As I followed Rukas through the long halls, I suddenly felt nervous. I was an outsider here, a person from a faraway land who knew not of the ways of the people in the place they had come to. Perhaps the Guardians would be like Rukas, kind and welcoming, but what if they weren't?

Rukas, by the time we had reached the place he was leading me too, was deep in thought. I could detect the aura of uncertainty that radiated from him like light from the sun. The door before us slid open and I could weakly detect the forms of the four Guardians.

"I see you're awake," one of them said. It wasn't Ignitus; this one's voice was too deep. It was a deep rumbling baritone, and vaguely reminded me of an earthquake.

"Yes," I said simply with a nod. Expecting Rukas to speak, I said no more.

Rukas shifted, more uneasy than ever, it seemed. He began slowly but spoke more quickly as his words progressed. "She remembered her name... It's Tempo. That's all."

With that, Rukas tapped my arm and walked quickly out of the room—but not too quickly, as not to arouse suspicion. I followed him at a normal pace until we were back on the balcony again, out of earshot.

"I thought you wanted to tell them about what happened?" I asked. "And while I was doing that, I remembered a piece of my life. Shouldn't we tell them about that?"

"It's better if we don't," Rukas said quietly.

"Why?"

"I don't know how they'll react. Glowing isn't exactly normal, Tempo. If they found out... maybe nothing would happen, but it could be bad." Rukas shook his head.

"And the memory?"

"Well, what was in it?"

I paused in thought and examined the one piece of colour among my blackened mind. "I was in this house and a dragon—my mother, I think—was telling me to get up. Then, somebody threw something threw the window. It ended there."

"We better keep that a secret too," Rukas said with a slow nod. Noticing my dubiousness, he added, "It's not like it'll hurt anybody."

"Alright, Rukas," I said with a sigh. "If that's what you think is best."

What else was I supposed to do? Rukas was right. The vision was odd in and of itself, but who knows how the Guardians would react to the glowing? It was best to just stay quiet and let it pass over, even if that meant lying.

~~...~~

A week passed between that day and the one about to be told. The days were quiet; I hadn't often seen the Guardians and Rukas, too, was rarely around, as he spent much of his time in the surrounding swamp. So, I was left to my own devices. These "devices" usually consisted of sitting on the balcony and turning a sightless gaze onto the courtyard below.

Occasionally, if I was concentrating, I could just faintly feel Rukas wandering around down there. He was a heavy walker and the vibrations could just reach me. But I usually just payed attention to the swaying of trees. My echolocation didn't capture the movement perfectly; it was jerky and my slow tap tap tap on the wall wasn't fast enough to release and receive vibrations every second. But I could still imagine its beauty.

With a sigh, I set my head on the guard-wall. The balcony had quickly grown to be my favourite spot in the whole Temple. Though there wasn't much around to detect, it was just so nice out here, with the crisp fall air and the leaves that, with a crackle and a snap, broke free of their branchy captors. And it was so quiet. Only the occasional bird chirped merrily, and I would sometimes hear a mournful wolf howl rise up through the treetops of the distant forest. But other than that, there was only the blowing wind and my tapping.

I'd just stopped drumming the ground and had just become lost in my own thoughts when a weak vibration came to me. Someone was coming, and I knew it must be Rukas, as he tread too light to be one of the Guardians. Because I was blind, I could not identify people by their face, so I simply did so by the way they walked.

The door behind me slid open and I turned to greet Rukas. Over the past week, we had become amiable friends, acting almost as if we had known each other for several years. I had no idea why he wanted a quiet, blind amnesiac as a friend... but I needed him more than ever, so I thought it better not to ask.

"Hi, Tempo," Rukas said, walking over and sitting down beside me.

"Hey," I said absentmindedly.

Rukas seemed to examine me for a moment before speaking up. "Is something on your mind?"

Dear Rukas. He always seemed to know when something was wrong, and easily cheered me up. But I wasn't sure if I wanted him to be there for what I knew was about to occur. But, though I knew he'd want to stay with me even more now, I confessed.

"I can feel a memory coming... It's tugging at the back of my mind, but I can't hold onto it. Something tells me I don't want to, but I should... I don't know," I said, voice quavering ever so slightly. "What if it's as bad as the last one?"

"You'll get through it. How bad can it be?" Rukas reassured. He paused for a moment and said, "But, Tempo, I've wanted to ask you something..."

"What is it?"

"There's a strip of cloth tied around your arm. Why is it there?"

"A strip of...?" I ran a claw along my left wrist, and sure enough, there was a cloth there. It was identical in texture to the cloth wrapped around my eyes.

