Lost in the darkness

1

Falling is not pleasant. It is nothing like flying, you have no control over where you're going. Falling is nothing like the wondrous joys of flight where even the smallest movement can send you somewhere else. It's nothing like soaring over the warm sunlit land of the sky islands, with a nice breeze all around you. Falling is terrifying, it's just down, no control whatsoever. I wonder if falling is always so cold. The cold is tearing at me, the sensation like the polluted water of the golden wasteland. I try and look up, and I can see the distant light of the sky kingdoms getting farther and farther away. What's happening to me? Why am I so calm, I want to panic but I almost can't! The tunnel is dark, with swirls everywhere, no real air current, but I try to direct the winds to bring me up anyways. Through the chaos, I can feel my flame, my life, my soul, getting slowly sucked up. I don't think forever, but in this dark tunnel with absence of any flame or light source other than me, I think I might be getting bashed up without a way to recharge. Wait, what's that at the other end of the tunnel, it's almost a light but darker than most I've seen. It's getting closer to me now, or am I getting closer to it? It's hard to tell in the dark swirling place I'm in right now. I can almost see outside when the last of my energy is taken up and I black out.

. . . . .

As I become conscious again, and my entire body hurts. I don't move or do anything because of my pain. The ground is freezing, the air is cold. Everything is cold, my entire body is cold. The ground almost feels like grass, but it's not as soft and way too spiky. I can hear voices, but I don't understand what they're saying. The voices are so loud and gruff, but I think they might be trying to whisper. "Where am I?" I murmur. The voices abruptly stop and I hear footsteps coming over to me. My vision clears and my face is in the ground with a bunch of spiky dark green things in dirt. I try and get up but only manage to scooch a little. I bring my head up and see a field of the dark green spikes with a few trees on the edges. On the center, there are some silver block looking things with whirring lights and other stuff on them that are emitting smoke, the whirring things slowing down. There is also what looks like a bonfire close by, and even from my distance I can almost feel the heat emitting from it.

I try to walk again, but only manage to stagger to my feet this time. The approaching footsteps are getting closer, and as I try and fly over to the bonfire I realise I've run out of light. My soul has been extinguished, my inner flame is gone. My cape has disappeared along with my mask. I barely resemble myself anymore, only able to get back to normal in the bonfire. I slowly stagger towards the flame, ignoring everything else. As I approach my lifesource, I can feel the warmth able to stop my shivers for even a moment. The bonfire is all I see, all I care about, all I need is to get to the bonfire. Three more steps and I'm there, two, one- The steps reach me and a hand reaches out and picks me up.

"Ah!" I yell alarmed at the sudden upwards jerk. I flail my arms and legs, trying to get out of this creature's grasp. Strangely though, the end is warm, nothing compared to the flame of a candle under the stars or another skykid at your side, but warm nevertheless. The thing behind me yells, and more footsteps approach and one hand is taken away from me. I take my opportunity as it arises and break out of the grasp of the creature and stagger towards the bonfire, throwing myself into it. A great deal of sparks fly everywhere and warmth floods my body. Fire is life, although water can quench it, fire can always come back. My soul floods with life through the fire, my cape comes back to me, my mask restores. "Why have you sent me here of all places, elder spirits? What have I done to deserve this cold, dark place!" I whisper into the flickering flames.

The wind kicks up and the branches of the trees begin to shake, yet the fire does not go out. The wind seems to whisper to me, "We have not sent you here, an external force has broken in. too much power can lead to unseen problems. We can barely reach you where you are and the least we can do is let you communicate with the creatures that live here."