'Ether...' the man thought, 'why do I feel warm when I hear that? I don't even know what it is...'
Before the creature could disappear into the real world, a system message appeared in front of Sky.
"Quest: Becoming one with ether 1/5
"Complete one of five steps to utilise ether.
"Step one: Sense the ether around you.
"Reward: Not dying."
"Not dying?!" The man shouted, "Don't you think that's a little counterintuitive!"
"It's just how the system works." the creature sighed, "Don't take it too seriously. It'll just give you a little beating, that's all."
"You realise that I rejected restarting before being tossed into the Darkness, right? Does the system really think it can get me with threats?"
"No... no, I did not." The creature looked genuinely tired from this conversation. Before the man could ask any questions, the creature dissipated into a cloud of smoke. Another system window popped up.
"Quest restriction: Complete this task alone."
"I can't believe this," the man muttered under his breath.
The man fell silent and started to walk around... well, more like staggered around the strange mind dimension. It took him a while to reach the edge overlooking a vast ocean. The feeling of a breeze gliding through his very soul reminded him of his time in the darkness. It's all he could remember, just simple darkness that practically ate the essence of his identity. He shuddered at the thought of the cold, lonely place.
"I don't feel like dying." He mumbled to himself.
The man sat on the shore, staring at the clear blue sky and the rising sun peeking behind it. Vague memories crept into his mind. He could recall a place of happiness and a place of despair. A place to call home and a place of hell. The 'Darkness' seemed to have both, but the man knew it was not home. However, he still felt like he belonged there. It was cold, threatening, and suffocating, yet it had familiarity.
Cold gusts of wind poked at the man. He didn't mind the cold. He didn't mind the pain. His past self knew the meaning of pain, and he felt that pain growing inside him over the last few minutes. Not on the outside, of course, but it hid, etched inside. A voice called out, forcing him to acknowledge it.
'I want to die.' A voice echoed within the man.
The man stood up and started walking, "but I'll never die." He said. He didn't care if this was a pointless thought or not. He had to say it.
As the man staggered back to the open forest, his seemingly forgotten memories returned to him in fragments. His home, friends, wife, and newborn. How will he be able to explain his sudden appearance or his condition? He wanted to remember the faces of his beloved ones, but their memories were fading. And soon, they'll vanish altogether.
The man took a deep breath and released his thoughts. Something was comforting about how he was breathing. Every breath he took, a sense of warmth would run through his heart, then to his limbs, and back to his core. As he continued breathing, he sat down and crossed his legs. Suddenly, his perception expanded. The grass that was simply grass before had a comprehending meaning. It was alive. It was waving with the currents of nature, along with the other plants and trees. Everything seemingly flowed without a care in the world. There was no resistance, nor was there any destruction. It simply was and is. The man, who was also simply a man before, finally sensed the existence of ether.
'Is this what ether is?' The man thought.
The man could see faint lines, barely visible to the naked eye, criss-crossing each other in the distance. The lines themselves glowed lightly, spread across everything. They were straight, curved and, at times, completely twisted. But despite their chaotic state, they maintained a sense of harmony. He felt at ease for the first time in what felt like forever. And as he watched the lines, he understood what ether was. It wasn't the lines themselves but what flowed through them. The tiny etherical particles that controlled the world itself.
A ding sound interrupted his train of thought, which was followed by a system prompt.
"Congratulations!
"User #8465168736?
"Error, correcting user identity.
"What identity would user set?
"> "
'An identity? Does it mean a name?' The man stared off, watching the vast ocean reflecting what was within the sky. He followed the reflection to the lines that drew the world.
"Alpha, for a new beginning."
A loud dinging noise overran through the man's mind.
"Identity already in use."
The man stared blankly, rubbed his head, and then said, "How about Omega?"
"*ding* Identity already in use."
The man's face went red in embarrassment. Dozens of names came to mind, and he did the only thing he could, spam them all until he found one which fits.
"Nature."
"*Ding*..."
"Ocean."
"*Ding*..."
"Tree, damn it!"
...
"Sky, how about the sky?"
The resounding of bells lit the mind of the man.
"Congratulations!
"User 'Sky' has been processed. Please note that the chosen identity cannot be changed.
"Continuing notifications...
"User Sky has completed the following quests:
"Becoming one with Ether! 1/5
"Sensing Ether.
"Becoming one with Ether! 2/5
"Absorbing Ether.
"Becoming one with Ether! 3/5
"Circulating Ether.
"Becoming one with Ether! 4/5
"Storing Ether.
"Calculating rewards...
"Congratulations!
"User has received the following rewards:
"System will not kill you for incompetence.
"*Ding* User Sky has been blessed by ether.
"Passive skill: Ether's Eye has been awarded."
Sky watched the notifications flood his vision. He read them over and over again. His mind overflowed with questions, but most importantly, 'The system wouldn't kill me? That weird fur ball said it wouldn't actually kill me, just punish me. And what is this skill? Is this the thing that allows me to see those lines across the world?' he thought.
"What is Ether's Eye?" Sky said aloud.
A window suddenly popped into existence, closer to his face than usual.
"Check your status, imbecile."
'Was that the system or the weird fur ball?'
Another window popped up, just about smacking Sky in the head.
"Keep calling me a fur ball if you're not concerned about the consequences. My name is Avis."
"What a weird name," Sky murmured.
Before Avis could respond, Sky summoned his status, which He was particularly excited because he could recall the feelings when he first opened it in his past. An exhilarating feeling took over him as a screen popped into existence displaying Sky's characteristics.
"What the hell is this?!"