Vincin woke to a loud, incessant cracking and a distant scream. His addled mind couldn’t think. He found himself sitting up in bed, unable to breathe, unable to make sense of his situation. He called out to his mother, but nothing came back except weak, quiet sobbing. Crawling out of bed, he moved towards the door of his small room, his eyes stinging from the smoke gathering at the roof. His mind was on “Mama” when he reached the cramped living area of his family’s house. There was no one—nothing but a smoldering wicker chair and a pile of rubble where the rest of the house should be. Vincin registered none of this as he choked on a lungful of smoke and tears, stepping into the orange glow of the night. Vincin screamed for his mother as he aimlessly wandered towards the town center, oblivious to the flames crawling over everything in sight. He could only focus on "Mama" and the unceasing crackle of his childhood home burning to the ground. He continued to cry out for his mother as he walked around the remains of his hometown. He tripped over a deeply singed log. Vincin screamed as the log began to reach for him with a weak groan and a withered breath before falling limp once more. His mind was shocked awake as Vincin ran, screamed, and sobbed. In his rush, he stumbled into the town square and collapsed onto the poorly paved gravel and sand. Vincin sat there on the ground, trying to wrap his head around it all when a large gust of wind knocked him flat in an instant. He stumbled back to his feet to find a mountain looming over him, its purple scales gleaming in the orange firelight, its shadow a presence of indomitable strength. Vincin was blasted back by another gust of wind as the mountain exhaled. He stared, horrified, as the creature began to speak. Now thirteen, Vincin wakes up from the recurring nightmare of that night. He has been living and working on a farm owned by Alden, an old farmhand who took him in after he was rescued. Vincin checks his stat screen, which shows his development over the past three years.