I try to open my eyes. I cannot. I don't have any. Yet I can still see. All around me is a seemingly endless river. This has happened before... How many times has it been? It doesn't matter. I look around myself. Souls fill my view, reaching beyond every horizon. Some stream into tunnels, each leading to a different world. A few have their own colours. But as they bump and rub against the others they fade, becoming the same pale blue they all eventually match.

Will that happen to me? I am already the same colour, but I have forgotten much. Will I forget more? I should hurry. Find a vessel, something, anything, I-

I open my eyes. The world is dark. Blurry. I see shapes move. But I cannot tell what they are. Perhaps sight is the wrong sense to use? I listen. I have no ears. I smell. I have no nose. I feel. I feel everything. But it doesn't parse. Too much information. And no instincts to manage it. I could attune. Sense with a pure energy.

I'm no demon, nor an angel. Should I use Mana? No... icky... Then Aether. There is too little in the air. But the ground below me is abundant. Is it alive? No matter. I can use this. I attune. It takes time, but I succeed. Aether sense is difficult, especially with so little. But I must try.

I can see. It feels so... natural. I've done this before. It is... easier than I thought. It is blurry, but I can see. Barely. I am, strange... Amorphous? No... I am like a liquid, yet I am not. My body has countless tiny legs. I cannot see them, but I feel them. I am... slow. So slow. I move. I try t-

It hurts. I've been attacked. I can't see from where. I'm dying. I-

I try to open my eyes. I cannot. I don't have any. Yet I can still see. All around me is a seemingly endless river. I'm here again. I feel like it was too quick this time. But I cannot remember. What was I before?

I search for a new vessel. A new life. Perhaps I was hasty before. Here I will take my time. I know not which direction I am heading. But I know it's the right way. I find a world. So many promising vessels here. They feel... strong. Full of vitality. I enter one.

I open my eyes. It is dark. But I can see. I look at myself. At my four legs. My three tails. My pink skin. Those around me have long, grey fur. Will mine grow in? I stand. Yet I am captured. Am I... being licked? Is this normal? I am carried, fed, raised. My fur grows in. My family teaches me to hunt. I learn quickly. And I begin to teach them in return.

I attune. Mana is... icky. So I attune to Aether. It feels better that way. More right. But there is so little... Almost none in the air, even in the creatures. I must hunt more. Gather more Aether. As much as I can. I hunt. I grow. My family help me. They find me strange. My fast growth, my unusual behavior. Yet they love me still, and I love them back. I grow stronger. Acquire more Aether.

I remember. The life I lived before. I was... too patient. I took too long. I failed. I mustn't let myself fail again.

I lead our hunts. Teach my family my methods. We're more efficient this way. We can hunt bigger game. Older, stronger, with more Aether to harvest. We fight. We grow. I become strong. But I must grow stronger. Much, much stronger. Even if I hunt all the prey in these land it won't be enough. I leave for more bountiful lands. My family follows. I wish them to remain where it's safe, yet equally I need the help. I travel. I search. There are no...

So big... Powerful. So much Aether. A beast of scales and fangs, clad in flames. I stand no chance, yet... Even a scale, a single strand of flesh would be so much. I go towards it. If I'm careful. If I sneak in and leave before it-

It hurts... so much. Am I dying? Again? It didn't even see me... I was hit... by a stray rock. My legs? Why are they over there. Ah, no. Don't cry for me... Don't mourn... I'll live... I'll come back... I'll save-

I try to open my eyes. I cannot. Yet I can still see. All around me is a seemingly endless river. I am... frustrated. Why? It doesn't matter. Perhaps last time I was unlucky. This time I will pick some-place safe.

I open my eyes. I-

I try to open my eyes. I cannot. Yet I... I'm back already? What happened? Did I die? No... It doesn't matter. I will find a new body.

I open my eyes. I grow. I die.

I try to open my eyes. I find a new body.

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I wake up. New body... I die.

New life. Grow strong. Hunt. Die. Reborn. Wake up. Eaten. Die.

Born. Die. Stabbed. Killed. Die. Live. Die. Eat. Eaten. Die. Die. Again. Die. My mission... Die! Live! Die! Strong! Die! I must! Die! Die! Die! Go on! Grow! Die! Eaten! Stabbed! Crushed! Starved! Die die die! I MUST GO ON!

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I open my eyes.

Aleph jolts awake. Tears trace rivers down from her eyes, refracting the violet light of the Aether infused air dancing around her. Ragged breaths escape her trembling form as her gaze darts around, desperately trying to distinguish between dream and reality. A soft glow catches her eyes. The worried gaze of a caring spider steadily soothing her rapidly beating heart.

She lays down, letting her companion approach. Her breathing slows and her tears lessen. The tiny spider gently rubs circles on the dragon's snout, letting her soft, furry pedipalps soak up the tears streaming down her cheek. Aether calms its turbulent flow as she leans forward, nuzzling her tiny companion. Soft whispers in an unfamiliar language soothe her racing mind.

Through the eyes of a worried companion

"That's it. Breathe... Just breathe." What else does one say in these situations? "There there?" Lyla calmly comforts the obsidian dragon, pacifying its heavy breathing into a soft, rhythmic flow of air. Whispering every word of consolidation she can think of in the most calm sounding language she knows.

