Your feet took another step forward. No, there was nothing to fear from this. This wasn’t where you had fallen through the portal; they couldn’t have followed you here, right?

This is when you noticed that every chair was occupied and that the people watching the bar all had the backs of their heads to you.

No. It wasn't like that a minute ago. Where are all these people coming from? Are they all ghosts?

You were still shaken when you saw a security robot enter the room and lock eyes on you.

Run!

Taking one last breath, you began walking again. There was no turning back now; you would just have to deal with whatever awaited you up above. If it turned out to be a nightmare or something else you wouldn’t hesitate to run straight down these steps and never look back. It’d be easier than facing your fears.

You ran up the steps, not looking back. With a final gasp you entered the observation room and looked up at the huge screen with the red lights going crazy.

But if everything turned out to be alright then you would come back later and find a way to explore this new world! You needed to know more about the people who had taken you prisoner!

The screen went crazy, showing images of various parts of the forest you had passed through. The path you had taken, the stream, the clearing where the Order's campsite was.

Nothing made sense. You are so confused!

How could this be? Everything you know is from your own world, not this place! You feel like you're in a dream!

Why is this happening!

A voice broke through the static and screamed at you, so you turn around.

"It's our worst nightmare come to life! Return to the simulation!"

But you don't move!

And so you continued down the hall with renewed hope burning brightly in your chest.

After what you thought was a long distance, you came to a room with a large glass window and watched as the man in the lab coat came to the door and tried to open it, but it locked right in his face

There was a sudden sound coming from behind you. The security robot had come to follow you!

You ran down the hall and it began to chase after you, trying to keep up, but it couldn't keep up with your incredible speed.

After thinking for a moment. You decided to try and find The Red Knight to ask him where he was going. Walking back along the hallway.

You saw a door that appeared to be a private apartment and went in.

The Red Knight had gone in the other direction. Where was he? Maybe he could help you.

You look around.

You turned right and then left.

You stopped.

You looked up at the ceiling, seeing that there was a stairwell above you. Looking around. You couldn’t help but notice some of the lights seemed to be flickering slightly.

Then you saw it. There, hanging high above you, was a light bulb. And just as you reached out to touch it. Something happened. The light blinked off.

You sighed. Then began walking again.

When you came to the end of the hall, you saw a round door. Opening it, you found yourself in a round room. Inside were two doors. Behind them, you came across two more stairs. Both led to other floors. One of them had a sign on it. It read ‘Level 5.’ The other read 'Level 34.' This place was deeper than you had ever been.

A robot stood by the door. As you approached, it went to stop you, but then paused in surprise.

The next floor also had signs. This one said ‘Level 1.’

That meant… The Red Knights quarters were somewhere on this floor, right? Wait... how did you know that?

Well, you thought. Why not just check. After all, it’s your first day here in the castle. You might as well get some training in while you have the chance.

So you started climbing the steps.

You found that the stairs were getting higher and higher the higher they went. And that was strange, because the floor below you was only level 4. You should’ve seen someone come down those stairs when you passed by.

Eventually, the stairs stopped. The floor beneath you opened up into a room with several tables scattered around it. You walked towards one table, noticing it had a small sign taped over it.

It read, “Training Grounds.”

This would make more sense if there weren’t people working at these tables. A bunch of them. They were wearing cloaks similar to yours. But unlike yours, theirs were green and silver. And they were looking in different directions.

You felt something grab onto your leg and pull you into a closet that was located right near you, the door sliding shut. You tried pulling it open. But nothing moved.

You tried again. Still nothing happened.

You heard footsteps echoing through the corridor. Then, a door swung open. You heard footsteps walking closer and closer, making you flinch every time the footsteps neared. The light switched on and the figure of a cloaked man stood in front of you. He leaned close to you until he was standing right before you.

“Welcome, my dear, to the Staircase Hotel.”

He smirked. You glared at him and backed up, trying to run, but tripping on something, falling. The stranger grabbed you, holding you against him.

His voice had an odd quality that made him seem as if he were speaking from behind a mask. “I have taken care of you for the night. Your stay will be pleasant, I assure you.” His hand gently reached up and ran his finger along your face, which caused you to back away. You didn't like this place one bit and you weren't looking forward to spending the night with these strangers.