Confused, I picked at it until I managed to untie the small knot. I showed my wrist to Rukas and waited for him to say something, but he never did.

"...What is it?" I demanded, uneasy.

"It's... it's an hourglass..."

Rukas took a step back, but I didn't see it. Like a wolf moving silently through the night, the memory that had stalked me silently now pounced. I was trapped beneath it, unable to break free, and it quickly swept me away in the white void.

I could hear the laughter before my vision cleared. It was a deep, malignant laughter that seemed to wear away at the walls of my mind. When I finally did gain my vision, there was only a cloud of smoke and haze about me. I couldn't see, couldn't breathe, couldn't do anything but relive this memory against my will.

It didn't take me much longer to realize that I was struggling wildly and that something was being driven into my wrist. I refused to scream, but it hurt so much that I could barely take it. I began to fight harder until I thought I was going to break loose.

The one holding my arm grunted and growled out, "Hold her still!"

Somebody complied with his request quickly and I was soon held down and unable to struggle in the tiniest bit. I coughed, trying in vain to at least release the smoke from my lungs, but not even that worked. The pain grew more and more intense over the course of what seemed to be hours but was only a few seconds more. My arm was released and I dragged it closer to me. Blood, so sickeningly red against grey scales, streamed down it. I could just make out the symbol that had been carved. Hourglass.

"Now you're marked and you won't be able to hide from us again," the one who had done this to me said with a short laugh. I remained perfectly still, face emotionless, even when I saw the glint of a dagger's blade before my eyes. "Now be still, and maybe I won't kill you."

I knew what was coming next, and fear, my own fear and not the fear of the girl in this memory, swelled up in my chest. I did not want to live through that ever again. But the memory didn't end, and the dagger drew slowly closer and closer to my eyes. The person who held it tensed and the blade rushed forward without warning, but before the pain came, the memory faded into sweet, sweet blackness.

As the feeling came back into my body, I realized I want breathing heavily and my heart was beating so loudly that at first I thought it was the pounding of a drum. Clenched in my paw was the cloth. I suddenly realized that Rukas had his paw on my shoulder just like last time, but now he was gripping my shoulder so hard that his claws nearly dug into it. Compared to what I had just felt, though, that pain was vastly inferior.

As soon as Rukas realized I was awake, he cried out. "Tempo!"

I was on the ground, so I picked myself up and faced Rukas. He had backed away now, all the way to the other side of the balcony.

"Hush. It's alright." I spoke in a reassuring tone, trying to sound as calm as I could. Using my teeth to help, I managed to quickly, if not neatly, retie the cloth around my wrist.

"N-no, it's not," Rukas stammered. "You were t-talking and some of the things you said..."

Of all the terrible things that could happen, him knowing what had happened was the worst. It only took that one memory to make me realize that a shadow was lingering over my past, and that darkness was greater than I. Rukas should not be a part of the shadow; it was mine to carry and mine alone.

After a long pause, I uncertainly said, "We mustn't let the Guardians know of this. Ever. I don't know what's happening and, whatever it is, I'm afraid of what they might do if they find out."

"Tempo, I—"

"It is important that they don't know!" I snapped. Noticing Rukas' quivering form, which betrayed the sadness and fear that might have been on his face, I lowered my voice to a calm tone. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Just like last time?" Rukas whimpered, taking a step forward.

"Just like last time. Don't worry, Rukas. Everything's going to be alright," I whispered.

I shouldn't have lied to him, but there was nothing else I could have done.


The next few months were peaceful and without hindrance. Rukas and I soon grew attached to each other and we were nearly inseparable. We were an odd pair; Rukas, though he was very firmly attached to the ground, did occasionally wander into a childish fantasy. He was usually serious and quiet, but he wasn't afraid to laugh. Me, I was the somber one, hardly smiling at all. Like Rukas, I was serious, but I was much more reserved than him. Then, of course, there was the fact that I was blind. This might not seem like a great wall between our friendship, but I could never see the world as Rukas did, and he could never feel it like I could. But somehow, our friendship endured.

As for the Guardians, I still didn't see them very often, and I couldn't help but hear the whispers no matter how hard I tried to ignore them. They had a right to be suspicious, to wonder what and who I was. But at the time, I thought it was better if they, and even I, never knew.

But, the Temple eventually became my home and all of its inhabitants a sort of family. Perhaps I thought of it that way because I had no true home or family to speak of, only blackness. I don't know. All I know was that it was pure bliss. I received no more memories, and for that I was glad. The two I had already stained my mind and darkened my almost dreamless sleep.

