The man looked up at him as he entered the cell, and asked in a quavering, thin voice, “Who… who are you?” Then, in a terrified tone, he said, “You’re here to kill me, aren’t you?” He tried to back up farther into the corner as he tried to escape from the man.

“No. I don’t know what I’m here for. I just woke up today in a room with nothing but the clothes I’m wearing, these handcuffs, and, apparently, the ability to speak English. I have nothing else, not even my memories.”

That calmed the man down some. “You still haven’t answered my question. Who are you?”

“I don’t know. What about you?”

“I am the Archmage Leopold Thurick of the Castle Strom.” His face fell. “But, of course, you don’t know what that is. Well the Archmage is the most powerful wizard or mage, there is, and Castle Strom is the most powerful magekeep in existence.” Seeing the incomprehension on the other man’s face, he explained further. “A magekeep is a castle built atop a reservoir of magical energy. Mages can use this energy to use far more powerful abilities.”

“How does one use magic?”

“We are born with it. The ability to use magic just pops up from time to time. We can’t predict who will have it, as it’s not transferred from parent to child, but just, well, pops up out of nowhere.”

“How can you tell if you can do magic?” The man asked.

“We usually just wait to see if the person does anything unusual or causes events to happen that usually couldn’t be done.” Leopold answered. Then he frowned at the man and asked, “Why are you so curious about magic?”

“Truth be told, I actually wonder if I was able to use magic.”

“Is that all?” Leopold asked in surprise. “Well, I can answer that already.”

The man looked at him expectantly, and Leopold took a breath. “I’m certain that you, at least once, were a mage.”

The man stood in shock for a few seconds then asked, “How do you know? I thought you would have to wait to see if I did anything odd!”

Leopold smiled, and nodded an affirmative. “Yes, but once a person becomes a mage, the magical energy that they contain is visible to other mages. I can see a glow around you, and it’s obvious that you were once extremely powerful.” Leopold paused, gazing at the man. “In fact, you might even be as powerful as I am.”

“Really?” The man paused, thinking. “Neat.”

“NEAT? That’s IT?” Leopold gaped at the man. “Do you have any IDEA what this means?”

“Nope. Not a clue.”

“It means you could be the Archmage!”



“Oh.” The man paused again. “Neat.”

Leopold sighed, and shook his head. “And you don’t even know how to use your power.”

“What could I do with magic?” The man asked.

“Well, there’s one main type of mage- the Elementalist. This type has influence over the five elements.”

“Five? I thought there were only four. Fire, water, earth, and air.”

“And time. Now, mages that can influence time are few and far between, as it requires a certain type of mind. Not just anyone can manipulate time, because it means that you will have to lower yourself outside of time, which means that you will see all of time.” Leopold explained.

“So? How hard can that be?”

“All at once.” Leopold replied flatly.

“Oh. That makes that a lot harder.” The man said.

The man resumed his explanation. “Also, you can do other things, but that requires years of training.”

“What sort of other things?” The man inquired.

“Well... anything.” Seeing the man’s incomprehension, he elaborated. “For example, I’ve known people who could walk on walls, levitate, tame any animal, and so much more.”

“Hmm. How do I do something?”

“Well, having been a mage before, you must have chosen what you want to be. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have appeared to me as a mage.” He stifled a yawn. “We must’ve talked the morning… afternoon… evening…. whatever this time is… away.”

The man gestured towards the end of the hallway. “I think there’s a safe room at the end of the hall. We can probably spend the night there.” Then he looked at Leopold’s appearance, and made a suggestion. “You should probably lean on my arm. I doubt that you’ll be able to make it in that shape.”

Leopold nodded gratefully, and collapsed on the man’s arm, and they both set off down the hallway. Inside the safe room, they found a table laden with food of all sorts, two massive beds, and a lantern, which explained the golden light. Upon seeing the food, they both ran to the table and began stuffing themselves. By the time they were done, the table was bare and they were both sighing contentedly. Wearily, they each climbed into their own bed, and the lantern dimmed all by itself.

“Good night, Leopold.” The man whispered, the sound carrying over to Leopold’s ears.

“Good night….” Leopold hesitated, unsure what to call his newfound friend. “What should I call you?”

“I don’t know. I suppose I would be fine with Scott.” The man replied.

“Good night, Scott.”

Scott woke up, and immediately froze. Rather than seeing the elaborate bed canopy, he was gazing up at polished stone. A low growl caught his attention, and he sprang from laying down to standing in less than a second. A small creature, about the size of a rat, snarled at him. It had two spindly legs supporting a body that seemed to be all head and tail, with two small wings where the head met the tail. Two black, intelligent eyes stared at him above a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. It yipped at him, and then retreated to the other side of the room.

