The cave was a small thing, tucked into the side of one of the Frostknife Mountains.  When they first arrived, it seemed just like any other cave; wet stone walls, water dripping down them, and a soft layer of moss covering the floor. It was about 10 feet wide at its entrance, and extended almost 50 feet back into the stone. There was a small pit in the center, which previous travelers and adventures had no doubt used to hold their cook fires, and a long flat area, surprisingly convenient for sleeping. When the two companions entered, they were too tired to notice anything strange, and quickly used both the firepit and the sleeping area to their advantage. All seemed peaceful at the base of the frostknife mountains.
Meanwhile, more sinister forces were at work. The Restoration were slowly massing at the base of the hills, and were planning their next move. Their force of 40,000 men was growing every day, and even as Wilson and Matt slept, leaders Tyrell Winters and Edwyn Davis were planning their next move. Soon the peaceful tranquility would be shattered.
Early the next morning Wilson coughed himself awake; the moment he opened his eyes, they were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of smoke and ash pouring in through the cave entrance.
"Thank god you're up! The Restoration, they're here! We have to leave, now!" Matt turned and  rushed through the mouth of the cave, determined to not be incinerated by the encroaching inferno.
          As they scrambled into the open air, Wilson turned to the right and immediately wished he hadn't. The Restoration had lit the knee-high grass on fire, and Wilson couldn’t even tell where it had started. Unbeknownst to him, it had been lit hours ago and had already incinerated 18 miles of grassland and forest. Wilson soon realized that even though the fire was more than a mile away, it would quickly reach them due to the strong wind blowing directly at him and Matt.
  "We have to make it to the Icefall or we'll all burn!" Matt turned and started sprinting towards the distant swath of blue, with Wilson following as fast as his legs were able.          
As he and Matt flew forward, Wilson barely noticed what he was passing. All he could see was the blue line growing increasingly larger and the grass he knew would soon be aflame. He didn't realize when he ran past the bend in the Frostknives, or when he ascended the first of the Trystane Hills. He didn’t realize as the ground got weaker, or as the grass slowly got greener and longer, in fact the first time he noticed his surroundings was when he noticed the others running with them. No people, but all the wildlife from the forests and plains. Some natural wildlife, like deer and rabbits, but also artificially created spiderbats, fabricated to be the ultimate mosquito killing machine. All of these animals were in the same struggle as Matt and Wilson; run fast and escape, or stumble and be swallowed up by the blaze hot on their tracks. Unlike most of the animals, Matt and WIlson fell into the former category, but just barely. By the time they reached the Icefall, the fire was no more than 50 feet behind them, seconds away from incinerating them into ash.
          When they reached the other bank Matt turned and said, “We should be reasonably safe from everything on this side. The Restoration can’t travel as fast as we can because of their numbers. We should be able follow the river until we reach the high road, and then we can start the long journey to the Pmurt settlement in Carrion Valley. Your sister and brother are there, you'll get to see them again.”
“I don’t know Matt, these days the high road is pretty dangerous. The only shelters are crawling with Restoration spies, and bandits prey on all unarmed travelers.”
“Well what do you suggest we do Wilson? Fly to the settlement with our magic brooms? Do you have any better ideas in that fat brain of yours?”
“Fine, but if we die, I’ll find you in the beyond and beat you up.”
“Okay, it's settled then. Let’s camp here for the night, and we can get started on our way tomorrow morning.”
          That night Wilson dreamt of all that had happened. He dreamt of the divorce that had ripped his family apart. His father had come back from the military with undiagnosed PTSD. He seemed fine for those first few weeks, but nothing lasts forever. His father began having mood swings and fits of rage, and when they didn’t stop, it was clear that something was wrong. He tried therapy, but once that failed he turned to the bottle. When he ran out of drinking money, he turned to gambling, which was the final straw for Wilson’s Mother. She left, taking his sisters with her, leaving only Wilson to help his father, Jeremy.
On top of that, merely weeks after the divorce, the civil war that had destroyed what had once been America began. He remembered the brutal attack on the army base at Twin Falls, that had started the conflict. Ordinary citizens were forced to make a decision; join a settlement and hope it isn't attacked, or hide away in a remote location. The Restoration could hit anywhere at anytime and nowhere was safe.
