When jerico came back to reality he found himself in a white space. It was disorienting,jerico couldn't tell if there were white walls or if this entire space was just... blank. Also, it was quiet like no sound could exist in here. In a way the silence it's self was deafening. Jerico called out just to see if he could hear himself.

"Umm hello?" Jerico said into the void. Taking note that he could,in fact, hear himself jerico thought, "Lotta good that does me if there's no one else here...Where is here anyway?" He didn't feel panicked, he actually felt better than he ever had. With the realization that he could feel jerico looked down and was surprised to see what looked like a complete strangers body.

"Woah, I am fucking ripped!" Looking down at his chiseled abs and swollen pecs jerico couldn't help but make his tiddies flex. He didn't know why but he felt like he had never been so muscular before hmmmm...before? What was before? Jerico thought as a head ache started to roll in.

*ahem

"If you are quite done playing with your new body, jerico,I would like to begin your first awakening. I have many others to tend to but,you seem to have a priority over the others for some reason." Said the voice with a little indignation.

Turning around with a start jerico was looking at an ancient old woman.Her dress looked like it was made of feathers that ranged from white to blue to dark blue to almost black.It was an amazing display that seemed to shift and move .She was hunched over a cane that had some kind of a crystal ball at the end that made jerico dizzy just looking at it. Prying his eyes away from the crystal jerico looked up and almost gagged. The woman's face looked like a rasin that was given eyes and a mouth. With hair that was barley there in spots of gray.

"Nice ass" she told jerico with a creepy smile.

Her teeth, jerico was surprised to see, were perfect. It was the strangest sight, they were so bright to the point where they almost seemed to be glowing.

"Umm,nice teeth.." Said jerico, since that's how we're starting this conversation he thought.

The old woman looked at jerico for a long while with her coal black eyes. Almost to the point where jerico started to feel uncomfortable. Just as he was about to ask if she was OK the old woman let out a horrible animeish laugh.

"KEKEKEKEKE!" laughed the old woman. Almost doubling over on her cane. She looked up with tears in her eyes and said

"I'm sorry young one! I was confused as to WHY you were telling me I had nice teeth,which is true..Sometimes my attention is split between so many candidates that I let my tongue slip. I must have told you, that you have a nice ass. Which is true,Can't lie either, that's in the contract."

Her voice,surprisingly, was completely normal. Like something you might forget upon your next conversation with someone else. Like a casual conversation with a stranger, or a cashier at the grocery store.

"My name is baba, I am your guide in the transition between earth and Quilidin. It is here where you are given basic instruction on how to use your power and it is here where you gain blessings from the true ones and start your path." She said with building passion that made jericos chest swell with a longing that he felt he was well accustomed with.

"I can tell that you feel the call. Like all others you lose all memories of your old life. You will experience sensations that you aren't sure where they came from, you will have whatever skills you had from your old life along with the knowledge you have gained over your previous existence. As for friends,family,pets,lovers etcetera, these you will forget." Said baba in a tone that indicated regret.

"Pause." said jerico starting to digest what this strange woman named baba was telling him.

"Memories? Old life? Powers? What the hell are you even talking about? I don't even know where I am! I don't know what any of this means..." jerico said with a mounting head ache. All these questions and a feeling of loss came over jerico.

Approaching jerico seemingly floating baba said. " I know what you are feeling young one, and I knew what you used to feel. In your last life you felt lost, you felt as if, nothing you did would ever amount to anything. Let me tell you why. While in the cycle of rebirth, souls intermingle between resurections, and take aspects of each other and integrate them as to become a new being, and a new soul. Some very strong and rare souls remain aware of their existence. They tend to wander and pick only what they like from other souls but remain the same as they were,also they do not follow the intended path and become lost. You jerico, never felt like you belonged because you simply did not,YOU were born in a world where you did not belong." Said baba with mounting sadness.

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"This feeling of loss that you are experiencing is due to you building another life in your last world. In the process of rebirth one losses all memories but the impression left on the soul cannot be lost. The feelings get from your Family,friends,hobbies,what you like and what you don't like, all these things are forgotten but not your stance on them. Other souls do not have to experience this." Baba said with a deep sadness.

"Come here, pocket rocket." said baba losing her tounge again,"baba let's begin."

Behind baba where, jerico could swear just moments before there was nothing, now stood a crystalline pedestal that seemed to flow from the white floor. If one wasn't looking directly at it, you wouldn't even know it was there.

"I want you to try to reach the crystal. I will actively try to stop you using a slowing spell, I will only take you to your limit to measure the strength of your will. Do not worry as this will not hurt you it will only strain you." Said baba back to business

"Ok, were just gonna ignore the fact you called me pocket rocket I guess... So all I need to do is reach the crystal? What happens after that? And can I please have some clothes?" Jerico said only now realizing that he was standing naked in front of this old woman.