The person stepped out of the way to reveal another person, who was wearing a dark cloak and a hood over their face. They walked up to you and held their hands out. You took them and they helped you stand up. They then turned towards the other person and gave them a small push towards you. They said something under their breath in a language you couldn't understand.

After they left the room, the person approached you. You backed away, trying not to scream when the person pulled your arms back. It hurt, but you were used to pain at this point.

“Please don't fight me anymore, little one. I promise I'll make everything better.” The person's fingers brushed against your cheek. A shiver went down your spine. Their touch sent chills down your spine and goosebumps all over your body.

As soon as their hand touched your skin, you collapsed onto the floor.

After an amount of time unknown to you, you woke up.

“I am glad that you have finally accepted me as your guest. Now let us begin our journey.” He said, beginning to walk up the stairs.

You struggled.

Screaming and crying for help, hoping someone would hear you. But no one came.

Everyone ran away as if they were in fear.

You could feel him start to laugh and he began to drag you up the stairs. When he reached the top. He set you back down on your feet. You stood still breathing heavily. You tried to catch your breath as the man continued to chuckle at you. He grabbed your shoulder, spinning you around towards him, his face mere inches from yours. You could feel heat coming off of him and his skin was burning hot against your own. You pulled back quickly from him, stumbling back a bit before regaining your footing and turning to face him once more, backing up.

"Welcome to Staircase Hotel," he said. "Do you like it here?"

He tilted his head slightly and his eyes sparkled with mischief.

“Get away from me,” you screamed running as fast as you can towards the door. Your hands were shaking uncontrollably and the pounding in your head only made things worse. You didn't care about any pain or discomfort. It wasn't going to stop you from getting away from him!

He chased you down, pulling you back towards him again. His grip tightened painfully around your upper arm causing you to cry out. “No, I think not." He chuckled. He then pulled you in closer, his lips pressed against your neck, sending chills down your spine.

You pushed against his chest attempting to free yourself but he held you firmly in place, holding you tightly against him. After what felt like an eternity, he pulled away.

“Come now, my dear, this way,” he said gesturing towards the front doors. You nodded your head numbly, following behind him as he led the way through the hotel. He brought you into the living room. “Sit down here, please.” He motioned to the couch by the large window overlooking the street below.

You sat down on the couch, staring blankly at the ground outside. You heard footsteps approaching you before the man placed something soft and warm in your lap.

“Are you ready now?” He asked. He raised an eyebrow.

You swallowed. Then nodded.

He smiled a crooked smile.

“Excellent! You will learn to love the power I possess. Staircase Hotel has many gifts to offer you."

"What power do you speak of?" you ask.

"The power of eternal life.” He explained to you.

You blinked slowly, glancing around the dark hallway before looking at him again.

“Where are we going?” You whisper.

“We’re just about there,” he said with a small grin. “It isn’t too much farther now. Just a couple more flights up and you’ll be at your new home."

Your eyes narrowed.

“Why am I here, if not to stay?” you questioned, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Because my friend needs you. And because my friends need me.”

You stared at him incredulously, but remained silent.

“I think it would be best if you learned how to control your powers, don’t you?” His voice had changed from cheerful and happy to dark and sinister.

The colour drained from your face as you took in his words. You were afraid to move. Afraid that if you did so, he would see right through you and take it all away.

But you couldn’t run anymore. The fear was too strong for you to escape. Your legs wouldn’t carry you anywhere. They seemed stuck to the floor, preventing you from taking even one step away from this monster before you.

Slowly, you let out a shaky breath and nodded once. His smirk widened.

"Good!" he exclaimed, turning on his heel. "You can start by following me!"

"What if I don't want to follow you?"

The man chuckled again before answering.

“We are going to die and live again. That is where I am taking you!” He grinned, showing all of his sharp teeth. You swallowed. Fear coursed through you and you felt your legs shake.

“What happens when we do it?” You asked. He shook his head.

“That’s not important! All you need to know is that everything changes, here at Staircase Hotel, where your wildest dreams come true!"

