She touched the smooth stone that surrounded her on all sides. How long had she been here? What had her life looked like before? The more she thought about it, the more the images in her head became blurry and colorless. _What do I know? _

_ _She was alone. There had never been anyone to give her comfort. At least, not for a long time. Her life was molded from the ashen clay of isolation. Loneliness held her small body down to the cold ground, tying her hands behind her back and shrouding her vision in a dark shade. _What if I left this place? Would I find meaning?_

_ There’s nothing out there for you. Your place, your purpose, is here. Do not wander, my child. _Her head echoed with the ancient voice of a being who called herself “Mother.” The girl had seen Mother only a handful of times, but her voice was always there. No escape. Always listening with her tall, black ears. Always watching with the flaming pits she had for eyes. Always sniffing out rebellion with her pointed nose, and tearing it to pieces with her razor-sharp teeth.

She placed her hands on her heart as tears slowly leaked onto her cheeks. She felt her chest rise and fall rapidly with her labored breathing. _What is this feeling? _She had felt it often before at the image or words of Mother, but she had never sought understanding. Not until this moment.

There is something brilliant about knowing your fate that bring you closer to understanding. It is up to oneself to find this understanding, however. When she had first discovered, she considered giving herself up. There was no turning back. No running away. What was to be would be. The blade of fate could not be denied its strike.

_I cannot feel anything; yet, I feel everything. _The weight of the world was placed onto her shoulders, and with it, the pain and suffering of all. Her body writhed in pain. She screamed for help. She knew nobody was there. Nobody was allowed to be there. _Soon it will be over. Soon I will no longer be alone. I must endure. I must reach the final destination._

“I am myself!” She shouted before watching her body shrivel like the skin of a raisin and finally disintegrate into nothing. Her mortal identity, if it had been anything at all, was gone. Her body was gone. Her life snatched from her. It was her soul. Her soul. It was all that remained.