Shifters

Memories?

Silence. That was all that ensued after the Devourers of Knowledge invaded his mind. Unlike the cacophony of voices Josh had been expecting, the complete opposite had followed their entry. Aside from the lack of voices, several other noticeable changes quickly became prevalent, the first of which being, the drastic change in surroundings. As opposed to his earlier mountainous book lined prison, Josh now beheld nothing but darkness as far as the eye could see. Coupled with his limited vision, his body, although still present, felt completely numb. Hoping a sudden action would return feeling into his limbs, he snapped his fingers together, garnering neither a sense of touch nor did it produce even the tiniest hint of a sound.

"Is this normal?" he tried to ask. 

However as he attempted speaking, just as with Raizen, the invisible presence, no words were capable of moving past his lips.

'Well isn't this just great,' he thought, sniffing at the air, 'I seem to have lost all of my senses, save perhaps my eyesight.'

As he struggled with his newfound handicaps, he soon realized that regardless of the surrounding darkness, as long as he maintained a certain level of focus, he'd be able to slightly discern what lay in front of him as long as it remained within arm's length. Unable to feel, smell, hear or speak, Josh poked and prodded at the air ahead of him as he stumbled forward awkwardly. Unsure of how far or in what direction he'd travelled, Josh felt almost relieved by the fact that his legs had lost all sense of feeling. as he continued onward. Halting abruptly as he crossed what he thought to be the hour mark of his cumbersome journey, Josh turned around, straining his eyes as he peered into the darkness ahead as what appeared to be a light, momentarily zoomed past his peripheral vision. Before he could even begin to doubt himself, a flurry of blurred, projected images flashed into view.

"What is this?" he asked, once again unable to speak aloud. 

However, this time, his question received an answer as the collective voices spoke, "These, are the memories of your past!"

Somewhat startled by their sudden appearance in his head, he immediately assailed them with his concerns, "Why can't I speak, hear, smell or feel anything?"

"In order to see what you've lost, your vision required an acute level of enhancement," they explained innocently, "For that to be accomplished, your other senses were temporarily sealed in order for you to glimpse into your past." 

"I suppose that makes sense," Josh agreed, still finding it odd to be speaking yet being unable to hear his voice, "that aside, your methods seem to be flawed. I can't make out anything from these."

"Children," sighed a singular exasperated voice.

"Inexperience usually pairs well with those of a younger age," another voice agreed dryly. 

"Rather than insult me," Josh replied angrily, unsure of how his voice actually sounded, "Why not show me the right way to view my memories?"

"His rudeness knows no bounds," the first voice replied as soon as he finished.

"However, he does have a point," a new voice insisted, "the faster we finish this is the faster we collect our payment."

"Payment!" a few lesser voices chimed in.

"Knowledge!" a couple others whispered before trailing off. 

After a few seconds of silence, the amassed collection of voices spoke once more, "It is decided. We shall help you attain the ways of seeing beyond the shadows."

"Took you long enough," Josh grumbled, "Where do I begin?"

"Open your eyes and you shall see the path," the voices said cryptically.