Before time began, there was only the Grey Fog. It was heavy, silent, and endless.
Inside the fog, a single consciousness woke up. This was Noax.
Noax had a body, but it was soft. The fog pressed against him, trying to crush him into nothingness.
"I exist," Noax said.
The fog did not reply. It only pressed harder. To survive, Noax had to define his borders. He hardened his skin. He created the Barrier of Self.
"I am here," Noax said. "And the fog is there."
But defining oneself creates a separation. By separating himself from the fog, Noax created the first distance.
From that distance, a cold shadow crept into his heart. It was not a creature, but a feeling. It was Solitude.
Solitude whispered, "Now that you are 'You', you are the only one."
Noax shivered. He walked blindly through the fog, desperate to find something that was not himself, and not the cold mist.