'Ether...' the man thought, 'why do I feel warmth when I hear that? I don't even know what it is...'

Before the creature could disappear into the real world, the system made an appearance.

"Quest: Becoming one with ether 1/5

"Complete one of five steps to utilize ether.

"Step one: Sense the ether around you.

"Reward: Not dying.

Both the man and creature were silent, mouths gaped.

"Did you do that?" The man said.

"No... no, I did not." The creature genuinely looked confused. Before the man could ask any questions, the creature dissipated in a cloud of smoke. Another system window popped up.

"Quest restriction: Complete this task alone."

The man fell silent. He had no idea what just happened, but he knew he needed to figure it out. His current state would only last so long, after all. And he wasn't going to die. Not here. Not now. He started walking... well, more like staggering. It took him a while to reach the edge of the pocket dimension. Feeling a breeze glide through his soul, he shuddered at the thought of the cold, lonely reality waiting for him.

"I don't feel like dying." He mumbled to himself.

The man sat on the shore, staring at the clear blue sky and the rising sun peeking behind it. Vague memories crept into his mind. He could recall a place of happiness and a place of despair. A place to call home and a place of hell. The 'Darkness' seems to have both, but somehow, the man knew it was not home, but he still felt like he belonged there. It was cold, threatening, and suffocating. And yet, it had familiarity.

Cold gusts of wind poked at the man. He didn't mind the cold. He didn't mind the pain. His past self knew the meaning of pain, and he felt that pain growing inside him over the last few minutes. Not on the outside, of course, but it hid on the inside. A voice called it out, forcing him to acknowledge it so he could deal with it.

"I want to die." A voice echoed within the man.

The man stood up and started walking, "but I'll never die." He said. He didn't care if this was a pointless thought or not. He had to say it.

As the man forced his way through the area, his seemingly forgotten memories returned to him in fragments. His home, friends, wife, and daughter. How will he be able to explain his sudden appearance or his condition? He wants to remember the faces of his beloved ones, but their memories are fading. And soon, they'll vanish altogether.

The man took a deep breath and released his thoughts. Something was comforting about how he was breathing. Every breath he took, a sense of warmth would run through his heart, then to his limbs, and back to his core. As he continued breathing, he sat down and crossed his legs. Suddenly, his perception expanded. The grass that was simply grass before had a comprehending meaning. It was alive. It was waving with the currents of nature, along with the other plants and trees. Everything seemingly flowed without a care in the world. There was no resistance, nor was there any destruction. It simply was and is. The man, who was also simply a man before, finally sensed the existence of ether.

'Is this what ether is?' The man thought.

The man could see faint lines, barely visible to the naked eye, criss-crossing each other in the distance. The lines themselves weren't all that special, but what was special was that the lines weren't straight. Instead, each line bent and curved, choosing its own path.

"So this is what ether feels like." The man said, smiling wistfully.

What was ether? Is it the line? No, it is the space beyond the line.

A ding sound echoed around the man, which was followed by a system prompt.

"Congratulations!

"User #8465168736?

"Error, correcting user identity.

"What identity would user set?

"> "

'An identity? Does it mean a name?' The man stared off, watching the vast ocean reflecting what was within the sky. He followed the reflection to the lines that drew the world.

"Alpha, for a new beginning."

A loud dinging noise overran through the man's mind.

"Identity already in use."

The man stared blankly, rubbed his head, and then said, "How about Omega?"

"*ding* Identity already in use."

The man's face went red in embarrassment. Dozens of names came to mind, and he did the only thing he could, spam them all until he found one which fits.

"Nature."

"*Ding*..."

"Ocean."

"*Ding*..."

"Tree, damn it!"

...

"Sky, how about the sky?"

The resounding of bells lit the mind of the man.

"Congratulations!

"User 'Sky' has been processed. Please note that the chosen identity cannot be changed.

"Continuing notifications...

"User Sky has completed the following quests:

"Becoming one with Ether! 1/5

"Becoming one with Ether! 2/5

"Becoming one with Ether! 3/5

"Becoming one with Ether! 4/5

"Calculating rewards...

"Congratulations!

"User has received the following:

"System will not kill you for incompetence.

"*Ding* User Sky has been blessed by ether.

"Passive skill: Ether's Eye has been awarded."

Sky watched the notifications flood his vision. He read them over and over again. His mind overflowed with questions. The system wouldn't kill him? 'Can the system even award me with anything other than not dying by its hands? To what does it mean by Ether's Eye? Is it the lines that I've been seeing? It's a passive skill, so I can't 'activate' it. '

"What is Ether's Eye?" Sky said aloud.

A window suddenly popped into existence, closer to his face than usual.

"Check your status, imbecile."

'Was that the system or that weird fur ball?' He thought to himself.

Another window popped up, just about smacking Sky in the head.

"My name is Avis, you damn cripple!"

"What a weird name," Sky murmured.

Before Avis could respond, Sky summoned his status. He was particularly excited because he could recall the feelings he felt when he initially opened his status screen for the first time. An exhilarating feeling took over him as a screen popped into existence displaying Sky's characteristics.

"What the hell is this?!"