A white orb, swirling with a gradient of shifting colors, drifted through the spirit realm, drawn ever deeper into its chaos. The path it followed was madness—untraceable, unwritten.
Colors exploded in every direction. Structures rippled, folded, and collapsed like clay under unseen hands. Logic held no dominion here; creatures were born of sand, glass, fire—of ideas. And yet, within that disorder, they were created in strange harmony—like if a kid drew a perfect circle.
Four more orbs joined it. They didn't speak. They held no thought. But something deeper connected them—a bond, a rhythm, a pulse. A resonance. Each had a different hue: one red, two of similar blues, and one gold. But like the first, all carried that same swirling gradient at their core.
Together, they descended toward a colossal, dark-blue sphere—millions of times their size. They fell like shooting stars, streaking through the sky at impossible speeds, vibrant colors blooming around them. The planet below remained blind to their beauty; they were intangible, unknowable.
The white orb, as if it possessed will, guided them to a lone castle—small and bright blue, hidden to all but those like them. Around it, a forest pulsed with scarlet and sapphire light. Trees shimmered with metallic bark, and from the shell of a slow-moving tortoise, those same trees grew like living monuments.
Rivers flowed above the canopy, winding through the air like silver veins, their waters pearlescent and alive.
This was no ordinary place. And it was calling them home.
Their speed only rose as they approached the castle. The five orbs landed inside the castle grounds, right in front of the gate. Strangely, there was no impact—objects falling at immeasurable speeds, not even denting the air.
The outer shells twisted and stretched, reshaping into the bodies they remembered.
After taking shape, they took on the colors of their original bodies; their hair, skin, and eyes all returned to what they had been. In that moment, the echoes were reborn.
***
Dawn felt like he had just awoken from a dream.
A white orb drifted through endless darkness, floating—lost—until it touched light. That light became his vision, returning in pieces as his eyes slowly adjusted to a blur. His ears rang with a sharp pressure, like the world itself was holding its breath.
Then, a whisper.
"Quiet."
The word echoed through the ringing like it wasn't meant for his ears alone.
A faint murmur followed—a voice, but too distant to make out.
Shapes began to form. Color returned.
Red.
A red orb?
No—a head.
Someone else was there.
Dawn jolted back, instincts taking over. His stance dropped into a ready position as his pulse quickened—but the world around him remained eerily still.
'People…?' Dawn saw four people. The one in the very front looked as if nature itself had erupted her from its soil. Her hair shimmered like rubies, and her light brown skin was akin to that of the very books he read—glowing greatly in contrast with her hair.
To the right of her was a guy with pure golden hair, which gave him an air of eloquence along with his suit of the highest quality, decorated with symbols all across it. His expression was one of wonder. He looked like he was carved straight from marble.
To the left were two dark-haired people who appeared to be siblings. They had pale skin and were both attractive, but not to the extent of the other two. The girl had a smile on her face, and the guy wore an expression of suspicion.
Everything that happened came back to Dawn. Had he died? Was this the underworld? After his explosion of confusion faded, Dawn simply let out two tears.
'People… they're people. I'm not alone.'
Dawn didn't care that they might not be his people; these were the first people he had ever met.
"Sorry if we startled you. Anybody could cry after dying," the red-haired girl said with a sad face.
"So, we're really dead?" asked Dawn as he wiped his tears away.
"We figured that out while talking before you woke up, but we really aren't too sure… even the Royal Library never mentioned this," the blonde-haired guy said.
"With that being said, let's really introduce ourselves this time! Give your name, your race, your power and stage, and how you died! I'll start: my name is Numa and that's Nareth. I'm of the Neiron race. My brother and I have the power to control water. We are stage 1, and we died on a hunt with our race when a shark-like creature ate us alive," Numa said.
'How is she so positive here…'
The red-haired girl stepped forward, eyes gleaming like coals. "Vyra," she said, voice steady, "Hemoreign. Blood control… still learning. A Blood Count finished me."
Dawn blinked. "A… Blood Count?"
Vyra arched an eyebrow. "What, never seen one? Have you been living under a rock?"
He hesitated. "Yes. Actually… yes." Dawn had been in the ruins his entire life.
Silence. Then, a breathless chuckle from Numa.
Dawn noticed the suspicious expression on Vyra.
'Does she think I'm joking?'
Vyra paused for a couple of seconds, then continued.
