My eyes drifted open, tearing away the inky darkness that clung to my sight. I felt like my head was empty and trapped in a fog, and almost weightless. My thoughts were muddy and seemed to slip through my fingertips as if they were feathers on a gust of wind.

A bright sun burned above me, basking me in a comforting warmth that chased away the start of a frigid chill. The choir of countless birds reached my ear and danced around my mind, pulling my focus back into reality. Yet, I found my mind still up in the clouds.

The intricate scent of dozens of flowers reached into the depths of my nose and drew me to my feet. It was a sharp scent, yet it was relaxing and almost intoxicating. I pulled my eyes away from the gentle sun above me, and down towards the ground.

My breath was torn from my chest as I stared at a meadow that stretched out as far as the eye could see and melded with a distant forest. Strangely enough, no matter how far away it seemed, with a single step, I appeared at the tree line. Where was I?

My mind seemed to fall in on itself as I pondered the thought. Though all I seemed to recall was a darkness that clung to my mind. The memories were there, but they were shrouded. Worry crept into my chest and clenched my heart in its iron grip. Where was I? Who am I? What’s going on? The myriad of thoughts swirled around like a vortex, threatening to drown me in its cold uncaring depths.

“Oh, you’re finally awake. It’s about time.” An ethereal voice rang out from behind me, causing my heart to jump into my chest.

Slowly, I turned around and took a few steps back. My heart painfully thrummed in my chest as terror filled my veins. In front of me stood a person clad in a flowing purple cloak that danced on the lifeless air. A mask stared at me from under the deep purple hood. Across its surface were patterns that threatened to tear apart my sanity as if it were nothing more than paper. There were deep vibrant oranges that mingled with deep violet and silver, that twisted and turned in a relentless path.

“Who are you?” I asked as I took a step back. My eyes were locked on the figure before me. A deep terror pierced the depths of my soul as I stared. It was primal, and it was telling me to run as far as I could from who ever this was.

“A memory that has long since been forgotten.” A  feminine voice reached out and caressed my ears. It seemed familiar, but I couldn’t seem to put my finger on why.

“That’s awfully cryptic, don’t you think?” I asked, as I stepped back once more. I could feel the ground under my feet shift slightly. My mind raced as I tried to find a route to escape.

“I’d argue it isn’t. But that’s beside the point. I’ve come here for you Calixa.” The woman crossed her arms and took a step forward. Each step she took was filled with elegance. As if she were a queen, walking through her  castle halls.

“Stay away!” I spun around and ran towards the forest line. But much to my shock, it vanished, and was replaced by another meadow. I shoved the fear that had blossomed in my chest as far down as I could and ran.

My feet slammed into the soft ground and sank inwards. The surrounding flowers faded from their brilliant colors and into a black, mushy mess. The scent of a wildfire reached into my nose and the blue became an angry orange. Smoke wafted from the ground, and cinders burned my feet. But I pushed on even harder. Who ever that was couldn’t be human. No, it was like I was staring at a dragon, and I was nothing more than a snack.

The wind kicked up violently, threatening to push me over. But I pressed on. The meadow seemed to stretch on into eternity as I worked my legs into overdrive. But each step took me deeper into the ground. I could feel ash creeping up my leg and embers burning the soles of my feet.

“Why do you flee from me?” An arc of white lighting tore through the sky and slammed into the ground with earth shaking force. She appeared from the lightening and her cloak danced with the wind and her hood shifted slightly, revealing a pair of emerald eyes that raged like a green inferno.

I stumbled back as I attempted to turn. But my feet had sunk far too deep into the ground. I fell backwards, and the impact knocked the air from my lungs. I dug my fingers into the dirt and tried to crawl away, but even then my hands were consumed by the mud that was rising by the second. +

“Though I don’t blame you. I’d flee from me as well.” The woman made her way over and squatted down in front of me.

“I don’t want to die.” I whimpered as what I could remember of my life flashed before my eyes.

“Silly girl, you are not dying. In fact, your life begins once more. Welcome home.” She reached out and pressed her finger into my head, and darkness took me again.

Once again, I stirred. All the fear that had once plagued me had since vanished. Almost like it was all a dream, yet I knew it wasn’t. My eyes focused on a stone ceiling above me. Strange balls of white light were embedded in the ceiling and glowed ever so softly. Where was I again? I tugged at my memory, yet nothing but darkness seemed to answer my call.

The emptiness clung to my mind and filled me with an overwhelming sense of fear. Who was I? Where was I? The thoughts swirled around once more as I sat up and glanced around the room. The walls were decorated with satin red silk, which was woven with golden twine, and reached the floor. My eyes lingered on the fabric and a sense of satisfaction filled my chest, but I couldn’t seem to understand why.

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I shifted my eyes from the fabric and glanced around the rest of the room. There were cabinets, and dressers, and a myriad of other things. I could see that someone had meticulously cleaned everything and made it look beautiful. But it also seemed out of place. Like it was a moment locked in time. I pushed myself off of the bed, and my feet hit the stone floor with a soft clap.

