Strange.

This book didn't have anything written in its pages. There were words, of course, but when he tried to read them, they blurred and squiggled until the ink faded away into blank nothingness. Frowning, he turned the page, but it was much the same on the other page. He skimmed through the dusty tome, through thousands upon thousands of pages, each seemingly appearing from nothing.

All blank. Strange.

Shutting the cover, he leaned back in the leather armchair and wondered just why he was only concerning himself with this now. After all, he had been reading these books for all of his life. An eternity in this cosy little study, with nothing to accompany him but the endless books and-

He glanced over at the nest of ripped paper and torn pages over by the blazing fireplace. Oh. It was gone.

Strange.

Setting the book aside, he eased himself out of the chair, feeling his bare feet touch down upon a fine hardwood floor. Dusting off his featureless robes, he stepped over to the fire and warmed his hands, his frown only deepening as he stared into the flames. This fire... it was always burning so warmly, and yet not once had he ever had to feed it. In fact, there wasn't a wood pile or coal bunker anywhere in the study.

Strange.

Rubbing his eyes, he paced from one wood-paneled wall to the next, silently contemplating.

Strange, strange, strange.

Slowly, as though drawn from the flames themselves, a question formed upon his lips.

"... Where am I...?"

He thought harder, furrowing his brow in an effort to find the words.

"... Who am I...?"

Something soft brushed against his legs, startling him something fierce. Eyes wide, he looked down to find a cat brushing against his ankles. Its fur was as black as pitch, and as he stared, it looked up with bright green eyes. They were captivating; almost unnatural. A small smile played across his lips as he hunkered down to tickle the cat's chin.

"There you are," he murmured, petting its head for good measure.

He was worried it had disappeared on him; this cat was the only other living thing around.

His smile faded as he pondered that fact. Why was that, exactly?

As if to answer his question, the cat suddenly sprang away, padding over to the door at the other end of the study. Puzzled, he approached it, tentatively placing his hand upon the solid wood as he moved it down to the handle. It was unlocked. And yet he never opened it.

Why...?

The cat scratched at it, spurring him to open it and step out into a dimly lit hallway. Wood panels lined the walls, as well as ornate picture frames, though most of them were blank for some reason. There were more books out here, piled upon the furniture and lining the skirting board, and as he approached the far set of double doors, he noticed torn book pages underfoot. The cat continued on unharried, sitting expectantly at the door as it stared, waiting for him to open it.

"Hm?"

There was something written upon them. A word, messily written in faded red paint.

RESOLVE

"What...?"

He stood there for a moment, snapped out of his confused reverie only when the cat began to scratch at the wood. Shaking his head, he pushed the doors open.

Beyond was a grand entrance hall, filled with yet more books and ripped pages. The cat ran on ahead, leaving him to stagger out into the atrium, taking in his surroundings. Warm sunlight shone through the windows, illuminating the dust motes hanging in the air, while all around him were doors leading to different parts of the building. Two staircases coiled their way upwards to a gallery on the second floor, but before he could even consider exploring, the cat began to scratch once more, pawing desperately at the front doors.

"Sorry, sorry..."

Quickening his pace, he jogged over and shunted the doors open with some difficulty. They were in perfect condition, and yet they struggled to swing open by themselves.

Outside, he and the cat both found themselves standing in a garden, filled to bursting with brilliant red roses. A wrought-iron fence surrounded it, and when he waded through the flowers to investigate, he saw that it was the only thing protecting him from a sheer drop down a steep mountainside. A sea of clouds stretched on for as far as he could see, while high above the sky was black and starless, though sunlight still shone from above.

Bewildered, he reached down to touch one of the roses. They were soft.

"Is this what you wanted to show me?" he asked the cat, plucking one of the flowers.

"Not exactly."

He froze, his eyes widening as the rose fell from his grasp. Slowly, he turned to face the cat, who was calmly sitting on the steps to the grand building before him. It swished its tail back and forth calmly, eyes glinting in the light.

"Did... Did you just talk...?" he breathed.

"That I did," the cat replied, licking its paws.

"... Could you always talk...?"

"Of course."

"Why haven't you spoken before?"

"You didn't exactly offer up much in the way of good conversation."

