Damien and the others stood motionless and alert as the pneumarian's body of light began to take shape. The pneumarian's fair skin was a light shade of green but had a slight glow from her light. She had pointed ears like an elf and glowing, yellow eyes. She wore a long, beige robe that seemed both ancient and elegant, and her silver-white hair fell softly to her waist, with a white flower of some sort pinned above one of her ears.
Judging off her energy, the pneumarian felt warm, benevolent, and soft. Still, they couldn't be too careful.
"Who are you are? What do you want?" Damien inquired defensively as lightning crackled around him.
"Hmm, for now, all you must know is that I am here to help you all," the pneumarian stated calmly. Her personality was nothing like Rabae's. Where he was calculative and wise, she was light-hearted and a bit carefree. "Each of you seems to be struggling internally. I aim to help relieve you of all of those burdens. Perhaps then you can better understand one another and move forward."
"What do you mean..." Damien began, but they were suddenly standing in a dim, empty space. Then, a lilac, electric rift manifested before them.
"What is this!?" Trevor panicked as he shot off explosive blasts, but they did nothing to the area.
"I have trapped each of you within a collective domain linked to your minds," the pneumarian's voice reverberated from everywhere. "Hopefully, my Mindscape cintracy will help you let go of your pasts; otherwise, you risk destroying yourselves."
"We don't need this," Naomi, now in her pricklier personality spat.
"Haven't you been urging Naomi to face her past?" the pneumarian called out.
"Yeah, but not like this, and not with an audience," Naomi retorted, frustrated and guarded.
"We all have pasts we want to remain buried," Arne agreed with Naomi. "We don't need you trying to unbury them."
"You don't know this yet, but your lives are going to change significantly in the near future," the pneumarian declared. "Alissia has lost everything, came to terms with it, and has fully accepted her new role. Tymon has accepted and moved beyond his vengeance. Michael, having experienced mortality for the first time and no longer trying to force himself into a position he was not designed for, now looks at life with new eyes. Even Avarice has moved beyond the trivial traumas of his past and has adjusted his perspectives. Their completeness will allow them to face the difficulties to come properly. Then there's you all. Your pride and fears have kept you stagnant. You refuse to move forward, which has now manifested in your present lives and would make you liabilities if I had not intervened."
"So you can see the future, too?" Wren asked sarcastically.
"No. But if it helps you all believe my words to be true, I know what I know from Viraa herself. If you wish to know more, prove that her faith in you is warranted. The only way for you to escape this space is to accept the traumas of your past and embrace the key descriptive word hidden in your hearts. Your trial will conclude when you speak the concept into existence. Be warned, though: should you die in here, you will not return. Your minds will remain in a catatonic state."
"Now you're telling us our minds could be at risk? We didn't ask for this. I don't care about being liable to the group responsible for locking us up," Trevor said defiantly.
Damien was partially inclined to agree with him as he silently took in what was told to them and stared at the electric rift before them.
"I suppose this one's mine," he said grimly, removing his white hat to look at it reminiscently. He shook his head, squeezing the hat.
"No. We're not playing your games," Damien said, denying the memories that started to rise from the deepest parts of his mind.
"It is okay. I understand the first step is the most difficult. So I will make it for you," the pneumarian stated as the rift moved, enveloping all of them.
When they could see again, they were in the past. It was January 12, 2864. The scenery showed what Pasadena, California, looked like back then. It was an era of the fourth generation of smart cities compared to the current fifth generation. It was the day Damien was reborn.
He'd lived on his own from the beginning, never experiencing a family, having to survive the harshness of the lively city with his wits, but it hadn't bothered him. Then, at age 15, his abilities began to manifest. Of course, he was oblivious to their true nature back then, but with the secrets to spirit manipulation made public, due to the weakness of his powers at that age, it was easy for him to keep them under control on his own.
Damien looked around and saw the others were watching his memories. They were learning more about him than he cared to share. He felt uncomfortable. Exposed. The urge to resist crept further to the surface.
Still, the memories continued. He was 16 now. He was standing before a girl wearing a white hat–the same white hat he always carried with him.
"Hey, isn't that the hat you're wearin—," Naomi began but stopped when she saw a tear run down his cheek as he continued to watch the memories play out.
The girl had found him mysteriously intriguing, which led her to pursue a friendship that quickly evolved into something more. This was the first person Damien ever connected with. For over two years, their relationship flourished until it reached a more intimate level. Damien and the others watched the highlights of his memories with her.
As he watched painfully, he remembered their happy times, a time when he first felt the concept of love.
Thankfully, the pneumarian behind his torment had tact and moved the memories past the private sections. After their first night together, Damien was found by an acting Watcher from the Sadio family. In hindsight, Vicki, or Marlyn, had already defected from her position after finding Za'Fia by then. Damien had been the only Watcher found by the acting Watcher that century.
During his time with the Sadios, Damien's memories revealed that he continued his relationship with the girl. She'd call him every night. She'd tell him how much she loved him. Sometimes, she'd travel all the way to Quebec just to surprise him so they could spend time together. He remembered being ecstatic once he learned how to fly. He made sure they spent every day together after that. They flew across the world, traveling anywhere she wanted to go, seeing parts of the Earth most never get to.
"Wow, never took you for the romantic type," Arne commented.
"It was a long time ago," Damien said in a low voice as thunder boomed around them, catching everyone by surprise. Damien shut his eyes and looked away, knowing what was coming next. He tried to suppress the memory silently, not wanting to relive the emotions.
Unknowingly to Damien, resisting his memories caused the thunder to grow in response to his refusal. Damien began to feeling sharp pains in his head as the mindscape shook from another boom. Still, he was insistent in his denial.
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