Chapter 0: Prologue

It's been ages since I died. I'm unsure exactly, but it must have been a long time ago. I don't recall much, just that I died saving someone.

It hurt at first, at least, I think it did. Funny, people would always say that they hope for a "quick death". I think I died as fast as they come and yet if my failing memory isn't leading me astray. It was the pain that came after that was truly miserable. It doesn't hurt anymore though, well, not now at least.

I do remember a few things. My name is Riolu Kings, and I think I died while walking home from somewhere. After death, I lost the ability to process information. I remember the pain and determination to move forward but... not much else.

I didn't regain my capacity for conscious thought until recently, I remember... a light and trying to reach out to grasp it. I didn't understand what I was doing at the time but something about that light gave me comfort.

That feels like it happened forever ago. Anyway, through a great deal of confusion and effort. I have confirmed a few pieces of valuable information.

First, I have a body. I am surrounded by something both hard and smooth and it's preventing me from moving properly. Via some tests, I have discovered that I can shift my body a little less than a centimeter if my sense of distance is correct.

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Next, I can feel something entering and changing my body. It’s strange to think about, but this energy feels somewhat familiar.

As it permeates through me, I feel it meld with my sense of self, and I can't stop myself from thinking of this energy as my birthright. With every pulse of this strange energy, I feel myself grow stronger. I think it's coming from my makeshift prison, though it is hard to tell. I’m not sure exactly what is going on, but regardless of what it is I can feel this energy reaching a threshold. Something will happen, and soon.

One Week Later…

“Riolu’s Log: Chapter One” He wasn’t sure when he started talking to himself, but he did know that it at least made him feel better about his situation. As fleeting as that comfort was.

“I’ve been in this hard and somewhat cold prison for what has to have been a month at the very least. I can feel this energy which I have decided to dub as Energy ‘A’ for the time being as it continues to change my body. I feel stronger both mentaly and physically than I did when I first regained consciousness, though that strength of mind has only served to amplify the crippling isolation I feel locked up here. Despite this, the energy presses ever onward. I can’t help but guess that the energy is reaching some sort of climax, like a glass of water beginning to overflow. Then again, I have thought the same for a while now, and I am beginning to doubt it. I have both a little fear as to what might be and, perhaps as a result of my own isolation, a great deal of anticipation for what’s coming. Whatever it is, it’s close, I can tell.”

Almost as if in response to his own musings, Riolu felt his entire being snap into place, like he was a light switch that had just been flipped. The prison became like clay and its cold surface pressed against his skin. The first gleams of light since his death crept their way into his cell causing his eyes to sting. A sound like cracking glass, and with no ceremony, his face broke the surface of his cold confines.