“Encoding 85% complete… Encoding 90% complete… Encoding error DC678 memory fragmentation may have occurred.” A beautifully melodic voice echoed in Sai’s mind.

  As he opened his eyes, light streamed in and brought with it the image of the brilliant sky above him, dark blue and dotted with fluffy white clouds which drifted lazily past his line of sight. Sai placed his hands on the ground and pushed himself into a sitting position. All around him was a vast field with nothing in sight except a virtually unending sea of colorful flowers and unkempt, wild grass. The deep aromatic floral scent of the area infiltrated his senses as he inhaled and exhaled steadily. The air felt cold against his cheeks as it swept across the open field. As he took in the unfamiliar sight, a slightly painful twinge rang through his head, then faded almost as quickly as it had come.

  “What is this place?” He murmured to himself as he took in the unfamiliar surroundings. He rolled over and pushed himself to his feet with a small groan.

  As he stood, a small off-white note fell from the pocket of his dark calf-length pants and into the tall grass. The slight, crackling noise the slip made as it hit grabbed his attention. Reaching down, he grasped the slip of paper and turned it over in his hand a couple of times, examining it. Unfolding it revealed a scrawled message Error code DC678…

  Those words again? What’s that even supposed to mean? And more importantly, where on earth am I? Sai questioned.

  Again the cold floral air swept across the field, prompting Sai to fold the note and return it to his pocket. This time stuffing it more deeply down to prevent it from falling again. Looking up at the sky again, he could see the sun hanging almost motionless in the west. With the already chilly air, he knew he couldn’t stay the night out in the open like this. He would need to find shelter, and before long, water and food would become issues all their own. With these thoughts pushing him, he began to walk. At first, his legs felt wobbly like a newborn fawn walking for the first time, but before long, he was gaining more control. Taking wider, more powerful steps as he went. After walking for what he felt could have only been a few minutes, he could feel his stamina fading. Every step took a steeper toll as he marched onward. His breathing became more labored as he tried to steal what little bits of air he could. However, no matter how much he took into his lungs, it never seemed to be enough.

  What is this? He thought. How am I already out of breath? He gripped his chest and stopped suddenly. Quickly he realized the answers to these questions as he took in the spectacular view before him. A vast snow-capped mountain range extended as far as the eye could see. In between these mountains sat an endless sea of deep green spruce trees. Suddenly it clicked. He knew now that this was the reason for his exhaustion.

  It’s the altitude. The air must be extremely thin up here. He thought to himself. Then something else seemed to click into place. This mountain top, it’s different. He looked back. All the others are covered in snow, but this one is flat and adorned in these wildflowers. This struck him as odd. How could this mountain, the highest peak, be covered in greenery while the lower ones were all snow-capped? Something strange is going on here. Slowly he scanned the area contemplating this. His concentration was broken as the wind howled behind him as if some invisible force were pushing him forward.

  “Either way, I can’t stay here….” He spoke to himself as he looked around at the mountain range below and spotted what appeared to be light stacks of smoke rising from between two of the lower mountains. A fire? Maybe a camp or settlement? That could be my best shot. I need to find a way down. Scanning the mountainside, Sai spotted what seemed to be a small stone path leading down the mountain.

  I suppose that's my only way down. Sai trudged down the steep slope, heading for the small pillars of smoke that rose in the distance. As he got lower and lower, the temperature began to rise steadily. Sai’s breathing eased, and the cold air of the mountaintop subsided, making way for the warmth of the spring evening to fill the area. With less than an hour of sunlight left, Sai finally made it to the bottom and headed into the thick forest below. Ahead of him, Sai could see and smell the smoke that had drawn him down from the summit. From here, the smoke seemed darker and more prominent than he had initially expected. He figured it would take at least another hour to reach the source, and with that thought, Sai strode into the woods.

  As the sun sank behind the mountains, the woods grew darker. With the darkness, the smoke became less and less visible. However, it had revealed something else, the glow of a flame. It began to appear in the direction from which the smoke had initially come. As Sai approached the light, the acrid smell of smoke grew more intense, filling his lungs and burning his eyes. His eagerness for shelter quickly vanished, giving way to a newfound horror.

  “What the hell?” Sai gasped. This was no life-saving campfire. Instead, he found death and destruction, an entire village set ablaze in a massive inferno.

  “Someone, help me!” The words slashed through the poisonous air like a razor blade. Before he could think, Sai’s muscles contracted, and he shot forward. As he headed toward the scream, he coughed and choked on the thick black smoke that filled the area. Pulling his shirt up over his mouth and nose, he pushed on. He flew down the burning streets past buildings that were nothing but ashes and rubble. Another scream rang out from a thatched roof stone building directly ahead of him. Bursting through the wooden doorway, Sai scanned the building listening for any signs of life. From above him, he could hear someone speaking.

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  “Do not fear, for you will soon know the truth. In the middle of the journey of our life, I found myself….” The voice from above spoke calmly.

  Sai wheeled around and found a rough staircase that looked to lead to an attic area. In an instant, he was ascending the stairs as the voice droned on.

  “...within a dark woods where the straight way was lost. Now awaken...”

