I stood on a blank landscape: white, only with shadows laying overhead in the tones of gray and a door several feet away from me. Reaching out my hand into the gloom, light caressed one side of my skin, while my palm remained embraced by the forever stretching shadow and darkness, the corruption sparked by my magic, deep magic. I'd rather be doing a daring mission at the gates of Hell.

I pressed forward, every step clinking on... well... whatever flooring there was inside someone's soul hanging in the balance between dark and light. My eyes squinted as they adjusted to the dimming light, spotting a boy with shoulder length oak-colored locks.

Echo... he was already here.

Rushing over to him, I looked into his eyes. They were as gray as the landscape, void of the blue life they once contained. But I refused to believe that was the whole story. I clasped onto his freezing cold hand, and his fingers wrapped around my own. Drawing in a deep breath, Echo's blue eyes sprung back to life.

"Raven..." a smile lit his face.

"Don't get all sentimental. We're still in danger."

"Danger?" he got a better look at our bland surroundings. "No kidding! What happened to me?"

"You're a Gate. Zolona said that's butting heads with your Mark of Protection because I used magic. Plus, Isla's in here trying to corrupt your soul or possess you or something."

He clenched his jaw. Crap... it was like steam could escape from his ears. "Your magic did this to me?"

I approached the first Game door. "That's not important right now. We have to play this together like The Game and dodge Isla at any cost."

I opened the door and we were pushed through by a dark pull. And that's when I saw her: the woman in the black cloak, my worst fear, in our first challenge.

"Well, look who decided to play another game," the woman said.

I tried to spot her. "I know about my past now. Why did you take my memories from me?"

The figure's voice chuckled. "You obviously remember more, but not everything, right?"

Her voice echoed in the emptiness around us.

"Why do this? Do you enjoy making people's lives more miserable?" Echo asked.

She stopped laughing, caught off guard by Echo. "You believe you can win, but you can't. My Ancient Ones never do."

My eyes widened and I cursed silently before I mumbled, "You can't be..."

If the woman was Isla, then she'd been manipulating The Game since I could remember. She wanted me to dive into deep magic to find my memories. For all I knew, she could've been the one to steal them from me too.

"Because you don't play fairly," Echo said.

"Why should I? In order to be what you want, you have to grow up and take what everyone has and you don't. Making people afraid works better than love and hope. Wishes are for babies, hope is for weaklings, and games are for children, and you two just want to keep playing," she said.

"You're..." Echo said.

"Yes, and I can't wait to see what you can do for me, or if you're too set in your pacifist ways, I'll take your death as a symbol of honor," she said.

"Come out coward!" I yelled, clenching my teeth together.

"Coward? You're afraid of me," the figure laughed and lowered her hood, "The hooded figure, the black mist, the woman in the black dress. We're all the same. I went inside your dreams to make sure you were afraid of me for this very day," she said.

Echo's face was grim. "Fear doesn't always get you what you want."

"Really? Maybe it's why people didn't care when Zolona fled, or perhaps the countless others used in The Gate Ceremony?" she asked.

"Come out," I said.

"You all will see me in the final challenge. Right now I'm just teasing you," she said.

Her figure faded away like black sand.

"What was that about? Why tease us like that?" Echo asked.

"I don't know, and I don't care. I want answers," I looked around the room.

"What do you think our challenge is?" Echo asked.

I continued to look around the blank space until I spotted two daggers. Upon lifting the blades from their pedestal, the scene shifted around me. Guards surrounded the area and the solid gold throne above me didn't put me at ease. We were in Zolona's throne room. I glanced across from Echo and me, finding Dusk with blades in hand. His eyes captured the look of a predator anyone knew on sight was a killer. I was re-witnessing the fight he had with Zolona through new eyes.

"This is my fight, Echo."

He released a quick breath and stepped backward. "Then, I'll be here to cheer you on and tell you if something happens."

I readied myself in an attack stance, waiting for Dusk's first strike. A deep breath emptied from my lips as I gazed into the reflection of myself in my dagger, my silver eyes ready to spill blood to save another.

