Fragmented

Chapter One

TW: Gore

A butterfly fluttered through the air, searching the endless hills and fields of wildflowers for nectar. It searched a poppy, finding nothing but pollen. It moved on to a dandelion, and finding none there either, landed on Sabre's nose, who was asleep in the tall grass and flowers that stretched past the horizon.

The butterfly woke him, and he waved it away before sitting up and checking the sun's position. Sabre groaned. It was late afternoon, and he had promised Origin Steve that he would be at Origin's home by noon the next day. At this point, he wouldn't make it until sundown.

Sabre stood up quickly, stumbling a little as the blood rushed to his head, and hurried inside his small cottage, isolated from the world. He packed a bag with everything he'd need for the trip: food, water, extra clothes, his journal, etc. Sabre hesitated when adding his dagger to the mix but knew he might need it if he traveled at night. The trails were dangerous after sundown; wild animals, specifically wolves, were notorious for attacking travelers at night.

He took a step outside, breathing in the fresh air and feeling the sun's rays on his skin. The birds sang their light, chipper tunes as Sabre walked past the trees they nested in. He took one last look at his home and set off on the dirt road that led to small Steve villages and, eventually, Origin's three-story mansion that stood on the highest peak of the Yaturís Mountain Range. A murder of six crows flew over Sabre's head in the same direction he was going, cawing mournfully. He glanced up at them and casually dismissed the occurrence but felt in his heart that it was an evil omen, silly superstitions running rampant in his mind.

Unbeknownst to Sabre, he had forgotten the crystal charm Rainbow Steve had gifted him when they were still together that warded off evil and malice on his dresser in his bedroom.

The crows were an evil omen indeed.

>~~~<

Sabre could only think of how creepy the woods were at night and what could potentially be lurking in them.

By sunset, Sabre had known he wouldn't be able to camp for the night. He was too far behind, and he was in the most dangerous part of the forest. He silently cursed himself for napping for so long. An owl hooted as if in reply. Sabre couldn't see where it was, but he knew it was there watching him stumble over roots and stones in the flickering light of the torch he held in front of him. There wasn't a moon that night, and the clouds covered up the stars.

A branch snapped behind him. Sabre whirled around and spotted a pair of bright, savage eyes reflecting the light from his torch. Then he saw another, and another. He was surrounded by abnormally large wolves. Sabre felt for his dagger and the charm tied around the hilt and realized what he had forgotten when he only felt the leather handle of his weapon.

"Great. Just great," he muttered. The wolf in front of him snarled as he drew his weapon, a silver dagger intricately etched and emblazoned with the symbol of the Rainbow Kingdom, a crystal surrounded by a ring of woven lilies. Sabre knew he wouldn't be able to fend off all the wolves. He wished for his friends, but reminded himself that they were gone, that he would never see them again, and that he should stop thinking about them before he was killed.

He switched his focus to plans. Fighting them head-on was just about the worst thing he could do. He would be torn apart in seconds. Maybe he could run, but he wouldn't make it very far. Unlike in the movies, wolves caught up quickly to scared humans running for their lives. And these wolves in the Steve Realm weren't as easy to scare off as the wolves back on Earth.

But there was a downside to the ones from the Steve Realm: their fur was highly flammable. Sabre didn't know why, and he didn't know if it was true either; it was something that Rainbow Steve had told him one day out of the blue. But maybe Sabre could use that single fact to his advantage.

Or it could be false, in which case he would end up as dinner for the wolves. But he couldn't think about that.

Sabre sheathed his dagger and feinted to the left, and the wolves rushed in front of him to cut him off, clumping together. He threw the flaming torch at the wolves, and it hit one of them in the nose. Its fur caught in an acid green burst like it was doused in kerosene. The flames quickly spread to the others as it howled in pain. Sabre backed away and ran, leaving the pack to their fate.

Without any light, Sabre strayed from the path, tripping over roots and vines and large rocks. The wolves' cries, now furious, were growing closer. He glanced behind him and tripped on a particularly large stone. Instead of just falling, however, he began tumbling down a hill that he hadn't known he was on.

Sabre couldn't stop himself. His bag was wrenched off his person after catching on an upraised root. He slammed into trees, thorny rose bushes, and other foliage for what seemed like forever, eventually rolling to a stop against a large oak. He was scratched and bruised, but he sprang up with a burst of adrenaline. He glanced around at his surroundings in the inky black of the night, and behind him was a dim light coming from some sort of cave. He rushed in without a second thought, eager to escape the burning pile of death that was chasing him.

He took a few more steps into the tunnel and realized how stupid he was for rushing blindly into a random cave that something probably lived in. He couldn't turn back now, though. He could no longer hear the wolves, but that might mean they were searching for him. If he stayed in the cave, there was a chance they wouldn't be able to find him.

Sabre staggered further into the cave, the sounds of his boots echoing throughout the tight space. The light grew brighter the further he went. It grew warmer as well, which he thought was odd and suspicious. There was something strange going on, and he was about to find out what.

The tunnel opened, and Sabre entered a circular-shaped cave with high ceilings. Vines draped from stalactites scattered around the area. Water dripped from somewhere in the cave, creating a slow, consistent sound. The light and heat came from a crack in the wall, just wide enough to let him slip through.

He paused for a second to rest and consider his options. The room was a dead end. The aperture in the wall was the only possible way of escape if the wolves found him, but he didn't know what was in there. For all he knew, it would incinerate him immediately.

Before he could think further, he heard the wolves' snarls echoing through the cave. Sabre sprinted over to the crack just as the wolves entered the room. He gagged and fought to keep his frugal dinner. The fire had been extinguished, but the pack had melted together into a grotesque pile of burnt heads, legs, and flesh. The noxious stench of scorched hair and overcooked meat filled the cave.

It charged at Sabre, howling in agony and rage, and he sidled through the gap as quickly as he could. The monstrosity scratched at the stone, attempting to reach him. One of the legs slashed his left shoulder open, and he gasped in pain. Blood flowed down his arm and dripped from his hand as he crept further into the crack. The wolves could no longer reach him, but they still tried.

Sabre shuffled further and further, and the light grew brighter and warmer with each sidestep he took. The light started to look more natural, and it felt like a warm, sunny spring day instead of the dampness of the cave. A soft breeze gently blew in, ruffling Sabre's hair a little. Then he was outside of the claustrophobic crack in the stone, out in the sunlight and away from the dangers he had left in the cave.

Sabre breathed in the clean air and looked around. He was in a beautiful emerald green forest. Light pink and white flowers budded and blossomed in the trees as a squirrel leaped from branch to branch playfully. The sun's rays slanted through the tree cover in patches onto the foliage below. It was probably about an hour before sunset.

Sabre turned around and was met with a crumbling stone wall covered in moss and vines, the remains of a structure long forgotten. But there was no opening in the large bricks. Confused, he felt along the wall to no avail. It was like it was never there.

A twig snapped behind Sabre and he whirled around. A Green Steve grasping a woven basket tightly stared at him in shock, and Sabre stared back. He was familiar, but Sabre couldn't remember where he had seen them. Then, the Green Steve spoke.

"Sabre?"