Lost & Nameless [Guardian's Intro]

Fire.

There was so much of it. He had never seen so many trees burnt to smithereens, vegetation transformed into hot ribbons of light. He watched as those flames spread over that green bed of life with uncontrollable destruction. It leaped from tree to tree, licked each and every animal, and danced while the forest cried. Agonizing cries. They'd weep if the flames had not scorched their tears, and yet he could hear their desperation and sadness as if their very bodies had been peeled away from their skeletons. In no more than an hour, his home and the sanctuary of thousands of lives became victim to humanity's darkest desires and was transformed into blazing ash and cinders because of it. And yet here he was alone, distraught. Lost and nameless.

How long had it been now? A day? Maybe two? Time seemed meaningless and yet all that mattered as he scaled the Phoenix Mountains, gingerly holding something in both of his cupped hands as he trudged through the dirt and stone, his body weak and cloak hiding his face.

For a long time, he knew that people lived up on this mountain. A lifetime of living in the forest just at the foot of the mountain often invited news from passerbys every now and then, and while he never meddled or bothered with these people, they couldn't have been more crucial and imperative than now. Who else could help him? Who else could save them? The nearest settlement was too far for him to resort to—it'd be too late by then!

Exhausted and thirsty, he continued to trudge up the mountain until he couldn't walk ten steps without stumbling and losing his stride. He could hear the quiet murmurs of the surrounding trees and the chitchat of critters scrambling around. Seeing life continue on this mountain was bitter, knowing that his home and the home of so many others were burning burnt to crisps as he thought of it. This very second, he knew another had just died a wrongful, evil death, and he was to blame for his slowness.

"I have to hurry...!" the mysterious man muttered to himself, holding his cloak together by clenching his hand over his chest, "They're all... if I don't hurry...!"

He was close to falling to his knees right there, almost too tired to carry on. He had barely enough energy to think, let alone speak, and yet the peak of the mountain seemed so far... the air was thin and his heart beat a million times a minute. He could see the black sky above him, and it didn't look all too different from the ash that swept over it just a day or two earlier. He felt like crying—he felt as if he couldn't do this. Finally, his legs gave way. They couldn't carry the weight of his misfortune and heavy heart any longer.

Thud!

"What if it's too late...? I can't do this alone..." he fell to his knees, staring at the thing in his hands. His voice quivered as if threatening to cry, but he didn't. "I can't do this alone...!" his hands curled around whatever he was caressing, holding it close to his chest like some precious thing. His tears were nigh, and doom seemed to be impending. But, in a strange and mysterious moment, the enigmatic man was suddenly not so alone anymore.

Before him were three silver wolves, staring at him indifferently. Watching him. They didn't move an inch closer, and yet they did not flee. In fact, it was impossible that they even arrived so silently, but in the midst of his despair, the man couldn't question things as he would've in a calm. Noticing his company, he looked up at them, bewildered.

Wolves? he thought to himself, staring at them. Abruptly, his eyes widened when noticing what they really were. Silver wolves?! Wait...! His voice suddenly regained some vigor, and the face hidden beneath the wide hood fixed at the three, looking one in the canine eyes.

"Please! You have to help me! My home... the forest! It's in danger!" he shouted at them with all of his strength, and yet it still didn't amount beyond a loud mumble, his expression filled with desperation. "You have to take me to those people! If you don't, they'll... they'll die! All of them! I'm... begging you!" There was a moment of silence between the four, and yet he never felt his heart and feeling pulsate so loudly. He could hear the voices and the skepticism of the nature around him boom in the distance.

Without a sound, the three wolves began to trot along a side path of the mountain, going up a distance and stopping to wait for him to follow. Whatever feeling he had tried to send, they certainly received, and suddenly he was able to push through his bodily limits and trudge behind them as fast as he could, like a wounded soldier.