Scott looked around the room, and saw that it was extremely like the room he was originally in-stone surroundings, with a black iron door in one wall. However, unlike his previous room, this door had a symbol on it – a diamond with the numbers 03 on it, surrounded by a circle filled with reds of varying shades. He checked the handcuffs, and the symbols matched.

Over on one wall, a figure lay curled up. It began to stir.

“Hey, Leopold. We seem to have changed places in the middle of the night.” Scott glanced at the creature. “And we seem to have picked up an uninvited guest.”

“Whuzzhappenin?” Leopold mumbled sleepily.

Scott smiled, and repeated himself. “We’ve changed places sometime in the night, and picked up something along the way.”

Blearily, Leopold stood up, only to collapse upon Scott’s arm. “Sorry. I guess you’re right”. He glanced around. “Hey, what’s that?”

“I don’t know. I assume it has something to do with solving the room.” Scott answered, assuming he meant the creature.

“No, not that, THAT. The writing on the wall.” Leopold said, gesturing towards the wall behind Scott.

He turned, and on the wall behind him, in chiseled letters, was a message. “The rules have changed,” he read aloud. He glanced at Leopold. “Rules? What rules?”

Leopold shrugged. “Go on.”

Scott shrugged, and continued, “The symbols will become less helpful. You will have to solve more rooms for less reward. Injuries are more likely to occur. Fatalities are certain. Proceed with caution.” He frowned at Leopold, and voiced what they were both wondering about. “Fatalities?”

Leopold shrugged mutely. “I suppose we have to accept it.” They both paused, and then Leopold gestured towards the creature. “I would bet that that creature has the key to this room on it, or is the key to the room.”

Scott nodded assent, and then leapt at the creature. With a shriek, it darted off like a rabbit, occasionally hopping into the air to glide forward on its wings. “We’ll have to work together.” Steve said, “I won’t be able to close to it.”

Leopold edged near it, and it ran off. “You’re right.” He gestured towards the corner, and said, “Let’s try to back it up into that corner. Then you can grab it while I take a look at it.”

Leopold began to herd it towards the corner, and Scott cut it off whenever it tried to flee from Leopold in another direction. Finally, it reached a point where it could back off no further, and hissed at them fiercely. Scott wasted no time, and snapped out his arms with the speed of a striking cobra, and snatched up the creature. He grunted.

“This thing is hard to hang on to. It keeps wriggling, and it’s covered in oily feathers.”

“Just hang on, alright?” Leopold told him. “Now, let me have a look at it.” Scott moved his arms in such a way as to let Leopold have a view of it without actually let it escape. “I’m not sure what we’re supposed to do with it…. Wait! I see something!” With deft fingers, he removed a collar from around the creature’s neck. “Aha!”

Scott looked at it, and then smiled. He set the creature down and took the collar. The creature took the opportunity to escape, and darted over to the other side of the room, but they took no notice of it. Steve pointed out a symbol on the collar to Leopold, and explained why he was smiling

“This symbol was on my handcuffs at my first room. Therefore, I think that if I do this…” The man gripped the collar firmly, and tugged on it. With a loud snap, the collar ruptured, and the door swung open. Yipping eagerly, the creature sped through the opening and disappeared around a corner. Exchanging amused glances, the two men followed it at a more sedate pace.

As they rounded the corner into the new room, both men stopped short. Ahead of them was no mere room, but a long hall lined with pillars and lit with flaming braziers. The hall was the size of a dinner hall in a medieval castle, with piles of weapons, armor, and shields strewn higgledy-piggledy. This was not the source of their attention, however, but instead the creature.

It was standing in the center of the hall, looking at them as they entered. Then, abruptly, it began to swell at an alarming rate. It went from rat-sized to dog-sized… human-sized… horse-sized… and just kept growing until it would have dwarfed a hippo. Unfortunately, it didn’t stop there but just kept on growing. When it was the size of an elephant, Scott sprang into action, tossing a shield from a nearby pile to Leopold and grabbing one for himself. “Our best chance will be in defense until we have a good idea of its capabilities.” Scott said to Leopold. “I suggest we hide behind these pillars.” Leopold nodded assent, and they hid behind two facing pillars nearby the entrance, just as the creature finished growing.

The creature now would have dwarfed several full-grown elephants. It prowled around the hall with an almost catlike grace in spite of its colossal size, sniffing each of the pillars. Suddenly it froze, and Scott cursed under his breath. With a gigantic leap, it crossed the space between it and Leopold’s pillar, and attempted to squeeze between it and the neighboring pillar, snarling most frightfully as it did so. Leopold was trapped between it and the corner just behind him, and so Scott realized he would have to distract the beast.

