“What the hell is going on here?” I ask. I send out a pulse of my void energy, and the small room shrinks further.

“Stop that, Mikael!” Mom says sternly.

“You keep that up and we might have an Alice situation here,” Eph says.

I look at him confused. “A violent intruder?” I ask.

“What? No, like ‘In Wonderland.’ We might become too big to leave this room if it shrinks too much.”

All three of them look at me like I’m an idiot, and they might be right. In my defense, the most recent ‘Alice’ I’ve had to deal with is the training for violent intruders at the bookstore I used to work at. I’ve read the classics, but I wasn’t expecting something like this.

“Oh. Y–Yeah. That… That makes more sense,” I say, scratching my head.

“Let’s just try the doors,” Eph says and takes point. There are four doors to choose from. The one Eph and I walked in through, the ones Mom and Vithar came through, and the fourth on the far side of the room. Eph opens the door none of us came through. There’s a weird shimmer to the opening.

“Careful,” Vithar says. “These are the guildhouse’s defenses. We could end up anywhere.”

“What if we go back through the doors we came in?” Mom asks.

“I dunno,” Vithar responds. “They don’t usually let you back out though. If you’ve broken into the guildhouse, you don’t get to make it back out until they say you can leave.”

A nervous shiver crawls up and down my spine. “What’s the plan then? How do we subvert these defenses?” I ask.

“We don’t. Or, can’t, rather. These are additional spells woven into the foundations of the entire building. There’s even more within the extradimensional spaces. We are essentially in a maze where there could be unlimited illusions and very real danger. I had assumed none of this was in play since the attacks came from within,” Vithar says with a shrug. “I think Reggie did too, or he would’ve said something. Right, Reg?” He tilts his head to the side as if listening for something. “Reggie?”

“Or he assumed you forgot, and his job was to keep you here,” I say. The silence that follows is deafening as everyone’s eyes meet and shift to one another.

“No,” Vithar finally says. “No, it has to be the interference of being in this place–that’s the reason we can’t hear him. We would’ve made it here anyway, even without him coming to us. Perhaps they let him go to see if you or I would be enticed by the dirge crystal or something, but I can’t see him willingly defecting.”

“Well, he does hate demons. Perhaps I’m jumping the gun,” I say, but I still have my suspicions.

Eph grunts. “I’m goin'.” Without another word or time for protest, he moves through the doorway. The image in the doorway remains unchanged–a long hallway lined with doors–but as soon as Eph passes through, I can no longer see him.

“What happened? Where did he go?” Mom asks.

Vithar throws his hands out. “I just said we could end up anywhere.”

“Well we can’t just stay here,” I say

We all eye the doorway.

“Should we try holding hands?” Mom asks.

“I dunno,” Vithar says with a shrug. “Could work.”

Mom grabs my hand then links with Vithar. I shut my eyes, take a deep breath, and hold it while I step through. The rush of energy that washes over me feels the same as when I step through one of Eph’s portals. I peek open my left eye for a quick look. The hallway I’m in now looks just like the one we saw when looking in.

I glance back. “Well, I don’t see–Agh!” I felt a hand still cradled in my own, but the figure holding it is not my mom. I scream and recoil, ripping my hand away from the creature holding it. Its yellow eyes widen and its maw opens, displaying needle-like teeth. They spread their clawed hands out and their wrinkled green skin sways, sagging off their arms. I back away from it to get some space for what could be a fight. As I back up, however, I fall into an open doorway. My head thuds into the ground and stars litter my vision–and I mean that in the literal sense. As I sit up, little stars swirl around my head in an almost cartoonish fashion. They leave trails of stardust in the wake of their orbit. I swat them away and continue to stand fully upright. My head hits the low ceiling when I’m almost at my full height, and the word “BONK!” in huge block letters falls past my face, shattering on the ground at my feet.

What kind of place is this?

I scan the room and see another door at the other end. STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! spreads across the floor with each step I take. When I let out an exasperated sigh, the word “huff” puffs out. I growl in frustration at the visible commentary of my every move and the word “growl” in lowercase letters spreads out from my mouth. Continuing forward proves difficult. The door seemed far away, but now I notice that it is just very small. My shoulders start to push against the walls and the word, ‘squeeeeeeeeze’, follows me. I want to destroy this room, but with the previous room I was stuck in getting smaller when I used my void, I’m afraid to use it here. I have to turn sideways to make it through and start to get claustrophobic, but I push through. Squished as I am, I reach the door and open it, squeezing through the slim opening. I check my surroundings and notice I’m back in the hallway–sans monster. That’s a blessing at least. Whoever made that room, needs psychiatric help. Now, it’s time to try another door.

There are seven to choose from in this hall. I study each of the doors in turn, hoping to find some way of knowing what’s inside. The effort is fruitless, however, so I choose one at random, and open the door into an intense blaze. It seems unnecessary to go into a room like this, so I move to close the door. I pause at the sound of a muffled voice calling from within, shouting for help. I swing the door back open and look inside again. There’s a small figure huddled into one corner of the room.