"My wildest dreams?"

"All you must do is die."

The man started walking away from you down the hallway, leaving you alone in the dimly lit hallway.

Alone.

So very alone.

You were frightened.

Terrified.

You wanted to scream.

You wanted to cry.

You wanted to run.

But you knew that running away wouldn’t do anything.

So you did nothing.

Nothing but stand frozen in place.

Stuck to the spot.

In fear.

And pain.

It was so much worse than you could have imagined.

A sudden feeling of lightness hit you as you fell to the ground. Your heart was racing so fast, you thought it would burst right out of your chest. But no blood spilled from your lips, just a few tears rolling down your face. It took you a moment to realize what had happened.

You were alive.

You were safe.

You were back.

Back on Earth.

Your body lay on cold hard stone. The air was dry and smelled like dust and dirt. But it was warm and comfortable. As you began to wake up, you realized where you were.

This was your new home.

As you sat up slowly, you noticed some of your clothes were gone. There were some stains left behind however.

It was then you realized why you were there.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

They had taken you.

They had killed you.

Or at least tried to.

There were footsteps coming towards you. You closed your eyes and waited for the inevitable. However, after several seconds passed, you opened your eyes again and saw another figure approaching you. This time you recognized him immediately.

He was standing in front of you, looking at you curiously.

“Where am I now?”

Not knowing what else to do, you start walking.

Exploring.

Searching.

For what?

Who knows.

Staircase Hotel was huge. Endless. Hallways went on forever. Stars up and stairs down. Stairs leading everywhere.

Stairs leading nowhere.

A nightmarish maze of stairs.

“Why am I here?” You mumbled to yourself after several minutes of walking. “What happened? Who…who are you? What’s going on? How did I get here?”

You kept going.

And going.

Until you got tired and decided that stopping wasn’t an option either. Your legs were numb from being carried for so long and you wanted to sit down. You were hungry too. So very hungry. The hunger had become a part of your life. It didn’t leave. Not even for sleep.

Eventually, you ended up in front of the same room as before. With the same door. There was no way out though. No other doors either. The walls seemed to go on forever and you wondered where the ceiling was. Was there one there too? Were there more rooms?

Maybe you should look around? Maybe there is another door somewhere and you just don't know about it. Or maybe it has some sort of control panel that will open the door and let you out. That would be cool right? There had to be an unlocked door to the outside somewhere here in Staircase Hotel, didn't there?

"Probably not." A voice said. "The hotel is probably locked. Like most hotels nowadays."

You ignored the voice.

It wasn’t like it could do anything anyway. Besides, you were curious.

You were unsure where you were supposed to be going. You felt helpless, lost. Like you were walking straight into a trap, one set by a person. But, you knew that wasn’t the case.

You could always turn back and find the staircases exit and walk back. Or find a window and jump to freedom. If you could get back to your house, you would have been able to escape.

If only.

You tried not to think about your family or home. All you wanted to think about was the unknown. It was the only thing keeping you grounded and you liked it. You didn’t want to give up, but something told you this couldn’t end well. That you wouldn’t get out of this alive.

You kept walking, trying not to cry. Trying not to fall apart. But there really wasn’t much else to do at that point. You didn’t want to die. But you also didn’t want to be trapped here forever. In a place that didn’t seem to even exist.

You reached the end. The hallway went on for what seemed like eternity. But eventually, the hallway opened up into a large circular area. In the centre of the room, there was a large staircase. And beyond that, you couldn't see any other entrance or exits. The floor seemed to be made from marble and there was no railing or anything similar to support your weight. So, you decided you didn’t need one. It would be safer to stay away from those stairs. They looked very dangerous.

After looking around for a while, you walked over to the nearest wall. You tried to find an obvious way to open the wall. There had to be something.

But, Staircase Hotel was huge and you didn’t know which direction to head. You didn’t know which way to walk and you didn’t think that finding the staircase entrance would work, especially since you hadn’t seen any signs telling you which way to go.

But, Staircase Hotel was huge and you didn’t know which direction to head. You didn’t know which way to walk and you didn’t think that finding the staircase entrance would work, especially since you hadn’t seen any signs telling you which way to go. You could be in a maze for all you knew. There were a lot of doors along this hallway, so it might not have been a good idea to split up and search for rooms.

