The voice came with the faint hint of music flowing inside of the cell. The trouble with the sound wasn’t the strange melody flowing in such an expected location, it was the nature of the noise itself. The music didn’t sound as though it was actually present in the room. Later, Topaz would reflect that it was the way they had no echo against the walls or any interaction with his surroundings. The sound entered his mind but never touched his ears.

The voice of the mysterious man walking out of the shadows was much the same. Thin and distant in a way while still as clear as a bell.

“You’re in a place that you shouldn’t be, Topaz Edentus.”

Topaz flinched imperceptibly at the use of his full name. Edentus had been his name his whole life and yet, it always felt foreign and distant. As though he had no right to the name. It belonged to his father and Topaz could only hope to earn the name after arduous hard work.

However, years of attempting to earn that right had given Topaz the composure to respond to the figure. He straightened up despite his injuries and glared darkly at the shadow. “Thank you for taking the time to point out the obvious.” He sneered, ready to do whatever he had to in order to maintain his unflappable image.

Or whatever remained of it.

The chuckle echoed through the cell this time but it didn’t feel any more real. In fact, it felt darkly as light as air and as heavy as dreams. “That’s not what I mean, dear child.”

Child was a patronizing way to refer to a man Topaz’s age but he balked on his sharp retort when the figure finally walked into sight.

Wrong. That was the first and strongest thought that Topaz felt while looking at the man. It wasn’t quite as revolting as the sight of Ruby from earlier. So impossibly wrong that Topaz still hadn’t recovered from the shock. But the strange man looked ethereally beautiful and featureless all at once.

It wasn’t even clear what gender the person was, although Topaz presumed him to be masculine. He was impossible and wrong and darkly suspicious. Yet there wasn’t the slightest hint of menace echoing from his presence. It was unnerving in a way that Topaz couldn’t describe.

“...what are you?”

The figure smiled kindly and shook their head. “Irrelevant. I’m merely a guide to help bring you home, child. You’ve fallen into the wrong world.”

The words sent chills up Topaz’s spine. Any disbelief he felt at the impossible assertion was set aside for how horribly true the words sounded. Yet Topaz’s lips still found the words. “...that’s not possible.”

The figure continued as though Topaz hadn’t denied it, the music that came with their existence growing as they came closer to Topaz. “You don’t belong here.”

Topaz took a step backwards.

“This isn’t your world.”

“...Ruby.” Topaz said the name in defiance. The one thing he knew was true. Ruby had been wrong but he was undeniably Ruby. The city was the same way. Different and wrong but still the same city.

An impossible hand grazed Topaz’s cheek and he went numb, as though shocked by the touch but truthfully, he couldn’t feel anything at all.

“I will help you, child. And I will explain. But you must listen.” A cloud overtook the stranger's expression. “You cannot exist in this world. You will die. You must go home.”

The way the stranger talked was strange and stilted at times in a way that made Topaz feel as though it wasn’t used to using words at all. The music was so loud as to be deafening and yet, he still heard every piercing and stilted word with terrifying clarity.

“...I’m listening.”

Topaz didn’t believe it. Not properly at least. But it was best to listen to what was said rather than potentially enraging an entity such as this. At the very least, that was one thing Topaz knew was true.

This creature wasn’t human.

“You are in the mirror of your own world.” The entity paused and frowned, as though dissatisfied with it’s own words. “This world is separate but it is the same. Topaz Edentus cannot exist here.”

“Why?”

“You…” It hesitated and then smiled warmly. “You don’t need to know that. It would only hinder you. Topaz Edentus cannot and should not exist in this world. This world is too… real.”

Topaz bit down the question that ached on his tongue. Real was an odd way to describe any place, especially a place that felt more like a nightmare than anything else. A nightmare was the perfect way to describe it. Everything Topaz saw was the same but wrong, just so slightly, and in directions that caused his panic to rise endlessly and his heart tremble.

“It’s not a nightmare.”

Topaz jerked back, his eyes shaking as he looked at the gently smiling figure who had so effortlessly peeked into Topaz’s thoughts. The invasion of his privacy was another layer of nightmarish horror.

“This place is real. The Ruby you saw was real. He is… the same. He is the pillar.”

Topaz recognized there were words that the entity wasn’t saying. Despite how shaken he felt, he couldn’t help but dig for more information. When it came to Ruby, he would brave any fear.

“What do you mean.” His question was cold and demanding. He wasn’t asking, he was ordering.

There was hesitation again and Topaz could almost hear the words you don’t need to know that building on it’s tongue when unexpectedly, he said something else. “He is poisoned.”

Topaz felt like someone slapped him.

“The pillar is collapsing.”

His stomach sank. The words didn’t make proper sense and his head hurt trying to understand it but he knew it was his fault.

“Yes. It is your fault.”

Topaz felt weak.

For a moment, he considered accepting his fate. If he stayed here he would die? That was fine enough. He couldn’t think of very much to live for at this point and he was just so tired.

“You must not die, Topaz Edentus.”

Topaz grit his teeth and glared at the entity, indignant rage overtaking him. His privacy was stolen and the one thing he could keep concealed from the world was being read so easily by a stranger who terrified him. “And why not?!”

“If you die, there will be no one to remove Diamond Edentus.”

Dread fell down Topaz’s spine like trickling sweat, icy and cruel.

“Diamond Edentus will kill the pillar.”

The word pillar seemed to hold so much more meaning in this conversation. Topaz knew it was a part of Ruby’s title and the Saintess held it as well but there was a weight to the way this entity said it that confused and scared him.

“Once the pillar dies, it all ends.”

“...I can’t… stop my father…” Topaz’s voice trembled as he took a stuttering step back, the fear that came with facing Diamond overtaking even his desire to protect Ruby.

He knew that he couldn’t.

He was powerless and worthless.

“You must stop him. Twice.”

“...what…?”

“You must live, Topaz Edentus. You must live, stop both of them, and then leave this world. If you don’t, neither world will survive. The pillar must live. You must persevere.”

The music was deafening and cruel.

“I am Amethyst. You may call me only twice. Call my name once you have stopped him and I will help you home. Do not call me before then.”

The voice was overpowering and Topaz collapsed to the ground again, although he maintained his consciousness.

“You must leave this cell and stop Diamond Edentus. Both of him.”