“Maaaan~ I really wanted to talk to you, but before, well, this.” The voice spoke, echoing around the black void. No matter where Mia looked, she could not locate the location of the speaker in this void.

“Who… the thing from before?” But she knew what it was, as hearing the voice caused her to remember it from when she loaded that first time.

“Right, right. From ‘before’ and the times before the before.” A chuckle resounded, the being sounding amused. “Well! Now that you are locked in one place-“A figure thrust itself in front of Mia’s view, the familiar large mouth with four limbs attached at the back showed itself to Mia, the mouth smiling wide “allow me to introduce myself! I am [Void]” the being waved one of its arms and bowed, before rotating 90 degrees to the left.

“H-huh? Void? What, who… what’s going on? I was talking to assist and then-“ Mia was understandably confused, floating in this empty space as nothing more then a small ball of light and greeted by this strange being, but like last time Mia’s body was covered by one of the creatures palms.

“On thing at a time, we finally get a chance to speak.” The creature removed its palm, starting to float aimlessly around Mia “and we even have a lot of time, so as I said. My name is [Void] pleasure to meet you.” The being did another bow and then gestured to Mia.

Mia remained silent, staring at the creature before deciding to give in “Mia…”

[Void] Clapped its hands “Good good! If that is what you want to go with it is nice to finally meet you ‘Mia’” it extended one of its hands, pinching the top of Mia then moving her to his open palm “Now we can finally conduct much needed business, you have been very abusive and such things shall not fly anymore!” the thing waved one if its fingers in front of Mia disapprovingly.

“A-abusive?!” Mia shouted “What do you mean?! What is going on? Where is that assist mode? And who or what are you?!”

The thing moved Mia away from it, covering the top of its mouth like one would cover an ear “Ah geez, It is only us here there is no need to shout.” It then moved her closer, right up to its lips “I said one at a time, ya dig? “

Mia was about to protest, but the creature closed its hands around her tiny form, making a cage out of its fingers.

“I’ll start with the most important one, I am [Void], ruler of the empty space of this world where nothing exists-“ it fully closed the cage, locking Mia in complete darkness “and where everything exists in between.” Then the creature opened the cage, revealing they were floating above the fox tribe’s village, Mia seeing her house at the edge.

“What…” Mia looked around, amazed. It was her village down to the smallest, it even had the shrine at the top of the hill, but past that the village was empty, not a single soul could be seen. Also, looking past the horizon Mia saw nothing, only darkness in all directions except for one, where she saw the capitol of Eldaha.

“Huh, how dull your concept of everything is.” [Void] mumbled.

“Dull?” She asked, not understanding what he meant.

“Well~” the two floated down, landing at the shrine’s square where [Void] tested the ground with his feat “we will get to that, but first…” Void ran inside the shrine, making a bunch of noise before coming out with a familiar bottle of booze and a bundle of paper “Aha! Been soooo long~” it then sat down, popping the cork off and raising it into the air, letting the liquid inside poor into his mouth then spitting it out instantly “The fuck! Don’t you know what alcohol tastes like!”

“…” This thing can’t be serious “No, why would I? I am eight…” She sighed “please just explain…”

“Tch.” The creature took a swig from the bottle “Since when where you ever in a rush to get answers.” It chuckled, patting the porch of the shrine.

Mia’s light flickered “That isn’t… why do you know?”

“Heh, I know a lot.” [Void] smirked “Who you are, what you are, what you had for breakfast, what your mother had for breakfast…” it stood up, waving the bottle around without care as it pranced around the square “Where John came from~ What Athena plans~ Si’s crush on Ra, her little knight in shiny armor~ “ it froze in place, spinning to face Mia “Who originally taught you ice magic, how many times you have died.”

Mia floated back; this thing had been spying on her? On everyone? It was even aware of time getting reset.

The thing vanished, appearing right in front of Mia “I am everywhere, everything exists around me in an endless fucking cycle, nothing escapes my gaze. I am the starting line every living thing passes the moment they breath their first breath and the bottomless pit they drop into, never reaching the finish line.”

