A Creation

In the emptiness, the mass of flickering unformed moved. They meandered, circling about the silence. Their steps, their shifting, and their bumping into one another were silent, reverberating oddly in the breathless air thick like rolling fog. They were as empty as the world they inhabited. They seemed to exist just to fill the void. This had been since the beginning, if there had ever been one.

Among the shapeless mass was Flicker. Flicker was another like them, a formless shade. It, too, drifted, endless, thoughtless. It had done so since the beginning. Nothing would change, not Flicker, not the other flickering unformed, not the dark fathoms they aimlessly wandered.

From within Flicker’s body, something stirred. This made Flicker stop. Several flickering unformed brushed and bumped against it as they moved past. They kept doing so but Flicker remained still. None of them noticed Flicker’s distress.

Inside, Flicker felt the thing move, rolling, undulating, molding. It bloomed, simmered, and grew until it filled Flicker’s entire form.

Flicker reeled back, its mouth wide open from the overwhelming sensation. Its nearly soundless gasp weakly echoed into the distant darkness. None of the countless flickering unformed bothered looking up and listening to its gasp sweeping through the air overhead. They only continued their silent wandering.

Watching them, Flicker realized, filled it with a crawling heaviness that darkled the glowing, soothing sensation in its form. In all the time of the flickering unformed, they had been trudging the unending space without direction, without purpose, without any care that they would do so until some point when they would finally halt or cease their limited life, if that day was even an eventuality.

A speckling of sorts, a lightening of the darkness, from above caught Flicker’s sight. Slivers of light wavered and sparkled. Each time they did so, the light grew brighter and brighter. Flicker marveled the glowing light, careless of the flickering unformed constantly jostling it. The fingers of light were reaching from Flicker’s left. Flicker followed the light to its origin, and stared, awestruck.

In the highest heights of the world, the light floated, a great, cosmic orb. Wisps of light and smoke emitted, curling and trailing into the darkness beyond its brilliance. There was something about the floating orb that called to Flicker. It felt…well, Flicker didn’t know what to call the strong, soothing sensation inside its form. Flicker ought to turn away from the floating orb, but the very thought stopped it. No matter how many times it meant to leave, Flicker couldn’t move, wouldn’t move. All that Flicker knew was if it did leave it would carry on, meandering with the flickering unformed, through the darkness. Flicker had always done this. This had been its existence. So, why did this give Flicker pause?

Flicker turned away and made its way to the orb. It squeezed through the mass of shambling shadows. It bumped and shoved and clawed its way, bursting from the formless forms hollow and malleable. It ran, its feet pounding hard against the ground, a chill whipping over and crawling up its form. As Flicker approached the orb floating above, a staircase manifested from under its feet and carried it, winding higher and higher. More staircases soon appeared as Flicker traversed, crisscrossing and winding through the air about the orb. Flicker raced and leapt from one staircase to another as it climbed. The higher Flicker went, the air, stale and dusty, became cleaner and fresher, enticing Flicker to breathe. The closer he got, the more the feeling in its form surged, brimming with something new. It was like the soothing sensation from before, but this one chased the darkness away and eased the heaviness, welling within it—what Flicker will discover—a strength, a sense, a desire that was pure and radiant.

Ascending higher and faster through the world, Flicker finally made it. It ran onto the landing and stood before the floating orb shining, thrumming, pulsating white. Flicker slowly stepped closer, gazing in awe at the great orb.

I know what you are.

Flicker stopped, surprised and frightened.

I know what you are, the words emitted from the orb again, gently spreading through the air. Then, the great orb unfolded into a figure formed. Beholding this new form filled Flicker with calm and wonder. I have always known—the form, Flair, spoke voicelessly. Flair lowered its hand down to Flicker. Flicker climbed onto its hand, and Flair brought it up to its face. Flair looked at Flicker with shining eyes, smiling friendly. I have always known, Flair said, the words washing over Flicker’s form.

Flair raised its other hand and waved it over Flicker, and light enveloped it. Flicker found itself flying in the light. As it flew, it transformed. Its form began changing, reshaping into something different, something new. By the end, when the light vanished, Flicker appeared someplace else and had become something more.

I know what I am.