Damn. Anything could be in there, but I can’t take the chance that it isn’t someone who actually needs help. I test the fire with a hand first and feel nothing, so I step inside. The dancing flames creep up, licking around my legs. Fortunately, they don’t find anything flammable. I move slowly through the room and glance around. My demonic side may keep me from the immediate risk of burning, but fire isn’t the only danger here. The ceiling isn’t visible. It is filling with smoke that is getting closer and closer to the floor. If I don’t get this person out of here, we’ll both die of asphyxiation. My foot catches on something hidden by the flames, causing me to stumble. I bend down and pat the ground looking for what I hit, and my hand closes around another hand. The charred skin and meat clinging to the hand slides off in chunks and I drop it immediately.

I’m sorry for whoever this is. I also feel bad thinking this, but please don’t let this be someone I came here with.

There is nothing I can do for this person, so I continue toward the figure in the corner. The flames are moving, closing in on them. I move through the last stretch of flames and reach them. This could be another illusion. A way to draw me into the room and trap me. That could be what happened to this unfortunate duo.

“Hello?” I call out, not really sure how to approach. The fabric covering their head flinches at the sound of my voice. The cloak they wear is pulled over their face and wrapped around their body. Their head turns up and I can see the broken remains of a white mask. The dark skin underneath is soot covered and tear stained, but still unburnt.

“Are you really here?” they ask, and I wonder how much they've been through in these halls to feel like they can't trust their own eyes. The voice is feminine but slightly raspy. The hoarseness is most likely a combination of crying, yelling for help, and the fire–but I’ve heard it before.

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“Yes, I’m here. I’m gonna get you out of here, okay?” I ask in the best reassuring tone I can muster. “Will you come with me?” She nods. I offer my hand and she takes it, standing up. This is definitely her. The woman is taller than me by an inch or two, but I’ve got her beat in mass. She was one of the wizards that came to help a family in need that Rhal had taken hostage. They manhandled me out the door when I was trying to tell them what happened, and she basically told me to go to hell. I don’t take any enjoyment in what is happening to these wizards, but it is nice to show them that I am genuinely trying to help. Perhaps, if they have any remorse, it will help with future relations. “Was there someone in here with you?”

“Yes,” she says, and her eyes well up. I want to ask how they got in here, but it can wait.

“I’m sorry,” I say. I glance in the direction of where I tripped over the body and spot another door that is partially wreathed in flames.

“How do we get out?” she asks, probably trying not to think about it.

“I’m fireproof. I can lift you over my head and get to the door, but you’re gonna be exposed to some smoke. You might want to hold your breath.”

“Okay.”

I bend down and have her sit on my shoulder, then stand. Moving quickly through the fire, it still licks at my legs, but doesn’t catch. I reach the door and throw it open. Bringing her down, I hold her close and push through the doorway. The cool air hits me after the shift of dimensional magic ends. She is still in my arms as we gain the hallway. I let go of her, and she collapses to the floor gasping lungfuls of good air.

“Thank you,” she says quietly.

“Do you know how to get out of here?” I ask.

“Of course,” she says. “But what’s supposed to work isn’t.”

“Hm. Well, how did you get trapped?”

She sighs and takes another big lungful of fresh air. “We were training students. The attack came while we were inside a rift behind the guild house. We waited for an opportunity then ambushed those guarding the outside. Once the outside was secure, we came in after they entered the building.” That matches what the wizard outside stated. She pauses and puts a hand to her dry, cracked lips and I wish I had some water to give her. She licks her lips and winces, then continues. “The plan was to perform another surprise attack on them from behind, but we got split up once we passed the doorway. Wizard Reznik found me after my first room. He and I both wandered, exploring rooms and looking for others. None of them seemed too dangerous–until we got trapped in there,” she says, gesturing to the door we just came from. “The door locked behind us. The instant we tried to unlock it magically, fire filled half of the room. He forced me out of the blaze then tried to run,” her voice breaks off.

She takes a moment to compose herself then continues. “He didn’t make it. He collapsed and screamed while he burned. I tried to use water spells to stop the fire, but the more I used, the faster it spread.” That makes sense. It appears their defenses don’t like being stopped. That’s probably why my void was making the room shrink. “These,” she says and tugs the chain of a charm necklace from under her shirt. It looks a little like the one I wear that allows me to enter Eph’s shop without the wards hamstringing my abilities. “These were supposed to allow us to pass the defenses unhindered. I don’t know why they aren’t working.”

“My group tried to dismiss the spells when we came in. The room just kept shrinking,” I say.

“That wouldn’t be smart. Some of these rooms aren’t real–they’re extra-dimensional fabrications. If you had dispelled the magic while you were in a fabricated room, you’d have been shunted into oblivion.”

I swallow hard. That very well could’ve happened if I’d tried hard to have my void ability break the room.

“Do you know which rooms are real?”

“I don’t. The defenses aren’t supposed to be used against us. That was the whole point of these necklaces,” she says, pulling the chain up again.

We sit in silence for a moment while I mull over her words. I can’t use my void to eat the magic unless I know we’re in a real room.

