Synyx had come to a small town. With no other towns in sight, he decided to enter. He was searching for something to get rid of his corruption by darkness; maybe a Light Elementite sword. Looking around him, he saw no people; just a number of wooden one-floored buildings. None of them were labeled, and they all looked very similar. He walked into one. As the door closed behind him, he examined his surroundings. He had come upon a bar. Synyx saw the entire population of the town crowding the building. Great, a bar. The BEST way to get information, he thought sarcastically.

He turned and tried to exit, but the knob was broken; it wouldn’t turn. Wow, my luck just got even better! Synyx could easily break it down, but he didn’t want to cause a scene. I’ll just look for another exit. As he was walking through the bar, a drunk man tapped him on the shoulder.

"What're YOU doing here?" the drunk asked. When Synyx turned away from him, the man changed the question. "You new in town? Ha'nt seen you 'round none yet."

"No. I don't live here. I'm just stopping in."

"Where you from?"

"I don't know."

"How kin ya not know where you from? Simple question."

"Because I lost my memory."

"HA!" The man took another gulp from the glass of ale he had apparently been holding this whole time. "Weakling! Only weak'uns can lose somethin' like their memory."

Synyx was beginning to get irritated. Not too much by the man's remark(as it was bizarrely untrue, anyway), but by his stench and the fact that he was following Synyx through the bar. On the other side of the room was a door with some sunlight peering through its cracks. Why there was a library in a bar, Synyx did not know. Good. I’ll just go through there and enter another building. Hopefully the next one is a library. Libraries provided information, and that was exactly what Synyx needed.

So he started walking toward it.

"WEAKLING!" the man repeated. In fact, he was cheering it. First a few others joined in, then some others, then some others-- and before he knew it, Synyx was being called a weakling by the entire bar.

Synyx spoke as he opened the door he had finally reached. "I'm not weak. Far from it.”

"OOO! Sounds like a challenge from Mr. Weakling!" Behind the door he just opened was a room with an outhouse in the center. It had no ceiling. …I won’t even guess. Synyx slammed the door and started back toward the entrance.

"Shut up, drunk, and start learning correct English," Synyx said as he passed the man. A fist socked Synyx on the back of his head. He didn’t flinch at all. Synyx turned back toward the man and stared at him. He grabbed his arm as it came toward him for another hit. His other hand wrapped around the man's throat and he lifted him up before tossing him to the side. So consumed by alcohol, the man hadn't even thought to use his other arm.

Not that it would have helped.

The crowd stared first at the man, who was knocked out after hitting his head on a table, and then at Synyx. Well, I’ve caused a scene already…. He walked to the entrance and broke the door down with his shoulder. Without looking back, Synyx began walking to the next building.

He felt an odd sort of presence off to his left. Feeling suspicious, he followed it. It led him out of town and to a nearby mountain, where a cave was built into the side. This definitely isn’t natural. Synyx took out Xangatsu’s handle, but didn’t arm it just yet. He didn’t want to scare anyone that could see him. “Hello?” he called into the cave. There was no answer, but he still felt a presence. He entered slowly. It went far into the mountain and was pitch black after just a few seconds of walking.

Something tapped Synyx on the side of his neck. His body went limp and his eyes began to close.


~*~

Synyx awoke in a small, blue-lit room. Around him was some kind of moss which seemed to have a life force other than that of the normal fungus. It covered the walls all around him. As he got up, he noticed he was naked. He wasn’t concerned with this, though. He thought his body was just like anyone else’s. Looking to the left, he saw his clothes folded and stacked. And, he had also noticed, they were clean. In front of Synyx was a mirror, which stretched from the floor to the ceiling. Suddenly, a voice came from around Synyx.

“Welcome, Synyx,” it said in a happy tone.

“Who said that? Show yourself!”

“Be calm. There is no need to fret. Not yet, anyway.” The last sentence had come at a lower volume than the others.

“Where am I? What is this place?” Synyx was very confused at this time, since he still had not the slightest idea of who was speaking.

“You are on a transport ship to Detalosed.”

“Another continent?”

“No. It is another planet.”

“What?!” Synyx had assumed it was a ship on water, not in space. He thought space travel might be possible somewhere, but he wasn’t certain. People thought he looked too suspicious to bring on a boat with them, so he had never left the continent he was born on.

“Calm yourself.” A vent in the ceiling started releasing a purple gas, and though Synyx tried to avoid it by lying down by the wall, it eventually filled the entire room. When it reached him, he felt more content. Not tired, but content.

“…Why am I here?”

“You are going to participate in the second intergalactic, interspecies war.” Since the voice was louder by the wall, Synyx assumed the moss was speaking.

“Wait…. So, I’m going to another planet…”

“Correct.”

“…in another galaxy…”

“Correct.”

“…to be pitted against other species?”

“Correct.”

“No, thank you.” Subconsciously, he knew the gas had changed his personality. He only hoped it was temporary.

“You have no choice. The decisions have been made. You are fighting in the war.”

“No choice….” Synyx repeated to himself. The moss’s voice echoed in his head. He was going to be fighting things he had no knowledge of, on a planet he had no knowledge of, in a galaxy he had no knowledge of, against his will.

Dark flames flickered around Synyx’s body for a split second. He thought of—

Xangatsu.

“Where is it?!” Synyx yelled.

“I assume you mean your sword. We put it on another ship. We will place it on Detalosed’s surface, in an area we will not reveal. We’ve done the same with your gauntlets. Whether they will be in the same spot, we will let you find out on your own. Just remember: your sword is useless without the gauntlets and vice versa. Your blade seemed to have disappeared into the gauntlets when we incapacitated you.” The moss sounded intrigued during the last sentence. Synyx was angry, distraught, and confused.

“You dirty thieves!” His body was covered in dark flames as he shouted this, and they slowly began to intensify. The vent released more gas, but it had no effect this time.

“Interesting. You seem to be immune to our gas this time. Would that have anything to do with--”

“Shut up! Let me out of here!” The darkness around him flared up and Synyx was now in Elementite Overtake. He charged up his Dark Lightning to full strength and released it at the moss. It was ineffective.

“This is exactly why we have chosen you, Synyx. You are unique and powerful.” Synyx punched the mirror and it shattered, shards of it flying around the room. He jumped at the vent and tried to break it open, but to no avail. “Please, you must calm down. We would like you to be at full strength when we get to the arena.” Synyx continued trying to escape. “Very well, then.” An orange gas was released, and Synyx began to feel tired.

Very tired.

Reverting back to his normal state, Synyx dropped to the floor and immediately fell asleep.