In the outer stretches of the solar system, where the sun's light dwindles to a distant glow, the cosmos is a vast, silent expanse. Here, the celestial bodies drift in an eternal ballet, governed by the unseen forces of gravity. Gigantic chunks of ice and rock—remnants of the solar system's formation—float aimlessly in the Kuiper Belt, occasionally colliding in silent, cosmic collisions. The darkness is profound, pierced only by the faint glimmers of distant stars and the occasional glint of sunlight reflecting off an icy surface.
The stillness is almost absolute, a void where sound cannot travel, and time itself seems to slow. In this distant realm, the temperature plunges to near absolute zero, rendering the environment inhospitable to all known forms of life. Yet, there is a serene beauty to this desolation. Nebulous clouds of interstellar dust weave through the emptiness, their faint, ethereal glow painting the void in subtle hues of blue and purple.
Occasionally, the shadow of a dwarf planet like Pluto or Eris drifts into view, casting long, ghostly shadows as it moves through the darkness. The vast distances between objects mean that each celestial body exists in isolated silence, untouched by the turmoil and activity closer to the sun. This is a place of extremes, where the sun's influence is but a whisper and the mysteries of the universe seem just within reach.
Among the endless void, a sense of timelessness pervades. The cosmic dust, the distant stars, and the silent rocks have witnessed the birth and death of stars, the formation of planets, and the slow march of galaxies across the cosmos. This is the edge of our solar system, a boundary where the familiar fades into the unknown.
Suddenly, this serene desolation is disrupted. In the blackness, a point of light appears—anomalous and bright, growing steadily in intensity. It shines with an unnatural brilliance, cutting through the cold void like a beacon. This light is not the distant twinkle of a star, nor the reflective glint of an icy surface. It is something new, something strange, heralding an event that defies the timeless stillness of this remote corner of the cosmos.
"Ugh... What in the world..."
As I opened my eyes after a well-deserved nap at my workplace, I found myself floating in space, dressed in some sort of white maternity gown. Wait a second.
"Did I gain weight or something? Let me check... OH MY GOD, ARE THOSE BOOBS!?"
After pondering my life choices for a solid 30 minutes and suddenly remembering that I forgot to turn off the stove at my apartment, I came to terms with my new reality.
"Okay, first, I bid farewell to my poor brother in life and greeted the embarrassing hole below my waist. Second, how am I still alive without access to oxygen and other vital things that sustain life on Earth?"
In short, I was stuck in space, surrounded by asteroids, and clad in a snug yet somewhat loose white maternity dress. Hold on a second, this seems familiar.
"Okay, silver hair, and since I don't have an actual mirror in space... Ah, I see it now, MIO TAKAMIYA!? This explains some supernatural aspects, like why I don't need to breathe and why I'm not exploding into a spray of blood due to lack of pressure."
Rubbing my perfectly sculpted chin thoughtfully, I contemplated my options.
"I have no clue where I am, inhabiting the body of a woman who could technically be called a goddess as the spirit of origin. Can I even return home?"
This realization led me to understand what I truly am—since I am the spirit of origin and the most powerful one, indeed.
"Let's test this out, MICHAEL (Seal-Removing Lord)!"
In an instant, my hands were enveloped in a radiant white-golden light, coalescing into a staff shaped like a key. Grasping the angel MICHAEL in my hands, I smiled softly.
Aiming the key-shaped staff in front of me, I thrust it forward and watched as the tip of the staff was drawn into the abstract concept of space itself. Twisting it, I observed as a wormhole, roughly the size of an average human, opened before me. After gently withdrawing the key from the concept of space, I stepped forward towards the wormhole in front of me.
However, in the midst of floating between reality and the void of nothingness, I remembered something.
"I didn't put any coordinates for the wormhole."
I hoped my luck would carry me through this and that I wouldn't jinx myself and land somewhere incredibly dangerous.
After quite a long time floating inside the wormhole, I was spat out in what appeared to be a desert, landing on my ass in the sandy ground of this lifeless wasteland. I looked around and noticed a few key things.
