I find myself alone. Stranded in a void of blackness. Nothing to see in any direction. No one else around me. no blemishes on the landscape. The only thing that distorted the landscape was a table. And on top of the table is a red phone. i walk over to it and examine it. Not knowing what to do and curiosity taking over making every nerve in my body ace from not knowing what will happen if I pick it up. Trying to win an already lost battle I decide to pick it up. Call it fate that all of this happened to me. when i detach it from the base something next to it catches my eyes. Something that I didn't notice before. It looked like some form of directory. I pick it up and flip through it. It is full of names. Natural instinct sets in and I instantly start searching for my name… I found it. It was circle in what seems to be a red highlighter. Why would me name be in this book? Why is there a phone here? Where am i? I tried to remember but fell short. So I start with the basics. My name is jerry Gocken. I am 18. well now 19 my birthday was, wait my birthday is today. I live in new york. That's all I can remember. how did I get here, where ever here is? i look over at the number that is directly across from my name. I have never seen that number in my life. Or at least I don't think I ever did. There was a hint of a acknowledgement, like I should know who that number belongs to. But I don't know. I cant think of any one or thing. So instinct kicking in again I dial it into the phone in front of me. rings than. Some one picks up on the other end. "Jerry Gocken?"

"yes" I asked with more conviction than curiosity. They hung up "wait don't go. Where am i? who are you? What is…"

"calm down I can answer all of your questions" I spin around. Now behind me there is two chairs one was occupied by a man, Dirty blonde hair, Roughly cut and slightly shaggy. "all questions will be answered But first I need you to remember." Right when he said that word my mind was flooded with memories. "lets start in the beginning. We have been watching you for quite a while." The whole scene changed I find myself and the mysterious person on the streets of time square. Traffic as usual.

"do you see youself"

"myself? Are you crazy? How could I see myself I am stan…" there I was, on the other side of the street. Running in a full sprint towards where I was now standing. "watch" he reached into his pocket and grabbed a silver ball. But upon more observation I realized that it was more than just a ball. It was moving. Like liquid mercury in a transparent mold. From first look it looked extremely fragile. And next to in was just a plain normal ball.

"this silver one is not effected by what you are and do."

"wait, what what do you mean what I am?"

"sh just watch" my eyes switching from me and the balls. The man rotated his hand and allowed the balls to fall. Than I saw it. The normal ball was some what jolting in mid air as the mercury one fell smoothly and normally. I switch back to me. I was still running in the same direction, smooth and normal, like the mercury ball. And every car person and fly around him are jolting like the normal ball. "I remember this day. I was late for my job interview, but I don't remember any of this" I gestured to the ball, people, cars, and the flies buzzing around in front of us around an aging chili dog. "just keep watching" he instructed. "it gets better. And don't worry he cant see us". He seemed to pull that answer from the unanswered question on my lips. I look back at myself. I was closing the distance quickly. The balls only half way to the ground. I was only 50 meters away. And I had a that strange feeling of déjà vu'. I passed myself now. Swatting a fly that buzzed in my face. I slight surge of adrenaline passed through me. I looked towards the balls. Like always the silver one was still falling, but the normal was stopped. Completely suspended in air. Than I listened. The uninterrupted cloud of people yelling and cars honking has been penetrated by an unseen force. And all was silent. I look back to the balls. The silver one was reaching the ground. I reach down to stop it from its downfall to prevent it from breaking, to no avail. It passed right through my hand. I look up at the man with a confused expression on my face.

"you're a curious little cat aren't you?" I stand up with a rueful look on my face "don't worry all will beanswered." I look back at the ball to see what will happen when it hit the ground. I look back to myself, I was long from sight. I look back to the balls. The mercury one hit. I wince expecting to hear the crash or shattering of glass, nothing. I look down. It stopped right before the ground. It starts turning red than it disappeared. As it did so the normal ball was sent back into action. I look up for an explanation, only to get answered with a hand to me to postpone it. I listen again and all of the noise of the normal new york streets where back. I look around one last time than back to the man

"time to go" he grabbed my shoulder and muttered something under his breathe. I look around again and we where back in that void of emptiness. The table and phone are now gone, leaving behind the two red arm chairs.

"Take a seat" I did as I was instructed, that was when my endless flow of questions started. "first off who are you?"

"my name is long and hard, and no none can pronounce it correctly, so to save time watching you bomb my long ago name, we will skip that question", he hesitated. "but people do sometimes call me marcus"

"ok marcus, where are we"

" there are many names for this place, I have heard : the void, the untouchable, the vip room, but I don't have a name for it. So I will tell you what this is and you can tell me what you want to call it. This is a place that is not effected by time. For now it will be your training stadium, but after that you will come here and practice and fight and learn and stuff like that"

"fight what? In case you haven't noticed we are the only ones here."

