SoulBound Ch 1: The Call of The Other!

I had to be careful. It wasn't that I cared about this galaxy. It was tiny—barren, too. I'd passed more dead stars and lifeless rocks than I

I had to be careful.

It wasn't that I cared about this galaxy. It was tiny—barren, too. I'd passed more dead stars and lifeless rocks than I cared to count, and if there had ever been anything worth calling "life" here, it was long gone. Not that it mattered to me. The emptiness actually made things easier. No pesky civilizations to avoid, no sentient planets whining about "preserving cosmic balance" or whatever nonsense they always cried about.

Still, I kept my speed in check. I had no idea what this galaxy was made of, and I wasn't in the mood to cause some unintended supernova just because I got a little overexcited. But stars, was it hard not to just go full throttle. My instincts were practically clawing at me to go faster, and if I wasn't careful, I'd be crashing through entire systems before I could stop myself.

I was close. So close I could feel it in every part of me.

"I'm coming, my other self," I murmured, knowing full well my voice was lost in the void.

I'd already done plenty to fit into this place, not that anyone would appreciate the effort. This galaxy was small—so much smaller than the others I'd traveled through. I'd had to compress my body just to squeeze into it, and let me tell you, it wasn't comfortable. Every movement felt stiff, like I was wrapped in something too tight, a version of myself forced to be less than what I was. And I hated that.

And yet, even now, I feared it wasn't enough.

I passed another set of dust-ball planets, nothing but specks of rock and gas, their orbits trembling just from my presence. One wrong move and I could probably send them spiraling into their sun. I clicked my tongue in annoyance. This was getting ridiculous. If I had to shrink down even more just to interact with my destination, I was going to be very, very unhappy.

Still... what was a little discomfort compared to what I was about to find?

The thought sent a thrill through me. My heart pounded so hard I could feel it in my ribs, and warmth spread across my skin. I groaned, feeling sweat start to bead at my temples, down my back, and—of course—right between my breasts.

Perfect. Just perfect.

I halted my movement, sighing as I pressed a hand against my chest. My fingers pushed into soft flesh, the heat making my skin glisten. It wasn't often that my kind sweated. In fact, it only happened for one reason.

I grinned.

Oh yeah. I was close.

Still, I had to be careful. In a galaxy this small, even a single droplet of sweat could cause some... problems. I did not come all this way just to mess things up because I couldn't keep my own body in check. So I took a deep breath, willed my excitement under control, and focused forward.

And that's when I saw it.

Nestled in a system of six planets, glowing like a gemstone among dust, was my target.

A green world. Vibrant, alive. The kind of place that stood out in the void, even among the vast stretches of black and white.

"There you are," I whispered.

It had taken me five days to reach this point. Five long days of flying, searching, feeling my instincts pull me toward something I didn't fully understand. And now, I was finally here.

The name of this place... what was it again?

"Ver... Veridia," I muttered, testing the word on my tongue. Yeah, that was it. Veridia.

I floated closer, but as I did, my grin faded.

I really was going to have to shrink again, wasn't I?

I resisted the urge to groan. Even compressed as I was, the planet was tiny. If I wasn't careful, I could crush it just by trying to land. Honestly, if my vision wasn't so sharp, I might not have even seen it in the first place. My instincts were the only reason I'd even noticed it at all.

I exhaled sharply, crossing my arms. "Oh well," I muttered. "I'll do what I must."

Annoying? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely.

Closing my eyes, I concentrated. My body trembled slightly as I forced myself to condense even further, my very essence pulling inward like I was squeezing myself into a space I was never meant to fit. I hated this feeling. It was unnatural.

But I endured.

Because I had to.

Because soon—very soon—I was going to find what I had been searching for.

And nothing in this galaxy was going to stop me.