A man sits in a hospital room. His gaze was far off and distant. He sits feeling lost and overwhelmed. Even the fact an entire magic society existed didn't faze him. Maybe when he had time to process everything Nicki would be more...impressed? Shocked? Excited? He didn't know.

If it was just a month ago he would have been ecstatic and wanted to know everything about it. With what had already happened though. He just wanted a little bit of normal. Maybe simply talk to someone about it.

It was late, the doctors had left and the witch had gone. I can’t believe she wore a witch’s hat with scrubs. It was quite odd but rather fit the woman. Now Nicki was alone with a doll and a TV, he didn’t feel like watching, and thoughts he didn’t want to think. So he looked over at the lovely little doll. Her oversized red silk dress, old worn, and just a few stitches out of place, like a well-loved doll should be. It ill fit the Barbie-like doll, as it seemed to float around her shoulder. She was his doll now. His little protector.

“What do you think about all this?”

The doll remained silent staring at the door, unmoving.

“Drystia, are you ok?” His voice grew concerned, at her inaction.

Silence followed, and Nicki's face fell. He kept talking to her begging for her to speak. To move to say something. She was just a simple doll. Sitting there watching, her eyes bright, wide, and unblinking. All the while Nicki began to break.

“Please. Please. I don’t think I can lose you too.” Nicki’s head fell into his hands. Tears threatened to fall, his throat tightening. When a tiny hand rested on his palm, freezing him in place.

He lifted his head looking down at the doll. She hadn't moved, except for her hand, ever so slight. A tiny twist of her shoulder, one so slight, he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination. Except he knew her.

“Thank you Drystia.” He reached out and adjusted her into a better position. “I still don't know what to do.”

He could feel them all. So many Djinn, a sword, and by a strange happenstance, a goose. All of them wandering around his office. The one he was shot in. A boiling rage shot through him at the memory. How could they just do that? They didn’t even try to talk to him. Went straight for murder. He was working himself into a rage when he felt another tiny pat. He immediately deflated, realizing he was just scared and a bit terrified of going back. It was this that he was truly terrified of. Before he could over-think he shouted.

“Fuck it!” Grabbed Drystia and stood from his bed. His heart raced out of his chest at what he was about to do. “I'll just wing it.”

With determination, fear, and just needing to do something, Nicki walked to the hospital room door and flung it open. Instead of a startled nurse, doctor, or even the trappings of a medical facility. What greeted him was his office, with a desk overflowing with files, and the room that was a complete mess, with an old sign faded and a bit yellow hanging up just behind his desk asking people to stop screaming.

Nicki’s eyes fell on the pile, and he felt the familiar exhaustion of an overworked office drone. “Looks like I got some reading to do.”

The man stepped through, closing the door.

#

What could possibly be so urgent? Viscount Rolish thought. He was just in the middle of sending out orders to his troupes. They were at the fulcrum point of the war. If he could convince them the enemy was planning to attack from the east. Then he would be free to open up the western flank for the real attack. He had been preparing this move for years. When a few of the spies had started closing in, he had them disappear, right up those wondrous steps.

Those things had helped him out of quite a few pickles over the years. Especially that special inspector, and the royal knights with him a few years back. He had convinced them that a traitor was hiding out in the woods. Using the strange mansion as a base. Even saying they had spread a rumor about the place being haunted to keep people away. That was one of his researcher’s ideas, and he was shocked at how well it worked. Needless to say with the seeds already planted long before he arrived, the inspector set out, after a long investigation, that Viscount Rolish “Helped” with.

Everything fell into perfect place. The inspector even sent out a missive about chasing down the suspect. How lucky the Viscount had been that one of the men he had already sent up the stairs was under suspicion from the crown. The perfect scapegoat.

Rolish even received a recommendation from the special inspector for all his help. That tiny piece of paper had been instrumental in his work. Soon he would be Duke Rolish.

He was just about to send his recommendation to the generals when one of his men came in panicked. Raving about a pink devil at the stairs. He had nearly had him flogged for daring to speak to him, especially with such mad ravings. Then another of his men stationed at the steps came in shaking with the same story. Then he had them both flogged for cowardice when he learned neither had even attempted to speak with it.

He needed to salvage the situation. Maybe he could make a deal with the entity. If he could, forget Duke. King might be possible.

A pink man sits atop a set of stairs a closed door behind him. All around was the faux mansion he had built around the stairs. That was one of his more brilliant Ideas to make them look like they fit. The entire first floor was a fully functional house. The upstairs was just made to look like there was something there. He had even offered one of his cousins a stay at the house. He had taken him up on the offer and within an hour he and his entourage were gone. He hated his cousin.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

The man sitting at the top of the stairs was whistling a tune. To say that Viscount Rolish was underwhelmed, especially after his men’s reactions would have been an understatement. Other than the odd skin color, and lack of horns he looked like any other scribe. His hands even had the ink-stains.

The Viscount smiled as his men slowly filled the hall, hidden behind the curtains there for purposes just like this. He had long planned what he might do, and this appeared to be the best-case scenario.

Looking up as much humility, which he did not have much of, lowered his head ever so slightly. “How may we help the esteemed human.” He recognized the creature from the previous briefings on what could own the door.

The whistling stopped as the man snorted, eying the Viscount up and down. “Esteemed human huh?” He said with an eyebrow raised.

