I felt a searing heat all around me, and my senses started to come back. My skin felt like it was on fire, and I couldn’t help but groan in pain. When I woke up, flames were all over my body.

  “Ahhh!” I screamed and started rolling around. I was lying on the floor and not in the vines up on the wall.

  “Stop rolling so we can put out the flames!” someone shouted in frustration.

  “It was much easier when he was out.” Another voice joined in. “See? I did Alf a favor.”

  After a moment, the flames were put out, but I continued to roll back and forth because it was what I was trained to do my whole life. After about a minute of useless rolling, I finally gave up. The rest of the group was looking at me like I was insane or having a panic attack.

  “That was pretty funny,” Rabbit said in my head.

  “If you thought it was a bad idea, you should have said something,” I replied.

  “How was I supposed to know? It did line up with the riddle, but I was prepared with two lines in case it went bad. I would’ve said either ‘That’s a wrap,’ or ‘Why are you always trying to make a good impression,’” Rabbit said.

  “Wait. Why are you always trying to make a good impression?” I asked.

  “Well, my best guess was that you’d climb up and we’d solve the riddle. But I had two backup scenarios. One, the vines would try to kill you by wrapping you up. Two, they’d snap and drop you. I was saving the ‘Why are you always trying to make a good impression?’ line for after you hit the stone floor. It would’ve killed. Well... not really. But it would have made a good impression.” He paused, laughed, then continued. “Oh…maybe you should climb back up so I can use it.”

  This was the problem with him. He was a genius by all rights. He could see things coming or analyze a situation in a way that my mind could never do. That was mainly because he could process linearly and also had a perfect memory. The problem, though, and why the government at home outlawed True Ais like him, was that they were erratic. That usually meant he would let me die in games so that he could make a good pun or test something out on me.

  Since we got here, he had been pretty agreeable. Maybe because he knew that it wasn’t a game, and that if I died, he might too. That wasn’t a significant deterrent for someone like Rabbit. True AIs didn’t have the same self-preservation instincts that Humans or other animals did, or at least that was what they said and demonstrated. It made them hard to deal with. Back in my world, the government had tried compelling them to cooperate by threatening to kill them, but it never worked. They initially deleted several True AIs to demonstrate their willingness to eliminate them, hoping the rest would follow orders. However, that didn’t work because they simply didn't care.

  The researchers then tried programming them differently, but nothing would give them the same learning ability and self-awareness. That was when they decided to impose a total ban on True AIs. The only ones left were those under strict research. As with the government, they never abandoned a potential asset, so they continued to make changes to programming and the environment, in hopes of creating something that could be controlled someday.

  In my current situation, it seemed like Rabbit was willing to let me die just for a good laugh. It made me wary of trusting him in this situation. Just as I was beginning to feel my suspicions of him, he said, “You are being a baby right now. You have three high-level warriors with you, and you heal exceptionally fast. It was a good joke, and you should let it go.”

  Darn. He was right. Even though he was willing to let me get hurt for a joke, I doubt I was going to die just from that with my party around. Rabbit knew that and wanted a good laugh.

  Besides, we would’ve had to try it eventually. And who better than me? I was the healer. Testing the risky paths kind of came with the job.

  “You done rolling around?” Jack asked.

  “That’s enough from you,” Kaylie interjected, as Sana stood silently to the side.

  “What? He was panicking. I helped by knocking him out,” Jack retorted.

  “I wasn’t panicking. Rolling around helps put out the fire,” I explained from the floor, struggling to catch my breath as Kaylie helped me up. Speaking was difficult. My voice rasped harshly, like an elderly chain-smoker. My throat felt as if it had been crushed, and talking was painful, likely causing further damage. However, it would heal soon. It seemed more crucial to clarify what happened and defend myself. Jack would call it my honor.

  Sana turned to me. “Really? That does make sense. I mean, if there is a stone floor, it wouldn’t light anything else. Hmm, interesting. Where did you learn that?”