You heard footsteps behind you and you turned around to see an adult man walking towards you. He looked like he had been there before, but you hadn’t seen him before you. He stopped a few steps in front of you and smiled. He must have noticed your confusion. “Are you lost? I don’t mean to pry or anything, but…”

You shook your head. “No, no, it’s not that I’m lost, I’m just confused. I haven’t checked out yet and I don’t know where I am. I don’t even know my name.” Your shoulders slumped and you bit your lip.

The stranger chuckled. “Oh dear! Well, we can help each other then. My name is Dr. Dirk Dragontalon, I own this hotel. Would you mind telling me your name, it may ease my curiosity?” He extended his hand and you took it with a smile.

“My name is…” You paused and swallowed. This wasn’t something that anyone had ever asked you about before. "No. I'll not speak to strangers. I'm lost and I want to get out of here. I want to go home."

Dr. Dragontalon nodded in understanding and motioned for you to sit on one of the beds. It was so clean. The bedding was white cotton sheets with black piping around the edge and it looked like they were made out of silk. The pillows were soft too. When you sat down, the bed shook and he winced in sympathy.

"Sorry about that. I'm trying to build up some momentum to keep us going forward but I don't know how well it's working. If I can just get more of a sense of where we are, we should be able to make our way to a destination much quicker." Dr. Dragontalon said as he fidgeted with the controls on the control panel next to him. "I wonder if there's any chance of us finding another exit soon?"

You shrugged. "Maybe, but if I were you, I wouldn't bother looking. There probably isn't even another exit for miles. Unless you have a plan to get back to wherever you came from…"

He turned around to look at you. "Not yet, no. I'm afraid all I've got right now are a few basic functions and a couple of power cells, nothing I haven't seen before."

"Not another exit for miles?"

"Yes."

"But we are inside a hotel!"

"Yes, but it is a very large hotel. A very large hotel indeed. I don't think you will find a way out of Staircase Hotel. I've been lost in it for decades."

"You were lost in it for years? That doesn't seem right," You say, frowning as you looked up at the high ceilings and massive staircases you had just climbed. The floors and walls were covered in a pale white carpeting that made them look like they were floating on clouds.

"It's not exactly something you see everyday."

"Oh," you replied thoughtfully. "Why was it so large then?"

You didn't expect him to answer your question, especially since he seemed to have a bit of an odd sense of humour, but he surprised you. He simply tells you what had happened in his life, and even though he was talking about something quite strange, you could tell he genuinely enjoyed telling you stories. You found yourself enjoying listening to him talk too.

"I was born into a family of merchants, but when my parents died when I was young, I moved to a town where I was raised by a family who lived nearby. They taught me all sorts of things about living, and their home wasn't the most beautiful place in the world. I still remember one time, when I was eight or nine, that they showed me this big wooden sign that read, 'Staircase Hotel!' It was written in a fancy font with all of these elaborate drawings around it. They explained how the hotel came into being."

Suddenly you remembered your ghostly red knight. The Red Knight looked like a devil with his red cloak and red gloves and red horns on his helmet and great red feathered wings on his back.

Dr. Dragontalon continued his story. "It took years before I figured out that the people who owned that hotel weren't actually the same people that my parents worked for. They were actually the ones who hired my mother to work for them. She used to come to me and ask me why she wasn't doing her job properly. I told her the reason. She laughed in my face, saying that I was stupid because I'd never amount to anything in life! Can you imagine that?"

"No."

"Then she walked away. That was when my father decided that he didn't need me anymore and left to find a better wife. My mother took me and I stayed with our neighbours. We tried our best to raise me, but we only managed to scrape by until I was old enough to join the army. That was also when I met Jack Frost."

"Jack Frost?" you ask.

Jack Frost was the first person that you heard of.

You knew that the Frost Family was a big business, but you had no idea what they did.

Dr. Dragontalon went on to explain how the family was famous throughout the kingdom because of their ability to create ice.

Apparently, people came out of their homes for days just to stand under the giant icicles hanging from the roof of their houses.

