***NEED WORK

It's a weird feeling, floating.
Actually, I'm not even sure if that was what I was doing. In fact, I wasn't really sure of anything. How could I put this feeling in words?

Something was different; I felt different. Everything was white, a clear and gentle tone; not too bright or dim. My mind was clearer and sharper than ever, but there's nothing to make sense of. I couldn't determine if I was dreaming or awake, clouded or completely conscious. I still can't make clear if I'm numb and fuzzy or I could feel everything in extra-fine tune. It was like feeling the fine, velvety texture of air.

Yup, the soft, fuzzy tingling feeling of nothing.

I breathed in and out, not knowing what else to do. The air was fresh and pleasantly sweet on my tongue. The cool air swept down my throat and swirled inside my chest, filling the empty space. I was hollow, empty-feeling... no, clean. I was calm, relieved, and sad? I felt light...like floating.

So maybe I was floating, physically, spiritually or whatever you could call this.

I felt a twinge of nervousness as I lifted my hand to the front of my face. I saw my hand, still in the human form, just as I remembered. Slowly, I brought it to my face. My skin tingled as my fingertips pressed against my cheekbone, my forehead and my jaw. Then my eyes, nose, mouth and ears. All there, just as I remembered.
I sat up and looked around. I hadn't realized that I was lying on my back. I saw my legs, my arms and my torso. Heavy gear boots, grey cargo pants and a black sleeveless top; another familiar setting. No visible changes on my body.

Dazed, I got to my feet. And I was in awe at how easy and effortless the movement was.
Light, like floating.

"Whoa," I breathed, my voice syncing with someone elses.

I wheeled around, and again I was wowed at the ease of the move.

Then I froze when I saw my face staring right at me.

I stared, and he stared back. A sudden wave of fear, excitement and wonder pushed through me, leaving me breathless. The guy that stared back was unmistakably me; he had the same gear, same swirling deep blue eyes, and the same messy black hair. But I stared, unable to help myself.
I was right, something had changed.
The face I saw was familiar, but also foreign. Too different to be me. And it scared me.
The face staring back was far too perfect to be me, or human for that matter. Angelic. Powerful. Dominant. It took me a few more second until a shocking realization hit me, knocking the air out of me yet again.

"Zarda, what the hell happened to you?" I hissed out, dazed.

The angelic being blinked, as if he was snapping out of a trance.
"I should ask the same thing about you," he said.

I flinched at the sound of his voice. It was Zarda's voice, but there were many different tones layered on top of another, coming out in a soothing, clear lullaby.
Zarda noticed it too, and his eyes went wide.

"Zavius, what happened to us?" my twin asked.
Us?

"A bit alarming, isn't it?" a cool velvet voice mused.

Zarda and I both turned to see a girl, a very pretty girl, standing just about two yards away, flanked by four men. They were all graceful, angelic and not human. Like Zarda. I felt myself shrink back, feeling inferior.
The girl seemed to notice and turned her bright gaze to me.

"Oh come, Zavius; we won't bite," she said, smiling and flashing a row of perfect, white teeth.

Despite her reassurance, I felt my heart flutter with unease.

"Who are you? What happened to us?" I demanded, tense.

The girl's smile faltered and gave me a sad smile.

"What's the last thing you remember?" she asked softly.

I blinked, trying to shake off the hazy feeling and thought hard. What came before the whiteness?

***

...it was raining, pouring. The raindrops fell hard and stung against my skin.
And I was...screaming. Screaming at the sky, just to scream.
Anger. Despair. Loss. Pain.
Everything hurt, inside and out. I was heaving, my chest heavy as if my heart had been ripped out. Fierce emotions flared and I threw my bloodstained sword aside. It clattered and skidded across the rough rocky surface of the ground.
Sharp pain stabbed through my side and my knees gave out. I stumbled and crashed to the ground, gripping my side. I gasped, panting for air.
I pulled my hand away and stared down at it.
My fingers were stained dark red...

"Haz... Zarda..." I rasped, before everything went black...

***

"No," I heard Zarda breathe, his voice hushed in shock. "No, it can't be..."

I couldn't say anything, I couldn't think or breathe right. The girl gave me a mournful look but otherwise said nothing. That sinking feeling dropped all the way down to my toes.

"We're dead," I finally said, my tone flat.

The girl winced at the word dead and pouted, while managing to look like a super model in a photoshoot.

"Well, not to the exact meaning of the word," she said, sounding a little sheepish.

My attention turned completely to the girl.

"What do you mean?" I demanded, my voice flowing in layers.

In shock, I slapped my hand over my mouth. My voice completely matched Zarda's.
Angry, soothing, clear and powerful all at the same time, same breath. I glanced at Zarda and we exchanged nervous and confused looks.
The girl clicked her tongue and shifted her weight to one side, hands placed delicately on her hips.

"Dead; not a pretty word, is it? Dead: no longer living. Lifeless. Numb. Inanimate. Obsolete," she mused out loud.

She looked at me with a pleasant look, her pale green eyes sparkling.
I stared back like she was crazy. Was I supposed to answer?

"Do any of these adjective describe you right now?" she asked.

"No." Zarda and I said in sync, sounding incredulous.

