Our language doesn’t really have a developed vocabulary for discussing the experiences of a disembodied soul. Whatever words I reach for to try and explain my current condition, feel anaemic and insufficient. If I were to give it my best attempt, I’d say it feels as though I am plugged into the energy of the world around me. It evokes a sense of…nostalgia. Like I was finally home after a long journey. It felt not just welcoming—I belonged. I was necessary, irreplaceable.

I felt unsheathed, as if I were finally free of the crude, almost vulgar tools for perceiving the world around me—human flesh. I had no eyes to see with or ears to hear with, yet I did not need them. My new perception spread around me in a sphere and everything within it felt like it belonged to me. I knew without counting how many dust particles were within it. I could “feel” the smoothness of the sheets on my hospital bed, without touching them.

I looked down at the discarded, dead body I left behind. So small and spent. Like a scarecrow wearing a bruised human skin suit, that was two sizes too large. There were many reasons for me to be bothered by it, to feel all kinds of sadness, anger, self-pity. And in a way I did, but without an adrenal gland or any biology, my emotions felt distant. It touched me, but couldn’t overwhelm me.

“Fascinating, isn’t it?” The world around me inquired.

The question felt like it was coming from everywhere, poured directly into my mind, bypassing even my new omnidirectional senses. I instinctively snapped my head around, searching for the source, a habitual response that felt completely out of place with my 360-degree perception. Some habits really do die hard.

“Treasure this rare experience, young mage. It will serve you incredibly well in your future development.”

The figure that appeared in front of me seemed to materialise out of thin air. It looked featureless and humanoid, much like myself. However, I could never mistake it for a human, or anything closely related. The enormous difference between us defied description. The sheer weight of its power felt like the ground should tremble under its steps, a force too immense for the world to contain. Everything inside of me screamed that I stood before something incomprehensibly greater. I didn’t feel like prey before a predator; I felt like a child gazing into the vast, fathomless starry sky.

As I floated there, struggling not to drown in its sheer presence, a simple thought struck me. “This power. I lusted after it.”

After a long moment, the roiling waves of energy that buffeted my naked soul thinned and steadied. Taking the edge off my apprehension.

As terror receded, questions surged in. My mind ran past everything I could be asking.

I settled for a tentative: “Who are you?”

“Who am I you ask? What an innocent, deceptively simple-sounding question. Giving you one of my many names wouldn’t serve any purpose other than being likely to hurt you if misused. So, I’ll spare you the temptation altogether.”

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The entity in front of me gestured passionately as it spoke. As if in front of an audience it was hoping to move. Each gesture and flourish was accompanied by the entity vanishing from one spot and reappearing a short distance away, like a flickering flame. Because the entity stayed within my sphere of perception, its erratic movements seemed almost natural, not dizzying as they would have been with my human eyes.

“As for what I am…Without any foundation for that knowledge, even giving you my best, most detailed explanation wouldn’t do you any good.” The entity continued. “So please, keep thinking of me as you have so far, as an “Entity”, a “Powerful Entity.” It has the benefit of being correct, regardless of the scale of power you would care to use.”

It concluded its narration with a self-satisfied grin. One it grew on its featureless face just for the occasion. Its mouth was full of multiple rows of overly perfect human teeth. The kind you would expect to see on a celebrity with an overly zealous cosmetic dentist.

If souls could shudder, mine would have. Disturbing features aside, realizing that even my innermost thoughts were exposed to this entity’s gaze made me feel more vulnerable than ever. Worse yet, I seemed to be in the presence of one of those beings who use three words where one would do.

The creature’s non-answers, along with its wild gestures, were mostly just noise to me. I got the general point: “It is powerful and throwing its name around is likely a bad idea”. As for why did it communicate in mouthfuls of words? I don’t know. I was honestly expecting an imperious demeanour and clipped words when it appeared with an explosion of power. But having concrete expectations about a monster that defies human understanding was… let’s call it hasty. I needed more information.

The creature gestured at my corpse, seeming indifferent to my turmoil. “Aether starvation, what a terrible way to die. It turns the essence of what mage is against them.”

“A mage? Is that what I am?” I asked. More because I wanted to keep it talking and fish for context clues than needing a confirmation.

“Correct! Although only in the most technical sense of the word. After all, can someone with all the tools but no knowledge truly be called a craftsman?"

I expected the question to be rhetorical and waited for the creature to continue, but after a moment of silence, it became clear I was meant to answer.

“Not exactly,” I said, hoping I wasn’t expected to elaborate.

“Precisely!” it confirmed and then continued.

“You have fully awakened as a mage in the world without any aether. A feat I wouldn’t call impossible, as here you are. But certainly rare enough that one would have to use many big words to encapsulate just how rare it is properly. Also, to get rid of a pesky follow-up question in advance. Aether is exactly what you think it is, magical energy, though that is a laughably simplistic answer.” The Entity said, crossing its arms and then another pair it grew from its shoulders just to emphasise the gesture.

I thought back to everything this Entity had said since it appeared. It didn’t seem like it was here to just clear up my confusion. In fact, I was starting to grow progressively more confused and frustrated by its entire performance. I wouldn’t have to read between the lines very hard to see the implications that I was meant to be going somewhere. Probably regardless of my feelings on the matter. Was that why this creature was here? Collecting a rare trophy?

“So many questions…” the entity mused. Obviously trolling through my mind as I was thinking. Reminding me in the process that privacy of thought in this space was a laughable idea.

All the social skills I had in my repertoire assumed that my thoughts were private. That I was the one deciding which information to share with my opposite and which to keep. That was clearly not the case here. I won’t be tricking any information out of the Entity it didn’t mean to give me to begin with. Only one thing left to do…

“Where am I going and what do I need to know?” I asked.

“Decisive.” The entity said. “I approve. Though I was almost hoping for some more wiggling.”

“With how worked up you got expecting to be thrown in chains, or worse, I am almost sorry to disappoint you. But there is no shadowy plot poised to drag you to hell. No great mystery. All I aim to do is to see you off on your next journey. To a world of “Galassia”. A beautiful, yet flawed world where your budding talents stand a meager, yet real chance of helping you achieve even your wildest ambitions.”

No, I thought.

Whatever this entire nonsensical song and dance was about, sending me off on an adventure isn't "all it aimed to do".

I looked at the monster in front of me, stunned, as the pieces of the puzzle started drifting together.