[i][b]Callow[/b] awoke against a wall inside a pitch black room. There were no lights to be seen in the area. He tried to walk around and examine his surroundings, but couldn’t move a muscle. He felt restrained and unusually fatigued. As he struggled harder, he heard a raspy voice.[/i] [b]???:[/b] “You’re finally awake? Good.” [i]The room was then illuminated with blue lights that surrounded the room. Neon blue lining was scattered across the walls and emitted a bright glow. In the center of the room descended a large blue sphere from a circular door on the ceiling. The combined light of the lining and the sphere revealed an old man with long gray hair and black robes that stared at [b]Callow[/b]. [b]Callow[/b] looked at the man through a small, thick panel of glass that surrounded him. He barely managed to muster a few words.[/i] [b]Callow[/b]: “W-who are you?” [b]Valm[/b]: “I am Valm. I am the leader of the Grand Colony and the captain of the Omninavus.” [b]Callow[/b]: “Grand Colony?” [b]Valm[/b]: “Yes, I’m sure you have many questions. Rest assured, you will understand everything in just a moment. Allow me to briefly explain the fundamentals.” [i][b]Valm[/b] slowly walked to the blue sphere and placed his hand on it. After a moment, two faint lights appeared on the wall, revealing [b]Callow’s[/b] two partners. They were unconscious and appeared to be encased in some sort of pod against the wall, just as [b]Callow[/b] was. A faint white energy lingered in both pods.[/i] [b]Valm[/b]: “The Grand Colony has only one objective. To reach the apex of all realms. In order to do that, we assimilate other realms by taking their resources and dominant creatures. The creatures that survive assimilation will have a control gem installed into their cranium, disabling their individual thought and making them a Grand Colonist.” [i]A small metallic arm appeared in [b]Jaune’s[/b] pod and drilled a small black crystal inside his forehead. As it did, the crystal turned blue and the pod opened, releasing the white energy. [b]Jaune[/b] opened his eyes and slowly walked to Valm as if he were a zombie.[/i] [b]Valm[/b]: “However, the control gem is flawed. It is not guaranteed to work on every person, and even if it does, there is a chance that it will fail at some random point in time. Those that cannot accept the gem will be placed in a pod and be used as a battery to fuel the Omninavus.” [i][b]Bron’s[/b] pod remained closed and the white energy that lingered in it became thicker, concealing [b]Bron[/b]. A multitude of identical pods emerged from holes in the wall, containing countless people inside.[/i] [b]Callow[/b]: “Why are you telling me this? What do you want from me?!” [i][b]Valm[/b] smiled and slowly walked towards [b]Callow’s[/b] pod.[/i] [b]Valm[/b]: “As you can see, I am far past my prime. My time may come very soon, and the Grand Colony is nothing without a Grand Leader.” [b]Callow[/b]: “You want me to take your place?” [b]Valm[/b]: “Very perceptive of you. You show promise.” [b]Callow[/b]: “And what makes you think that I’ll accept the job?” [b]Valm[/b]: “You don’t have a choice. You will help me one way or another. Even if the control gem doesn’t work, you will still provide me with some information about this new realm I discovered. What was it called? Paradisum?” [i][b]Callow[/b] tried to struggle out of the pod, but to no avail. [b]Valm’s[/b] smile widened as he walked back to the blue sphere and touched it once more.[/i] [b]Valm[/b]: “If the gem works, your mind will be linked to the Grand Colony databanks and your duty will be presented to you. Until then, sit tight.” [i]A metallic arm appeared in [b]Callow’s[/b] pod holding a larger gem than what Jaune was given. The arm drilled the gem into [b]Callow’s[/b] forehead and used his hair to conceal it. [b]Callow[/b] felt immense pain. He wanted to scream, but didn’t have enough strength to do it.[/i] [i]The pain soon ceased and a wide smile appeared on [b]Callow’s[/b] face.[/i] [spoiler]Fades Away[/spoiler]