The old man squeezed out of the hard granite wall, staring at him with deep green eyes. He glanced at the skewered monks and let out a wistful sigh. His lips moved and a deep note slipped of his withered lips. A tsunami of golden mist enveloped Arash as he stood frozen in the dark staircase. His thoughts slowed down and his limbs became heavy with each passing moment.

A smile emerged on the old man's face as the notes that played on his lips switched to a high note. The tsunami turned to countless needles as they attacked his soul. Arash gasped in fear as he struggled to dodge the incoming attack. 'Move! Move! Move!'

"Use your will to defend" Najwah whispered.

White mist immediately leaped out of his soul and formed a thin protective layer in front of his soul. Ting! Most of the golden needles struck the protective and shattered upon contact. The old man frowned and suddenly the golden needles danced around the protective layer and attacked Arash's soul. It felt as if someone had poured molten lava on his head as the needles disappeared into his soul. Blue veins popped all over his body as his muscles spasmed uncontrollably.

"Much better!" The old man regarded him with great interest.

Arash drew a deep breath as the golden mist receded. He scrambled to his feet as he warily stared at the old man and the terrible leech that swam around him.

"Who are you?" The old man asked in a deep resounding voice.

Arash opened his mouth but thought better. His lips formed a thin line as he minds raced to get out of here. He glanced at the bottom of the staircase and the thought of twenty monks bellow was less than comforting. Given that he managed to outrun this old monster, with each passing moment, the chance of getting out seemed to be more and more impossible.

"I am the man who is getting out of here," Arash spoke with all the bullshit he could muster.

"Getting out?" The old man laughed a few wheezy cackles before his face turned cold as the death that lingered in dark staircase. "You must be a bigger fool then I had imagined. You won't leave this tower. You’ll die--" Suddenly the stairs beneath the old man's feet burst open as a thick pillar of granite ripped his body into half and squashed his head on the ceiling.

Arash stared down the flight of stairs, his feet a rapid blur. A loud shriek echoed off the dark walls of the staircase. The old man wasn't dead. It was that damned leech. Suddenly the darkness gave way to pastel blue light of the hall below. His left hand snapped at the monk hiding behind the wall as others reeled back in shock. The yellow web-like rune wiggled in his arm and the monk flopped on the ground like dead fish. In an instant, Arash leaped towards the monk closest to him and sucked him dry. Before he could attack the third, the monks countered with their rasping sounds.

Golden mist rolled around him as thick fingers of gold assaulted his consciousness. Arash's feet turned into a blur as he dodged two of the spears, while the third one was blocked by his will. In a blink of an eye, there were three less enemies to worry about.

"Get out of here!" Najwah whispered uneasily. Arash cursed back in anger and leaped towards his unconscious uncle.

Adam's eyes snapped open, as his lips trembled and the terrible needles once again came. Arash dived to his left, barely dodging the swarm of golden needles. The song of the priests merged with the shrill scream of his uncle. The golden mist roiled all around him. Arash scrambled to his feet, face caked with mud and dried blood, eyes darting at the golden death around him. 'You little black bastard. It's about time for you to shine. ' Arash hissed under his breath, his eye's glued on the giant golden leech swarming around his uncle. 'Najwah--' Spears rained down on him from every direction. Arash squeezed every last bit of his soul energy and formed a protective shield. The golden spears disintegrated upon coming in contact with the shield.

"Runemaster!" The monks around him howled back in fear as the golden mist gave way.

Adam raised his hand and the monk reigned back their fears. "There is nothing to fear my children. This boy is no runemaster." He turned towards Arash. "If he was, we would have been long dead." His lips formed into a cruel smile. He sang in a high pitch note and once again the golden mist rumbled to life. It shot towards Arash at lightning speed.

Arash barely moved when the golden arrow pierced through his soul. Everything turned black for a moment and then it hit him. The pain burned his soul as he blinked in and out of consciousness. His screams echoed off the grey granite walls. Arash fought the pain; fought for the control over his body. The pain brought him back to the dark room, drowned into the deep recess of his memory. He had promised himself. Not again. Never. He pushed back the pain, ignore the stinging pain in his head. Suddenly another a golden blur appeared in front of him. He gritted his teeth and the golden mist shot towards Adam. The white arrow pierced through the golden blur and struck right through the blur and went straight for the giant leech...