Legend tells of a pair of baoding balls, the only ones of their kind that were crafted both as a blessing and a curse. They were used to trap the spirit of a great and terrible creature known only as the Fire Deer. The balls captured the essence of the creature, as bits of his fur, bones, and antlers were placed within the iron spheres, and the outside of them were painted with his image - an angry stag with fire all around him. The image was a warning to never use the meditation balls, for chiming them just once would release the creature, and the world would suffer his fiery wrath.

The forest dwellers told their own tale - a noble guardian who could create or vanquish wildfires at will was there to keep their forest pure. With any sense of corruption, the Fire Deer would burn down the affected species, whether it was plant or animal life, but as they died, new life sprung forth from the ashes. The creatures believed that the Fire Deer made them immortal.

When the Fire Deer vanished from their forest, they became worried, not only for his safety but for their own. The trees began to change color, the leaves turning bright orange. The forest itself seemed to mourn the disappearance of the Fire Deer, as the plants all took a fiery hue. The deer saw this change, and knew that something had to be done. The Fire Deer must be found!

Two lives would soon intertwine as the legend of the Fire Deer would grow to fame.



"I'm heading to the Flea Market. Need anything while I'm out?", a young boy asked his mother. She reached into her purse and pulled out a few dollars, "Stop by the farmer's market on the way back and get three ears of corn. We'll have them with the ham I made for dinner tonight.", she replied as she handed him the money.

The boy smiled and nodded as he excitedly left and walked down the street. The local flea market was one of his favorite places in town. He had a collection of oddities at home and loved to browse for new things. He even had a few friends who sold at the flea market. As he walked down the busy aisles, he stopped at a booth. "Hello Kim!", he said to the seller. The lady smiled at him, "Hello again, Oscar! What can I do for you today?", she replied.

The boy looked at her wares. She had a lot of things he already had bought - malas, luck charms, Buddha figures...

"Something unique. One-of-a-kind.", he replied.

Kim thought for a moment, and then snapping her fingers, she said, "Wait here." She walked to the back of the booth and lifted a few things off of an old box. Opening it, she reached in and pulled out a small black rectangle box. It had woven flowers and birds on it, all in red. There was a little keyhole with the key dangling on a cord attached to it. She brought the little box to Oscar.

"This is a rare set of meditation chime balls. I've never seen the design myself. I was told it was...", she started to say, but then shook her head, "Nevermind. I think these will suit you just fine."

The boy was intrigued. "How much are they?", he asked.

Kim smiled at him. "For you, only ten dollars."

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Oscar walked back home on a forested road, a bag with three ears of corn in one hand, and in the other was the small black box. He never opened the box, following Kim's instructions to unlock it at home. As he walked, a white flash in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He stopped to see a gorgeous white stag grazing behind the trees. Oscar stopped to enjoy his grace and movements.

The albino stag lifted his head and looked to him curiously. He was sniffing the air, and began to approach the boy, their eyes locked on one another. He cleared the trees and stood before Oscar, his eyes looking down at the bag of corn.

"Oh...", Oscar said, startled a little that the deer had come so close, "You must be hungry." He put the black box into his pocket and reached into the bag, pulling the husk off of the corn. He offered the ear to the stag, who sniffed it curiously and then began to eat from it. He wiggled his tail happily, the taste was delicious to him and he had not had luck finding good meals lately. Oscar curiously reached out and tried to pet the stag, but as he touched the white fur, he pulled his hand back quickly, grimacing for the moment.

His hand was burning...the fur felt like fire! His hand would go numb for the rest of the day.

When the ear was finished, the stag smiled at him for a moment and then turned back to the forest. Oscar watched him walk off, until the trees masked his white fur.

Oscar sighed, "How am I going to explain this to Mom?", he questioned himself, seeing now that he had two ears of corn.

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"So he just came up to you? You didn't provoke him or anything?", Oscar's mom asked him.

The boy shook his head. "I gave him mine, I gave it up. He looked hungry.", Oscar replied.

She held the two ears of corn in her hands, and giving it some thought, replied, "Alright, but next time buy four ears so if it happens again you'll be prepared. Now go wash your hands, I'll have dinner ready in about a half an hour."

