The Masque: Part 1: Unwanted Struggle

The Masque: Chapter 1: Confusion

You see Droplets of sweat fall to the vast thick sheets of snow from the man. Hearing his loud gasp for air as he continues to tread through layered snow. Eyes are watery but his face shows signs of aggression. For every covered ground he makes, the more exhaustion and the struggle to breathe happens.

"Am I... there yet?" Says the man as he gazes into the horizon with little visibility as the snow and cold thick layered mist shroud his surroundings.

"Did I even reached halfway into this land? I feel like I haven't done anything."

An image of a woman sparks into the man's head as he keeps running through the snow.

"Do you really think... I can do it? I'm just starting my journey to my demise, yet I feel like I am already dying."

"Heh... I don't even think I'll be able to befriend those people."

"But it's just like you said right? 'It's worth trying for.'"

"You are that annoying." He then proceeds to smirk.

The man continues his march unto the heavy snow and thick mist. But things started changing when his surroudings started to change color and form. The mist started to glow a cyan hue, the snow started to form into crystals, and white sky started to turn dim. The temperature started to decrease also, giving a chilling vibe.

"It's happening!" The man displays fear as he knows what is going to happen.

"The mist... I'm not even inhaling it as much, yet I'm already feeling lightheaded."

"Tsk!" The man clenched his fist as he starts making a run for it through the mist.

"The mist will slowly eat away all my memories."

"At least let me make it through this damn place."

"Even if my memories is already wiped-out outside of the mist, someone from the other side will do me a favor of either taking me to custody or just helping me, instead."

"Hopefully they aren't sane enough to just stab me through the forehead when they meet someone foreign."

The man pierces through the mist with unnatural speed while the mist slowly fades away all of his memories. The mist starts to fog up even more. Not only was it even harder to see, but the potency of the mist's effects becomes more powerful.

"I~It's getting... harder to... breathe."

"I can't believe how potent the mist gets"

"No normal individual can get out of this alive. And even if they do, the memory wipe will take effect in no time."

The man kept running on what seems to look like a never ending cycle of mist. Some time forward, the crystal ground that was initially snow, starts turning into a goey yet sticky texture. It's like quicksand, but much harder to get out of. The change of the ground immediately sticks to the man's foot and made him lose balance and topple off. Something from his neck flown off of him as he falls to the ground.

"GAH! What happened?! I can't move my foot!" The man observes the situation that he's in. Further on, while assessing the situation, he saw a necklace on the ground starting to sink. He quickly grabs the necklace off the ground to prevent sinking, then proceeds on how to get out of the situation he's in.

"No good! I'll sink through the ground quick. I need some leverage."
He looks to his surroundings, finding any possible way to pull himself up. But the only things that are present are glowing mists and nothingness. The man is already sunk all the way to his chest into the quicksand-like ground.