Alexander groaned as he opened his eyes, a faint headache still pulsing behind them.
His eyes opened to the girl from the previous room, looking in the distance.
Turning his head left and right, he realized he was resting on her lap, a comfortable experience despite the prosthetic part.
He could barely feel them, and even if he did, it would've been better than the rocky ground.
"What happened?" asked Alexander.
Her eyes were looking afar, it seemed like she was daydreaming.
Alexander sat upright, stretching his back while looking at his surroundings.
They were on a wide platform, connected to another by a narrow, natural stone bridge.
The connected platform had another one behind it, they formed a singular line, all the way to the end of the room which was extremely large.
The room was circular, and crossing it through the platforms would take hours.
Outside of the platforms was emptiness, a chasm that stretched further down.
Surprisingly, it wasn't too hard to see, despite how dark the area should have been.
Things had lost a bit of their color, everything looking a little more dull and flat, without a shine.
On the next platform he could see something small that was walking circles, while small he could tell it had a sort of weapon in its hand.
As if called by it, he looked up. Close to the high ceiling was what looked like a black sun, its surface churning like molten darkness.
Alexander turned around, looking at the girl who matched his gaze.
She was expressionless, it felt as if she had no idea where she was and what was happening.
"What's your name?" he asked.
She said nothing.
"Can you talk?"
If she could, she would've a long time ago…
Alexander scratched his head, which brought back flashes of pain, as he touched the area his fingers had pressured earlier.
He then gently brushed his forehead hand, sighing in relief as he didn't feel an alarming rift where he struck his head against the ground.
The mark left by Sunder felt fine, still hot but nowhere near what it was previously.
"So, how did you get here?…" he said.
He looked behind her, and there were no passageways to go back to the previous room.
"You followed me?"
Her gentle eyes watched him talk, following his movements.
He then glanced at the platform ahead.
It was a bit too far for him to properly see what was there, but it was most likely an enemy he needed to defeat.
But I have no weapons…
His face brightened, as hope filled his heart.
He quickly closed his eyes a moment, then re-opened them.
[ Name : Veil ]
[ Level : 1 ]
[ Archetype : Specialist ]
[ Class : Beholder ]
[ Fate : — ]
[ Effects : Darkness ]
"So I was choosing a class. Wish I had gone through Willmaker, now…"
Alexander was totally new with the system, and how to navigate it, but he knew it was mostly thoughts that directed it.
Focusing his mind on the effect 'Darkness', he was able to open an additional floating information window.
[ Darkness ]
[ You need no flame. I am the gaze beneath all things. The dark does not blind—it remembers. It holds your shape long after the light forgets it. ]
As it opened, it heavily glitched, the colors turning black and gray while breaking out, before returning to it's normal shape with a blueish feel to it.
It slightly surprised him, but weirder things had happened.
"So, I can see in the dark?" he said, while frowning.
He looked once more at the black sun floating above, it must've been the cause of the darkness.
He then looked at the girl behind him once more, his heart jumping.
"What th—"
She was standing completely still right behind him.
He took a deep breathe, and nodded.
"You can wait here, I'll come get you once it's safe to go through," he said.
She remained silent, Alexander unsure that she even understood him.
Why am I even wasting my time talking to her?
He stepped onto the bridge.
The girl followed right behind him, ignoring his request.
She barely made any sound, had he not looked behind, he probably wouldn't have noticed she had been there.
Through his life, vertigo was never a problem, he actually enjoyed heights.
Yet, here, he felt slightly uneasy.
Looking down, it was impossible to tell how deep it all went.
He could see the edges of the walls going downward, but it went so far that even his darkness spell couldn't help him see.
Not only that, there was a feeling associated with the depths, something unnatural. Something that felt like it was pulling him, that made him want to simply jump.
With a chill running down his back, he made sure to remain in the middle of the bridge, as far away from its edges as possible.
He glanced a few times at the girl, in thought.
Talking to her was of no use, she was essentially a brick wall that walked.
She didn't answer any questions, and didn't even bother using her hands to sign anything.
A simply yes or no, by nodding or shaking her head would have went a long way.
He wasn't walking particularly fast, yet she kept with his pace easily.
At least, she's able to walk.
They were nearing the next platform, the creature that stood on it finally defining itself better.
A goblin?
It was small, around half his own size, and it held a short sword (which looked like a longsword in its hands).
Its skin was of a very light green, which looked a lot more white than green.
Is it from being in the dark for a long time? Wondered Alexander.
It paced in uneven circles, occasionally nearing the edge—then flinching backward with a squeal when it overstepped.
It must be completely blind…
The platform's floor was made of dark tiles that perfectly fit its environment, parts of it destroyed and showing the rocky surface underneath.
Beyond the cracks and imperfection, one thing was clear : time had passed. Considerable time.
Just like the first room he arrived in, it was easy to tell that this place used to be something.
He stopped walking, carefully considering his situation.
One thing is clear, that goblin can't see in the dark.
It wore torn rags, and was barefoot. It had a bald head and 2 large teeth that extended past its bottom lip.
It would've been easy.
Wait until he reaches an edge, then push it.
But if I want a weapon for the next platform, I'll need to get its sword…
Alexander waited, careful to not make any sounds as he watched the goblin walk left and right, looking for any opportunity to come his way.