He was blinded, yet he could still see. Your eyes betray you, they only see the physical and never the energy that binds us. To walk in the ocean of the rift is to see what the real world looks like. However, the light grows dark, the realms between energy and matter are weak, but there, at the end of the tunnel she stands, her arms open and welcoming embrace. – The Goddess.

Her faint smile hides her pain which she tries to keep hidden, her people all but dead, scattered, her once beautiful city now lies a demonic ruin, a cruel sense of irony on their part. The Rift Stones and Shards tainted with dark energy, their peaceful purpose twisted and raped into a breeding ground of evil. This was the darkness.

A part of Alex wanted to go with the Goddess, retreat back into the realm of the Rift; a place where no demon shall be able to enter, but then he would be abandoning the realm of matter, the lives that live within, to become playthings for the demons. This he could not allow, he wanted to restore his people, return to Marble City and rebuild it. But he was too weak, using his power to save the lives of forty-seven children before the demons could destroy them had taken his energy beyond a regenerative state. He needed the shards, relearn the old ways before he could fight once again.

Alex opened his eyes, the Realm of Matter was visible once more, the tavern in front of him, the ruined shack. But this… this was his home now, the people within, were as varied as they come, but all without demonic taint, so they were friends.
Alex stood up, straightening out his clothing and brushing his hand across his hair.
He had to locate the first shard.