Ways Vol. 01: Gyvidson Way Ch. 01

Chapter 1 | Nothing

Life isn't fair.

I grew up in a pretty good household all things considered. Not wealthy, but not poor. We did fine, I had friends, our family had friends. My mother always emphasized to me the value of effort and independence.

"Find your own path, don't just do things the way you're told to!" Lucille would say.

"But don't discount the main road either, sometimes your own way may also be the same as many others. The most important thing is that you know why you're taking that path, and what goal you're reaching for at the end. So long as it's the path right for you, which you decide for yourself, it doesn't matter how many others are also taking it." Lucille was a good mother.

Emphasis on was.

Unfortunately for us, life isn't fair. People you thought were friends, turn on you. Your family is taken from you. They change and a once good household is broken. A person who once said

"Find your own road!" with a smile on their face now says, "Do as you're told and don't question it!" All while scowling down at you for simply asking why.

A proud father becomes a deflated shell.

A kind mother becomes abusive and belittling.

An eldest son becomes the only one their siblings can look up to.

That eldest son goes on to work hard in life. To struggle against trauma, to put as much effort into making a life for themselves, to get out of their circumstance. Sometimes though, no amount of effort is enough. Sometimes you just don't know the right people. Sometimes you're accused of the crimes of your father, ones he didn't even commit. Sometimes your accuser beats you to death in an alley.

"Man, life really isn't fair is it?" I choked out, blood filling my lungs. "Hey, maybe next time I'll get a good draw of cards, then life will be different." My eyes drooped, a sad smile curling my lips as I watched the three nicely dressed young men walk away from me. Tossing their weapons and jackets into a bag.

My eyes closed for the last time on Earth.

****

"Is that what you Believe?" A voice echoed in my mind.

No, it was echoing... around me? It sounded soft, yet harsh. Causing me to wrap my arms around myself, curling into a fetal position as my whole head and face scrunched. No. Wait, I can move?

I open my eyes and look around to see an empty, endless void. Everywhere I look, in the center of the void, is Nothing. That's the only way to describe it. A finite emptiness, a gap in the dark. Like someone took the stars out of the heavens and slapped a circle of Vantablack in the middle.

"Do you really believe that?"

This time my face contorts from the baffling noise. The Nothing in my vision seemed to warble in rhythm to its speech. The void surrounding it slipping into it, like a black hole.

"Who... Are you?" A stupid question I know, I just hoped this wasn't some stupid cliche. If the next thing I hear is 'oh I'm god and here's your second chance at life' I swear. I wanted a second chance, sure, but dear god I at least want that to be a little original. Maybe something like-

"Nothing." The void curled in again. "I am Nothing."

"Ah, well Mist- Miss? Noth-"

"Nothing. Alone." Nothing cut me off with two quick drags of the void around it. I guess it was presumptuous to try and gender a fathomless void within a void which I couldn't look away from.

"Right... Sorry that was rude. I suppose it depends on what you mean when you ask what I believe. For instance I believe in God, ya know with a big G but I don't really believe they're a good God. Though I do suppose that they t-"

"Good. God is not Good. God is God. Good is Good."

"I suppose you're right, but that's not really what I was get-"

"I am Bored. Do you believe your path is set, or that it can be Changed? Answer." Nothing's aggravation was clear by the way it practically tore the void around it as it spoke.

"Uh, I absolutely believe you can Make your own path but I do believe your birth and circumstances outside of your control can make effort basically meaningless. It's more about who, and what, you Know than how much effort you put in."

"So you believe Knowing is all one needs to Make their own path?" Nothing quaked.

"Well not exactly, but that's a start. Knowledge and then Effort, the harder you work, the better an impression you can give and the-"

I cut myself off this time. Nothings first question echoed in my head

Do I really believe this stuff? I mean, I worked really hard in life. In the end I had a bad draw of cards. If it had gone different. If I'd been born to a wealthy family, one with connections...

"I suppose I do. I- I mean assuming you were asking about the last thing I said when I was alive that is! I do think what you Know and your Effort are rewarded but in the end..."