A quick glance over showed I was at least dressed. A simple red long sleeve shirt with a pair of black pants. The sight stirred something within me, but the memories slipped by as if they were the wind. This was beyond frustrating. A heavy sigh escaped from my lips as I took a step and I found my mind wandering back to that strange dream I had. It was the only thing that I could seem to remember, but there was something about it that felt off. Who was that person? Why was she familiar?

With each thought, more questions bubbled into my mind. But the two biggest questions of them all weighed me down the most. Who am I, and where am I? I took another step and my focus seemed to narrow down on a simple wooden door. There was only one way to find out, after all.

I carefully walked over to the door and noticed a few items resting on a desk close by. Curiosity took me once more as I wandered over. There was a note here, something that I would have overlooked if I had just left. Perhaps it was best that I be more thoughtful of my surroundings.

My fingers grazed the surface of the note, and I felt the paper crinkle slightly under my touch.

My lady,

If you are reading this, then come to the central lobby. To find your path, just follow the torches. There you will find some of your questions answered. However, be warned, the palace is not as secure as it used to be. Take the dagger next to this note and keep your eyes open.

Kharon

I shifted my gaze from the note and towards the dagger. Its edge gleamed in the white light, while the rest of the blade was as dark as the clouds in my dream. I reached out and took the handle, marveling at how cool it was. But the most amazing thing about it was how it seemed to fit into my hand. It was as if it were crafted just for me. My eyes lingered on the blade for just a moment longer, gaping at the sheer artistry of it all before I glanced back at the note.

So I had to find the central plaza. That shouldn’t be too hard, considering that all I had to do was follow the torches. The next question, though, was, who is Kharon? That name sounded so familiar, and the thought teased me so very much. It was truly frustrating to not know anything. But I would find the answers no matter what.

I clenched the handle of my dagger and glanced at the desk once more to make sure that I missed nothing. I checked the desk again to ensure that I missed nothing and then turned towards the door, taking a deep breath. Now, I had a dagger, which gave me an odd feeling about everything. It was almost as if the writer expected me to run into trouble. The thought gave birth to a defiance in my chest. No, I wouldn’t be scared again.

The air outside of the room was heavy and slammed into my nose so strongly I almost puked. The warm white light from the room illuminated a stone wall that was cracked in dozens of places, and mold was growing rampantly. Water dripped from the ceiling, into puddles that dotted the ground. My body shivered instinctively at the feeling of cold slimy ground underneath me, and it took everything I had to not lose my mind. Holding back a grimace, I glanced around. Everywhere I looked was nothing but ruin. Stone walls cracking, and mold drinking at every available liquid. Where were the torches that I was supposed to follow? The second the thought crossed my mind, what sounded like a stick cracking filled my ears, and an orange light took my vision for a heartbeat.

Once my sight returned, I saw a row of ethereal torches hovering in the air. Each was translucent, but held a twinge of sickly green. At the head of each, a brilliant orange light chased away the grimy darkness, lighting my path towards the central lobby. Holding back my disgust at my current surroundings, I clenched my knife and drifted down the hallway. I will have my answers, no matter what.

I walked on for what felt like hours. My feet were drenched and were aching. I had thankfully grown used to the feeling of slimy stone underneath me, and resolved myself to scrub my self raw as soon as I had the chance. But that was the least of my problems at the moment. My eyes drifted to the torches as I walked. What created them? What were they?

The thoughts swirled around my mind until I heard the faintest of whispers. Magic. The second I heard it, a missing puzzle piece fell into place. Magic created the torches and magic directly resulted from the manipulation of Mana. That was as far as I made it sadly. The rest seemed to be so far away. How did I know that? It was yet another frustrating question that I didn’t have an answer to.

I picked my pace up slightly as I moved down the hallway. I was becoming frustrated with each passing second. It wasn’t fair to not have my memories. It wasn’t fair that I was left alone here and forced to walk down a rancid hallway. Frustration quickly gave way to anger as I walked faster. This damned hallway needed to end. I wanted answers, damn it.

Thankfully, it seemed I was finally getting close. The constant dripping of water had ended, and the slimy stone gave way to something far more comforting. I could cry at the soft fuzziness that tickled the soles of my feet. The warmth quickly chased away the chill, and with each step, scrubbed my feet clean of the muck that had gathered.

The ethereal torches that had long since served as my guide vanished and were replaced with elegant scones that lined the walls. Each was a master crafted and sculpted into a small dragon that clung to the stone wall. Its face was twisted towards the sky, and its maw was open, projecting a white fire that reminded me of the lightning from my dream. I paused and reached out towards the closest one.

How did I know it was a dragon? I wasn’t sure, but something deep inside of me knew it and felt a kinship towards it. It was yet another question that seemed to lack an answer. I was as frustrated as I was excited. I knew I was closer to the lobby, and with it, so much closer to the answers that I needed.

I picked up my pace as I pushed further down the hallway. The plain gray stone shifted into a matching shade of brown with the carpet. The sconces radiated waves of warm light that brought me peace. Musk faded and instead was replaced with the soft scent of candles burning in the distance. It was all so familiar that I felt pieces of my mind stirring. Whatever fog had claimed my thoughts were fading away, and for the first time since I woke up, I felt hope.