I should have known better. I should have listened closer.

On a day of fine moments that could turn to priceless memories, the sun will set early, and bring not the moon and the stars, but literal darkness and despair under the guise of men cloaked in shadows. Those men will surely bring forth the flames of destruction, taking everything with them. Leaving nothing behind. Leaving no life behind. Marking the end of the world.

Marking the end of my world.

Nire awoke with an in intense start. Her eyes snapped open as she gagged for air. She was lying on her back in a strange dark void. There was no vivid light to be seen, but she could make out the faint outlines of herself. Sitting up and looking around, she asked aloud to no one in particular, “Where am I?” There was nothing out there except for darkness as far as the eye could see. Nire figured that she wouldn’t be able to find many answers simply sitting in the dark, so she got up, dusted off her pants out of habit, and began walking.

“I have to get back home,” Nire walked and walked deeper into the darkness, but without seeing anything, there was no way to tell how far she had walked, or if she was even moving at all. The girl began to worry, but tried her best to make light of the current situation at hand. “What kind of mess did I get myself into this time? Mom and dad are probably worried sick! But knowing them, worried to death is more like it.” She chuckled to herself and began to feel a little more at ease thinking of her family. She talked to herself some more, “And of course, I’ll probably need Mail to help me out of this mess. But in all seriousness,” she stopped and turned around hoping to see some signs of anything at all, “how do I leave?”

A warm gust of wind blew through Nire’s hair. “Did I just hear someone say ‘leave’?” A voice called out from the darkness. Nire held her breath unsure of what danger lies in waiting for her. The voice continued, “Welcome, Nire, to the beginning of the end.” Suddenly, as if this were a live show that was being put on, a beam of light shone through the darkness in the distance acting like a spotlight, and landed on an eccentric looking man who seemed to lightly float in midair. With the help of the light, Nire could see now that the world she was in lacked most colors. The man wore a hat and a face covering so she couldn’t see his face, but she could definitely see his long flowing hair. Everything he wore was black except for two sashes tied around his waist that were a bright pink and a lively green.

“Interesting,” Nire responded unenthusiastically and began to slowly back away.

“Wait, wait! Come back! Please don’t leave” the man pleaded desperately. Then an idea struck his mind and he took off the cloth that was covering his face. “There we go. Let me introduce myself,” he said as he leaned back and floated. “Call me Foom, please. I want to make a deal with you. So,” he disappeared for a second and reappeared instantaneously right behind Nire’s shoulder. “So,” Foom placed a hand on Nire’s shoulder and leaned in close, “what do you say?”

“Hm,” Nire mumbled. “Sorry,” she said, lifting the man’s hand off her shoulder, “but my parents always taught me to be wary of strangers,” Nire began backing away as well, “and I really need to get back home,” she said before trailing off.

“That’s it!” Foom happily declared aloud to himself. He quickly grabbed Nire’s hands and began to dance around with her. Nire yelled in surprise at the sudden move, too slow in fighting back. The light from above seemed to be dancing along with the two as well. “You don’t have a way back home, but I know a way! I can get you back,” he said to Nire with a playful sincerity in his eyes. “A chance to start over, a chance to begin again,” Foom twirled Nire around under the now intense rays of light that cracked open the dark void. “A chance to return home, that I can do, that I can do,” he repeated for emphasis. Just as their dance was about to reach its climax, Nire finally recovered from the shock and abruptly pulled away.

“Can you really do that for me?” Nire halted where she was as images of her mother, father, and brother flashed through her mind.

“Of course. All for you,” Foom confidently replied. “Now, what do you say?” he asked as he offered a handshake. Nire looked at Foom’s hand, hesitating. “Why me?” She finally asked after a moment of silence.

“I need you,” Foom said with conviction. Nire could feel that the playfulness Foom portrayed just moments ago was now gone and replaced with seriousness. He floated towards Nire and placed his hands on her cheeks. He looked her straight in the eyes and spoke again, “You’re the only one who can do this for me. The only one who can bring me The Power. I need you, and you need me.” He backed away a bit before continuing, “So...I’ll ask you again. What do you say?” Foom smiled and offered his hand to Nire once more.

“I don’t know what this ‘power’ is, but,” Nire closed her eyes and took a deep breath, “it’s a deal,” she replied. She opened her eyes and shook Foom’s outstretched hand. “Perfect,” the man replied happily. A bright burst of white light radiated from their hands as they shook and Nire was soon overtaken by the light. In her final moments in that darkness, she could have sworn that she heard Foom say, “My friends, let us rejoice. Thanks to our dear friend, Nire, our time to rise has come again.”