The Restoration, it was all their fault. They were the ones who had started the civil war, the war that still raged throughout the nation. They had attacked the army base at Brysonville without advanced warning, shattering the peace that has held for almost 200 years. In a matter of hours, all that remained between the rivers were corpses and smoldering ruins. Ruthless and efficient, the Restoration quickly hunted down and destroyed anyone or everything in their way. As the government struggled to fight off the rebels, it was clear that the war was going to be long and bloody.
          Wilson and his father were among the many who decided who decided to hide and hope for the best, unaware of the consequences of their actions.  In an attemp to go sober, the two had journeyed out to a remote forest, and built themselves a cabin, and two new lives. Sadly, much like earlier in the day, the Restoration had set fire to the entire forest and they had realized too late. Wilson barely got out with his life, but his father was not so lucky. A burning pine branch crashed down on him, breaking his spine and lighting his clothes on fire. With his final breaths, he told Wilson to run, not to waiy, and right before he died, “Wilson, do what you must to save your sisters.”
He had met Matt while traveling through the countryside and had immediately taken to each other. They both were traveling alone along a very dangerous road, and they were both heading in the same direction. Eventually they had come to the obvious conclusion, and thus began their companionship.
The next day dawned warm and bright, and the two travelers set off on the first leg of their arduous journey. Matt and Wilson had no way of traveling other than by foot, so they prepared to be walking for a long time. They passed many deserted towns, and a few sunken boats in the river, but they never saw any other people nor found anything of value that they could take. They set up camp for the night by an abandoned dock, and as they looked over the water, they could see the lights from the Restoration’s camp many miles to the northwest. They slept peacefully knowing that they were out of danger, at least for the time being.
It was a week before they reached the high road, and almost immediately after they reached the road, they saw their first fellow human in almost 3 weeks. As they reached the road, a middle aged hispanic man was traveling along the path.
“That seems suspicious,” WIlson thought, “He’s on his own, how has he not been robbed yet?”
Matt decided to break the awkward silence, “Sir, which is the way to Pmurt settlement?”
“Follow the road east and eventually you’ll find it. It's hard to miss.”
“Thank you, and how exactly did you come to be on this road, alone?” said WIlson, voicing his fears.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t begin this way. I started my journey in Inverness with 5 companions. Sadly we were set upon by bandits and all my companions were killed. I fled, but away from my origin, and I didn’t want to risk meeting the bandits again, so I decided to continue my journey.”
“We’re sorry for your loss sir. Thank you.”
“It never hurts to help a fellow traveler in need, safe travels.”
“Safe travels to you too.”
They continued onwards in the direction he indicated, stopping in a few towns, but leaving and entering at night as not to be seen. They traveled for days, which turned into weeks, and still they did not see the settlement. Every day they walked and saw nothing, then camped for the night. And the end of one such day Wilson voiced his suspicions again, “What if the man was lying? What if we’re going the wrong way?”
The next day the awoke only to find that blocking their path, only 2 miles away, was The Restoration. They started going back the way they came, only to realize that the Restoration were on that side as well. Reality began to sink in and Wilson began to try and form a plan.
“There’s only one way for this to work, I need to create a diversion. Once both groups are distracted, you can slip past and find my sisters. I’ll rejoin you after I’ve escaped.”
“Are you sure Wilson? That putting an awful lot to chance.”
“If you think of any other way, feel free to inform me.”
“How will I know when to leave?”
“Oh, you’ll know, trust me.”
With that Wilson set off down the path towards the first Restoration camp. Within an hour, Matt saw the bright light of what could only be flames, and smelled smoke. He knew this was the sign he was waiting for, and he immediately set off away from the fire.
Wilson knew he had to act quickly after setting the first blaze. The other camp would soon be on their guard, so Wilson ran as fast as he could to the outskirts of their encampment. It took him a few tries, but eventually he set a tent on fire, and as soon as the fire caught, he left without looking back.
When Matt tried to move past the enemy camp, he found that his path was blocked; not by force, by fire. He turned back and prayed that he would be able to find his way through.
At the exact same time, Wilson tried to make it through and failed, still being stuck in the middle. As the flames moved towards them from both sides Wilson had one final thought,
“It started and ended with fire.”