"How did you find this chasm?" The hungry and hollow words pulled at Silver, sitting on his newly formed throne of bones. As much as he wanted to resist the question, the need to satisfy its hunger was greater. The essence of pale gray mana shaped into a perfect celestial stood below him. Silver looked down on his god and filled him full of lies.

  "Fulfilling your Fifth Writ of Absolution, I happened upon the slip that took me here." He stuck to the best type of lie. False honesty, as he liked to call it. No one was better than Silver at lying with the truth.

  Really, it didn't matter how he found this empty space. He had found it, and the only way he could lose it now was if Death himself wanted to take it from him. The fact that Death was here now was a blessing and a burden.

  He hated his god so much, and yet he loved him. This immortal being full of glory was the great creator of conflict. Conflict was necessary for opposition. Opposition brought defeat. Defeat brought despair and despair brought death. And Death was power.

  As much as Silver hated Death, he loved power. He thirsted…ached for it endlessly. Who didn't?

  Death brushed back his golden mane. His voice, though heavy, was absent of anger. "Absolution? You only just started your service. You already want out?"

  "No, my Lord. The opposite. I seek to complete all seven of your Holy Writs. I want to be your champion." Despite the constant enticement to fall to his knees, to grovel at the feet of the deity before him, Silver maintained his composure upon his throne.

  The violent and empty energy became still for only a moment. Eyes like the abyss itself locked onto Silver. The urge to end his life as a sacrifice was too intense to bear. It took all his willpower not to reach for his dagger and offer his devotion.

  Around his throne, the very air became stiff. Death's heavy voice became absolute. "If you want to become my champion, you best get started. Once Hollow hears you seek to overthrow her, she won't be happy. She will find you even if it takes lifetimes."

  Worlds and gods fell to the champion of Death. She was second in power only to Death himself. The very mention of her name should have sent fear racing down his spine.

  His response was certain, if only slightly less absolute than Death. "I will, my Lord."

  Death pinched his thumb and index finger together, feeling the mana-dense air in his fingers. He eyed the particle intensely, giving Silver respite from his glare. "One world will not be enough to complete the Fifth Writ," he said, still eyeing the invisible energy. "Even in this realm of abundance."

  "It won't just be one, my Lord." One more truth to mask his lie.

  "Oh?" Death’s hollow eyes stared into him once again.

  The air surrounding Silver starved with anticipation, demanding an answer. "Thousands, my Lord."

  Death looked down upon him. "So, the rumors are true. You stole their moons."

  Silver fought back his pride from bursting as he ached to confirm the statement. He stole precious moons and a bounty of resources from all the gods. Then he disappeared. He slipped from time and space to the end of oblivion with all their wealth. Despite his efforts, a smile cracked his lips.

  "Perhaps, I should warn Hollow you are coming for her," Death said with a chuckle and then vanished.

  Emptiness remained, but it was on a level he was more familiar with. It was his emptiness… his power.

  It would take a million years to absorb all the mana in this rich pocket of the universe on his own. He would cut that down to a hundredth of that time with his worlds. Then his promise to her would be fulfilled. He shook his head clear of the thought and focused on the task before him.

  After his creations were completed, his only concern was boredom. For that, there was an easy solution.

  ****

  Vivid nightmares flash in my mind. The images force their way in only to be forgotten a moment later. Moments of terror are followed by dark emptiness. What was I seeing? Was I dreaming?

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  LIVE, a booming voice says in my head.

  What the… My thoughts don’t have time to form. Emptiness claims me, pulling me deeper into the depths of the nightmare. Pain. Cold. Lost. The bitter emptiness holds me in its terrible embrace until at last, it lets me go.

  I’m awake. I think I’m awake. It must be a deep sleep I’m shaking off. The kind of sleep that happens after forcing the body past its limits. Ever so slowly, my eyelids continue to ignore my command to open.

  After a few failures, I try using my hands to open my eyelids. No response. I can’t move my hands. I try again only to get the same result. Maybe my legs will respond. Nothing.

  Fingers…Toes…My mouth. I try yelling for help.

  Nothing. Panic creeps through me. Despite all my mental efforts, not one part of my body moves. Not even an inch. I need control. This paralysis is more than I can bear.

  Live. The abstract advice plays in my head. Of course, I’m living. Sorta. Life would be better if my body would move.

  Move. I command my body.

  Move!

  I focus on my hands, hoping that maybe I can move them now — still nothing. My heart is beating harder now. With all my willpower, I try to get my body to roll over somehow. Nerve-racking stillness is the result.

  Panic clinches its grip on me. I’m getting nowhere fast. My coward of a heart is about to rip itself out of my chest and flee. At least one part of me is working.

  Breathe. Focus on the one thing I can control.

  In and out.

  Just Breathe.

  After what feels like a lifetime, I notice a slight painful burn throughout me. The slow burn is bearable at first, then it becomes hotter. My insides are melting and it is incredible. I can feel! Beneath me, I feel the comforts of a familiar bed. Though I cannot move, I feel safe knowing I’m in my home. I focus on my breathing as feeling continues to awaken in my body.

  My eyes finally open, only to close them. The bright sun is showing off, forcing me to let my eyes adjust slowly.

  By the time I can fully open my eyes, I almost have control over my body. My limited power is seized upon as my eyes water, my nose becomes itchy, and my whole body jerks involuntarily. Violently, two sneezes relieve the problem they created.

  On the plus side, the sneezes act as a catalyst for my body. I can now move!

  This is not home. The sun should have been a dead giveaway. Just as soon as that thought crosses my mind, another follows. I’ve no idea where home is — more questions flood in.

  Where am I?

  Who am I?

  What am I doing in all this sand?

  Who’s telling me to live? Why wouldn’t I live? What does that even mean?

  And why is it so bright for the love of all that is good and holy?

  My mind struggles to stay afloat as the unknown continues to raise question after question. The tide of unanswerable questions is suffocating. I can feel panic seeping back in, slowly drowning any chance for rational thought.

  "Breathe. Remember to breathe," I tell myself, allowing the simple body exercise to pull me out of the depths.

  Calming myself for the second time, I think of what I know:

  One, it is bright. Good.

  Two, there is sand everywhere. A quaint observation — I must add.

  Three, I’m practically naked. I have nothing, no gear, no shoes, no shirt, my luxurious locks are gone, and no pants. I'm on a roll.

  Positive reinforcement buoys my assessments. Celebrating the small victories helps to keep my destitute situation nowhere near me and my thoughts. Despair is lurking, and I do not intend to let it in.

  Four, I’ve no memories of this place. I'm nailing this knowledge assessment.

  Five…well, four observational facts are pretty good. Even considering my missing marvelous mane conjecture was more of a projection, there is no denying that my third assessment was loaded. I can work with this.

  Having successfully assessed the obvious, I take a moment to evaluate the less obvious.

  My body check is a simple stretching technique that I naturally follow. I work through my head, neck, shoulders, and arms, starting from the top. I stretch everything, including my fingers and toes, to ensure that muscles and bones function correctly.

  My flexibility is unimpressive and my movement feels extra stiff, but to my relief, my body works. I complete the rest of the stretching forms, working out lingering stiffness.

  Like the physical assessment, assessing my core comes naturally. It is like another stretch, except nothing is being stretched. It's more like looking inwards — I'm stretching my perception of myself.

  I take a deep breath and focus within. "Sweet Abyss... Am I a god?" I stretch forth my hand and unleash my power to smote my vast, ever-gritty nemesis.