There was silence, and darkness around me.... The void felt cold, miserable, and empty as my heartbeat tried to take over the stillness...... I was still sleeping, wondering when it was that I would wake up when I heard a light tink, and my eyes flashed open to a peculiar violet glow! It was a change from the void I was stuck in, but I still felt something off about the aura as I sat up to craddel my throbbing head. "What is this place? Where AM I?" I asked myself, looking around to find toys and children's books floating about the place accompanied by pitch black, endless staircases that went further up! "Whoa! Is THIS the heart of the Pale City? It's so..... Magical...." I breathed, and I held my hand up in the light; finding my once pink dress had been replaced by a long, sheer lantern sleeve, high neck, white dress, with ruffles on the shoulders, and silver lace going up the skirt and onto the bodice! My bangs were tidy, and neat, and I felt along as I discovered my hair in a bun, protected by something metallic and pointy as I quickly took my pricked finger from the object; wincing as I shook off the pain. Carefully, I reached back up, and plucked the object from my head to behold a golden crown, dainty and covered with small gems on the front in a sophisticated design! I rolled my eyes as I placed the treasure carefully back over the neatly done bun, and took a step with small ticking noises coming from beneath, making me stop to take up my puffy skirt a bit to observe the source of the sound. To my suprise, my blue flats were replaced with glittering, silver, block heeled shoes with a matching bow of satin on the front, and I began to wonder exactly what the point of dressing me up was supposed to achieve. I looked around, hoping to find another soul as I called out, "Hello? Could someone tell me where to go?" as if to respond, a door before me creaked open, revealing a light that shone blindingly than the soft violet light did, and I curiously stepped through the threshold to behold quite an awe striking, heart stopping, gorgeously beautiful sight! It was a ballroom setting, but the decorum was mainly white and silver, and everything glittered like a gem in the sun. The ones invited were wearing masks, but they looked like the guests on the Maw if the Maw was more extravagant than what it was, and the ladies were dressed in large, puffy ball gowns, and the lords in highly decorated suits. My breath left me as I continued to observe the small orchestra, playing different instruments that I had only seen in books, and strumming, tinkling, and humming beautiful melodies that were foreign to my ears. A table, piled high with foods and deserts from all over sat at the far end of the room, and the chattering wasn't dreary for once during my entire adventure! The atmosphere was pleasant.... Heart warming in fact! In my awe, I accidentally bumped into one of the ladies, and caught her off gaurd as I quickly stammered in monster language, "F-Forgive me, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going..." "Oh, it's quite alright malady. It's entirely my fault for forgetting us larger folk aren't the only ones on the floor!" She replied kindly, smiling down at me softly as I looked around. "Could you kindly tell me what all this is? It's quite lovely." I breathed sheepishly, swaying to and fro as my cheeks began to heat up. "Why my dear, you and your partner had planned this for weeks! How could you not remember?" "My sweet, you forget the master had said the good lady had a problem with remembering events as of late." the lord beside her explained, looking at her with raised brows as she clicked her tongue in remembrance. "Oh, silly me! I do hope you have recovered, malady. The master was dreadfully worried for you! Here, allow me to remind you of what you may have forgotten." She brought me out of the crowd before pulling up a chair, and I adjusted my dress to sit down in a more me sized chair as she explained, "This is a party, organized by the master to celebrate your coming around! You had fallen ill, and he fretted over you so that he couldn't eat for nearly a month." "I was?" I asked, hardly believing what I was hearing. "Oh yes. We tried comforting him; telling him that it will pass, and you shall be right as rain once more! He's been yearning for your wellness, so that he may once again bask in your presence." Somthing about the way she said that sounded condescending, like she was trying to persuade me that what she said was the truth, but I shook it off as nerves as I asked, "And where exactly is the master now?" "Last I saw, he was near the punch bowl, talking to a few of the guests here! Quite a lot of gossip as of late if you ask me." She replied, taking a sip out of a teacup. I thanked her for telling me her story, and I made my way toward a table lined with three different flavors of punch as I asked the server there, "Pardon me, but do you know where the master's gone?" "Last I've seen, ma'am, he was looking for you over by the buffet." "Th-Thank you." I