Darkness stretched in all directions, both endless and without dimensions at all. It strangled the senses and left him in total isolation. A world of nothing in which only his mind resided.

He had been here...a long time. Too long, and all attempts to record the passing of time had failed. Lately, all he did was sleep--at least, that was the closest approximation. Could a disembodied mind perform an action so rooted in physicality? It didn't matter. For all intents and purposes, he slept away unknowable lengths of time.

It was peaceful.

In the beginning, he had been so lost and in pain. A pain that stabbed into his depths and tormented his every moment. A pain that was almost physical, despite the impossibility of such a thing in this void. He probably lost his mind somewhere along the way.

Eventually, all that dulled. Not all at once, but such feelings were difficult to hold onto and he eventually fell asleep. He didn't even remember what had caused him so much anguish anymore. He just slept, for what else was there to do?

The first hint of change was subtle. It took the form of a slightly softer absence in a region of the void. There wasn't really anything there, but his perception gravitated toward it nonetheless. Texture was such a foreign thing to the void that it was blindingly noticeable. And so he watched. And kept watching.

The second sign of change was much more obvious. One moment there was nothing, and in the next three streaks flew by; one that gave off the feeling of growth and life, one that radiated warmth both soothing and fierce, and another that exemplified unyielding fortitude. His focus had been locked on the textured void so much that he almost didn't take notice of the streaks passing by, they were gone so fast. Turning his perception around, he watched as they disappeared into the void. Then he returned to his previous focus.

More time passed and he fell asleep. Each time, when he awoke, the texture had grown a bit more till it started to give off a certain light. The delineation of that region from the void grew more and more. He wondered what this change was building up to.

The next sign of change was far more drastic than the others. After rising from one of his many slumbers, the void had transformed. Color filled his perception--a vibrancy that evoked ineffable feelings within him. He couldn't describe it. The words had long been forgotten. What he could grasp was the sense of power he got from the vibrancy. Immensity. And it was growing by th moment.

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It came from the changed region of the void, and in that direction he could make out a single point where the color was more concentrated. That point grew and grew till it took the form of a being with four limbs and a head extending from its torso--a familiar configuration to him, but that is where the familiarity ended. He didn't remember much of what he once was, but he knew this being was far greater.

Agitation grew within him as the being swiftly approached. The feeling took awhile to recognize since he had long been undisturbed within the void. It was wariness--he would be at the complete mercy of the approaching being, and it was putting him on guard. He watched it come closer and closer as the feeling grew.

Just before the being would have crashed through him, it bled all momentum and stopped. HIs anticipation of their meeting had grown so much that this development left him shocked and confused. He could only observe the being, as he too was observed.

Whatever it was, it was clearly the source of the color that recently came into the void. It radiated from the being such that the void was no longer dark in its presence. Despite what should have been blinding vibrancy, it did not impede his perception and he was able to take in every detail of the being's appearance. Problem was...there wasn't much to take in. Other than the generally familiar overall form, he could not make out a single feature. It unnerved him, and his wariness grew once more.

The being could tell his reaction, and it radiated a sense of comfort in response. It did not approach any more while it waited on him to calm--and as the eternal passing of time had told, these feelings of his eventually settled as well. Curiosity took their place as he wondered what this being was, and just why it lingered before him. He couldn't establish proper communication. He'd forgotten how--if any such methods could even be applied here.

As with all things, the being eventually had to leave. It approached him once more and finally made contact. Shock and that very same vibrancy filled his being, he was overcome. Turmoil reigned within for some time before settling, yet the vibrancy remained. Upon the return of his focus, the being was gone. He never even got to see it leave.

The void did not settle once more after that. Something had changed, and the direction the being came from, the very same region of the void that softened so long ago, quickly grew brighter and brighter. A sensation of warmth came along as well, and eventually pressure.

The pressure grew to nearly unbearable levels till he was compelled to struggle against it. The light grew till all signs of the void vanished, and it grew some more. These sensations started out uncomfortable, now they were painful. He had to struggle, or else he feared he might be crushed.

Suddenly, there was a partial release on the pressure and he felt himself grasped on both sides. Air licked his form, and as the rest of him passed through that crucible of pressure, its touch extended over all of him.

[*ding! You have entered Anki!]

[Time left till System unlock: 3649:23:59:58]

...

What?

"Gaahhh?"