The Tower's Secret

1. Awakening

A boy slept.

The warmth of darkness was intangible yet comforting, an endless blanket melding in with his skin. He was happy for some reason—happy to just stay there forever—seeing nothing, feeling nothing, knowing nothing.

Until... he surfaced from the darkness.

The boy opened his eyes. A light shone upon him, pulsing above in a vast expanse of pale blue. He closed his eyes, attempting re-enter his blissful slumber, but the light somehow pierced through his eyelids, illuminating everything from within.

Too bright. Too bright.

His neck tickled. He heard distant sounds, but they were too muffled to be discerned. He shifted his head sideways, and as his bleary vision adjusted marginally, he noticed a few long blades of grass fanning over him in a yellow-green canopy.

Where was he?

The boy sat up weakly, his bare feet itching. From what he could conclude, he seemed to be sitting in a golden field of grass and wheat. He glanced down at himself; realizing that he was wearing a grey shirt and grey pants, the thin fabric sticking to his damp skin.

Strange. He did not recognize anything, but panic somehow eluded him. As if the peaceful lull of the wheat field was soothing him, pulling him into the ground to fuse as one with the earth.

Relaxing.

Peaceful.

Maybe he could return to sleep—to the darkness of his slumber.

Until the boy noticed a body lying right next to him. The body of... a little girl. He blinked. And blinked again. How had he not detected her until now? He numbly tried to crouch up, but he fell back, wobbly legs too weak to support him. Tried again; fell again. After a few more failed attempts, he gave up and studied the girl from the ground.

She was still—completely still—hidden underneath the golden blades of grass. Her complexion was faint, almost invisible. Eyes closed, lips parted, face relaxed...she looked so comfortable, so comfortable. Watching her, the boy suddenly felt sleepy once more, and his curiosity and questions began dissipating. He wondered if he could feel that way if he closed his eyes, if he let nothingness wash over him.

Yet a nagging sensation was pressing against the lethargic folds of his mind. Like...he was supposed to know something, like he was supposed to feel something. It was a dim sensation of urgency. He frowned; the muffled sounds seemed to be getting louder now, but they were still hard to discern.

He reached out to touch the girl, to wake her up, to ask her about where he was. However, before he could, right when his fingertips were about to brush her skin...

She disappeared. Exploded into millions of little lights.

And his eyes widened for the first time.

The lights collected into a small glowing orb, the same color as the wheat, suspended in the air as if held by an invisible string. For a moment, time seemed to be suspended as well, hanging in indefinite uncertainty.

Then, the glowing orb flew towards him—towards his outstretched hand which had frozen in confusion. He absorbed it. The light entered through his fingers, a heavy yet rejuvenating sensation that flowed through his veins and shocked him from his torpor.

The boy fell back gasping, unable to grasp what had happened. He stared at his hand, at the place where the girl had lain. Again at his hand, at the place where the light had appeared.

Inexplicably, his lethargy was gone now, leaving him racing with questions. That nagging sense of urgency in the back of his mind, formerly covered by layers of sleep, had surfaced. And with urgency came panic. The boy stood up suddenly.