Sparrow was laying on his bed roll that was in the living area of The Spire Guards, staring at the ceiling of the room that was made of the black/grey concrete and rock that the Spire was completely made out of. He was looking at them trying to find anything that wasn't the same dark colors that covered everything in this dark place of misery, but all he found was darkness of the Spire itself staring back at him.

How long has he been here in this lifeless tower, 5, maybe 6 years now. He lost track after being here so long. After the last and only person he could call a friend in The Spire, Bob died by the hands of the Commandant of The Spire.

Bob was a good man, he didn't deserve to die, he did nothing wrong but have his mental health be destroyed to the point where he would speak words of nothing and ramble on, not being able to follow orders because he couldn't hear them. The Spire made him go mad, to forget his past, his wife or even his own name, he lost everything.

Now Sparrow himself has begun to lose his mind as well, the darkness and madness of The Spire was creeping in his mind, making him different, making him weaker both mentality and physically. The Spire itself was made to break a man's will, to make them obedient to The Spire, to do everything they want you to do.

So far Sparrow has been able to stay strong and do things by his own will and defy the rules of Commandant and of The Spire, but it has took it's toll on him to continue to do so.

They try to break him by making feel like he has no choice of what outcome he wants. When he tries to feed starving prisoners and gives them food, Commandant makes sure they and more, starves longer and make Sparrow watch as they slowly riot away in front of him. When he tried to spare Bob, the Commandant made sure Bod died a slow and painful death in return.

There was the shock collar around his neck, a "gift" that is given to every guard in The Spire to make them obey the Commandant and Lucien's commands. Sparrow has been shocked so many times he decided to give up figuring out how many times he has been shocked from the collar but he remembers the pain from it. Each second of the bolts hitting him felt like hundreds of burning needles digging into his neck and throughout his body, twisting and turning into each of his veins down to his core. The force of shocks would cause his head to jerk back violently as he would try to pull the collar off, with no success no matter how hard he'd pulled, tugged or ripped at the collar.

Screaming was the only thing he could do that seemed to ease off the pain for a while before the shocks got worse or unbearable but as years passed, he seemed he lose his voice with each scream he gave; soon all he could muster up was faded far yell that lasted no longer than a second.

The skin around his neck was now bloody and open flesh that never seemed to heal, no matter how long he wasn't given the painful bolts of electricity from the device the wound would stay, or worsen with more shocks that he received from the collar. It would hurt to lay down with the pressure of the collar pushing against his skin which always made it difficult to sleep.

Then there was that dreadful beating sound of The Spire, Sparrow first heard it when he arrived to The Spire on the old oak wood ship. At first he thought he was just hearing things but quickly realized it was real, and the noise has never stopped since his time here. Getting louder as the years go by, burning his mind with each passing day, to still hearing the beating in his dreams and nightmares, making feel that he had no privacy even in his own thoughts.

Even the light of the outside world was lost to him, when Sparrow first stayed at the Spire there was still sunlight shining through the Spire from the open and unfinished top but as the months went by, the Spire became more enclosed with the sun's warmth being farther and farther away. By the 4th years(or he thinks so, he doesn't remember anymore) the light was completely closed off from the Spire, making the Spire even more of a place of darkness, gloominess and misery for the people of the Spire and Sparrow.

The isolation and the consent mental challenges that Sparrow has faced in the Spire had been breaking him ever so slowly and painfully. Constantly trying to keep himself together and to remember his

Mission and to try not to lose himself in the process.

After Bob's death, he didn't have anyone else to talk to personally, to feel any humanity from or kindness in one; everyone else was selfish and didn't care for the lives of anyone else in the Spire. Sparrow had tried to talk to Garth before but it seems the old man seems to just ignore him in turn and so Sparrow chose to just leave the man alone until Garth chooses to speak with him again.

So Sparrow just talks to himself, mostly in his mind just questioning what was occuring on the outside world back at Albion. Was everything still peaceful there or was there chaos taking over with bandits attacking more people, slaver's kidnapping innocent people from local villages, even Hobbes terrorizing people and stealing children from their homes to turn them into Hobbes to grow their numbers.

