Hello again everyone! Time for chapter 3! I'm pretty sure it's the longest chapter so far.

So enjoy! :D

I blinked my eyes open. It occurred to me that something was wrong, but I couldn't figure out what it was. Then I looked around at the charred, smoldering remains of my cabin and realized something: I should be dead. The whole cabin burned down with me and... Kody... "Kody!" I yelled, looking around frantically. He wasn't nearby. "Ko-" I was cut off by a hand covering my mouth. I struggled, but the grip remained firm. "Calm down, will ya?" I heard Zack say. Zack? I stopped struggling and he let go. I turned around. He was standing there, his Ninja garb slightly burned, but looking fine. "Are you okay?" He asked me.
"I... I think so." I replied, "but I'm not exactly sure how."
"Me either, but that's not exactly important right now. We've gotta get moving. It's probably going to come back." I gave him a bewildered look.
"What's gonna come back? What are you running from, and why did it burn my cabin down?!" He looked down and sighed.
"Look, I'll explain everything later, okay?" He said, "For now, we need to get moving!" I sighed, annoyed.
"Fine. But we need to find Kody first."
"No. He's gone. I don't know where he is, but I assure you, he's alive." I stopped to think for a moment. Should I go with him? And can I trust him? Both answers were a resounding "no," but considering there was apparently danger...
"Alright. Lead the way." I said.

We walked through the woods for about an hour, not saying a word to each other. Occasionally, he would stop and duck behind a tree or under a bush, motioning for me to follow suit, which I did.

Finally, we emerged from the woods into Cornbread Desert. "Why are we here?" I asked him.
"Just keep pace, you'll see." He replied. I sighed.

We walked through the desert for around half an hour before Zack finally stopped. What was in front of us was an odd cactus formation. It appeared to be two cactuses (cacti?) that had grown twisted together.
"...Seriously? That's why we've been walking all this time? A cactus?" He rolled his eyes.
"It's not just a cactus. It's a portal."
"Yeah, right."
"Just watch."
And with that, he grabbed the pouch I had seen with his equipment earlier, reached in, and threw some sort of powder at the formation. It began to untwist until it formed what looked like a doorway.
"How in the world...?" I said in disbelief. Zack chuckled.
"Magic. Follow me, and I'll introduce you to the Biospark Order." And with that, he walked through the arch and vanished.

I approached hesitantly, examining the arch. It seemed safe enough, so I hopped through. What was on the other side left me dumbstruck.

It appeared to be a huge underground civilization. And when I say 'huge,' I mean it. The ceiling was so high, I couldn't see it, and I could barely see any of the walls either. Zack and I currently stood on a large balcony that overlooked the entire cave. Down below us, I could see a village consisting of a whole lot of small huts that appeared to be made of wood. And the center of the village was what appeared to be a fountain which was spewing water. There seemed to be some form of light source coming from above us, but I couldn't see anything.

When I finally found my voice again, I said, "...How in the world...?" Zack chuckled.
"Impressed?"
"Very. What is this place?"
"This is the Biospark Order. It's a huge community where Biosparks can live safely."
"Safe from what?"
"Biosparks get into a lot of danger. A lot more than what I'm facing."
I glared at him. "And exactly what is it that you're facing?"
"I can't tell-"
"NO. Enough with the secrets now. Whatever's chasing you burned down my cabin and almost killed me. You owe me an explanation!"
He looked at the ground and sighed.
"Fine." He said, "I'll tell you everything."
And so, he told me the story.

"About a year ago, right after I came here, the Biospark Order found me and brought me here. Initiation requires you to complete a mission, and mine was to get a treasure from a dragon. I successfully completed the mission, but the dragon saw me. It's been chasing me ever since then, wanting it's treasure back."

That's so cliché it's not even funny.

"So then... the dragon is what injured you?" I asked.
"Yeah." He replied.
A moment of silence followed as I looked around below us again. Zack broke the silence by saying, "Anyway... I need to introduce you to the village leader."
"Why?"
"Because you're now a guest here, and when a guest arrives, the village leader has to be told."
"Oh... well okay! Let's go."

So we did. There was a really long staircase down from the balcony, and after we got to the bottom, it was another fifteen minute walk through the village to get to the leader's hut. When we finally reached it, we walked in, and I was greeted by a red Biospark. Zack bowed and said, "Master Markus, we have a guest visiting the village." Markus nodded, turned to me and said,
"Hello and welcome./ I hope you enjoy your stay./ And what is your name?"
Hmm. He talks sort of funny...
"My name is Ember, sir." I said respectfully.
"Very nice to meet you./ I'll let Zack show you around./ I'm very busy."
"Okay." I said, slightly unsure of how to respond. Zack turned to me and said, "Ember, I'm gonna have to ask you to wait outside for a minute... I need to discuss something with Markus." I nodded and walked out.

A few minutes later, Zack emerged from the hut and said, "Shall I give you the grand tour?"
"Sure!" I said.

He showed me around the whole village. There was a restaurant, a town hall, a store... it seemed like a normal town, except it was, y'know... underground.
"So where does the light come from?" I asked, because looking up, I hadn't been able to figure it out. Zack shrugged.
"I'm really not sure. I haven't figured it out, and everyone I've asked just tells me it's magic."
The lights flickered. I looked up.
"Is that normal?" He didn't answer, so I looked at him. He seemed to be frozen in a state of panic.
"Zack?" I said, "What's going on...?"

And then the alarms started. Deafeningly loud alarms, with bright red lights to accompany them. Then I became aware of a different light source. A fire. The balcony was on fire! I caught a glimpse of movement above me and looked up.

There was a massive dragon flying through the cave.

-End of chapter 3!-

-Nashew