Ten years ago.

Solarian northern jungle.

Damien woke, not knowing where he came from nor how he came to be where he was. He didn't even know where he was, his earliest memories beginning from his awakening a few seconds ago.

He stood up, taking stock of himself. He was naked and standing in god's nowhere inside of a jungle.

Deciding that standing there doing nothing wasn't going to accomplish anything, he began walking. He didn't know where he was going, he just moved as the wind flowed. He could hear the sounds of birds and insects. He could also hear strange sounds that brought shivers up his spine, Damien quickly decided that he didn't want to meet what made those sounds.

He walked for hours till he came upon a stream.

That was when he noticed how famished and thirsty he was. He didn't recall ever seeing a stream before or any form of liquid body, but he just knew what it was, like the knowledge had just been inserted into his head. Looking around to see if he was the only occupant along the stream. After confirming that he was, he approached, using the reflective nature of the water to take a good look at himself for the first time.

He was devoid of hair from head to toe, with a face of what one would notice as a fifteen year old, but he knew he if that was true–he didn't even know his age at all. His body was scrawny with a hint of muscles hinting here and there.

Getting down to drink, he didn't know how to bring the water to his face, so he just bent and drank the water straight up from the stream.

After he finished drinking, he stood up, and froze, noticing he wasn't alone anymore. A gazelle was drinking from the far side to his right. He didn't know what a gazelle was and had never seen one before, but he just knew that what he saw was a gazelle, like the knowledge flowed into his mind the moment he saw it.

The gazelle noticed him a few seconds later, raising her head, she looked at him with a majestic gaze. Antlers adorned her head like a crown, with a combined color of a silver and black pelt that gave it a majestic stature, and her eyes. Her black alluring eyes that one could forever be drowned in. Two black orbs like the deepest abyss. One could fore—.

CRACK!

He didn't notice it until it happened, and neither did the Gizelle. One moment she was there, and the next, a huge black cat was bent over her, cracking her neck with such jarring force that he could hear the sounds of bones breaking from where he stood. Without wasting time, it started feasting on the body with such speed that he knew it wouldn't take time before it was finished.

Snapping out of his reverie. He knew it was time to find somewhere else to be before he became the next delicacy for the huge beast.

Stepping back and trying not to make a sound, he froze. Seems luck wasn't on his side that day, the moment he moved, the cat raised its head and looked at him. They both looked into each other's eyes and Damien could see the hunger in the cat's eyes.

He turned around and ran.

He ran with such speed he was sure the wind was pushing him, but he could still hear the sounds of the cat's purchase getting closer.

He ran as fast as he could, his pounding footsteps kicking up dust and branches and matching the sound of his hammering heartbeat, but the beast still seemed to be gaining purchase. Damien decided then that he'd rather fight than tire himself out and become an easy meal for the huge cat.

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Looking for a weapon, there were plenty of broken-out woods around, but most of them were either too brittle to snap easily or too unwieldy. Running further, he noticed one a few meters away that was perfect enough for the task.

Timing his approach well, he slid down on the ground, grabbing a thick wood and spinning around, and in one smooth move he slammed it into the left side of the frighteningly close cat's head with such force that he felt the vibration up his arms. The cat slammed into a tree and slid down to lie on its side on the ground.

He was shocked by his sudden display of strength, but as with strength comes weakness. Feeling an unnatural loss of energy, the easily held wood now felt much heavier in his hands.

Noticing that the cat was beginning to get up, he tried and failed to get ready.

The cat began to slowly encircle him, showing wariness now. At least he had shown it that he wasn't an easy prey.

Noticing his apparent loss of strength and quickly taking advantage. The cat pounced.

Damien just managed to place the wood in front his neck before the cat struck. That quick action saved him from a quick death. The wood blocked it from biting down on his neck, but it still got in a hit before he quickly moved back to get some space. A burning pain ignited on his sides. Holding back tears of pain as he looking down, he saw a huge, deep slash running down his entire side. He could even see his meaty insides.

That was when it finally sank in that he was going to die here. His recently awakened life was slowly coming to an end, he knew it, and the cat knew it too, seeing as it was content to just keep circling him after that one hit to pin him in place while waiting for him to bleed out and die a slow death. It knew he wouldn't last long.

Damien was keeping all his attention on the cat, but it was still a blur when it struck.

A spear whistled through the air, piercing the cat which such speed and force that it carried the cat to slam and pin it in place on a tree. The cat gave a loud mewling cry of pain before the sound slowly died down, it released small cries of pain before quickly dying down, signifying its death.

A man stood up from his hiding place in a nearby dense patch of grass. The man said something, but Damien's vision was quickly beginning to fade and darken. Noticing his wounded sides which were soaked in blood, the man rushed forward just quick enough to catch Damien just before his legs gave out, and he blacked out.

*******

PRESENT

Damien opened his eyes to the sound of someone trying to get in through the window into his newly rented room.

After leaving the temple the previous day, he'd gone to find an inn, locating one some ways off from the temple. This distance wasn't too far from the temple, but also not too close, which was how he liked it.

Sitting up, he waited for the intruder to fully get in. He already knew who it was.

The Solarian got into the room a few seconds later, coming to stand at the foot of the bed. The room was dark but he knew the Solarian could see him, the same as how he could also see the other man.

"You just keep getting me more intrigued about your origins. For you to have noticed my entrance, not many people can do that, and the ones who can wouldn't be seen in a city like this."

Damien just smiled, "You would be surprised. I was beginning to think you wouldn't come, you Solarians like to take your time, after all," Damien said.

The man raised an eyebrow, "You sound too unconcerned for someone about to get tortured," He said. Energy flashed and sounds from the outside were cut off. "I've blocked out the sounds leaving this room, so you can scream all you like. The length and volume in which you scream from now on will depend on how you answer to my questions."

Damien laughed, "You seem to be under the misconception that I'm trapped in here with you, but you've gotten it wrong, you, are trapped in here with me, and you're going to happily answer all my questions without me even laying a single hand on you," He said, looking the other man in the eyes.

What the spy must have seen in Damien's eyes must have told him how deep of a shit he was in. His smug face slowly turned to horror before he quickly turned to jump through the window he came in from.

Damien smiled before snapping his fingers, cutting off the room from reality itself, taking it into the Metaphysical.

He stood up from the bed and moved to take a seat on a chair placed across from the bed.

Looking at the now horrified face of the Solarian, he said, "Now, where should we begin."