The girl raised an eyebrow at our tone. She said nothing like she was waiting for us to say something.
Zarda stepped forward, unsure.

"But we were---"

"'Dying'? Oh I'm sure you were," the girl cut in. "We all have to start somewhere in the 'death' process. I know I had to, to get here anyway."

"So we died, but not dead..." I said, confused.

The girl sighed exasperatedly, shaking her head.

"Alright, listen. I don't want to stay up here for too long and I'm not planning on it. I'm going to explain this once so you two just shut up and listen, get-it-got-it-good." she said, sparing no space for debate.

Zarda and I looked at each other and shrugged in sync, like most of the things we do together.

The girl blinked and looked at each of us. She finally sighed, shaking her head.

"Deus, identical twins. Really, Ravador? It's not like I don't have enough to do so why throw in two-of-a-kind I can't pull or tell apart?" she muttered to herself.
I looked at Zarda, and Zarda looked at me. We both sized each other up.
Me? Like that? If only.

"Oh stop it with your telepathic twin nogin-to-nogin talk! Enough with the syncing too." the girl growled.

I turned back to her and waited. Another deep breath and she started.

"So, the very last memory you have in your human life is your death. And yes, you did die, no, you're no longer human and no, we are not ghosts." she said, when she saw Zarda's alarmed expression. I can imagine mine looking something like that.
"But seeing that you are here, you are not dead; you just changed. Improved. Well, a part of you anyway."

I looked down in alarm, patting down my torso in search of any missing pieces.
The girl ignored me and went on.

"Don't get me wrong, there's still a body in the human world, the Living, that was once you. This is merely a transfer and transformation of the Life Source. When you guys were human, you were carrying your individual Life. When you died, it left its container, the body, and you guys 'solidified'." she said.

Instantly, many questions floated up to the surface of my mind.

"So if we're not human, we died but not ghosts, what are we?" I asked.

The girl smiled warmly as if she approved the pace of this conversation.
"I suppose now's the time to congratulate you on your Immortality," she said.

Immortality.
It was not something I thought about before. Now, it was everything. It was as if all the logic and rules I've learned and accepted were shattered with that one easy word. I was lost in a world that shouldn't be existing.

I turned to my twin, a habit when I felt uneasy. He caught my glance and gave me a weak smile.

"Hey, immortality looks great on you, Zav," he said lightly.

Really? No way!

"You should see yourself. You're a piece of work." I said.

"Oh for crying out loud, you're twins! Completely identical! Both of you are great looking so get over yourselves," the girl groaned.

"Really?" we asked, syncing.

The girl threw her arms up in exasperation. She looked at us with an appalled look.

"Double-Trouble, you two," she muttered.
She sighed and looked at me.
"That's it? That's all you got for me? No twenty-questions? I'm disappointed." she pouted, tossing her long light golden brown hair dismissively.

I shook my head in response, and questions started to flood to my mind.
"I'm still very confused." I said.

The girl nodded with understanding.
"Of course. That was only a brief, rough explanation of what happened. Don't worry, you'll adjust."

"Adjust?"

The girl smiled.
"You may not feel it yet, but your strength and energy have increased ten-folds. Your senses are now extremely high tuned, and they might be a bit annoying for a while. And there's also another thing you should get ready for, something we'll need to teach you guys as soon as possible." she said.

"What about our voices?" Zarda asked.

"Ah, yes. Once you learn to control your Energy, your voice will settle back to almost what it was. Don't worry, I just meant that your voice is more clear, that's all." she added hastily when Zarda did a double take.
She turned back and started to walk away.
"So come on, I told you I'm not planning on staying here," she said.

"To where?" I asked.

The girl stopped and looked back.
"Home, Double-Trouble. Our home-sweet-home. We have a few others like yourselves waiting for more explanation. So let's get going," she said.

And she and the four men disappeared into thin air.

"What? Wait!" I yelled, and I trotted over to where the girl was standing only seconds before. Zarda followed.

"Where did she go?" Zarda asked, swatting at the air before us.

I was about to answer when a sharp sound come from behind us.

"Sorry! I forgot you guys don't know how to do that yet!" the girl chattered cheerfully.

In one swift movement, she had her small frame sandwiched in between us, each of her arms linked with ours.

"Let's get outta here; this place gives me the creeps!" she piped.
And the next moment, the air slipped past us and the white melted away to reveal a breath-taking landscape.

The sky was pure, light crystal blue, spreading in a delicate canopy over great looming mountains with white icy caps. Six moons were set in the sky in an off-set white that just faintly glowed against the pale blue. But the most impressive feature was the huge cluster of towers in the very center of the whole scene. There were at least fifty towers in the shimmery-white cluster, and around that was a vast field, isolating the towers from the rest of what seemed like a city. The streets of the city spread outward, weaving together like an intricate spiderweb.
It was the most beautiful scenery I've seen.

"Boy, the girls back home are gonna love you two," the girl said dryly, snapping me out of my awe.
"Welcome to Stranaglastre, Galiasis. The Four Gates Union headquarters."

"It's beautiful," Zarda said, his eyes wide.

The girl smiled widely with excitement.
"Wait till you see inside the towers. Oh, I almost forgot. I'm Thya, by the way."