Simon walked past the oak trees of a forest, sword at the ready for spiders and creepers. He was scared.
But… Who was he before, again?
Simon stopped in his tracks.
He could smell something. The warm smell of musk, the bitter smell of coffee and a welcoming smell of dirt and freshly cut grass. It was the smell of childhood.
Except he had nothing to remember.
Simon ached in the head and the heart, not knowing where these memories came from. He wanted to know who he was, where he came from, and why he was here.
No, he remembered, It's only the dream I had last night.
A shrill sound like sandpaper against rock woke Simon from his daydream as he was pinned to the floor by a heavy monster. Hard pincers clawed and grasped at his head every time he screamed.
Simon kicked and punched and rolled around to get the spider off of him. His sword that he had dropped was only a block away.
The monster shrieked again and started to tear at his clothes to get the meaty skin underneath.
"Aaaghhh!" Simon wailed. It was only his second day here and he was going to die already.
The spider went silent. Its body dropped onto Simon's and rolled off. A small blast of heat disintegrated the spider pixel by pixel, almost immediately, leaving a puff of grey smoke and a broken arrow.
The last thing the boy saw was the sunlight as he slipped into the darkness.
"In every battle that mattered in my life, I've always been the one left standing, no matter how slim my chances. This battle means more than any of the others, because it's for the life of every person that I've ever cared about. I will win this fight."
— Ike (Fire Emblem)
The words were as clear as the moon at night. The boy stood up, and noticed that the words blocked his vision, no matter where he faced. He also realised that when he stood up, he still felt the cool of the ground that he lay unconscious on.
"Hello?" Simon heard, the voice swishing in his head like a tsunami.