kept asking around, going to the different locations to seek out this "Master" they spoke of, but to no avail. I was on the verge of giving up when I bumped into yet ANOTHER person, and I apologized as I quickly turned to see who it was I had made contact with; my breath nearly choking me as a very familiar sight stood before me.... It was him..... The boy in my visions..... My dreams..... He stood before me now, clad in a suit and a black mask studded with rubies like a dark prince! "THERE you are, I've been looking all over for you my sweet." He sighed in relief, and I placed a hand over my beating chest as I replied stupidly, "I-I know you! I've seen you before!" "Of COURSE you know me." He giggled before moving my bangs from my face, "You're the most precious thing in the world to me!" He added lovingly, placing a warm, gentle kiss on my forehead, and making my heart nearly stop as I blushed. He drew me into his embrace, and I sat my head on his shoulder as I said, "I've missed you, you know. I would come find you, and you were just too far to reach every time!" "But now you needn't worry about that because I'm HERE. I'll always be here for you, Claire." The boy was only one inch taller than myself, and his features were softer than I expected, having a rounder chin, and an equally rounded nose. His complexion was slightly darker than I thought, almost tan, and his ebony black hair was slicked to the side, and I reached up to caress his cheek lovingly, losing myself in his hypnotic gaze. We continued to embrace each other until the orchestra kicked up another tune, and he escorted me to the floor with the others; his movement lighter than air as we spun and swayed. After we danced, he offered to get me a cup of punch, to which I gladly took his offer as I remarked, "I haven't had punch in FOREVER! I'd love to have a taste of strawberry punch again." "S-Strawberry? My love, you were NEVER fond of Strawberry!" He replied, shocked by my claim to like the tart, red, sweet fruit. "Huh? B-But.... My mother-" "Made you cherry lime medly punch.... THAT was the punch your mother made for you, dear." He finished, handing me a cup of thin, pulpy, red colored liquid, and I knitted my brow in confusion as I replied, "O-Of course... How silly of me..." I took the cup, and sipped the bitter, chunky feeling punch with a face of disgust, but I faked a smile to hide any kind of problem I may have had with the unpleasant punch. I felt a little bit of the magic begin to fade, but I was still ever hopeful that it was all in my head as the boy asked, "My love, you seem hungry. Would you like to sit awhile and dine?" "Of course! What I wouldn't do to have some-" "Rice stir-fry and a plate of sushi, yes? You always went on about chinese dishes; said they've always intrigued you." "D-Did I? Well.... I suppose that'd be fine, since I liked it so much...." I replied, feeling that something was very wrong with the way that he and the guests spoke to me, and how sketchy it was to find myself in a paradise when I had just traversed a living oblivion. I sulked as I ate, and remained silent while the joyous chatter continued between the boy and the guests around us, and I felt my heart grow heavy as I sighed. "Sweetheart, are you alright? You're not tired again, are you?" The boy asked in concern, but I put on another smile as I replied, "Oh, just thinking.... I had a friend named Leo, and I miss him quite a bit...." "B-But we know nobody by that name... Pray, remind me what he looks like." "He was redheaded, with brilliant green eyes, and snow white skin. He's eleven years old, and quite handy when it comes to physical work!" "Interesting, he sounds like he'd make a useful repairman! I shall have to look into this person, though I highly doubt such a person exists." The boy replied, swirling around the tea in front of him, but oddly enough never drinking it.... In fact, his food looked to be rearranged to give the illusion that he had eaten it! Now I KNEW something was off as I looked around the room, and found every plate, bowl, platter, cup, fork and spoon ALL were left untouched except for mine. Widening my eyes in shock, I placed my gaze back onto the boy; suspecting, KNOWING that something more malevolent was going to take place..... Or TRYING very poorly to be specific.... "Is something wrong, my flower?" The boy asked, snapping me back to reality as I replied quickly, "I-I'd like to be alone for a moment.... If you'd be so kind..." before he could utter a response, I left from my seat, and briskly made my way past tables, and weaved through the guests before reaching the other end of the room, holding a mirror wall, and vacant tables. I took a seat once more, and ran through my head again what EXACTLY was happening; tears dripping onto the cloth as I sorted out my thoughts..... I WAS with Leo, because I gave him my cloak before surrendering myself to the gray devil himself; HUGGED him before telling him to run! Secondly, I was never sick with a virus that "made me forget", because I had only