"How should one person break free?"

There are many ways to use one's resources to break free and solve a society's problem. Trying to make something out of nothing; is one of the supreme joys of life. The hard work, the dedication, and the belief in oneself will get you places. The one veritable god looks at effort, not just blind belief. 

"Now show me your effort, human with unlimited potential."

 The human wakes up at nighttime. When the moon smiles upon him, grim auras follow, surprising the young man as a figure slowly walks up to him. It looks at him and slowly engulfs him in darkness, blinding his vision. 

"Shh, you'll awake soon, young one," a voice says faintly as he falls deeper into unconsciousness.

Arising from his slumber, he looks around. Emptiness, vacancy, and the hollowness of a heart. The shadows form into a woman sitting on a throne. Black hair, pale skin, a crown of bones, and an aura meant to bring the most hollow emotions out of all beings that lay eyes on her. 

"You may be asking who I am," she states, stretching to get more comfortable on her throne. Her hands caress his face like a mother babying her son.

"You'll eventually figure it out. But first a gift," the shadows surround the man, finding their place on his attire like pieces to a puzzle. Her gift is simple but stylistic. Darkness makes a fissure in his arm as it flows its way to his eye. 

"The Abyss will find its way back to you, young one," she whispers. Her voice calms the man down. The darkness seems more calm than anything. "And you'll find your way back to me. You can't escape me."

He awakes on the side of a forest, and the world exhales. The wind blows slowly, calmly, and lovingly. His eyes reveal a plain area, barren but luscious. Wiping his eyes, nothing but the vast forest fills his vision. He sees a river nearby; before going to it, he takes in the warmth of Mother Nature. After getting to the river, he stretches before checking his inventory to see if he has any canisters. 

The organization of his inventory, based on the material used, flashes his vision. He goes to the survival section and sees that he has a starter survival kit. He selects the canister and the fishing rod, his stomach reminding him to eat on any occasion it could.

Trying to catch a singular fish, his strength and perception slowly increase before getting his first catch after thirty minutes. He has to make a fire to survive after a few hours of catching fish. He snaps off a few branches from trees and puts them down in a pile. Trying to see if this world is any different from the world he came from, he raises his hand. Oxygen mixes with heat, utilizing its energy as fuel. Shock and surprise filled his face as he made it on the first try. 

He then makes a feast for himself, cooked fish, vegetables, and purified water. It's not the best meal, but a good meal nonetheless. Bushes graze his legs as he sets up a place to call it a day. Suddenly, the dark aura surges, slithering to the left part of his arm, up to the top of his forehead. Jolted by the pain, he screams to empty ears. The sudden urge to live and survive clouds his judgment. He falls unconscious. The same phrase echoed back to him. 

"You will never escape me."

Voice 1: "Hey, is he awake?"

Voice 2: "He's probably dead. No point in trying to wake a dead man up."

Voice 1: "Hey! Don't be so pessimistic! Look, he just woke up!"

'Who are these people,' he thinks to himself as pain surges to his head.

A pink-haired young woman sits atop his body as he tries to sit up.

"Lumina, get off of him, he's trying to sit up," the other woman says.

He looks at her ears and finds that she's an elf, but she only has two rags covering her body. She chuckles as she gets off in a swift motion.

"You didn't even bother with him, Astelia," she scoffs. 

"Anyways," Astelia stretches and looks at the human with interest. "Who are you? What brings you out here?"

The man sighs as he rises to his feet. "Well, I don't know myself," the young man says. "I just know that I'm alive and well."

"Well that's good, didn't want anyone wandering around here on purpose trying to cause problems," Lumina says.

Her eyes lock on the young man, and she nods.

"He's strange but interesting," Lumina thinks as her mind fills with interest.

"But," she senses something dark, something distasteful coming from the young man. His interest quickly flips to concern, hastily approaching him.

"That witch has her clutches on you, doesn't she?" His confused look ticks her off slightly, she sighs and reiterates her statement.

Lumina: "The Goddess of Darkness, have you met her?"

Young Man: "Who? I don't know who that even is?"

She hits him with all of her anger. "You have her marking and you say that you have no idea who she is?" she shouts angrily.

"That wretched hag! Not even introducing herself to you but dares to give you this strength."

Astelia holds Lumina down with all of her strength. "Keep it down, Lumina," she scolds.

"It doesn't matter if he has the mark of that woman. He's not affected by her in any way; so calm down."

Lumina calms herself down. Even when filled with anger, she has a way to keep her peace.

"She planted her seed. It won't take long for her to think that she can invade again."

Astelia nods her head and examines the young man. Shadows startle Lumina and Astelia as the woman of darkness makes her appearance.

She chuckles as she summons her domain. She caresses the young man as she smiles at Lumina.

"Lumina, nice to see you love," she taunts, chuckling at Lumina.

"This young man doesn't have a name yet. I should give him one, as a staple to my grasp on him."

Chuckles of darkness anger Lumina, taunting her to charge at the woman. Bright lights blind everyone except the young man. Hands manifest out of thin air to hold him close. Only a chosen fellow hears a faint cry. 

"Zane," a voice says excitedly. "This man's name is Zane Seisance, and no one will change that."