Oscar smiled and ran down the hallway, stopping to wash his hands in the bathroom before going to his room. Shutting the door, he pulled out the black box from his pocket. He stroked the fabric lining curiously, and sitting on his bed, he gripped the little key that was dangling from the box.

Eager, he inserted the key into the little keyhole and turned until he heard a click.



"Are you crazy? You could have gotten killed!", Ignis spoke to the white stag. The piebald stag was his best friend, and was watching in the distance as the white deer approached a human.

Huoyan smiled at his piebald friend, "He was only a boy. Besides, he gave me an offering. I see potential in him."

Ignis shook his head, "That was dangerous...but I suppose you can tell the good ones."

The albino nodded, "Oh hey, I found a new place. I wanted you to see it.", he said, and turning, he walked away from the road. Ignis followed his friend deeper into the forest. The piebald worried about Huoyan so much, but he would stand by his side no matter what happened. Huoyan was a born leader, and Ignis envied his courage.

They soon reached a clearing, where Huoyan turned and said, "Take a look. These are old ruins I found." Ignis was surprised to find deep grooves cut into a rocky ground, and old stone pillars covered in moss and vines. Strange circular patterns shaped the ruins, though moss and fungi filled in some of the pore spaces. The leaves were falling from the trees, and a small blanket of them covered a little of the ground.

"I wonder what it was used for.", Ignis questioned. The albino shook his head, "Who knows?"

But deep down, he knew he was lying there.

He knew. He knew exactly what it was used for.



The box sat in his lap, open, revealing the iron spheres within. Oscar stared at them for a few moments - the artwork was stunning, red flames surrounding what seemed to be a white deer. He had not seen anything like them before.

He was eager to try them out, but as he began to touch them, his mother opened the door. "Dinner's ready, Oscar.", she spoke. He was slightly startled by her voice, the box dropping from his lap and hitting the ground hard. The two chime balls rolled out, going in opposite directions, both making strange, eerie chimes.

Oscar scrambled to pick them up, holding them in his hands for the first time. They were strangely hot, as if they were burning from the inside. He placed them in the box and closed it. "What are those?", his mother asked him.

"Oh, I got these at the Flea Market. They're used for meditation.", Oscar explained.

His mother let out a little sigh - he had blown his allowance again on useless junk. "Well you can play with them after dinner. Come on, it's getting cold.", she replied. Oscar placed the box on his desk and left the room after his mother.

The chime balls were stirring in his absence...waiting impatiently...

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The remaining two ears of corn had been prepared and cut into four pieces - two larger pieces and two smaller pieces that were about the size of the larger portions. The two small pieces were on Oscar's plate - his parents had given him part of their own ears of corn. After dinner, he eagerly went back to his room, closing the door once again and grabbing the box on his desk.

He opened it again. The chime balls were silent, and as he touched them, he felt them warm his palm. He took a moment of silence, and then began to roll the iron spheres in his palm.

They sparked, little cinders flying off of them and burning Oscar's hand. He flinched, dropping the chime balls, which hit the ground but began to spin on their own - wildly circling one another, shooting off more cinders and sparks, emitting a white glow as they caught on fire.



"Run! Run!!", the cries of deer called out. Ignis darted uphill, going as fast as his legs would carry him. He skidded to a halt, looking back at the wildfire that was quickly spreading. "Huoyan?! Huoyan, where are you?!", Ignis cried out.

"Here!", the albino stag called back, who was only a few feet away from him. He caught up with his piebald friend and the two raced away from the fire. They ran quietly, neither speaking, as they were too concerned with their own safety.

At last the two stags made it to the top of the slope, where other animals gathered. All were questioning the fire. What caused it? Who was responsible?

"Did everyone make it?", one deer asked the crowd. At that moment, they could hear the sobs come from a nearby doe. She was hysterical, weeping and wailing loudly. "My baby...she couldn't run fast enough!", the doe cried.

The others lowered their heads. The loss of a fawn was always tough to bear.

"We'll search the damage once the fire has ended. For now, make use of what we have up here. We may have to move again if it migrates up here. Don't wander too far from the crowd!", the lead deer spoke. The others all nodded, some of the does going to console the crying doe, others walking off to look for food.