“I…what?” Mia tried to float away again, this guy creeping her out but was grabbed.

“Though~ don’t get me confused with death, it is *very* important you don’t confuse me for that, got it?” the creature smiled “While this space is where people eventually end up after dying, that’s only after they lose their sense of self in the afterlife.” [Void] Then started laughing, taking another swig from the bottle “Man, at least you know this shit is poison and makes people act weird.”

“…” Mia couldn’t say anything, this guy’s pace was throwing her off. All she got from all that was this guy, or this space, was very important.

“Ah well, that is a simple way to put it.” The being shrugged “A better way would be I and the space I rule is the glue that holds everything together.”

Great, it can read minds. ‘so answer this, what exactly is going on, why am I here and what did you need of me?’

“Hrm, course I can read the mind of a little soul in my domain.” The being sat down in mid-air “First, as I said you are in my domain, [Void], normally when people die they go to the afterlife, your skill is special and sorta prevents you from moving on unless you want to.” It pointed to the sky “usually souls are sent to the afterlife after death, crossing that line is final, rules are rules, so your skill places you in the void to circumvent that.” It shrugged “Completely legal as far as anyone is concerned.”

“Ok, but that doesn’t answer my question on what is going on, right now.”

“I am getting to that, jeez.” It waved her off “Now, [Void] works in a very special way. Normally it is an endless space with nothing in it except me, not even time exists here.” He then presented the bottle “But that changes when a conscious observer enters. Hell, I don’t even have a form when no one else is here.” He then dropped the bottle, causing it to shatter on the ground and smirked “but when your skill places you in here, you are conscious, you observe, and as a result effect this area.”

Mia would frown if she had a mouth “So… what? I don’t get it.”

“Like what is around us right now, me, the castle in the distance, this shrine, perception is key here.” He kicked the glass shards on the ground “like this bottle of booze, it was tasteless because you don’t know the taste” he then unfolded the paper, revealing what Mia thought to be the map of the world but several spots where left blank “Or this map being crap because you didn’t pay attention to your aunt, though that wasn’t really your fault. Peace of advice, keep an eye on your status next time you talk to her.”

“Wait wha-“

It clapped, interrupting her “Or how I look, at first I was nothing but a voice calling out, but then as you loaded you vaguely remembered more and more, adding onto your perception of me. First a voice, then a mouth, as I tried to chase you, I eventually gained legs, as I tried to catch you, I gained arms, when I stopped you I got a net, that one was very nice thank you for that.”

“So wait, I made you?”

“No no no!” [Void] shouted “I existed before, your perception of this place changes it! I could be a duck to someone, I could be a fancy man in a black suit, I could be a sexy woman holding an umbrella, that doesn’t change what I was originally. What I am, any one’s perception effects what they see, even yourself.”

“Even how I look…” Mia mumbled, if that was true then… did she just have to picture it? Instead of this flying ball of light she could be her regular self? And before she realized it, she felt her feet touch the ground “eh?” she looked down, seeing her body right where she expected it to be “Eh?”

“There you go! Now you are getting it.” [Void] Clapped.

Mia looked up “EH?!” instead of seeing the mouth with four limbs, she saw a man wearing a black suit with a yellow duck head holding an umbrella.

[Void] chuckled, striking a pose with his new body “Not the strangest form, certainly better than being a pair of lips.” He twirled the umbrella on the tip of his finger “just as susceptible to suggestion as I’d expect, once you get to the concept down.” He then pointed the tip of the umbrella to Mia, pushing against her nose “This is a fancy umbrella, guess you saw it in a noble’s shop? No matter.”

Mia frowned, pushing the umbrella away from her face “Ok, so I get it.” She said, now understanding why he called it dull earlier. Her *everything* to her was her village, followed by the areas she had been. She didn’t know what she meant by the suggestion bit, the umbrella’s tip being thrust at her again when she was about to ask.

“Please, I can’t answer everything, take my little stabs with a grain of salt… or latch them to your heart and hold them close, I won’t complain I’ll take it as a compliment.” He then started spinning the umbrella “To the ones I can answer… as a test Mia do tell me, what is this place?”