JUST arrived.... Thirdly, I NEVER liked cherry, or lime ANYTHING, as that was more Bree's cup of tea... I ALWAYS loved strawberries with a passion, and my mother KNEW so! And lastly, my favorite food was a dish made in a place my father called "India"; I only tolerated chinese food because it was my MOTHER'S favorite kind of food! This..... ALL of this.... Was a fouled up attempt to brainwash me into believing lies! A mere trick to hide himself from being brought down because in all actuality, Thin Man FEARS my powers, so he opted to control, and corrupt it from the confines he found himself locked up in... "No.... It CAN'T be fake...!" I sobbed, placing my head in my arms as I cried. Why? Because everything there I had wanted since I was very young! The boy of my dreams to love me, and treat me like gold, the parties I spoke with my sister about, ALL of it was in this room, but it wasn't REAL. "Claire....." I heard a whisper say, and I look up as I looked around, eyes puffy and sniffling. "Claire....." it whispered again, but the pitch seemed to have gotten deeper than the first, and I sobbed quietly, "Go away! I want to be left alone...." "Claire, you must listen!" "Yes, listen to our tale child." "Yes, listen!" "Who are you? Why do you continue to pester me?" I asked, looking at the mirror wall where the voices seemed to be coming from. "We are the Collective: the souls that the gray demon stole from our homes." "All that remains is an amalgam of flesh, and mutilation, but there is still yet hope!" "All you have to do is hear us. You're so close to unraveling what's been pristinely wrapped!" "Yes, child, hear us so that we may tell you our tale" the Collective introduced and begged in a mass of cascading voices of masculine and feminine origin, and I wiped my eyes before sitting up as I patiently; calmly replied, "Alright, "Collective", you have my eyes and ears." "The man in the suit wishes to corrupt you." "Corrupt you by using the very things you love!" "The very things you desire most within your heart!" "To lure you." "Lure you further into his embrace!" The Collective said, confirming my suspicions as I replied, "So I was right to not trust this?" "You have seen only a fraction." "A fraction of what truly lies!" "Beneath the illusion, between the untruths." "You must fully embrace." "Embrace your reality, and challenge him!" "Challenge him to figure out his plan before he mangles you." "CHANGES you!" "But how can I escape this make believe world he trapped me in?" I asked, feeling a wave of despair over me. "It has already begun." "The binds are breaking!" "Breaking further as the truth reveals itself to you. "You must remember." "Remember, and the truth shall set you free young Claire!" "So what you're saying," I began, piecing together the mysterious cryptid's message, "is to back up his claims with proof, and catch him in the act by using what I know?" "Yes. And you shall be free!" "Alright, then that is what I'll do!" "WAIT!" The Collective replied in unison as I leapt from the chair, causing me to turn back to them as I asked, "Is there something else you wish to say?" "Yes. You are very much feared by many in these walls..." "Feared by your power!" "By your fury!" "The Forsaken have already given up, but you mustn't bring upon them your wrath." "They have been tortured; abused into believing there is no salvation." "No freedom!" "We may be the handful that hadn't broke, but we are ALL connected by the same chains that imprison what remains." the Collective explained, and I looked out among the crowd as I asked, "The ones in this room.... Are THEY the Forsaken?" "Yes...." the Collective replied in unison again, and the first voice began again for the final time, "Free them.... Free ALL of us!" "I will. I PROMISE!" I replied, putting my forehead against the mirror gently before heading away from the wall. I continued to make my way through the crowd, more aware as I observed every action.... Every word...... Every movement.... "Ah! The lady has returned to us all." The boy said, ceasing the conversation of the ones around him as they all looked at me. "My sweet, you look a fright! Come, let me take a look at you." He beckoned, and I took one step when I heard the Collective again cry, "DON'T!" and I stopped instantly as they went on, "With every touch, you will forget more, and more! Remember, Claire. CHALLENGE him!" taking their advice, I took a step back as I kept a hardened gaze on the group that made up the Forsaken, and said, "Tell me, if you claim to know and love me, what is my favorite book?" "Hm? Wh-What's this all of a sudden? Are you saying my love to you is false?!" The boy questioned, almost heart broken, but I wasn't going to cave as I asked him again, "What is my favorite book?" "Why, that's a silly question! You know your favorite book, my dear, but if you insist on an answer...." He went silent for a minute to think before answering with a sly smile, "Why, it's none other than the good book itself." "Wrong! Though I enjoyed the teachings and stories