"I hope they find whoever was responsible.", Ignis spoke. He seemed angry and frustrated, "I hope they get what they deserve!"

"Relax, Ignis. It may have just been a natural fire. There probably wasn't any culprit.", Huoyan replied, "Come, there's some nice blackberry vines up here. Let's get a bite and not worry about the fire right now."

The piebald let out a sigh and nodded, following Huoyan once again. He thought his albino friend was acting very odd about the situation. What did he know about the fire?



"Oscar?! Oscar, what's going on in there?!", his mother banged on his door. He completely forgot he had locked the door, but that wasn't his concern. His eyes stared down at the two iron balls, who had come to a halt on the floor, giving off steam. A ring of carpet around them had burnt up, revealing the bare floor, which had it's own ring dug into the ground from the spinning. Oscar was lucky it did minimal damage - he could have possibly burnt the whole house down.

Not answering his mother, he began to approach the balls, and taking an old shirt he had laying on the floor, he threw it onto the balls and tried to pick them up. They were scalding hot, and even with the fabric he still burnt his palm trying to retrieve them. He managed to get them into their case, shutting and locking it before opening the door to his frantic mother.

"Oscar! What on Earth...?!", she could barely speak. She could smell the smoke, but more importantly she saw the burnt carpet. Oscar had no explanation, he didn't know a thing to say.

"Guys, come quick! There's a wildfire!", they heard Oscar's father call from down the hall. His mother glared at him for the moment, he knew that he had gotten into serious trouble, but then she turned her attention to her husband, storming down the hall. Oscar grabbed the black box and stuffed it into his pocket before following his mother.

On the television was live footage of a wildfire that was raging in the forest near their home. The news was televising the fire and giving evacuation information to residents such as Oscar and his parents. They lived downhill from the fire, right in its path.

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Oscar and his family drove down the road, leaving their house with minimal supplies. They saw smoke coming from the trees. As his parents talked to one another, Oscar stared into the forest. Something was drawing him, calling to him...

"Stop the car!", Oscar said.

His mother slammed on the brake. Oscar unbuckled himself and opened the car door. "Oscar, wait! What are you...?", his parents called to him, but he ignored them, closing the door and running deep into the trees.

The father looked to the mother, "What's gotten into him?", he asked.

"I think...", the mother began to say, when she pulled out her cell phone and called the police. "Hello, I need to report an arsonist in the forest..."



Oscar ran deep, avoiding the smoke, running uphill. He remembered that was the safer place to go, and he hoped that he could find an answer about the chime balls from the animals that were painted on them. He had to see the deer from earlier.

On the top of the hill, the deer caught a different scent approaching. Human! Their eyes stared as a young boy appeared from the hill.

"Human! Run!!", they cried, but before they all could escape, Huoyan called out, "No, wait! He's not dangerous!"

They stopped, staring at the white stag. What was he up to?

Huoyan looked over to Oscar, and clearing his throat, he spoke, "You have the baoding balls, correct?"

Oscar's blood froze. The deer was talking to him. Without replying, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the black box. The deer's eyes widened, "So you were the one who freed my power.", he continued.

Oscar slowly nodded his head. Huoyan had mixed emotions - frustration and anger, but also...freedom. "Open it.", he spoke calmly. Oscar obeyed, unlocking the box, opening the concealed chime balls. They were still steaming from becoming activated earlier.

But before he could speak, they heard something new approach. A helicopter flew over them, and soon after, several police officers appeared from the trees. "Don't move! Hands in the air!", they ordered at Oscar, guns already pointed at him.

"Get behind me.", Huoyan said to Oscar. The boy did as he was told, hiding behind the white stag. Ignis stood next to him. The albino looked at his piebald friend, "Ignis, get out of here. I won't let you get hurt."

Ignis shook his head, "I'm staying. Whatever you have planned, I'm here to support you.", he replied.

Huoyan then told Oscar, "Chime the balls. Quickly!" Oscar was reluctant - last time they caught on fire, but he did as he was told, pulling them out and spinning them in his hand. They sparked once again, but his hands were numb from being burned before. He had no trouble spinning the spheres in his hand.

