In the small town of Primera, in the country of Hawkland… In an unobtrusive house near the great forest on the southern edge of town…

Zain was suddenly jarred awake by a colossal explosion in the distance. Rubbing his eyes, he checked his alarm clock.
It was 1:52 AM.
Zain rubbed his eyes again. This isn't a very good time to be getting up, he thought. I wonder what that large noise was?
He got out of bed. Running his hand through his blond hair, he looked out the window. A dense fog covered everywhere, and it was impossible to see very far.
“Zain, are you okay?” His mother suddenly burst into the room.
Zain looked at her, feeling that she had overreacted. “Something exploded in the forest, Mom,” he replied. “It’s not as if something happened to the house or to us.”
“I know,” said his mother. “It’s just that you and your brother are all I have left, and if something were to happen to either of you…”
Suddenly Zain’s younger 10-year-old brother Selrey entered the room, rubbing his eyes sleepily. “What’s going on, Mom?” he asked.
“I was just about to check on you,” replied their mother. “Are you okay, Selrey?”
“I’m fine,” he answered. “I just heard this huge explosion, and it woke me up.”
Their mother sighed in relief. “All right. As long as you both are okay, then you should just go back to bed. I don’t know what the explosion was, but they’ll probably have it on the news tomorrow. So both of you just get some sleep.”
Zain stood up to his full height, which was equal to his mother’s height. “I’m going to check it out,” he said.
His mother started at this. “Absolutely not! You can’t go gallivanting around the forest at this hour! We should all be in bed!”
“But what if there are more explosions?” demanded Zain. “What if there’s another one, and it hits the house? I need to check out what caused this.”
The boys’ mother sighed; once her older son made up his mind about something, there was no persuading him otherwise. He was just like his father in that respect.
“All right, Zain," she said. "I don’t like it, but all right. Just don’t be out there too long; the news said that the Madness is beginning to affect creatures here, and local animals could probably go crazy. In fact, you should take your old baseball bat to defend yourself with, in case the worst should happen.”
“Okay, Mom,” said Zain.
“I want to go too!” Selrey announced.
His mother turned to him. “Don’t you even think about it, young man! You’re going straight back to bed this instant!”
Selrey turned and walked out the door, pouting. “Awwwww… Why does Zain always get to do cool stuff?”
The boys’ mother followed Selrey out. Before she left the room, she turned to Zain. “You should also put some clothes on before you go out, Zain. I don’t think you want to be wandering around the forest wearing nothing but those boxer shorts.”
Zain rolled his eyes. “I know, Mom…”

Zain put on his clothes: a pair of jeans, a white T-shirt, a red vest, and his trusty sneakers. After he was dressed, he tied his father’s old aviator goggles around his head (like a headband) for good luck. If he ever had to, he could pull them down over his eyes for eye protection, but he usually wore them out of sentimental value.
Then Zain opened up his trunk and dug out his old baseball bat. It was a far cry from some of the newer models, but it would have to do. “I hope I don’t encounter anything in the forest,” he said to himself.
As he left, his mother saw him out. “Please be careful, Zain,” she told him. “I don’t want to see you end up like your father.”
“I’ll be careful,” he promised.

Zain’s house was right on the outskirts of the large forest to the south of Primera. He went out the back door; the entire area was covered in a veil of fog. “It’s going to be hard going through the forest in these conditions,” he said.
He started walking through the forest. Almost immediately, the fog hid his house from view. Am I even going to be able to find my way back? Zain wondered.
For a moment, Zain considered giving up this crazy idea and going back to the safety of his house. But explosions didn’t usually happen in forests; there was something not right about it. He had to find out what caused it, if only to protect his home. With this resolve, he trudged onward.

He tried to walk straight to the place where he thought the explosion had come from; that way, he could just walk straight back and get home.
As Zain went deeper and deeper into the forest, it began to become more and more ominous. He was totally surrounded by thick fog, and he couldn’t see anything more than a few feet in front of him. What if there are creatures of the Madness out here? he wondered.
He began to feel very foolish for wanting to come out here. Feeling a bit scared, he clutched his bat tightly.