"After that we test your affinities for energy, this is a basic test with instant results. Nothing crazy." Said baba with her mood obviously dropping.

Reluctantly, baba tapped her cane on the ground and clothes appeared on jerico. He wore a simple fitted button up flannel shirt that had patterns in brown and green and, a pair simple black straight cut jeans, the classic black and white converses were a plus as well.

"Ok...now, let's start." Said baba with what looked like disappointment.

Looking at the crystal jerico thought with some nervousness"ok, all I have to do is reach the cystal...right?" Jerico was about 20 paces. Looking over at baba who nodded her head, turning to the crystal jerico saw what looked like a pulse of energy come from baba. Like a single drop of water falling on a pond.

"Go for it kid!" Said baba with some expectancy

Turning his attention back to the crystal he couldn't find anything out of place. Taking his first step forward jerico didn't notice any resistance. Then another and another and another until he was ten paces from the crystal.

Summoning a recliner from her pocket space and plopping down baba was questioning what exactly she was seeing"what the hell am I looking at?! What kind of beast is he?! Ten paces like nothing! Ten! This should be enough to stop at least 8 men easily yet he hasn't even broken a sweat yet. Hmm, maybe I should increase the pressure."

Taking another step forward jerico could note that he indeed, felt much heavier. It felt like he was carrying two people on his back up hill. Another step and he felt like he was walking up hill in knee high mud that kept crawling up his legs. Starting to breathe out of his mouth jerico mustered up strength for another step. Now only six paces from the pedestal.

"Geeez what is this!?" Thought jerico feeling strained. " It feels like someone is pressing on my chest while someone is holding both my legs down. Feels like I have boulders on my back. Maybe I should give up.."

*boom boom

"There that's better. He should be giving up any moment now. All I have to do is wait, he sure did make it far for most mortals. Usually they only make it about thirteen steps. His blessing will be very nice I'm willing to-" babas train of thought was interrupted, she looked on in amazement at jerico who was now glowing in a grayish hue. She could see ripples of energy coming off jerico in rhythmic streams almost as if in tune with a steady drum beat or like a heart beat..

*BOOM BOOM BOOM

"NO! Fuck that!" jerico's heart was racing now. He thought he could hear the sound of a drum in his head. If I can just take one more step.."

A grey energy started to seep from jericos heart, slow at first then gradually building to a geyser of power saturating him with mana. Nearly everyone in Quilidin could use this form of energy to some extent. Farmers usually benefit the most using this form of energy to increase stamina and gain a slight boost to strength.

Jerico could feel himself swell with power, his shirt becoming tight and his pants coming undone at the seams. He took another step forward with all his might, his heart of war pounding.

*BOOM

Jerico fell to one knee and after another second both of his hands were on the ground trying to support him.

"I..have..to..keep..going.." jerico said in a strained voice as he blacked out.

Only a few moments later jerico was coming back to his senses. Standing up he noticed that he didn't feel tired at all. Looking up he could see that he hadn't been able to reach the crystal by only a couple of feet. Feeling pretty good about his result, jerico turned to baba to see how he had done.

"Where'd the recliner come from?" Asked jerico with a flat expression.

"That's not important right now you caramel statue." Said baba with an equally flat look on her face. Thay stared at each other like this for quite a while before baba broke the silence.

"You definitely have potential jerico ." Baba said thoughtfully. "I think you will be a very interesting person in Quilidin and maybe beyond. Your will is very strong and that's going to be what takes you to your goal whatever it may be"

Taking a step forward jerico looked once again at baba then back to the crystal, taking a breath jerico placed his hands on the crystal. A slight burning sensation was felt on jericos wrist, but this could not tear his attention away from what he was seeing. Above him was a pure black halo that seemed to absorb light with what looked like gems Blinking in and out of existence,it was magnificent.

A stary sky started to spill from the crown filling the white space and jerico almost lost himself to the sight, a loud crack could be heard and jerico felt himself get pushed back several feet. All at once the image of the halo and the sky spilling from it disappeared. Looking down jerico saw that the pedestal had several deep cracks along its crystalline surface. He could still feel a slight tingling sensation coming from his wrist ,upon examing the source of this sensation, Jerico found a perfect black circle with spots that seemingly changed from one color to another. It seemed to be pulsing and moving as if underwater.

Baba was staring at jerico

with an expression of shock and disbelief on her face. "You...you got the blessing." She said in an almost hushed tone.

Jerico smiled, he had done it. He had gotten the blessing that baba had spoken of earlier and was now ready to take his place among the ranks of Quilidin's elite