None of this felt right.

It felt like this man was not who he said he was and was just stalling to keep you here.

The more that the doctor talked about his family's achievements, the more confused and doubtful you became.

What was it with these people, anyway? Were they all weirdos or something? It seemed unlikely, considering everything else about them.

You would always find yourself getting annoyed at some of the things that the doctors said, so you decided to get up and leave once you were done talking.

"You will need someone to be in charge over the shop," the doctor says before you could go.

You pause and glance back at him. The thought of working there for hours every day makes your stomach turn with disgust.

There was no way in hell that you were going to do that, regardless of the money.

He must've noticed your thoughts.

"You can take as much time off as needed," Dr. Dragontalon adds. He holds out a box towards you which has several different types of paper slips. You reach out and take one.

"If you are successful today, the contract will be ready tomorrow morning."

You frown, already starting to regret signing it. "How am I supposed to make money if there is nothing to do?!"

You didn't realize just how harsh your words were until the doctor let out a small chuckle.

A little laugh, you noted.

How can anyone be this blind? Maybe it was the lack of sunlight that blinded you. You rubbed the tears from the corner of your eyes as you stared up the dark hallway, there he was again.

Your Red Knight in red armour, with beautiful red feathered wings on his back. The Red Knight, still looked like a devil with his red cloak and red gloves and red horns on his helmet, but you felt certain, that he was in truth, your personal guardian angel. Sent to protect you. Sent to save you. Surely he would not let you die. You run to him. The Red Knight turns his head towards you and smiles. His ruby red eyes glowing brightly with joy.

You reach out to him. He bends down to pick you up bridal style. You wrap your arms around his neck tightly, hugging him close to you. He stands up. He starts to walk, taking you further and further through the halls that led to places you didn’t even know existed.

Finally, he comes to a stop in the middle of nowhere. It was as if no one had ever lived here before. You could see absolutely nothing. There was no streetlights. There wasn’t even a light bulb in the area that you could see.

Everything looked pitch black.

You feel the temperature drop. Your heart rate quickened, and you shivered. You didn’t want to move.

“Let’s sit down for a bit, shall we?” He suggested. You nod your head silently. He sets you down on the ground gently. He sits beside you, facing you, placing his arm around your shoulders, leaning towards you. You cower away from him a little. He chuckles softly and pats your shoulder reassuringly.

You never knew this place existed.

He stops and looks at you, a look that shows how proud and happy he is to have found you, despite the dark hallways he walked you through. Your lips curl up into a smile, he grins wider than you thought possible for such a stoic man such as himself. He continues walking, taking you deeper and deeper into this mysterious place until you were completely lost.

He takes you inside. It's a large room. There are tall windows with curtains that hide any light that comes through. There is a large desk that sits before a door. He sets you down. He walks over to the wall and taps a button beside the door. He opens the window and you see what looks like a small city, only it is covered in a thick layer of dust. He grabs the curtain and tugs it, opening the window wide so you could get a better view.

"I'll be right back," he says. He rushes away. Leaving you alone in the large room once more. There are other doors besides the one behind which your Knight went. But they were all closed tight. And none of them seemed to lead anywhere except the very last one, behind the door.

The door opened to reveal an old man who was sitting behind his desk with a large book in front of him.

You sigh.

You look around at the room.

It looked old and dusty.

Dark and dirty.

“How can I leave here? Where is here?” You ask him nervously.

He smiles.

“Come… We have a lot to talk about,” He whispers. "After many years of war the people of The Demonic Outlands of the Lost have finally got the upper hand in the war with their undead neighbours. The people banded together and fought as a unit, with the powerful leader of The Demonic Outlands of the Lost leading them to victory."

The Red Knight pats you on the back encouragingly.

A knock on the door interrupts you two. The swings open the door. It is a messenger from the king's court. He has bad news. They have received a letter from the king. There has been a huge attack by the undead. They have wiped out most of their towns. The survivors are retreating back to Darkheart Forest.

He looks at you both with sad eyes and says: "We have had no word from our people. They are being pursued by the undead, and they may not make it home."