"Okay, a Blood Count is just one of the creatures in my land and is not important. There are many races—well, bloodlines—in what we have discovered in Elaross so far. Most of them are kept secret, but if you have a mask, you are told. Hemorei and the Elarim are among the top five, although the Elarim are a special case in that regard…" She finished that statement by glancing at the golden-haired boy.
'Hemorei and Elarim, huh? They sound cool. It appears the world above has some structure. So, what is so special about the Elarim?' Dawn thought.
"So, what's up with the Elarim then?" Dawn asked.
Vyra opened her mouth to speak but hesitated as if perhaps afraid to say more. She then shrugged her shoulders and looked at the boy next to her.
The golden-haired guy spoke up, "Well, I'll just introduce myself then. I am Crown Prince—well, formally Crown Prince—Azthrakel, an Elarim—although I'm not worthy of that title yet. We Elarim do not hold masks, but instead we get a spirit at stage 2. Until then, treat me as your equal. Currently, I just have strength, speed, and reflexes above the norm for stage 1 to make up for that. I died during a succession dispute with my brothers…"
'So, I'm not the only one with an abnormal power convention…'
After a couple of seconds of silence and everyone staring at Dawn, Azthrakel spoke again.
"So… what are you? I've never seen anything like you. Are you from beyond the explored regions? Introduce yourself, please," Vyra said as she stepped forward and shook his hand.
"Well… my name is Dawn. I guess we're all lost, huh? I don't know my race, I have the power to phase through things, and I died to a whale-like creature who didn't even move to kill me. I'm not sure if I'm from beyond the explored region, but if the explored regions are as dangerous as that, then probably. I merely walked out of my ruins and died within the next minute," Dawn said quickly, in a single breath.
Dawn wasn't stupid; he knew his race was special through the books. That whale might have been sensing him as a Noctherian. He wasn't going to risk giving out that information.
'I need to keep my race locked down. Until I find out more about my race, I won't tell a single soul about it! Even asking about it may bring suspicion. But there may be people who know how Noctherians look. How will I disguise my actual looks?'
Everyone once again looked at Dawn, shocked. Every sentence was a new surprise.
"You have conquered ruins and died within one minute of leaving? Where were you before that?" Numa asked incredulously.
"I have been in the ruins ever since I can remember anything. For all I know, I was born there. I finally completed my trial and read some books. I left after the book I had told me I needed to go on an adventure to continue reading it," Dawn said.
Nareth, the younger twin, finally spoke up with a deep voice. "You expect us to believe that? How stupid do you think we are? Born in the ruins, cleared it at stage 1? Hah, come on!" he said mockingly. "What's next? You achieved Emperor rank, too?" Nareth laughed.
Dawn's expression tensed. He then smiled.
"Is it really so unbelievable? It's only natural that someone like me gets the highest rank."
Dawn raised his hand to the sky, turned it around, and showed everyone the Insignia on his hand. "Does this quell those thoughts?" Dawn asked with a wide grin.
Nareth grunted and turned around. Although subtle, Dawn saw the shock on his face before he turned away. In fact, everyone held that expression this time. It was truly unbelievable, but there was no way to forge a mark that was there even before he awoke.
"Well then, it appears you are from the Unseen. Although the Unseen areas don't have to be dangerous, there are dangerous parts blocking the way, not allowing humanity to advance."
'So, I'm from the Unseen then? Will I ever get back to my ruins?' Dawn thought.
"The fact that you cleared any ruins is impressive enough and a sign that you are from there. But also, it's the way you look. I've seen some weird-looking humans. Some bloodlines are even a mix between human and monster. But you are even beyond that. You feel more monster than human. You have the darkest black skin I have seen. Your pupils and sclera are black, and your pupils are white. The mark on your forehead is similar to mine in a way. Most noticeably of all, your wings!" Azthrakel said.
Dawn felt offended and put on a frown.
'So, am I a monster? No, even my mask called me human. Are Noctherians monsters? Perhaps Noctherians were another bloodline instead of a race itself,' Dawn thought.
"I didn't mean that in a bad way. You just look, uh… too cool to be human. You'd become a model instantly," Azthrakel said while looking away.
'He seems stubborn and blunt, but it seems fashion is his weak side.'
"Anyways, that's enough for introductions. We have this castle here to explore, don't we?" Vyra said.
"It appears so," Dawn said.
They all started to walk toward the mysterious castle when they felt the aura around them.