There was only light, blinding, endless, eternal... warm... and comforting. It felt deserved, like a reward given due to some great achievement. It was clearly the ending of something, but also... the beginning of something else... something new. Though it was like experiencing eternity, it was but a transition.

All too soon, the light grew dimmer, and shapes took form... light beige marble pillars, with golden adornments and odd crystal shaped lights... a polished marble floor, with plants in fancy vases... a tall ceiling, stretching far above. The place was decorated with yellow flags depicting blue orbs circled by rays of blue light.

"W-what..." consciousness slowly bloomed and thoughts took form, "What is this? Where... am I? I can't... remember anything."

A calm and soft female voice replied soothingly, "Easy, my child, it will all come to you in time. All you need to know for now is that you are safe here."

"Huh? Who's there?"

"You can call me Valari. I am here to serve as your guide."

"Valari? But... I can't see you. Where are you? Or are you, like... in my mind? Damn... am I imagining things?"

"Oh, I'm no figment of your imagination. I assure you, I am quite real. In fact, I am right here, in front of you. But you are only just awakening... you will be able to see me soon, when you are ready to do so."

"Awakening?" Questions were abundant, as was confusion. "What do you mean? Was I asleep? Who even am I? Why can't I remember anything? What's going on? Why am I in this place? Wait... a-am I, like... dead?"

Valari spoke cautiously, as if her words were carefully chosen so as to reveal the exact amount of information she deemed appropriate, "That is a delicate question to answer. You see, you have been alive many times before, and you have died as many times. However, at the moment, you are awakening to a new kind of existence, one you have not experienced until now. You have ascended. And, in doing so, you have reached a higher plane of existence, but you are not yet fully awake. This is why you cannot see me, and why your own memories elude you."

"Whoa! That's... a lot to process. So, I'm an ascended being now? Sounds cool, but what does that really mean? And you said I'll get my memories back soon? How long does that usually take?"

"Patience. You must take one step at a time. Allow yourself to awaken at your own pace. You have not even taken form yet."

The newcomer finally looked down, but all there was to see was a formless smoky mass of blue light.

"Oh, wow! Okay, I see what you mean. So... this is, like, actually me right now? This is so weird... I don't even have arms... or legs. Am I... a girl? I think I'm a girl, I mean, female. I can't really tell by my voice, it sounds... off somehow... but anyway, I kinda feel like I'm a female. Does that make any sense?"

"Yes, it makes perfect sense. Your voice will come to you in time, just like everything else. At the moment, you are using your inner voice, the voice we use in our minds, which is why it might feel off, as you put it. As for feeling that you are a female, yes, you are indeed a female."

"Oh? How do you know?"

"I have my ways," Valari replied cryptically.

"Right," she accepted suspiciously, before taking a moment to process everything, "Uh, wait a minute... if I'm using the voice inside my head... are you, like... reading my mind?"

"Not quite. I am merely hearing your thoughts. Do not worry over it though, it is hard to keep them to yourself in the beginning. This is something you will soon learn to control."

"Wait," she asked, surprised, "are you telling me I'm the one speaking to you with my mind, like, with telepathy?"

"We call it the inner voice, but yes, all who ascend have this ability. In fact, there are several new abilities you will have to learn to navigate."

Just then, Valari's form began to morph into view. At first, only a blurry silhouette was there... but it quickly sharpened, and colors filled it in. She was a beautiful woman, with bright yellow eyes, like gemstones... she looked very young, though her gaze carried a wisdom far beyond her appearance. She was wearing robes that made her look like a priestess of some kind. Also, she had pointy ears.

"Hey, I can see you now," the newcomer noted, "You have yellow eyes... not sure if that's normal, but it feels like something new to me... and the ears. Are you an elf?"

"An elf? Yes, I suppose you could say I am."

"What do you mean, you suppose? Are you, like, not sure?"

