Staring into the cold flame, Alim and his siblings huddled around their last candle. While his little brother Ilom had managed to fall asleep, his sister Alin stared into the Darkness beyond their little hut's window. She knew what awaited them. Alim's heart ached as he thought of the people at the Seeing-Tower, many surely already lost to the Dark. Master Iruntal's vision had come true. All light in the sky had disappeared and Darkness had soon swept across the land, swallowing cities and nations.

Alim and his siblings had covered themselves in many blankets against the cold. Their other torches had all already been used up, when he still had the courage to go outside. They had burned up in less than half the time they usually took. They had tried lighting pieces of furniture to use as light, but their flames had been pulled into the Darkness and vanished. Not that it would have helped against the cold. Fires had lost their warmth since the Darkness had appeared after all.

Though this last candle had lasted longer than their other light sources, it too would not hold up much longer. Alim dreaded the thought of being powerless to protect his siblings, once the candle-

Alin suddenly leapt up. "A light.", she said staring out the window. "What?", Alim asked startled. "There's a light.", she repeated. Alim stood up and looked outside next to her. He had to strain his eyes, but then- there was a light. Faint, but there, shining through the Darkness. "What do we do?", asked Alin, turning to her brother. Should they head for it? Or wait for it? Did it even move? Would it reach them at all? Alim looked back at what was left of their candle. "We'll try to reach it.", he said resolved.

Alim cut small pieces from one of the chairs' legs and put them into an old lantern as fuel. He then chipped away at the leg's remains, creating tiny chippings to serve as igniter. He put them into the lantern too and shut the small hatch at the side. Though he didn't expect the wood to catch fire, he felt wrong not having any backup.

The candle in his right hand, the lantern at his belt and his brother on his left arm, Alim stood with Alin at their hut's door, "Hold on to my tunic and don't let go.", he told her. Ilom clasped Alim's tunic: "I'm scared.", he said. "It will be alright.", said Alim. It had to be. Alim kicked open the door, turned for the light and - with Alin behind him - started sprinting.

Holding the candle before him like a shield, Alim struggled to keep the light in his sight while weaving through the trees. He could already feel his legs tiring. The time in the hut, without proper food supply, had taken their toll. But they were coming closer! Alim was sure of it. They might make it. They actually might make it.

Someone screamed, and Alim felt Alin's tug on his tunic vanish. He whirled around. Alin had fallen. She was almost out of the candle's light. He thrust the candle towards her, and jumped back to her. "Are you alright?!", he blurted out. Tears ran down her face, but she nodded. Thank the gods. Now they just had to make it to the light, with what remained of the- Alim froze. Barely a puddle of wax remained of the candle. Why had it suddenly burned up so quickly? They should have had at least an hour left! The candle light waned. Alim had no time to think. He grabbed the lantern from his belt and laid it on it's side before him. With the hatch open, he smashed his flint and steel together above the chippings within - no spark. He tried again. And again. And again, getting more desperate and violent each time. His arms and hands started to hurt, but he didn't slow. He slammed the steel down, hitting the flint. Again he slammed the steel down-
The candle went out.

First there was merely no light, but then came the Darkness. A pressure could be felt rushing in, swallowing them. They could not see the trees. They could not see the ground. And they could not see each other. Not even a moment had passed, but they could feel their senses fade. And they could feel the world slipping away.

The steel, in Alim's still moving hand, hit the flint - and a spark erupted in the Dark! The chippings caught fire, followed by the wood. They were basked in light and the world returned. Breathing heavily, Alim carefully closed the hatch and checked on his siblings. They were both alright. But why had it worked? Why hadn't the flames been pulled into the Darkness like before? The only difference was that he had prepared the wood in the lantern this time...

But this wasn't the time to think about that. "We have to keep moving.", he said. He picked up the lantern and it took him some effort to stand up. "I'll carry Ilom from now.", said Alin, picking her brother up, "You strained yourself enough."

They moved on, holding on to each other. The light now grew with every step they took. Eventually Alim could make out a figure, holding up the light. As they came closer, they were finally fully basked in the light's shine. The figure was a man in red robes, and he held a wooden staff with a brilliantly glowing gem on it's tip. He had short brown hair and even though he couldn't have been older than 30, his eyes seemed to Alim like those of Master Iruntal and the oldest and wisest at the Tower.

The man studied them for a moment and then turned to Alim: "Are you Alim? Attendant to Iruntal at the night of prophecy?" Surprised, Alim answered: "Y-Yes, but how do you know me? Who are you?". "My name is Emrys.", answered the man, "Our common friend Iruntal told me you left to bring your family to safety shortly before the Darkness struck. He'd seen a vision that you're still alive and asked me to come for you."
"Master Iruntal! Is he well?", asked Alim. "He is.", said Emrys, "But you were quite reckless to make your way to me without Aember. Outside, the Darkness gnaws at the energy of ordinary light sources after all." So that's why the candle had suddenly burned up so quickly. "Did you leave anyone behind?", asked Emrys. "No, we're all that's left.", said Alin. "We should move on then.", said Emrys, "Though the Aember shields us from the Darkness, we shouldn't remain here for long.", he turned to where he'd come from, "We can take shelter not far from here. There you will be able to rest."