So I decided to start on this little project to get myself back into writing. I'll try to update it a lot more regularly than my other works, to start with, although it will have much shorter chapters than what I usually write.

Awakening

1.1

"My my, you're certainly an interesting one. So close to death, not just in body, but in spirit too. Well... not that that's too unique. There are a few hundred of you every year or so."

It was a gentle voice that woke me, my eyes opening wide. Or at least... I think they did. I couldn't see anything around me at all. I couldn't feel anything at all; my legs, my arms, my everything. Any logical person would've begun to panic, but... I didn't, for some reason.

"Well, you're certainly right, not to worry. I wouldn't have brought you here if I was just going to let you die."

There was that voice again, gentle and... motherly. There wasn't really any other way to place it. I could barely keep my emotions at bay, as memories of all the times mom would read stories to me as she tucked me into bed came rushing in. If I could, I was sure I'd begin crying by now.

"Ah, I do apologize. Making you sad wasn't my intention," said the voice, practically dripping with sincerity. I couldn't really do anything but accept it for what it was. It's been a long time since anyone's actually apologized to me and meant it. It fealt... nice.

Even though I couldn't feel my mouth, I still couldn't help but try and speak. "Who are you?" My own voice sounded out all the same, clearer and louder than I would've expected. There weren't even any echoes, despite the lack of light making it seem like I was in an enclosed space.

The voice seemed to hum in contemplation, a lilting cadance that made me feel like I was listening to a gentle orchestra.

"Who I am is... a difficult question to answer." For some reason, I could almost imagine the speaker taking a thinking pose. "I have had many names in the past, you see: Gaia, Terra, Prithvi, Pachamama. Really, get enough names, and you start to lose track."

I felt the urge to give the voice a questioning look. I didn't know what a Prithvi or Pachamama were, but Gaia and Terra were more well known names. They belonged to goddesses of the earth; one was Greek, and the other, Roman, although I couldn't remember which was which.

It was ridiculous. Magic and mysticism have long since been proven as nothing but smoke and mirrors. Gods and demons, if they did exist, have pretty much left everything in the world to its own devices. It was more likely that whoever this voice belonged to was just a Cape with delusions of granduer, or a sick sense of humor.

I still believed her. I don't know if I was being Mastered, to do so, but thinking about it, it wouldn't really matter if that was the case, would it?

"So you're a goddess then? Mother Nature, and all that?"

"It would be more accurate to call me a Great Spirit, really." I swear, I could hear the capitalization in her correction. "Details aside, I guess Mother Nature is as good a name as any to call me."

Having a name for the face, well... voice, made things a bit easier for me. Not that I was uncomfortable to begin with, but it made me feel even more assured. A part of me still worried about being Mastered though.

"I suppose your culture would make you partial to such possibility," Mother Nature noted, "in a way, it's not entirely incorrect. All instincts come from me. Beasts of all kinds fear my wrath, but feel safe in my embrace.

"You humans may have weakened your connection to me, but you are still my children. This close to me, even a human would feel the effect of their instincts at their fullest, and right now, yours are telling you that you can trust me."

That made sense, I guess. I did hear that animals would usually become agitated and flee in advance whenver a natural disaster was approaching. If it was Mother Nature just teling them... wait...

"Did... did you just?... Did you read my mind?" I felt a shot of panic running through me. An expert on the Cape world I was not, but even I've heard that the only suspected mind reader in the world was-

"I'm not the Simurgh," Mother Nature tittered, clearly finding my situation funny, for whatever reason. I certainly didn't think it was a laughing matter. "I know it probably won't assuage your fears completely, but do think about this a bit more calmly. You said it yourself: If you were 'Mastered', as you call it, and by that false Seraph, no less, then it wouldn't matter, would it?"

I felt like scowling at her now. "That doesn't exaclty fill me with confidence," I shot back bitingly.

If Mother Nature was bothered by it, it didn't show. Er... sound. Not from her amused giggling.

"Silly child," the voice admonished, "would anything I say make you confident that you weren't being Mastered?"

Alright, she got me on that one. Couldn't make any arguments there.

"I thought not." The smugness in her tone really should've set me off, but now that I'd given up on fighting the possibility that the Simurgh was in my head, I felt calm and comfortable again. "It truly is a wonder though, you humans. Even this close to me, you were still able to break away from your natural instincts and feel fear when I did not wish you to."

I wasn't sure whether to take that as a compliment or not, but Mother Nature didn't sound like she was mocking. Say what you will about my social skills, but given my recent history, I'd like to think that I was an expert in telling whether or not someone was making fun of me.

"It was more an interesting footnote for me to voice out, my child."

