Today's an average day at best in this small dank town. Everyone knows everyone, but no one seems to know about the secrets this town holds.

That was until an exploration of the tunnels that ran beneath the city led to a catastrophic event.

"It's so hot today..." Kiara complained, her short pixie cut falling flat against her forehead from sweat. She perched herself on a branch high in a tree, swinging her legs. Dae-Won sat criss-cross at the trunk staring up at the clear blue sky. He didn't mind the heat. He did mind being bored.

"We could go for a hike in the woods."

Kiara sucked in air, swung down the tree until she landed on her feet next to him.

"We did that yesterday..."

Dae-Won shrugged, "Better than sitting here. Besides, we haven't been to the heartland woods yet. "

"That's because my parents say it's haunted."

"They only say that to keep you from having any fun."

Kiara shrugged. Anything was better than getting an unnecessary sunburn in this heat.

They hurried along, stopping at Kiara's house to grab a snack and a bottle of water each. Then they made their way down into the heartland forests just outside the city.

Dae-Won gasped loudly. He had never seen markings like the ones on the cave near an abandoned silo. The area around it even appeared lifeless.

"Told you this place was creepy." Retorted Kiara.

"You said it was haunted." Dae-Won rolled his eyes, stepping closer to the opening. Deep within something glinted with the sunlight cutting through the canopy of trees.

"There's something in there."

"What?"

"Could be a treasure. We could be rich." He beamed at her, his soft brown hair blowing with the cool breeze. The excitement in his bright green eyes made her want to go explore. Even though something about the marking made her uneasy.

"Alright Indiana Jones, lead the way." She chuckled, half-heartedly. He tipped an imaginary hat, walking into the cave. The markings outside the cave lined the walls inside. They had a slight red glow to them, like they had tiny fires glowing within.

"That's not creepy." Kiara observed. Dae-Won's eyes were trained on the glinting metal ahead of them.

"Look." He pointed toward the shiny metal. Kiara ran forward, Dae-Won following closely. When they got closer they found a tiny silver heart-shaped locket sitting within a glass case.

"Oh my goodness, it's beautiful." Kiara's voice was filled with excitement. Her hand reaching out to pull away the glass frame that held it captive.

It burned their lungs, scorching their skin, leaving them with a heart-shaped burn. A burn that showed the Inflamed world that they were to blame for the catastrophic events.

A devastating burn that left everything scorched or completely obliterated. There were no warnings when one goes curiously snooping in dark caves left abandoned in time. How were they to know?

Perhaps the hieroglyphics covering the slick wet walls leading up to the devilish object that depicted love. It's beautiful delicate design luring them in like a moth to a bug zapper.

Once Kiara touched the cool surface of the locket, smoke billowed out encasing her and Dae-won in a thick wall.

"Dae-Won!" Kiara cried out, unable to see her friend in the ever thickening putrid haze. She reached out her hands blindly searching for him, only to be hit with a searing metal upon her forearm.

"Dae-Won, Where are you?!" Again she cried out, her heart racing with fear. Beneath her feet the ground began to rumble, rocks crashed all around, followed by an agonizing, piercing cry.

"Kiara!" Dae-Won's voice echoed throughout the smoke filled cavern. Kiara's eyes watered, the fumes making it hard to focus. They needed to get out. She had to find him first.

A hand wrapped around her wrist, tugging hard. Kiara stumbled forward, being pulled toward a clearing.

"Dae-Won, slow down, I can't see...." Kiara choked on the thick air, tripping over the crumbling rocks. Dae-Won never slowed down until they were standing in pitch darkness. The coolness of it in comparison to the burning smoke, felt like a cool pool of water.

Kiara gasped, Dae-Won pulled her into a tight hug, hoping for his eyes to adjust to the pitch black place they found themselves in. How he wished he could go back and just stay sitting under the sycamore tree, beneath Kiara swinging her feet above him.

"What was that?"

"I thought it was just a locket..."

"Why was it all the way down here?" Dae-Won questioned, still holding Kiara tightly. The smoke never came close to this vast darkness they found themselves in. It hovered just at the edge as if it were waiting for them to come back out.

"I don't know..."

"We need to get out of here."

"How?! We can't even see!" Kiara cried, her tears soaking his shirt. Dae-Won sighed, closing his eyes for a long time. Up above their heads an explosion vibrated the cave, making rocks rain down all around them. They both covered their heads trying to find some sort of cover, to no avail.

Kiara was hit first in the head and then Dae-Won. They both faded into the dark abyss. Soon to awaken to a fiery world to be outcasts of a society learning to navigate their new surroundings.

Dae-Won rubbed his eyes, sitting up on the dusty floor, dimly lit from a hole in the cave above. All around were piles of rocks and tiny embers that seemed to crawl across the ground towards him. He kicked his feet hard, causing them to fade out.

His eyes wandered around resting on the motionless body of his best friend. Her light blonde hair riddled with dirt mixed with dried blood. His heart squeezed in anguish.

