The pen floated in the air without any supports, or hidden contraptions, seemingly pushed around by the simple will of the man sat at the table. His weary sighs broke through the constant scribble of pen-on-paper, momentarily reminding Charlie that there was something else other than the enchanting scene.

Only to then immediately forget about the mans existence, and returning his attention to the mysteriously floating pen.

What is going on? How is he doing this? What...?

There were a million and one questions floating around Charlies brain, the inner machinations of his mind were in an uproar trying to unveil the mystery before him, fervently seeking a sensible solution.

Yet, try as he might, this was simply unnatural and beyond Charlie's limited understanding. His curiosity burned with renewed vigour, searing the image of the floating pen into his mind like a red-hot branding iron - promising himself that it's secrets would one day be laid bare before him.

Charlie was so deeply engrossed in the miracle that he didn't even realise the man had stopped writing and was already walking around, the pen had been placed back into the glass ink bottle, and reached into the wooden chest. From within, the man pulled out some sort of tool in the shape of a stick. It was long and straight, about half the length of the man, tipped with a metallic band on top.

Charlie eventually brought his attention back to the man and quickly realised the depth of his error. The man was approaching and Charlie just barely had enough time to retreat back into the safety of the sand.

Shit, shit, shit!

Charlie shot back into the darkness and sped his way through the fine sand as fast as his stubby body would allow. Granted, the additional levels and Dexterity largely made-up for his lost tail and the boost in speed it provided, but it was still a potentially fatal disability.

Charlie had not fled too far and heard a noise behind himself, all of the residual light suddenly disappeared - the man must have somehow closed the giant stone door.

Then, just as suddenly, there was another bright light - it was fast approaching, the caves walls were quickly lit up and Charlie barely had a moment to react to the attack.

Out of pure instinct, Charlie shifted his body to the right and felt a searing heat whiz past his head. A ball of bright fire collided with the floor, tossing the sand violently in all directions - the yellow and orange flames roiled across the surface before quickly turning into smokey wisps in the air.

What the fuck was that?!

Charlie never stopped moving his body, slithering forward with all of his might, yet his brain spun even harder - attempting to understand and rationalise what had just occurred.

Another ball of fire whistled through the air before landing just a few inches behind Charlie, it's heat washed over his scales painfully and singed his stubby tail. The heat had been powerful in its mere passing, but the moment of impact unleashed a tremendous amount of energy. If Charlie were to directly take a hit like that, there would be little chance of survival.

As ball of fire would travel through the air, it would temporarily light up Charlies surroundings and allow him to get an idea of where he was. The man should not have been too far away - Charlie was no longer given the privilege of taking his time in the dark and sticking to the walls, he needed to hurry.

Though there was no third ball of fire, Charlie didn't stop slithering with all of his serpentine might. There would be no stopping until Charlie was brought to his limits, and even beyond - anything less and he was dead.

Charlie, up until this very moment, had thought that his fear was swallowed by the nothingness inside him, tossed away by the animalistic side of the serpent. He had thought that there was nothing else that could scare him, that he had faced death enough times to become immune to its threat.

Yet, now - Charlie felt terrified.

Though human in mind, and Serpentine in body, Charlie still feared that which he could not understand. Humans were instinctual terrified of the unknown, and always have been - it should have been no surprise that something beyond reason would break through his apathy.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Humans were scared of the dark, of the ones that stalked them from corners unseen, and those they could not understand. So to combat their primitive fears, humans had come up with ways of overcoming their weaknesses. Fire drove away the darkness, walls kept the creatures at bay and knowledge filled them with the confidence to continue onward - even in the face of death.

Charlie realised that he truly was no different, even now. Fear transcended species, it transcended all other emotions and belonged to those that continued to live - there was no running from fear, but at least he could run from the man.

Unlike the human warriors he had seen on the surface, this man used strange means to attack and Charlie couldn't be certain of the extent of the powers he held. Not that he had a moment to analyse the situation.

Charlie's heart beat like powerful drums, playing a hurried song of his desperate will to live; his lungs burned with such intensity that they almost drowned out the percussion of his heart - yet he continued moving forward. Charlie refused to slow down, refused the curiosity that burned and begged to turn around, to take one last look at the man.