But the one thing he worried about the most was the well being of his family. Always wondering if they were still safe back at Bowerstone, if they were still waiting for him, if they still think of him as much as he thinks of them.

Sometimes his mind gave him ideas that Sarah had given up on waiting for his return and found someone else to love and help raise Mary together. Sometimes he imagined that they were somehow harmed or killed, that they cried out his name so that maybe he would appear and save them to no avail, as they died or worse. These thoughts hunted him more than anything else, more than torture he is given everyday, or the suffering he seen from the workers of the Spire.

Several times he found himself unable to sleep or even close his eyes, failing to even get a moment's rest but to just stare opening out at the blackness of walls of the Spire; a void that seems to always take him in, where no light could save him from any of the madness and torture that he endures.

Now here he lays, staring at that same cold dark ceiling of the room trying to find the mental strength, a light in the darkness to keep fighting against the evil and wickedness that tries to break him down. But at this point there's nothing else to look into, he was alone far from any help or sign of hope; and now he feels like giving up, to just end this terrible nightmare of a game, to let himself to be controlled by Commandant's orders, to fully accept his fate and be part of the Spire like so many other done before him. What's the use of trying to continue the suffering and pain he receives if he's not going to get out of The Spire because Garth won't help, if no one, not even his own family is waiting for him, that there's no hope to keep him strong….then what's the point anymore?...just……...let go.

Sparrow closed his eyes as he let out a long and heavy breath, symbolizing his mental effort and strength being gone from him. And suddenly found himself asleep, drifting off from this world to the last place where he had control before he gave it all away.

Suddenly Sparrow felt something that he hasn't felt in a long time, a breeze lightly pasting by his face; not only that but the warmth of sunlight hitting him with it's rays, filling him back with the feeling of comfort as he embraces both like an old friend.

He smiled for the first time in a long time since being stuck in the Spire, he hasn't felt this happy for a long time either. To feel safe, to be somewhere just anywhere else that wasn't the cold and lifeless world of the Spire. It almost hurt his face to smile again, for so long he kept a stoic or drained face of emotions for there was nothing that could make him happy. Not even the thoughts of his own family could make him think in a positive way but to feel lost and feel farther away from them than anything.

He could hear what seemed to be the sound of leaves moving with the breeze of the wind and some birds that were chirping, Sparrow found them reassuring as a pleasant melody that he wished he could listen to forever.

Finally Sparrow opened his eyes to see his surroundings that he found himself in. The first thing he noticed was the clear blue sky over head, then the dark green leaves of oak trees that circled around him and the rough mountain side to his right. He got the smell of brisky water that he found by following the sound of pitter patter from stream creek behind him.

Everything seemed familiar to him like that of a childhood memory before soon realizing where he was.

"I'm in the Hero's Guild woods" Sparrow whispered in shock as he took in the details of the woods as the memories started to flood back to his mind.

He quickly looked around the woods to try and find a certain bearded man, near the two trees, the small creek, and the trail that leads out of the woods but Sparrow couldn't find the legend hero anywhere.

Getting off his back and on his feet, he walks over to the small creek taking a seat on a rock that was along it's side. Looking around him again, Sparrow began to wonder why he was here in the Guild's woods once more.

Was this a dream? He hasn't had any in a long time, just the occasional nightmare that he would get if he ever fell asleep. So could this just be some kind of demented nightmare that was trying to show him a beautiful and serene setting so that his longing of the outside world is greater, to be tortured even more as he stays stuck within the Spire. To see what he will never forget, what he can't feel anymore.

'...Why' he asked himself in his thoughts, 'why am I seeing all of this? So that I can suffer even more…….why did you bring me here?!', he begged frantically as if there was some preeminent being that was listening to his thoughts and give him an answer.

"Hello, Sparrow" a softly spoken voice called out, Sparrow knew immediately who the owner of the voice was as he turned around to see a tall old man looking over him. "It's been quite awhile... hasn't it?" The man asked with a wide smile across his breaded face.

It was Pilgrim, the same old hero of Oakvale that Sparrow met so long ago in this same other worldly forest that he was brought to. At first, Sparrow didn't know how he felt about seeing the old breaded hero again, was he really there? Is this all a dream?

