My first memory is of bright white light, a sense of rushing through the air and an abrupt sensation of landing hard as intense waves of color and light washed over me and crashed around me in a crackling riot of madness. It was overwhelming and I found myself crying out in a strange metallic voice that sounded foreign somehow to my ears. Then it died down just as abruptly as it had begun and momentarily silence reigned, blessed silence. Looking about in confusion, I noticed I was lying in a large metal box with cables connected to it and I felt cables connected to me as well. With an incoherent noise of disgust. I sat up and yanked those free, ignoring the sharp pains that caused me.

"Easy, my son, easy!" The man's voice rang out clear and loud and was enough to stop me from doing what I was doing. A moment later, the voice's owner appeared at my side.

He was a man of medium height, in blue floor length robes, young in years, with short dark hair, clean shaven, and blue eyes shining with excitement. He looked me up and down and his face had a gleeful expression, but that was secondary at the moment as I stared at him blankly in confusion.

"Where am I?! Who am I?!" my booming metallic voice resounded again in my ears. The young man grinned ear to ear as he replied.

"You are in my laboratory--my private laboratory. You are Sentient #6, and you may call me...Father." Why he was so excited and happy I didn't know, and I finally looked at myself for the first time as I pondered this for a moment.

I saw two huge arms ending in huge two-fingered hands with a thumb, made of steel and wood. The rest of me was steel and wood as well, equally formidably proportioned. What in the...what was going on here?? Why could I not remember anything previous to this moment? This "Father" seemed unwilling to explain much more than what he'd already spoken as he examined me, and I heard a door opening nearby.

"Gods...you've done it! Is this, then, your...personal project you've mentioned before, Karsus?" The new arrival's voice was female, high but powerful and carrying authority with it. I looked in her direction and was momentarily awed.

She was short and petite, slender, but carried herself with dignity and again, an authoritative demeanor. She had pale skin, platinum blond hair hanging long and free to her elbows, in white robes covered with delicate embroidery in golden thread. Through that hair, prominent pointed ears extended and her face was dominated by large green eyes...and there was something off about her that I couldn't quite identify at that time. Her movement seemed stiff and unnatural compared to the man standing by me, for one thing.

"Yes, Saharel, since you asked, yes, this is he." The man called Karsus sounded cocky and proud of himself as he casually replied to her, and she frowned at his words.

"You do realize that House Cannith will be conscripting him into the military to battle the invaders that even I have difficulty with, yes?" She seemed concerned and something about that statement put me at unease.

"Ha! They fear me enough as is that I rather doubt that will happen," Karsus shot back in an elaborate display of being unconcerned with this situation and I finally found words to interject.

"Uh...what's this all about?" Both of them turned to regard me and before Saharel could reply, Karsus shot back in a sharper tone than he'd used before:

"None of your concern at this time, #6. Concern yourself only with what I shall be teaching you from now on."

Saharel frowned even more deeply at this pronunciation, and sternly replied "You may rest assured that I will be keeping my eye on this...situation developing here, young man. I know you and how flighty you are beneath your ambitions of grandeur. In fact, rumor has it that you even seek to become a god yourself, though by what means I know not and perhaps I wish not to know." Karsus stiffened as though slapped and he scowled darkly at Saharel--her words had clearly had an effect.

"So you truly do have ears everywhere, now, do you? I will neither confirm nor deny that...rumor. For now, though, leave us be that I may proceed this one's education apace. He is to be my greatest creation, after all!"

Saharel paused, then inclined her head--again, stiffly--before she took her leave. But before she left the room we were in, she threw one last thing over her small shoulder.

"Did I mention I will be observing this from a distance? You may wish to have a care, young man."