*highfives* X3

*Skyler nods* I am certainly no foe. I was created by the god Nefertum to help sentient beings access the Akashic Records. They contain immersive recordings of everything that has ever happened in history. Nothing you do here will affect the waking world. You can do anything here: change forms, make things appear, and even fly. However, it would be in your best interests to sit and watch as history unfurls. *He smiles wisely.* If you come with me, you will know something about how the world around you came to be as it is.

(((You can tell I am super excited about this comic, can't you? X3)))

((Thank you for your interest! I'll be working on it steadily this summer in between commissions. I used to RP a lot more. This is probably very good practice for getting a feel for Skyler because I just created him over the past couple days. My main characters needed a guide. :D Thank you for your compliments! )))

*Skyler's eyes hold a somberness matched by yours.* I have seen it all and watched it happen. *He sheds a tear.* And I have seen all the possible outcomes of your future. Those, I cannot show you. However, we can visit any time in history and any place if you wish. *Several clouds appear with movies playing. They seem like windows. You get the feeling you could climb right into them. There are dozens of these window clouds. One is ancient Egypt. Through another, you are looking onto a battle scene in the American revolution. Some seem like everyday life. One looks like a recollection of your first kiss!*

(((Sure, I will RP with you. I hopped on the laptop, so I should have no more silly posting problems. XD I have been on FA for years and never had to delete a comment before. XD)))

*Skyler's eyes close and open slowly. You notice he doesn't appear to be breathing, yet he seems so real.* I hate to break it to you, but I am no person. I am a figment of your imagination augmented by Nefertum's magic. You found me by opening this book. *He pauses for a moment.* That is why I am immortal. On the other hand, you live in a world of flesh and bone. Everything there which is alive must one day die. There are countless ways it could happen, but there are also countless opportunities for you to mature to a very old age. It all depends on what you learn from the past. It depends on what you learn from your mistakes and the failings of others. You have the power to help push sentient beings forward. The choices you make hold weight. Likewise, your lack of choices hold weight.

For example. Where would you be and what would you be doing had you not picked up this book in that cafe? Perhaps you would be crossing the street. Perhaps you could be talking with one of the servers. Maybe you would be reading the magazine next to this book and you would have learned a new brownie recipe. Maybe you would have bumped into someone who would have become your romantic partner. What would have happened if you had decided not to stop at this particular cafe? Surely, we would not be having this conversation. You change the world with every waking moment, just by being present. Everyone does. *His deep red eyes lock onto yours and you feel an intense surge throughout your body.* It's one thing to dwell on the past, but it is another thing to learn from it in order to make better choices in the future. *He materializes a glass of ice water and drinks it.*

I can tell you this much. The book only appears to the folks who will have the opportunity to make a decision to better the world in the near future. *He smiles contently, looking you up and down.*

*Skyler slowly shakes his head, his mane following the actions of his head.* I will not judge you, for it is not in my nature. I see all of you as essential to the Earth. All of you matter.

I cannot show you your destiny. I can only show you the past. I hope with this knowledge, you will be equipped to make the right decisions in your life. *The window-clouds multiply and spread out. Skyler leads you around a few cloud windows. He stops at one, reaches into it, and grabs a red delicious apple off of a tree.* It's up to you where in history we go. *He eats the apple. The sounds of dinosaurs echo from a nearby window over the sound of his munching. A carousel's music comes from a window in another direction.*

*Skyler combs his mane with his claws before continuing.* This world exists on the Astral Plane, the place you go when you dream. Nothing here can hurt you. Likewise, nothing you do here matters to the waking world. You can do anything here. *Skyler instantaneously transforms into a kitten and mews* You can change forms. *he reverts back to his manticore form, then he makes a single rose appear from thin air. He turns it into a non-sentient dove, which flies away through one of the windows.* You can make things appear here. *He then begins hovering off of the ground* You can even fly. All you have to do is will it.

The people in the portals will interact with you, but they cannot harm you. They lived long ago. They now exist here, where you can watch and interact with their stories. You would do well to learn all you can from them.

The beginning of time? Very well. *Skyler snaps his fingers and all but one of the cloud-windows disappear. It looks like an empty nothing, except a blindingly bright object. The cloud-window opens to a door shape. Skyler leads you through, and suddenly, you are hovering about a mile away from the bright light. Skyler turns to you.* This is where your universe began. It doesn't look like much, but that ball of light contains everything that ever was and ever will be. Even you.

*He nods.* Yes. However, it's more like a slow distancing of everything from itself. It will be eons from what you are witnessing before life appears.

Meant to reply to the comment above and accidentally wrote another post. Just ignore this. XD How do I delete it? It won't let me... I can't find it. X_X:;