Ah, right. The Earth Goddess or possible Endbringer could read my every thought. Embarrasing how I forgot that in such a short time.

"Serenety can often make others forget about worldly troubles, child. It is natural."

Well that was certainly nice to know. Maybe I'd forgotten that because of the two years and change of shit I've been having. That was a depressing line of thought I didn't really want to go through right now.

"Why am I here?" I asked instead, looking around at the sheer... nothingness, again, "For that matter, where is 'here'?"

"Hmm, now that is a much easier question." The voice paused in a way that I couldn't help but imagine as her preparing for some grand announcement. I wasn't dissapointed. "This, my child, is the place between Life, and Death. The Waiting Room of the Departed. The In Between the In Between. This... is Limbo."

…

"I swear, if you imagine crickets chirping for a second more, I'm never going to make you stop hearing them when you get back to the land of the living."

Stopping my imagination wasn't exactly something easy for me to do!

Mother Nature sighed at that. I don't know how it was possible, but she did. Then again, she was talking to me already, something that I still wasn't sure was actually happening, so what did I know?

"So... what you're saying is that I'm... dead?"

I really should've been more worried about that right now, but I wasn't. How was being dead less worrying than being a Ziz Bomb?

"I would assume it is because the former is, to your knowledge, outside of any being's control, whereas the latter implies that you are directly under another's control,"the spirit posited.

It made sense to me, thinking about it. I'd rather be dead than be a puppet to a harbinger of the apocalypse. Or maybe that was the Master influence talking.

"On that note, and to answer your prior question: No, you are not dead." Well, that was certainly a relief to hear. "If you would recall, in fact, I said much earlier that you are only close to death, both your body, and your spirit. Although the former seems to be recovering from that state."

I thought back to when I first woke up, for a lack of better term; when Mother Nature first spoke to me. It was vague, but I do recall hearing something like that.

"Yes, child, I did say that." She paused, and I could easily imagine her taking a breath, needless as it probably was. "Let us move on to the 'Why' of the matter, shall we?"

That sounded good.

"Tell me: What do you remember before waking up here?"

Again, I felt like looking at her questioningly for her... question. Awkward sentence aside, I thought back to earlier in the day. It was the end of the winter break, I'd just left for school and... nothing. That was it. I remember getting off the school bus, equal parts nervous at the prospect of returning and hopeful that the year would go without the trio tormenting me anymore, then I was here.

It may have been confusing for me, but judging from her releaved sigh, Mother Nature probably thought it was a good thing.

"Great, the memory alteration went perfectly then. A little further back than I intended, but better that than later."

I couldn't help blanching at the thought. Memory alteration? Seriously?

"Now now, child. Don't think bad of it," said the spirit placatingly. "Believe me, you are better off not remembering such a horrid experience as you had. Remember, I said that you're body was close to death too. The part of your memory I erased was what put it into that state."

"That's no excuse to mess with my head!" I protested vehemently, wishing so badly that I could glare at the not-goddess. "Those are my memories you're taking from me!"

Mother Nature scoffed at that, which only served to make me angrier. "Are you telling me you want to remember being shoved into a locker filled with rotting blood and innumerable insects for hours on end?" she challenged. Her words were like a bucket of freezing water to my bonfire of rage.

That... really didn't sound good. Not at all.

"I may not be able to empathize with mortals completely, but I know pain and suffering when I see it." I felt something embrace me in that moment, invisible arms wrapping around my incorporeal body. The feeling of acceptance and safety from earlier seemed all the stronger now. "You humans," she sighed wistfully, "like all others born from me, you are my children. I will punish you when it is needed. I will expose you to my wrath, if it is time. I will take your life, if it is time. But I do not enjoy your suffering. It may be hard for you to understand such a concept with your mortal brain, but it is how it is. If I can save you from suffering and an untimely death, I will do all in my power to accomplish it, limited though they may be."

I... didn't know what to say to that.

I think I wanted to cry, but with my body how it is -that is to say, lacking completely- it wasn't an option. I wanted to hug her back, but even though I felt Mother Nature's arms around me, I still couldn't actually feel my body.

I settled, instead, by imagining the scene as best as a I could. The way I wish it could be instead. Of mom in Mother Nature's place, hugging me gently, as I cried into her shoulder. I imagined releasing all my pent up frustration and sorrow since that night when she stopped coming home. In my head, I cried and cried and cried until I couldn't anymore.

I don't know how long I did that, but by the time I was done, I noticed that something had changed. It was still dark all around, but there was a source of light now. And it was coming from my body. Which I was seeing from a third person's perspective.