He heard a twig snap, and froze, not daring to even breathe. How could he have been so stupid as to go charging out into the forest at night?
Another twig snapped, this time behind him. Zain slowly turned to face the source of the sound, feeling more scared than he had ever been in his life.
Slowly, a wildcat appeared out of the fog, glaring at him hungrily. One look at its eyes told Zain everything he needed to know: its eyes had the red glint of the Madness.
It let out a roar and pounced at him.
Zain managed to roll out of the way, almost too late. The wildcat landed on its feet and spun around to face him, preparing to pounce again.
Zain held his bat in a defensive position; he was going to be ready this time. The wildcat pounced again; Zain sidestepped the attack and brought his bat down on the creature as hard as he could swing it.
Injured, the wildcat roared furiously. It charged at him, ready to cut him to ribbons with its razor-sharp claws. Frantically, Zain dodged the attack and smashed the wildcat with his bat again.
The wildcat became tame, and the Madness vanished from its eyes. It meowed pitifully, and slunk away into the fog.
Zain sighed in relief. He felt more confident now; if he could defeat a creature of the Madness, then he would probably be okay.
He continued in the direction of the explosion.

After a while, he finally reached the spot where the explosion had apparently come from. The foliage overhead was burned away; some of it was still on fire, but with the thick fog, it wouldn’t be on fire for long.
In the ground there was a large meteorite. Zain stared at it in surprise. “No wonder there was an explosion; a meteorite fell!” he exclaimed.
The meteorite was still extremely hot, and it was glowing strangely. “Do meteorites glow like this?” Zain wondered.
“It’s no ordinary meteorite,” answered another voice from within the fog.
Startled, Zain brought up his bat. “Who’s there? Show yourself!” he demanded.
The other figure stepped out of the fog, and Zain could see him clearly. He had blond hair and wore a pair of glasses, and looked to be at least forty years old. His clothes were battered-looking, and he cautiously looked this way and that as he approached. He held a large gun in his hand, and there were at least three more guns slung over his shoulders, along with a backpack.
“I figured you would come here after hearing it fall, Zain,” said the strange man.
“Who are you?” Zain demanded. “How do you know my name?”
“I know a lot about you, Zain Maximillian,” replied the man. “You’re a lot similar to another person I once knew.” He paused for a moment. “My name is Jeff Andonuts.”
Zain’s eyes widened. “Jeff Andonuts? The hero who helped save the world from Giygas 30 years ago?”
Jeff nodded. “The same. I am here because of this meteor, and what it signifies.”
Still in shock at meeting one of the four heroes of 30 years ago, Zain asked, “What do you mean?”
Jeff stared at the meteor. “History is about to repeat itself.”
“R… Repeat itself?”
“Yes,” replied Jeff with a nod. “But before I go into that, I have to talk to you about PSI.”
Zain was feeling more and more bewildered. “But what does PSI have to do with me?”
“Everything,” said Jeff. “First of all, you can use PSI, Zain. You have the gift.”
Zain shook his head in disbelief. “That can’t be true. I’m just an average, ordinary guy.”
“You’re wrong,” said Jeff. “I’ve studied PSI for 30 years now, and I know what I’m talking about. If a person has the gift, you can see it in their eyes; their eyes have a certain sparkle that normal people don’t have. I see that same sparkle in your eyes, Zain.”
Zain blinked. “Are you sure? If I remember the story correctly, the hero Ness displayed psychic powers when he was young. I'm 16, and I've never had any kind of powers.”
“It’s true that the gift normally shows up early in a person’s life,” Jeff agreed. “But it hasn’t done so in you, and that has a special deep significance that even I can’t fathom. While you grew up, the gift has been sleeping in you, waiting for a chance to be awakened—and if I’m right, it’s been growing stronger and stronger as it waited.”
Zain tried to protest again, but Jeff held up his hand. “You have the gift for PSI, Zain, stop trying to deny it. You’re supposed to just accept all this like it’s normal. That’s what Ness, Paula, Poo, and I did.”
Zain still didn’t believe it, but he shut up just to appease Jeff. “So what do you mean by ‘history repeating itself?’”
