Being born was a lot like one might expect. There was darkness. A vast, endless sea of nothing in all directions. His mind drifted in it. Not fully asleep, but not quite conscious either. He was just there, existing. An eternity went by and still… nothing. When was this going to end? Would he ever be able to wake up from such a dream?

His answer came in the form of a miniscule orb of light. Somewhere out there in the vastness of the void, it too existed. Its purpose was unknown to him, but he didn’t care. Like a moth drawn to flame, he drifted towards it.

Vague thoughts entered his mind. He thought, it would be nice if I could see the ocean. It would be nice, if he weren’t just drifting in eternal nothingness. I wish… I could hear birds. Feel the wind on my face and hear the leaves rustle. Grass Sway… the orb ahead of him, pulsated. I want to step into that salt water and let the coolness of it wash over my toes. It pulsated brighter this time. Is this it? Is it the end for me/? It pulsated again. This time it vanished and he was left in darkness once more.

In the void, he was alone. There was no sense of feeling or touch, he could not hear. It was lonely. He wanted more than anything, to just wake up in his penthouse bathtub and enjoy the views. He wanted to go back to his old life of stepping on the weak, expanding his empire… because that was familiar. This bad dream… this nightmare needed to end. He knew deep down, that was not something that could happen. Then, like a slap on the face, awareness came.

He was alive and trapped within a dark prison. Some kind of gloopy liquid enveloped him and beyond that, there was a smooth, solid surface. His first instinct was to kick it. Nothing happened. Again his back feet kicked out and he heard them slam against it, but whatever it was, did not move.

A small sound escaped his throat. He could talk or… use his voice anyway. He didn’t know if he could consider it talking. He squealed again, his little call of distress. Though he wanted to escape, he didn’t think he would be strong enough. Out of frustration he kicked and called, kicked and called. Then a miracle happened. Other sounds. They were muffled and he couldn’t hear them clearly, but whomever was making them, was close.

Who is… out there? He asked. It was only a thought as his voice still was not working the way it should. Where am I? What is this…?

A myriad of voices erupted from beyond his prison. They spoke all at once, excited for this new development. He listened but… because all the voices were speaking at the same time, they sounded more like static from a radio that was trying to find the right frequency.

Who are you? He asked again. I want out!

“Calm…” came a voice to his mind. It was not his. “Be calm.”

He stopped struggling and listened. It was deep and melodious. The voice chilled him, but in a good way. He was no longer nervous or frustrated and he felt as if he could escape if he tried again. His back legs kicked out harder than the previous attempts. A crack. His ears twitched to the noise. Though it was small, it still sounded like a heavy drumbeat inside his cell. He kicked again.

“Come on!” another voice, this time female. She was young and… excited? “Again!”

“You can do it… my son.”

Those words of encouragement was all he needed. With one last effort, he pulled back his legs and kicked with all the force he could muster. In the seconds that followed, he found himself sliding out with that gloopy liquid. The air that immediately touched his skin, was cold and he shivered. As unpleasant as that was, at least he was out.

Before, he could not see. His eyes had been closed so tightly, that he had been unable to open them. But now, without that sticky, gloopy substance surrounding him, he was able to do just that and was amazed by what he saw.

Enormous stalactites hung down from what appeared to be the beginning of a cavern. Stalagmites jutted out from the stone floor below them, giving it the appearance of a massive maw. Luminescent flora grew abundant near the maw and probably further in. And the ceiling above twinkled like the sky, on a clear, starry night.

“He… he did it dad!” said the younger female.

“And so he did.”

“Now that he is out…. What are we going to name him?” the older female.

There was a long pause. Thunder rolled by in the distance and rain began to fall, pittering on the hard ground beyond the cave. A cool breeze entered, bringing with it the scent of ozone and rainwater from the outside, trickled in. He shivered again.

“How about… Rayne?” his father asked. “Yes, that sounds like an excellent name for him! The Rayne of our hearts!”

Somewhere distant, somewhere beyond, Rayne heard a chuckle. He looked around, glancing from one figure to the next. There were more than just three sets of eyes on him and none of them seemed to have heard it. That strange voice. None of them seemed to have done it either. It is done, it said, inside his head.