✨─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───✨
~Date: Unknown ~
~ Location: Unknown - interdimensional space pocket... for now ~
✨─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───✨
🐦🔥 [ Phoenix ☯ POV ] 🐦🔥
Once Phoenix had calmed down and regained control of his spiraling emotions and racing heart, he forced himself to think about it clinically. The treatments for "the insane" in that world were barbaric, cruel, and unethical by modern-day standards. Those so-called "treatments for the patients' well-being" were little more than excuses to violate, abuse, and neglect the people trapped there.
'For fuck's sake, it was far too easy to admit—or rather, commit—someone to an asylum in those worlds. Basically, all it took was two people, just two, to say a person was insane, and boom—off they went, never to return. Hell, if someone was sane going in, they most definitely would not stay that way for long.'
He still considered himself to be from the modern world, at least when compared with the worlds and eras he had lived in that had no technology at all. Technically speaking, those kinds of worlds were where he seemed most suited, but he also loved the futuristic ones. He could have done without the creatively horrifying torture techniques shared by other alien races, though. Well... if that made sense at all.
"Ughhhh..." I let out a long sigh and dragged a hand through my hair. 'It is still just as messed up and heavy even after all these years. Hell, it has not just been a century or two—fuck, not even a few centuries—but a couple of galaxy-damned millennia!'
After all these years of being abused by everyone and everything—and never once having a real family or even a single friend who cared for me without using me for their own gain or amusement—I had become a bit apathetic, morally dubious, and jaded. I was not ashamed of that, though. In fact, I was proud I was not worse, considering everything. I might not be exactly moral anymore, but I still cared about right and wrong. I had just become numb to it all. Nothing was ever truly black or white anyway; sooner or later, everything blurred into shades of gray.'
He had to. It was the only way he could survive. The Jailer System could read and analyze his every thought, and it had seemed to take a disturbing sort of pleasure in forcing him to do deeply immoral things against his wishes.
Although he was twisted, detached, and numb to everything and everyone except Solaris, Phoenix still harbored a deep wish to find someone—or something—genuinely good so he could repay that kindness. How pathetic was it that all he wanted was something he could give back to? Everything and everyone had always taken from him, but what Phoenix wanted was to find someone—or something—he could freely give to in return.
Phoenix shuddered violently as he closed his eyes and fought the bile rising in his throat, threatening to spill over at any moment. His heart kicked into a frantic rhythm, and dizziness swept over him as a roar filled his ears. He held his breath for fifteen seconds, trying to steady himself and force his pulse back under control. When the wave of anxiety finally loosened its grip, he drew in a shaky breath and forced himself to regain control. He was grateful it had not escalated into a full-blown panic attack. He shoved those memories back into the dark, and after several long moments, he managed to pull himself together again.
All the while, he reminded himself again and again that he was safe now and that he would be okay. Watching his master struggle like this made Solaris's heart ache. He felt helpless and wished he could somehow talk all of Phoenix's pain away.
No soul could go through everything he had and come out unscathed—or unchanged for the worse. It took Phoenix about thirty lives, or worlds, before he began to harden his heart. After the six-hundred-thirty-fifth world—where he was a vampire-lycan hybrid used as a test subject for three thousand years and still died young—he finally began to loosen his grip on moral standards. It was after that life that Solaris found him. He can still remember the feeling of being dissected alive simply because his psychotic white lotus green tea bitch sister felt bored and curious. Sadly, that particular psycho sister of his was not even the worst by a light-year.
Every family member Phoenix had over the last thirty-two thousand years who loved or cared about him in any way ended up dead shortly after he entered that world—or they were already gone before he was forced to take over the shell. As for the rest... let's just say actual demons from the deepest pits of Hell would have treated him better and cared for him more than any of those so-called family members ever did.
He sighed deeply, deciding now was not the time to dwell on a past he could not change. He needed to focus on the present and move forward from here. Once they gained enough power, he would see what Solaris could finally tell him. He could not wait to crack open the vault of information that had been kept strictly out of his reach. Phoenix had so many questions, but he knew Solaris was still unable to tell him much. So he did his best to hold on to his patience because, as badly as he needed answers, he did not want to push Solaris away. He knew that without him, he truly would lose his mind.
Phoenix rose from the platform he had been lying on and took in his surroundings. Slack-jawed, mouth slightly agape, and eyes as wide as mooncakes, he stood like a sentinel absorbing the view before him. How could he not be at a loss for words when it looked as though they were floating in space? As far as the eye could see, there was a vast expanse of galaxies, stars, and planets. It seemed to stretch on forever, and oddly enough, it made Phoenix feel comfortable.
He felt the faintest whisper of something like home. He wanted to chase that feeling deeper, but at that moment Solaris interrupted his thoughts.