This might have held my attention far more if it wasn't for the other illuminated form I could see: A second body, so familiar, and yet so foreign, hugging my own. Neither glowed, like you'd normally expect; not in the way that works of fiction might have you believe. They were just... there. A collection of colored forms over the pitch black background.

The second body moved mine with care, resting on on some invisible bed as though it was asleep, before turning to me.

It was mom. But at the same time, it wasn't. The figure was the same, the hair, from its length to its sheen was the same. The clothes she wore was the last one I'd seen mom wearing before she was garbed in the black funeral dress.

But it was no perfect copy. Or rather, it was too perfect a copy. There wasn't a single blemish on her skin; far lighter than I could ever remember seeing mom's, and infinitely more vibrant. Even the tiny scar below her lip -a reminder of her days under a villain's employ- was missing. Her hair was so much blacker than mom's ever was, and would've vanished in front of the background if it wasn't reflecting some invisble light. The dress she wore wasn't spared either, far more immaculate than I could ever recall it being.

A copy, more perfect than the original.

"I couldn't make myself look exactly like your mother, now could I?" Mother Nature asked from mom's now fuller lips. "Well... actually, I could. But it wouldn't be right. You may be my child, but I am not your mother."

Contradictory statement aside, I accepted it for what it was. It was bit creepy, looking at her like that, but I didn't feel insulted for it. I wasn't exactly happy that the spirit seemed to have taken mom's shape, but that she seemed intent on not replacing her even through that was calming, in a way.

"It's the reason why I do what I do, child." The figure sat down on an invisible chair, smiling slightly at me. "And I'm happy to see that you've healed your soul enough to get this far with only so light a push. It means we can move on with more important matters now."

I felt myself blink at that. I actually felt it, which from Mother Nature's growing smile, was probably what she meant. I wanted to ask about that but...

"More important matters?" I parroted instead, my curiosity piqued.

Her gentle smile grew a more sombre hint, even as it stayed the same.

"I have all but told you why you are here," she began, "but I have yet to tell you WHY you are here."

Contradictory as it was, I didn't question what she'd said.

"I will be frank with you, child. There is something in your world that poses a grave threat to me," she said, now completely serious. "It is a parasite, if you will, and though it currently has no intention of causing my multiple anchors -that is, the various Earths in different universes- further harm, I'm afraid that it won't remain as such forever. Something will cause it to go on a rampage and possibly kill me. And with me, all of my children. I don't think I need to tell you why that's a bad thing, do I."

End of the World scenario. Okay, that was a bit heavier than I was expecting. I had sneaking suspicion about what she wanted now though, and I didn't know how to feel about it.

She laughed mirthlessly.

"You would be right in your assumptions, child. I brought you here, conversed with you on this plane, so that I may recruit you to stop it. Not necessarily kill it; that may be too tall an order to make without making my condition 'terminal' as you people call it. Merely keep it from turning violent."

That sounded less daunting, admittedly. I didn't need to fight the super powerful, multi-Earth ending threat. I just needed to make sure it doesn't decide to act like a super powerful, multi-Earth ending threat. Still though, "Why me? I'm just an ordinary girl."

Mother Nature raised a perfectly trimmed brow my way. She hummed in thought, seeming to consider her words. "Honestly," she finally decided, "It's just because using you would be more convenient than using anyone else."

If there was anything she could have said to reassure me, that was the furthest thing it could've been. Especially since she'd been quite clear that she would just be usingme, and I didn't know how to feel about that.

The spirit, apparantly, just saw fit to laugh off my reaction. "Now now, child, don't think so bad of it. It might seem tyranical of me, but it isn't though I can use you in the same way that mortals could." I wasn't sure how that was supposed to reassure me either. "It's simple, really. I intend to use you as an instrument of my will, true, but my restrictions limit me to providing only minimal influence. I can give you the targets you need to take care of and the tools you need to succeed, but I cannot influence how you accomplish those feats. And I think you'll agree with me that the end result of our little partnership is something both of uswant."

That was true. I'm not sure I was willing to trust her on her word alone, but if she couldn't actually make me do anything short of telling me how what I needed to do to keep the world from ending, then it didn't sound that bad.

"And I'm really the most convenient choice?"

The spirit didn't answer immediately, thinking over her words once more. "In a way." She shrugged as she spoke. It somehow conveyed a strong sense of exasperation. "In truth, I suppose it's more like the opposite. Not in the sense that you are the least convenient, though. Rather, that not choosing you would mean that you would be on the path of bringing the end so much closer as well. And of those who live that would bring the end closer still, you are the only candidate which made it to this point."

If it could, my jaw would've dropped. I could've brought the end of the world? That... that wasn't something I was ready for.

