“Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now, take what's left and live it properly. What doesn't transmit light creates its own darkness.”

― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

In a deep void, far from most stars and planets, the blackened mist of sleep lifted from Ven. His thoughts tangled together into a confused mass. Am I in space... What is that... A single bright light that illuminated the darkness around him seemed to be his target.

He rushed forward without any control. Who am I... What's happening... His consciousness misfired. Random memories faded in and out, and the sights around him failed to hold his attention. Ven continued unimpeded until he reached the source of the white glow.

Below him was an impossible world, stuck in the orbit of a star that defied logic. The scale of the two stellar objects was far beyond what nature should allow. The white star could encompass most galaxies. Twists of plasma lept out of its fiery surface and traveled further than Earth had in its lifetime.

The world that orbited this stellar behemoth was no less impressive, with a radius greater than several thousand times Earth's solar system. Vast continents littered the world's extensive surface. Each landmass was a diverse ecosystem, separated by equal amounts of water. Traditional ice caps weren't present, though many places resembled massive ice sheets.

Ven crashed into one such frigid mainland. He pierced effortlessly through the frozen waste and into yet more darkness. Within this black space, Vendak forced open his eyes.

I'm a test tube baby? This is a bit of a horror setup, isn't it?

Ven remembered his past lives and gained some context for his current situation. His surroundings reminded him of a B-movie, ready for an obvious jump scare at any time.

A dark lab... nothing around but dusty equipment and a creepy floating monster...

Ven was the monster in this situation, separated behind thick dirty glass. Pretty on point for a heartless system. He lacked the intrepid hero, alone in the dark, ready to slay him. Other than a bunch of work surfaces, carved from black stone, there was only a thick gloom.

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It should have raised a primal fear in him. The lightless expanse, filled as it was with shadow, created the illusion of movement. However, Ven's heart was steady. The bleak view seemed somehow peaceful. Twisted and eerie as it appeared, it called to him in a way that he couldn't explain.

The near-transparent fluid that suspended him was like oil on his skin. Thick and heavy, it restricted him. Ven turned his head to look down. He pushed his muscles and finally got his hand into view. The small limb raised into sight, and Ven experienced a sense of deja vu. His mind overlayed what it imagined should be there, instead of what was.

Not this nonsense again. At least it's less distracting this time.

Ven distanced the phantom reminder of his lost body from his thoughts, yet his changed size still threw him.

I still can't get over the fact I'm so small.

The skin on his arm was pitch black, so dark that it absorbed the light and cloaked him in shadows. Each tiny finger ended in a long claw, and his thumbs were no exception.

At least you kept your promise, you ridged, useless system.

He reached up and touched his face. His mouth, filled with an aggressive array of teeth, gave him pause.

I'm definitely some kind of cheat creature.

Ven calmed himself. He placed aside his ideas about lab-born abominations and turned his gaze to the text that floated within his field of vision. The age timer had reset to zero, and he would have to wait one hundred more years before he could make another wish. A wave of exhaustion overcame him, and without resistance, Vendak let himself fall into the embrace of sleep.

The veil pulled back for the second time. Ven checked the system display. His whole body twitched, and he squinted at the changed timer.

Ten years? Come on! What's with that?

His body had grown comparable to that of a young adult, it moved about more easily.

Being forced to sleep seems about right for this system, at least I won't have to waste time with childhood again.

Ven shifted himself, which sent his thick black hair into a cascade and tangled up his limbs. He flailed and spooled his attacker into two segments, captured around his wrists. Vendak held the offending mane in place and looked through the glass that surrounded him.

Now that his eyes had matured, the haze that impeded him was reduced, his view of the laboratory was more defined. A vast layer of dust spread across the workbenches. It coated the corroded equipment with what could be mistaken for thick lumpy sheets. The floor had its own cover of unbroken filth, a testimony to how long this place had been without visitors.

I really hope that this new body doesn't need to breathe, this liquid isn't something I want to suck up into my lungs.

His face, uncovered in the soupy cage, wrinkled at the thought.

If I start feeling the urge for air I'll give it a shot. For all, I know I've been inhaling the stuff for the last ten years anyway.

As he stretched out, a weight settled onto his body, and his mind once again slowed. The relentless hand of sleep gripped him. He struggled against it, one hand on the surface of his small enclosure as he was lost to dreams.

Ven returned to awareness after another ten years had passed. He lifted his hand from where it still rested, braced against the glass. I've grown again. He raised his now adult-sized hands and balled them into fists, then twisted his back. A series of sharp cracks sounded out, a tingle of energy that flowed across him. He waited a few moments, then stretched his body as much as the tube would allow.

Unlike the last time he rejected the call of unconsciousness, Ven was more aware. Hopefully, he would stay awake this time, as Vendak wasn't about to float here for the next 80 years, not if he was awake.

This place is safe enough, but I think it's about time I take a look around.