“I mean exactly that,” Jeff answered. “30 years ago in the year 199X, the four of us defeated Giygas, and changed the future of our world. If we hadn’t intervened, then Giygas would have taken over our planet, and the world would be a very different place right now.
“However, when we changed the future, not all that changed was good. Although we defeated Giygas, the ‘devil’s machine,’ we opened up the way for his replacement.”
Zain’s jaw dropped. “His… replacement?”
“Yes,” said Jeff. “My colleague Apple Man and I have spent the last 30 years studying something called the ‘Apple of Enlightenment.’ The Apple of Enlightenment consists of many prophecies, created eons ago. It predicted Giygas, and it also predicted the Chosen Four. From what we’ve deciphered, it also predicts that someone will replace Giygas.
“This entity will be exponentially stronger than Giygas was,” Jeff continued, sounding as if he were lecturing a class, “and he will cover this world in absolute evil for all eternity.”
Zain was overcome with dread. An entity more powerful than Giygas… How could anyone stand up against such power? “Is there no hope, then?” he asked.
Jeff adjusted his glasses. “There is one last hope for the world,” he declared. “The Apple of Enlightenment also prophesies the advent of the Chosen Eight.”
Zain stared at him. “The Chosen Eight?”
Jeff nodded. “The Chosen Eight are the world’s final hope. Like the Chosen Four who came before them, it is their solemn duty and destiny to defeat this new evil.” He held up four fingers on one hand, and then four fingers on the other. “Four boys and four girls. They must stand against the new evil in Earth’s true final battle. If they fail, then Earth’s last hope is gone. If they prevail, then all shadow will be driven from Earth forever.”
Jeff looked down at the meteor, still glowing strangely. “This meteor is a sign that the new evil is rising. It is the same kind of meteor as the one that fell to Onett, Eagleland near Ness’ house. That meteor marked Ness as the leader of the Chosen Four…” He looked up and stared at Zain. “And now, this meteor marks you as the leader of the Chosen Eight.”
Zain was overcome with such surprise that he actually staggered backward. “Me?” he squeaked. “Me, the leader of the Chosen Eight? But… Why?”
“Because you are,” Jeff replied. “Like it or not, that’s what you are. Apple Man and I have studied all of this for years now, and we’ve all but absolutely confirmed that although the meteor is a sign of evil to come, it also marks the leader of the ones who will oppose it.”
“But I can’t!” Zain shouted. “I’m no leader! I’m just an average guy! How can someone like me possibly fight a terrible evil?”
“I told you, Zain,” Jeff repeated, “You’re just supposed to accept this. That’s what Ness did. He was younger than you are, and look what he accomplished.”
“But I have to take care of my family,” Zain protested. “My father passed away several years ago! I have to take care of Mom and Selrey, and protect them from creatures of the Madness!”
Jeff stepped toward him around the meteor, starting to get tired of Zain’s wild protests. “Zain, don’t you realize what the Madness is? It’s the influence of the new evil on the weak-minded! That’s what Giygas did, too! Animals would go crazy and start attacking everyone! If you want to protect your family, then you have to put a stop to the Madness!”
Zain looked down. “But…”
“But nothing!” Jeff shouted. “This is your destiny, Zain! It’s what you have to do!” He grabbed Zain by the shoulders. “You have to do this! You are the leader of Earth’s last hope! If you do nothing, then Earth’s last hope is already dead!”
His glasses fell off, but he didn’t notice. “Look around you, Zain. Look at the world around you. Are you really willing to condemn it all to eternal darkness? Can you live with the knowledge that you had a chance to stop it, and instead you did nothing?”
Zain turned and looked at the meteor. He stood there for several minutes, not moving, not saying a word. Jeff bent down and retrieved his glasses, wiped them off, and put them back on.
Finally, Zain turned back to Jeff. Looking into his eyes, Jeff saw almost a different person. “What do I have to do?” he asked.
Jeff smiled. “In order for the Chosen Eight to become powerful enough to stop the new evil, they must gain the Earth’s power. This is similar to what Ness did, by going to 8 ‘Your Sanctuary’ locations. However, where Ness absorbed the power of all 8 locations into himself alone, the Chosen Eight are different. One location will empower one member of the Chosen Eight, so each member of the Chosen Eight will receive Earth’s power.”
