A single point of light floats in darkness that seems to go on forever. Vast ruined shards of rock float through the eternal night in clouds of cooling gas as the horizon of reality itself- once so far beyond imagination gradually closes in. There were other small lights before long ago, but those lights have long since Disappeared though the light knows not where.
The small mote of shining brilliance is the last light in this dying place.
The end is not far now.
When the edge of existence finally ceases closing in the light will cease to be.
Not death no- simply oblivion.
It watches, as much as any such being can be said to see as oblivion closes in.
Then, very suddenly the light disappears.
Unclaimed Soul Found Establishing Link: World Link Successful Initiating Soul Naturalization Process
The light is somewhere else, a place between places.
Scanning Soul... System Not Found: Installing System... System Installed
A blue text box floats in front of it, though the light does not notice.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Suddenly the light pulses, shards ripping away into the void.
Memory Status: Present Initiating Memory Erasure...
The light wobbles left and right as pieces are ripped away, losing size until a single fragment remains clinging to a brilliantly shining core. The fragment wobbles but sticks fast as the blackness eats away at the lost fragments. Then the last vestige of memory clinging to the ancient soul is torn away and flung through the void.
But this is not the story of the ancient soul. This is not the story of it's rebirth, the strangeness that made a young boy ascend to heights most could only dream of- no.
For as the small fragment of memory fell tumbling through nothingness, something unexpected happened-
it hit something.
In all the stupidly vast non-space of the void between places the fragment of memory slammed through the outgoing shell of memories from another soul, absorbing a chance few in it's way before colliding with the soul itself. This sent the soul spinning careening through the void for impossible distances (or possibly only a few meters) before some celestial force said 'enough of that' and plopped it right back where it started.
Not that the soul noticed- the void between worlds is not known for it's frequency of landmarks.
It is that soul who is the subject of this story. A soul for whom a few remaining memories, and one not her own would cause no end of trouble. A soul who though she did not know it was from the very same universe as the memory fragment's original holder- though she was from far earlier in our reality's lifespan.