it had, my favorite book is actually about a maiden who falls for a beast, and turns him into a prince with the power of her love. What is my first language?" "Easy, it's French!" "Wrong again! French may be my native tongue, but it was my second language. My first was monster babble, which was why I can so easily understand the guests here, AND on the Maw! Pray, did I have any siblings?" "No!" "Yes! An older sister named Bree!" The boy grew increasingly vexed by the questions he got wrong, and I asked finally, "If you know and love me SO much, then speak to me my full name!" The boy frantically looked about the guests to see if any of them held an answer, but they all remained motionless as their blank expressions stared back at him in turn. "Tick Tock! I haven't all evening." I pressed, crossing my arms as I slowly slipped out of my heels, ready to make a break for it if I needed to. The boy remained silent again, seemingly unnerved as he replied clear as a morning sun after a midnight shower, "A-Anabelle Lee?" my eyes went wide for a moment, before anger flooded over as I hissed, "My name..... Is Claire Elise LaBouvier...... And guess what? I know who YOU really are!" "Then spill, what are we then?" I made my way up to the boy, careful not to touch him as I whispered, "The Forsaken, used as mere dolls that the Thin Man plays with as he hides in his cozy, safe, cursed perch, watching all of this as we speak! So tell me, Forsaken, where is he now? How long did you intend to lie to me?" I stood back up, my hardened gaze meeting his mask covered eyes as he looked back up at me in shock, before eventually laughing it off. "My what a silly notion! There's no such thing as "The Forsaken" anywhere within these walls." "SURE!" I exclaimed, slamming my hands down on the arms of the chair he sat in as I hissed, "And you weren't tortured and enslaved by Thin Man either, I suppose! Or prehaps merged into a mass of nothing but mangled flesh! I suppose that's all I'm my head too, yes?! IS IT?!" I was enraged by his continuous choice to lie, and I spat before he could say anything, "You're not the one I love! You're merely a poorly made carbon copy to distract me from the REAL one I'm looking for." "But I'm-" "Darker in skin tone, softer in features, and full at the waist! MY love is paler than a ghost, thinner, has a sharper chin, and a slight perk to his nose! If you wanted me to believe that you were REALLY him, you should've at LEAST been able to copy his features. You know nothing about me, OR my desires, and when I find your master ALL of my rage shall befall him! I don't need your help to find him, if you're persistent in your attempt to keep him hidden from ME!" I threw myself back from the boy, and stomped away towards the mirror that the Collective used to speak to me. I took up the solid, sturdy, me sized chair as the boy asked, "Wh-What ARE you doing?!" "This party isn't real.... This food isn't real.... EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM ISN'T REAL, INCLUDING THIS ROOM!" I roared, and with all my strength, I slammed the chair through the mirror, shattering it as a cacophony of screams filled the area! I looked up to the slowly shattering mirror, and from the hole I had created, was met with a huge, singular brown eye, causing me to scream in terror as I fell backwards from the wall. The room began to crumble, and crack, revealing bits of pink, slimy, spongy flesh seeping through the floor, and the bodies collected together to form a disgusting tidal wave! "Hurry, child! The Forsaken are coming!" The Collective warned, revealing another glowing room at the beginning where I first entered. I took off like a shot, panting and panicking as I frantically climbed over tables, and ducked under debris! Finally I reached the exit, and entered the threshold before tripping over something hard; landing into something cushy that smelled of earth as I picked myself back up. I was back into my old clothes and shoes, and my curls hung loosely down my back once more. I looked around, finding myself in a sort of thicket, and my jaw dropped at the sight of an old Cabin before me, and someone slipping in through the window! "W-Wait! I'm coming!" I called, running toward the cabin, and climbing my way up to the window just as I heard someone pitter their way around a corner of a door slightly ajar. "Wait! Please wait?!" I begged, holding up my hand as I made my way off the counter, more focused on catching up with the mysterious figure than what was in the area around me. I followed the figure into a hallway, and my eyes fell upon the boy with the bag: a familiar sight to say the least! I called out to him just as he wedged his way through another door that was slightly ajar, and I quickly followed in pursuit as another familiar sight came upon my vision, causing my jaw to drop as I said aloud, "I've SEEN this place!" Once at the bottom of the steps, I leaned back breathlessly, observing as the boy with the paper sack over his head repeated the motion of splintering the door