Chapter 1

“For your sins against the church—”

Sins? In what perverse world did rushing to help someone screaming in distress count as a sin? Sheesh.

“—we hereby assign your punishment. Death!”

Death? That seemed a bit...drastic. Then again, Ryan had attacked a high inquisitor. But the man had ordered those innocent people to be beaten! There was no way the church would condone this type of action by its followers. Oh, wait – this was the church.

“Will you repent in your last moments, heathen?”

The man at Ryan’s side, clad in all white, was practically oozing distaste for him, though he had done nothing wrong. Ryan opened his mouth to speak, to protest, but his cries were muffled behind the gag they had placed on him.

Well, that’s just not fair.

“Even now, you refuse to repent. And so, as the hand of the Goddess of Justice, I set forth your sentence, and act upon it.”

The priest’s hand moved, and the blade of the guillotine came crashing down.

Damn.

Ryan’s head left his body, and he watched in awe as the whole world turned upside down. Part of him had been hoping to at least ruin the high priest’s robe with his blood, but no such luck.

Of all the branches of the church to arrive in his small town, why did it have to be the Zealots of the Light? The only sin Ryan had committed was trying to be a good man, certainly a better one than the corrupt followers of the Goddess. His eyes focused on the bright golden sun above for a moment, before his mind drifted off and his world went black.

“I am sorry, child, for the unjust end to your life,” a woman’s voice whispered in his mind.

Ryan opened his eyes, startled by the emptiness around him. Was he dead? He was pretty sure you died when your head was cut off.

“The least I can do, to atone for the sins of my followers, is grant you another life.”

Ryan glanced around, but there was no one. His body, completely intact, was simply floating in nothingness.

“Stay pure to your heart, young man, and I hope you continue to walk the path of righteousness.”

The world started to turn dark. Whatever was going on, Ryan was confused. As a heaviness filled his mind, all he could think of was how unlucky this whole ordeal had been. He wondered if he was hallucinating. But deep in his heart, he knew he really was dead.

***

“Wake up!” A voice, loud and shrill, pulled him from darkness.

How long had he been asleep?

“Heellloooo,” the voice continued, louder this time.

Ryan opened his eyes as visions – memories – flashed through his mind and disappeared. Who am I? An image of a man in white, a movement, a giant blade. Ugh, the church. Wait, what’s a church?

“Anyone in there?” The speaker, a small, floating thing, stared at him.

She – Ryan was pretty sure it was a she – appeared to be a young woman, judging from her simple white dress and long golden hair. However, she definitely wasn’t human. Feathery wings sprouted from her back, and she glowed with a faint golden light. Ryan tried to respond but realized he couldn’t.

With a quick glance, he realized a lot of things. First, he had no mouth. Second, he was certain he didn’t have any eyes, yet he could somehow see in 360 degrees around him. Third, his body was a glowing white sphere.

Had he always been a glowing white sphere? The more he inspected himself, he realized he was made of some sort of glowing stone.

“Oh, you are awake.” The tiny woman flapped her wings in excitement. The motion sent her flying into the ceiling above Ryan. If he had a mouth, he would have laughed.

He took in his surroundings: a small, confined space, with stone and dirt all around. Was he underground? Had he always lived down there?

The woman in front of him lowered herself to his eye level – so to speak – and smiled. “What’s your name?”

Ryan? The name came to the surface of his mind, and he clung to it. That’s right, he was definitely a Ryan! But he still had no way to speak.

The woman stared at him in silence. After a long while, she shook her head, laughing. “Oh, that’s right. I have to complete our bond first.” Her body started to glow brighter, and she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him. Their two lights blended, and she gently kissed the top of his stone.

In that instant, Ryan felt a flash of energy rush through him, the light emanating from him filling the room. At the same time, he felt a strange stream of thoughts — a consciousness — in his mind. Reaching out internally, he saw the woman shudder as he engaged it.

“Hello?” he thought to her.

She beamed. “Hello!” Her voice was filled with excitement.

“Who are you?” Ryan was thoroughly confused about what exactly was going on. One moment he was in darkness, and now this.

“Oh, of course you don’t know. Sorry, I’m just as new to all of this as you are.” She fluttered around him, suddenly nervous. “My name is Erin.”

“Ryan.” He projected his name through their bond.

They sat there for a moment, Erin’s face growing steadily redder. The continued silence started to feel awkward, and it didn’t seem like Erin was going to be the one to break it.

“So, Erin, what exactly are you? And more importantly, what am I?” For some reason, he had no idea. Strange.

“Well, I am a celestial fairy.” She spread her wings wide, beaming with pride. “And you, Ryan, are a dungeon.”