There was a constant dripping. A tap that hadn’t fully closed. Something leaking. It was coming from inside his ears and yet also in a room elsewhere. The sound echoed each time. There was a long enough between each sound to trick the mind into thinking it had finally dripped it’s last drop, until yet again it ring out. It was not loud, nor was it particularly grating. It was calming yet annoying. Each one washed over the listener as if welcoming them in.

Yet finally there was one that ring out like a chime. Even without being able to see where it had come from it was obvious to tell it was a golden colour. This one change in tone stirred it’s listener awake.

Damian awoke slowly, he was unable to remember what had happened before he had woken up. Had he always been asleep. If so why was he looking up at the night sky? And why was it so vibrant? Above him stars exploded, nebulas forced themselves into existence in blinding colour. All of these at their most brilliant point, moving slowly s if slowed down for his viewing pleasure. The azure blues danced with the emerald greens, and flirted with the iridescent purples. Orange and yellows fought for supremacy at the centre of the stars. Reds fell into a spiralling black hole, the absence of light made the red even more beautiful than before. New colours made their debut before him before his eyes adjusted and remembered they couldn’t see that part of the spectrum. An eighth colour of the rainbow not visible to humans blazed a trial in the night sky before realigning and settling on purple, the same purple Damian used with his powers.

He could have laid here for all eternity just looking and taking in the sights. If not for the angelic voice, “So, you finally wake?”. The voice was gruff and confident and yet it felt light and calming. It exuded excellence, regality, and charm. Whilst the tone was that of boredom and impatience it did not feel at all rude.

Not wanting to keep his host waiting Damian tried to her to his feet. Only to notice that hard floor and which he had been laid and now which upon he stood had no physical presence at all. As if in an invisible box in space he could see everything around him. Five planets in the distance, each one a full shade of some colour or another. He was in infinity itself.

He turned to see the voice that had spoken to him. Sat upon a thrown of stars was a the shape of a man. Yet as he inspected closer it was not just any man, it looked like him, and yet not. It had his hair, his face, even his clothes but it could not be him. Everything was a white or gray, his skin, his hair, the t-shirt he wore. And yet there was that purple again, spiralling and curling down the forearms and meeting at the hands, no the claws. His eyes, glowed that beautiful colour that Damian knew he should have never seen, nor could he ever recall it’s original form.

The being spoke, “Welcome Damian Adams. I had begun to ponder when we would meet.” The Being’s voice echoed all sound, yet what had it bounced off? It sat with his head rested against its hand, elbow on the throne’s arm.

“Hey, where am I?”

“You are in my domain. I reside in a pocket of space. I had expected you to visit and yet you still feel like an invader in my home.”

“Who are you?”

“I am what you siphon your power from.”

“My power? The arms? Aren’t they mine?”

“Damian, did you really believe that you had access to such a strong power on your own? If they inherently come with a drawback why did you come away without one? Did you believe that you were an exception to such a rule?”

“But it’s not that strong, everyone else is able to use their easily.” Damian nearly choked on his own self-doubt. The Being spoke with such authority that anything it said felt true.

“Again I must state the obvious, did you believe that you were as strong as your peers? They have already surpassed heights beyond your reach alone. There are many that surround you who could be considered geniuses and yet here you are.”

“Then why am I here at all? Go on tell me! Why do I have you here?”

“Do not speak to me with such a tone, you are but a mere child to me. When I came to be I had access to all your knowledge in this world, I too am aware of Alterations being based on ones personality and desires. Does it not make sense that someone like you who had always wished to be a hero, have some strength would summon something stronger to facilitate this? I am what you need. You use my power crudely. You fail to impress those you feel physically about. If you allow me to take over your body you may rest here and watch from behind your eyes and I can make you everything you have ever desired.” It taunted and goaded. It’s voice could convince anyone who heard it. It knew it’s ability to communicate.

“No.” Damian said, eyes wide.

“I beg your pardon?” The Being’s eyes squinted into a sharp stare.

“You’re right, I did, no I do want those things. But I want to do them.”

“It would be you doing those acts.”

“It would be my body. You’d look like me. That’s not me. I want to make myself into the person I needed when I was a kid, you could never be that.”

“You are correct, we are not the same. I am strong.” The two stared in an uncomfortable standoff. Until an screamed echoed in their void, it sounded far off but reverberated around the room.

“Jude?” Damian asked

“Right now your friend is fighting that man by himself, whilst you lay on the floor arguing with me. Give me your body and I can save him.”

“Two minutes and if you cannot kill him.”

“This is the second time I have begged your pardon. Make it the last.”

“You need my word to use my body. Plus it’s my body and I am only accepting this to help Jude. I trust him enough that he’ll only need two minutes. Save him, if you do anything I don’t like I’ll take control back.”

“What makes you so sure that once we switch I won’t have full control?”

“I don’t. I just know that my friends will probably beat you up if we can’t switch back, they’re geniuses after all, right?” Damian said with a smirk.

The Being raised from their throne. Walking towards Damian allowed it to be known that each footstep echoed like the drops. It continued its musical march passed Damian, speak as they became parallel, “You have a deal. But do not believe this is a common courtesy, I have not moved from this throne since being trapped here. Stay here and watch me execute the interloper.”

“No killing.”

“That is your third time Mr. Adams. I shall not be kind to your muscles when beating this man.”

With that The Being walked until he just disappeared.