"W-who are you?" you ask, edging backward along the root.

"Why do you want to know? I doubt my name would have any meaning to you."

"Who are you?" you ask again, more firmly this time. The blazing light in your hand glows a little brighter.

He raises his long, slender hands up in surrender. You notice he has a ring of something shiny on his left thumb. "I have many names, but you two can call me Sero."

"Ok, Sero," his name feels weird in your mouth like it shouldn't exist here, "what do you mean 'we have the same soul'?"

"I would like to know too! You both have incredibly similar Allegorical Signatures... Why?" he begins pacing back and forth along the root.

You and L'Neeri look at one another. "Who is this nutjob?" was the look you got from him.

"...How do you know?" L'Neeri tries.

"Oh, I touched your necks to link myself to this world, it's a really cool Bioturgy trick I learned a few years ago. Makes world-hopping really easy because I can just instantly learn at least one of the native languages by convincing my soul that I grew up here, forcing it to know and understand the language."

You just stare at him. What was this guy talking about?

"Anyway, could you stop that?" he yells at L'Neeri, who puts his hand down. Sero's incredibly strange clothes and hair fall normally. "I have no need to harm anyone here, and if I did, you would already be dead-- I shouldn't have said that." he blurts, facepalming.

"How were you defying my gravity?" L'Neeri asks, obviously tense.

"I just expel a buncha energy away from myself to propel me against, that." he waves a hand at L'Neeri. "Anyway, do you two know where the--"

He is suddenly cut off by yet another cacophonous bellow from the beast. She turns to face your little group and lets out a screech. Brilliant, violet light coalesces in front of her in the shape of a massive angry ball.

"Who's she?" Sero asks like someone he didn't know just entered his house. "Anyway, do you two know where the Seal is?"

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

The ball of violet, crackling lightning suddenly bursts, launching a massive bolt of purple light at your group.

You and L'Neeri scream as it closes the vast distance nearly instantly.

Sero casually raises his hand, and the blast strikes something hard, flowing around a sort of invisible barrier.

"Well, that was rude," Sero responds after the onslaught ends.

The beast in the distance somehow looks incredibly confused.

L'Neeri chuckles nervously, looking at Sero. "What was all that talk about us having the same souls...?" he murmurs.

"Hey." He turns his head to look at the two of you. "Should I kill her, or should I just let her be."

"The latter..." you murmur, rather shaken.

"Ok!" he responds cheerfully, "Come on! I'll tell you more on the way!" he begins walking down the root away from you.

You and L'Neeri follow him, not having much of a choice.

***

"The All Mother has failed. Our outsider has escaped." Tyrr'olni'nel'mul states gravelly. "He stopped a full-force attack from her that would have leveled a small city!"

"We must watch him closely, figure out why he is here," L'Oos responds, fatigue leaking into her voice.

"He has made contact with Nova and L'Neeri, and he is leading them somewhere."

"Keep a close eye on them."

This really was a disaster...

***

"Uh, Sero...?" You ask slowly.

"Huh? What's up?"

"Where are we going?" You say, sliding down the mossy surface of a root.

"I need to check up on something. That's why I'm here." He says this with a little tension in his voice. Something you haven't heard yet.

"Sero, do you have a family name?" L'Neeri asks carefully.

"I collect names! It's a Forerunner thing. So I guess I do. My full name is Sero Jari Kpher Aalo "Blur" "The Blue Sunweaver" Wesyx Hiizend Olive Herald "The Arbiter" Mou Renikys Benhaman, Son of the one known as Eun."

"Whoa, ok. How do you remember all of that?"

The mysterious man responds with a distant look on his face. "It's really hard to forget part of yourself."

***

"You are Nova and L'Neeri, right? Souls, the name is a part of the soul. That's why I know your names."

"...That's right..." you respond.

"You two seem close, are you guys related?" He continues, not ever stopping his unnaturally quick stride. You practically had to jog to keep up with him walking.

"No, no, we're just good friends." You answer quickly, glancing at him.

"Hm. Ok."

A long pause ensues, the sound of the roots groaning and shifting under your group's feet isn't comforting.

Sero suddenly bursts out into laughter. His laugh is short, loud, and explosive, even.

"I'm going to need to tell that to Purity. Maybe Namanari and Kangleca too." he chuckles.

"Who...?"

"Oh, just some old friends. You might meet them someday! Just watch out for Purity, he can be rather hot-headed."

You, L'Neeri, and Sero walk silently for a while, the sounds of the roots moving growing louder around you. After a while, you begin to notice something. The cloud layer above had grown thicker and darker. Nearly plunging your odd group into darkness.

"Oh, I think this is it!" The lanky man stops at a seemingly random spot and says, "Welcome, my new friends, to The Prison of Oblivion!"