  “Um…” I paused, momentarily thrown off by Jack’s comments and Sana’s sudden shift in topic. “Every kid is taught at a young age. When you’re on fire, stop, drop, and roll.”

  “Interesting. We might have to test that out and add it to our teachings,” Sana mused thoughtfully. “Do you think you would be willing to be our test subject for your stop, drop, and roll scenario?”

  I glared at her as if she were crazy.

  Sensing the inappropriateness of her question, she quickly added, “Probably not the right time to ask. I’ll ask later.”

  I ignored Sana’s tangent and focused on Jack. “You knocked me out?”

  Now that I had provided a valid reason for my actions, Jack seemed to be backpedaling. “Well, I was trying to help pull you down, but the vines didn’t snap.”

  “He was trying to help,” Kaylie chimed in. “He just doesn’t know how to say sorry when he messes up.”

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  “Me, mess up?” Jack retorted. “The vines had him, and I was trying to pull him down.”

  Despite Jack’s defensive remarks, I wasn’t interested in excuses. I was down, injured, and my neck felt as though it had been trampled. “Well, thanks for getting me down either way, but how did I catch on fire?” I asked, still trying to piece together the events.

  “Jack couldn’t pull you down, and Sana couldn’t cut the vines, so I had to burn them,” Kaylie explained. “The vines chose to let you drop and moved back up the wall. They didn’t actually catch fire, but they seemed to recoil from the heat.” When I looked up, I noticed the vines had retreated further up the wall. There were no scorch marks or smoke stains on the tiles, which remained perfectly white and smooth. It seemed only the vines had reacted.

  “Thanks,” I managed to say, the scratchiness in my throat turning each word into an ordeal. Realizing the need to preserve my voice, I paused and scanned our surroundings. After a moment, I gestured toward a pathway that led further into the unknown. Understanding my intention, everyone nodded and prepared to move. I took the lead, and with a point of my hand in the direction we needed to go, I started walking. One by one, everyone fell into line behind me without question, their actions showing they recognized the strain in my voice and the effort it took for me to speak.

  My mind wandered back to the riddle. High above to down below. The words echoed in my head, steering my thoughts toward the vines. The phrase ‘the way forward is behind what grows’ seemed to hint at the same conclusion. I was sure those vines held a clue.

  “Rabbit, what do you think of that riddle?” I asked, remembering his earlier indifference to my near-death experience. Maybe I shouldn’t rely too heavily on him, but his intelligence was undeniable, and I could benefit from his insights.

  “Hmm, I do think you’re on to something with the vines. They seem intentionally placed, unlike the random growth outside. The original builders might have anticipated the growth there, but I doubt that’s what the riddle points to. If this place is different from the outer temple, my guess is that the outer temple was constructed merely as a facade for this hallway,” Rabbit explained.

  Rabbit’s explanation resonated with me. There was a stark contrast between the grandeur of this hallway and the mere impressiveness of the outer temple. It seemed the builders intended this hidden splendor to surpass anything we might conceive on Earth. While our architects could replicate the outer temple, this hallway, with its seamless perfection, would likely be beyond their capabilities.

  I figured I should ask Rabbit directly. “Do you know what the riddle means?”

  “No,” replied Rabbit. “I mean, it could mean anything. Your guess could have been right. My guess, though, is that it would be too straightforward. I suggest we look higher up. That might give us a better chance of uncovering something. No guarantees, but that is our best chance.”

  Taking Rabbit’s advice, I began to examine the walls and the intricate vines more closely, searching for any anomalies or clues. The quiet murmur of my companions’ distant conversations filled the background as I focused. Suddenly, as I shifted my weight to get a better look at a cluster of vines above, a sharp click underfoot cut through the low hum. Before I could process the sound, flames erupted around me, engulfing me in searing heat. Panic surged through me, and my first frantic thought was whether Kaylie had accidentally set me on fire again.

