Although having grown slowly there was an oppositional essence still left to overturn Zunery and his motley crew. It was at the heart of the dark and ominous cloud that followed them. During the day the cloud was dark, black, and silent. During the night it would streak red lightning, remaining dead silent. It was as if heard, but lacking all real sound. Zunery however could hear it, only him.
Shadow and chaos still fought him from the inside. He was delusional, his night a haunted dream, his day a gloomy reality. Although his friends knew he had grown weak and often sick, but they knew nothing of his knowledge; the knowledge of the void and Zunery’s personal struggle to keep it, the darkness wrestling against it within his own soul.
It was a night such as this that he finally fell asleep. A night when no star glitters, nor moon, nor planet could be seen in the sky. The night he would never forget, the night he fell asleep and got lost, on the inside.
The sky above the sleep group was active as usual with crimson bolts of light. But as the night grew to its darkest hour a new sight appeared. Ruby light poured in as the bursts of lightning grew dimmer but more frequent. The glow gave a constant haze of light below, a red underbelly to the storm. Those nearby and awake to see it thought civil war had returned. Thinking the skein had conjured a new demon to their aid, it was quickly known as the dark dragon, as well as the dragon’s shadow.
Zunery woke up in the early morning, or thought he had. He found himself to be in the mouth of a cave. The interior of the cave was lit by a few lanterns. The world around however was bathed as if in blood. The sky was cloudless, as rays of scarlet light lit the valley below.
He attempted to remember how he had gotten here, he was alone. His weapons were also missing. He heard a rumbling in the distance. Thinking there was trouble nearby he searched for his sword. He could see it within sprinting distance. He started to walk, then the ground beneath him tremored. He ran. He reached his sword in an open area just outside the mouth of the cave. The ground was barren save for a few blades of grass creeping through, just enough to make the place feel peaceful, or as peaceful as was possible under a constant red glow.
The tremor having passed, he calmly walked the last few steps to his sword. He took his sword with his strong hand, but couldn’t budge it from the rocky soil. Another tremor shook the ground. His mind began to race. He could feel the ground beneath him starting to sink. He grabbed his blade with both hands, just as a third tremor created a large crack in the ground a few steps away. But as he lifted it, it shattered into pieces. The shards attacked his hands before falling to the ground, as if gravity was playing a cruel joke on him. The shards then melted like ice, started to boil, then vaporize into steam. Although completely confused at the event that just occurred, Zunery was still unaware that he was asleep.
The ground shook yet again, as it cracked and groaned around him. The quaking rocks, sand and soil seemed to give their attention to Zunery. Throwing him down to the ground, pulling him to themselves. This time the quakes did not end. A large fissure opened up by his feet. With little balance left he was swallowed up in a whirlpool of earth. The sinkhole continued to enlarge as fissure opened in every direction. Frantically he tried to pick himself up and get to solid ground. Yet, as he struggled, he sank into the ground, and into despair.
He eventually found himself in a shallow cavern just below the world above. There was debris everywhere, and he scrambled to climb up the ramp of rocks he just rode down, but the pit was too deep. Hours passed, he sat on the pile just out of reach of escape. He was lost, distracted, dazed and disoriented. Then noise came from a far wall. A couple large rats scuttled from a crevice in the wall. Each creature was lacking an eye, with the remaining eye glowing bright blue. He was frightened and disturbed by the weird animals, but quickly rationalized there must be a way out. Gaining hope he moved across the room and started moving rubble from the far wall.
After yet another long stretch of time, the hole was big enough that he could see that there was indeed a tunnel on the other side that led somewhere, or at least that was his hope. He paused to take a break. Leaning back against the wall, he looked to where he had originally fallen in. The rocks were gone. The walls were smooth. Now there was surely only one hope of escape. He then saw two blue eyes scurry across the floor. The rats were the size of dogs. They ran towards him. He quickly moved aside, and was ignored. Then the creatures began to eat the remaining debris the blocked the pathway out.
Just as they finished eating the rocks of the doorway, another quake occurred. The ceiling began to cave in, but not so much as cave in as to dissipate. Zunery covered his head and attempted to protect himself from the ceiling. Then a shrill cry rang in his ears. The rocks had stopped falling. The rats were crushed by rocks in the doorway. Another cry and a whimper, but then the creatures oozed to the top of the new debris, collected themselves and scurried away.
Zunery stepped into the doorway to follow after. He could see that the tunnel was more of a large cavern leading in multiple directions. He could see vast tunnels to his left, and to his right. The ceiling above him was a fine mist with a few rocks floating in the midst of it. Red light from above streaked through the dustcloud. The dust never settled. Zunery just stood.
“Is anyone there?” He yelled.
~Is anyone there? anyone there?~ He heard as it echoed through the many caverns.
He began to wander towards the mouth of a new tunnel.
*Squeak* he heard to his left.
*Squeak* he heard to his right.
He looked and could just see one blue eye in each direction, one to his left, and one to his right.
He could feel them staring at him, through him, piercing him. It was as if he could hear the creatures whispering to him to follow. He took a step to the left, and the rat ran away. He looked back to the other creature to see it turn and run. In split second decision he took off running, choosing one to follow and chasing after it. The animal ran just faster than he did, but would stop before each new turn, look back at Zunery seeming to beckon him forward, deeper and deeper in the glowing labyrinth.
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