Rolish didn’t miss the small sneer he quickly hid. “I'm sorry”

“You should be! So many people were taken. And for what?” He cut Rolish off. The Viscount nearly commanded his men to shoot this arrogant creature. Instead, he calmly answered.

“It was necessary.”

“A higher position? More power?”

Rolish could feel the man’s stare pushing down on him like a physical force. He was about to answer when he was cut off again.

“No. I actually don't care. I've heard the story a thousand times before. And I just don't care. You see the thing Viscount Ester Dillian Rolish.”

The viscount felt a dread he heard his full name.

“It was a kindness. See these stairs aren't mine. I was simply guiding the people to me instead. And now. The ones on the other side are angry. I can feel it. So many people scuffing up the glorious stairwell.”

“Don't you hate it when someone brings dirt on your stairs?” The human said in a commiserating tone.

Rolish was starting to realize he may have made a mistake. “Surely, you can make the stairs disappear.”

The human laughed, “Nope. You could have though. All you had to do was walk away. And poof they'd be gone. But NO! YOU ALL STAYED!! AND SENT THEM TO WHAT YOU THOUGHT WERE THEIR DEATHS!” He shouted seeming to lose composure as an unbearable pressure drove Rolish to his knees. “I'm going to give you one final act of kindness before I close the door.” The Human said as he walked to the closed door behind him.

He pulled it open to reveal a strange simple office. Nothing like the infinite blackness, or unknowable things his scribes had, ensure he would be beyond the steps. He would have to correct them for this inconsistency. But right now he was focused on the Human as he said one final word before walking through the door.

“Run.”

The door closed fading into intangibility. It was only a second of confusion, one precious second. That they should have used to listen. After two, an intangible sense of terror gripped the Viscount's heart and all those near the steps. As something took a step out from the second floor onto the stairs. Something indescribable and both there and not. An entity staring angrily into their souls.

Everyone ran full panic set in. There was no time to remember rank. No time for protocol as they piled against the door out. Finding it locked. One of the men had run in that precious second. He had taken flight and still had the presence of mind to lock the door on the way out. He had never liked the Viscount.

Maybe if those left were thinking.

Maybe if they even could. Someone might have had the presence of mind to smash through one of the glass windows.

Maybe it would have been enough for them to escape and write it off as a terrible dream.

Maybe continue with the betrayal of the country.

Maybe.

So many maybes. If only they walked away and maybe they would have survived

#

Somewhere just outside the infinite void, between one moment and the next and due to a frankly absurd series of events, a place just out of reach of a rather determined cat. Here throughout an office building, and the entire moon it was built a man’s voice resonates. Starting with a Click.

“Attention Djinni people.” The voice started simple, calm, and collected. The Djinni people on the other hand slowly began to panic. In their years of living there, this had never happened, and could only think of one being that could do this.

“My name is Nicholas Knight. I am the human you SHOT and left for dead.” There was a long breath. “I spent a long time trying to figure out what to do. Actually, I didn't I'm completely winging this. I am angry and raw and completely pissed off!”

The Djinni were scrambling trying to figure out what to do or even find the human. Those who checked the office that they first appeared in found it locked.

“Now. You might be wondering why I'm angry after all you only TRIED TO KILL ME!” There was a long pause before he spoke again. “I seem to not be handling this as well as I thought I would.”

His voice turned tired, “You know. I really do understand how you misunderstood what I was or what was going on. You all were scared. And I even could sympathize with many of you, through no fault of your own got, sent here.

“Then you tired and nearly KILLED ME!” Finished with a shout, before clearing his throat and pulling back. “Sorry sorry. Now. Some good news.” He paused for dramatic effect.

“I cut off the open portal to your world. No more Djinni simply appearing in my office after climbing those stairs.”

His voice went high as he mockingly said, “Yay!”

“I'm sure you all are excited. After all two-thousand seven-hundred and seventy-two of you walked up those stairs.” There was a clapping sound ringing through the world.

‘To those of you still loyal to the Viscount. The creature who actually owned the stairs will probably have words with him. Or might just take his spine.”

“Yay!” He mocked.

“Finally, none of you will be able to go back. It's just not how things work. When you stepped through the stairs you cut all connections with your home plane. It’s a bit technical, but simply put you can’t go back. So I’ll be sending you somewhere else.”

“I’m still a bit miffed about the attempt to kill me. Hey! I didn’t yell. Progress. Anyway. Here is both a gift and a punishment.”

There was a long pause as every Djinn held their breath. “One year.”

“One day for every soul I had to watch tare holes in the fabric of their world. One day for every Hero’s potential stunted. One day for everyone I couldn't help because of you.” His voice was cold and hard.

“You have one more year here and use whatever facility you want. Learn in the library. Practice magic. Get strong. Hell open a portal yourself and get out now. I don't care.”

His tone was now soft “After one year has passed your turn as Heroes will begin. You’ve already been here for so long. Now you know you have a year to prepare. See you soon.”

The speakers went quiet, and a man broke down. Nicki barely held himself together through the entire announcement. He wanted to hurt them. He wanted them gone. He wanted so much, but after reading their files he just couldn’t bring himself to simply toss them somewhere without help. He didn’t realize how angry he was until he dealt with that Viscount.

So he would only give them time. It would be up to them to do anything. It was cruel and kind at the same time.

Nicki couldn't stand to look at the place right now. He just wanted to go home. He stood and walked towards his office door opening to his bedroom at home.

"Nicholas dinner's ready."

“Coming ma.”