At once, Huoyan burst into flame. His body remained white, but the fire was a bright orange. The police lowered their guns, surprised that the deer had caught on fire.

"Now! Tell them that the Fire Deer is freed, and that he will create his new world in the next few moments! Tell them that the time of man is at an end!", Huoyan shouted. Oscar relayed the message in english, calling it out to the police from behind the deer.

The police held their guns up again. No longer driven by their training, but rather fear, they fired at the two deer and the boy. Huoyan's body was hot enough to melt the bullets when they came close to him, but the other two were in danger. "Ignis! Behind me!", Huoyan roared at his friend. The piebald ducked behind the ablaze stag, who at once unleashed a wall of scorching flame at the police officers. The humans all fell back, dazed and burnt from the flames.

"Let's go. Let's waste no time. It needs to be done.", Huoyan said to Oscar and Ignis. Ignis weakly nodded, and Huoyan spotted blood dripping from his side.



Oscar helped Ignis walk. The deer was losing his strength little by little, a small trail of blood being left. Huoyan led them back toward what was a raging wildfire, but now appeared to be a lush, dense forest. The Fire Deer's powers were extraordinary, as the place had already regrown. They finally made it to the old ruins that Huoyan and Ignis had found earlier, but now the old stone was cleanly polished, as if it were built that day. Several other animals were there, watching the Fire Deer intently. Word had spread throughout the animal kingdom that something grand was about to happen.

Ignis was helped onto the stone platform, where he shuddered from blood loss. Huoyan sat beside him for the moment, his body still on fire, but not as greatly as he was before.

"Huo...Huo...", Ignis tried to speak his name, but the albino smiled and kissed him on the forehead. The piebald's face caught fire that instant.

"Shh...it'll hurt only for a moment, and then you'll arise in the new world.", Huoyan spoke to his friend. Ignis let out a slight painful cry as the fire burned his body, but then his head rested, no longer did he suffer. The fire quickly burnt away all of him but his skeleton, and soon Huoyan stood and looked to all the others. "Don't be afraid! The cleansing will hurt, but the reward for your loyalty will surpass it! All will be reborn into my perfect world!", he spoke to them all.

Then the albino looked to Oscar, "And you as well. You will be a part of the new world, and will be treated with the respect you deserve.", he said.

Oscar didn't have any words to reply, but instead he offered the chime balls to Huoyan. The stag motioned to a pillar nearby, with two small grooves that they were to be placed in. Oscar did just that, putting the iron spheres into the holders, and at once they caught fire, radiating and melting.

Huoyan stood in the center of the platform. All the animals bowed their heads and waited for the pain they had to endure. Oscar fell to his feet as the world trembled before the power of the Fire Deer.

The albino stag's body raged, the flames becoming so bright that all were blinded when they looked upon him. And the heat was so intense that the trees were already burning. The animals never cried, never flinched, and one by one they succumbed to the flames and heat.

Oscar tried to get up, but the heat was too strong. He knelt before the Fire Deer, the fire becoming unbearable.

And the fire spread, destroying all that it touched.

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Warmth covered him. Not pain. Warmth.

He opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, and he couldn't seem to move his legs.

His legs felt odd. Like...

"Welcome to the world, my son.", a voice said to him. A loving face nuzzled his own, soft fur, caring eyes, a tongue that groomed him.

He tried to speak, but his voice only let out a few small squeaks. He was tired, and resting on the chest of the creature before him, he closed his eyes. It would take some time for him to adjust to a new body and new lifestyle, but he would be happy and free for this life and many others after.

The fawn and the doe were being watched by two great stags - an albino and a piebald. The two smiled and walked away from the birthing plains, deep into a wild forest. In fact, this continent, as well as all the others, was covered in wild land. No longer were there cities, streets, buildings...but just wilderness.

Humans themselves no longer existed. From their deaths rose countless new animals. Some were new species, new varieties trying their hand at a natural world. The land was no longer owned by anyone other than the Fire Deer himself.

When nature is captured, a curse is laid upon those who did the deed. But when nature is let free, an eternal blessing is given to all who embrace her. That was the will of the Fire Deer.