Amerusén led his companions deeper into the crowd, sighing as the other Déllir moved away from them as they passed. It was always the same when Amerusén and his followers approached the others. Vorius’ snort of disgust echoed through Amerusén’s mind.

“Niraidam,” Vorius sneered into the small group’s telepathic connection. “As much personality as a cloud.”

Etrae’s laugh rang through the connection. “I think a cloud has more.”

Ara remained silent, but Amerusén could feel her amusement.

Amerusén’s fourth companion remained as silent and unreadable as ever. Rikashe was a strange individual. Amerusén had found him at the edge of Existence, where it was at its thinnest and closest to nonexistence. He had already been disconnected from the hive mind of the Niraidam, in a place where only those seeking to end their existence went. Assuming Rikashe had gone there for that reason, Amerusén had refused to leave, requesting a connection until Rikashe had grudgingly accepted. He had managed to convince Rikashe to accompany him back to where the rest of the Amerusai waited, but Rikashe had kept his distance from the others, only making and accepting connections with Amerusén.

Still at a loss as to how to get Rikashe to fully integrate with the Amerusai, Amerusén turned his attention to the reason they had come here. The energy in this part of the universe had changed. It had begun attracting the energy around it, changing in frequency and vibration.

Their numbers beyond counting, the Niraidam watched the sphere grow, their amorphous cloudlike forms creating a haze. The number of Déllir watching the event grew as steadily as the singularity. They watched from a distance, not daring to get too close for fear they might be caught in the tiny sphere’s expanding attractive field. The density of the singularity continued to increase. The frequency and vibration of the energy continued to decrease. And the Déllir watched, none of them able to remember having witnessed this spectacle before.

Confusion and curiosity filled the small group’s connection. Rikashe alone showed no reaction to the singularity. Suspicion aroused, Amerusén gently prodded Rikashe’s mind through their private connection.

“Have you seen these before?”

“They come and they go.” Rikashe’s attention barely shifted from the singularity.

Confused and troubled by the reply, Amerusén pressed further. “Where have you seen this before?”

Rikashe ignored the question, remaining transfixed on the tiny sphere of altered energy.

Forcing his irritation and frustration with Rikashe’s reticence to the back of his mind, Amerusén persisted. “Where have you seen this before? Did you see it near Oblivion, or somewhere else?”

Rikashe remained focused on the singularity though Amerusén sensed a slight shift in his attention. “Yes. They come and they go. They are best avoided.”

Shock blossomed in Amerusén’s mind at the fear he sensed in Rikashe’s mind. What can scare someone who has no fear of Oblivion? “When you saw the sphere before, was there only one?”

“No.”

The reply was accompanied by an image of a single sphere of altered energy. Other spheres appeared alongside it until there were millions. In the image the Déllir gathered around each of the spheres as they gathered around the one currently forming. The spheres grew in density, then the first sphere expanded so fast the layer of altered energy swept over the watching Déllir before they could react. The other spheres inflated soon after.

Amerusén studied the image over and over. He wanted to call it a memory, but there was something wrong with it. The unique energy signature each memory carried was missing for much of it. Still, he was unable to shake the growing sense of dread.

Sharing the image in the Amerusai’s collective connection, Amerusén ordered them to search for more spheres. The first report of another sphere was returned almost immediately, quickly followed by a second and then a third. Thousands of singularities were located throughout the central area of the universe.

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“It will inflate soon.”

Rikashe’s voice was a whisper in Amerusén’s mind. Forcing his way into the collective consciousness of the Niraidam, Amerusén planted the image of the expanding spheres swallowing Déllir. It didn’t take long for fear to take hold among the Niraidam, their perpetually connected minds creating a feedback loop that amplified the fear until many became frozen in place with terror.

“We need to leave now!”

Rikashe’s warning jolted Amerusén from his study of the feedback loop. “Get away from the spheres. Quickly!”

The Amerusai reacted instantly to their leader’s shouted command, keeping their fear tightly under control as the made a hasty but ordered evacuation of the areas containing a singularity. Amerusén and his companions backed away from the singularity they watched, heading for the nearest fast-flowing energy stream, one of the many that flowed through the universe.

