"Well, it's somewhere different at least."

"That's a bit of an understatement, don't you think?"

Narissa and Ted had walked into a large circular room with pillars bordering a fenced balcony. Three levels below, the floor was covered in a black cloud that somehow looked thicker than pudding, and twice as opaque. It moved like waves of water and splashed back and forth against the walls it was slowly climbing.

The two of them walked up to the edge and looked down at the blackness, before they tilted their heads up to the roof.

The ceiling had an impressively realistic painting of a dove being crushed by a stone while a lamb watched in the background. Although, the lamb's eyes seemed to have been roughly scratched out, as if done by some vandal after the painting was finished. The painting was surrounded by various symbols.

As they were looking at them, the symbols all started to glow a deep shade of blue, and then shifted around the ceiling like a puzzle box. All of them circling around that painting.

"I mean, there were statues in the other room," Ted said as he jerked his thumb behind them. "But this feels like something else. Even though this room is huge, it almost feels...intimate. It's small compared to that other place, but it's not that. It's just...this place almost feels nostalgic."

Narissa held her hand under her chin as her eyes carefully studied the symbols on the ceiling. As she watched them, the light slowly faded from them, and the ceiling looked like it had never shifted around at all. "Interesting. Nostalgic you say? Have you been anywhere like this before?"

Ted shook his head. "No, I'm pretty sure not. I think I'd remember some place like this. It's the feeling of it. Nothing specific, but it feels...homey? Does that make sense?"

Narissa's face was expressionless as she continued to stare at the ceiling. "It doesn't yet, but I have a feeling it'll all come together for me rather soon."

Ted contorted his face as he tried to force his mind to explain why he felt this way. It was so weird. That black cloud was clearly looked ominous, and so did the eyes being scratched out on that creepy painting above them. Sure he had a thing for cool pillars, but they didn't make him feel at home. But despite how it looked, he felt safe. Like there was this warm bubbly feeling inside him. It was almost like a warm smile from a beloved grandparent. Safe, comforting, welcoming.

There was something else too. Something just out of reach for his mind to grasp. But there was a more recent place. Somewhere this reminded him of even more. Someplace he really enjoyed. Yet, he could not bring it to mind. He tried to force it, but the more he struggled to grasp it, the harder actually understanding it became.

"Despite your affection for this place in particular," Narissa said after a few moments of slightly uncomfortable silence while Ted wracked his brain for answers. "We should press on before something happens here."

"Aren't we sort of investigating?" Ted's mind instinctually pushed him to stay. When she suggested leaving, he almost panicked. But, that was so strange. Why wouldn't he want to keep moving. What exactly was going on here? "So, shouldn't we at least try and check this room out?"

Narissa took her eyes off of the ceiling and looked over at Ted. "That's not a great idea. This room holds a lot of potential, and those are some powerful marks etched into the ceiling."

She paused a moment to look back up at the painting again. The symbols had not moved again yet. "Plus, the implications of a domesticated animal watching a bird get crushed is unsettling. The oppression it embodies is practically palpable."

"Opression? What are..."

...eport!

Death's voice interrupted Ted, but as he turned around, he didn't see him standing behind him.

Hey bro, I'm down here!

Ted turned his gaze down, but there was nothing there. He rubbed his eyes, had he gone blind? Did something in this room trap his mind away from his friends? Had he fallen into some magical prison?

No, over here!

"Behind me, dear." Narissa offered as she glanced over her shoulder at the skull on the ground.

As Ted turned around, he let out a sigh of relief when he saw a skull lying on its side behind Narissa.

She knelt down and picked up Death's skull and held it in her gloved hand before she inspected his severed head.

"Only your skull?" Ted asked. "What happened to the rest of you?"

Oh man, that's a long story. See, I popped behind the guy who was chasing us, right? Well, he seemed to be like waiting for me, and is one heck of a fighter. The guy almost cut off my own head with my scythe! That would've been bad. Death began.

"I mean, doesn't your head come off anyway?" Ted asked.

Narissa smirked. "A head cut off by Death's scythe? Why, even a skeleton would have trouble putting that back on."

Exactly. It's sort of a final say in things it cuts off. Keeps them severed, you know?

"Unless you know stronger magic, but not much can outdo Death itself." Narissa added.

Anyway, the story. So he knocks my head off with his hand after I manage to put my scythe away. Then he traps it in this like magic bird cage thing, and just leaves! He left my freaking body in that massive pipe room with the statues and junk. Then he chased after Nugget, and she kicked his butt, then knocked me free, but just left me to chase the guy down! Death explained.

"Nugget fought the guy you guys were afraid of and beat him alone?" Ted asked. "I guess...I guess I shouldn't be surprised, huh?"

"Not really. Not with...her..." Narissa spat out the word like venom.

"Okay, but why didn't you just go back to your body?" Ted asked.

It's...complicated. I mean, my body isn't really its own person, so I can't just pop behind it like I'm going to collect its soul. It just sort of acts on instinct and what I tell it. Death paused a moment, and then chuckled. Heh, guess it wasn't that long of a story, or that complicated.

But uh, Death continued. I kinda need your guys help. See, I saw my body fall when gravity got all wonky, and I sort of need to go collect it...

"What? Back in the giant room?" Ted asked.

Yeah.

"And how do you expect us to get to your body? Just sort of climb down?" Narissa scoffed.

Huh? Nah. You just got to throw me down to it!

Ted and Narissa paused and then looked at each other. Narissa smiled wickedly, and Ted shrugged.

"I mean, that makes sense to me." Ted nodded.

"Then, since I agree with it, it is settled. We shall head back and throw Death down into the abyss."

"Wait," Ted interjected as he felt another pull not to leave. "But shouldn't we investigate around here first?"

"We'll be coming back this way dear. No point in doing that before helping our friend here, right?" Narissa reasoned.

"I mean..." Ted grumbled. "I guess that makes sense.

Whooo! I knew you guys wouldn't leave me hanging like the others did. Death cheered.

"You've seen the others already?" Narissa asked.

Uh...I mean...I totally went to you guys first. You're both really...reliable?

"Now, why do I find that even harder to believe?" Narissa hummed.

Because...the truth is hard to swallow?

"Well, first thing's first." Narissa reached down and plucked a small thread off of the edge of her sleeve. She rolled it between her thumb and pointer finger until it was in a ball, and then flicked it towards Ted. "Forward," she whispered as the string suddenly expanded, and wrapped around Ted's head, blocking off his eyes.