"Is all of this really necessary?"

The Doctor asked as she folded her arms. In front of her was a tall man adorned with wrist and ankle shackles, and a complimentary chain securing them to his waist. His rugged face broke into a smile as he turned to the group of guards that stood around him.

"I don't think so..."

His voice was calm and tinged with a hint of playfulness as he made light of the situation, but alas, the guards didn't share his sense of humour. One of them really drove that sentiment home by attempting to shove him forward, but Ralph didn't so much as budge. He instead turned towards the Doctor with an exasperated expression on his face.

"Hopefully you're better company..."

The Doctor gave the guards a withering look before opening the door behind her and leading the way into the infirmary. As Ralph shuffled forward with small steps, he felt the cool touch of a baton resting against his neck. He didn't even need to turn around to see which one was holding it. It was always the same insecure little man. The very one that had just attempted to shove him forward.

"Don't forget why you're here, convict. You go in, say your goodbyes, and then it's back to confinement."

Ralph turned his head with a sickeningly sweet smile, his eyes devoid of any mirth as they glanced down at the baton and then back at the officer. For the briefest moment, Ralph dropped his carefree attitude and focused every part of his murderous aura at the officer.

"I don't forget things... Officer Daly."

All colour left the guard's face as he snatched his baton away and took a step backward. His face was flustered as he waved at the other guards to usher Ralph into the infirmary, but none of them made any move to rush the inmate. Ralph continued to stare at Officer Daly for another couple of moments before making his way into the infirmary. Outside in the hallway, the other officers glared at Daly. If there was ever an inmate to avoid pissing off, it was Ralph. Before any of them could take a step to follow the prisoner, the Doctor reappeared at the doorway.

"Thank you, but the infirmary has its own security detail. We'll take it from here and have him returned to you in no time."

As if finding his voice, Officer Daly whirled around in immediate protest.

"No. We're coming in with him."

The Doctor cocked an eyebrow as she folded her arms once more, glancing at the other officers to see if they were of the same mind. Most of the faces were resolute, which only caused her to laugh.

"This is the prison infirmary... where we treat inmates with grievous injuries. Some of our patients received beatings within an inch of their life, by men in uniforms, just like that."

She pressed a finger against Officer Daly’s chest.

"So, to avoid antagonising them, I think I'm going to have my security detail take it from here. If you've a problem with that you can take it up with the Warden."

With that said, the Doctor stepped back into the infirmary and gestured at one of her orderlies. A large man in a white uniform appeared at the entrance, gave the officers a curt nod before he closed the door in their faces.

Ralph turned around to thank the Doctor, but paused when he saw her staring forward with a blank expression on her face.

Not just her.

The orderly that had just closed the door hadn't moved an inch, his hand still gripped to the handle of the door.

Ralph turned around to look at the occupied beds in the infirmary and saw the same thing. Patients weren't making a single sound, all of them staring up at the ceiling as though they were in some kind of trance. His instincts were warning him to be careful, but his brain was still trying to process what was happening around him.

Was this some form of strange psychiatric test to assess his character? Did they expect him to escape in this sort of situation? They sentenced him for life, so why would they bother with assessments? All those thoughts and more ran through his head as he tried to make sense of the situation, but nothing was sticking.

A single word, uttered from the other side of the room, snapped him out of his reverie.

"... Ralph."

It wasn't a question, but a statement which Ralph found curious. He hadn't yet said a word in the room, but the voice knew it was him.

That voice was one he would recognise anywhere. It was the one he had heard the most since they locked him up. It belonged to his cellmate, David Rossmore.

"David."

Ralph ventured back, still cautious of his surroundings as he stepped closer to the sound.

"Hah! I haven't heard that name in nearly a decade! Stop pussyfooting and get over here. It's not a trap."

David laughed before he burst into a fit of coughing, but Ralph froze at those words.

They had been speaking the night before, but David sounded... different.

"Ralph, what do you remember from last night?"

David's voice seemed a little stronger this time, and Ralph continued to make his way towards the sound. At the end of the infirmary, he could see a single bed that was obscured by a curtain. The voice of his cellmate was coming from behind it.

"I remember..."

Ralph started as he thought back to the night before. They had chatted about random yard politics and bits of gossip they had heard about things happening on the outside. It did not differ from any other night.

"When I woke up and found you convulsing on the floor."

David's laugh sounded awful and once again deteriorated into a fit of coughing.

"No, Ralph, we spoke to each other before I left."

As if lightning just struck him, Ralph suddenly remembered what he had assumed was a dream. The eerily blue glow that flooded their cramped cell. David standing in front of a swirling vortex of pulsating light.

"The blue glow? That was real?"

Ralph asked skeptically, wondering if that was what David was trying to get at. The absurdity of the event and its timing made Ralph dismiss it as an odd dream in the middle of the night.

"It was real, Ralph. It was a Portal into the City of Azen. Crafted by the Archmage of the Sigil Order. If only I had known the price of stepping through that gate."