"Are you real?" He asked Pilgrim, "Is any of this real?" His face showing his concern and worry thinking that any moment he would wake up back in the Spire, back to his personal hell.

Pilgrim took a seat on a rock next to him near the small creek in front of them, that's when Sparrow noticed that Pilgrim wasn't wearing his Old Kingdom Steel Plate armor instead he wore a simple white cotton shirt with long worned out brown jeans. Which in a way made the young hero less intimidated by the tall brute shaped man, he felt more at ease with him and thought of him more of a friendly old man then the legend hero who made dragons tremble in his presence.

"If you're asking that everything here including me, are not just some part of your imagination or a dream? Then yes, this is real." Pilgrim told him.

"Why am I here?" Sparrow asked the old man sitting next to him.

Pilgrim looked over to him from his spot, still smiling as always. "Good question, why are you here?" He asked Sparrow in jokative tone.

But Sparrow wasn't at all amused by his attempt at humor and just stared back with a blank expression as his response. Pilgrim looked down at the ground, shaking his head as he let out a breathy laugh.

"Because you need to be here," he said calmly as he looked back up to Sparrow, "You thought you were completely alone, so here I am."

"Are you saying that I did this?" Sparrow asked intently as he leaned in closer, waving his around him implying the whole forest and Pilgrim.

"A bit, yes. I'm here to help you Sparrow, in any way that I can." Sparrow kept staring at Pilgrim without saying a word, still unsure about how he should feel. Happy, relieved, confuze, angry? In the end, it came out as one word.

"How?" Sparrow finally turned away from Pilgrim's stare as he looked at the dirt below him. "And how will you help me, um?" His voice agitated as he continued now looking back up to Pilgrim.

"By telling it's all alright, that I just need to stay strong and ignore all the pain that I suffer daily? To ignore all the people that cry and scream in agony as they are starving, dying, and being killed everyday as I can't do anything to help them." Soon the wind around the forest begins to pick up, the clouds turn grey blocking out sun behind them. Sparrow's eyes now filled with anger and frustration, his voice gets louder as he continues.

"To remember Sarah and Mary are still waiting for me back home, that they haven't forgotten me or found someone else to love? That I must not show or feel any emotions at all." Sparrow stood up from his rock before continuing in an aggressive sarcastic tone, "Oh! Or are you going to tell me that ifI just think happy thoughts that I will magically feel better and that I won't think about these suicidal thoughts that hangover me every.bloodly.waking.hour of my LIFE! How will you help me Pilgrim? How will you fix THIS!?!" He slammed his hands against his chest as he let out all of his frustration and anger towards Pilgrim. The wind was howling as it rushed through the leaves of trees thrashing them around, the sounds of thunder began to rumble behind the face of the nearby mountain.

Pilgrim's smile was long gone now as it was now a solemn face, he didn't respond to Sparrow as he looked up at the sky as it darken all around him. He looked back to Sparrow who was bubbling with emotions as he stared intensely at the old hero.

"You've been listening to your fears…. haven't you?" His voice saddened by the realization of what Sparrow had said. Sparrow's body loosened up as he heard him.

"You've let them control you, to make you believe everything they feed you. I think I understand now." He continued, "I've seen what happens to those who let their fears run wild, fears can be a powerful thing if you believe in them. I've seen one of my closest friends, the Head of the Hero's Guild, the man that saved me when bandits burn my village down and killed my father; work for Jack of Blades and tried to kill me because he let his fears control him, to make believe that there was no hope left for the world...so he gave up and try to save himself from dying with everyone."

"Even when he was so close to finding a way to stop Jack of Blades, his fear got the best of him, and he betrayed the only family he ever knew so that he may survive, only after he was stabbed by my own sword did he realize his mistake before dying in my arms." His voice deepened as he remembered that day, when he lost Maze, another father figure in his life to the evil of Jack of Blades. He raised Pilgrim alongside Weaver, he was good to him and Pilgrim made sure he had a good burial after his death.