"that is just what your brain is currently allowing you to see. You have to open up you imagination, to the possibilities. This place is at bounds of your own mind. I will go into more depth later. Any other questions?" "wait. So a room that is out of bound of time. That I come here to learn and practice."

"ya that is pretty much it"

"than that is just it. Ill call it 'out of bound" i laugh at myself for what i said

"what ever floats your boat"

"next question. What happened when we where watching … well … me?"

"not enough time for me to say the whole story at the moment this is not a safe plane to talk openly. But I will say this." He stepped closer.

"we just witnessed you unconsciously control time"

"what?"

"in the beginning there where four. We call them time benders. Im sorry but like I said these are unsafe planes. I will tell u about this more when we are in a safer place."

"why are you rushing"

"you cant see them yet. You are not nearly skilled enough yet, but in this plane there are beasts. They resemble s…"

"whoa what was that." I said pointing behind him. Marcus spinning on his heels

"what did you see?" he said as I watched his face go pale. " I don't know. From this distance it look like a serpent of some kind. Wha…" I got no further marcus grabbed my arm and started to run. He muttered to himself. This time I did catch what he said,

"you are progressing faster than I thought" I lost my footing and we both stumbled to the ground. "GET UP HURRY WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME LEFT. TOO LATE. Don't move a muscle jerry. I obeyed. I looked around and got a better look at the creature. It was a serpant, but 10 times bigger. And with three heads. "don't move. They track be vibrations and and smell." After he said that he looked up and chanted a dead language that I never heard before. But yet I understood every word. A few seconds pass my eyes never leaving marcus chanting the language. My heart jumped. I looked down and saw one of the serpents slithering over my foot. I tense up my muscles. I look back at marcus to my surprise he now has a sword in his hand. Made of the same material as the ball. He slashed down at the creature by me feet. in a split second all three heads where decapitated. I kicked it away. And look up. In the moment from marcus chanting to now four more of those serpents immerged from what seemed like no where.

"jerry take this help will arrive momentarily" he handed me another sword that I didn't realize he had. "to momentarily kill them you have to cut off all three heads before they grow back. They should be down long enough to get away" more appeared, but now they where moving more surely towards me. I cut and sliced away

"WHY ARE THEY COMING TO ME"

"BECAUSE THEY CAN SEE YOU" "BUT YOU SAID THAT THEY TRACK BY SENT AND VIBRATION"

"I did but when they touch you than you are now in there vision, they marked you."

"WHAT!" I looked around, I was being surrounded. I didn't know what to do. I thought of ways to get out of this. Than I looked at my sword. It had a faint blue. And it was gradually growing more intense. I looked over at marcus. He was staring at me in awe. I look back to my sword. It was now a brighter than I thought it could get. I let out a deep exhale. An enormous surge of energy left me and engulfed the surrounding area in that blue light that was illuminating from my sword. I felt my knees buckle and I fell to the ground. I lay there unconscious.

i wake up and the black void that has engulfed the surroundings has changed to what seems to be a metal cell block. i try to stand but my protesting muscles prevent me from any such movement. i try again. i manage to prop myself up on my elbows. i look around the room a little more. it was empty, the only thing in there was the bed that i was currently sitting in. thee door creaks open. i look up and see marcus in the doorway.

"oh good your awake. they have been waiting for you." "who has been waiting for me i just got here?"

"jerry what do you remember?" "i remember that we where being surrounded. i saw that you where in peril. i looked at the sword and it was starting to glow. and thats it."
"jerry that was a little over two weeks ago."

"what? how could that be two weeks ago?" "im not surprised you have been out for this long. doing what you did u need some time to gain your strength back. i have not seen anyone do that with that much power and survive, but even then that was stronger."

"what did i do?"

"we call it illuminating. because that is what it starts with." "but what is it?"

"nobody knows, we dont know where it comes from or what it is. it comes from inside. like your will or something. we can discuss this later get dressed they are waiting."

"who?"

"the original four" "this is a secure place so i can answer all of your questions after. and dont worry i will be next to you the whole time." i got up from my resting place the rest of the way. marcus left the room. where he went i dont know, but he came back with a package wrapped in silver and red paper. "the normal attire if you are going to go talk to the four." i examine it. it looked pretty normal except for the color. black but something about it was strange. it looked like smoke. it seemed to shift and swirl of the flat fabric. i held it up to look at it some more. the way it refracted the light was amazing it seemed to enhance the effects. i pull it on. the shirt was just a plain white puffy dress shirt.

"ok lets go"
"wait" marcus grabbed the wrapping. he held it out in front of me. through more observation i realized that it was a cloak. i pull it on. it shimmered in the light. i pull the deep cowl over my face and look at marcus "ok now we can go" he nodded and led the way down a long corridor.