The first thing you feel is warmth.

Not a scorching heat, but something steady, pulsing deep within you. It hums in rhythm with the world around you, urging you forward.

A crack splinters through the smooth surface surrounding you. Then another. Light seeps through the fractures, and before you can even think, the world pulls you outward.

A brilliant glow engulfs you as you take your first step, the remnants of your incubation chamber dissolving behind you. The floor beneath you is smooth and reflective, polished from the same gemstone-like material that stretches into the towering columns above. The air is still, heavy with an unspoken expectation.

You're not alone.

To your left, a tall, slender Gem stumbles forward, her form flickering as she stabilizes. Her skin is a deep, stormy blue, and strands of silvery-white hair cascade down her back. An Agate. Even unsteady, she radiates an air of command, her piercing gaze darting across the unfamiliar world.

On your right, another figure emerges—a smaller, stockier Gem with a deep orange hue. Their gemstone gleams at their shoulder, jagged and raw, like molten rock frozen mid-explosion. A Carnelian. They stretch their limbs with a lazy roll of their shoulders, adjusting to their new form with an almost casual ease.

Further ahead, yet another Gem stands, rigid and unmoving. Their sharp, angular form is tinted with a pale, shimmering yellow, their gemstone set neatly at the center of their chest. A Topaz, perhaps. Their golden eyes flick toward you briefly before refocusing on the figures ahead.

And then, there are them.

A row of taller, refined Gems stands at the front, watching. Their uniforms are pristine, their expressions unreadable. One steps forward, voice smooth and unwavering.

"You have emerged," they say, tone devoid of emotion. "Welcome to existence."

The universe has just begun for you