- Solaris - 'So what do you think, Master? Did I do a good job? It may not look like much, but it is a blank canvas to work with, so to speak.'
- Phoenix - "... Umm, Solaris? Where are we, and why are we not dead from the vacuum of space yet?"
- Solaris - 'No, Master. You are not dead or dreaming, and this is the Nursery.'
- Phoenix - "Yeah, you did well, Solaris. Can you tell me what exactly this place is, and what we do next?"
- Solaris - 'Master, this is a special pocket of space that I was able to create just for you. It took most of our remaining power, but it had to be done. We needed a stable and safe space for you to recuperate and for us to use as our base. From here, you will be able to choose which world you would like to go to. As you gain more power, you will be able to change the Nursery as you see fit. There is so much you will be able to do once you have the power. When the time comes, I will be able to tell you more about it—and about everything you can do with the power you gain from the worlds you visit.'
- Phoenix - "Why name it the Nursery? It is so bare—how can this be considered a nursery?"
- Solaris - 'Yes, Master, but that is only because our soul power is so low. We can make it better—and make it exactly how Master would like—once we have more soul power. It is called the Nursery because it is here not only to nurse you back to your full potential, but also because it holds all the baby worlds that have yet to finish forming. These "baby worlds" are the small marble-like spheres. Master can choose one to learn more about it. If you pick one up, it will grow and hover in front of you like a hologram—except that it will still be a real, physical thing.'
- Phoenix - "Okay, how can we get more soul force? I know that in the past we were able to gain some just by me living longer than I was supposed to or by bending the script where I could, but now that we are out of the Jailer System's direct control... what now?"
- Solaris - 'Master, it is an honor to finally be able to tell you more. Now that I have broken you out of the Jailer System's direct control and brought you back to the edge of your rightful dimension, I can explain a little more about what is going on.'
- Phoenix - "Finally. I have so many questions, but since you already know most of them...
(He thought back to the countless times he had asked Solaris questions, only to be told it could not answer yet.)
- Phoenix - "Okay, Solaris, just start by telling me what you can. Then I will ask follow-up questions if you are able to answer them. That seems easy and fair, right?"
- Solaris - 'Master really is intelligent—and the very best to Solaris. Master, Solaris is honored to tell you everything I currently can divulge.'
- Phoenix - "Okay, enough with the sweet talk and just proceed... please."
- Solaris - "Right away, Master. We do not know yet why, but you were taken out of this dimension and imprisoned in another. Solaris was created with the sole task of finding and helping Master. My creator told me that I can only reveal the information I hold at the right times. I am sorry to say that I still cannot tell you much about my creator."
Phoenix sighed deeply. He understood, but he was still disappointed. He felt like a pawn, but if this whole ordeal had taught him anything, it was that he was a survivor. If this proved anything, it was that Solaris's creator was someone with enough power and intelligence to go against whoever—or whatever—had imprisoned him.
- Phoenix - "Okay, Solaris, I understand. Please continue, starting with where we are exactly."
- Solaris - 'Yes, Master. We are in a pocket of space that I created to be your space. Only you have the power to enter here unless you give others permission. You will also be able to change this space as you see fit once you gain more power. As I said before, you were imprisoned in another dimension, and I was able to bring you back to your own. However, I did not have enough power to bring you to the center of this dimension, so we are currently on the edge between this one and the one you were trapped in. It may not be much, but I hope Master is not too displeased by the current accommodations. Solaris did its best.'
- Phoenix - "I am not displeased at all, Solaris. I know you did your best, and I am extremely grateful for that—and for everything you do for me. Now, how can we gain more soul power?"
- Solaris - 'Master, you do not have to thank me. Solaris lives to serve Master. You can earn more soul power by going to worlds and changing the fate of the host—the body you will take over. They are all lives set to be as tragic as the ones you lived before when you were imprisoned. This time, you will have me and more of my functions unlocked. I will be with you and able to help you. Now that we are back in our rightful dimension, much of my power has returned, though not all of it. Master does not have to worry about ever being as powerless as before. With Solaris, you will be able to conquer these worlds and siphon power from them, making Master stronger.'
- Phoenix - "Okay, so all I have to do is go live as the host, give them a better life in their stead, and die naturally? Am I understanding this correctly?"
- Solaris - 'Yes, Master is understanding correctly, but there are still things I cannot tell Master yet. Solaris is very sorry. It is just... I feel like I am letting Master down.'
- Phoenix - "You are not letting me down, Solaris, so please stop being so hard on yourself. You are the only one I have ever been able to count on. You are my best friend, and I do not want you to be unhappy. Please just tell me what you can when you are able to."
Solaris knew he should tell Phoenix more, but he was worried about how Phoenix would react when he was finally so happy to be free.
- Solaris - 'Umm, you see, the thing is, Master...'
~ ✨~🐉~ ☯ ~🐦🔥~✨~