Zain nodded. “So I have to travel to Eagleland and visit all 8 of the ‘Your Sanctuary’ locations?”
Jeff shook his head. “Those locations were for Ness and Ness alone. They no longer possess the power they once did. Giant Step is powerless, the Lilliput Steps are just tiny marks in the ground, the Milky Well is a normal geyser, the Rainy Circle is just a puddle of water, the Magnet Hill is just a regular rock, the Pink Cloud is gone, the Lumine Hall no longer shines, and the Fire Spring is extinct. Their power went into Ness, so they no longer have power.
“The 8 Sanctuaries you must visit, Zain, are different, located in different locations around the world. I searched for them, so that you wouldn’t have to, but I couldn’t find them. Apple Man was able to figure out one of them: the Pillar of Lumina, which is located somewhere right here in Primera. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to find the rest on your own.”
He suddenly remembered something. “And also, if you visit a Sanctuary location without the person who can receive its power, then the location won’t react.”
“Is Lumina Pillar my Sanctuary, then?” asked Zain.
“I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think so,” said Jeff. “I have a feeling that it’s for someone else. It’s just a hunch.”
“How am I supposed to get its power, then?” Zain asked.
“Don’t worry,” Jeff assured him. “Destiny has been set in motion. Soon, you will meet other members of the Chosen Eight; I don’t know when, but it will be soon. Though you are the leader, all 8 of you are equally important, and it is imperative that you all find each other as soon as possible. Since you are the leader, they will be drawn to you, so be aware of that. As Ness was told when he began his adventure, three things are of the utmost importance: wisdom, courage, and friendship. Remember that.”
“I will,” Zain promised.
Jeff held out a small object, about the size of Zain’s fist. “This is the Sound Stone,” he explained. “By studying the one that Ness used to have, I was eventually able to create a duplicate. Each Sanctuary location will have one piece of the Earth’s melody. This Sound Stone will record that melody. When you have all 8 pieces and you have completed the melody, then the Chosen Eight will receive the power of the Earth.”
Zain took the Sound Stone; it was smooth and blue, and something was swirling around inside it. He put it in his pocket.
He looked at Jeff again. “Jeff, are you one of the Chosen Eight?”
Jeff shook his head. “I’m one of the Chosen Four; my destiny has already been fulfilled. Besides, the prophecy says, ‘Four boys and four girls.’ I don’t think I qualify as a boy anymore.”
He adjusted his glasses again. “However, that doesn’t mean I’m not going to help you. I’m going to go along with you and help you fight the new evil.”
“Really?” asked Zain. “That’s great!”
Jeff looked back the way Zain had come. “We’ve wasted too much time here,” he said. “We have to get going. Let’s go back to your house; you should tell your family goodbye.”

They headed back through the forest. Once, they encountered another wildcat that had been taken by the Madness. Jeff blasted it once with his gun, and it became tame. Zain watched in awe; this was the power of one of the Chosen Four.
After defeating it, they continued onward. The fog had not lifted any, and they proceeded cautiously.
Suddenly Jeff stopped. “Something’s coming!” he exclaimed.
In a flash of light, something appeared in front of them. It approached them haughtily.
“Oh no…” said Jeff. “Not already…”
“So, Jeff Andonuts, you seek to set destiny in motion?” said the newcomer in a monotone, emotionless voice. “It is in the interest of our master that you do not. You may have defeated others like me before, but you will find that I am much different than they were. I am more powerful than they could ever be! I am the Starman Junior X! And here is where you will perish!” Zain winced at its cheesy dialogue.
The Starman Junior X did look like a Starman, but it was sleeker and stronger-looking. On its chest was displayed a bold red X.
Jeff didn’t even bother to reply to it. He called to Zain, “Stay out of this fight! This is beyond your level right now!” Zain did as he was told, keeping back. Jeff lifted his gun and fired.
The shot bounced off of the Starman Junior X, not even scratching it. “Your useless weapons cannot damage me,” it said. “How can you hope to accomplish anything against me? You don’t even have PSI.”
