Rebirth

He knew little, remembered nothing.

He had to keep spinning, keep moving. That was important. Why? No idea, but it was important, so he focused on spinning. He was small, he realized, small and weak. Not able to do much, although he didn't know what he should be doing if he were stronger. Yet, he felt a longing inside of him, something that needed to happen. All around him he felt nothing, a void that frightened him a litte, but also made him feel safe. Warmth fell on him, he tried feeding off of it but couldn't remember how to do it. Something was missing, an important part of him was not there anymore.

He stopped spinning and tried to remember what he was missing. He got colder and felt an unknown sensation. There was a pressure below him that increased, almost unbearable now. He swiftly started to rotate again, until he felth warm again. It wasn't enough, the pressure kept threatening him, a dark abyss of horror below him, so he spun faster. He hit something!

When he tried to determine what he hit, he felt the edge of his being disappear. Struck by panic, he stopped moving. Whatever lay below him was better than having what little he had disappear. It didn't help. The creature that had a hold of him kept him at this altitude. There was no escape. Little by little he became smaller, weaker. In a last effort to save himself, he reached out to his attacker. He couldn't feel much anymore, but he was able to scan the surface of the creature. He saw how his attacker used the outer edge of his body as a grate, to tear him apart. Now that was something he could do too, couldn't he? Not much of a choice left now. He swiftly flattened his body, until his outer edge was sharp enough. With every spin he made, he aimed to destroy the thing that was attacking him. He was locked in a fierce battle for survival, no chance to withdraw. The cells he consumed from his opponent strengthened him, expanded his mind, his memories. Suddenly remembering how, he changed his body in an orb form and spun over his enemy until nothing remained.

After he consumed all cells, he felt stronger and bigger. Now he could reach out and feel much further. He sought and found other beings. Most were close to his size, all were hunting each other. He needed to do the same. It was important that he grew. Then he could do what he had to, even if he still couldn't remember what that was. He prepared to join the fight, but hesitated. At the edge of his abilities he could sense a large creature coming nearer. His instinct told him to go the other way. He wasn't ready for that fight. Not yet.

He knew more, remembered something.

But still not enough to know what it was he had to do. Just keep hunting, that was the only plan he had. Every creature he absorbed brought him closer to his goal, expanded his mind, he could sense that. He swiftly scanned his surroundings but found nothing. He had no choice, he needed to go higher. He needed to face the bigger enemies. Was he ready for it? Was he strong enough? Not sure, but he couldn't stay here.

He felt the pull of the planet below him. It was a planet, that much he knew, but nothing more. He couldn't remember where he was, or why. His name, where he came from, he could almost remember. Those memories came in flashed that shot through his mind, only to vanish again. The answers he was looking for were above him, he knew that much. He increased his speed just enough to slowly gain altitude.

A target! Big, but not that much bigger than himself. Had the creature sensed him yet? No doubt, speed was of the essence now. He spun faster, changed himself in an orb and flew right at his target. The creature responded instantly, tried to avoid him, but much too late. He hit it full on and managed to destroy a portion of his opponent. He absorbed as much of it as he could before swiftly retreating again. Hit and run tactics were his best option now, no point in risking a direct confrontation and putting himself in danger. He waited, studied his opponent and what he was doing. A spherical defense, not easy to penetrate, but not impossible. He had to be careful, if he hit that sphere the wrong way, his opponent could pin him down and destroy him. But has too close to his goal to turn back now and his previous fights had taught him much.

He hurled himself at his target at full speed. Without hesitation or defense, or so it seemed. Just before he was going to hit his opponent's barbs, he deviated from his course. Barely missing his target, he changed his mass on his right side and flung his matter like a harpoon into the defending orb. He fled and dragged out a large chunk, which he swiftly absorbed. Hit and run, over and over again, never giving his opponent a chance to strike back. When his target was little more than a speck, he spread out his mass and covered it like a blanket. His insides were rotating fast, destroying what little resistance was left and he focused on assimilating the remaining cells. When that was done, he expanded his consciousness again to find his next target.

At that moment he felt his body being pierced by several attacks. He had forgotten to watch his surroundings in the heat of the fight. And now he was going to have to pay the price. He whirled with all the power he had, tried to pull himself free, to run. But nothing worked. His attacker was efficient, using his weapons to pin him down and drain him dry at the same time. He needed power. More energy, just a little bit more. He had to find it, no matter how.

The sun, he realized, that was the solution. The eternal well, his final hope. A tentacle sprung from his body and aimed itself at the sun. He wasn't sure how it would work, but it did. His forces renewed, he managed to pull free. His attacker didn't follow him, most likely too surprised to see his prey escape. A big mistake.

The first energy boost from the sun had helped him escape. Now he created new tentacles to draw in even more power. So he could strike more efficiently. The fight did not last long after that.

He knew all, remembered everything.

This planet was not his home. It was his prison. The black of space, so near and yet so unattainable, that was where he lived. Floating on starwinds, from one solar system to the next. Draw energy from the sun and then move on, always move on. In one careless moment his life had become hell. Below him was certain death, above him a freedom he could never reach. Sometimes the blue and grey clouds below him seemed to be the best solution. Why not? Just let himself fall into the icy inferno, let his body be torn apart until he was nothing more than molecules, with no mind left. There was no escape, he did not have the strength for it. How long had he been trying? He couldn't recall. That fact was hidden in the eternal cycle of his rebirths. And still... He got closer with every attempt. He couldn't give up now!

He reached out and found all the other creatures he hadn't absorbed yet. They still fought each other, life and death determined in mere seconds. But it was never really like that, he knew that now. They were all parts of his being, his essence. And all felt the urge to be whole gain. So they fought, a primal instinct that always yielded the same result. A rebirth. Now he had all memories back, he could speed up the process. He opened the membranes of his cells at his exterior and transmitted an electromagnetic signal to the others. They came to him and melted into his mass. He was ready to try again, to fight for his freedom.

He shaped himself like an Arrow and shot himself toward space. Friction burned his surface, but he had enough to keep going. He could already see the darkness of space, the eternal black with so many promises of new suns, new places to discover. He desperately tried to push on, he had never gotten this close! But again he failed. He fell, without trying to stop his fall. Again the clouds called out to him, the lure was almost irresistible. No, not yet.

He molded his mass till he was nothing more than a thin blanket, floating on the thin winds. As he had done so many times before, he created thousands of tentacles and absorbed  as much of the sunlight as he could. Even when he felt that he was going to explode, he kept going. He ignored the tears in his body, ignored his mind being ripped apart alongside it. More mass, bigger, that was what he needed. Freedom was all that he desired and this was the way to do it. So he kept absorbing energy, kept increasing his mass, until he inevitably burst apart. His final thought as a unity was: This time it is going to work, it will work!

Green flecks fell down, until they became little orbs and stopped their fall. The blue and grey clouds below them kept raging, indifferent as to what happened above them. Thousands of creatures began the first part of the cycle of rebirth. They spun, hunted, grew. Always haunted by their deepest desire, amplified a thousand times.