Andreas awoke, his eyes fluttering open to the sight of a concrete ceiling. His body ached, a soreness settling into his limbs as he slowly pushed himself up. He rubbed his neck with one hand, trying to shake off the grogginess, while the other hand wiped at his tired eyes. The room felt unfamiliar.

As his vision cleared, something—or someone—came into focus at his feet. Andreas froze, his breath hitching in his throat. A skeleton, draped in tattered black and gold cloth, slumped lifelessly before him. The remnants of its clothing clung to its brittle frame, torn with age. He felt a jolt of terror surge through him, and he scrambled back- ward, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Wha—!" His voice caught as he gasped, his back hitting the cold, rough stone wall behind him. His eyes locked onto the skeleton’s empty sockets, expecting it to move.

But it didn’t.

Andreas let out a shaky breath, realizing it was just bones. “Oh… I, uh… woah...” he muttered, his voice shaking as he tried to calm himself. The initial shock ebbed, but something else crept into his awareness—a smell. A sickening stench filled the air, thick and putrid, making his stomach churn.

“Ugh! Blegh!” He pinched his nose, wincing at the overwhelming odor. He took a moment to gather himself, his gaze wandering cautiously around the room. “Where am I?”

The space around him was vast, much larger than the room he had known all his life. The walls were thick, built from rough cobblestone that absorbed the dim light, casting everything in shadow. Andreas squinted into the darkness, his heart still racing, trying to make out details in the near-blackness.

A flicker caught his eye—light.

He turned his head, noticing a set of wooden stairs leading up. The faintest hint of light spilled from the top, spilling into the room in thin, pale streaks. It called to him, the only sign of life in this foreboding space. But the sense of dread that clung to his skin gave him pause.

Andreas swallowed hard, the uncertainty gnawing at him. “Uh... hello?” His voice echoed through the chamber. His eyes darted back to the skeleton, as if expecting an answer from it.

The boy shifted uncomfortably, wrapping his arms around his body for warmth, but the cold crept into his bones. He glanced again at the stairs.

“Is anybody there?” His voice cracked, shaking with hope.

"Momma? Reach? Uh... Chee?" He called out again. He sat frozen in place, his body heavy with fear and exhaustion.

"Uhhh... eye man?" he added, hesitantly, the words almost absurd as they left his mouth. He hoped for something, anything—a response, a sign. But the silence stretched on, the air in the chamber cold against his skin. Andreas' heart sank, and the loneliness crashed down on him, the weight unbearable.

"Someone... please," he whimpered, his voice breaking as tears welled up in his eyes, blurring his vision. "Come get me..."

Just as the first tear fell, a sharp, searing pain exploded behind his eyes.

He cried out in agony, his hands flying to his face as he collapsed to the ground, curling in on himself as the pain shot through him like fire. "It hurts!" he screamed. "Someone help!"

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he writhed, the burning overwhelming his senses. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block it out.

Then, just as suddenly as it had come, the pain left, leaving him gasping for breath, trembling in the aftershock. His chest heaved as he lay still, tears drying on his cheeks.

“It’s... gone...” he whispered, his voice weak, filled with relief. He wiped at his face with shaky hands, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

As he opened his eyes, something strange caught his attention. A faint, golden glow illuminated the ground beneath him. Confused, he blinked, then looked around, searching for the source of the light. The glow flickered in front of him, then behind. His heart raced as he checked the ceiling, but the light now appeared there too, bouncing between the walls and floor, casting long shadows in every direction.

Then, he looked down at his hands, and the answer hit him.

The glow was coming from his eyes.

“Woah…” Andreas muttered as he stared at his hands. The light reflected off his skin, painting it in soft, golden hues. His breath hitched as he tentatively touched his face, feeling the warmth radiating from his eyes.

He patted his cheeks, trying to piece it together. His brown irises were now intertwined with a soft, golden hue, swirling like embers in a fire.

The golden glow from his eyes slowly faded, though the warm, golden hue in his irises remained. His vision returned to normal, leaving the dull chamber dim.

"Aw, I can't see anymore..." he pouted, disappointment crossing his face. He rubbed his eyes one last time, almost hoping the glow would return, but it didn’t.

Andreas pushed himself to his feet, his legs still quaky. Uncertainty gnawed at him, but a strange sense of confidence bloomed. Whatever that voice had been, whatever the deal was, he could feel it now. The eye was watching.

He swallowed hard, his gaze drifting toward the wooden stairs in front of him. Beams of light streamed down from above, casting patterns along the stone floor. Andreas stared at the light, mesmerized. He took a step forward, drawn to the faint glow, his heart pounding in his chest.

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As he reached the bottom of the stairs, a cool breeze kissed his cheek. He shivered slightly, his skin prickling at the touch of fresh air—real air. He blinked up, his eyes widening. The stairs loomed impossibly tall before him, each step feeling like it stretched higher than the last. And at the top, spilling through the tiny cracks of a door, was the source of the light.

It felt like the door to another world.

Andreas stared in awe at the thin rays of light seeping through the cracks. He reached out hesitantly, his small hand twitched as he placed it under one of the beams, his palm bathed in warmth. The sensation sent a shiver through him, his chest tightening with an overwhelming mix of emotions.

The light was... warm.