open, and Six run past him before he followed in pursuit. "E-Excuse me? Boy in the bag? Who are-" but he ran past me like I wasn't there.... like he couldn't hear me.... "H-Hey! Wait a minute!" I called, trying to get his attention as I bounded up the steps after him, but when I exited the door again, I tripped on something before being basked again in violet light. "Owwwwww..." I groaned, picking myself up from the ground, and looking about my surroundings to find myself above the first floor on a blackened stairwell leading only one way: up. "What?" I asked myself in shock, but my thoughts were quickly interrupted by a collection of voices roaring furiously, "COME BACK HERE YOU LITTLE TICK!" It was the Forsaken...... They had FOLLOWED me! I ran up the stairs, getting much of a headstart when I heard the threshold behind me splinter and crackle, and heavy breathing seemingly heaved. I stopped for a moment to get a better look.... How I wish I didn't...! There was a black, smokey mass bounding it's way up behind me, and at the center of it all was the boy, teeth barred animalistically as he hissed and squealed! "OH!" I cried, continuing up the steps quicker than I ever went in all my travels until I reached another threshold, and jumped through it as I landed on a yellowed, tiled floor that was seemingly wet, and I threw myself up in disgust as I tried to hold back the urge to vomit. "There's only ONE place that I know with disgusting bathrooms like THIS!" I gagged, looking around to find a group of bullies, staring up at something as they laughed and pointed. Following their fingers, my eyes went wide as I beheld the sight of Six, being suspended from the air by a rope..... upside-down no less! "H-Huh?!" I gasped in confusion as I remembered how the bullies had ME bound in that exact manner, and I tried to call out to her to ask if she was okay when the same boy with the bag, and he called out worriedly, "SIX! Are you okay?!" He sounded differently from the boy from my visions, but make no mistake that deep down, I KNEW he was the one I was seeking. "Do I LOOK like I'm okay?! Get me DOWN from here!" She snipped in response, and the boy frantically grabbed an axe before making quick work of the bullies, and he was finally able to get the poor girl down as she hit the floor with a painful thud. "Oooh... I FELT that!" I remarked, wincing as I remembered the impact I had with the floor when Barney saved me, and the bag masked boy rushed over to help her back to her feet. "Six, I'm sorry! A bully had me trapped under a locker, and I couldn't get it off." He explained as she dusted herself off. She looked at him for a long while before smiling at him, and she patted his shoulder as she told him softly, "Hey, some things just happen! Don't sweat it too much, okay?" she adjusted his coat, and his paper face slightly, and I could sense the relief and satisfaction emminating off the youth as he giggled bashfully. My heart grew heavy at the sight, but I brushed it off as I reminded myself that these images were simply just memories of what had taken place, and the two left together as I quickly followed behind them..... or tried to when I found myself on another stairwell! "Sissy! Where are you? Don't you wanna play?" The Forsaken asked, using a familiar voice as I shouted, "YOU'RE NOT MY SISTER! YOU'RE A MIRAGE!" and I bounded my way fearfully up the steps as the Forsaken roared again in anger, and I could feel them practically upon me as I entered through another threshold to find myself in the Hospital. I took a few breaths to calm my rapidly racing heart, and I looked up at the sound of running footsteps as I saw both the boy and Six, hand in hand, and frantically looking behind them. "They're on to us!" Six screamed I panic, tears of fright pouring from her eyes. "Keep up! We must go faster!" The boy replied, and I tilted my head to them curiously; raising a brow to them even when my ears caught the sound of plastic clicking against the floor! "EEK!" I yelped, my soul jumping from my body as a flood of patients rounded the corner, and I fled as desperately as I could to avoid getting swept up by the mannequin amalgamations as they formed a cacophony of clicking, and rattling. I climbed up behind the boy to escape, and we both looked over the edge as I huffed, "That was close.... Are you-" I looked up to face him, but he just vanished without a single word, leaving me to talk to myself as I looked around dumbly. "Or not, I guess...." I muttered, climbing through a crawlspace before finding myself on a third flight of steps leading ever upward. I ran to keep myself ahead of the Forsaken, and I heard another familiar voice say, "Claire, you're SO cruel to me! Didn't you know that I loved you more than anything?!" "S-STOP USING HIS VOICE! CHARLIE WAS A GOOD SOUL, AND YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS MAKING A CARBON COPY OF EVIL OUT OF HIM!" I cried out, tears now streaming from my face as my throbbing legs continued to carry me, giving out now and then as the