The mysterious man paused for a few moments and chuckled as he morphed back into his original form.
"That wasn't the intention."
'Could've fooled me jackass!'
"Alright, if that wasn't the intention, what was then?"
"I was just trying to prepare you for what's coming,"
Theo raised a brow.
'For... what?'
The man glanced down at the watch on his wrist.
"Speaking of, it should be starting any second now."
'Starting? What the hell is this old geezer....'
Before he could complete that thought, a sudden wave of pain washed over Theo. Falling to his knees and screaming in excruciating pain, he clutched at his head.
"What the hell!" he exclaimed
'What is this? It feels like my skull is about to split open.!'
He clutched tighter, but the pain only continued to get stronger. He screamed and groaned in pain as the pressure built in his head and the excruciating pain got worse.
"Make it stop!" he demanded.
His vision blurred, and reality itself seemed to twist and distort before him. But still, in that state he could perceive the subtly movements of air, the pulsing of some viscous liquid through narrow tubes. The constant thumping of some fist sized object. He could feel the movements of these things both in himself and the man at his side.
The man crouched and leaned in.
"This is only the beginning." he whispered.
Through the pain, Theo faintly felt the movements of his body as the man leaned closer. "Don't be frightened though, this is all natural."
"Pain is natural?!"
The man grinned.
"In your case, yes. Your body has accumulated a massive amount of ether in a short period of time and as you nears closer to the time of the trial, your dormant trait is awakening. This pain is just your body adjusting to that new power."
'Is that why I can feel this strange... energy building?'
"Just stay calm. The best thing you can do is to relax and let whatever is happening happen."
"Easier said than done!" Theo yelled through the pain.
"Well, I agree with that."
Theo fought against the pain, but slowly relaxed himself. Letting the strange sensation build. Soon, his sense of perception expanded.
'That pulsing sensation, these tubes... is that... blood? and that beating... thing... is that... a heart? What the hell?'
His senses only continue to grow stronger. And after nearly a minute, he could not only feel the things around him, but his senses expanded far beyond. Now, he could feel the pulsing blood and beating hearts of all those they had passed by in the hallways.
Theo calmed more as he relaxed and accepted the power.
'This is freaky! What kind of power is this? It feels.... amazing! Its like i can feel the very energy keeping these people alive! If i had power like this before.... I could have protected her.'
Opening his eyes and turning to the man crouched at his side, the asked.
"Can I get any stronger than this?"
The man paused for a moment, but soon, a wicked grin spread across his face.
"That depends, are you ready to experience trials and excruciating pain beyond your wildest imagination?"
'Trials and excruciating pain? There is no trial harder than watching the ones i love suffer, and there is no pain greater than that of a person watching the life of their loved one fade in front of them!'
Theo glared at the man with a hate-filled expression and, through gritted teeth, said.
"I am ready for anything!?"
"Excellent!"
With that, the man raised his hand, and along with lifting him off the ground, the dark tendrils pushed the door open. Inside was a large, white room with nothing but a strange device at its center. The man sauntered forward and placed a hand over a screen on the device.
{User recognised, Alec Thorne.}
The glass covering the device slid open, revealing comfortable bedding and multiple instruments within. with no time remaining, he placed Theo inside the device, and the glass slid closed. Theodore continued to fight through the pain, as the man stared at his watch. But that wouldn't last long as the watch soon began a countdown.
{10, 9, 8...}
"Don't worry, kid, it's almost over."
{7, 6, 5...}
"And remember, when you're in there, your survival is all that matters."
{4, 3, 2,... 1}
The moment the clock hit midnight, the pain overtaking Theo's rationality subsided, and relief washed over him. But before he could appreciate the relief, a heavenly, nearly divine voice resounded in his mind.
[Herald candidate, prepare for your trial!]
In that instant, reality itself seemed to warp around itself and vanish before his eyes. Before he knew it, he was opening them once more and finding himself in an eerie, silent and dark void that seemed to swallow his every thought as they emerged.
'What... is this? Why... do I feel... as if something... is... missing?'
As his thoughts jumbled and consciousness fell into obscurity, Theo felt a strange warmth begin to envelop him.
'Or is it radiating from within me? I honestly can't tell the difference between the two anymore'
And he really couldn't care to. Despite that, he knew
Using the remnants of his strength, Theo turned his head to look around. But no matter the direction, no matter how hard he tried to focus, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.
'Where... is this?'
In the strange, empty void he found himself, he racked his brain as to where he could be, but the empty void provided no clues. But soon, he would discover this place wasn't empty. Because ahead of him, Theo noticed something hovering at what looked like the center of the void.
He edged closer to it, reaching out his hand to touch whatever it was. His palm made contact and in that instant, a comforting warmth flooded his body. The warmth seemed to not only energize him, but the sensation of being filled seemed eerily familiar.
'But why?' the question played on replay in his mind like a broken record. 'Why was something he was experiencing for the first time'
He couldn't explain why it was it felt familiar, or how he knew exactly what it was without being told.
'My ether core.'
He had no inkling whatsoever of how this was possible, but at the same time couldn't tell why exactly it didn't feel strange to know. All he could do, was move forward.
'Then that means this place is my soul sea, but why does it look so... empty?' He looked around once more, this time with a very disturbed expression. 'Is this the state of my soul? And if it is, what exactly does this mean? It is utterly devoid of anything resembling the sea of souls I had been taught about all my life.'
An ether core is the very essence of an individual. The layout and structure of one's core develops and reflects the individual possessing it. Which is why situations like a person describing theirs as lacking color to mean they are bland, or describing it as a cold tundra meaning a person is emotionless is not unheard of.
'But mine is different.'
But Theo's core, the very essence of his being was completely empty. The center of his being where everything encompassing him as a person was concentrated, seemed undefined and lacking in presence.
'Does this mean something is wrong with me? Am I... defective?'
This situation was completely unheard of.
He racked his mind as to how this was possible, he suddenly felt a shift an the space itself. Quickly the hollow emptiness that had drowned him faded, and instead, a new, alien sensation crept over him. Once again the sight before him distorted, and everything quickly faded into black.