Darkness. Complete, utter darkness. I was swimming, drifting in a sea of absolute black. There was nothing else; even my senses seemed to stop working, giving me a strange sense of peace and tranquility. Time passed, I did not know if it was a mere fleeting moment or a vast millennium. Finally, the once great endless darkness began to shatter, light a myriad of colors creeping through the cracks. Eventually, the wall of black that once seemed impenetrable completely shattered, consumed by light.
I stayed drifting in the air for a moment, then two, until the same amount of time I spent in the darkness passed. Only this time, instead of a vast, borderless darkness, I was floating in a sea of different-colored light. Then a mirror-like ground materialized out of nowhere, and a myriad of antique-looking great mirrors rose from it. The light fell on the great mirrors and reflected, converging in a single point, in the middle of the circle of great mirrors, forming a single white sun.
A ray of white light descended from the white sun onto the black ground, forming a large basin, and then one slightly smaller atop it, and then one more, and another. Until there were four basins stacked vertically on top of one another, each one smaller than the one below, but I was sure that if water was put in each one, all of them would hold the same amount. A magnificent white fountain formed, golden particles flowing from the first basin to the last.
I walked towards the grand fountain, subconsciously, seeing my reflection moving with me in the great mirrors from the corner of my eyes. Until my shin hit the white marble of the fountain. Stepping over the marble and into the first and largest basin. As soon as my bare legs made contact with the golden specs, I felt a tickling sensation as the particles started entering my system through my legs, condensing along my spine. It felt as if someone was tattooing runes along the length of my spine and the back of my neck. Painful but bearable. Because with every strike of the needle, information flooded my mind.
Falling to my knees, I looked up at the bright, burning white sun above and the colorful rays stretching from the great mirrors towards it. A smile found its way across my face as my laughter echoed through the space around me, and happy tears started welling behind my eyes, blurring my vision. I remembered what I was. Who I was. I was a pithtic slave.
But before that, I was human. I had a name. I was Grey.
"I'm free!"
Indeed, I was. I was no longer a slave; that was something of the past. Now I'm an Artist, someone chosen by the Akashic Records, an elite among the elite. Who dares enslave me? Not my old master, he won't. He wouldn't be able to since he is a mundan.
When I was younger, about five years old, I was sold alongside my twin brother to the lord of High Blood Oath. Everyone treated us badly there except one family member, who didn't bother to treat us at all. Amanda, the lord's daughter. She was the same age as us and, ironically enough, I was her personal slave. A gift from her father. She didn't mistreat me, just treated me like she treated everyone, coldly. But that's what made me wary of her.
After all, the only thing more pathetic than a slave is a slave that begins to trust its master.
Suddenly, the reflection in the mirrors changed, becoming one of a forest of onyx trees and a ground covered in white snow.
The mirrors shattered, and I finally opened my eyes. Finding myself in the same palace reflected in the great mirrors. Immediately, my attention shifted to the black ring I wore on my right thumb, and imbued taqa into it. The ring turned into a polished silver color, and a sword fell to the ground. The blade of the sword was long, straight, and double-edged with a sharp, tapered point. Its surface was polished silver, reflecting light. The central ridge added symmetry, giving it a clean, elegant appearance. The guard was highly decorative, shaped with flowing, flame-like curves that extended outward. The design looked almost organic, resembling molten metal that had been frozen in motion. The pommal had the same design as the gerd, only it was scaled down and flipped.
Looking at the sword on the white snow, I couldn't help but smirk.
"Good thing I stole this bad boy," I muttered.
I had indeed stolen the sword crafted from Cleansed steel, alongside many things such as a clock and even the storage ring I wore on my right thumb, from the lord of Vile. Think of it as a farewell surprise.
I mean, he really should've seen that coming since my brother, Nacht, had done something similar when he was chosen a year ago.
I extended my hand and was about to bend down to catch the sword. But then I stopped, straightened, and swiped the air with my hands. The sword floated and shot in the direction I swiped, only stopping when it hit an onyx tree.
That was my innate ability, granting me the ability to control anything remotely reflective.
I swiped the air once more, and the sword flew back in my direction. Just as it was about to fly past me, I clenched my hand, making a fist, and the Regret, that's what I call the cane-like sword, since the words 'Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it' were engraved in small runic letters just above the small guard. The sword stopped mid-air, hovering in front of me. Extending my right hand and gripping the decorated handle, I caught it from the air.
Imbuing more taqa into the dimensional ring, I retrieved a cloak, boots, and the jian's decorated black and white sheath. I let the sheath and the boots fall on the black ground, and picked the black cloak before it fell. Wearing it, it covered my full body from my head to just above my ankles. Crouching, I wore the boots and took hold of the sheath, looked at it for a moment, and returned it into the ring.
Looking ahead into the onyx forest, I sighed and started my journey in hopes of finding a gateway.