Work Text:
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First is darkness.
First is darkness and void. It isn't anything in particular; it simply Is, stretching infinitely in all directions.
The second thing you become aware of is that you, too, Are.
You are. You are ______. You are?
Yes. You are.
You are, and the void is, and that is all, for a while.
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A while passes.
You are, and also you feel.
There’s a direction to the feeling - someplace where the void is less, and you are more - and you are being tugged there, gently but firmly.
You follow.
You are. The void is.
The void is. You are.
You are.
The void… isn’t?
No. There is no void. You are here, and you are you.
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You are many things.
You are the warmth of sunlight. You are the sound of a familiar voice. You are the rough feel of a staff, the splash of water underfoot.
You are worry. You are fascination. You are love. You are the first realization of how you are different. You are the second realization, and the third. You are questions. You are studies. You are knowledge. You are pride.
You are the emotions reflected in a face. You are the inflection detected in a voice. You are trust and safety, fear and danger.
You are scalding heat and the chaos of battle. You are stones, scales, stagnant air. You are a dreadful certainty, and a dreadful determination.
You are bones crunching. You are blood flowing. You are a voice crying out, a burst of magical power, a concentration and exhaustion of mana. You are pain.
You are a single word: run.
You are torn apart, dissolved, digested. You are - something - something more than yourself. You are dozens of selves, hundreds of selves, blending into one.
You are a thread, plucked at and pulled loose. You are evaporated, condensed, distilled. You are mana - so much mana. You are blood flowing in reverse. You are bones crunching in reverse.
You are -
You were -
You will be -
You are.
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You hear a voice, uttering unspeakable words. You recognize that voice, understand it, obey it.
You are.
You are Falin.
And you are alive.