Forsaken ceaselessly carried on the chase. I leapt through a fourth threshold, and found myself at the mercy of the Thin Man on the train car again! I screamed when a powerful force yanked me backwards, causing me to stumble a little as I turned to run! It was the boy, and he now had a tight grasp on my arm as he said firmly, "This way!" I sobbed as I continued to run with the boy, leaping from car to car as I asked fearfully, "What does he want?!" "Me! Now keep running, and don't turn for nothing. It'll do nothing but slow us down!" He replied brashly as we continued to leap. "COME HERE LITTLE NEWT! I'LL RIP THE TOUNGE FROM YOUR HEAD, AND THE BOWELS FROM YOUR BODY!" "AHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed as we launched for a final time, and I ended up on the fifth stairwell before lifting myself from the step, and acending as the Forsaken's voice seemingly became more desperate, switching into familiar and unfamiliar tones as it begged, "W-We can give you what you want! We'll make you happy, we KNOW we can!" "What do YOU bunch know about my dreams and desires?!" "We can turn ourselves into anything you ask for, just PLEASE come back!" "NO!" I screamed, leaping through the fifth level without sparing another fraction of my time to the fogged beast, and I found myself in a decrepit room, spilling with a fleshy substance, and flooded with a violet glow as I heard a disturbing, rickety old tune start to play; ringing the familiar tune in my head when I turned at the sound of ragged breathing, humming the tune slightly. My voice got caught in my throat at what I saw, and I threw my hands over my mouth to stifle a gasp at the sight of Six, now enlarged and deformed, sitting before me and holding gaurd over a broken trinket. My heart swell with pity as she grunted and groaned with pain, and I tried to reach a comforting hand out to her when she suddenly reeled back from me with a growl. I placed my hand slowly back to my side- even the most despicable of people didn't deserve this kind of fate! "S-Six! Can you hear me?" I asked, trying to inch my way closer to her when someone yelled, "STOP! GO NO FURTHER!" I whipped around in suprise, and my heart skipped a beat at the sight of a pale, sharp chinned, thin boy with short, shaggy, raven hair. His silvery gray eyes held a grim look of concern and guilt, and his arm was outstretched to stop me. "P-Please! We HAVE to help her." I begged, crying at the sounds she made as my heart broke. "I can do that, but not while she guarding the music box, and DEFINITELY not while you stand in the way. Get to cover! As long as the Thin Man has her in his embrace-" "Thin Man? HE did THIS?!" I asked, turning my back to look back up at the poor, mutilated remnant of a human being, and the boy replied in a quick explanation, "The man on the T.V.'s arms are stretched in an open, warm, gentle hug, but his kiss is devastating as his heart is cold. I can reverse it, but at a cost!" "And that is?" the boy remained silent as he looked between me and the deformed mess of a girl before replying, "I have to destroy her paradise.... I MUST destroy her music box, and break her from the illusion!" "B-But that's cruel!" I cried, putting my hands over my chest in disbelief at what he had said. "Not as cruel as making her live a fantasy as her body suffers in reality. PLEASE, you HAVE to get out while you can!" He begged, keeping his sparkly, silvery eyes glued to me firmly. I didn't want to let him hurt her.... In fact, I was just as much inclined to stop him when I heard the whimpering and quivering of Six, and I knew it had to be done for better or worse. I looked back up to her one last time, wishing her safety, and the boy good luck as I ran past him, and tumbled onto another stairwell. Now the Forsaken's voice was beyond desperate, almost hysterical as it cried, "You're so CRUEL! WHY must you make us suffer when your feats have brought nothing but warmth, and relief!?" "They weren't looking to twist me into a terrible beast, like that foul master of yours did once. Now I'm not going to tell you again to STAY AWAY!" I replied, feeling more angry and determined than I was scared. "B-But he'll KILL you; DESTROY you! You can't possibly think of beating him, so why not stay with us, and live?" "You call being trapped "LIVING"?! You HAVE gone off your rockers, haven't you!? I'll find him, and so help me THIS is where I shall end his reign of terror!" "NOOOOOOOO! YOU MUSTN'T-" but it was too late. I had entered another threshold, and beheld a split hallway with the mysterious boy unmasked, and the mangled Six with her music box tucked safely away as it played it's distorted, disturbed tune. Upon closer inspection, the music box seemed to be on the verge of breaking from being battered so, and I could see now the power seeping from the enlarged version of the beautiful trinket! "HEY! HEAR ME SIX!" the boy screamed, and Six writhed as she cried out painfully. The boy took up an axe in his hands, and made his way quickly to the box possessing the poor