"Well, I am a hixen, which is a kind of elf. We do not usually refer to ourselves as such however. Personally, I would prefer it if you called me a hixen." Looking down at the newcomer's body, she added, "It seems your body is beginning to come around."

The newcomer looked down again and, to her surprise, a translucent light-blue glowing body was there, under her. There were no distinctive features yet, just what seemed to be a generic human body... though it appeared to be female.

"Come with me," said the elf lady, "you should be able to move about now." She walked towards a side-door that led into another smaller, but still quite spacious chamber, and stopped in front of a tall mirror. "This is a mirror of souls, a special kind of magical device that can show you your inner self, if and when you are ready for it, of course."

"Magical? So, magic is real?"

"It is, though it might not be quite what you assume," Valari answered casually, before returning to the subject at hand, "Now, gaze into the mirror and try to look inwards. Focus on what you sense inside you."

She nodded and obeyed. Soon enough, the generic glowing reflection began to change. The blank eyes turned into human eyes... hazel eyes. The skin on her face slowly lost its transparency, revealing a white girl, with cute freckles on her nose and upper cheeks... her hair was long and brown, tied in a ponytail. She was very pleased with what she saw, though it seemed that was kind of the whole point of that mirror thing.

For an awkward moment, as the rest of her body followed suit, she thought she would soon be naked. But thankfully, she found herself in a skin-tight suit. Passing her hand over the fabric, she got the distinct impression that it was somehow glued to her skin. Additionally, she realized that her body was still glowing blue. Only her reflection had changed. It was as if the mirror were merely showing her the possibilities, not her actual reflection. Menus with different hair styles and outfits popped up, for her to choose from.

"Is it weird to still feel uncomfortable being naked?" she wondered, "I mean, being an ascended being and all... you'd think such things would be... I dunno, beneath us?"

"No, we all pretty much still wear garments of some kind. I think you will find life here more familiar to you than you might have expected. This is a higher plane of existence, but it is not a completely spiritual one. Maybe in the next plane, who knows?"

"There's a next plane?"

"Oh, yes. Though that, I fear, is a subject for another time. You best get your bearings in this plane before we discuss other ones."

In the mirror, just over the newcomer's head, a swirl of magical yellow light formed letters... a word.

"LI-A-LLO-RA. Liallora? Oh! That's me! That's my name. Huh?" she suddenly realized she was using her physical voice for the first time, "Is that my voice? Hello, hello. I am Liallora, nice to meet you," she spoke, testing it, before chuckling at herself, "Funny how things come to us as we do this whole awakening thing."

"Yes," Valari agreed.

"Hey, how tall am I?"

The mirror quickly replied by showing her height next to her reflection.

"1.60m? I'm a shorty... Meh... feels about right though."

"I must say, Liallora, it is quite impressive how fast you are coming to terms with all this. I have guided many newborns in my time, some take days to recall their names, let alone accept that this is their new life. You are the first human, however, perhaps your kind is simply faster at this sort of thing."

"Please, call me Lia," she insisted, raising a hand, "Doesn't feel right, having people call me by my full name. So, I'm the first human you ever guided, huh?"

"Well, yes, but you are also the first human to ascend."

"What? What're you talking about?"

"Lia, you are the very first of your kind to ascend to this plane."

Lia gaped at her, her brand new eyebrows raised high, "I'm the first human ever to ascend?!?"

"Indeed you are, my child," the elf lady confirmed, smiling widely at her, "I do not mean to strain you, and truly there is no reason to be nervous or frightened, but this is in fact quite the historic moment. Up here, we have all been quite curious about you, or rather your kind. There are many who are eager to meet you. All in good time, of course. First, we need to make you presentable."

For the first time, Lia felt like she needed some time to gather herself.

Valari must have seen it in her eyes, because she quickly decided, "Perhaps we should take it a tad slower." She guided Lia out of the chamber, down a hall and into what looked like a large bedroom, with a big round bed. "There now, get some rest. We can resume our conversation later."