The Rocky Forest, Desmond, 10416 P.C.

The mist thickened the further into it they walked, becoming a dense fog swirling around their feet and above their heads. Matthew couldn't see more than a few feet in front of him, and he struggled to keep Annabella in his sights. The fog wasn't still. As if possessing a mind of its own, it twirled and churned around them like ghosts attempting to stop them from going any further. It was mesmerizing, and Matthew had to make sure he focused on following Stephanie rather than watching the mists — they were fascinating, enveloping the others and yet straying away from him, never touching him even when he lifted his hand to them.

And for good reason. They possessed copious amounts of Athrii.

"We should be pretty close to the lake," Annabella called behind her. "I can't really tell. The fog is too thick."

"What's even causing it to be so thick?" Todd asked. "When you said Misty Lake, I didn't think you meant completely-consumed-in-fog lake."

There was a lump in the back of Matthew's throat. The presence of Athrii was incredibly strong. It had been with them all along, but with the fog it now felt all-consuming. It was nearly suffocating. He didn't realize the Warmth was reacting so adversely until Stephanie stopped and turned around to him, her face washed with concern.

"Matthew, you okay?" she whispered. "Your hands..."

They were glowing like beacons. He was surprised the others hadn't noticed. The fog-free area around him seemed to grow bigger. "I don't feel okay," he whispered in response. "The fog... it's Athrii. Or caused by Athrii. There's a lot of magic here." It was creating an uncomfortable pain in his chest.

She frowned, her eyebrows furrowing. "Then we've gotta be in the right place." She turned. "Annabella, wait."

Matthew's heart pounded, and he pulled the Warmth to his chest. The glow from his hands faded. The fog seemed to draw closer.

"What's wrong?" Annabella had stopped. Matthew could barely see her.

"The fog is caused by Athrii," Stephanie replied.

"How do you know that?" Jessie asked.

"How can magic cause a fog?" Todd added.

"I think the real question is why." Stephanie turned to Matthew. "What are you sensing?"

He was sensing a lot of opposing magic. "There's a lot?"

"No, focus. The fog is clearly hiding something. Something that would probably be very obvious if there was no fog. Can you find it?"

He was asking her to find a needle in a haystack. The fog was huge — he could feel the vast extent of it, spreading over miles and miles and making him feel incredibly small. He tried focusing but all he could feel was the sheer amount of opposing magic building up against his little bit of Warmth. "Find what?" he asked, his voice strained.

"Anything."

"What are you—?"

Stephanie shushed the others. "Focus, Matthew. I know you can do this."

He closed his eyes again, taking a deep breath. He had bundled up the Warmth in a cramped, worried ball in the pit of his stomach, and it took a great deal of courage and focus to unwind it and spread it through him again. He could sense the fog pulling away as the Warmth consumed him.

He sensed the Athrii — powerful, strong, deadly. Evil, like claws ready to reach out and strangle each and every one of them. It was a guard, physically useless yet incredibly clever as it blinded them to the obvious. Matthew felt the frown come over his face. Yes, it was rather obvious.

"We're... right beside the lake," he said, turning to his right and lifting his glowing hand. The fog dissipated, and he turned, walking forward. The mist scattered like a frightened creature.

"How do you know?" Annabella asked, her voice tense. He knew the others were seeing him use his magic for the first time — he and Stephanie hadn't ever mentioned his magic, and now he was using it right before their eyes.

"I don't know how I know," he said, carefully stepping through the soupy fog fighting to block his view. He sensed something beyond it. He couldn't explain it. "Just call it... a hunch."

His next step found empty air. He slipped, cursing as he fell, hitting his side on the jagged edge of the cliff before tumbling over the edge. Stephanie screamed his name, the sound of it echoing around him as he tumbled through the soupy white clouds. He had barely managed to work himself into a panic before he broke through the fog into clean air and slammed into the ground with crippling force. For a horrible, panic-filled second, he couldn't move or breathe — the air had been choked right out of his lungs.

The Warmth imploded within him; the air was practically smashed back into his lungs. He sucked in a breath, gasping and coughing as he rolled over. He had taken the impact right on his back. Lightning bolts of pain shot through him as he struggled to sit up. Within moments, the Warmth had soothed the pain away. He was left with a wildly pounding heart.

The others shouted his name from above, sounding fearful. He grimaced as he pushed himself to his feet, a mild headache pulsing for several seconds before it soothed. He remained dazed. Staggering back, he turned to the cliff wall behind him. "I'm okay!" he called up before frowning at the wall before him. It wasn't like any other cliff wall he'd seen on their journey. It was smooth. Too smooth. He stepped up to it, brushing his seasoned hand along it. He knew that familiar feeling. It was man-made, carved with Human tools.

"What's down there?" Annabella called.

Matthew looked up. The fog was several yards above his head, drifting and swirling through the air but never coming any closer, as if an invisible barrier held it back. It was mesmerizing. Turning, he surveyed the area around him.

It was incredible. While the mist stayed at a steady height far above the ground, the ground sloped down, merging into grass which then tumbled into a forest. The forest itself looked dark and foreboding; the mist above blocked out most of the sunlight, shrouding the place with an eerie sort of lighting. Matthew turned his attention back to the cliff wall, following it with his eyes. To the right, he could see that it looked... almost as if it were curving in, like a circle. It looked the same to the left, as far as he could see. If he wasn't mistaken, it looked like the entire forest was surrounded by the smooth, curved walls. Like a bowl.

A complete circle, with smooth, tall, prison-like walls.

"Well," he called up, "I think we found the prison."