It was only when his body gave up, did Charlie finally stop. His muscles ached deeply and his lungs burned intensely in his chest, it was hard to think, let alone breathe, but Charlie pressed on - crawling forward at a snails pace was all that he could manage.

Charlie needed to get away, a moment to catch his breath - he needed to think and grasp the situation. There lay the problem, there was simply nowhere to run.

The man was definitely still approaching from behind, and Charlie wouldn't allow himself to think that the man would simply turn around after spotting him. There was no time to search for his entry through the wall, so the den of worms was his only escape.

Confronting the human would be certain death, but at least the den of worms would have some wiggle room in whether or not he would die.

Surprisingly, Charlie felt the breeze far earlier than before. Having fled for only the better part of an hour, there should have been no way for him to have already come to the crack in the wall, yet it stood there in the distance - it's earthy and fresh scent emanating from the bright, distant rays.

Charlie had finally caught his breath and hurriedly approached the entrance, but before crossing over the imaginary boundary between the darkness and light, allowed his heart to calm. There would be no chance at survival if he rushed himself and foolishly continued to stay overwhelmed.

Charlie scanned the interior of the den and made a mental route he would take, sticking to the shadows and safely away from the worms. Though the den had been filled to the brim with the strange worms, there were still areas and paths devoid of their presence. There could have been a hundred reasons for the worms motives, but Charlie didn't have time to dissect the possibilities with danger hot on his tail.

Steeling himself, Charlie crawled over the sharp edges of the cracked wall, and made his way into the open maw of the den of worms.

It was pleasant to once again be surrounded with light, but at the same time it posed a serious danger - the worms may have lacked eyes, but the human would surely spot him. Luckily, where there was unnatural light, there were the unnatural shadows.

Along the route that Charlie chose, there were many rocky outcroppings that drowned out the light with beckoning shadows. Unlike the lonely true darkness of the lightless hallway he had spent hours in, the shadows here felt like a warm reuinitement of a long lost friend, it's soft embrace draped across his scales like a light blanket on a toasty summer evening.

Though Charlie was enjoying being reunited with the shadows, he couldn't allow himself to stall any longer - the human could pass through the crack at any moment.

The worms had yet to notice his presence, or at least if they had, there was no discernable reaction given. Slithering behind the chewed stone and hiding among the shaded rubble, Charlie made his way to one of the far corners of the hollowed out room. The perfectly cut out hallways were a good distance away, and even the worms avoided this location - the only thing left for Charlie, was to simply wait.

Though, not for long.

The human had leapt through the crack in the wall, still wielding the strange metal-tipped staff in his right hand, and a ball of fire hovering in front of him. His left hand was held out to the side of his body and seemingly controlled where the ball flew to - quickly lighting up the dark corners as if it were obeying it's master, following it's every order.

Charlie knew it was dangerous, but he could not turn tail and run anymore, the entrance was blocked off and the worms had him surrounded. He had to keep his eyes on the target, and move accordingly, always keeping just out of sight if he wanted to make it through unscathed.

The many rocks and stones that littered the floor would have normally been a death sentence - even a single loud sound would give away his position, yet the worms had done their jobs perfectly. Their sharp weapons were loud, the stone crunched and broke in loud snaps, perfectly masking any minor sound that Charlie could have made. That was true only for as long as he could keep his distance, though.

The man seemed agitated, searching the many nooks and crannies of the carved out room, yet failing to find any sign of the serpent creature. The fire that floated a few meters ahead split into two, then three, and continued until there were a dozen flames floating high above. The worms had finally sensed the presence of the fire, or maybe their heat had reached their soft skin, and pitifully shrieked in fear.

Though the flames represented certain death if they were to injure him, Charlie couldn't help but be in awe at their beauty. The way the fire danced in the air, the whistling sound of its rapid movement and even the simple ability to light up the environment - it was beautiful.

Charlie's curiosity had reached its peak, he wanted to know what the man was doing, he needed to know how he could command the mysterious flame.

He wanted it for himself.