He lunged forward and my blade met his in a clash. The metal of our blades struck against each other, evenly matched. Dusk kicked my stomach, but I refused to stumble or surrender to him. I ground my teeth together and pressed onward, slicing across his chest. But this wasn't a fatal blow, merely a small pass of a knife against skin. The cuts needed to run deeper.

My eyes scanned my opponent for an opening. He struck again, his lunge leaving a vulnerable weak point in his stance. I stabbed just below his ribcage and stared into his eyes. Life draining out of the figure, the false version of Dusk faded away like dust and blew away.

"Way to go, Raven!" Even though Echo covered his eyes, I knew he was there to support me.

I panted. "Do you think your mother wants this to happen? She said she was pulling the strings in our dreams."

Echo and I were greeted by a familiar face.

"Ember?" I asked.

Echo smiled. "Obviously from one of our memories."

"Yours." Ember pointed at Echo.

"Well, there's nothing in this room. It's blank," I looked around the room, confused by its appearance. It was a void of emptiness.

Echo's face lit up. "That's the entire point. It's blank."

"What does that mean though?" I asked.

Ember shrugged her shoulders. "How am I supposed to know?"

"Remember what I told you in Glorious Grove?"

His lucid dreams... Of course this was Echo's set challenge. Isla wanted Echo because he could lucid dream in her domain. His powers were echoes of her own.

"You're really going to try with her here?"

"It's our best chance. Otherwise, we'll both lose ourselves in here. I can't live with that happening to you because of me."

"Smart, boy..." a voice spoke behind us.

Lilliana Rosewater's blood-red hair traveled down her slim physique. Her reptilian gold-flecked eyes gazed at us with pity and slight disdain.

"Not you..." Echo's voice croaked.

"Sihirpoék needs more people like you Echo... people who are willing to cooperate with both dark and light and don't turn away deep magic. It's why The Mistress choose you. What an honor." Lilliana reached out her hand.

The cathedral formed around her, stain glass windows surrounding a chandelier from above. Scenes of weaponry and battles filled each of The Ancient Ones' cathedral. Fire pits lit the room on either side, allowing little light to pass through the shadow. Lilliana stood with several others in black cloaks, all reaching out their hands. It couldn't have gotten any creepier.

Echo's scars lit red again, and he took in shallow breaths.

I stepped in front of Echo. "Not in your life. I'd rather die in here than see this go down."

"You'd rather die, eh? I'm afraid that choice is not yours to make."

I gripped my dagger, but Echo pulled me back. "No, Raven. We don't need to fight them."

"Likely story."

"Trust me... it'll just get you hurt." Echo closed his eyes and concentrated. "Ember. Now."

Lilliana and her wicked crew shattered away, giving way to the blank room again, Ember stroking a piece of her hair.

"You did well, both of you. Not the best usage of magic or logic, but it suffices." Ember giggled.

I took Echo's hand. "Thank you for what you did. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to take on all of them."

"No worries. You came in to get me. I owed you for that." Echo grinned.

I saw everything in a different kind of light with him around. He said he wanted to help and befriend people in the shadows. I guess he got his wish. However, no matter how long I tried to like it, the name Raven still provided me with several different feelings. Sometimes, I felt as if the name confused me, other times it worried me since I didn't know my real name, but other times it caused me to have my heart jolt.

I wasn't supposed to have a heart. There was still a slight possibility something could happen, and I would feel something strong about the people I cared about. I didn't want to feel as if it would be my fault if I lost someone.

"What's so funny? Mother's next. I would think twice and prepare myself if I were you," Ember snapped and a door appeared.

Echo nodded. "Don't worry, Ember, I will. Raven will defeat her and we'll be safe."

"You're not skipping?" I asked.

"I would, but for some reason, I can't. My control over The Game stopped," Echo said.

"Like an interference?" I asked.

"What did you think I meant when I said Isla's manipulating The Game?" Ember crossed her arms.

A figure with silver hair appeared behind her and smiled.

"Mamá?" I asked.

"My beautiful hija." she embraced me. "I've come to warn you."

