(Long ago, there were two kinds of humans. Those who had semblances, and those who did not.)

(The people with semblances could use unimaginable power. They were as fast as a windstorm, strong as a mountain, and ever changing, like the waters from which life arose.

(The other humans were intimidated. So they declared war, branding themselves the Instigators.)

(After a long, hard battle, and with the help of some of his own magic, General Ozma, leader of the Instigators, defeated his enemy, Empress Salem.)

(The formerly powerless Instigators had learned magic of their own, and used it to heavily restrict the powers of the Semblance-users.)

(They then trapped their opponents underneath Mt Remnant, where it is said that no human enters and returns alive.)

However…

Oscar Pine had had enough. Recently, he had begun hearing a voice in his head, which for some odd reason sounded like that of a "Victorian era school headmaster" as he described it, and it would not SHUT UP. So he ran away from home, and took the plunge into the mountain's crater, to try and make it stop.

Somehow, he lived.

"Damn it. I'm still alive."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, in trying to make you be quiet, I decided maybe I'd end it all. But I guess these flowers broke my fall."

"...Like that makes any sense," Oscar sighed, realizing how bad his luck was today. "Welp, guess you get to stay. Now… how the Never After do I get out of here?"

Oscar gazed up at the crater. Light shone through. Probably why there were so many flowers.

"Well," the voice said. "Only way to go is forward."

Oscar shifted his gaze toward the arch in front of him. It was quite beautiful, actually. At the top, he saw a strange glyph full of shapes he didn't quite understand. Then suddenly, he heard a sort of… whisper? Like a hushed conversation that only he could hear. He took the first step through the gate…

And he saw a girl. Alone. She was wearing a lavender t-shirt under a pair of denim overalls, and her blonde hair was swept to the side.

"Hey…" she said, noticing him. "I'm Sadie. Sadie Lemony."

"...oh no. I must be quiet for now, so handle this on your own," the voice whispered.

"Wait, what? Why would you…" Oscar thought in reply, but there came no answer. He looked back to Sadie, who seemed to be waiting for him. "I'm Oscar Pine," he blushed. "Did you… fall too?"

"A while ago, yeah," she shrugged. "And in the meantime, I've been hatching a plan to get out of here. But…" she smiled, "I'll need a partner."

Oscar caught on. "So… that would be me, then?"

"Exactly!" Sadie beamed. "But, you know, the Underground's dangerous," she explained. "The Royal Guard's on the hunt for people like us. So I might as well teach you the ropes. You ready?" she asked, motioning to him to brace himself.

"Sure…" Oscar replied, and suddenly he got a strange… feeling in his chest. Almost tingly.

He looked ahead of himself and noticed a floating red heart in front of him. It was glowing. He touched it with a finger. The finger went right through.

"That, my friend," Sadie explained, "is your Soul. The culmination of your very being."

She glanced to her side, and Oscar followed her gaze. Suddenly, five glowing particles appeared, dancing in the air.

Sadie looked back at him. "You can move that thing, you know." She motioned to the particles. "Try touching one of those."

Oscar looked up again, and tried to somehow move the heart with his mind. Somehow, it worked. It got nearer and nearer to the light…

And suddenly, he was filled with indescribable pain.

He fell to the ground, and was blinded. When he woke up, he saw himself surrounded by what looked like glowing, viscous vines. He tried grabbing one, and it burned his hand. He saw Sadie just outside his cage.

"Sadie! What is this?" he pleaded.

"How about I ask the questions here?" she snapped. "Just answer honestly, and I might help you out."

Oscar was shocked, but he was also desperate, so he agreed.

"Alright, here it is: Do you hear voices in your head?"

"...Yeah, I do, actually."

Sadie then began muttering to herself. Something about Oscar "being the one."

"Thanks, kid." Sadie smirked. "Now all I need to get out of here is that soul of yours."

Oscar felt a vine poking up against his head. That was when he realized he was most likely going to die.

"Bye."

It began to dig further. He could feel it burning hotter. Tears came to his eyes.

And then it stopped.

A voice called from the cavern. "How many times have I told you to leave?"

"Shit." Sadie hissed. She ran into the darkness, and eventually Oscar lost sight of her.

His savior stepped forth. A tall, fair-skinned woman, with shoulder-length red hair. A gray cape was draped around her shoulders, and her eyes were noticeably silver. "Hey, are you alright?" she asked, kneeling beside him.

"Yeah," Oscar nodded, "the pain's mostly gone now. My hand and neck still sting, though. Thanks for saving me back there. Thought I might be a goner."

"It was my pleasure," the woman smiled. "I haven't seen my own daughters in a long time, so I make it my duty to protect any child that falls down here. It's what they would want, after all."

As she rose to her feet, she realized something. "Oh, I haven't introduced myself, have I?" Helping Oscar up, she did so. "My name is Summer Rose. I protect the Ruins, for they are my home."

"I'm Oscar. Oscar Pine." he said, hesitantly. "It's… nice to meet you."

"You as well, Oscar." Summer smiled. She took his hand. "Come, let me take you to my home."