A slow, wide grin spread across his face, pure wonder overtaking him. He lifted both hands into the beam, basking in the light.

"Alright... time to go find Momma," he murmured, more for comfort than confidence.

He swallowed hard, his gaze fixed on the door. It felt impossibly large, its surface marred by grooves and cracks that spoke of age and wear. Tiny slivers of light that seeped through the crevices seemed to pulse.

Andreas’ legs staggered as he took the first step up the wooden stairs. The air grew colder as he climbed. His heart thudded loudly in his chest, each step feeling heavier.

As he reached the top, his legs wobbled, and he paused just before the door, staring at its rough, uneven surface. His stomach twisted in knots, his throat tightening as doubt crept in.

“What if I can’t do it?” He muttered. The thought gripped him, freezing him in place. His mind flashed back to the men in white masks, their eerie figures, and the terror that had filled the room before everything went black. He thought of his mother’s face, the way she had held him, her voice filled with love and reassurance. He thought of Reach, Chee—everyone who might be waiting on the other side of this door. They were there.

“They need me.”

With a shaky breath, Andreas’ hand wavered against the rough wood of the door. The surface was cold under his touch, the wood groaning under the weight of his palm. The sound was deep and it reverberated through the room with a low hum. He flinched, stepping back slightly, hesitation clawing at him.

But he had to move forward. There was no turning back.

Gritting his teeth, Andreas steeled himself and stepped forward again, leaning into the door to push it open. Just as he did, another gust of cold air brushed against his cheek. He froze, his heart pounding—something was on the other side, waiting.

Curiosity gnawed at him, and without thinking, he pressed his face against one of the larger cracks in the door, squinting through the small sliver of light. He held his breath.

At first, his vision blurred, his eyes adjusting to the brightness. Then, slowly, the world beyond the door came into focus.

Andreas’ breath hitched, his body tensing in awe and disbelief.

Beyond the door wasn’t another room, wasn’t another dark space—it was something entirely new. A vast, endless blanket of white stretched out before him, pristine and untouched. The snow sparkled faintly under the dim light.

It wasn’t the snow from his magic. This wasn’t something he had conjured with his hands. This was real. This stretched out endlessly before him, uninterrupted by walls or barriers. Andreas stood frozen, unable to move as he stared. His heart pounded in his chest, disbelief mixing with awe.

The outside world.

His eyes roamed wildly, trying to absorb every detail. Tall pillars of wood stood proudly in the distance, their long, bare branches draped in silver as the snow clung to them. He realized, slowly, that these were trees—the towering structures he had only ever seen in the pages of books. But here they were, real, stretching toward a sky that seemed impossibly far away.

“Trees…” Andreas whispered, the word slipping from his lips in sheer wonder. The trees were unlike anything he had imagined, their bark rough and weathered, their branches twisting into the air like arms reaching for the heavens.

He could feel the cold creeping in through the cracks, biting at his skin, but it was refreshing. Crisp. The air smelled different here, not like the musty, closed-off space he had grown up in. This air was fresh, with the scent of snow and pine. He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with the invigorating chill.

Above him, the sky was a muted gray, heavy with thick clouds that loomed omin- ously. But even the clouds, threatening as they were, seemed breathtaking. “Clouds…” he murmured, almost reverent. He’d seen drawings of them, but nothing compared to the real thing, casting shadows over the snowy landscape.

Andreas reached out, his fingers brushing against the rough wood of the door as if needing to feel something solid to ground himself. The snow, the trees, the sky—it was all so overwhelming. His chest tightened with a mix of excitement and disbelief, his heart racing.

Andreas’ gaze swept across the snow-covered landscape, his eyes widening as they fell upon a large, rectangular structure made entirely of stone, standing isolated in the distance. It jutted out from the surrounding trees like a monument. Its form was stark, a sharp contrast against the soft, white snow. There was only one entrance, dark and foreboding.

"Momma…" Andreas breathed, a whisper of hope and uncertainty.

Suddenly, the muffled sound of footsteps crunching through the snow reached his ears, startling him. Andreas' heart leapt into his throat as he frantically scanned the area, his wide eyes searching for the source. The steady rhythm of boots on snow grew louder, nearer. He pressed his face back against the door, peering through the cracks.

Through the slits, he spotted them—two men, clad in the same pristine white attire he’d seen before. The glint of their silver gauntlets and leggings cut through the dim light, their cloaks hanging stiffly from their shoulders as they trudged through the snow. Their faces were hidden beneath the eerie white masks.

Panic surged through Andreas like ice water, every nerve in his body screaming for him to hide. His chest tightened, his breath coming in short, ragged bursts.

They're going to find him.

He stumbled backward from the door, his limbs trembling uncontrollably.

He held his breath, listening as the footsteps came closer and closer—until they seemed to hover right outside. Andreas froze, his body rigid, terrified that even the slightest movement or sound would give him away.

Then, just as suddenly as they had appeared, the footsteps began to fade. Slowly, they drifted further away, moving toward the stone structure in the distance. Andreas let out a shaky breath, the terror still coursing through his veins.

Andreas swallowed hard, his heart pounding as he worked up the courage to push open the door. His hand hovered over the wood, faltering, but he forced himself to be brave.

His chest tightening with a mix of fear and determination. His fingertips brushed against the door, just about to press when—

BOOM!