"What is it?" Echo asked.

Mamá put a hand on Echo's shoulder. "She's trying to kill Raven so she can use her body to lead her to an artifact, known as The Rose of Twilight."

"The Rose of Twilight?" Echo asked.

I nodded. "Don't even ask. I got you in this mess by seeing some of my lost memories. Turns out I guard The Rose... or at least I was supposed to."

"We can still beat her, Raven. I know it," Echo said.

"But you don't fight," I said.

"I'll give you support," Echo said.

Mamá squeezed me. "Be careful. Both of you. Deja que la luz y el amor te guíen, incluso en la oscuridad."

"What?" I asked.

"Let the light and love guide you, even in the dark," Mamá said.

"Don't expect this to be easy," Ember said. "Your time is limited in her domain. Don't get out in time, and both of you will be at her mercy."

We approached the black door with caution, each took a deep breath in, and opened it, only for darkness to come out of it and consume the room. When I could faintly see, there was no weapons table. All I had was Echo— and he didn't fight.

"Where's the weapons table?" I asked.

"There isn't one..." a voice echoed.

"That isn't fair for Raven," Echo said.

"I know it isn't fair. This is where you'll die. You're going to die a mental death so painful, I won't have to lift an actual finger to kill either of you," the voice said.

"Not if I can help it." I clenched my teeth together.

"Let me guess, my son is running again. Pitiful," the voice laughed.

"Come out of hiding," I said.

My voice echoed in the darkness.

"Raven, watch your back," Echo said.

"It's not normal for it to be this quiet," I said.

Echo gulped. "That's why I said that."

A sword jabbed from the darkness, attempting to stab me. I jumped backwards to avoid it, but dropped my weapon.

The voice chuckled. " There's always a second strike."

Crap, crap, crap. What now? The light from my hands! I could do it again, right?

"I was expecting one," I avoided another attack and used a light blast in the sword's direction.

She cried out from pain.

"Nice shot, Raven," Echo cheered.

"Scared to face me head on?" I asked.

"You think I'm scared of you? I'll show you who's really scared." Isla came out of hiding and attempted to strike a killing blow.

She was in the black dress, her sword matching, and her cold, blue eyes, giving a wicked stare. She smiled at me.

"You can do this!" Echo said.

"Don't be optimistic. You're next," Isla said.

I threw another light blast at her when she dodged it. "I won't let you kill him! He's my friend."

Isla took a knife from her pocket and hit my right hand. She put her sword to my throat and smiled. "First, your will shall die. Then his will follow without a protector. The Rose of Twilight will fall into my custody, and with it, magic itself. To think your spirit in vain just like your precious elves..." Isla raised her blade.

Echo stepped forward. "You won't do anything."

"Oh, you want to go first. I guess I can improvise," Isla raised a blade again, this time a knife from under her cloak.

"I'm not a pawn to be played with, Mother." Echo snapped a finger.

Everything pulled towards a newly formed hole. Isla slid backwards. She put her sword into the ground, attempting to stay, but it was already slipping. She smiled at Echo.

"This isn't over! I've already gotten half of what I expected. If you both were not so vital to obtaining The Rose of Twilight, you would've been dead long ago. This is only a game, children. You have to enter The Surface World soon enough, and when you do, you'll die!" Isla laughed.

Her sword was pulled out of the ground. She went into the hole, before it disappeared.

I raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said that power wasn't working."

"It wasn't," Echo said.

"Then how did you make it work?" I asked.

"I felt some pull, like if we didn't make it out..." Echo said.

Silence entered the room at full force before a quake shook us.

"Crap, it's Ember... she can't keep us in here much longer."

Echo's eyes widened. "Something must be wrong on the outside!"

The silver door appeared to take us out of The Game. I looked at him before he tried to smile but couldn't.

"Come on," I gestured to the door.

We opened it and jumped through.

I just didn't know what could be wrong. I didn't know what Isla, meant when she said she got half of what she expected. It made a shiver run up my spine. If something did happen to her while we were asleep, it probably wasn't good.