Guess dragons have nightmares too, huh... They rest there for a short while, the lively bustling of the surrounding forest taking a back seat as they simply focus on each other's presence.

The dragon's violet eyes open, nuzzling its snout into Lyla as it stands. Hey, hey! That tickles-eww, did you just lick me? Is that normal? Agh, fine, fine I'll get on my perch, just stop nudging me! Lyla nestles between the dragon's horns, continuing to provide soft rubs and pats. I swear this dragon is getting bigger... Just yesterday I could fit perfectly between these horns and now I have legroom. Growth spurt? At seventeen days old?

Through the eyes of a placated dragon

Best. Spider. Ever. I really need to find a way to say thank-you. In fact... I'm pretty sure I could talk now if I wanted. I doubt I know any languages from this world, but I could always just imitate the words she's used. What is that thing she always calls me? Let me just...

"Chit, chi-chit."

Through the eyes of a confused spider

Did this dragon just call me a 'fucking idiot'? "Fucking idiot." There! It just did it again! And in my voice too! Is it imitating me? Hoooly shit I just taught a child a swear as their first word didn't I? "Fu-" Gaah no! Stop! Don't say that anymore! You'll increase the age rating! Lyla waves her front legs frantically from atop the dragon's head. Okay, okay. I need to teach this dragon something less offensive to say. How about my name?

Lyla hops off her perch and begins weaving strands of thread into several parallel lines between her pedipalps, forming a tightly-knit handheld harp. Whose idea was it to give me a name I can't even pronounce by the way? She blows into the harp, instilling Mana into the threads to form different sounds as she warms up her voice. Man... I'm more out of practice than I thought.

The sounds take shape, becoming vocal tones similar to her natural squeaks, yet distinctly more malleable. "Leeeeerah!" Nope, not quite. "Riiiiiylar!" Not that either. "Lyra!" Almost! Hate when people call me that though... "Lyla! Lyla!" Hah! Perfect! Knew I had it in me. Lyla points to herself with her front leg. "Lyla!" Fuahaha! Behold the time old 'point at self and say name' technique! Only a fool would misunderstand!

"Lyla?" The dragon repeats. Huh, wow, quick learner aren't you? And in my voice again... Lyla nods gleefully. "Aleph Null." Huh? The dragon points to itself with its tail, for a moment surprising the tiny spider. "Aleph." You have a name already?! I was going to give you one! Guess I took too long...

"Lyly?" Huh? Not quite. "No, Lyla." "Lyla. Lyly." The dragon points at Lyla while listing off both names. Wait... is that? All eight of Lyla's eyes glimmer gleefully like a child with a new best friend. A nickname?! Does this mean we're friends? I think it does! Ooh! I need a cute nickname for this drago-Aleph... Null? Hm, wonder what it means. Unless it's just a nonsense word, or the meaning is lost to etymology.

Either way. Nickname. Could go for Ali? Keep it simple. But I'd rather something more... unique. Fancy. Grand. Something to truly represent this new bond. The dragon lifts Lyla back onto her perch, and sets off into the forest. I guess we're looking for a way down now? Sure. We've been here a fair while as is and there's nothing dangerous blocking us. And besides... I don't feel like complaining after all that. Speaking of which... I now have a theory!

Lyla rubs her pedipalps together like a mad scientist as she contemplates her genius idea. It all makes sense now! The strange behaviour? The unusual habits? The weird fixation on getting stronger, and the abnormal level of intelligence for a literal infant? The fact it already has a name? And most of all, the traumatised nightmares! There's only one thing this could be! Yes! Indeed! My dragon... is a time traveller! Fuehehehe!

The forest grows more dense, lime moss beginning to cover every patch of bark, filling the world in with green. Yes, it all makes so much sense! Clearly this dragon comes from far in the future, where some form of calamitous event has occurred, necessitating a regression to fix past mistakes and set the world on the right path. Perhaps another war of the gods? I missed the last one by a couple hundred years, so that would be exciting! Ooh, or even a second calamity? Oh the possibilities are just so tantalising! Lyla gushes over her theory like an overeager fangirl, swaying eagerly atop her perch.

Were we friends in the previous timeline? Or maybe I was its mother figure? No, wait, that just feels weird. Especially given my nature... Ah, but then why would it make out to eat me in our first encounter? Memory issues? Maybe it takes time to remember everything from the future? Or maybe we were actually mortal enemies in our past lives! Enemies turned friends, how exciting! I'm liking this story already!

The solid ground ahead gives way to a large, vertical tunnel leading deep below them. The dragon glances up at the giggling arachnid poised on its head, shooting a confused look before sliding down the hole.

So it must've been a seriously strong dragon to do something as crazy as reversing time. Unless it got sponsored by some super wacko time god? Ooh, that would explain the weird lack of Mana! It's not that it actually lacks Mana, but rather the time god has given it super Mana masking abilities so it doesn't attract attention from the evil future villains who would eliminate their potential nemesis! Could also be sponsored by an eldritch freak... I really hope it's not that...

Lyla's thoughts drift into an endless stream of ideas and conspiracies as the mossy tunnel gives way to jungle. Dark green vines and speckles of vibrantly coloured plant-life pepper their view, marking their entry to the next layer.