"You know why you're here Thana," a deep voice boomed in the darkness. Thana awoke on a cloud of dust surrounded by nothing. She was alone, but the voice didn't come from her head, or did it? She shook the thought from her mind and sat up.

Where is here, Thana thought.

This is space, one of my many creations. The voice chuckled in her head as Thana looked for the source of the words.

"Who are you?" Thana said out loud.

I am Universe, no 'the' in my title. I am the creator of space, and everything in it. We speak through our thoughts Thana. Try thinking your words rather than disrupt the silence of the galaxy. Thana stood up and a wisp of black smoke flowed behind her with every movement, like silks in the wind. Come, this way. She didn't know which way so she began taking delicate steps forward, wherever forward led to. Look around you. Notice the stars, the planets. Your planet.

For the first time, Thana's eyes wandered from the consuming emptiness, taking in her surroundings. Stars dotted the cold black space as far as the eye could see. Her gaze settled on Earth, her planet, her home. How did she even get here? The last time she checked, she was in her bed, on the planet that she now looked at from afar. Thana's thoughts wandered through the possibilities until she landed on dreaming. This must all be a dream, she thought.

Reading her mind again, Universe answered. Dear Thana, you aren't dreaming. I brought you here.

I don't understand. Thana shook her head in disbelief. It wasn't possible to go to bed and wake up on a cloud in the middle of space. It had to be a dream.

If you don't believe me, then jump off the cloud. There is infinite space and you'll float endlessly through darkness. There's nothing here to stop you, so do it.

Thana looked back at the edge of the cloud and into the plunging darkness, and for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to jump over the edge. It was a strange feeling. Her will couldn't overpower the nagging truth that this was all happening.

See? You force yourself to think this is nothing but an illusion, but deep down, you know this is real. Universe's words frustrated Thana, but she found she couldn't deny it.

A glowing, bright red sphere passed beneath the cloud that caught her attention. Are we moving? Thana peered over the side of the cloud at the fiery ball. Blistering heat radiated from its surface and she had to lean back to avoid the scorching waves that blew in her face.

Yes, the cloud is floating through space. That, was Ignia, the planet of fire.

But there's no planet of fire in the solar system, Thana thought, staring back at the planet that glowed a brilliant red-orange.

There is now, the four new planets I brought here. Ignia, Hydron, Geolon, and Aeros. The planets of the four elements. You have been chosen as Earth's representative, Universe explained. Now, turn around and meet the others.

Thana whirled around, black smoke trailing behind her. There stood two male and two female god-like people. A round table carved from a small asteroid sat behind them, five pillars surrounded the table, towering high overhead, high enough to disappear into the darkness. Thana looked down at herself. Her black leggings and grey North Face jacket had been replaced by a flowing, dark grey, sleeveless dress. Two long pieces of black silk draped from the back of her dress and tied to silver bangles on her wrists and hung down.

The five of you have been chosen to carry out a task of the Universe, me. Hali of Hydron, Terran of Geolon, Beval of Aeros, Blaise of Ignia, and Thana of Earth, you are the seventeenth galaxy, the Milky Way. I gave your planets a source of power, a kind of magic, to assist you. To Earth, I gave nothing, for I had made a species that would be capable of miraculous things.

Humans, Thana looked down.

Indeed, humans were, at a time, one of my greatest creations, but their evolution surpassed my original expectations. They have become a danger to this galaxy. They destroyed a planet, tore apart their own, and disrupted the balance of everything I created. Universe's voice became more intense with each and every word. Thana, I believe you would understand the destruction humans have caused.

Thana knew of the things her kind had done and even experienced a handful of it. She watched the news footage of the Colony who had to evacuate Mars after a mining incident that left a portion of the planet blown to bits that now orbited the sphere like moons. She was there when thousands of species went extinct from overusing the Earth's natural resources. I do understand, I have seen humans harm Earth countless times, and what I don't understand, is why I still look seventeen even though I'm a hundred and sixty seven years old. Thana crossed her arms and looked upward which seemed to be the most reasonable place to look considering there was no physical trace of the voice's owner.

Thana, you are the first immortal human. Thana's eyes widened, trying to take in the small bit of information that answered her biggest question since she was a teenager. You see, immortals will grow, but at a certain age, time stops for them. They don't grow, change, or die. They will exist forever. The words reverberated in her head

Thana turned her attention back to the other representatives at the table. There was a blonde girl, no more than twenty three years, wearing a rippling, ocean blue dress with metallic fabric placed intricately to simulate water with her every move. Probably from Hydron, Thana thought.

"That's right, I'm Hali." Her voice was relaxed and calming, like ripples in lake water.

"You don't speak telepathically?" Thana asked.

"Only to Universe. To you or the others, we speak verbally. That's Terran, from Geolon." Hali cocked her head to her left.

