Ben POV

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Silence. A thick and heavy silence filled the passage as I walked the empty discolored hall. I extended my arm out and felt the walls, enjoying their smooth, flat texture. I smiled as I momentarily forgot the mission and took in my surroundings. Although nothing specific seemed to draw my attention or could be categorized as dangerous, I watched carelessly as the walls seemed to pulse, excreting even more light than usual in small constant bursts. Oddly enough, the luminescence seemed harmless to my eyes and didn't seem painful. This was indeed a strange place.

Convinced I was safe and allowed to space out for a bit, I began to ponder about the events that led me to arrive in this place and cringed as I remembered my little episode, continuing walking towards a black dot in the distance. I scolded myself for allowing myself to go that far into my disheveled head. I used my abilities even though I was instructed against it. I would probably receive a reprimand when I returned home. What concerned me more, though, was the strange eruption of fire that had surrounded me. I had never been skilled enough when manipulating fire, so it was odd that I had done so in such a proficient manner.

When I was instructed on how to use magic by Mourner, he and I concluded that my specialty was not fire manipulation. I remembered the countless times in which I had burned myself and/or Mourner and grinned. I had been prohibited from attempting to learn for an extended amount of time after that. I instead focused on other areas and became proficient in manipulating natural forces. I never foresaw that I'd ever use fire ever again, so the occurrence which recently happened was quite startling. The more I tried to decipher what occurred, the more confused I became. The only conclusion I could be confident about; the mysterious voice had something to do with it.

The coolness which I had felt when the voice had touched my ears was something which I had not felt before. My body relaxed immediately, and the whirlwind enveloping me was engulfed in flames. I didn't know how to describe it accurately, but I'd like to imagine it was almost like my emotions were set loose. At the moment, it didn't make sense to me, and my head began to crowd with unpleasantly complex questions and theories, twisting and turning while succumbing my consciousness into the turmoil, distracting me from the sudden changes I discerned unpleasantly late.

The first came unnoticed and unannounced. As I made my way blindly towards the black dot in the distance, immersed in my cancerous thoughts, I had a moment of realization that my senses were numb. Before, I was able to feel the strange light pulses from the walls and feel the surfaces and my clothes, but at the moment, I could feel nothing. I placed my hand against my face only to prove my theory correct; No warmth radiated from my skin. My hand wasn't picking up any temperature or texture of my face. I groped my body but continued to find no sensation. Strangely, though, I kept walking. My legs seemed to have a mind of their own, but my torso and head were mine to control, and an unpleasant thought pushed itself into my head: for now at least.

Quickly, I tore at my legs, scratching and harassing; Attempting to get a feeling of pain or soreness or at least try to stop them. Anything! My breathing became labored and came in quick puffs which drove me to desperately clawing at my tendons. Unfortunately, it led me to find that although my body was numb, my skin was delicate. With no sensation of pain to stop me, I had initiated some nasty gashes and tears on my legs, tinting my clothing a dark scarlet. I cringed at the thought that when my senses returned, I'd be feeling those for a while.

'Nevermind that,' I thought, choosing to focus on my unpleasant situation. I fought my head, trying to comprehend and analyze my situation but immediate panic wedged itself in my mind, bearing despair and sending waves of anxiety coursing through my body. Still, my skin and muscles refused to welcome any sensation or respond to my commands.

"Where are you?........."

I stopped at the sound of the voice and witnessed as the walls became a midnight hue, bright pulses of light illuminating the newfound darkness. My body stopped moving, my senses beginning to return. I lifted my hand towards my face again and sighed in relief as I felt my soft, smooth skin and barely visible mustache. Satisfied with that, I dropped my hand and glanced at my surroundings. Examining the dozens of orbs, I felt a burning excitement and temptation to touch every single one of them. Like the walls when they were white, the light from the star-like spheres felt refreshing, cooling my skin with its impact.

I intended to walk and finish my job but considered abandoning the mission. I had never experienced such relief, failing in convincing myself to continue with my instructions. My body was too relaxed to seem like I was standing on the ground anymore. It almost looked like I was floating in the void that enveloped my surroundings, with the luminous orbs providing the only sign that I hadn't merely closed my eyes and rested.

"Stop-" I heard a voice whisper almost pleadingly-"get away from me."

Instantly my eyes shot open, landing on an orb floating a considerable distance away from me. My chest began to tighten as I watched the star curiously. I attempted to shift my gaze from it but discovered I could not. A billion questions squeezed into my brain. What made this star different from the rest? Why couldn't I look away from it? How do I even get there?

As if to answer my last question, my body began venturing towards it. I failed to notice that I was indeed floating and instead focusing on the strange orange glow that began to engulf the star and the same brightness that exploded from my chest, extending itself towards the star.

I began to feel the air around me turn scalding hot gradually as the light extending from my chest neared the orb until finally, in one swift movement, colliding and resulting in a flash of bright light. In an instant, everything was merely a blank slate. A deficiency of color surrounded me, and I felt lost. A crushing persistence eradicated any coherent thought in my disheveled head, instead seeming like I was sleeping or in a daze. In other words: I felt nothing.

I could not discern whether I was breathing or not. I did not need to fill my lungs with the much-needed oxygen, and I did not experience the ravenous thoughts that ate at my sanity. The numbness which had occurred before the lights had returned, it seemed. Before I knew it, I had drifted off into darkness and seemingly awoke from a stupor.

