Bound by Shadows: A True Ordeal (open)

[Koli]

Koli repeatedly gained consciousness to the same findings. He opened his eyes and routinely turned his head to investigate.

But today was different.

Koil noticed a metal cot with a crudely stuffed mattress across the breadth of the room from his. Atop, an unconscious humanoid form rested beneath the covers.

Koli sat up, and felt the familiar limitations, which he adequately resisted.

This was too important.

Pushing himself to his feet, Koli trudged across the room; whenever, during this short trek, the physical sensations overwhelmed Koli, he stopped himself to adjust and rebalance.

Finally, Koli reached the foot of the cot.

Koli slowly pulled the cover back to see a dark haired, gaunt-looking man. Obvious youth stained his face, but grief and stress had borne deep wrinkles and fissures of artificial age. Darkness radiated outward from his entire body.

Koli grabbed the bed's horizontal support and slowly brought himself to a kneeling position.

The monk closed his eyes and focused on his breath. He inhaled deeply and warmed his throat, strengthening his voice. In spite of what he had gone through, Koli managed to remain present.

“We will escape,” Koli uttered softly, “This is not the end.”

Not even had Koli fully finished speaking the words when the far wall instantly crumbled to dust- as though uniformly turning into a greyt piling of loose salt, all dissolving away. Gray matter swept throughout the room, pushing Koli back.

He looked down at the cot, now finding it empty. He looked around, soon remembering to move slowly, else the sensations would worsen. No trace of anyone existed, only Koli, two cots and the gray sandy grains.

The monk took a moment to close his eyes, and clear his thoughts.

He opened his eyes.

The cot was still empty.

Koli slowly rose to his feet and trekked over the treacherous grainy terrain. Step by step, he made his way to the room’s opening. He stepped into the wide stone corridor which extended beyond his vision in both directions.

One step outside the room cured most of his physical ailments, but nothing could cure his lethargy and grogginess. Turning to the right, he began dismounting the artificial sandbar the wall had created, entering the long hallway. Orbs which omitted some kind of light fastened to the upper walls of the hallway towards the ceiling.

Koli looked around, hoping to discern the source of the scraping sound that continued to echo throughout the empty chamber.

Just outside of his holding chamber, Koli noticed a arched doorway, blocked with brazen grates. Behind was some "turnie-turnie" pillar which rotated against a great block which Koli noticed to be crafted from special red wood. The stone pillar was about chest height, and the block seemed to be directly mated to the stone wall where 2 walls met the ceiling.

Koli had never seen one of these devices before, and he had no idea how it worked.

Understanding contraptions fell low on Koli's list of priorities though, so he turned to his right and began down the corrodor.

The monk slowly explored the tunnel, grateful for the chance to walk at his own pace again. He had been walking for quite some time, when he came to a doorway.