There was a ripple. Slowly, it spread across the expanse like a quiet lake after being disturbed by the proverbial pebble. Then it began to tear. Through these new openings, he could see glimpses of the world he knew. Even the spot he had been laying on a moment before but there was nothing there. The tears spread and began to fray, at first, from his peripherals untill they covered the world. Individual strands broke off from the edges and began to unravel. Each moved independently from the center. Jack had seen something like this before when a cat had yanked on a strand from an ongoing knitting project. Except now, every strand was being yanked at the same time. After a minute, a dark void revealed itself and promised eternal darkness to all that gazed upon it.

A soft tug reminded Jack that he was right next to the event horizon. The tug became a yank. The yank became a full-on tug of war. Still, Jack held his ground. Fed up with his defiance, the dark murder hole decided to cheat. A strand separated from the ground, before coiling around his leg. Then it flexed, tossing him unceremoniously through the event horizon.

He was in the void again. Only this time it felt different, it was just more. Everywhere he looked, thousands of shapes ranging from simple polyhedrons to some so complex, he couldn’t comprehend, danced together in scintillating patterns. Colors came into focus next. Pastels, earth tones, and even some neon colors joined the tapestry of shapes all around. It was as if a stained glass window decided to come to life and the individual pieces were dancing.

Everything was so far outside what he had once believed to be reality. Slowly, the patterns started to gather. They continued to do this until the majority of his sorrounding was nothing but an empty void. Everything except for the large mass in front of him. It to seemed to be made from a mix of stained glass and neon lights. The colored patterns outlined a writhing and twisting mass of shapes. The movement made it seem almost alive.

The largest and most compact cluster of shapes started moving. The great mass undulated in a hypnotic motion as it closed the gap. Soon, he was facing what appeared to be a giant eye in the mass of shapes. No way! Shock and disbelief were all he could feel. Never before had a mortal ever beheld something so alien as this. Wait, did it just blink?

The eye was a perfect polygon with so many sides that it seemed circular. Inside, acting as a pupil were shapes at once so simple and so complex that it seemed alien and unfathomable. It was like starting into a kaleidoscope, but so much more. As he noticed the strange being, the Great Eye almost seemed to focus on him like a camera focusing to take a photo.

Dangling underneath the mass were chains made of the same strange shapes that made up the rest of its body. Only that wasn’t true, he realized upon closer inspection. They were swaying slowly as if treading water.

Hello young traveler, what brings you to this place?

Gah! He thought. There’s a voice in my head! Jack quickly tried to hide all the thoughts he had of the creature to the back of his mind. It was like hiding an elephant, pointless.

He heard a strange noise that could only be interpreted as laughter. Be calm young traveler. I am not offended. Your antics are quite endearing. It would be a shame to harm you. At this, two of the chains (tentacles?) reached up and coiled around his torso lightly. Once it was done the creature spoke. I see now. You are that which is sought, a Champion. Your kind is very rare.

Jack attempted to open his mouth to reply, only to realize that he had no mouth! At that, he tried to move his hands but they were gone too. Oh god, where is my body!

I am not God! The voice boomed. My name is the Sentinel and I do not appreciate such filthy speech. The great eye seemed to focus even more closely on him and Jack instinctively knew it was a bad sign.

This time Jack tried thinking back at the creature. Where? When? How? What... why? The font of questions ended abruptly when a sensation of warmth enveloped his fevered thoughts.

Is that better, yes? Good! You are in the place in-between places. This is where everything exists in its most basic form. Power! As for you little one, do you not remember how you got here? You must have answered the call. There is simply no other way for you to make it here.

No! He hollered back acerbically. One moment I was burning from the inside out with a thousand voices screaming in my mind ‘help us, save us’. Next thing I knew I was floating in space. The warm sensation around his thoughts wrapped itself tighter. It seemed to be searching for something.

Ah, there it is. The children of many worlds need someone to make a fire so that they can warm themselves, but none so much as those that called you. This is a good thing. The sanctions I have placed in that world are all but gone and much pain and destruction are about to incur. Your coming is fortunate for both of us. You get a new lease on life, another chance if you will, and I will have a vessel to express my will with as little fuss as possible. The tentacle chains all came up and made a cocoon around jack. Before we begin, tell me in your own words Jack Hearth. What is Fire and why did you listen to the cries of children?

He was stumped. Why did he listen? Was it because of desperation or to get as far away from the old man as possible? No, he realized the voices had been wearing him down for a long time. Just how could he turn his back on them? They were just like him. Cold, alone, and wondering where their next meal was going to come from. As for Fire that was a different story. His only happy memory growing up was sitting in front of the fire as his mother read to him. That was before the old man came in and he never saw her again. To this day Jack had no idea what had happened to her.

