And the world flashed white.

Blinded, Lane felt the floor shake, disappear, and he fell. He screamed but no sound came, flailed his arms, and felt nothing in the way. Then, as abruptly as the light came the world went dark and he felt himself stopping. Still, he could see nothing, smell nothing, and touch nothing. His mouth felt dry and he coughed. Then that went away too.

He didn’t know where he was, nor how much time he spent there. However, after calming down, Lane realized he was fine. No matter how much time passed, he didn’t feel hungry, breathless, or tired. Finally, he breathed again, and the world lit up.

Around him, extended an endless black expanse. The night sky, He thought, and the darkness lit with stars. He moved, floating forward slowly at first, but gaining speed quickly. He flew and flew, yet the stars were always distant. He went faster, and after an endless flight, he reached the first, single, lonely star.

His view turned and he saw the place he came from. A completely dark sky save from a distant red star floating defiantly in the middle. He felt cold and looked at himself. His naked body floated in the empty sky, shining with a light of its own.

He waved his arms and realized he could turn around, and then found Erin floating by his side. She was naked too and tried to cover herself frantically while a furious blush spreading on her face.

He felt she was perfect and pure, with all the potential in the world shining within.

Her hair moved freely as if floating on water, and changed from her sandy yellow to a pure, bright white. Her eyes were not brown but silver with black streaks. On her hands, there were no scars. Instead, brands of white light spiraled on her arms in elegant patterns.

No, He thought, not brands, those are… Channels. She was glaring at him now.

The world spun and he found himself watching the red star. A pillar of light crossed the emptiness and passed by his side. Lane flowed it and saw it land on a misty green rock floating around the first star. When the pillar hit, he saw a wave of light expand from the rock, then he felt it pushing against him like a growing pressure from diving too fast.

And he dove. At his left, he saw Erin falling with him until the rock was not a rock but a whole world. Oceans turned and boiled, mountains rose and fell, the skies churned with wisps of dust and streams of flame.

Soon, the world calmed down and Lane heard a word.

‘SHOW’

But it came from nowhere and everywhere. He felt it shock his body and go beyond. It smelled like thunder and tasted like blood.

The word was coming from his mouth, and yet his voice was not his to control. At his left, Erin’s voice echoed his own.

“Far before,” they said, “on green fields around the first star. Fell the blessing from the Umbral Beyond, and with it, came life…”

The world was green once more, this time painted in plants and seas. With colorful patches of valleys and plains. Fish swan on the rivers, leviathans lurked in the oceans. Creatures of rare colors trekked on the land, burrowed through the ground, flew across the skies.

“With life, came divinity, for the world itself claimed its spirit…”

Down, below the oceans and the ground, beyond the darkness of the unknown, the core of the world lit blue and pulsed. Luminous echoes bounced all over the world, and Lane saw that it wasn’t just the light from the core, but endless smaller orbs, floating freely on the space and within each living creature.

“And so, they grew and learned. And their craft covered the world with both marvel and strife…”

The creatures were changing now, their shapes growing closer to the races he knew, and they build villages, towns, and cities. And they grouped into kingdoms and empires. And they fought and died and started all over, again and again.

“But their greed met with smite when from the Umbral Beyond, something more came…”

He shuddered, the hairs on his arms rising; a glance to the side showed him a tearing and trembling Erin.

Now, dark twirls took upon the world, twisting everything they touched in misshapen shapes. Dreads and horrors spread in every corner, haunting in the shadows and feeding on the living. The races banded together, and fought side by side, braves, paragons, and champions stood tall facing danger.

 But the dread was endless and soon a single city stood against the world.

Why? Lane thought, Why no one uses the spirits?

And they fell by the hundreds and thousands, yet not a single spirit lit with power. When everything seemed lost, a child that shone brighter than the rest stood, and gazing the lone star lifted its hands towards snowing skies.

“Pray, the stargazer said, and The Far Star shall reveal the path…”

And they did. Every soul in The City stood in the snow, hands held high, praying at a sky lit by a single dot of red light.

“And at their call, came The Mother, in an arrow that torn the sky in halves and cleansed the world from oblivion.”

He turned, and in the distance, a silver arrow crashed on the ground, leaving at its wake only chaos and destruction. Finally, from the center of the wreckage, a lonely figure stood up.

It wore a white armor with a helmet made of crystal, and when it took it off, Lane saw it was a woman.

“Was her hair made of light, and her eyes made of silver,” He heard himself say, “and she brought with her wake the reveal of the spirits.” Echoed Erin at his left.

“On the first snow of winter”

“And the last day of gloom”

“A foreshadowed disaster”

“Of arrivals and doom”

Then she turned towards them and Lane saw she was right by their side. She looked at Erin and smiled, caressing her cheek with kindness only a mother could show. Then she turned towards Lane and nodded before extending her hand and touching his forehead.

“Beware, my children,” She said, “for the skies twice more, shall fall.”

And their world went dark.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

*Gasp*

Lane breathed, and then coughed, he wanted to move but felt some weight over him.

He opened his eyes and found Erin laying on his chest. She had her eyes closed and was gasping for air and flailing her arms.

“L-Erin,” He said.

*Gasp*

“Erin calm down! We are here!”

And she opened her eyes and saw Lane, a palm away from her face.

“Ah! G-get off me!” She said flailing more.

“Ahem, would you please stand from me, Lady Erin?”

And she stopped moving.

“…” She stared for a moment at him and then jumped off.

“Ugh…” Lane said.

“T-t-this didn’t happen, you hear me?” She said walking in circles, “N-n-none of t-that did! You saw nothing, nothing in there!”

*cough*“I-I heard you okay? I definitely didn’t saw you naked back there.”

“AH!” She ran to a corner, covering her face with both hands. From the floor, Lane could see her neck and ears were bright red.

“In any case,” He said standing up, “Didn’t you saw plenty yourself?”

“I did no such thing! I saw nothing! Nothing at all!” She said turning to glare at him.

“You didn’t?” He asked, “Then what didn’t you see?”

“I-I…I…” And she stopped, eyed him up and down, and froze.

“We have other problems though… Erm, Lady Erin?”

She was still, staring forward with unfocused eyes. He waved a hand in front of her face. But she didn’t react. After thinking for a moment, he poked her cheek with a finger and that made her move.

“W-what are you doing?”

“Look,” He said, and before she had the chance to pull away, he took carefully a lock of her hair and showed it to her, “Look at your hair.”

“My, what?” she looked at it and saw it was a white shining with the color of the stars. Looking at her eyes, Lane saw they remained as silver like the ones from the vision.

“Y-your hair,” she said pointing at Lane, “and your eyes! They are still like… Still like master’s…”

“What? What do you mean?” He asked.

“They are the same!” She said, “Your hair, it is white too! Here!” and to Lane’s surprise, she took a pocket mirror from her glove, “Look!”

And he did. The mirror was small, yet his reflection was clear, and from it, Lane could see a pair of silver eyes staring back at him. A second glance showed him that his hair was white too.

“Fuck.” And after a moment of panic, he turned to the table, “The Book!” He said reaching for the table and finding it closed. This time though, the cover was different.

A halo of red light circled the white dot in the middle. He hesitated, staring at the changed cover for an instant. He looked up, at Erin’s eyes; she frowned, but then bit her lips and nodded at him.

He opened it, the back cover still showed the same four lines. However, the next page held four new ones.

For the gains may be ill-gotten

yet she shall never sunder.

For the debts may be forgotten

yet he shall all remember.

He passed the page, and like the first time, found a single word waiting for him.

‘Change?’