Chapter 6: The Torn Pages
As the young man drifted into sleep,
strange images crept into his mind—
fragmented memories,
faceless figures,
people standing in deathly silence…
drawing closer each time he shut his eyes.
There was no escape.
Until it appeared—
a horrific creature,
its body stretching out into slimy tendrils,
each ending in gleaming blades that shimmered in the dark.
In a flash, the thing lunged—
and severed his head clean off.
He awoke gasping,
drenched in sweat,
as if he had narrowly escaped real death.
He glanced around in panic.
It felt like a thousand eyes were watching him
from the room's darkest corners.
He couldn't move—
frozen in place,
as if the air itself had thickened into stone.
But after a few moments,
the terror faded.
The world seemed to return to its eerie normal.
He staggered to the small basin and splashed cold water onto his face.
His skin trembled beneath his fingertips.
He whispered:
"This isn't just a dream...
In this place, nothing happens by accident."
He returned to bed,
finally managing to close his eyes and rest.
When he awoke again,
warm sunlight streamed through the windows.
For a moment—just a moment—
it felt like he had awakened in another world,
a world of warmth and peace.
But that moment shattered as the dwarf's voice roared:
"Stranger! Time's up—get moving!"
He shot up, threw on his clothes,
and stepped out to thank the dwarf for his hospitality.
Then he left the house,
wandering through the vast halls of the fortress.
It was a maze—
too immense to explore in a single day.
As he walked, he murmured to himself:
"I need a purpose.
If I don't understand the nature of this world—its time, its laws—
I'll be lost forever."
Eventually, he noticed a large wooden door slightly ajar,
with faded letters etched into it:
"Archives Room"
He entered, hoping to find some answers.
But he was immediately blocked
by a massive figure—
a hulking man,
more beast than human.
With a gravelly voice, the creature growled:
"What are you doing here?"
The young man replied as calmly as he could:
"I just want to read."
The beast narrowed his eyes.
"Don't steal anything…
or I'll make you my dinner tonight."
The young man swallowed hard and nodded.
He moved through the aisles in silence,
eyes scanning the dusty shelves.
And then,
something caught his eye—
a strange book.
No cover.
Its pages were torn and faded.
But what he read stopped his breath:
> **"To the stranger who does not know his name…
I was once like you.
A lost soul in this world.
This language will mean nothing to those who haven't lived what you have.
If you want to understand this place,
find me…
or gather what remains of this book.
And remember: He who seeks power without understanding its price…
will pay—
in flesh,
or in soul.