The woman in the black cloak stands at the other end of the table. A darkness looks over her like a shadow of guilt. I can almost feel a shame building within me just by looking at her. I can see her red eyes and black teeth under her cloak. Her face appears slightly aged, about in her fifties, and she walks over the corpses of those who were feasting here, now stone cold dead.

"What do you want?" I demand.

"I want to bargain," Failure explains, "just a quick bargain. One small bargain. You two wanna reach the Bell Tower right?"

"The what?" I ask.

"Yeah," Riley glares, "but not with help from your kind. We have nothing to offer."

"Oh but you do," Failure chuckles, before rushing to me in the blink of an eye like lights flickering on and off. "I want to gauge your strength. Fight me, and if you defeat me, I'll take you strait to the Bell Tower. No strings attached and nothing up my sleeve." Failure shows the insides of her sleeves as she smirks and extends her arm, "do we have a deal?"

"Can we talk about it?" Riley asks.

"Of course," Failure chuckles, "take your time."

Riley pulls me aside and demands, "don't take this deal."

"What?" I ask, "why? If this mask has the power of... whatever that thing was I can take her. We can get to the Bell Tower which you clearly want to reach and this can be over. What have we got to lose?"

"That thing is named Failure," Riley sighs, "you don't think that's at least kinda odd? Also, you chewed through Revelery's skull! We don't know what that power was. We don't know what you're capable of! We don't even know what caused it! You can't beat her without it and frankly I don't know if you can use it again. Something like that had to be draining right?"

"Yeah but this is one and done," I remind, "and frankly I just want this to be over. I'm gonna at least try Riley."

"Fine," Riley sighs, "but don't say I didn't warn you."

I turn to face Failure and grip the mask. My heart pounds in my chest as I turn it around and slowly place it on my face.

I howl in agony as my face burns. I hear a voice, "well well well brother, trying to get stronger are we?"

"We are not related," I hiss, "you're dead! Shut up!"

"I may be fading but I have enough time to torment you."

I scream again and fall to my knees.

"Leo!" Riley exclaims rushing over, "Leo stay with me!"

"If you wish to take my power," Revelery's voice echos in my mind, "so be it. It appears I was to weak to survive this world. However, know this. No matter how hard you try and no matter what you do, there will always be those you can't save. Now I bid you farewell young brother. Do what you wish with this mask, as I must leave this world for good."

With that, the searing pain stops and the voice goes silent.

"You OK?" Riley inquires helping me up.

"Yeah yeah," I reply, "it's OK. I'm OK."

"Now then," Failure chuckles, "shall we?"

"Leo please," Riley begs, "don't do this.'

"Riley I got this," I reassure her, "don't worry."

"You wanna learn the hard way then?" Riley sighs, "fine. Go on ahead kid. Look, next time you sleep come down the same way I showed you. Now that this area has been destroyed we can meet our allies in the next. We kinda got separated when we arrived. Well, I'm not gonna stay and die. Good luck Leo."

Riley leaves, jumping down the wooden table onto the wooden bench where the guests once ate and walks out of the dining hall, stepping over corpses and blood-stained stone floors the stench of death fills the room and the steady tapping or her shoes grows more and more faint as she walks away.

"Shall we?" Failure asks with a wide, malicious grin. This may have been a mistake, but it's to late now. The Bell Tower is clearly important. If I can get there, maybe I can get answers. Maybe I can end all this madness.

"We shall," I reply with a fake confidence that I hope will catch Failure off guard.

Failure, to my surprise, merely chuckles and speaks in a condescending tone as she opens her stance, leaving herself unguarded. "This outta be quick. Someone like you, beating me? Ha! Come on then!"

I lunge, glowing with a green magic. I leap at Failure across the massive bloody table, concentrating on a feeling in the pit of my stomach. It burns, and makes me wanna barf. It must be the power of the mask. I get close to Failure and spew acid from my mouth, but find it to be a deep red and feel my vision growing faint.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn around to see somehow Failure got behind me. She howls with laughter, "you can never defeat me if you don't even understand how mana works child!"

Failure drop kicks me, causing me to snap awake in my bed. I feel sick to my stomach, causing me to instinctively place my hand over my mouth and get out of bed. My legs fail me, causing me to fall onto the cream-colored carpeting with a thud. I pull myself up by the edge of my bed, sending a shooting pain through both my legs. My vision goes dark for a moment and I can hear my own heart pounding like the beating of a hummingbird's wings. I pull my way over to the restroom and pull my head over the toilet bowl.

I vomit a chunky red liquid. The bowl now a sickening stew of rotted flesh, bone shards, and my own blood. I vomit again as my eyes water from the stench. The burning of my stomach acids up my throat make it scream for water. I let out a weak cry for help. My voice horse and the room spinning like a marry-go-round.

"Leo?" I hear a voice ask knocking on the door.

I can't reply as I vomit more of the corpse that which I devoured. I ate through his skull like it was a donut. What kind of monster would do that?

"Leo I'm coming in," the voice warns.

To make sure no one knows what I just threw up, I weakly flush the toilet. That however, is my last ounce of strength before I collapse on the floor and pass out. The last thing I see is Mary, a panicked look on their face as they rush over.

After that everything goes black.