You take his letter and read it quickly. You hand it back. "I know where they're headed."

"Where?"

"Darkheart Forest. I know their plan for revenge against their enemies. It was the only reason why I came here when I did."

He looks at you curiously "Then, if we can help them…"

"There may be hope yet."

The Black Knight takes your arm and leads you to a tent nearby. As he opens the door and helps you step inside, you see some other soldiers there too.

The Black Knight motions you to sit down, but you refuse.

“It doesn't matter what they've done. We're here now. So, let's get started.”

One of the men starts talking: "The people from The Demonic Outlands of the Lost were the first ones who attacked us on that fateful day. The undead have been harassing us for almost thirty years now and we've barely managed to put an end to them. Every time we send people after the ones who do attack us, the undead will retaliate by attacking us themselves. We tried everything. Weapons. Poison."

Your eyes grew wide.

The Red Knight's grip tightened on your hand.

You felt your heart pound in your chest.

“There will be a large army approaching tomorrow, with the intent of destroying all who fight them!” The messenger announced, causing the room to fall completely silent. He bowed to you, handing The Red Knight the letter.

The Red Knight held your hand tightly in his as he hurried outside, following the messenger. As soon as you followed after him, you realized where he was heading.

The courtyard was filled with hundreds of men, women, and children. They had formed a group, marching and marching and marching to the edge of the courtyard. There you could see that they marched past the village, leaving the people who dwelled within to die. The sight caused you to vomit. You couldn’t even breathe, let alone speak.

You stumbled away from your guardian knight.

“Don’t worry darling,” the voice of The Red Knight called.

You turned to him. He took your hand, helping you keep up with the group.

As you walked, you tried not to focus on your surroundings.

Only this morning these people were still alive.

You just saw them, just before you had entered The Staircase Hotel.

Had your Red Knight not arrived when he had, not taken you into The Staircase Hotel, at just that moment, you too would be laying here dead with the rest.

He saved you.

He saved your life, at your darkest hour, just like he had promised he would do.

He was here to rescue you.

You cried.

And The Red Knight continued to lead you along behind the others.

You were still clutching onto his arm.

His grip never faltered.

Neither did his pace.

Neither did his words.

Neither did anything else.

The Red Knight carried you for days.

It seemed like months.

Weeks.

Months.

Years.

Decades.

Who knew how long it had really been, because time meant nothing anymore, because time seemed meaningless and meaningless was all there was left anymore.

It was like you were living in a dream, a nightmare, a nightmare that would end any second.

Any minute now something terrible would happen.

Something dreadful.

Something terrible enough to make you forget about everything around you.

To erase everything.

To make everything disappear.

Because, you couldn’t handle any more death.

You could handle the deaths of so many, but, you were sure that this was another one.

Another horrible death waiting for you in The Demonic Outlands of the Lost.

After being raised with him Thornbrood The Hellbound has given all he can to keep you safe but that is not enough. After years of living with Thornbrood the Hellbound and taking care of you, it seems like the lich king wants more, that there isn't enough for the two of you to give. He knows this and is determined to have his way.

It won't be easy for either one of you.

You're both very stubborn creatures, it will take many arguments and days of convincing before each of you will agree on anything. You've seen that for yourself and you don't want to see it happen again.

The night after your father's death, when you were still so young, when you didn't know much of what really happened, you woke up in a cold sweat, shaking from head to toe.

You weren't alone, in the bed with you was your cousin, Thornbroom Dalev Fearknife. He sat watching over you and trying to calm you down. Eventually, you calmed down enough for him to tell you what was going on.

You told him about how you'd found out and felt guilty about having no warning about it.

In the morning, you took off before sunrise, determined to get to the nearest town before the sun could rise higher than half a bell. In that town you were able to buy provisions.

Every night you slept in The Red Knight’s arms.

Every night you woke up, drenched in sweat, trembling with terror.

You were terrified of what was going to happen next.

Terrified that you would wake up dead.

Terrified that The Red Knight would leave you.

Terrified that The Red Knight had abandoned you.

You were terrified that every new day would bring another horrible death for you.

Death. Death everywhere you went.

It was endless.

It was terrifying.