"She can't be dead. Please don't let her be dead." He pleaded, scurrying over rocks to get to her. He tossed them away, lifting her gently into his arms.

"Kiara?"

Kiara's eyes slowly opened, her hazel eyes bloodshot.

"Oh, thank God!" He teared up, burying his face in her neck.

"What happened?"

"I don't know."

"What time is it?" Kiara asked, wincing from the gash above her eye. Dae-Won moved to look at his watch.

"7:30."

"Shit! Mom's going to kill me, I'm late for dinner!"

Carefully Kiara got to her feet, Dae-Won following suit. Somehow he didn't think her mom would care about her being late once she saw the state of her.

All along the walls the hieroglyphics were still intact. The only things out of place were the heart shaped locket and the chunks of rocks.

"It's still there." Kiara pointed to the heart shaped locket. It looked as if no one had touched it at all. Everything surrounding it is completely unfazed, much like the hieroglyphics. However they weren't glowing red anymore. They were black as charcoal.

Kiara looked up at Dae-Won; he had a ghastly cut on his cheek. His eyes darted from one place to the other trying to make sense of everything.

"We should get home."

Dae-Won nodded, taking her hand as they navigated the cave. They weren't prepared for what awaited them outside.

All the trees in the heartland forest were now charred stumps. The once bright blue sky now a red orange smog with ash rain that fell blanketing the ground in a gray sheet.

Beyond the stumps they could just make out ruins and debris.

"Stop right there!" An angry voice demanded.

Kiara and Dae-Won turned to find a barrel of a shotgun in their faces. Wielding it was a man with a half burned face that seemed to have healed over time. Which seemed impossible to them seeing how they just came out of the cave.

The man's milky white eyes locked in on Kiara's arm and then the barrel of the shotgun pressed to her forehead.

"You killed my family all those years before!" He cried, a shaky finger hovering just above the trigger.

Dae-Won put his hands up.

"What are you talking about, all those years before?"

The man narrowed his eyes, the barrel still pressed to Kiara's forehead.

"A great fire broke out ten years ago. It destroyed everything. It was like an atomic bomb was set off. Except there was no bomb. The only thing that remained unscathed was this cave."

He nudged his head towards the cave and then spat on the ground making the ash billow up from the ground.

"Did you not read the warnings on the cave?" The man asked the anger still resonating in his tone.

Dae-Won looked from the man to Kiara. When his eyes fell on her he saw the scar on her arm in the shape of a heart. How was that possible?

None of this made sense.

"You can read those?" Dae-Won asked in disbelief. The man growled at him in response, lowering his weapon briefly.

"My great grandfather told me the stories. Made me read an old book until I had it memorized. Although it has done me no good. I wasn't able to save anyone. I had fallen asleep under that stump there... well before it was a stump. That's how I got this."

He gestured to his face.

"Anyways... your friend here has been marked by the lost heart. In order for the curse to be undone, she must find the other person marked by the locket."

Kiara glanced at Dae-Won. The man shook his head as if knowing what she was thinking.

"He is not the one."

Dae-Won sighed, his eyes on the ash covered ground.

"Where do I find them?"

The man laughed.

"If I knew that, they would have already been here. Although it is said that there is a forest called the Whispering Willows"

"Where is that exactly?"

Again he laughed.

"Good luck finding it. All the trees are burnt down to stumps...if you are lucky you might be able to find the cave. Although I've searched for ten year now with no such luck."

Why did he want to kill her when she came out? Was it out of frustration for the life he has had to endure since the death of his family or was it his own guilt. Kiara couldn't be sure. All she knew was that she wanted to find the person who could help her set the world back to normal.

"For what it's worth... I'm sorry about your family."

"How could you have known what would happen? You weren't born a guardian." He sighed, resting the shotgun on his shoulder.

"I will find the other person. I promise you." Kiara looked determined. Dae-Won knew without a doubt that she would and he would help her every step of the way.

"Just a warning... watch out for the ash demons. They will try to stop you."

"Ash Demons?"

The man nodded, "Yes... once humans that burned to ash cursed to walk this earth to protect the lost heart's claim."

"Where did the lost heart come from?"

"It is said that a goddess had her heart ripped from her chest after she had fallen for a human who didn't love her. He had stolen her heart which turned to pure hatred. The man tried to give it back to her but was engulfed by flames in her despair."

"That's awful." Kiara murmured, grabbing Dae-Won's hand. He glanced down at their entwined fingers and smiled. But his smile quickly faded. The thought of her connecting with someone else hurt.

"You I fear will soon know her pain. That is the curse that has fallen upon you." The man appeared sympathetic.

"Whatever you do boy... don't interfere."

Dae-Won nodded, letting go of Kiara's hand.

"If you should need me, my name is Art. Draw a broken heart in the ash and I will appear."

They didn't say another word, silently they headed towards the destroyed houses in search of a forest that holds the person connected to Kiara.