Chapter 0 {Burning Fire}

► [Year ???]

As I gazed over the burning volcano, with magma flying about, I looked down at my hands—covered in blood and ashes.

Scrapes and bruises adorned my entire body, aged and frail from years of running and attempting to rectify my mistakes.

Doomed to perpetual failure, I had only one option left to alter the course of history and mend everything.

With my hand over my chest, I began to chant a spell into the palm of my dried-out, wrinkled hands, weathered by countless years of time passing.

"Whoever discovers this message, protect the pillars and trust in their guidance. If one of the pillars finds this message, prioritize preserving your life above all else.

If either you or they perish, seek out the golden vial. I have infused my life's energy into crafting this sacred relic. The impending destruction of the world is foreseen. Have faith in the [ONE.]"

As the glowing orb sank into the lava-filled pit of the volcano, two portals of identical shape and size materialized in parallel to each other.

Each half of the orb fell into a separate portal and gradually vanished into nothingness.

Exhausted, I dropped to one knee as the rustling of leaves echoed up the side of the volcano, followed by a stampede of skeletal figures, each with a glowing blue orb in its eye socket.

The souls of the undead were disrupted and forcefully thrust back into the realm of the living, devoid of control over their own actions.

As these skeletal creatures gradually closed in around me, eliminating any chance of escape, a figure cloaked in black robes dismounted slowly and advanced toward me with measured steps.

A ghostly figure stood tall and proud, its voice carrying a mix of triumph and vindication, as it declared, "After all these years of running, you have finally cornered yourself on this forsaken rock."

"After all the people you failed to save," its words dripped with accusation and scorn, "why did you resist me for so long? It was a futile effort that benefited no one."

"I was once your friend, after all!" There was a hint of sadness in its tone, a plea for recognition amid the conflict.

The aged man's voice dripped with bitterness as he retorted, "No, you ceased being my friend when you allowed yourself to be consumed by it."

"I am no longer speaking to my friend," he continued, his words tinged with sorrow, "You are but a shell of your former self."

Anger began to well up within the spectral figure, its eyes now glowing bright red.

It summoned a claw-like hand with razor-sharp blades at the end. The blades sliced through the aged man's chest, leaving a pool of blood seeping from the hand with blade-infested fingers.

"The thoughts of a dead man matter not," it declared. "Now that I have the ability to reclaim what you stole so long ago, I can fulfill my mission and unleash our savior!"

I was impaled by the figure's clawed hand, coughing up blood in a desperate attempt to hang on to life a bit longer. I tightly grabbed onto the forearm. "I'm afraid it won't be that simple."

As the volcano below them began to bubble and transformed into a dark blue hue, the ground trembled and buckled.

The spectral figure stumbled slightly due to the shaking ground but managed to steady itself. Struggling to free its arm from my chest, it became clear that I had an incredibly strong grip.

"So, you have a plan to take me down with you? You, of all people, should know that a volcano eruption will hardly harm me," the aged man declared with a mix of defiance and confidence.

"I am well aware of who you are now, but that's not who my friend was," I responded, acknowledging the truth with a touch of hope.

'To be honest, I still need him for my plan,' I thought to myself, between coughs and fading vision, weakened by the loss of blood.

The ground shook even more violently, and in a massive eruption, cracks stretched for miles around the volcano's mouth. A geyser of blue-hot magma erupted into the sky, painting a cataclysmic picture.

My grip weakened, causing my arms to fall to my sides as all my strength drained away. With my vision fading, I watched tears stream down the face of my former friend.

I saw him tear a key from around his neck and hurl it into the volcano. He lost control of his body once again, accompanied by the creature's furious scream as it lost the key.

Everything around me faded into darkness, and I felt a warm hand on my shoulder.

The last whispers I heard before my existence faded away were, "You did well, but there is more to be done. Rest for a while."