Ralph's pace slowed as he heard the words. He wanted to laugh, but a pang of sadness filled him. When they pulled David's twitching body from the cell, they automatically assumed the worst and locked Ralph up in solitary confinement. Hours passed before the Warden visited him. David Rossmore was dying and wished to see Ralph one last time before he passed. He had apparently told them that Ralph had nothing to do with his condition.

But now, Ralph could see that condition for himself. Poor David had dementia or some form of mental illness gnawing at him. Portals and Archmages? He'd clearly lost his rational mind. Ralph decided that the only kindness he'd be able to give David was to humour him and his story until he passed.

Suddenly, the curtains whipped back by an unseen force to reveal the stern face of David Rossmore. His body was frail, with his torso covered in blood. His legs were unmoving and only his right hand twitched as he spoke.

"Dementia? Humour me?! You saw me walk into that Portal and disappear!"

Ralph was stunned. He had said nothing out loud, yet there was David, looking furious and frustrated. His eyes were alert and aimed directly at Ralph.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"How did you do that? And the curtain? And..."

Ralph looked around at all the orderlies and patients, still rooted in the same position, unmoving.

"... how did you do all of this? It is you, isn't it?"

He finished eventually, hoping that David could give him some sort of explanation.

David's hand twitched once more, and the result was instantaneous. The shackles around Ralph's wrists and legs disintegrated into dust, followed by the chains that restricted his movements.

"Of course it's me doing all of this! Do you think they're staring off into space of their own volition? The only truth of the day is what I've told you and the fact that I'm dying."

Ralph merely stared at his wrists in absolute shock. They weren't fake shackles. He made a point of testing every pair that was put on him. They were the real deal. So how the hell did they just disappear like that?

"Magic. Ralph. I can use magic. Okay? Now, stop cluttering your head with useless thoughts and listen to me. This is very important."

Ralph's eyes snapped up to David, and he opened his mouth to speak, but he got cut off immediately.

"Yes. I can read your thoughts, I thought it would speed things up instead of slowing them down!"

The impatience in David's voice only grew stronger as he continued to assault Ralph with cutting remarks.

Ralph just nodded at David before turning around and pausing.

David could only sigh as he rolled his eyes.

"Yellow Octopus. Are you happy?"

Ralph turned back to face David with a confused look on his face.

"Okay, I'm impressed. I don't know how you've done it... and whilst I feel like an idiot for saying it. I'll believe you for now."

David's hand twitched again, which caused the curtain to flare up and smack Ralph in the face. When the fabric finally floated back down to rest naturally from the railing, it revealed Ralph's surprised expression.

"You were humouring me again. But I guess it's as much as I can hope for... there's a lot to talk about and we have little time. Every five minutes we waste here, a month of time passes in Azen."

Another twitch of the fingers and a chair slid across the tiled floor to rest at David's side. His head moved ever so slightly, and Ralph took the hint by taking a seat beside him.

Instead of launching into a torrent of questions, Ralph listened to his cellmate, curious to understand everything that was happening. He tried to keep his mind blank if David truly could read his thoughts, but he couldn't help but notice how delicate and frail his friend looked at that very moment. He was positively gaunt, and his hair had thinned out and greyed in the hours since last night. Ralph genuinely couldn't believe how much he had deteriorated in the space of a few hours.

"I'll be dead in a few hours, Ralph. Unless you help me."

Ralph's attention snapped back to David's face at those words.

"Name it. How can I help?"

Sorry for being invasive, but this will put less strain on my body if I just speak to you like this.

Ralph fought the urge to jump as David's voice bounced around inside his head. It was unnerving and terrifying all at the same time. His own thoughts became muted and pushed to the side as David's voice continued to speak.

A Portal opened up in our cell last night. It wasn't by accident either. It and many others appeared around earth at the same time. All of them are attempting to lure people in...

Ralph could feel the rage in his voice. David's emotions intertwined with his words.

I had nothing to lose. White-collar criminal with no future prospects and nobody to call. It was a simple decision. I was so sure that I'd just appear on the other side and a guard would appear, ridiculing me. But alas, it transported me to another world. I didn't realise at first until I saw the silver grass. Never in all my years did I hear of a place with silver grass. It had such a magical hue, and the air! The first breath I took was incredible. But those thoughts went straight out of my head when I saw the monsters. Nightmarish creatures that were borne of shadow and darkness. I then knew I was in another land, unlike any I had ever known. Monsters, Demons, Kingdoms, Magic... it was all a reality in that place, Ralph. Their technology is practically medieval, but they have created incredible civilisations. They wage war over lands and beliefs, and they use unfathomable magic to turn the odds in their favour. That portal that appeared in our cell was one of their ploys.