With a blinding flash and deafening explosion, the singularity expanded. The bubble of altered, condensed energy rushed outwards, sweeping over the Niraidam who either hadn’t heeded Amerusén’s warning, or failed to react quickly enough.

Amerusén and his companions raced along the Stream, propelled by the swift current of the energy, relieved to find millions of the Niraidam had been able to follow them.

“We should be safe now.”

Amerusén acknowledged Rikashe’s statement and led the small group of Amerusai out of the Stream and into an area of densely packed, slow-moving energy clouds. He had been connected to the hivemind of the Niraidam when the singularity had expanded. He had felt the terror of those engulfed by the altered energy. Had felt them be torn from the collective consciousness as if, in an instant, they had ceased to exist. Sorrow settled over his mind. He had tried to warn them but they hadn’t listened because of who he was and now they were gone, destroyed.

They are lost, but not destroyed. The thought, the certainty entered his mind as if they were his own, but they were not. What is lost can be found. What is trapped can be freed. Enter the material bubbles willingly and you will be able to leave whenever you wish.

Sending the sensation of the Niraidam being torn from the hive-mind, his desire to save them, and the sourceless certainty they could be saved into the Amerusai’s collective connection, Amerusén waited for the consensus.

Rikashe’s agreement was instantaneous. The Amerusai fell silent, surprised not that Rikashe had supported Amerusén’s idea, but that he had joined the collective connection, something he hadn’t done since he first joined them.

Etrai, sensing Rikashe was about to withdraw, voiced her support for Amerusén. “If it is safe to enter these material bubbles, then we should at least try to save the Lost.”

Vorius grunted his agreement. At least, Amerusén assumed it was agreement.

“When I first left the Niraidam,” Ara said, “the loneliness and isolation almost overwhelmed me. If Amerusén hadn’t, it may have caused me to end my existence. Together we found all of you and helped you to adjust to existence outside of the Niraidam. It is time to repay his support. I agree with Amerusén and Etrai. We must at least try to free those who were caught by the altered energy. If it wasn’t for Amerusén and Rikashe’s warning the Lost could have been us.”

Splitting into their factions, the Amerusai discussed Amerusén’s proposal. When their decisions came, all but two of the factions chose to support Amerusén in his self-appointed mission. It was decided those two factions would remain behind and aid any Déllir leaving the Niraidam.

The consensus returned, Amerusén informed the Niraidam of the Amerusai’s willingness to enter the material bubbles to discover the fate of the Lost and, if possible, free them, in the hope of convincing the hivemind to help.

The Niraidam considered the proposal. The Amerusai were prepared to risk their very existence to help those who had been lost. They were surprised the Amerusai had been able to come to an agreement on the issue. While the Amerusai were like the Niraidam, they were different. Not only did the Amerusai possess individuality, names, gender, varied personalities and differing opinions on everything, their Essence was different to that of the majority of Niraidam. It wasn’t normal. It wasn’t right. It would be no great blow to the Niraidam if Amerusén and his followers were lost to the equally wrong bubbles of altered energy. But the chance to have the Lost Niraidam returned to the Collective...

Suppressing a groan of frustration at the slow, circular thought process of the Niraidam, Amerusén disconnected from the hivemind and summoned the Amerusai to his location. While he had been connected to the Niraidam, he had felt several thousand of the trillions of minds wavering between uniform and individual thought, feeling a desire to take a more active role in the rescue of their brethren. Before the Amerusai were fully gathered, the Niraidam who were unwilling to conform to the will of the Collective and leave the Lost to their fate, made the decision to leave the Niraidam and join the Amerusai.

Amerusén was aware that many, if not all, of those individuals would have eventually broken away from the Niraidam, but he couldn’t stop himself feeling pleased the current situation had forced them to choose sooner rather than later.

When all one hundred and forty-four thousand Amerusai had gathered, Amerusén led them into the nearest bubble of altered energy.