Blackness... That was all he could see.
There was no end to this darkness. No stars, no shadows, the blackness stretched infinitely without even the faintest glimmer of light.
"Where am I?"
This blackness was so deep that it feels like the very concept of light did not exist.
No, he felt like it was far more than that.
It was as if time and space itself did not exist.
The blackness was heavy. Even though it had no mass, he could feel it. This blackness has a consciousness of its own.
"Who am I?"
Like the space he occupied, his memories were empty.
Every was a void... His past, his identity, his origins, neither of those existed. However, he was self-aware. He could think.
"Ares..."
The single word surfaced his mind...
"My name is. Ares..."
He didn't know how, but he was certain, that was his name...
How long has it been since I became conscious in this place?
There was no way to measure time in a place where time did not exist.
After what he can only imagine to be an eternity, something finally changed.
"I have a body..."
Due to the density of the darkness, he could not tell whether he was a memory, or whether he has an actual body.
At first, he could only move his fingers with slight twitches. Then his arms, and finally his legs.
More time passed, and he learned to move his entire body, swimming through the void like a man drowning in a bottomless sea.
"How many years has it been since I woke up?"
A thousand? A million? He had lost track.
"There's nothing here. Absolutely nothing."
At some point, he stopped moving. What was the point? There was nowhere to go. He folded his legs, settling into a meditative pose, floating in the nothingness.
Then, for the first time, something changed.
A faint purple glow radiated from him, gentle at first, then pulsing with growing intensity.
It was the only light in this eternal abyss, proof that he was more than just another part of the void.
And then, the memories came.
No, not memories. That word was wrong. They did not contain glimpses of his past, no faces or moments of his life. Instead, they were knowledge.
"Ether... Magic... Atma... Chi... The universe itself."
Concepts filled his mind, wave after wave of pure understanding. He grasped the very formation of existence, the forces that shaped reality.
He knew of planets and stars, of life and death, of creation and destruction. Though he had no personal recollection of these things, he knew them as if they had always been a part of him.
He knew about the existence of plants and animals, He knew what light was despite never seeing it.
And as the next millenia passed, a single thought formed in his mind, one that he could not ignore.
"Am I dead?"
Is this what death is? Was he in hell?
No.
He shook his head.
"This feels more like a prison."
He was certain, someone or something must have put him there.
***
A crack opened in the air tearing through the very fabric of reality. It slowly widened, revealing a deep black void.
A foot stepped out and landed on the grassy field. Then, the rest of the body followed.
What emerged from the blackness was A man in his early twenties. He wore ragged pants and a worn black robe that hung loosely on his body.
A glowing purple text box appeared in front of him.
[Congratulations, You Have Unlocked A New Power - Atma]
Atma is a rare power only obtainable through reaching a certain level of understanding and enlightenment towards a particular concept granting the user the abilities to shape and manifest said concepts.
[Through Enlightenment, Your Atma has Manifested The Void System.]
'What's this?' the man tilted his head and read the message.
[STATUS]
Name: Ares
Race: Unknown
Age: Unknown
[TITLES]
Returner of the Void: You are one of the few who escaped the Void. You did it through your deep understanding of the laws and concepts of the universe.
[POWERS]
[Atma]
Type: Conceptual.
Mastery: Level 1.
Concepts: The Void System - You can summon and manipulate the Void.
[Ether]
Type: Energy.
Mastery: Level 1.
Forms: Chi (Internal Ether).
[SKILLS]
[PASSIVE]
[Void Eyes]
Mastery: Level 1.
Base: Atma.
Info: The Void is nothingness. As such, nothing can escape the eyes of the Void which could pierce every layer of conceptually to reveal the truth. You can see the flow of Ether and other forms of energy. You can see spirits, ghosts and other spectral beings. You can view the status of others revealing their strengths and weaknesses. The amount of information shown is limited to the level of mastery.
[Blackness]
Type: Passive.
Mastery: Level 1.
Base: Atma.
Info: You can create rifts that lead into the Void. You can also store items inside the Void like a personal inventory.
[ACTIVE]
[Void Walking]
Mastery: Level 1.
Base: Atma.
Info: You can step through these rifts and travel anywhere. Consumes Ether.
[Void Ritual]
Mastery: Level 1.
Base: Atma.
Info: You can devour a target using Blackness and turn them into your loyal Void Walkers. Consumes Ether.
[Warning: You Have Entered A State Of Confusion!]
Ares felt dizzy. His head was filled with too much stimulation from his sense.
'Is it because I spent so long in the Void?'
The world tilted. His body trembled and he felt like throwing up.
But even through the pain, he smiled.
'So this is what it feels like… to be alive?'
He had spent so long wondering if he was alive or dead. He wondered whether the Void was a graveyard for lost souls that were never able find true peace.
After a while, he regained his balance as he pushed himself up. He took a step, then another slowly taking in the colors and shapes. 'Beautiful...'
It was at this point that Ares came to a sudden realisation-'I don't even know what my voice sounds like.'