I may not know all that Fire is but I do know one thing. Fire brings life and warmth. It makes a house into a home. That is why I listened, but I had no fire to give back then. A small flicker, the same one that kindled on that dilapidated sidewalk, burned bright inside his core. Light shined all around him and he knew what had happened. He had become Flame.

That answer is acceptable. I will assist you by preparing your body to reenter reality. Just be aware that you might look like a man but you have become something else. Your new body will not be the same as the one you consumed to kindle your passion. Goodbye young champion, we shall see each other soon.

…

His world became nothing but pain. Every nerve in his body seized as an influx of unknown energy flowed through his body. It felt like his nerves were electrified and frozen at the same time. Needless to say, it wasn’t pleasant. The energy rampaged all over his body for a while before It slowly started to gather towards his brain. Then it was just his brain on fire. As a thousand sharp spikes stabbed into my skull before fading. Breathe! Just focus on breathing. In, out. At this, his head started to clear enough to notice the surrounding area.

Or not, it was pitch dark. Where am I? Minutes passed as feeling slowly returned to his body. First, it was the tips of his fingers and toes, then slowly flowed towards his hands and feet.

Crack! He heard something snap in the distance that was soon followed by some light cursing. Never heard those swear words before, he thought wistfully. Joking aside this wasn’t good. The voice was making a beeline straight towards him, and he was still helpless. Casting about he spotted a light shining under what now appeared to be a door. Why is there nothing else in here? The light was getting brighter with every step the foul-mouthed stranger took.

Bang! The door slammed open and light flooded into the room. Jack closed his eyes quickly. The light stung his eyes more than he’d expected.

The metal slid loudly against leather as the stranger turned his attention to Jack. The stranger's features were obscured, but Jack could just barely make out that he was a young man

“Who are you and what are you doing here! Don’t tell me you are a beggar. Not in those clothes.” At this, the man stepped into the room, menacingly.

“Where... where am I?” Jack pleaded. So far this place did not match what the sentinel had told him at all. Where were the ones who summoned him or those that called him?

“You are in an abandoned house in an undisclosed location, and you are laying down on a trap door to a tunnel that leads to another undisclosed location.” The young man scratched his chin in contemplation. The cold gleam in his eyes sent shivers down his back. “Now that you have seen me, however, it seems that I am gonna have to kill you. No hard feelings, but we can not have any word of this place getting back to the empire. There is simply no way that a random person would find themselves here... unless.” At this, he reached down to his belt and unsheathed a foot-long knife with a serrated edge.

He waved his hands as best as he could and tried, unsuccessfully, to crawl away from the homicidal maniac. A beating he could deal with. Knives, on the other hand, were nothing to mess with. “Woah, Woah! Look I have no idea where I am and how I got here. One minute I was standing in the road and the next I was paralyzed and laying on your trap door. Please don’t-“

“Shut Up!” The maniac yelled at him. Then came close and pointed the lantern at him point-blank. This lasted an eternity before the stranger withdrew it. He sheathed his knife, thank god, and started pacing around the room. After a minute he seemed to come to a decision. “What is your name?”

“Jack...Jack Hearth!” Jack stammered.

“Well Jack, it seems we are in a bit of a pickle. I can’t just let you leave, but I can’t kill you either since this is obviously not a trap. No hard feelings, but you just don’t seem to have the… coordination to be a spy. So you are going to tell me where you came from and we will go from there.” At this, the man sat down In front of Jack.

As soon as the stranger illuminated his figure the clothing on his person started to reflect the light. The stranger's eyes dilated and his jaw slackened. This also allowed Jack to get a good look at him in turn.

He was young. Much younger than himself, with uneven brown hair and a rugged complexion. His clothes looked like they were made from a potato sack and some patches. Jack had patched his own clothes on more than one occasion and could tell that it was repaired by an expert. This world must be In the medieval period for him to wear that.

Jack cleared his throat and words gushed out of him. “I am from very far away. I seriously doubt you, or anyone here has ever heard of it. I came to this place because I had nothing left and was offered a way out. I have no idea where I am, or what to do now, or...” At this point, he had run out of breath and was busy gasping on the ground.

The stranger peered down at Jack sympathetically and replied. “Well, Jack today might be your lucky day. My name is Casper and I am a guide. I seek out lost ones and bring them home, and you seem to be a lost one. A very special one.”