“HERE! OVER HERE, YOU OVERGROWN WEASEL!” He shouted, waving his arms as he ran towards the next pillar over from his. The creature spun, and smacked its tail against the pillar adjacent to Leopold’s. Time seemed to slow as the pillar crumbled and fell. The creature looked at the pillar, and then tried to look at its tail (it failed). The crumbled pillar seemed to give it an idea.

With a low roar, it charged Scott’s pillar, and hit it hard enough that it almost charged straight through it. The pillar disintegrated, except for a few large parts, which fell and landed on the beast’s head. It tottered, stunned, and Scott seized his chance. He ran towards it, seizing a long spear from a nearby pile as he did so.

“For freedom!” Scott shouted as he leapt atop the beast and drove the spear through its head. The creature stood up sharply and screamed at such a high volume that Scott, after clapping his hands over his ears, was still deafened. It staggered throughout the hall, continuing to scream dreadfully, smashing pillars and scattering the piles of weapons throughout the entire hall. Finally, it ran into a pillar that collapsed on top of it, burying it and its scream completely.

Scott rose shakily to his feet, and then began to cheer. A low moaning made him pause, and then he darted over to the pillar Leopold was hiding behind. His breath caught in his throat as he beheld the horrible sight – Leopold with the rubble of the pillar completely burying him but for his head. His eyes were shut, and a trickle of blood ran down his temple from a gash on his forehead. Scott ran over to him and began digging him out, pausing only when Leopold opened his eyes and said, “Scott. Please stop.”

“Never!” Scott replied, continuing his digging. “I’ll get you out of here!”

“Scott… go… I’m not going to live for much longer. Give this to any scribe from Castle Strom.” With shaking fingers, he produced from a chain around his neck a pendant bearing a star within a star. “Go…” He whispered. Then, with one final, rattling sigh, he closed his eyes and died.

Scott ceased digging and bent over Leopold’s corpse, weeping softly.

Scott had no idea how long he sat there, but only became aware of the passing of time when the braziers began to gutter out, throwing erratic lighting over Leopold’s lifeless body. Groaning slightly, Scott stood up, still looking at Leopold’s face, oddly peaceful in death.

“I’m sorry, Leopold,” He whispered, and walked through the now-open door on the far side of the hall.

On the other side of the door, he found another hall, eerily similar to the one where he met Leopold. Once again, tears spilled down his cheeks as he remembered how he met Leopold. As if in a trance, he walked forward, and stopped at the cell where Leopold would have been. Frightened of what he would find on the other side of the door, he peered around the wall into the cell. What met his gaze was a bearlike man chained to the wall, fast asleep. Hearing Scott’s footsteps, the man stirred, raising his head to peer at Scott drowsily.

“Who’re you?” The man slurred, blinking his eyes owlishly.

Scott smiled sadly, remembering how he replied to that question last time, and gave the same answer he did then. “I don’t know. I just woke up yesterday in a room with nothing but the clothes I’m wearing, these handcuffs, and, apparently, the ability to speak English. I have nothing else, not even my memories.”

“That’s tough, man.” The man said. “Well, my name is Galileo. I’m a warrior from Southport. I would shake your hand, but…” Here he rattled the chain binding him to the wall.

Scott smiled tiredly, and said, “I can handle that.” He went over to the man and gripped the chain firmly. “Ready?” The man nodded. Muscles bulging, Scott gritted his teeth and, with a tug as powerful as Hercules, ripped the chain from the wall.

Galileo stared at Scott for a few seconds, and then said shakily, “How did you do that? I am bigger than you, and I couldn’t budge that chain. Are you magic?”

Scott hesitated, and then said, “I don’t know. An Archmage told me that I was magic, but he didn’t say how.”

“An Archmage? I thought they were undefeatable! How did one end up here?” Galileo said, bewildered.

“I don’t know. I have the feeling that this place isn’t well known, so I would guess that someone was trying to hide us here.” Scott replied, fighting back a yawn. “Sorry. It’s been a long day.”

Galileo pointed to the end of the hall, and said, “When I was locked up here, I saw my captors walk that way. I would think that would be the exit.”

Scott smiled, and shook his head. “Close, but not quite correct. It’s a safe room. I’ve stayed in one before now, and woke up in a totally new room.” He eyed the room pensively. “I wonder if it’ll do that again.”