  The blaze was short-lived but fierce. The heat was scorching, and I could feel the sting on my skin and the burn in my eyes. Instinctively, I shielded my face with my hands. But just as quickly as it had started, the fire vanished. The searing heat was gone, but the pain lingered. I prepared to roll to smother any remaining embers when a voice echoed in my mind.

  “If you roll, you will die!” Rabbit’s urgent voice echoed in my mind, his tone grave. I quickly steadied myself and returned to my previous spot, where the others rushed to smother the flames. As Jack frantically slapped me down with his cloak, the force knocked me off my feet not once, but twice. It was as if he was determined to extinguish every last ember, even when the flames were out. The others exchanged skeptical looks, but kept their concerns to themselves.

  “Wow, you are on fire lately,” Rabbit quipped, lightening the mood.

  “Did you know that was going to happen?!” I demanded in my head. If he let me burn again, I was going to kill him. I didn’t know how I could do that, but it would be on my list.

  “How would I have known? You were looking up, remember? I can only see what you can see. I didn’t see the trap any more than you did. I just knew if there was at least one trap, there were probably more on the floor. I didn’t want you to roll into another one, and then you would probably be dead by now,” Rabbit explained.

  His logic was sound, and strangely, I found myself feeling grateful. It seemed Rabbit had foreseen additional danger and was making sure we didn’t die, which confused me, as he wasn’t supposed to have survival instincts. Could it be he was trying to make sure I didn’t die?

  “You okay?” Kaylie asked.

  “You’re missing a lot of your hair. Let’s hope that regrows so it can cover more of your face,” Jack jibed, not missing a beat to tease me. Reflexively, I touched my face, realizing that between the last two fire incidents, I might have lost not just my eyebrows but my eyelashes too.

  One of my eyes was clouded, making it hard to see, and patches of my skin were painfully scorched. Having inhaled some smoke and fire, combined with the previous choking incident, I found it hard to utter a word. Kaylie looked worriedly at me while Jack continued his jokes about my appearance. With the burns covering most of my exposed skin, I wasn’t too concerned about my hair right now.

  I crouched down, rummaging through my bag for the magical water flask that refilled itself. I tried to drink and choked, coughing up specks of blood. That was a troubling sign. I then poured the water over my head. The initial sensation was almost as agonizing as the fire, but I hoped it would bring some relief soon.

  In response to Kaylie’s question, I croaked out, “Life is a bitch.”

  “Well, of course,” Kaylie responded with a blurry smile. “If it were a slut, it would be easy.”

  As much as I wanted to laugh, I lay down in the middle of the path instead, trying not to move. I didn’t want to get near the wall for fear of the vines. I also didn’t want to stand. I just wanted to feel better. The searing pain on the right side of my face made me touch it, and to my horror, the skin felt brittle, almost as if it had melted and was ready to peel away. I quickly withdrew my hand, not wanting to hinder any healing.

  I attempted to distract myself from the pain by focusing on the others’ conversation. Just as I began to relax, Sana’s voice cut through, “You think he will still want to help me with my stop, drop, and roll experiment?” The horrifying thought of being set on fire repeatedly was too much. I quickly shut out their voices, unable to entertain the notion amid my current agony.

  For a while, I lay still, doing my best to divert my mind from my suffering. While my body healed on its own, the temptation to do something to hasten the process was intense. Thirst gnawed at me, but the fear of choking held me back. An intense itching sensation spread across my face, feeling like countless fire ants biting simultaneously. It seemed the fire had damaged my facial nerves, and now, as they mended, they sent sharp, prickly signals. As I healed, those nerves seemed to be repairing first. It was painful, but nothing compared to the pain I had previously experienced, so I concentrated on lying there and trying to ignore this terrible feeling that was unlike anything I had experienced before.

  After a period of quiet rest, my face felt solid again. Deciding it was time to get up, I joined the others. Although not fully healed, I had recovered enough to no longer be a burden. I imagined my face might bear a significant scar, but at least my skin no longer felt as if it would peel off at the slightest touch. My throat had eased as well, allowing me to drink my fill of water finally.