I sat up, unaware of how long I had been out for, or where I was even. I looked around trying to make out my surroundings. Once my eyesight had cleared I saw that I was in a hallway, extending to the horizon in either direction. That should be impossible? It was lit by sconces on both walls, casting an uneven glow on the floor, that seemed to reach out like arms trying to grab me. I set my hand down in the carpet I was sat on. It was damp, had something spilled there? I pushed myself upon my feet, my head swimming. Then I realized where I was.

"Celyn!.." I said, my voice echoing back to me. He was gone. Was he looking for a way out? I started down the hall, limping. I must have landed on my leg. Doors, there were so many of them, they lined up on either side. I grabbed the knob on one of them, pushed it open, and stepped in. It was an empty closet. I turned around to step back into the hall. But there was none, only a square room with another door. I had just stepped out of the hall, it couldn't be gone? I stood straight, and begun to be filled with dread. If the hall was gone I couldn't climb out the way I came in. There would have to be another way.

I walked into the little room and opened the door. Through it was a massive dining hall. "Celyn! Are you there?" I yelled, my voice bouncing off the distant walls. I looked around the room. It was nigh on three stories tall, with a vaulted ceiling. Partway up the far stone wall was a stained glass window, a mosaic of different colors, yet only red light shone through. It illuminated a raised central table, a door in the wall behind it, and two other tables off to the sides.

"Help!" A voice screamed. Celyn? I hurried toward the sound. It was coming from behind the central table. I went around, to discover a young boy curled up there.

"Are you alright? What's wrong?" I said coming to the child's side.

"Help" He said.

"Help you with what?" He wasn't making sense, was he hurt?

"Help me... Help you." He said, raising a shaking finger up to point at me. He stood up still pointing at me. "Help me help you... Die."

The child, thing, begun to spasm. The red light that shone in from above turned gray. The table, floor, and wall soon followed. A white pinprick shone from the boy's chest, and his skin begun to break black tendrils seeping out. Stepping in from the shadows behind came another creature, it was hunched. Its skin was dark, I couldn't tell the color since everything was gray. Its arms dragged along the floor, ripping up the carpet with three long fingernails, the wood beneath it splintering. From its mouth broken mouth it whispered obscenities. Things no one would ever wish to say, or hear.

I couldn't stay here, Terien only knew what these things would do. I grabbed the door handle, and pushed with all my might. At this point the monster had fully transformed. It was the void creature that had been following us. The void creature moved closer. I went to the right, as fast as my legs could carry me. I'd have to go the way I came in. I ran toward the entrance.

"No. No! Let me out!" The door was gone, it had been right here. I turned to face the things coming toward me. I was going to die here, alone, there was no way out. Then I remember the window, it had to lead to somewhere. In a last ditch effort I ran back across the room. Just inches from the wall something grabbed my arm, I could feel my skin charring from its touch. I writhed in pain, just managing to kick the creature away. It was one of those dark ones.

I leapt for the wall, my fingers being beaten up by the rough stones as I climbed. This was it, I could make it. I could hear my heart beating, and I could hear curses. I continued my climb, my fingers starting to bleed. A cold rough hand grabbed my leg, and I felt three long claws shredding the skin on it. I tried to pull myself away, but the blood had made the stone slick. I toppled down onto the creature, which in turn pushed the thing into the door breaking the wood.

I crawled toward the now open door. The one I had fell on had yet to get back up. I was almost through when I was grabbed again. The shadow creature picked me up by my shirt, it moved its hand to my face. This was the first time I noticed it had a hand much like my own. It pressed it against my cheek. My skin seared. I screamed out in pain. I tried to fight back, kicking, hitting. It still just stood there burning me. It seemed to delight in causing pain. I had only one thing I could try. I tried to grab the pinprick of light from its chest. It leaned its head back and screeched.

It dropped me back down to the floor. My legs yelled at me in pain as I hit the ground, and limped for the door. It appeared I had angered it, as it pulled a sword made of the same ethereal material as it and swiped. The blade missed me by an inch, sticking into the stone of the wall. I made it to the other side just in time to see the wall come crashing down, putting a barrier between me and the thing. I was safe for a little while.

I turned to see I was in a endless hall once more. How many infinite halls can you possibly have? I hobbled down it, unsure of where I was going. I just wanted to put as much distance as possible between me and that thing. I didn't know if that mattered in a place like this. I didn't even know what to call those things. Voidling seemed to make sense for the dark one, it looked like a void with a single star. I guess Curseling then for the other one? That would do. I sat down and leaned against the wall exhausted.

As I sat I felt something shift in the floor below me. I moved onto my knees and felt around. I could feel the outline of something there. I pulled up the carpet to reveal a trapdoor. I lifted it up, and noticed a ladder leading down somewhere. If there was going to be a way out of here this seemed like it. I grabbed a sconce from the wall and climbed down. It was a stone tunnel. The ceiling dripped a foul smelling liquid from above. But the only thing up there was the hallway, so where was it coming from?

I turned around to look back at the ladder... There was no ladder. At this point I should have guessed. Only one way to go, which was forward. I headed down the tunnel still limping. My boots splashed with every step. Ahead the tunnel came to yet another door. This one was older and rougher than the ones in the hall. It had a curved top and a handle made from a rusted iron ring. I grabbed it and pulled the door open, the rust flaking off. First thing I noticed was how bright the room was. It was a study. Bookshelves lined the side walls. Ahead was a great bay window which looked out over a blue sky, dotted with clouds. In the center of the room was an oaken desk littered with papers and books.

A person with short silver hair sat at it, their back to me. "Here already? How droll."