Blinking a few times, he turned around and leaned against the iron fence, feeling light-headed all of a sudden.

"A talking cat..." he breathed, wiping his brow.

"Cat? What cat?"

"You! You're a-!"

He turned back around, only to be faced with something altogether different to what he was expecting.

A figure stood right where the cat had been, casually leaning against a sleek black cane. He was finely dressed from head to toe; a suit checked in black and gold, coupled with a cloak upon his shoulders that flowed despite the lack of wind. His hands were gloved, and as he looked up, he found that the man's face was concealed by a mask, which was hidden beneath the shadow of a top hat.

"It's poor form to mistake another's form, you know," the newcomer said, speaking in the exact same voice as the cat.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

He raised his head, revealing the mask in its entirety. Two brilliant emeralds were set into the eyeholes, but that was all he could make out. Every time he blinked, the mask seemed to shift and change, swapping facial expressions, features and even entire designs every time he took his gaze off it.

"Wh- What...?" he murmured, stepping away from the stranger.

"I suppose introductions make the best icebreakers, though it seems a little redundant, don't you think? After all, we've known each other for quite some time now."

"Who are you?"

"Who are you, hm? Best ask your own name before you ask mine, no?"

He tried to offer a rebuttal, but the finely-dressed stranger made an excellent point. What was his name?

"I'm... um..."

"Yes...?"

"I don't..."

"No shame in admitting it."

He stared down at the roses swaying underfoot.

"I- I don't know..."

The mask briefly formed a smile.

"There we go. Don't you feel better?" the newcomer asked.

"Who are you?!"

Shifting his cane from one hand to the other, he adjusted his hat and sighed.

"Well, lucky for you I possess the answers to both of our questions. Now, which should we answer first?"

"You!"

The masked man laughed. HIs voice was eerily implacable.

"Ever the selfless gentleman, letting me go first. Very well. My name is Omnihil; pleasure to meet you. Again."

He extended a hand. For a moment he just started at it, worried that he was being tricked or misled. But then again, why was he worrying about that? He had nothing. He knew nothing.

At the very least he could be polite.

The two shook hands. His grip was firm, yet fluid.

"Now you go," Omnihil said, withdrawing his hand.

"But I don't know-"

"Confidence is key. Just begin, and I'll fill in the blanks."

He swallowed hard, feeling a little put out.

"... Right. Um. My name is-"

"Cobalt Trayer," Omnihil interrupted, leaning against his cane.

A dull spark of recognition ignited in his head. Yeah. That felt... fitting.

"... My name is Cobalt Trayer. Good to, um... good to meet you, I suppose."

The two stared at one another for a moment, before Omnihil cleared his throat.

"I must say it's very refreshing to finally speak with you face to face. No shame to our feline companions, but their form can be quite limiting," he said, strolling through the rose garden.

Cobalt stared at the otherworldly dandy, completely and utterly confused.

"You... I... I'm sorry, do we know each other?" he asked, following him with his eyes.

Omnihil cocked his head, causing his hat to jaunt from one side of his head to the other. Long, white hair bristled from beneath it.

"Hm, quite the question. Let's just say I'm a friend of the family and leave it at that. Wouldn't wish to overwhelm you, given the circumstances," he answered, swishing the flowers with his cane.

"Circumstances...?"

"Well, for all intents and purposes, you should be dying."

"WHAT?!"

"I know, it's appalling. All this time spent fighting for your life, and suddenly your heart decides it suddenly can't take the strain and just ruptures. Like a balloon full of blood."

"I'M GOING TO DIE?!"

Omnihil shook his head.

"Ah-ah. You're should be dying. As in you're supposed to die. But you won't."

Cobalt staggered back against the fence, holding his head in his hands as he processed that information.

"I- I... I don't... How do you know this?" he asked in a terrified voice.

"I know because I made sure of it."

"Who... Who are you?"

"Omnihil. I told you this."

"But-"

"Keep up."

The information was there, lodged in his mind, but he couldn't process it. He just stood there, his jaw hanging open. Circling the garden, Omnihil returned to Cobalt's side, his mask smiling pleasantly as he offered his hand once more.

"Tell me, Cobalt; what do you see?" he asked, his emeralds glinting.

"A garden. Fence, clouds. That building. What are you getting at?"

