When I open my eyes, there is only darkness. All I know is this eternal night surrounding me. Am I…it? No, I am separate from it, distinct. But this blackness, as unknown as my own self is, is trying to overtake me. 

There is a burning in my chest. What is this feeling? I don’t know, but it drives me to struggle against the emptiness. And I do, I protest with every part of me, as long as I can. Yet, it is to no avail.

I don’t accomplish anything.

My breath is laboured, panting. Is the abyss becoming part of me with my every breath? Am I being dissolved into it with every passing moment? Am I doomed?

I tremble, feeble and fading. Is this it? Can I do nothing more?

Heaving, I try to move. No results. None. Why? There should be [i]somethin[/i]g.

I curl up, and breathe. In, out, in, out…I try to think. I can’t recall…I ache…I should…but what? I did it all, but for what? Will the night swallow me up, after all?

Stillness, for a while. I am weary, sluggish, dazed. I tried it all, and I failed it all. What else is there, but wait to be consumed and gone? I [i]don’t want[/i] this ending, but my desire matters not at all to the void. My protests haven’t moved it, haven’t prevented what appears to be a forgone conclusion.

Then, a voice. Immediately, I tense, and listen intently. There had only been silence. Who is this? How did they make a voice? I couldn’t. So, how did they?

This voice…It’s addressing me. Power? Can I use it to fight against the greedy shadows? I’ll take it.

I blink when splotches of light appear in front of me. This is new. My eyes prickle, but I don’t mind the sensation. Light…the antithesis of dark. I stand up, carefully, and move forward. 

My foot bumps into a long cylindrical object, and I stare at it in bewilderment. Has this been here with me the whole time? I am not sure, but I pick it up. It’s almost as tall as I am, and thin enough for me to comfortably wrap a hand around it. 

The illuminated footsteps allow me to see the staff. It is simple, yet intricate, solid, but not too heavy. Its surface is ebony, somewhat gnarled, and well-worn with use. It’s wider at the top, where a brilliant red gem sits wrapped up in wooden tendrils.

This object is [i]mine[/i], and I grasp it tightly. A familiar feeling encompasses me. The blaze in my chest, which had died down to a faint smouldering, now reignites, spreading through my whole body, invigorating me. It bursts out of me, a small flicker of flame appearing above my right palm, and a larger ball of fire above the staff. I glance from one to the other, fascinated by the twisting dance of red-orange-yellow. It warms me, and chases away the shadows, just as the voice’s light did. 

A grin spreads across my face. The voice is still reverberating in my head. Alright, then, I’ll follow you for now. You were the spark I needed, after all.

I clench my palm into a fist, snuffing out all the flames. They are not gone, however. They never were. They are within me. I know now that I can summon them without. I will not forget that, not this time. Not again.

My body is still weak, but that doesn’t matter any longer. There is finally something I can do. 

I follow the mysterious footsteps.