“Mike?” I hear from above me. I jump at the sound and slowly look up. Vithar stands above me on the ceiling. Well, I say ‘on’ but I really mean ‘in.’ There are a few different hallways above me that look like they’re painted. All of them lead in different directions. It’s like we’re caught in some illusionists M.C. Escher piece wet dream. There are a total of thirteen visible hallways spread across the ceiling. He stares down at me, or I guess up for him, wearing a perplexed expression. Two robed figures that I haven’t seen before stand at his side.

“Dude, what the hell?” I say, confused.

Mom and Eph walk in through another door holding hands, guiding three other people with them. A heavy weight lifts from within me seeing everyone safe. Well, safe-ish, we’re still here after all.

“Mikael, I’m so glad you’re okay,” Mom says, relief plain in her expression.

“You too. Anyone know which room is real in these spaces?” I ask, and Eph speaks up.

“I think this hallway is pretty much the only room that has been real that I’ve been to.”

“Is that your educated guess as a dimensional magic caster?” I ask.

“Sure,” Eph says with a grunt.

“I like that confidence,” I say flatly.

“I think he’s right, Mike,” Vithar says. “This is our starting point every time.”

“How many rooms have you all been in?” I ask.

Everyone’s eyes unfocus and move around like they’re counting in their heads.

“Four for me,” says Vithar.

“Seven for me. I found your ma in the fifth,” Eph responds.

“That was my second room,” Mom says.

I scan the six extras we’ve picked up. The melee wizard outside said there were just over a dozen people that came in. Now there are only half a dozen that we’ve found. I know one of those missing wizards burned to death in the room I just left. “Does anyone know where the rest of the team that came in is?” I ask. I don’t get an answer, just a lot of side glances.

“We found two others,” Mom says after the pause.

“Alright. I can try to dispel the magic here in the hallway. Hopefully, that would bring us all into the same space and stop the endless hallways schtick. One thing though–I don’t know what that would do to anyone who is still alive in a room.” I pause for any objections. Eph nods, Mom gives a sad smile, and Vithar licks his lips and glances away. The six rescued wizards avert their gaze in turn.

“We’re with you, Mike. Let’s do this,” Vithar says.

“Okay, here goes. I would suggest that we all stand in different spots and make peace with whatever it is you believe, just in case.”

We take a moment to orient ourselves so that no one is occupying the same space if we merge. My void spreads easily, seeming eager to consume some additional magical energy. As it expands, the walls start to vibrate and the door handles rattle. I pause at the sound at first, thinking someone is attempting to come through a doorway. After nothing comes through, I expel more of the void. The empty hallways in the mosaic above start combining one by one. The process is slow at first, but picks up as the void spreads through the dimensions. The next spaces to be combined are the empty hall with Mom and Eph. I nervously watch as it attaches, then assimilates the empty space. The five people in their hallway look around after the process settles, then glance up at their ceiling.

Next comes mine with theirs.

The process starts and the door-lined wall to my left fades. The hall containing the others slides into its place. They are all slid into my space and remain in the middle. Finally comes Vithar’s. The wall to our right now fades, and our room moves into the space his group occupies. All of the doors disappear, except for one at each far end of the hall. The ceiling now displays a mirrored surface with all of us glancing up at reflections. I pulse the void once more before letting it rest. I want to make sure that there are no rune surprises with these wizards. I don’t feel anything consumed by the energy.

“I can’t believe that worked,” Vithar says.

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” I say. “We have to choose a door and hope we’re out of this completely.” I glance around at the gathered wizards, but they seem to be no help.

“It’s that one,” Eph says, pointing to the door behind me.

“Are you sure?” I ask.

“Yep, I can feel somethin’ on the other side.”

“Something like?”

“I don’t really know what it is, I just know it’s there.”

“Is that the way back out then?” I ask, pointing to the other end of the hall.

“Stands to reason,” he replies.

I nod and turn to the other wizards. “Anyone who wants to come can follow us. If you want to leave and guard the outside, go that way. You all have been through it–no one will blame you. Whichever you choose.”

One of the wizards, a young looking blonde kid, bolts down the hallway and through the door. Three of the others wear an ashamed expression as they study the floor.

“It’s okay,” Mom says. “You’d just get in our way.”

“Mom,” I say in a chastising tone. She shrugs. The unsure group walks out.

“Wizard Williams and I will stay,” the woman I rescued says. A stout dark-skinned woman next to her nods in agreement.

“Thank you, Wizard McAlear,” Vithar says to her. She glances at him sidelong but doesn’t respond.

“Alright, here we go,” I say, and we open the door.

I scan the area, and it’s not what I expected. There aren't any bodies or anyone currently in a magical clash. Everything looks pristine. The only thing that seems amiss is that I smell blood.

“Somethin' ain't right here,” Eph says, mirroring my own thoughts.

I send out a strong pulse of my void aura, and my vision starts to fail and glitch, like my eyes have buffering or wi-fi issues. When the illusion finally fails, I wish I hadn't gotten rid of it.