Chapter 2: Noctis Vrex
Charon felt like he was drowning.
An inky void spread out around him in all directions, no light daring to exist in this sacred space.
His body twisted and convulsed as it tried desperately to reclaim the substance it had lost, to become physical once more, yet nothing he did made the feeling go away.
Then, after an indeterminate amount of time, he felt something else.
It started as a pinprick in his brain, a small mote of pain, before ballooning into an avalanche of emotions.
Dread, fear, loneliness, acceptance, loss, eternity, oblivion.
These feelings surged up into his mind, claiming a space he never knew existed before.
A voice, quiet and forgotten, yet full of a hidden strength reached out to him, whispering a promise.
"Your rise begins soon, Charon. The souls of the dead and dying reach out to you. Come to me, unlock your element. Let me grant you power."
As quickly as they came, they left, leaving Charon emptier than ever before.
Before he knew it, he felt himself lurching awake in a cramped steel tube with a glass front. Metal restraints held his arms and legs tightly, allowing him no room to move.
Whipping his head back and forth violently, Charon began to hyperventilate as he struggled to figure out whether he was dead, captured, or simply dreaming.