"Don't feel too bad about it, child," assured the spirit. "It wouldn't have been your fault. If what have learned is true -and I've no reason to believe otherwise, you would've been trying to find a way to avert the end. It is just unfortunate that your actions would inadvertently lead to it instead. You're hardly the only one. There's an entire group of you humans who've been doing that since before you were born."

I really wanted to ask about that, but the spirit shook her head before I could so much as think a proper question.

"Nevermind that now, child. There will be time for stories and explanations later. For now, I think it is time that we ended this little discussion, especially since your body is getting so close to recovering."

I took that to mean that I was waking up. That was good, I guess. I still don't know what happened to me -well, I did, but I don't remember it- or how bad it was, but if my body was damaged badly enough that I was on the edge of death, I could only imagine that I'd been out for a while.

"How is this going to go then?" I asked mom's impostor, "You said you'd give me the tools I needed. What exactly did you mean by that?"

She smiled back at me. "Such an adaptable child." The compliment wasn't what I was expecting, but neither of us dwelled on it. "I will cut to the meat of the matter, then. I am going to give you powers." That took me by surprise, my phantom eyes going wide. "They will not be of the same nature as the powers you know of. Though in what way, I'll leave for a later meeting."

"Now, as a Greater Spirit, I can grant a many powers but... well... your opponents are not one to be taken down by mere brute strength. You will need something that will let you take them by surprise, otherwise, you will be routed all too quickly. As such, I have chosen to give you something far more... foreign to what your future enemies are used to."

"I'm, uh... not really sure I follow." It was true, too. What did she mean by foreign to them? And why would it matter?

"I would expect not," she laughed to herself. "Still, you are close to waking up. Our time here is too short to go into detail. Just know that I am certain you will come to appreciate this power in time," she paused to raise a hand, an orb of greenish yellow light floating above it, "in very, very short order. After all, even if I am using you, it doesn't mean that I cannot reward you for your willingness to help me."

"Do I even have a choice?" I couldn't keep myself from asking.

It didn't seem to offend Mother Nature.

"You have a choice whether or not you will follow through. Although, given your character, I doubt you will leave things be."

She was so sure of what she was saying that it was honestly a little annoying. Even if I couldn't really say she was wrong. I couldn't help thinking back to all the times the trio and their cronies bullied me, while other people just looked on like it didn't even matter. If I had powers and could do something help others, then I definitely wouldn't just ignore it. I wouldn't become like those people.

"And there is the resolve that makes you an even better candidate for this task." My attention turned back to the not-goddess. She was smiling at me again, amused and... proud? Either way, it made me feel warm inside. "It is clear to me that you've made your choice. As such, I think it best we hurry this along, yes."

I tried to nod. There was no body there, of course. Mine was still floating in front of Mother Nature, but I think she got the message.

"Then let us bring this meeting to a close."

She raised the hand with the greenish yellow light higher, coming towards me until it hovered over my body. Her other hand followed suit, another light, this one similar to red wine in color hovering above it.

"I doubt that one would be enough to accomplish what you need. You would be in too much danger, with just the first," she explained offhandedly, "It would hardly do for you to die because you couldn't protect yourself properly."

The first hand came down, palms towards my body and gliding over it, as though spreading the light across it. "A splash of this," the second hand fell, pushing its light into where my heart was, even as the first one came back up with a new, scarlet light, "a hint of that," the other hand return, this time, touching the extremities of my limbs, each, "a flair of Ecarlate, and of course, the final touch." She paused, both hands raised to cup in front of her face. A faint, white light appeared above it now, like off colored fireflies. She blew it towards my head. "This: A connection to me, deeper than any other human. It is not much, but know that it will rarely guide you wrong."

I watched the display with rapt attention, not really knowing what was going on, but mesmerized by it all the same.

Once it ended, Mother Nature looked back up, smiling at me with that motherly face.

"Now now, don't look so surprised. I am, after all, the greatest artist any world has ever seen." A bright light seemed to just turn on all around me as she said that, ever so slowly encroaching on the darkness. "Make no mistake, we will speak again, once you've come to terms with the powers I have given you. It shouldn't take you long to figure out the parts of it, at least."

The light had almost fully covered everywhere around me, and I felt myself beginning to fade away, like I was waking up from a lucid dream.

Mother Nature spoke one last time, before I fully left, and though it was muffled, I could still hear her muttering clearly enough. Not that it made sense to me either way.

"Now let's just hope that that damn Overlord and stupid Seraph have finally managed to hash things out with the whole world connection issue. If Death's still angry about his little overflow problem, I'll never be able to get this off the ground."