dear, and effortlessly hammered it into the music box which caused Six to scream in distress. "SIX! YOU MUST LISTEN TO HIM!" I called out, tears streaming down my face as the boy added, "Six, it's time to wake up from your dream." and with that, he wailed on the music box one last time. Six screamed bloody murder, reeling back and heaving her breath heavily before continuing; grabbing the boy's hand and turning away from the sight as we stood in the midst of her suffering.... Then, just like that, it was all silent with only the sound of my sobs to fill the place we stood. "We killed her..... We KILLED her...." I kept crying, drying my eyes on his shoulder when he gently tapped me to get my attention. I looked up to see a happy smile across his thin, pale lips basked in the purple glow of the room as he pointed ahead of us. Turning, I myself found myself in shock AND joy when I saw Six back to her old self: no longer imprisoned.... No longer mangled as she observed herself. She looked back up to us, and I couldn't help but cry out happily, "SIX! Oh, mon cher ami, tu vas bien. You're okay!" I left the boy's embrace, and I threw my arms around her, catching her off her gaurd as she giggled nervously to the boy, "Friend of yours?" She may have been terrible to me, but that didn't mean that I wouldn't feel awful if something bad happened to her! We all laughed as I pulled away from her, and I truly felt as if the world was still for once..... Until the room began to abruptly shake, and the walls cracked into little pieces, revealing the same, fleshy substance; a never-ending sea of eyes! My eyes grew wide with terror before letting out a scream, and Six threw me into the boy's embrace before running ahead, yelling, "KEEP UP! THIS WHOLE PLACE IS COMING DOWN AROUND OUR HEADS!" "W-WAIT UP!" "Y-YEAH! DON'T STRAY TOO FAR!" we called, me running ahead of the boy, and the boy following behind. My eyes darted about fearfully, and everywhere I looked the walls were becoming more organic, and began to bubble and burble while it consumed EVERYTHING! "Oh, where's Leo when you need him?" I asked myself, my heart becoming a motor, and my eyes fogging up with tears from the fear and aching throb my legs were already exhibiting. Eventually, the fleshy substance began to burst through the floor beneath us, and I screeched to a halt as I screamed my lungs out. "WELL DON'T STOP! LET'S MOVE!" the boy commanded, pushing me along to keep running as to avoid being steamrolled by the fleshy mass behind us moving ever quickly, and I regained my momentum before having to hoist myself over ledges, and leaping over gaps, helping the boy along as we passed through another threshold, revealing a sort of bridge that had light at the end; an exit that we could leave in together! "Look! An exit!" I said, pointing ahead as Six jumped the gaps that were crumbling beneath her, and the boy grabbed my hand as he accelerated his pace. We leapt over ledges as I struggled to keep up, the only thing saving me being his firm grip tugging me alongside him as he kept looking back. "It's gaining on us! It's-" "No it's not! Just keep looking forward, and JUMP!" He replied, letting go of my hand as I cried hysterically, and as he asked me to do, I did. I pushed off the platform with all my strength, shutting my eyes tightly to brace for whatever came when a hand firmly grasped my own. "Got you!" a familiar voice shouted, and I quickly shot my eyes open before looking up at a breathless, sweaty Six. I looked between her and the blackness beneath me, waiting to swallow me up as an eerie, familiar feeling crept up my spine, making me slowly look back up at her anxiously as she continued to gasp for air. I was certain that would be my end, but I was surprised when instead, she lifted me over the edge of the platform. "The boy," I began breathlessly, taking her arm quickly as she steadied my stance, "he was right behind me! He's coming now, look!" "Okay. you get out, I'll be with you in a sec!" She replied urgently, and I nodded as I ran on ahead. About halfway toward the exit I reached when a sinking feeling told me to turn around, and I turned back to find the boy take off before landing square into Six's grasp. "Yes! Now pull him up, and let's be DONE with this place!" I called, and the boy said "Yes, let's!" but Six only remained silent as her breathing calmed down. "Six, you can let him up now. Danger's gone, and you've got a breather!" I said after a few minutes of silence, and stillness, with the boy begging her, "Please let me up? PLEASE?" we stood in silence for a few more minutes, and my heart dropped into the pit of my stomach with realization as I shook my head. "Six... Six, no, YOU CAN'T! SIX!" I shouted, and just as I had feared, Six released the hand of the boy with a forceful yank, and I cried out, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" as I ran back to the ledge, passing by six as she took her leave. I threw myself onto my stomach, and reached out to the boy to attempt catching him, but my fingers only