In the end your circumstance, your connections, that's what matters. No matter how hard I tried it eventually ended in disaster.

Nothing sucked in as if it were speaking but I could not understand. Ten thousand Words flooded my head, it ached. It was being crushed under the weight. I may not have understood what was said, but I suddenly knew something to be true.

I saw a circle of a dozen worlds and knew them for what they were. Reality. A chain of realities surrounded by Void. Those drew away until they were a small dot, one of a dozen in a circle. Again and again this happened, drawing out and out and out. Endless Void. Endless Reality. In the center of each new ring was Nothing. Always Nothing.

I fell back in and saw Earth, tethered to two of these worlds. The glow of one grew weak. I was to be an offering. I would be dragged through the Void by Nothing. As I traveled my soul would catch errant power, dragging it with me to revitalize this other world.

As payment, if my soul survived I would be rewarded with the chance to make my own path. A life in which I have the best opportunity to give my effort meaning and value. A second chance. I would be an offering to a grander cycle of life and death. One which stood above any other world's cycle. Otherwise, I would be returned to my world and granted nothing. A Choice.

A chance.

I accept.

***

The crushing weight on my head grew heavier, extending to my body as well. A warmth began to surround me.

Shouting, screaming.

My eyes were now shut though I don't remember when it happened. I couldn't open them. I felt something... no someone was grabbing my head.

Pulling.

More screaming, people talking, words I couldn't underst-

Bzzt-

No, wait. As I listened, my body filled with a warm shock, like when you get zapped by a low electric current, but pleasant. The words became clear.

"It's almost there! Push! You got this Willy."

"Keep the healing up. Make sure to focus it around vital organs. Where is the secondary?! Myade is almost out of Majesty!"

"Here, sorry, I'm sorry so so so sosososso-"

"Be quiet, take over for Myade"

"Yes sir! By Body and Mind, Life and Soul, so do I call thee-"

"Almost there, I can see his head!"

The pain grew and grew, it became too much to bear. The warmth left me as cool air shocked my naked body. It was overwhelming, I began to scream in pain. My eyes opened to see a strange face.

Soft dusky skin, with wispy green whorls of what looked to be powder dotting their face. A white cloth was wrapped tight over their head like a do-rag, covering their hair. If it matched their pencil mustache though, it would be a warm dark blue. The strangest thing, however, was the mist that surrounded him. A glowing, prismatic aura which shifted about an inch or two above him.

Hmmm, it's kinda like a kaleidoscope, with all the shifting colors. Well maybe not, more like a multi colored, hue shifting drop shadow in the world. It honestly reminds me of when characters in Overlord used Mana Essence to see someone's Mana.

This stranger smiled at me and began to speak. Their tone was warm and caring. Based on how they were dressed, and their behavior, they must be a doctor.

"By Body and Mind, Life and Soul, so do I call thee. Wrap this one in your Power and let them Heal." Through my pain it was hard to truly hear, but some of those words sounded like English! No, that's absurd.

As they finished their incantation their hand covered my chest, and the aura which wreathed him began to pulsate as he spoke. Much of it began collecting in his hand and forming into a soft, lime green sheath which covered his hand and extended around my torso. The stranger moved his hand up over my face.

The pain dissipated rapidly, and my crying stopped. I looked him in the face. This unique face, the magic words, the instant recovery. I remembered Nothing. I remembered the deal I had made.

Have I survived? Is this real? I didn't even feel anything on my way here though! Wasn't this supposed to be some great ordeal?! Eh, not that I'm complaining mis- er Nothing! Thank you!

I lifted my hands up, they were small even to my eyes, a sort of soft natural tan to them. Honestly it looked kinda like my whole body had some sort of sunburn, just a bit... earthier in tone.

So it must have worked. I've been reborn.

I also noted a similar misty aura covering my own hands.

Though my aura is white. It's also much smaller, is it 'cause I'm a child? I suppose if this is some form of mana, or other energy, a child's would be smaller.

"There, all better?" The Doctor asked me. Though I doubt he expected a response; I smiled and reached out one of my hands to his nose. That got a smile and soft chuckle out of him.