"Am I in Texas or something? That definitely looks like a gas station."
In the midst of my confusion, I got the feeling I was forgetting something, but I just shook that feeling away and began walking towards the gas station. Meanwhile, my white maternity dress faded into white particulates that floated in the air, only to be replaced by a white sundress.
"Figures this would be the default human getup she would wear; practically screams lost love memories of some guy with blue hair."
Shaking my head at that funny thought, I neared the gas station and stopped as I surveyed its appearance.
"Practically run down with lots of trash here and there."
After that, I sighed once more as surveying what appeared to be an abandoned gas station still had not clued me in as to where I was exactly.
That was when I decided to just randomly pick a direction and hope that I reach a city. I wouldn't want to camp out here in the desert and be slapped in the skin by hails of sandstorms.
As I walked through the desert, the sun relentlessly beat down on me. My sandals sank into the soft, burning sand with every step. The landscape was a monotonous sea of dunes, stretching endlessly in all directions. Instead of the occasional cactus or scraggly bush, there were various roadside adverts and holograms flickering in and out of existence, their bright colors and slogans a stark contrast to the barren surroundings. Despite the intense heat, I felt no discomfort—a reminder of my spirit state.
"The sun is a deadly lazer." I muttered to myself, looking around the vast, empty expanse.
The sky was a blinding, cloudless blue, and the sun hung high, seemingly immobile. Time seemed to stretch on forever. The only sounds were the crunch of sand beneath my feet and the occasional hum of a malfunctioning hologram as it projected an ad for some long-forgotten product.
I tried to distract myself from the monotony by focusing on the tiny details around me. The patterns the wind made in the sand, the occasional piece of litter fluttering past, and the way the shadows shifted as the sun slowly made its arc across the sky.
After what felt like an eternity, I came across a small, dried-up creek bed. The cracked, parched earth was a reminder of the harshness of the desert. I followed it, hoping it might lead me to some semblance of civilization. As I walked, the landscape began to change subtly. The dunes became less pronounced, and I started to see more rocks and patches of hardy desert vegetation.
The sun was starting to dip towards the horizon, casting long shadows and bathing the desert in a warm, golden light. Despite the beauty of the setting sun, I knew I needed to find shelter before nightfall. The desert was unforgiving, and the temperature swings from day to night were extreme.
Just as I was beginning to lose hope, I saw something in the distance. A dark shape breaking the monotony of the desert. My heart leapt with a mix of excitement and apprehension. Was it a building? A vehicle?
Summoning the last of my energy, I quickened my pace, my feet dragging through the sand. The shape grew larger and more distinct as I approached.
"Please let this be something," I whispered to myself, willing my tired legs to keep moving.
The landmark loomed closer, its details becoming clearer with each step. My mind raced with possibilities, each one more desperate than the last. Whatever it was, it was my best chance at finding help or at least some clue about where I was.
With the sun now almost touching the horizon, casting the desert in a dramatic mix of orange and purple hues, I pushed forward, determined to reach the landmark before darkness enveloped the desert.
Nearing the supposed landmark that I just saw, I watched in awe as the shape grew more and more distinct, shaping into what appeared to be a city—a city full of neon lights seeming to stretch up into the heavens, its light like a torch dispelling the darkness of the desert around me, bathing it in a colorful dance of lights.
"Huh, pretty cool city, and from the looks of those gigantic holograms that I see, definitely futuristic."
My gaze was drawn to a checkpoint situated at the very edge of the city, its lights flickering in the growing darkness. It stood as a barrier between the desolate expanse of the desert and the bustling life of the city.
Determined, I made my way toward the checkpoint, each step bringing me closer to potential answers. The checkpoint is surrounded by surveillance drones, making it clear that entry would not be straightforward.
I could see figures moving around the checkpoint, their silhouettes outlined by the bright lights. As I drew nearer, I felt a mixture of hope and apprehension.
Almost there...