“I don’t need it!” shouted Jeff. He tossed the gun away and took up one of the other ones slung over his shoulder. “If you think that gun was my best, then you haven’t met the Gaia Beam Version 3.0!”
He fired. The blast smashed into the Starman Junior X, blasting it backwards.
It got up again. One of its arms was missing, and it was dented and broken all over. “How dare you!” it cried. “You will pay for disfiguring me! PSI Fire Omega!”
The extreme fire attack smashed into Jeff, knocking him backwards. Zain was not affected by it, because he wasn’t within range.
Jeff tried to stagger to his feet, burned and smoking. The Starman Junior X made an eerie mechanical laughing sound. “Where is your immense power now, Jeff Andonuts?” it asked.
It started to approach him, to finish him off. “To think that one of the Chosen Four is eliminated by something as lowly as I,” it said. “The other two, your precious Ness and Paula, did not go down nearly so easily.”
Jeff struggled to ready his gun. “Your kind will pay for what they did to my friends,” he said. “I’ll make you pay!”
“You will join them soon,” retorted the Starman Junior X. “PSI Beam Omega!”
A large and powerful beam shot from the enemy’s remaining hand and blasted straight through Jeff. Jeff screamed in agony.
Zain couldn’t believe this was happening. His destiny was going to end before it even started. And even worse, a person that Zain already considered a friend was being killed before Zain’s eyes, and Zain was standing there, doing nothing. He shut his eyes, angry at himself for being so powerless.
Something inside him snapped. He was not going to allow this… thing… to harm Jeff any longer.
“I’ll kill you!” Zain shouted at the Starman Junior X. He advanced on the enemy, rage burning in his eyes.
The Starman Junior X turned to him. “You are a mere boy,” it said. “There is nothing you can do to harm me.” It looked at Jeff. “Jeff Andonuts, I will give you a gift. I will let you watch this boy die before you do, so that all of your hope will be crushed.”
“Run away, Zain!” Jeff cried. “Just run away! You can’t fight this enemy yet! You’ll be killed!”
Zain didn’t hear him. He stood before the Starman Junior X, his hands clenched into fists at his side. Scarcely aware of what he was doing, he raised his right hand and spread his fingers at the enemy. “Leave Jeff alone!” he growled.
The Starman Junior X made that mechanical laughing sound again. “Very well, boy, I will humor you. Take your best shot, and then you will die.”
“I’ll rip you apart!” Zain screamed. “PSI Hyperion Alpha!”
From his outstretched hand, a colossal burst of light exploded. A multitude of tiny stars, each as bright as the sun, burst forth from the light and smashed into the Starman Junior X. Each one erupted in a burst of sunlight as it connected.
The Starman Junior X was only able to say one thing before it exploded. “Impossible—”
When it was all over, Zain’s arm dropped to his side. He looked at the remains of his enemy, breathing heavily. The Starman Junior X was totally scrapped.
Zain went over to Jeff. “Jeff!” he cried. “Are you okay?”
Jeff ignored the question. “Do you believe me now about your PSI, Zain?” he asked. “I was right; your PSI is incredibly powerful.”
Zain then saw the extent of Jeff’s injuries. His burns were very bad, and he was covering a large bloody spot with his hand where the beam had hit him. “Jeff, you…”
“I think it did me in,” said Jeff. His glasses had fallen off. “It’s my own fault. I underestimated it, because it was a Starman Junior.”
He looked up at Zain. “Zain, I’m really sorry, but it looks like you’ll have to go on by yourself.”
“No!” Zain cried. “I need your help, Jeff! You can’t die!”
“Don’t worry,” Jeff assured him. “You’ll soon meet other friends. You have to keep going. You’re the leader.”
“But…” Zain protested.
“Just leave me here. It’s over for me.”
“No!” Zain shouted. He placed his hand on Jeff’s wounds. “Lifeup Alpha!”
Jeff looked at Zain in surprise as his wounds partially healed. “So you can do that too…” he mused.
He felt his wounds. “I think you did it, Zain. I think I’m going to pull through after all.”
Zain sighed in relief. “Thank goodness…”
Jeff slowly got to his feet, wincing in pain. “But I still can’t stay with you as I planned,” he added.