"It's nice, isn't it?"

"I mean... I like it."

"Mm, you do, don't you?"

He reached further, urging Cobalt to take his hand. Confused and a little freaked out, he pressed his back up against the wrought iron fence and shakily took Omnihil's hand.

His silken fingers locked tight around his wrist.

"You're being lied to, my friend."

The fence began to rust at an incredible rate, crumbling away before Cobalt could stop himself. He stumbled back, almost falling off the edge of the mountain were it not for Omnihil's tight grip. The clouds roiled and twisted, and as Cobalt's heart started to hammer, everything began to shake.

"You're trapped in a fantasy, and a poorly-made one at that. It's time for the wool to fall from your eyes," he said, his voice as smooth as silk.

"Wh- What are you doing?! Don't let go!" Cobalt screamed, reaching forward to grab on to the sleeve of Omnihil's coat.

But as he tried to reach forward, something clinked around his wrist, something that wasn't there before. Looking at his arm, he was alarmed to find a heavy metal shackle biting into his flesh, linked to a chain that extended all the way behind him.

"There you go. Memories are tricky things; give it a moment."

Another chain latched to his arm as shackles appeared on his ankles. He felt something beginning to pull him back into the abyss, nearly ripping his arm right out of socket.

"Please! I- I don't wanna fall!" Cobalt cried, feeling his feet dig into the dirt as he chains dragged him back.

Something latched around his neck, turning his blood to ice.

"Cobalt. Do you trust me?" Omnihil asked in a calm, smooth voice.

"I barely know you!"

"Hm. I suppose that's good enough."

He let go.

The chains all snapped taught, dragging Cobalt off the edge of the mountaintop and down into the clouds, screaming all the way. The clouds soaked him to the bone as he plummeted, blinding him and nearly drowning him in the brume. His vision went completely white as he hurtled into the abyss, the cold numbing everything but the iron biting into his flesh. Terrified to his core, all he could do was shut his eyes tight and await impact.

He waited for almost five full minutes. The impact never came.

"... What...?"

He opened his eyes, only to find himself somewhere completely different. Somewhere dark. Somewhere cold.

His vision was strange and warped, but he could see that he was in some sort of prison cell, built from rough stone. The walls and floor were covered in tally marks, and a huge hole had been smashed through the ceiling, presumably the source of the loose bricks scattered around the chamber. A barred door led outside, but there was no doubt that it was locked, and it was too bright to see what lay beyond.

Blinking slowly, he looked down to find that his robes were gone, replaced instead with rough, stained jumpsuit. The white fabric had faded with age, and emblazoned upon his lapel was the numbers 0002. Chains linked his shackles to thick iron rings mounted to the walls, but they were extremely old and rusted.

"... Wh- What the Hell...?"

Staggering to his feet, he gripped one of the chains and pulled it tight, hoping to pull the rings out. Surprisingly, the entire thing just rusted and broke into pieces. One by one, the chain links snapped and popped, leaving Cobalt unfettered and free to leave. Eyes wide, he pulled at the shackles on his wrists and tugged the collar around his neck, but they were stuck fast.

Though he was scared and confused, he swallowed his fear and stumbled towards the door; the thick bars of a cell. A heavy lock held it shut, but as he approached, the shadow of a man passed in front of the light streaming through the door.

"Omnihil...?"

A hand reached through the bars. The sleeve of a fine coat, gloves of the purest silk.

"The planes of one's mind are rarely walked by their owners. Your kind are especially loath to leave their safe havens. You've a lot to catch up on."

"I- I don't understand..." Cobalt breathed, squinting at the silhouette beyond the bars.

All he could see were the shining emeralds, bright enough to blind him.

"But before all that, you and I have much to do. We must throw the course of time to the wind and really stir things up. So, Cobalt Trayer; are you ready to rejoin the land of the living?" Omnihil asked.

Swallowing hard, he reached for his hand for the third time.

As soon as flesh connected with silk, everything disappeared. The chill of the cell muted to nothing. The bite of his bindings faded away. The feeling of his hand in Omnihil's. The ringing in his ears. The blurring of his eyes.

Everything went dark.

Everything went numb.

Everything went silent.

Save for a quiet, steady beeping.