Unmotivated.

The attacks struck with more force. Many of them missed, and many were deflected. But whatever was throwing them was coming closer. I could feel it.

And then the survival instinct of my body finally kicked, when I was at my last leg. When I could barely open my eyes. When I could barely see the last of the remaining fish bring a twisted mirror in front of me and in it reflected something expanding above my he-

- - - - * - - - -

“AAAAAA!!”

‘No no no no stay away away! Save me save me saveme!’

“Sir, sir! Please calm down, you are okay no-“

“AAAAA” I shouted as I jumped and backpedaled into my bed, rolling the white sheets over me. They are here to kill me again.

“They are here to kill me kill mekillme! Thevaultisheretokillme thevaultisheretokillme!” I muttered, sporadically as I shook in my chair feeling utterly cold at the moment.

“Sir, sir! It’s me, the Steward! Do you remember me?” A familiar voice shouted at me from beyond my blankets and the safety of my hiding place, giving me a pause.

All blood drained away from me as I suddenly stopped shaking, considering. What if it’s mimicking the voice?

’No no no I can’t go out, I can’t go out I can’t go out. They’ll kill me!! It’s a trap yes yes a trap, I know it.’ Convinced, I bunkered myself deeper in my bed, my cold breath giving me relief.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to meet in this condition-“ ‘yes yes you won’t be, so just leave me alone, leave me go away’

“Major, please do as you must.” ’No no no no what are they gonna do? No please don’t kill me, don’t kill me don’t kill me!’ I screamed in my head as I held the blanket even tighter, the blanket freezing now.

“Oh, he can already do this much huh? This doesn’t even look like the focus of his power. What a curious case indeed..” A soft voice echoed in my ears as a hand pressed on my blanket, caressing the material as if feeling its coldness.

I would’ve cried harder at the sudden physical contact had it not been for the sudden feeling I got. It was one of free fall. As if I was just an astronaut floating in space, mindlessly.

Peeking at my blanket, I was overwhelmed. My breath caught in my lungs and a bitter feeling in my mouth as I saw my blanket now just a mass of myriad points floating over me.

And peeking from behind the dots was a man wearing a black robe and harem pants with my family’s insignia over his chest. He was a tall yet not-so-tall man, his body hidden beneath the robe, I could only guess he was thin inside from his face.

He had an unhealthy complexion with a brown mustache on his face, brown eyes, and brown long hair in a ponytail like me. He did not wear the tiara like everyone I was used to seeing by now.

He looked like the most harmless guy I’ve met since coming here, yet the feats he has achieved with oh such ease left me disturbed and frightened beyond belief.

With a single flick of his wrist, the points of my blanket scattered and reformed beside me in the shape of an eye scrutinizing me before re-assembling beneath me, putting me out in the open. ‘And sitting on my blanket..’

“Felling better out in the open, young man?” He asked.

I felt a sudden urgency to answer me, nervousness all over me like, scared that he’d do what he had to the blanket to me if I failed to answer him quick.

“Ye-ye- yes, s-s-sir! I w-was-” Words stuck in my mouth my eyes expanded in fear as I found myself unable to explain what I wanted.

“Woah woah, calm down, I’m not gonna eat you, boy. Everyone, please give us some time alone. You too Arden, I’ll call you in soon.” Stopping the steward before he could protest, as he had no other choice but to leave with a bow.

Finally alone with this man and some of my returning wits, I looked at him in wonder and awe. It was my first time meeting an..

“Hello Conor, I’m Sino Forc, an Artist. And a Major General in the Viscountcy army.” He introduced himself with a firm handshake, which I self admittedly might’ve shaken a little more enthusiastically than I wanted.

He is an Artist. He is an Artist!! Wow.

“You don’t have to be so surprised boy. You are an Artist too now. Congratulations are in order.” He smiled as he placed his other hand on mine.

‘I really am one…’ I sighed a breath of relief as the metaphorical weight dropped off my chest.

“Although the one you became one is highly suspicious and still under scrutiny, but you don’t have to worry much about that right now. Just relax and let the right people do their job.

“I’m here to ask some basic questions related to your awakening and guide you through the basics of how to control and grow your newfound abilities.

“Let’s start with the latter, shall we?”

“Yes sir!” I almost shouted, too excited to finally learn how to wield supernatural powers.

“Let me re-introduce myself a bit here. I’m Sino Forc, a Point Art specialist. Do you mind telling me a little about yourself?” He asked and despite my hundred questions, I replied.

“Hello, I’m Conor Servouz. A new Landscape specialist.”