brushed the tips of his as he fell into the void, crying and screaming out in fear and pain as he called her name...... She dropped him...... She let him FALL....! Angry, I threw out all my past thoughts of Six, and my feelings as I growled angrily, "HE TRUSTED YOU! LOVED YOU ENOUGH TO PROTECT YOU!" I ran to keep up with the traitor with the intent of throwing her over as she continued casually making her way toward the exit. She didn't deserve freedom.... She deserved NOTHING...! "YOU THREW HIM OVER, YOU WITCH! GET BACK HERE! GRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" I continued to lash out verbally, and I ran through the exit behind her, hoping that I would confront her, but finding myself once again back in the first room on a flight of stairs, with the sound of sobbing coming from behind. Tears running down my cheek, I turned back to find that the Forsaken had given up their chase, and had taken form of the unmasked boy, but completely grown as he lied curled up into a ball as he cried quietly in heartbreak, "Please come back..... I don't want to be alone anymore..... I don't want to suffer....." seeing him crumpled up like that broke my own heart, and so I took a deep breath, and made my way towards the man surrounded by blackness as I said, "She betrayed him..... He loved her with everything he had, and she left him for dead! And now...... Oh God, I've left Leo to her....!" I set my hand gently on the head of the Forsaken's new form, and asked, "You. You are the leader of the Forsaken, yes? How long have you and the Collective been like this?" "How long we have been I this state, we know not..... But I DO remember that I was the first....." the man replied, sobbing more harshly as he recounted, "He beat me; tortured me to do his bidding, Master did! The Collective only made it worse by rebelling against him, and now we shall be punished severely!" "Shhhhh, he won't find you because I won't let him. I CAN stop him, but I need you to tell me precisely what he is, his weaknesses, AND his current location at this time." I replied, comforting the creature in human skin as he took a deep breath. "Master is the embodiment of all things cold, and soulless. He was a victim to suffering, and torment, and because he was he took us from our homes..... Our families..... Our lives..... And in turn he inflicted his pain that he felt onto us! When we diverged into Collective and ourselves, we were viewed as weak, and subservient!" "But you were only trying to keep yourselves from being tortured more..." I deduced. The leader nodded, and I sighed as I connected the dots. They weren't Forsaken, they were the Tortured and Inflicted..... The Misunderstood.... The Collective thought they had given up, when in all reality, they only wanted refuge from suffering moreso than how they already suffered! "Master was robbed of his life, and so he robbed us.... His only weakness is himself; his pain that he shares with our combined souls in one mass! He always mentioned how much he hated the feeling of loneliness...." "So if all he has is you, and I released you, I may have a chance at succeeding in my efforts to end him?" "Are you saying that you will free us from our imprisonment?" "I can't leave you all to suffer, even if he didn't need you to be strong! You've all been through so much abuse that I can feel it in the very aura you produce now, and I can't bear it no longer. You all deserve to be freed from darkness, and so, by the power I possess within, I release you from his hold, and pass you into the path of light." My body began to glow again as I pressed my lips to his forehead softly, and the crying stopped instantly as the Tormented began to take on a mystical, white smoke, separating into small, blue orbs as they all talked in different pitches, some astonished by my abilities, and others whizzing happily around as they cheered. "Thank.... You....." the leader replied, smiling a bit before closing his eyes, and taking on a brilliant glow before turning into the same blue orb, and I laughed as it settled happily into my palm. "My dear girl," the orb began in an elderly man's voice, "I bid you good luck, and farewell. God bless you!" a happy tear fell from my cheek as the orb left my hand, and another settled itself in his place. "Thank you, for the mercy you have given and freedom bestowed to us. Remember the road ahead is rough, but as long as you have love in your heart, you can overcome the darkness. Go now, you are ready!" a woman's voice said tenderly, and I nodded my head silently as she floated away. Once all the souls of the trapped and tormented left, I heard a door open as the stairs shook to reveal another stairwell forward. I took a breath, preparing myself for the final showdown, and remembering all the faces that helped me get here, and the foes what made me stronger as I confidently nodded to myself. Now equipped with newfound knowledge and love, I knew I was ready for whatever that Thin Man had to throw at me, and rescue my long awaited prince from my visions.