"Can I hold my baby please?" A tired, soft voice spoke and I turned to look at it. The woman it belonged to took what little breath my tiny body had away from me. She was radiant. Long pointed ears and silver hair. Skin as white as porcelain but not unhealthy looking. In fact her countenance and beauty made me wonder if every woman I'd ever met had somehow been sickly.

She was thin, or more like lithe. Her chest was small, or maybe her birthing gown just made it seem that way? Nope, as the stranger handed me over to her it became obvious she was a truly "lithe" person. She wrapped me in the softest, most comfortable cloth I'd ever felt touch my skin this life or my past. As she held me close I had to be honest. She looked young for a mother but...

I suppose she is my mother so what do I know?

She too had an aura around her. This one was even more vibrant, with a greater variety of colors within it. Her aura was unlike the doctor's, or his two assistants who stood nearby. The edges of her aura were smooth and refined. The beautiful woman's aura also extended out several feet from her body. I didn't know if that was impressive or not, but I was still awed. It looked more like an overly thick outline.

Another aura layered over her. This one was far less vibrant, with only a handful of primary colors, mostly hues of red. It was sharper though, also more like an outline than a shadow; but as if it were the outline of an old Nintendo64 era 3d model.

This aura preceded a man, an intimidating, outrageous looking man with a grin so wide I swore if the sun shone in here everyone would be blinded.

"He's gonna be one hell of a looker!" The man's voice boomed, an outrageously warm voice that made my heart melt immediately. Suddenly he wasn't so scary. I assumed as the woman leaned to him and kissed him gently on the cheek that this must be my father.

"He's got your ears, I know you were worried he wouldn't have any Sylvan features but looks like he got the cutest part."

My hands went up to grasp at my ears, pointed, I guess I was partially 'sylvan'.

Sylvan not elven huh? Sounds like a lazy author's way of trying to differentiate their pointy eared, haughty, long lived, usually just better humans.

Whatever. The man grinned as my mother blushed an immediate bright red. A red which almost matched the warm copper of my fathers skin. I'd mentioned he was outrageous right? When I said it was a warm copper I meant quite literally metallic copper. His skin glistened and appeared as if actually made of fresh forged copper, like a living statue. His face was rather wide and hairless, still split with that enchanting grin. It looked as though he'd never needed to shave in his life.

I guess he just naturally has no facial hair? Well I'd never been good with taking care of my obnoxious facial hair before. I wouldn't miss it.

His head was topped with bright auburn hair cut into a slick wedge. No wait. It was spiked? No no...

It's fire, his hair is moving and shifting like it was a burning flame. But it's definitely hair! It doesn't crackle or light the area.

It was outrageous! Wait, I used that word twice already... Hmmm, it was fantastical, he was like a living torch! In the center of his forehead was a bright green gem which stuck out like a sore thumb but matched the deep emerald of his eyes. I moved my hands up to touch my forehead. This shocked me in two different ways.

First, I also had a gem in my forehead. Though in hindsight that made sense if this was my father. When I covered it, all the aura's in the room faded. Including the bright one surrounding the grinning giant, which dwarfed everyone else's in the room by the way. By a massive amount. I forgot to mention that. It was twice as thick as the aura of the angelic beauty who now held me. They didn't disappear completely, but they were very faint.

I suppose that allows me to see whatever that aura is. Mana maybe? Hadn't the doctor said something about someone being out of some-

Bzzt-

There it was again, that nice, soft, warming shock and I remembered the doctor's words perfectly. Majesty, he had said, someone was low on Majesty.

Is that what they call mana here? That's a bit of a mouthful but whatever.

There was a second shock, however. One which I was reminded of as I brought a hand from my ear to my chin. I already had two hands covering my ears. Yet when I moved my hands to check my forehead I didn't bring them down. I moved a different pair of hands up.

I began to laugh, a surprisingly loud laugh for what an infant should be capable of, and the third shock of that immediately stopped me. However it was immediately replaced by the giants own booming laughter.

