I

The last thing he remembered was an intense light.

His mind was so scattered he couldn’t even remember the word ‘death’, let alone the meaning of the brightness before him.

Then it vanished into shadow. Darkness was becoming all too familiar, until he felt the heat of the fire.

He could see the light and the dark, or maybe he couldn’t see at all?

Pain.

Aware of this, he finally opened his eyes. The cruel sensation was coming from the palms of his hands. They felt as though they had been burnt somehow.

Black.

Chapter Two