  Sai had just made his way up the steps when he saw it. Against the wall just before him sat a girl not much younger than himself. She was curled and cowering in the fetal position on the floor. This was where the scream had come from. About two feet from the girl stood a robed figure wearing a mask like a plague doctor. The long beak protruded from under his dark hood. “..inferno.” as the sentence ended, the hilt of a sword in the figure's hand sparked to life.

  Again his body moved. Without a thought, Sai was diving for the girl, tackling her out of the way just as a pillar of flame exploded from the hilt. The dry vegetation of the roof and part of the stone wall exploded instantly, leaving a massive gaping hole just inches from where they lay. This blast alone set this entire section of the structure aflame.

  Sai’s mind raced as he glared at the man and covered the girl. This monster, he did this. All these buildings burning, all this death. He’s the one who caused this destruction. The flames reflected off the masked man's goggles, and Sai choked again on the ever-thickening smoke. How is he so calm, and how is he breathing in here? Then it dawned on him. That mask must be how he’s handling all this smoke. It must be filtering it out somehow. Sai shook his head furiously in a feeble bid to halt the dulling of his senses. None of that matters now; I can’t fight him. I need to find a way to get this girl and myself out of here. He struggled to keep the thoughts coming and the world from caving in.

  Quickly, he glanced back at the once-cowering girl only to find her unconscious. Her head nodding limply to her left side.

  The masked man cocked his head to the side as if to question the legitimacy of what he was seeing. “And where did you come from?” The elegant voice took Sai by surprise. This creature, this demon, its voice was almost charming. “I thought she was the last one left? But here you are.”

  “The last one?” Sai questioned, glancing back again. “Who are you? Why are you doing this?” Sai yelled as his hands groped behind him, searching the floor for any item he could use to defend himself.

  “Yes, the last one.” The figure responded coldly.

  As the figure spoke, Sai’s hand found a fair-sized stone jutting out from the wall close to the floorboards. It was clear it had been jarred loose when the shadowy figure had attacked. With a slight tug, he freed the stone and concealed it behind his back.

  The figure continued. “Who am I?” He contemplated this for a moment. “You may call me Roark. I am a liberator.”

  Sai tried to focus and take in his words, but his eyes felt like hot coals. They burned fiercely from the dense smoke; worse still, he could feel his mind getting cloudier by the second. It was apparent that oxygen deprivation had begun to take its toll.

  It’s now or never. The thought surged through Sai’s mind. Sai mustered all his strength, and from his seat on the hardwood planks, he quickly thrust the stone forward, shifting sideways for only a moment as he released.

  The stone soared from his hand with a tremendous amount of force. It flew out at a slightly off-kilter angle. Sai had aimed for the mask's beak, but the last-minute stumble had caused the stone to release early. Just barely, it impacted with the goggle on the right side of the mask, causing it to shatter into hundreds of tiny jagged shards. The shrouded figure grabbed at the lens as it exploded.

  Sai had missed his target, but this action was enough; in that fleeting moment, Sai grabbed the girl, slung her onto his back, and forced both of them to tumble out of the burning hole in the side of the building. The resulting twelve-foot fall was more than he had anticipated, however. Sai landed hard on his feet with a thud and an excruciating crack. Pain surged up from his left ankle and knocked him to the ground, where his face met the damp earth. The girl still lay slung across his back motionless. He forced himself back to his feet, knowing full well that the figure wouldn't be delayed long. Practically dragging the girl along, he limped down the street and toward the city gate. The very same gate he himself had come through moments ago. Years ago? Lifetimes even? He didn’t know anymore. All that mattered was escaping; all that mattered was crossing the village's boundary. He choked and gasped as the world blurred more with every breath. Dreadfully he looked back over his shoulder, but to his surprise, the shadowy figure didn’t follow him.

  Was that strike enough? Did the man ever exist at all? His thoughts, his very grip on reality, began to disintegrate. Still, he drunkenly staggered forward toward the town gate. His mind seemed to float aimlessly from one thought to another, but one thought remained, safety was within reach. His fear, however, returned in force as the shadowy figure appeared from the other side of the gate, blocking his path. The shattered eye socket revealed the figure's eye, blue as the ocean but swollen and bloodied from the attack.

  The figure spoke calmly yet again. “That really hurt, you know. Regardless this is over.” Slowly Roark reached into his long dark sleeve and pulled a light red book from deep inside. Slowly, decisively he began to repeat the same line from before. The red sword hilt emerged from within the pages of the book. “...awaken Inferno!” as the hilt sparked to life once again.

  Struggling with all his might, Sai tried to remain conscious as the glow of the flame grew larger. Hopelessness poured over him like a waterfall, and with it, he collapsed to his knees. The smoke, heat, and pain in his leg all culminated, pulling his head to the dust.

  “Be strong, saith my heart; I am a soldier; I have seen worse sights than this. Awaken Odysseia.” The words rippled across the fog in Sai’s mind. He was sure he was hallucinating as he lifted his head with the last of his strength, and a girl with hair as red as poppies in spring appeared before him.

  A beautifully ornate shield materialized in her hand and appeared to stop the column of flame in its tracks. As Sai tried to comprehend this turn of events, he could feel a darkness closing in on him. This was it. He had inhaled too much of the poisonous smoke. The world seemed to collapse in on itself as Sai drifted into the void.