Mia sighed “The void.”

“Correct!” he cheered “now, what is the purpose of this void?”

“…” to Mia, he had been giving her a lot of mixed explanations, but if she had to guess “To hold everything together?”

“Bzzt bzzt! While not wrong it’s not the answer we are looking for! ~” he slammed the tip of the umbrella on the ground, lifting himself into the air and balancing on the handle “While it is the glue that holds everything together, it is also the biggening and end of all things!”

She frowned “ok, but what does-“

“Final question! The most important one.” [Void] flipped in the air, landing on the handle in a handstand “What happens when you [Load].”

“What?” Mia took a step back “what does that have to do with anything?” she asked.

“Oh, it has to do with everything, Mia.” He switched up the arms he was balancing on “Every time you load, every time you go back, and every time you die you end up here. Bringing your perception of reality into this place that has none, but more importantly…” the man dropped down, landing on his duck head on the umbrella’s handle “You bring in the concept of time.”

“I…no, no, what are you saying?” Mia shook her head.

“Yes, you have had an idea for a while now, haven’t you? Especially after that experiment with your aunt.” He shrugged, still upside down and balancing on his head “It should have been obvious, well, maybe if it was someone of a lower level it would *really* be obvious, someone with less mental fortitude.”

Mia’s face paled, she really didn’t like where this was leading. He was right, she did have some idea, it’s why she wanted to avoid using her skill in the first place, but it couldn’t be true…

“Oh but you gotta accept it. It is one thing to do it knowingly, but doing it unknowingly is just cruel.” The man fell, landing on his back as he gazed up into the sky “You bring the concept of time into a place that is the end of everything, and then turn back that time without leaving a spot to return to.” He reached up into the sky, gripping the empty space “Then starting over from your save, rewriting events that lead to that.”

“But, what about…” what about the place she died at? “Doesn’t it… continue?” she asked shakingly.

“Nope!~” he tightened his grip, pulling downwards as the scenery around them shattered, getting replaced with void “With you the concept of [Time] left, ending that world to make room for your new time.” He floated upright, the umbrella flying into his hand “There is no time there, nothing to progress, so it sinks into my [Void] once you abandon it.”

“But…but…no, that can’t be right…why would it cease to exist if I load!” She didn’t believe it, she refused to.

“Hrm, well in the case of you leaving a slot or ‘anchor’ there it wouldn’t disappear, I’d just put it to the side as time still technically exists there. But for worlds where you no longer exist as you just up and left…Well there is no reason to keep a dead world just sitting there.”

Mia grits her teeth, this cant be right, how could doing what she was doom the world, time could exist without her!

“Can it?”

Mia shot her attention to [Void], the stupid duck face smiling. “It can.”

“It can’t”

“What about before I was born! Did time just not exist?! What then!” Mia shouted.

“Someone else just had the skill.”

Mia’s breath got caught in her throat “W-what?”

“Someone else had the skill, and when they were asked if they wanted to load, they hit no. passing the skill onto the next.”

Mia gulped “But… that means…”

[Void] Chuckled “That the world has been destroyed before? Abandoned to stand still for all eternity as [Time] Wanted to go back to try and save a friend destined to die? So what.”

“So what?!” Mia angerly shouted “That’s the whole world! Gone! Every time!”

“And it persists, every time.” Twirling his umbrella, [Void] started to pace around Mia “One of the only things that matter in this world is you, if you don’t want that responsibility then do us all a favor and hit no next time you die. “He harshly spoke.

Mia looked down at her feet, still stuck on the just how many people she had killed, repeatedly, every time she had went back in time.

“Well, figure out how you want to handle that later, I’ve been trying to tell you that for decades.”

“D-decades…”

“Right now, you have a bigger issue.”

Bigger issue? What could be worse then just finding out you doomed the world for a few decades?

“This.” [Void] snapped his fingers, instantly the scenery around them changed to that of a familiar dungeon.

She looked up, just intime to see herself stab a dagger made of ice right into Si’s skull.