He cleared his throat.
"More…" His voice was deep and calm.
Ares looked around, everything felt new to him. The world was bright and full of many wonders. And he wanted to explore more of it.
He reached a lake and bent down. The water shimmered like glass as he cupped his hands and drank from the lake.
"It's sweet…" he whispered. "But… water isn't supposed to have a taste."
He looked down at his reflection—violet eyes, slim face, ashy hair brushing his shoulders.
"I look human," he said. "But I know I'm not."
His Status screen had said 'Unknown'.
"No human could survive the Void. After all, there was no food, air, nor light. And yet… I did."
He laughed softly and shook his head.
"I never even felt anger or sadness in that place. I just… existed."
But now, his expression grew sharp.
"Not knowing what I am… even after all that time… That makes me angry."
Maybe if he knew what he was, he could remember where he came from.
"I don't even recall feeling emotions in the Void," he muttered. "It was really empty. No life. No time. No gravity. Not even feelings."
His fists clenched as he stared into the lake.
"How did I survive in a place like that?"
He took a deep breath and let it out.
"It doesn't matter."
He had asked himself the same questions a thousand times. None had answers.
"I'll take it one step at a time."
He was finally free. That was enough for now.
"First, I need to look fo-"
His body froze.
"What is this?"
Ares stepped back, eyes narrowing at the lake. He could sense something from the lake.
"something's there. And it's waking up."
SWOOSH!
Ripples formed then, a massive column of water shot into the sky.
Ares stood still as a serpentine creature burst from the lake. Its sapphire scales gleamed under the sun.
RAWWR!
The roar shook the air. He had to cover his ears.
Foam gathered at the beast's sharp teeth. Crimson eyes locked onto him. The creature was hungry.
Ares didn't flinch.
"Void Eyes."
His eyes turned black, and the world shifted.
He could see colorful streams of energy flowing around him. He turns his focus back to the monster staring straight into it.
[Mystical Sea Serpent Of The Lake]
A spawn of the Great Leviathan, one of the Mystical Keepers of world of Varethos. It can fire breaths of condensed Mana to vanquish it's targets.
"A Sea Serpent."
Rawwwr! The tail of the monster moved like a whip as it came crashing at Ares. The ground exploded on impact, sending dust and debris into the air. But when the dust settled, Ares was gone.
The creature growled in irritation, it snapped its head upwards to see Ares mid-air.
"Void Walking..." He was standing on what appeared to be smaller rifts in space similar to the one he came out of.
The serpent lunged forward with its mouth wide open in an attempt to swallow Ares whole. However, he leapt backward barely getting grazed by the creatures' fangs.
"Do you think I am food?" He blinked, confused by the strange emotion stirring inside him. It wasn't anger, but something else entirely.
'Why am I annoyed?'
As he continues to dodged the serpent's relentless attacks, his mind kept wandering.
'A bigger creature trying to eat me should be natural. Predators eat prey. I know that. So why do I feel this way?'
Whack!
The serpent's tail slammed into him, sending him crashing into the ground. Dust and rock flew everywhere, leaving behind a crater.
Ares groaned, slowly pushing himself up.
"That hurt…" He touched his ribs. "So this is pain?"
Not wasting time, Ares used Void Walking to run in the air. The serpent's mouth opened wide, blue flames gathering inside.
Ares narrowed his eyes.
"I can't dodge that in time."
He stretched his hand out and drew a line in space. A rift tore open, swallowing the beast's breath attack into the endless blackness.
[You Have Unlocked The Active Skill - Black Drain]
[Black Drain]
Mastery: Level 1
Base: Atma.
Info: Absorb any energy based attack into the void.
Rawwwr!
The serpent roared in rage. Why wouldn't this food just die?!
Ares exhaled, lowering his hand.
"I get it now."
His fingers twitched and another rift in space formed. The blackness this time was larger than any he had ever made, so much so that it was twice the size of the serpent.
"The answer was right in front of me."
From the blackness, a pillar of blue flames came crashing down swallowing the giant serpent whole. The air trembled, the ground cracked beneath the force.
[You Have Unlocked The Active Skill - Black Retribution]
[Black Retribution]
Mastery: Level 1
Base: Atma.
Info: Infuse the energy attacks absorbed by "Black Drain" with darkness and use as your own. You can't use this again until "Black Drain" is used.
By the time the flames had died out, only a burnt corpse remained.
Ares landed in front of the giant monster's corpse.
"Pride," he said softly. "That was what I felt. Somehow, a part of me knew instinctively that you were weaker than me, I knew that you were beneath me. And now, I will devour you... Void Ritual!"
Blackness emerged from under the slain creature.
"You should rejoice, for you will become the very first thing I devour."
The Blackness stretched until it was large enough to swallow the creature.
"Rejoice, for you will become the first of my Voidwalkers."
After the sea serpent was devoured by the blackness, the rift in space finally closed and a single message popped in Ares' sight...
[You Have Created A New Void Walker]