Three hours later, after feeling the rock and mud of the mountain bite into his feet and rip into his legs, he could see a hall of sorts. A building. Although as fascinated as was by the construction, he didn't have time to behold the structure as he would've normally liked to. Instead, the silver wolves sitting outside, he pushed through the front doors with all of his strength. Although the doors would normally be light and average, he felt as if pushing the entire world against his shoulders at that moment. He couldn't feel a weight quite as heavy as those doors in his life.

Swoosh!

The doors swung open, and stumbling through it was him, cloaked and visibly worn. It would be hard to see his face with his hood, and he was breathing heavily after two or more days of constant travel. He could hardly even mutter out words.

"P-Please..." he mumbled, choking out his words with difficulty, "someone help..." he suddenly felt his body become insurmountably heavy, and so full of dread that he could no longer stand in both mind and matter. He felt his consciousness slip away, and even though he could feel his body fall to the floor, the item in his hands were still clutched in his fingers despite his weariness. And like a light being flickered off, he fainted.

---

"—The Forest!" he shouted, gasping as he suddenly awoke from his fainting spell, eyes wide and a look of urgency on his hooded face. "I was on my way up the Phoenix Mountain, looking for those people... and then... and then..." he mumbled to himself, and then looking around to see that he was not where he thought he was.

When he collected himself, he realized that he was in the building owned by those people. A crowd of people swarmed over him, their hands hovering over him with healing magics and mumbling medical jargon to one another as if he were some patient. There was a weird masked man or woman there among them, and a woman of petite stature who carried an air of leadership around her. Was this it? Silver Wolf? He had been aware of their existence ever since they even came upon the Phoenix Mountains, but he had never exchanged a word or look their way. For them, they wouldn't have ever known he had existed until now either.

At first, he hesitated. In all of his twenty-two years, he had seldom spoken to another soul before, save for the forest and its spirits itself. He almost choked on his words from the sheer anxiety of even being among them, but after recalling the horrific image of his home being burnt to nothing, he stammered through his fears with little difficulty. His emerald eyes were sobbing quietly, and his voice was shaking. Suddenly, he wobbled to his feet and reached out to the petite woman he had fixed eyes with just moments before.

"Y—You're Silver Wolf, right? You are those people?" he stuttered, inching closer to her with his hand reached out, "My home... t-the forest... it's being burned down! You've got to help me! Without your help, they'll... they'll all die! Their hearts will be turned to ash! Please! I'm begging you!" he cried, finally approaching the woman and pleadingly holding her wrist, "I'm not strong enough to do it alone... please...! I'll g-give you anything you want...! Please, save them...!"

For the most part, he had no choice but to ignore how heavy his legs felt. They reminded him of lead. The scratches and scrapes were nearly healed from the medics' brief efforts, but not entirely, and his hood still veiled part of his face. But, from up close, the petite woman would have been able to see the helplessness in his wet eyes. His heavy heart taken form in his gaze.

---

Before he knew it, the crowd of people only seemed to increase. It was daunting, to say the least, but nothing he couldn't brave through considering his dire situation. He couldn't let his anxiety best him now of all times. Among those people were two men who were quick to tend to his wounds. One was tall and tough-looking, spoke politely and had hair like silver. The other one seemed much younger and had hair and eyes that reminded him of the chestnuts from his forest. Not only that, everyone seemed to eager to help, and somehow that made him feel like crying even more.

"Right, s—sorry..." he sniffled through his sobs, looking at the silver-haired man and then looking away. That man was right—he had to calm down, or else he'd look like a bumbling beast to them, and the last thing he wanted was to waste any more time than he had already. "The forest at the foot of this mountain is being burned down! These people have been trying for weeks to get in, but when they couldn't, they... they..." he stammered again, thinking about how the hot ribbons of fire bounced from treetop to treetop, and how all he could do was watch, powerless against such a dangerous force. He felt the tears roll down his face and his hands clench into trembling fists. "I—I'm sorry... I can't calm down... not now... not with everyone suffering like this!"

After that, he seemed to sob even more, albeit far more quietly and stifled than before. Out of habit, he snatched the front of his hood and pulled it down over his face so no one could see the wetness of his emerald eyes.

"Please, we must go now... or else it'll be too late!"

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