When I walked through, it became an invisible collar around my neck. It turns out that these wizards are quite devious with summoning strangers from other lands. All from fear of humans like you and I, Ralph. We can become incredibly strong in their world, which makes us incredible assets or terrifying foes. For fear of betrayal or mutiny, the wizards developed a way to ensure our loyalty. They rig their portals from the very beginning... meaning that the person who teleported me there can send me back. By stepping through, I essentially gave that Wizard my passport and he can decide when it's time to deport me. He's the only one that can let me back in too.

"So they kicked you out?"

Ralph blurted the words out as they came to him, as he couldn't hear himself think.

I was an Archmage. I had studied for eight years, across all the different schools of magic, and reached the pinnacle. My growth perplexed and terrified the Guilds, I was stronger than all of them. I could single-handedly destroy a city if I so chose, but I never would have done it. I fell in love with that world and its people. It was the first time in my life that I truly felt alive and capable. I could protect countless people, and many saw me as a Hero. Over there, I wasn't David Rossmore... I was Davros the Red. Of all the Heroes that had entered through the portals, I was by far the most popular. Maybe it was because I had the work ethic of a criminal and the charm of a charlatan? Who knows? What I know is that my actions were ruffling the wrong feathers. The fallacy of freedom, that's what I called it. The collar from the portal was essentially a leash they could use to pull me back whenever they wanted.

I spent the next two years creating a counter to the magic that locked me to the portal that brought me there. Without that research, I'd be dead right now. Heroes that are sent back typically have their newfound powers and abilities ripped forcibly from their souls. Leaving their bodies to deal with the backlash.

"Typically?"

Ralph repeated aloud, causing David, or rather, Davros, to grin.

Yeah, most Heroes don't make a failsafe or take precautions. I'm not most Heroes. I tethered my soul to their world, which is keeping me alive and allowing me to use a portion of my powers. My body is deteriorating faster than I can maintain it, which results from the backlash. The only thing that will restore me is returning to that world.

"And this is where you come in."

David coughed with a grim smile.

Ralph shook his head and massaged his temples at the sudden regaining of his mental faculties. It was not an experience he would like to repeat soon, but it certainly clarified two things for him. First, that David was not crazy, and second, that magic was real. He couldn't rationalise either of those things yet, but for now he just accepted that they were true.

"Do you need to take some of my life-force or something?"

Ralph guessed as he glanced down at his muscular frame. He wasn't sure what sort of value he'd be able to offer. He knew his skills, and so did David. That's what made this all the more confusing.

The laugh from David almost killed him, and Ralph instantly regretted speaking.

David's hand twitched, and a journal appeared below his palm. It materialized out of thin air.

"This is the diary I kept over there. I want you to take it..."

Turning his gaunt face towards Ralph, David relinquished the journal by slightly raising his hand. Ralph nodded his head as he quickly took the book from the bed. David's hand dropped back slightly to the sheets, a wry smile on his face.

"For me to survive, we need them to summon me back to their world."

Ralph gripped the book in his hands, fighting the urge to open it up and see what writing it held inside. David's voice brought him back to the moment.

"Ralph, I have enough power left in me to send you there... without a collar."

This time it was Ralph's turn to laugh.

"There are apparently bastard wizards, monsters, and demon wars? Who in their right mind would go to a place like that? Also, I'm not sure if we agree here... but how could me going there, possibly help you?"

Ralph listed all the reasons on his fingers as he gave David an incredulous look. He couldn't believe that he was having a rational conversation about magic and monsters with the decaying husk of his cellmate and friend.

David shook his head as though it was obvious.

"I told you. I can send you there. I'd be the passport holder!"

Ralph spread his arms wide and unintentionally raised his voice.

"That still makes little sense, David... or Davros... or whatever the hell you want to be called."

A sickly grin washed over David's face as he clicked his fingers, which put Ralph's instincts into overdrive.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Blue light appeared at the end of the hospital bed, whirling around in gradual small circles but gaining momentum with each rotation.

"David..."

Ralph tried again, and this time his friend turned to him.

"Magic has a signature, Ralph. Anyone that meets you over there, will know that Davros the Red sent you."

The whirling vortex of blue light flashed aggressively as it grew in size. David's voice didn't falter as he continued to explain.

"This is how you save my life, Ralph."

Blood flowed from David's nostril as he grinned at his cellmate.

At that very moment, everything clicked in Ralph's mind.

"... the only way they'd summon you back, would be to get rid of an even bigger problem."

Ralph looked at the emerging portal first and then down at the worn journal that was gripped in his hand.

"How long can you hold out?"

Instead of answering, David gave Ralph a bitter smile. And it was all he needed.

Without another word, Ralph got to his feet and gripped David's frail hand.

The crippled Archmage watched as Ralph strode purposefully through the portal without even an ounce of hesitation, and with a flash, the portal and Ralph vanished.

Doctors, Nurses and Orderlies resumed their duties and the dull moan of the surrounding patients filled the room.

Davros closed his eyes and tried to rest, hoping that when he opened his eyes, he'd finally be home.