A middle-aged man with a strong build, wearing a green, leaf-like shirt and brown pants decorated with flowers, waved a silent hello from his position on the far side of the table. His shaggy brown hair was in messy curls down to his shoulders with a twig here and there. His skin looked like tree bark with deep, rough groves somewhere between hickory and sweet gum. Thana shook his hand, surprised by the softness of his skin against hers. "Pleasure to meet you Thana. Know that it is an honor to be chosen by the universe." He had kind eyes. Amber in color with flecks of green that accented the small, upward curve of the corners of his mouth giving him an old uncle appeal. His expression gave Thana an odd sense of comfort.

"But I'm just a human who has lived over a century. What good am I to you? I don't possess magic or knowledge of space." Thana looked from Hali to Terran for an answer.

"You are exactly what we need, a representative of the only planet holding life, other than our own, of course. You see those streams of black smoke behind you?" Hali pointed to the black wisps floating off of Thana. "You have a connection to darkness, perhaps one of the first in centuries."

Darkness rarely bonded to anyone, and the truly broken people were the most vulnerable. Thana, losing everyone she held dear, made a perfect target. She lost her parents and siblings in the 2026 earthquake when she was eighteen. Their apartment collapsed, burying her family in ash and rubble. Being immortal, Thana had survived and moved in with her grandparents who passed away when Thana was in her twenties. Over the years, she lost everyone she ever cared about and unnoticeably bonded to the darkness.

Hali stepped toward Thana as she explained. "Hold out your hand. Think of something that makes you sad, angry, or frustrated." Hali took out a hidden jar of water and poured it into the open palm of her hand. Miraculously, the liquid maintained a perfect bubble, suspended in the air. "Now you try."

"But I don't have a jar of water." Thana marveled at the floating ball of water and frowned.

"Silly, you only need your thoughts." Hali stifled a laugh, shaking her head. "Unlike me, you can conjure darkness whenever and wherever you want. Your power is fueled by negative emotions. The stronger your anger or sadness, the more you can do."

Thana looked down at her hands and the black silk-like streams floating off of her. Hali's instructions seemed simple enough. Determination filled her whole body as she attempted to conjure a negative feeling.

Hali nodded, holding her own bubble of water up as encouragement. The liquid changed shapes, stretching and swirling fluidly into new forms. She made it look so easy, as if controlling water required no effort and it made Thana frustrated at how simple it was.

Out of Thana's open palm, black dust spiraled in a mesmerizing loop. It wrapped around her and settled in a ball, hovering above her hand. She thought of her parents, and when she lost them. The guilt came back to her, how she wasn't able to help them. For years, Thana had blamed herself for her family's death and now the images of them being crushed under the building had resurfaced in her mind. The sphere grew with her emotions until a dark shadow of herself appeared next to her.

"You're a fast learner. Now if you could think happier thoughts before your shadow attacks us, it would be much appreciated." Hali took a step back, watching Thana's shadow continue to grow.

In the cloud of emotions that had flooded her mind, Thana found it near impossible to tear away from the guilt that she had long since thought about. She had kept the tear-jerking feelings hidden in the back of her memory where they became no more than distant thoughts. Her concentration was broken when a bright orange ball incinerated the dark form next to her.

A girl about the same physical age as Hale, with fiery red hair pulled back in a ponytail, stood leaning against one of the pillars next to Terran. She extinguished the small flame in her hand, quickly balling it into a fist. She glowered at Thana, crossing her arms, not saying a word. She wore a knee length red dress that seemed to burn like hot coals without emitting any heat. Hali gave a warning look and the girl sighed. "First, let's get two things straight." The girl looked at Thana directly in the eye and continued. "I don't like you and don't get in my way." Her tone was filled with hatred and Thana nodded, afraid of being the next fireball target.

"Well, that would be Blaise. She'll come around eventually." Hali shot an 'I'll explain later' look.

Thana thought it best to keep some distance between her and Blaise in the meantime.

Blaise looked to the last representative, "Beval doesn't talk much and he's not a people person. He spends most of the time with his head in the clouds, literally."

Beval was tall and slim, wore a light grey tunic and torn, black pants. He had unusually light hair with the occasional feather woven through as if a part of him. He was physically here, but his mind was elsewhere and Thana could see the same expression on his face that usually shone on her own. It was somewhere between reality and his own little world, thoughts and dreams. Sprouting from his back were a pair of smoky eagle wings that touched the ground. He looked as much like a teenager as she did, considering they were all immortal, and quickly nodded before looking down again.

Thana had no time to return the gesture but made a quick mental note to talk to Beval some other time. The other representatives stood together, sharing side glances and Thana realized they must have known each other prior to her arrival.

There was a short moment of silence before Universe broke the tension. Thana, you are the newest addition to the team and we believe you are the key to completing the task. As I explained before, humans have crossed the line and have begun tearing the world apart, and your job, is to put an end to their existence.