Eli was in a labyrinth. The stone walls twisted into dead ends. But he didn’t slow. He ran through the winding halls as though he knew where he was headed. He couldn’t quite place it, but the maze scratched his brain with familiarity.

The narrow corridor merged into a wide hall lined with doorways that stretched far beyond his sight. They all lead to here. He thought. This was the path. He was sure of it. He marched forward. The ankle deep water sloshed at his feet, and flowed forward.

He approached the end of the hall. An iron door so large he had to crane his neck to see the top was before him. The metal was dark, and its center was the image of a circle with a swirl within.

***

Alice woke when the boat came to a sudden stop. She wiped sleep from her eyes as the daze left her mind. Her eyes widened when she gazed at the shore. “Eli,” she called. “Hey, Eli,” she repeated when there was no response.

Eli stared at the ground.

“Hey. You’re creeping me out.”

Eli’s head turned slowly. He pushed himself away from the edge. He stood with arms limp at his side.

***

The dark iron door towered. He shook. Why? A need tugged at him. His toes curled in his shoes and his tail folded between his legs. Why do I want to run? He stepped.

FORWARD

The voice clapped like thunder.

ENTER

Eli stepped forward. He reached for the door. With a light touch metal scraped open. A faint, golden-red glow leaked out.

***

Alice was stone. She swallowed as she watched Eli. Something wasn’t right. He crept forward. He swayed drunkenly. Steps wide and clunky. He moved like a puppet given half a life.

***

A spinning ball of water floated at the center of the room. The water at his feet rushed towards. A turret that swirled around it. A golden-red glow escaped. It pressed against the the surface of the ball. As though…as though it wanted to escape.

***

“Eli?” Alice’s voice was soft. His head rose and her stomach sank. His eyes stared at her, but they were dead. Beads of glass that saw nothing.

“Eli, whats the matter?”

He planted his foot. He balled his hand hand and drew It back.

“Eli! It’s me!”

He through it forward. It happened in only moment. His fist was like a stone to her gut, and had all the speed of a bullet.

She flew for a moment before her back slammed against a rock. Her head reeled and slapped against the hard surface.

What the hell. He head spun. She was sure she could hear rattling. She tried to stand but fell back to her knees. A weight bore down her. It squeezed her. And it only grew as Eli approached

***

Eli approached the swirling mass. Water swirled at his legs and rose, lifting him with it. It carried him to the ball. The light grew brighter.

REACH

The voice boomed again.

***

Alice gnashed her teeth and pressed herself up. She grabbed at her art book and flipped through the pages. Come on!

Eli leapt forward.

Yes! Alice barely managed to manifest shield. Eli slammed into it. The solid ping rang in Alice’s ears as the force pushed her across the ground.

With weak, shaking arms, she gaze past the shield at Eli. Or what should have been Eli. All she saw was dark silhouette. A creature of shadow with a golden-red light at its edges.

“Eli!” she roared, “It’s me!”

It launched again. She held up the shield. The shock jolt through her arm, rattling teeth and bone, and and sent her flying.

***

Eli approached the light. His hand stretched as he reached for it.

***

Alice had nowhere to run. Not that she could if there was. He knees quaked when she fell to the ground. The shadow approached. It’s eyes wide, round, and empty. Every step it took, a weight bore down on Alice. The same sort of weight she experienced the first time she witnessed the strength of Penitulus Ren.

She wouldn’t give up. She forced herself up, while manifesting a sword from the same page as the shield. She ran towards it. It’s not Eli. It can’t be!

With a flick of the wrist she had the air knocked out of her. She fell to the ground. The metal flavour of blood stained her tongue.

She couldn’t rise before it approached. The shadow planted a knee on her stomach, leaned forward and gripped her neck. It was like steel around her throat. She coughed as she choked.

She squirmed in its grip but the shadow didn’t move.

She slapped the shadow. Clawed at it’s face. No success. Her vision whitened. Then she remembered. She remembered the final clue. ‘Connection’.

How long had she known him? Just a month? A month and half? And yet they had survived so much together. She trusted Eli. She trusted the connection they shared.

She stopped struggling and gazed into it’s eyes.

Eyes bulged. Her throat scraped. But she relaxed. Do you see it Eli? I trust you. I trust you.

***

Eli reached for the swirling ball with both hands. Then an image flashed. What was that? He felt something in them. Something soft and warm.

He could almost see…Alice?

Her eyes were closed. Face red. Veins popping. “Alice!”

The flow water reversed. It pulled him down into dark deaths. As the light of the ball receded, the voice thundered again.

ANOTHER TIME THEN.

***

Air flooded into Alice’s throat as the grip loosened. The shadow faded leaving only Eli who fell forward, unconscious

She stared at his sleeping face. It worked. She sat up and cupped his cheeks. Connection. She echoed in her mind.

His face was so small. His skin was so soft. Her face approached his. She paused and slapped herself in the face. “Come on, Alice. Don’t be weird.”

***

“W-what happened?” Eli asked when he woke on solid ground.

“You fell asleep.” Alice answered

“On the boat?” He glanced back. How the hell did I get here then?

“I-um-I carried you. Because you wouldn’t wake up.” Alice scratched her neck.

“Right. I guess. What ever you say.” He shook his head. His mind was to muddled with sleep to argue.

“Anyway!” Alice chirped, “Look what I found.” She held up a metal ball decorated with the familiar swirl in a circle symbol. “I think it should open but can’t manage it.”

Eli accepted it from her. He fidgeted with it. He gave it a light twist and felt it come loose.

“I think we should give it to Cor—” she paused when Eli opened it. “What?”

“It just…sort of twisted open.” They stared at it. They stared at the orange light radiating from the shard. The last shard. Eli smiled, but before he could speak a gust of wind slapped him. And he felt the orb be yanked from his grip.

It looked like a bat. “grab it!” Eli roared as he gave chase. He chased it onto a a circular platform and gazed up. It had vanished into the darkness above. “Shit!” he roared.

Alice approached, gripping her sides.

“What’s wrong?” Eli asked.

“Nothing,” She waved him off and stared up. “You don’t think that was—”

“I don’t know. But we have to assume.”

“Well that sucks.”

“Sucks? It more than sucks!” he paused.

“I know. Where do we go from here?”

Eli glanced at a lever at the center of the platform, and noticed large gears at the corners. “Up,” he answered. “I guess we go up.”