When Umbrum first saw light, he didn't know what to think about it.

It was a tiny speck on the border of his territory. It gave out a bit of heat, and was starting to fade. If he hadn't gone out to check his traps, he would've missed it entirely.

Umbrum reached out to touch it, curious. Its light became intense, and it exploded.

He covered his eyes, and saw a woman once he opened them. There were other balls of light around her, the first stars.

The woman was about his height, her skin was fair and rosy, her hair wavy and light indigo, her eyes lavender. She was petite, dressed in flowing fabric that sparkled in purples, magentas, and silvers. Modern humans would think that she was Central Asian, from Kazakhstan or some other neighboring country.

Urainia wasn't sure what to do once she awakened. Umbrum was rather intimidating and not very approachable. But it was worth attempting to speak with him, wasn't it?

"Hi..."

Umbrum blinked, and was silent for a time. He considered leaving her right then and there, but thought it'd be too callous.

"Hello...

... Do you have a name?"

"Urainia. What's yours?"

"I'm Umbrum."

Urainia repeated "Umbrum, Umbrum..."

Umbrum walked away, feeling weaker due to the abundance of light around him. Urainia followed him.

"Wait! I have a couple of questions!"

Umbrum sighed. "You can ask them all to me in my home."

Umbrum's home was a large palace made of darkness. It was large and grand, its tower reaching into the endless up, its foundation stretched ever down. Upon closer inspection, the surface seemed to ripple, like water.

Urainia was dazzled by the sight of it. "Is this all yours?"

"No, most of my creations live there, too. I don't really go into their rooms."

"So you're not alone?"

Umbrum looked at Urainia with intensity, trying to decipher if she had any ill intent. He found none, but he was still wary. "No, I'm not alone."

"Great! Can I meet some of your creations?"

Umbrum nodded, leading her closer to the palace.

The sight of it intimidated her, the tall spires, sharp angles, and overall very unwelcoming. She froze, and Umbrum turned to her.

"Are you alright? C'mon, you can go in."

"It looks unsafe."

"It isn't, you can trust that."

Tentatively, she walked closer, right behind Umbrum. Urainia could clearly see that the structure hummed and breathed, stirring a bit every so often. It was also impossible to traverse without zero gravity, with the stairs going in every direction at once.

Manx was at the door, with an injured shadow creature.

"Who's this?"

Umbrum was shocked at the sight of the injured creature, but didn't dawdle.

"I found her outside. She's new. You handle her, I'll handle Thrym."

Urainia sat on the couch of soft darkness, Manx standing across from her. Though intimidated by his appearance, Urainia had several questions.

"Where'd you come from?"

"Umbrum forged me, so he would feel less lonely."

Urainia's curiosity spiked.

"So you're very close?"

Manx did not see any ulterior motive behind the question. "He's my superior and best friend. And depending on how you interpret it, my father."

"Who else is he friends with?"

Manx gave Urainia a side glance. "Nobody. Every other shadow spirit is below my rank."

"Do you know why you are here, or I am?"

Manx looked Urainia right in the eyes. "No."

"Really?"

"All I know that I was made by Umbrum and I have to follow his orders."

"Don't you want something more out of life?"

Manx laughed, cruel. "What else is there for me? And what right do you, Urainia, have to ask me such a question? You're a babe talking to an adult! What do you know about life?"

"I know enough that I don't want to be ordered around, being told what to do all my life."

Manx crossed his arms. "I'm not you, though. This is exactly what I want out of life."

"Oh, I think I understand now. Sorry if I offended you."

Manx shook his head. "No problem, Urainia. Just be sure to respect Umbrum and his forces."

"Can I see him?"

He blinked. "I mean, sure, but why?"

"He's the first living thing I met, I can't help but be curious. Maybe he knows why I'm here!"

Umbrum did not.

"Other than us being characters in a book, I don't see why any of us were ever created."

Urainia blinked. "Do...do you have a creator?"

"I just showed up, alone. I don't know why I am here or what I'm supposed to do, but I found my purpose."

"Do you know what my purpose is?"

"No, but you could start by getting those light circles away from me."

Urainia made the light circles float away from Umbrum. She didn't like that he seemed so distant and reserved, and she was frustrated that she had no answers of what she was even supposed to with her life.

Light. If there's one thing she could do, it was creating light.

She ran, far, far away from the palace and created stars. Big stars, small stars, blue stars, red stars, pink stars, white stars.

Later, she tried to make a home of her own out of light. After many unsuccessful tries, she found success. It wasn't as wide, but a tall obelisk that emitted a soft light. Finding it a bit plain, she put a ring around it. She made sure to make it close to Umbrum's place, but far away enough to give him space.