I opened my eyes slowly, a strange dryness and heat to them which made me blink rapidly in an attempt to dissipate the feeling. I could not see quite clearly, seeming to see the world in a blurry fashion.

"You- you monster!", I heard the heaving grunts of someone. I turned my head towards the noise but could still not discern shapes from the murkiness engulfing my vision. "How did you even-even find me?", The mysterious voice rang out.

I scrunched my face up in confusion, "Pardon me but are you the creature which I followed into that strange portal?" I asked, annoying the stranger as I heard him huff.

"Look, you had better not avoid my questions or I will cut your throat.", The stranger threatened vehemently. I grinned and attempted to raise my hands in defeat but found myself struggling against something. My grin disappeared as I quickly identified the restraints as metal chains. I cursed under my breath, trying to break the chains by force but found I could not. "Hey! HEY! Stop struggling!", the voice demanded, which I obliged. "Now answer me; Who are you and how did you find me?"

I shivered as I could distinctly feel the edge of cold metal near my neck, "Look, I jumped into a portal inside a monastery following a dangerous creature and went through some uncomfortable situations and coincidentally ended up here so simply answer me this: are you the monster that murdered everyone in the monastery?" I ended with a sigh, expecting an answer.

I was met with silence.

"Uh, hey. Are you still there?", I asked loudly, I whipped my head to the sides, attempting to catch a glimpse of an odd shape among the blur, but failed to distinguish anything. "Look, this is serious. If you are the creature, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You have already caused enough trouble, and you do not want me to get angry." I attempted, insinuating that I had a back-up plan. The truth was: I didn't.

I was captured and was at my captor's mercy.

"There. You can move now", the person finally spoke, their voice near my ear. I shivered as their breath tickled me, and heard their footsteps retreating from me. I moved my hands and found them to be free. I immediately stood, using my hands to wipe at my eyes in an attempt to clear them of the bothersome fog. "Don't bother. You won't be able to see as long as you are in here." the person spoke.

"From what I have gathered so far, I am assuming you are not the creature?" I asked, allowing my arms to slump at my sides, annoyance evident in my voice at the newfound fact. I was once again met with silence before the person spoke.

"Do you not remember what you just did?' They murmured, what they said confusing me, a feeling of paranoia immediately coursing through my body. My body tensed, and fear made my intake of air shaky.

"What do you mean? Please explain immediately!" I ordered urgently, beads of sweat forming at my brow.

He was annoyingly silent once more before I heard shuffling towards me. I stiffened and held my breath. I waited for something to happen, but nothing occurred. I shifted my eyes from side to side, trying to see anything or anyone approaching, becoming very antsy. I could see nothing in particular. No shape was looming closer to me. I looked behind me briefly and grew excited as I spotted a white, glowing frame.

I released a breath of relief before walking towards it, stumbling as my injuries came to reality. One of my legs was immobile, but the other was useful enough. It could carry my weight for an extended amount of time.

"Wait!", a strong hand grasped my shoulder roughly, "what do you think you're doing?", The voice of the stranger queried frantically. I rolled my eyes as the man attempted to pull me back, but I shrugged his hand off and growled.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting out of here. If you're not going to tell me what I did, I'm sure someone out through that doorway knows at least something useful." 'If anyone is alive, of course' I added in my head as I pointed at the exit with one finger while hoping the stranger would understand the message and leave me alone. I hefted my leg up in an attempt to walk but discovered myself falling, only to be held up by a pair of strong arms.

"Hey, hey. Don't force it. It'll be worse.", The man said, lifting me with no effort and standing me in place, "How about this: I help you out through there If you let me come with you." He negotiated.

My brow furrowed in confusion. Couldn't he always leave? "Why don't you just leave by yourself?", I voiced my thoughts. I heard him huff in annoyance before he began to step away from me. In a panic, I held onto him tighter, "OK, OK! Fine, I'll bring you with me. Maybe you can help me find somebody."

"Alright, I knew you'd change your mind." He grabbed me again, a smile evident in his voice. I growled again, disdainfully hearing him chuckle.

Making an effort to step, I felt the guy help steady me, helping keep as much weight off my legs as possible without actually carrying me. It more than annoyed me, but I kept my frustration at bay, instead focusing my eyes on the luminescent doorway. The light seemed just like the lights from the tunnel I had to walk through and was silently hoping that I would not have a second experience with it.

Thankfully, as we passed through, my vision immediately regained its usual clarity. Unfortunately, my gaze met with the scene of death that was the monastery. I held back a coughing fit, but the stranger wasn't as lucky. He immediately let me go, almost dropping me before I regained my composure, glaring at him and finally seeing how he looked.

He had sun-kissed skin rippling with muscle, which was observable because he didn't have a shirt on. All that covered him was a pair of tan ripped, torn shorts. I was captivated by his physique that I didn't notice him stopping his fit. "See something you like?", I heard the guy say, and I rolled my eyes, finally settling them on his own. That's when I froze.

"Hey, HEY!" I heard the man shout, but I couldn't listen to him anymore. I didn't even feel myself falling until I landed, head stinging and my ears ringing, thinking how ridiculous it was getting for my reaction to always be fainting, but that was not my priority. The only thing I remembered and could see clearly as I faded back into the darkness were familiar eyes.

Eyes the color of fire