"Bahahahahahaha! Good! Definitely my boy, that's a good laugh! Bahahahahaha!" I couldn't help it, his laugh was infectious. It was empowering, I started laughing again with him, the sylvan beauty joining in with a soft laugh that sounded like wind softly tickling my ears.

"He's got your eyes, and four arms I guess Draehg blood really is stronger when the child is of their Draehg parents gender." the beauty regained her composure, but didn't stop smiling. The copper giant reached up with a second pair of arms, the first two still on the beauties shoulders, and grabbed my hands together.

"Of course! With this a new heir is born! We'll make a warrior out of you little lad"

"Or mage" the lady cut in, giving the giant a stern look which caused him to laugh again, that rich, warm laugh. Which started me laughing again.

"Or mage!" He agreed.

Then he leaned in and my mothers skin turned bright red as she batted his nose. He had started nibbling on her ear!

How lewd! There's a baby here you lecher!

"Though I guess that means we'll need a second son to make sure we get one of each, eh?"

His voice was low and sultry this time, my mother smiled awkwardly. Then as if an idea had just come to her she shouted. A rather loud shout that I never would have expected from such a small woman.

"A-a-alright Isalya! Saellie! Come give your new b-b-brother a welcome to the world!"

BAM!

Before she'd even finished speaking the door had slammed open. The doctor and his attendants, a man and woman, fell over in shock. I tipped my head backwards to look at the door. A harder thing than you'd expect as an infant. I forgot those muscles hadn't developed yet.

A booted foot had kicked the door open as two young girls came bounding in. Both had skin close to mine, a slightly tanned copperish tone, both with bright silver hair. The younger one, who had kicked the door open, didn't look to be more than 4 or 5. She had small streaks of our fathers auburn hair in hers. Neither of them had gems in their heads or multiple arms. The youngest came running up quickly, leaping onto the bed and giving me a big kiss on the head.

"Hi baby brother! I'm Saellie, I'll be takin' care of you now so don' worry!" the woman's hand swatted her lightly on the head. In the most adorable manner Saellie grabbed her forehead and looked up. Her eyes were big, almost comically so but the woman gave her a stern look. Saellie's face bunched up in a meek, guilty grin and she spoke again

"I mean, welcome to the World, Blessed Brother." The way she said those last few words felt... strange. It also sounded oddly like English. I could see her aura, a soft aura with few colors and several thick streaks of white. It tried to do something, shimmering and shifting in the same way the doctors had. Yet nothing happened.

The older of the two, Isalya obviously, looked to be maybe 10 years old. She stepped forward softly and smiled. She leaned down and kissed me on the forehead, placing one hand on it and speaking.

"Welcome to the World, Blessed Brother." Isalya said.

Okay, that's definitely English. It's hard to tell cause of the way they say it. Why on not-earth are they speaking warped English?!

I saw her aura, also simple and soft, with few colors, different from her sister. Isalya had a mostly blue and green shroud; while Saellie's was mostly red and yellow. Much like when Saellie spoke those words Isalya's aura shifted slightly. This time I felt a warmth rise from within me. Her smile was so kind and made me feel so safe despite the overwhelming information and environment I was in. Unbidden I began to cry again, Isalya's cool demeanor instantly shattered.

"A-a-a-ah di-did I do it wrong! I was trying so hard to be cool and r-r-r-r I, I even studied, I think I did it right, I'm s-" the titan's hand clapped onto her head and petted her as he smiled down at Isalya.

"You did fantastically Isa, in fact I'm pretty sure you invoked a bond. That can be overwhelming for a young mind. Why don't we let Isa hold the boy for a moment Willy dear?"

The woman holding me looked up, and smiled, pulling Isalya next to her. She walked her through how to hold me, and keep my head up.

"Just like that, very good, keep his head up. Have you thought of a name yet Numnum?" 'Willy' said to 'Numnum' after she handed me gently to Isa.

"No fair! I wanna hold him too!" Saellie shouted, reaching out to try and grab me.

"W-w-wait your turn Sae! I did it right so I get t-to hold him!" Isalya shouted back, though her voice was softer. Numnum put his lower hands out grabbing Saellie and lifting her up into his arms as he answered Willy.