"Ah, so you finally decided to visit. Good, good. We have much to discuss."

Familiarity. Recognition. Safety.

"Yes, I would hope that you feel safe here. It's yours after all."

Confusion. Unfamiliarity.

"But of course, how rude of me. Although that statement isn't exact. You do know me, you just hadn't known about me yet. I'm you!"

Praetor focused his consciousness back into a ball, as he had tried before. It came much easier to him this time.

Focusing on the voice, he could make out a mass of darkness. It wore a hooded black and gold robe with a similarly themed mask.

Me?

"Yes, indeed. Or well, part of you. Your subconscious given form, really. Tends to happen when your brain gets too much information at once to process. Like when you transform from human to dungeon core. Helps filter it out to prevent you from going insane by sealing it away until you go looking for it."

Confusion. Human? Dungeon core? Unfamiliar. Uncomfortable.

The figure rose and closed the book it was reading. "You're more broken than I initially thought. That's not good." it sighed. "Well, it's not unfixable. But I can't help you with it. I'm just you after all. You'll have to find what's missing yourself. Or find someone to do it for you, doesn't matter really. But I don't think you'll be able to request a lot of help in your current state."

Confusion. Answer? No answer?

"Oh yes, of course, your question. My apologies, I tend to digress. You used to be human, if you know what that is. If not, I'm sure you'll remember while you fix yourself. You died, quite gruesomely as well. And then you reincarnated! Sort of. It's infinitely more complex than that, but for the purposes of this explanation it'll do. You became a dungeon core, which is basically a sentient biome. You'll grow yourself by expanding your borders, creating monsters, attracting servants and adventurers. The last sort is a bit of a mixed bag since they're just as likely to smash you in tiny little bits as they are to help you. Those who survive your dungeon will receive some reward, dictated and created by you! Well, you're not really forced to give them a reward, but if you want them to return you probably should give them something. And it might be better for your sanity not to live in complete isolation. They'll also increase your mana intake rate."

Confusion. Mana? Servants? Monsters? Adventurers? Danger?

"Calm down. One question at a time. Mana is basically a form of currency. It's also so much more than that, but it doesn't really matter to something like you. Not yet anyway. You can use it to upgrade yourself and your domain, create monsters, grow plants, make fart noises, ... Whatever you want, really, so long as you have enough mana. It regenerates over time as well. Initially, this will be very little, but you'll gain more and more as you become stronger and attract more adventurers and servants. Speaking of which, you probably want to know about servants, do you?"

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Acknowledgment.

The figure started walking. Where he passed structures started to form. Soon the space started to resemble a slightly larger than normal atrium.

"Servants are essentially mercenaries. The contract is more permanent than that but not as permanent as the master/servant relationship one shares with their own creations. On the other hand, they're more versatile and give a bigger increase to you mana intake rate. But the biggest reason to take them, especially for you, is that they can operate outside of your dungeon. Might come in handy when trying to find the shards you are missing to repair yourself."

Confusion. Shards?

"Of course, you wouldn't know." He sighed. "You're not just mentally broken, but physically shattered as well.  Pieces of your dungeon core are missing. Find those pieces and reabsorb them. That's how you become... well... you again. And for that to happen you'll most likely need someone who can operate outside of your domain. Or you might luck out and find them all in here. Though I wouldn't count on it. Luck's never been on your side after all."

Monsters? Expansion?

"Ah, yes, that's mainly what you'll be doing here. This is your mind. It's also your domain. You can think of it as your little pocket realm. You can shape and bend it to your will. The size will increase whenever you grow stronger. If you grow strong enough, you might even invite others in! But I digress. This domain will mainly be used to upgrade your dungeon and preview the monsters you want to create. So, how would you like to interact with your power? Books, computer screen, brain power or pop-up screens? Ah, right, you're probably too confused to choose. Let's go with the old fan favourite then, imaginary pop-up screens! It's also the most user-friendly one, the others take way too much time to learn to use properly. I could explain every single option to you, but most of them are self-explanatory. You'll get the hang of it."

Fear. Pain. Adventurers. Danger.

"Ah yes, I did say that the adventurers were as dangerous as they were useful, didn't I? Well, it means exactly that. There's no real standard to hold them to. They're a wild card. Some are just here for loot. Some for sightseeing. Some to kill or enslave you. That's why it's important to grow stronger. Otherwise you'll just be a sitting duck for all kind of nasties. Not just adventurers, but wild animals on unbound monsters as well. So I'd start getting to it if I were you. Oh wait, I am. So get to it."

Name?

"A name? Well, just name the place however you like. It's your dungeon after all. Oh, you meant me? I don't have a name. Technically it's Praetor since you named yourself Praetor. I can see how that's confusing, though. Why don't you just give me a name?"

...

Advising. Aiding. Guiding...

Dux.

"So my new name is Dux, huh? Fitting. Although you probably don't remember why. Doesn't matter. And do you want to name the dungeon as well?"

Home. Safe haven. Sanctuary.

...

Sanctum.

"Sanctum it is then. So, let's get started on fortifying the place, shall we?"