• The darkness seemed to loom all around him, the shroud thicker than his own body. Was he still in his body? Or, had he somehow gotten into one of those out-of-body experiences?

    The time for mental though only lasted for a short time, as he soon was feeling the sensation of falling without the movement. It was extremely nauseating, and it made him want to throw up. As the sensation subsided, several glowing figures, all in white cloaked shrouds, approached through the darkness. As they got closer, something inside of him stirred.

    "You need not fear, Child of Ethropa, as I will speak on your behalf..." The voice said, the voice taking form in front of him as a white sphere. The floating figures floated before him, the space between them either a mile or a meter, as he couldn't really tell distance. His vision, as well as all his other senses were thrown off by the enthralling feeling of being outside his body but still in it.

    "You, child of Ethropa... You have violated a sacred treaty. You have ventured outside of your plane and now float between the Expanse. Do you have a reason for this, or do you even know where you are?" The group of white cloaked figures ominously speaking.

    "He is not to speak, as he is within the care of the protector of Ethropa, an embodied soul within the plane of Ethropa. You, the council of Planes Walkers, will speak directly to me, as I am part of his soul and will be part of his judgment."

    "You, a protector, have fallen into the body of a... mortal? When was this to pass?" One of the figures asked, curious.

    "You don't need to concern yourself with that, as I cannot undo the fusion of protector and protected. Let us move on..."

    The council apparently was ready to move on to other matters. What had he done? He had merely appeared here, not even knowing how he got here. The last thing he remembered was... Seria! She was still there! As he was attempting to move, he felt the dead weight of his limbs hanging in the massive expanse. The sphere began to speak, but within his own mind. Do not try and move. No mortals can move when they are in the Expanse, not unless they have the appropriate spectral tools. You will only waste the energy and make the council's judgment that much harder...

    "You will take his punishment with the child, rather than kill him and separate?" The council said, as a whole.

    "The child is mine to protect, and it is against my duty to kill those that I protect. Do not mistake my choice as arrogance or stupidity, but an act of honor." The sphere spoke, more commanding than it had before.

    "The child, with you then, shall go through the Trials..."

    The sound of this didn't make him feel much better about his situation. He barely remembered anything, the fogginess of the Expanse an almost mind-numbing sight.