Galileo stood up and stretched. “Well, only one way to find out. Let’s go over there.” He eyed Scott, and said, “Unless you want to stay here?” Scott shook his head, and Galileo laughed a loud, boisterous sound that filled the entire hall. “Well, come on then.” Both of them smiled, and walked to the safe room. There, they found two mattresses, and a small basket of food of various types.

Galileo stopped at the base of the room, and raised one eyebrow. “Not the best conditions, but I’ve had worse.” He gestured towards the food. “Help yourself. I’ve been fed daily since I was locked up here, and so I’m not hungry.” Scott immediately fell upon the food, eating like a bear come out of hibernation. Galileo looked on with amusement. “Guess you’re hungry.” Scott nodded emphatically; too busy stuffing his mouth with food. Soon, the basket was empty, and Scott was sighing happily.

The lights in the room began to dim, and the room began to take on a reddish tinge. “Guess that means it’s bedtime” Galileo said, lying down on one of the mattresses. “Good night, Scott.”

Scott lay down on the other mattress, and replied, “Good night.” His eyes closed, and his head slowly dropped onto his pillow.
The scents of earth and wood hit his nose, and his eyes flew back open. He scrambled up in surprise, for he was no longer in the safe room. For that matter, he was not in a room at all. Above him, leafy branches crisscrossed a sky dotted with millions of stars. He was standing in the middle of a clearing surrounded by leafy behemoths; trees more massive than any other that exist in our world. A feeling of peace settled upon him, and he turned to see a tall, slender woman step out from behind a tree. His breath caught in his throat, for this woman was beautiful beyond comparison, beautiful enough to make a goddess simmer in envy. Her head turned towards him, and his eyes widened in shock.

“You… you’re an elf!” He stammered. Indeed, the tips of her ears did not round as a normal human’s might, but tapered to a sharp point. “I thought elves were myths!”

The woman smiled, and answered gently. “Yes. I am an elf.” She put a finger to her lips, forestalling Scott’s next question. “I have much to tell you and little time, so listen closely and do not interrupt.” She paused, and continued. “My name is Αιώνια απεσταλμένος. I am here to tell you who you are.”

“Your name is unknown, but you have named yourself Mr. Stone, and many utter it in fear and respect. You are a mighty wizard, but no one knows just how mighty and what branch of magic you have chosen. Some think that you are an elementalist. Some think you are abnormally powerful. Still others think you are a fraud. They are all wrong. You are the most powerful wizard of all time, for you can shape nature to your will. Beasts that will attack any other man will obey your every command. Trees will move to protect you. The ground will leave no trace of your passing, and the wind will not carry your scent. You will be rendered invisible to all but the sharpest eyes, unless you wish them to see you. You are Γεννήθηκε του άγριου, or born of the wild. You have the power to topple kings, overthrow nations, and set yourself as lord of the world. However, this gift comes with a price. You will not be able to take a life, no matter how small and insignificant or corrupt and desecrated. You will become guardian of the meek and protector of the helpless. You will set up kings, build nations, and guard the world from evil.” She paused in her explanation, and then continued. “However, you have been lax in your duty, and a great war has been spawned. There are two factions- those who believe that the mages should rule, and those who believe that the power should be shared between the gifted and nongifted. The leader of the first army is a man named Ganondorf. He is extremely cunning, and wins battle after battle. So far, he has only been defeated once, and that because the winning force severely outnumbered the losing force. Unfortunately, this man is set to be your enemy, for he is as corrupt as a demon. When he pillages villages, he doesn’t just burn a few houses; he burns the place to the ground and salts the earth with the blood of the villagers. Everywhere he walks, death and destruction follow. A tide of fear sweeps across the country at the mere mention of his name. The reason why you are here is he learned of your power and decided to remove you from the board in the game of conquest. He locked away your memory using a foul neurotoxin known as Nervesong, and locked you in a dungeon far from any life besides other people, where you have no power. However, once you escape the dungeon, you will have full access to your power.” She paused a final time, and finished. “The hour grows short. I must go. Good luck!”

With one last backwards look, she stepped back behind the tree, and Scott’s vision turned black.

When Scott awoke, Galileo was already up and exploring the new room. Scott sat up and looked around as well. They were in a long hallway with a chasm in the middle about 20 feet wide and looked to stretch as deep as Hades. On either side of the room, there was a stone shelf about ten feet long, and the hall was about 15 feet wide.

Galileo looked around and, seeing Scott awake, voiced his thoughts. “That chasm is far too steep to jump and I can’t find anything on our side to ferry us across.”

“Hmm.” Scott stood up, and walked around their side of the chasm, rubbing his hands along the wall, pausing here and there to inspect a patch that seemed different.

