One second there was nothing. The next, I was alive.
I had no memories. No past. Just a strange feeling of being awake for the first time.
*I exist.*
This was my first thought. Simple but true.
All around me were bright colors. Red, blue, green, yellow, purple - they all swirled like paint in water. The colors moved and danced in the empty space.
But I wasn't colorful. I was just a small, round white blob. Plain white with no marks or features. Nothing special at all.
*What am I?*
I tried to remember something, anything. But there was nothing to remember. I was new. Brand new.
Strangely, I wasn't scared. This felt... normal somehow.
I wanted to see myself but found I had no eyes. Yet I could still see everything around me. I could feel my round white shape. I could see other white blobs nearby.
*I want to move.*
As soon as I thought this, I rolled forward a little. It felt good to move. I tried again, rolling a bit more. I could control where I went!
Looking around, I saw many other white blobs just like me. Some shook in place. Others stayed still. A few were rolling around like I was.
We were all the same - plain white balls with no features.
A bigger blob nearby pulsed in and out like it was breathing. Another stretched long then snapped back to a ball shape. We were all testing what we could do.
Without speaking, we all seemed to share the same questions: *What are we? Why are we here? What happens next?*
I felt less calm as these questions filled my mind. I rolled away from the group, drawn to a pretty blue-green swirl in the distance.
That's when everything changed.
A bright red blob cut through the peaceful colors. It moved with purpose, not just flowing like the background colors. This blob was angry red with sharp edges.
The red blob rushed straight at the group of white blobs. It slammed into one white blob that didn't move. For a moment, the red blob turned pink where it touched the white one. Then it went back to red as the white blob disappeared completely.
Panic broke out. White blobs rolled away in fear. Some froze in place. Others made themselves smaller.
The red hunter ate another white blob. Then another. Each time, it grew bigger and faster.
Then it turned toward me.
Time seemed to slow down as the red blob charged at me. Death was coming fast.
But something strange happened.
Without thinking, I moved. Not just a simple roll, but a quick sideways spin that got me out of the way just in time. The red blob zoomed past, missing me.
I didn't feel proud. Just curious. How did I know to move like that? The dodge wasn't planned - my body just did it, like it remembered dangers I'd never seen before.
The red hunter spun around and focused on me. Its edges got sharper, like it was angry. It charged again, faster this time.
Again, I dodged in a way the others couldn't. The red blob missed again and ran into some yellow dust that messed up its shape for a moment.
Other white blobs watched in wonder. Some tried to copy my moves but were too slow. The red blob ignored these easy targets and kept coming after me.
"Lucky," said a voice from nowhere.
The word wasn't spoken out loud. It felt like someone put the thought right into my mind.
"So lucky," the voice continued. "Most don't live through their first meeting."
I stopped moving, confused by this new voice.
*Who's talking?*
"The system is talking," came the answer. "You passed your first test without even trying."
Before I could ask another question, the red hunter made one last desperate attack. This time, I couldn't dodge fast enough. The red blob barely touched me, and I felt pain for the first time. Where it touched, a tiny pink spot marked my white surface.
The red hunter got ready to attack again but suddenly stopped. The swirling colors around us got brighter and formed what looked like a wall. The red blob backed away, then left to find easier prey.
"Lucky indeed," the system voice said. "You have the mark now. The trials will find you soon."
*Trials?*
"Everyone must grow or stay the same," the voice explained. "Everyone must change or get stuck. The trials shape you. Your experiences color you. Some move forward. Most fail."
I thought about this. It seemed important to life here.
*What about the red blob?*
"It's a trial itself. One that has changed through many challenges. It eats new blobs to get stronger."
Other white blobs began to gather around me. They kept their distance but seemed drawn to my success. One brave blob rolled closer.
"How?" it seemed to ask without words. The question just passed from its mind to mine.
I had no answer. I didn't know what to do - I just reacted. Something inside me knew how to survive.
*Luck,* I thought. *I survived by luck.*
But that wasn't quite right. It was more than just chance. Something in me knew what to do.
*I am Luck,* I decided, taking the name for myself. Not because I was fortunate, but because that quick thinking felt like who I really was.
"I am Luck," I told the others, the name feeling right.
The gathered blobs pulsed like they understood. Some moved away, others stayed close like they hoped my good luck might protect them too.
The system voice came back, stronger now. "The first trial is coming, Luck. All new ones must face it or stay blank forever. Those who pass will start to change. Those who fail will join the Stuck Ones."
In the distance, the colorful space opened up, showing what looked like an entrance - a tunnel of spinning blue light that wasn't there before.
"The Absorption Fields are waiting," the system announced. "Enter when you're ready."
I looked at the tunnel entrance, then at the small pink mark on my white body - the only difference between me and the others. That tiny spot of color showed both damage and difference, pain and progress.
The white blobs looked at me like they were waiting for me to show them what to do. Some rolled toward the tunnel nervously. Others moved away, seeming to prefer staying white to whatever waited inside.
With a firm move, I rolled toward the tunnel entrance. The blue light grew brighter as I got closer, almost blinding. The other blobs followed behind me, forming a line.
Just as I reached the entrance, a shadow passed overhead. Something huge and dark blocked out the swirling colors above. Not white. Not red. Something else entirely.
"Watch out!" called the brave blob who had spoken to me earlier. It rushed forward, pushing me aside just as the massive shadow descended.
I rolled uncontrollably from the force of the push, spinning toward the tunnel entrance. The last thing I saw was the brave blob being engulfed by darkness as the blue light of the tunnel pulled me in.
The system voice whispered one final message as I was yanked forward:
"Remember, Luck. Not everything in the trials is what it seems."
Blue light wrapped around me. The tunnel pulled me deeper. Faster. I couldn't stop moving.
Something waited ahead in the brightness. I could almost see it...