A Shadow in the Dark; The House of Gryron

Between Times

Thick gray mist. Fog. I couldn't see anything. It stretched on forever as a cascading wall of smoke. Was I really here? Where is here? I spun around, seeing nothing but the gloomy fog that surrounded me. I tired looking down at myself, but I couldn't even see my own body. Despite all of this I stayed surprisingly calm. I couldn't sense Searinox either. That one thing should have terrified me, but it didn't. A strange sensation gripped me. Like I was spinning very fast, but I couldn't tell with all the fog, it looked exactly the same in every direction.

Before I knew it, the fog had lifted and an unnatural light was shining in my eyes. I felt completely different. I could feel my body. I blinked rapidly and tried to move a little. I was lying in a soft bed, my bed... 'My bed?'  Sitting up, I swung my feet off the side of the bed. I was wearing shorts and a long smooth violet shirt. I touched the end of it gingerly, it felt familiar in an odd way. The delicate music of mountain songbirds caught my ear, and I looked over my shoulder towards the sound. Dark blue curtains elegantly danced as the thin air caressed them. Behind the curtains, a quaint little balcony stood, overlooking the mighty Cree Forest. 'Cree Forest? How did I know that?' I stood up and tiptoed over to the balcony. The view was breathtaking. My eyes seemed to rhythmically scan the forest and certain familiar locations. 'Wait, familiar?' I glanced around. Something felt off. There was an very welcoming sense, but underlying that was something sinister. And why were some of these things familiar? 'Have I been here before? Why did I think this was my room? I don't think I've ever been here..' Slowly backing away from the balcony, I wandered back into the room. I gently stroked the bed, and the scent of lavender suddenly filled the air.

A loud buzzing noise filled the air. It was so loud and unexpected that I dropped to the ground and covered my ears. Lightning seemed to tear through my brain. I closed my eyes and screamed. The sound hurt my head. I felt like I was about to explode. Then, right when I knew I couldn't take any more, it just stopped completely. I stayed like I was for a moment, trying to regain myself. And as soon as I opened my eyes, I wished I hadn't.

Blazing wisps of fire burned just inches away, I gasped and jumped up. Fire surrounded me. I was no longer in the familiar, lavender scented room. This room was different. I could hardly make out the layout of the room because it was filled with so much smoke. 'This has to be a dream!' I thought, drained. Creeeee...SHHAAAA! The door behind me crumbled into burning ashes. I bounced away from it, and trying to get away, I scanned the room for another way out. I coughed, breathing in the heavy smoke. There was a heavy feeling in my mouth I couldn't get out. I quickened my pace and in my hurry I tripped. The floor felt wet and warm. The smell was metallic and gave me a bad feeling. Quickly getting back up I used the bed nearby to regain my balance. My eyes locked onto what I saw there on the bed. Blood. A very, very large pile of blood had soaked the bed. There were also countless numbers of small holes in it. Someone had died on this bed. I released my grasp on the blood coated bed and glanced down, only to discover why I had tripped. The wooden floor was slick with blood as well. My body was coated in the stuff, blood trickled down my hands to my arms as I unsuccessfully tried to wipe blood off of my face. It was not my blood, but my clothes were sodden with the blood, making me feel heavy. I backed away, a lump gathering in my throat. The more I tried to get the blood off the more seemed to gather on my body. I spun around quickly and jolted my right foot forward to run away.

As soon as I took that step, the blood and smoke was gone, along with the heat of the fire and the burning in my lungs and feeling in my mouth. Surprised, I stumbled and fell to my knees. A white plain stretched out before me, and snow was falling thickly from above. However, I felt no cold. A single giant building stood straight out, far away from me. I blinked, my eyes adjusting. I was in the middle of a huge snow covered field. It was night. A full moon shown overhead, illuminating the scene. The large building before me almost resembled a castle. Large, stone walls enclosed the perimeter, and three tall towers rose up in front of the main building. The castle looked huge, even from my distance, and it had a discouraging feeling. The frigid land was flat, with a slight down slope from the castle to me. 'The positioning of this castle... A strategic position for a battle' As the random thought crossed my mind, I heard an air splitting roar.