Strai’Ze floated on the Mysts as it had for longer than made sense to count. It remembered a time before the Mysts, but only vaguely. It had been a part of another being once, a beast of some sort. It hadn’t been a good pairing, but it was still better than the continual expanse of nothing it experienced now.

There were other times it had been fused before then, but those memories were simple imprints on its spirit body. Like scars telling a story, yet the story was unknown to Strai’Ze. It would love to remember the old stories, but even more so it longed to discover its new story.

On it drifted through the vastness of space until it neared a star. It had seen many stars during its journey. Many stars, many planets, many systems, many other spores. As an Umea spore Strai’Ze struggled to attach to life quite as easily as the spores that constantly flitted around itself within the Myst.

It didn’t have the same feelings it had when sharing a body with a Fused. It didn’t feel the same happiness or despair, but it did remember enough to know it was lonely. So very lonely. Surrounded by other spores, but none like itself. Some were better than others, but most were vile and wild. Their spirit bodies only barely formed with no rhyme or reason. Their connection to the Mysts a travesty compared to what the relationship could be, compared to the relationship Strai’Ze had with the Mysts.

Strai’Ze knew it had been like the wild spores once, even if it couldn’t recall what it was like then. It’s thoughts were like that. It had knowledge that was gained from a memory, but the memory itself was locked beyond her capabilities to remember. The knowledge was more a part of it’s spirit. Strai’Ze knew the wild nature it once had was shifted and changed by those it had once fused with. It was changed and molded anew with each new fused. It longed for that change, for that molding, for that growth. It didn’t have the same feelings it once had, but it’s spirit yearned for the chance to do anything other than drift through endless nothingness.

A growing ball of light pulled the spore out of it’s milenia long musings. Was this another desolated planet with no life at all? Would it drift along with the other spores searching for something to fuse with and find nothing for a sapient spore like itself? Or worse, would it be a planet with life, but nothing developed enough for Strai’Ze to grow with? Those always made it feel the most lonely.

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The answers would soon come as the ball of light grew in it’s spiritual vision. It was a blue planet with swirling white clouds. Strai’Ze soon saw the telltale sign of green life and became abuzz with new excitement. The other spores around her came alive with wild fervor. Many of them would attach to the first thing that breathed.

Not Strai’Ze. It was a selective spore. It wanted something that could connect along it’s main path with the Myst. It wanted to continue to grow the connection it had started with the many fused that had come before.

Moments later the Myst met the planet and wrapped around it in an instant. The spore was rattled as it always was when connecting with a new planet. It took a moment to detach itself from the fast flowing Myst and instead to the glittering tendrils that began to infuse the new world that was brim with unfused life. This planet was a spore's dream and Strai’ze slowed itself to a crawl so it could begin it’s search for a new fused.

The main connection Strai’Ze always looked for was Sleep. It felt around itself for a fitting host and stopped in excited shock. A being with a yearning for Sleep and Dreams was nearby. It was unfused, yet had such a strong connection already that sought to bond with the Mysts. Strai’Ze intended to help this being where it could not succeed.

Strai’Ze rushed through a window. Physical things never stopped it’s spiritual nature. The being below Strai’Ze was fast asleep and dreaming dreams that swayed the Mysts around it. Wild spores around it were buffetted away by the intense yearning for Sleep. Strai’Ze was drawn in and it let itself be. With a quick loop of excitement it dove into the waiting being below.

Their spiritual bodies began to fuse together coming together to make a whole. The process often caused pain and displeasure on the host as Strai’Ze’s spirit enforced large changes on the recipient. This time however, the host slept on. The body and spirit were already so close to Strai'Ze's spirit that they melded nicely making only minor changes. The fusing process even helped Strai’Ze improve its own spirit body simply by fusing. It was extremely excited to begin a new adventure with this host.

First though, Strai’Ze must do what it could to help this creature survive. It built a connection to sleep as quick as it could and then, although it went against Strai’ze’s nature, it woke the woman up. It used the bones of the host to produce sound where she could hear it and spoke softly.

“Hello, Emily.”