"Um, hello!"

	Theo squinted between the balls of light, seeking the source of the voice. Beyond them he could see a boy, not much older than a child by the looks of him, approach with a hand in the air. A void followed him, a ball of black light, nearly hidden in the darkness.

	Theo raised his hand in response, opening his mouth to speak, but his attention was immediately snatched by the heavy sleeve sliding up his arm. Perplexed, he looked down. As if his thoughts of a Sundancer had been extracted from his mind, he was garbed exactly as he expected to be, down to the tiniest detail. Flowing white robes blanketed his body, cinched at the shoulders, arms and legs by brightly polished steel. A long slender blade hung at his left hip, and he was surprised to find that his palm was already resting naturally on the cool pommel, unconsciously, as if he had been doing it his entire life.

	Aside from that, though, he didn't [i]feel[/i] any different. He flexed the muscles in his body, but still they felt lethargic, unmotivated. [i]I have the sword,[/i] Theo thought. [i]But can I use it?[/i]

	Abruptly, a plum-colored orb came hurtling from thin air, and shortly behind it was a massive figure. The figure crashed headlong into the young boy approaching Theo, and they bounced apart. Theo managed to catch the boy in his arms and set him upright.

	"You okay?" Theo asked. He looked up at the intruder's imposing stature, protective instinct sparking in his chest. It was not human. It must have been three feet taller than him, and possessed neither skin nor muscle. It was only bone, wrapped in a robe.

	Yet, it had an orb, and despite its violent entry, did not appear intent on harming anyone. Regardless, Theo stepped in front of the boy to shield him, hand on his sword, face rising to meet the skeleton's eyeless gaze.

	"[color=fff79a][i]Easy, Theo,[/i][/color]" the golden orb said. "[color=fff79a][i]That's your ally. Just a bit of a rough landing, I guess.[/i][/color]"

	Theo let out a relieved breath, looking back up at the skeleton. It seemed amiable enough, even apologetic, though it was hard to read the face of a skull. He turned back toward the field, taking another look at the new world.

	"Hey, orb girl," Theo said. "I don't feel any different. Aren't I supposed to have powers?"

	The orb flew over, hovering before his face. Suddenly, it expanded, taking the shape of a rectangle. The shape and size, and the way it bloomed in the dark, it almost reminded him of...

	[i]...a computer screen.[/i] Numbers and icons were scribbled out before him. He read them over eagerly. Several values were displayed under headings.

	[i]HP: 239/239
	MP: 0/0
	EXP: 0/1000
	
	STR: 13
	DEX: 10
	AGI: 19
	INT: 8
	WIS: 18
	LUK: 10[/i]

	There were other sections, like Inventory, Equipment, Abilities. He checked the last section. His abilities were there - Shine, and Flash - but they were dull, gray, unlike the rest of the words in the orb-screen. [i]I guess I can't use them? Right, because it's night. Maybe that's why I feel so...normal.[/i] It was logical. If anything was logical at that point.

	"What's...'Particles?" Theo asked, looking at another section of the screen.

	The golden orb closed, then, returning to a spherical shape. It moved a few feet back. Then, exactly seven smaller lights appeared around it. Four were small, blue marbles. Two were orange, slightly larger. The last was larger than both, crimson in color. They floated in orbit around the orb.

	"[color=fff79a][i]These are Particles,[/i][/color]" the orb explained. "[color=fff79a][i]They are crystallized magic found throughout the land. Since I can't handle a lot of power on my own, these will help enhance you in ways I can't. They have a variety of powers, from enhancing your physical abilities, to granting you new skills, or allowing you to call the aid of great beings. When you find them, just give them to me and I will take care of the rest.[/i][/color]"

	"Wow," Theo said, beaming. "This is exciting. I can't wait to be even [i]more[/i] powerful."

	"[color=fff79a][i]It does have limits. Their size indicates their power. I can only hold four of the small ones, two of the medium ones, or one large one. One medium and two small work as well. But nothing more. Your body simply couldn't handle it.[/i][/color]"

	Theo waved a dismissive hand. "That should be plenty." He looked back to the others, speaking amongst themselves. They were strangers, but some were getting to know each other. [i]Allies, huh?[/i] He remembered one more part of the orb's screen. "Wait. For Party, it said 'none'. They're not in my Party?"

	"[color=fff79a][i]Not yet. You need to form them individually. You need to choose an ally you get along with. Otherwise your energy won't sync, and it could backlash with some nasty consequences.[/i][/color]"

	"I see," Theo said. He watched the group.