Neo’s eyes shot open, and his short gasp was muffled by the mask he wore over his nose and mouth. Neo turned his head, and stared at the bright white moon, the moon itself was so big on the horizon that he could swear he could feel its chill. Looking on the other side of him he could see ruins half buried in the water and sand a mile away. He hauled himself up, barely able to steady himself against the aching of his body. With the water pouring off of him Neo could feel the magic draining from his body, a cold to the bone kind of feeling. His eyes blurred and no matter how hard he blinked those bright eyes of his he could not get them to refocus. For a long moment he could not tell where he was---he didn’t even remember trying to get anywhere. Neo clutched his hands to his chest as they burned from a cold he knew wasn’t there. He clenched his teeth hard together, and began to walk toward the ruins, water schloshing just below his knees

Somehow somewhere music was playing, and its melody was hauntingly familiar. Soft voices, a dreamy state of mind and a shallow warmth burst through him. And within moments Neo found himself running, running through the water toward the sound. Fighting his way through water and briefly through sand he came upon a tower. It too was half buried in the sand, but it still stood tall; and slowly chased the moon across the sky. Breathless Neo ran up its stairs until he burst through the door at the top of the tower, inside was a sole pink record player. He stood and stared at it, feeling its beat in his hearts and the towers rotation beneath his feet. A moment later someone else burst through the entrance. Before Neo could even get a good look at his unexpected guest she reached for the needle of the record to stop the music but Neo stopped her grabbing, onto her arm. When they touched something exploded in a of light, fear and it surrounded them; becoming something tangible and that passion screamed.

Neo shook his head and so did the creature that they had made; the creature hunched its five shoulders dragged itself out of the tower in an attempt to steady itself atop the sand.

It began to consume him. Pulling Neo into its form in a desperate attempt to stay one, complete being. Across from him the acynobis struggled, hoping to break free from the weird sticky walls the creature was made of. Neo tried to close his eyes but he couldn’t---instead he saw through the singular huge eye of the creature whose pupil darted back and forth in an attempt to see everything all at once but failing. The creature screamed again, swatting at the ruins and tearing them down with a single paw. The creatures mouth drooped, forcing a sad slack jawed frown. It struggled but eventually made it up and over the dune and could not help but sink

down

down

down into the sand.

Neo too was struggling, struggling to break free from the mass that was absorbing him into its form. A little further away from Neo was who he had met in the tower just minutes ago. Their resolve to get away from the monster was fading; Neo watched as they gave up, lowering their head in defeat. With one last strong push Neo twisted and pulled, slamming his hand against the wall of the creature to get their attention. Their head slowly rose, a dead look in their eyes---Neo reached for them, pleading with is own green eyes for their help.

Trust me.

With a sigh they reached out, giving him their last bit of hope.

The creature slammed their feet down, turning sand into lava that slowly burned through the wild life and the plants that had made homes in the desert. Another step and one(1) of the creatures arms sunk to the elbow in the and it began to fall, spreading laval faster and faster through the desert. Once again the creature bellowed and when it began to finally pull its arm out of the sand it had turned into lava that was hardening around it.

Neo and the Acynobis before him met hands, their finger tips touching his palm---immediately the creature fell apart into rainbow pieces. Neo hit the ground.