With back turned, legs striding forwards, and a mind fully engaged in anger the young dark elf was taking her leave. As boots clamored upon dirt she had an opportunity to glimpse up at the waning sun. It was starting to get late and her shorter companion was surely worried about the taller’s well being. How would Lilly explain this away? “Oh, sorry Yvonne, a strange man and his equally strange sidekick convinced me he was a master sorcerer so I followed them to a two-bit sideshow only to realize I was being conned,” yeah... that would go over real well.

Just then the screaming from the deranged mage ended. The air was hot. A crackling sound emerged and the inventive elf turned around just in time to see a bright pink lightning bolt traveling directly at her. She didn’t have time to brace herself or panic or really react at all. The narrowest point of the energy whipped into her knocking her flat into the ground and causing her to become completely disoriented. Everything went dark as waking moments slipped away from her.

Charred eyelids pierced open revealing delicate pale blue eyes. Through blurred vision the elf saw a pure white ceiling. No scratches, no color, and no indentations. Just white. Simple and smooth, white. To her right and left walls of white. The bed she lied in? White. The smooth glossy flooring? White. She had just been leaving an incredibly sketchy back alley loon behind her and now she was in some pristine white prison. Rising form the bed her small feet touched the floor.

Odd. Her toes had gone numb.

As the rest of her body attempted to join her feet pain seized itself upon her legs. Traveling upwards towards her stomach, through her chest, and into her shoulder blades. A terse and high pitched squeal escaped her dark lips as she whimpered through the pain. Her body collapsed unto the floor, unable to bear the pain of standing.

A voice resounded, “best not to move girl. You’re his latest victim I’m afraid.”

Startled eyes focused towards the source of the booming voice. In the wall before her was the outline of a face. Lips pursed together, empty slots where eyeballs should be, and a furrowing brow. The face was unnatural. Appearing to be part of the wall itself. Its mouth opened again, readying itself for a further explanation.

“Do not fear, it’s too straining on him to keep more than just me here,” there was a tinge of sadness to his voice but he continued all the same, “You’ll be rid of this place soon. I do not know what awful things are being done to your physical self while your consciousness is trapped here but he doesn’t keep the girls for long.“

The young woman shuddered at that thought. Why had she trusted that strange mage? What was going on? Her ‘physical self’ made no sense, she was right here! Lilly reasoned that she must be dreaming. Fingers pricked, pinched, and prodded at black flesh but her body refused to awaken. This was a living nightmare.