“Why not?” asked Zain.
“That Starman wasn’t after you, at least not primarily,” Jeff explained. “It was after ME. As long as I’m with you, you’re in danger.”
Zain nodded reluctantly. “I understand.”
“That’s more like it,” said Jeff. “You’re supposed to just accept these things. Don’t question them, just accept them.”
As Jeff gathered his guns, Zain asked, “Will you be alright?”
“I’ll be fine,” Jeff answered. “I’m going to go back to where the meteor is. I hid the Phase Distorter III close by. I’ll just use it to go back to my lab in Winters. Apple Man and I have to analyze these new enemies that are appearing. I’d also like to run a study on the PSI you used to destroy the Starman. I’ve never seen anything like that before; the closest thing is Poo’s PSI Starstorm.”
“Will I see you again?” Zain asked.
“Of course you will,” Jeff replied. “I’ll keep in touch with you through this.”
He tossed an object at Zain. Zain caught it; it was a portable telephone, not unlike a cellular phone. “That’s Ness’ old Receiver Phone,” Jeff explained, bending down to pick up his glasses. “I modified it, so you can use it to make outgoing calls. Best of all, it won’t cost you any money to use, since you might end up having to call a lot of people. Keep it with you, because I’ll use it to get in touch with you, and others might too.”
He turned to Zain, putting his glasses back on. “Now you have to go on, Zain. Your journey begins now. You have a destiny to fulfill.”
Zain nodded in understanding. “I will.” He put the Receiver Phone in his backpack.
“And be careful,” Jeff warned. “You will inevitably encounter other minions of the new evil. Not only that, but you will also encounter other people with evil desires. And also, don't forget that many animals are under the influence of the Madness. All of these will seek to destroy you, so be careful, and be strong.”
“I will,” Zain promised.

He finally reached his home. He felt stronger than he had been before this whole thing had started. In RPG terms, he had gained 2 levels.
Zain entered the house. His mother was still awake, and she rushed over to him when he came inside. “You’re back!” she said. “You’re okay!”
Zain looked at her. “Mom, it was a meteor that caused the explosion.”
“A meteor?” said his mother. “It’s a good thing it didn’t hit the house, then.”
“That’s not all,” continued Zain. “I have to leave again, Mom.”

She didn’t take that well, just as Zain had expected. So he sat with her at the dining room table and went over everything he had experienced that night, from meeting Jeff to learning of his destiny to fighting the Starman Junior X.
“So you see, Mom,” he concluded, “I have to go.”
Slowly, reluctantly, his mother nodded. “I understand.”
She came over and hugged him tightly. “Just promise me that you won’t end up like your father. Promise that you’ll come home.”
“I’ll come home, Mom,” Zain vowed. “I promise.” And he meant it.

He left without saying goodbye to Selrey; it was better that way. If Selrey had known Zain was leaving, he would have wanted to come too, and Mom would have flipped.
Now Zain walked on the path that led to the main part of Primera. It was slowly coming to be dawn, and the fog was starting to fade; in about another hour, the sun would rise. No creatures of the Madness attacked him, but he knew they were out there somewhere, and he kept his guard up.
The Madness was causing widespread fear throughout the world. It was his duty to put an end to it by defeating the new evil.
“I’m going to find the truth of the Madness,” he vowed. “I’m going to fulfill my destiny, and protect this world from evil.”
He also wondered who the other 7 members of the Chosen Eight were. Were they people he knew? Or were they people from all over the world, in places he had only ever read about in school textbooks? Would they have anything in common? How many of them possessed the gift of PSI, as Zain apparently did? What kind of people were they, and would they be able to become good friends?
There was a lot he didn’t know. All he knew, from what Jeff had told him, was that he would start meeting the others soon. He hoped it was soon, because if it was true that the power of Lumina Pillar was not meant for Zain, then he would not be able to get it alone.
He put all these thoughts from his mind as he walked; there was no sense dwelling on what one had no control over. Soon enough, he would find out. For now, it was enough that it was going to be a bright sunny day.

And so begins Zain Maximillian’s part in the story…