But I knew in my heart that the happiness must come to an end. When it did, my life would never truly be the same, never really possess the happiness I had then. But like a child, I tried to ignore the black clouds that I could clearly see were approaching, rather than seek out shelter. And when the storm finally hit, it ravaged the earth in a torrent of icy rain and earth-shaking thunder. The small dragon that was the only reason that I didn't give up then and there. I tried to run, but it was too late. The lightning struck quickly, bringing us to our knees.

Rukas... forgive me for being so blind.


"Tempo." His voice was calm, as if he didn't want to worry me. I barely stirred at the sound of it.

Tonight, for once, my sleep was not just a few fitful lapses of bad dreams. They were only growing worse now.

"Tempo!" I snapped awake, the severity of the voice scaring me from my peaceful dreams.

"Ignitus?" I asked, getting to my feet as quickly as I could. I drowsily shook my head, and recalling the tone of his voice, tensed. Whatever it was he wanted, it sounded urgent. "What's wrong?"

"It's no longer safe here; we must leave. Rukas and the other Guardians are waiting. Follow me," Ignitus said, voice low. He didn't wait for the many questions I wanted to ask, only turned and walked away.

I followed him as he told me to, figuring it would be better to ask him what was going on later, but I was still confused. What did he mean, the Temple was no longer safe? Safe from what? And how could it be unsafe when it was nearly impenetrable and guarded by masters of the elements? My head spun and every step made me even more dizzy, but something (instinct, perhaps) told me to be silent.

The fear didn't begin to set in until we joined up with the others. Nobody said a single word, and though I could not see, it was easy to picture the grave looks that must have been on the Guardians' faces. We set out towards the entrance, but it was clear on the other side of the Temple, so we had a long walk.

I strained to hear something, anything that would help me identify the Guardians' unspoken fears, but there was only the soft sound of our footsteps. I was too afraid to make any noise in order to send out vibrations further, as whatever enemy was around might become alerted to our presence.

I fell back out of the group and Rukas followed, edging up close to me. I swiveled my head around, still straining to hear something, but I could not.

"Why are we leaving?" I whispered to Rukas, frustrated.

"I don't know," Rukas whispered back. He shot a glance at the Guardians, but if they could hear us, they didn't say anything.

"Igni—" I began.

"Quiet. They're nearby," Ignitus said in a low voice. I glanced at Rukas, but he only shrugged. Why did I expect an answer from him anyhow?

We walked for a few more minutes, until I knew we were almost there. The entrance was only a few rooms away. My fears began to ease then; surely, once we were outside, we'd be safe. Safe from... whatever was chasing us. At least then I'd finally have answers.

Seeing that it was about three in the morning, I was tired and did not pay attention. Before I knew it, I was stumbling sideways, about to fall over from exhaustion, but the wall caught me. And it was just when I hit that wall that I noticed it.

"Something's coming, fast," I said, straightening. We had just exited the long hallway and had entered the pool room. The enemies were only a few more rooms away.

"Both of you, get into the corner and stay there!" Terrador commanded after a short pause. Rukas and I quickly followed his order, ducking into the nearest corner and huddling together.

It didn't take long for the entities I had sensed to enter the room. Rukas pressed against me, whimpering, and I did my best to silently comfort him. All but one of the creatures were small, only as tall as Rukas, but the biggest among them stood a bit below the Guardians' heights. In any case, they didn't take long to begin their attack.

I could not see the battle and I did my best to block it out of my mind, as Rukas was my main concern now. His breathing had become irregular, as if he were crying, so I did my best to shield him from the raging battle.

Eventually, the fight spilled into the next room and Rukas and I were left alone—or so I thought. When I realized that another creature still lingered, and it was the biggest one of them all, I pressed against the wall. Without the Guardians to protect us, we were vulnerable. I did not, as far as I knew, have an element. I had not been able to breathe a single thing, and any attempt was in vain. As for Rukas, I didn't expect a child to keep us safe. So if that creature caught us and we could not get away...

As much as I hoped he would not see us, those hopes did not come true. I knew immediately that he had spotted us when he took a few steps forward then a step back. He seemed to be staring at us. I held perfectly still, continuing to cling to a last shred of hope, but the thread snapped.

"Well now, what do we have 'ere?" the creature drawled in a thick voice.

Though I wasn't sure how, I knew as soon as he spoke what he was. Ape, my mind hissed at me, and that simple word caused my heart to leap up into my throat.

But another thing scared me, too, but I wasn't sure what is was. It was something about this... ape, something so terrifyingly familiar. And it hit me suddenly, like a splash of water from the arctic; so cold that it burned.

This ape, from my last vision, was the one who had cut out my eyes.