Galileo sat on the edge of the chasm, legs dangling over the massive drop. “I couldn’t find anything, and I don’t think I’m going to find anything.” He continued watching Scott for a while, the spoke up again. “You were pretty restless last night. Bad dreams?”

Without pausing, Scott explained his dream to Galileo.

“Wow.” Galileo looked impressed. “That’s pretty neat stuff. So you’re supposed to be the guy that overthrows Ganondorf. Imagine that.” He chuckled. “And if you actually manage it, I can say I was on first name basis with Mr. Stone.” He paused thoughtfully. “So, do I call you Scott, or Mr. Stone?”

Here, Scott paused and thought that over. “You know, I’m really not sure.” He thought some more. “I think that while we’re in here, you should call me Scott, as I’m not completely who I once was.” He went over and joined Galileo at the edge, but didn’t sit down. “Hmm. I can’t find anything either, and the handcuffs aren’t giving me a single clue. He looked down at them. The symbol had shifted to a golden circle with an open door in the middle of it.

Galileo leaned over and regarded it as well. “I wonder if that means this is the last room.”

Scott appeared pensive as he thought that over. Then his face broke open in a grin, and he said, “I certainly hope so. I’ve had enough of this place.” Then his face sagged, and a look of complete disappointment crossed his face. “The only problem is…”

“…We don’t know how to solve it.” Galileo finished for him, and they smiled at each other. Then he patted the floor next to him and said, “Sit. Let’s see if we can figure this out by sitting down.”

Scott lowered himself to the ground and swung his feet out over the edge.

CLUNK.

The men looked at each other, excited. Scott tried to swing his feet over the edge again, but was stopped by an invisible barrier. Scott’s face broke open in a wide grin. “I guess sitting down did solve it.” At that, both men broke into hearty laughter that didn’t subside for some time. By the time they finished laughing, tears were streaming down their faces, and Galileo had a severe case of the hiccups.

“Well- HIC- Let’s try to get- HIC- Across this- HIC¬- Bridge.” He said, hiccupping madly.

Scott tried to force down a smile, shoulders shaking as Galileo continued to hiccup. “That’s a good idea.” He said, finally managing to control his mirth. Gingerly, he eased out upon the bridge, testing with his feet to see how wide it was. As it turned out, he needn’t have bothered, as the bridge stretched from about halfway to one wall.

Confidently, they strode across, and turned to face each other at the door in the far wall. “I guess this is it.” Scott said, growing serious. “Once I step through this door, I’m going to be a new man.”

Galileo smiled, and said, “I don’t believe that. I think you’ll still be the same person that became my friend back in that cell.” He pause, then grinned again. “See you on the other side.”

With that, he turned and stepped up to the door. He turned the handle, and opened the door. Sunlight flooded the hall, and he stepped outside the room and into the sunlight.

Scott hesitated. He wasn’t sure what to expect when he crossed the threshold. Nervousness built up inside him like a cloud of frantic bees. Then, he forced aside his nervousness, and followed Galileo outside into the warm, moist air.

Mr. Stone stepped outside into the warm, moist air, and blinked in the sunlight as his eyes tried to adjust. He was at the base of a vine-encrusted mountain, in the middle of a lush jungle filled with plants of many colors, shapes and sizes. He saw bright green ferns the size of a hippo, and a red and purple flower big enough to dwarf a rhino. A brightly colored blue and orange bird flitted across his vision, and he saw a small tribe of monkeys leaping from branch to branch in trees twice the size of any redwood. He breathed in, and smelled a million different scents- earth, the various flowers surrounding him, the air suffused with pollen and humidity, and so much more. But, more than that, he felt alive. He felt brimming with energy, as though he had just eaten a home-cooked meal. He felt like a child might on Christmas day, as though the world was full of possibilities. He strode out to meet Galileo, who was waiting for him at a fork in the path leading from the exit of the hall down to a small town some distance away.

“Pretty nice, isn’t it?” Galileo said, a smile upon his face. “And I’ll bet that you feel amazing, being a child of the wild and all. How are you feeling, Scott?”

“Scott? I’m not Scott. I’m Mr. Stone. And I feel powerful, Galileo.” Mr. Stone said, pausing next to Galileo.

Galileo’s smile faded. “What do you mean, not Scott?” Mr. Stone looked at Galileo, and Galileo took a step back, intimidated by the look in his eyes.

“I mean exactly what I said. I am no longer your friend. The person you knew is gone, replace by me. Once I stepped through that door, my memories returned, as well as my power.” Mr. Stone began walking down towards the town.

“Wait! Are you still going to confront Ganondorf?” Galileo asked him.

Mr. Stone turned, and looked at Galileo. Then he smiled. “No.”