Sparrow was calm now as he sat back down to his rock, he understood that fear can darken a soul if left unchecked and loose. He realized that he did let his fear get the best of him, letting himself believe every idea that his fears showed and thought them to be true.

"That…will do," Sparrow said simply, Pilgrim smiled as he gave a pat on the young hero's shoulder.

"I'm glad it helped."

The sky slowly came clear again as the wind lessened with the clouds scattered and turning cotton white, the sun giving out it's warm rays around the forest. The song of birds returning with a wonderful muse giving the forest life again.

"It's not easy, Sparrow. To ignore your fears, to be strong enough to not to listen to those thoughts but you must not them be not more than just that…. thoughts."

Sparrow understood what Pilgrim was telling him and gave him an agreed nod, with Pilgrim nodding back.

"I understand your pain, believe me I truly do. I've been stuck in prison, never seen the sunlight for years…hearing the screams of other men who suffer with me. The only thing that kept me strong, from not going insane, was my pure will power to make sure that I stopped Jack of Blades and to see my mother, and my sister again so that maybe we can be a family once more…."

Pilgrim looked away for a moment as he remembered the day that he lost his family, when Jack of Blades killed his mother in front of him and when Theresa left him to go on her own journey. He cried when she walked away from him, for that was the last time he would be with his own family, before being alone once again.

Sparrow saw the pain that Pilgrim's face tried to hide with the moment brought up, he wondered how similar the two of them were. They both lost their parents at a young age, lost the last of their family to a high evil, both train to become heros to save Albion from that evil, and both have been through terrible mental pains of being trapped in a place of misery.

Pilgrim turned to look back to Sparrow with a smile on his face of course.

"I'll try to stay strong," Sparrow said, "but I don't know how I can."

"Just find what can give you peace of mind,"

"Like what?"

Pilgrim sat back on his rock as he shook his shoulders, "That, is something you have to find out by yourself. I can't tell you what is peaceful for you."

Sparrow sat up from his rock, his voice a bit aggravated, "I've tried everything but it either doesn't work and I just snap back to reality, or I just get worse like when I think of Sarah and Mary...it makes me think the worst of things that can happen."

"Well, you can try to meditate and do some training on your Will powers," Pilgrim suggested.

Sparrow shook his head, "How am I supposed to do any training in The Spire? I have the shock collar that stops me from using any Will power, and I've been drained of most Will energy anyways."

A slick smile grew on Pilgrim's face, "who said you had to do the training there"

Sparrow raised an eyebrow to remark, "How else would I?"

"You can train here with me,"

"I can?!" Sparrow asked, cut off guard by Pilgrim's nonchalant comment.

"Yes!"

"Does that mean I can just train whenever I want?"

"Well I'm not quite sure to be honest," Pilgrim looked to the side out of embarrassment while nervously laughing, "it can happen whenever you're asleep, though I believe our visits can only occur occasionally rather than consistently I'm afraid."

Sparrow took a deep sigh as shook his head, "I see,"

"But for right now, we can train together. Before you awake and go back,"

Sparrow nodded his head in agreement before standing up and stretching his arms and legs, "Sounds like a plan, I hadn't learned any Will powers from a trained Hero before. Most of my knowledge only comes from what was written on the scrolls and books that survived in the underground remains of the Hero's Guild or that could still be read." Most of the time Sparrow had to improvise with his own understanding of some Will powers or learn from what Theresa told him to the wielding of them, so he never had a true understanding to use some Will powers.

Pilgrim walked over to the center opening in the woods, he magically manifested a sword from behind his back. It was a long Steel sword with yellow and purple hilt, it looked as though it was made by a master swordsmith with years of passion and detail giving it the feel of a powerful weapon like no other. The Will lines on Pilgrim's body started to turn to draker blue light color as a smile grew on his old wrinkled face.

"I can promise you, I'll teach you far more things than any of those old wet moldy pieces of paper can ever tell." Pilgrim said with bravado.

Suddenly Sparrow felt cold metal in his right hand, he found a similar blade in his hand that Pilgrim wield as well. Tightening his grip around the hilt as he aimed the blade toward Pilgrim, assuming a stance before him. A smile grew on his face out of excitement.

"I sure hope so."