Greg, simply put, was fucked. He knew a day like this would come along at some point and thought he was prepared. Greg was a veteran of multiple wars and a successful magician. He knew he slipped up, and it would probably set them all back.

Greg knew the door was not even locked, but he didn’t want to leave, disturbing him. He knew he should go and most likely feared for his life since he didn’t remember how he got there. The last thing he could recall was that he would meet Oz and check out an island they found in some backwater plane.

For the dozenth time, he stood and inspected the room he was in. There were no windows in the walls, lightbulbs buzzed from a bedside lamp, and the bed itself was adorned with a hideous bed set. He silently praised whoever included the bathroom in the floor plan.

As terrifying as the situation was logically, he felt exceptionally calm about the whole thing. Greg impulsively attempted to break down the wall opposite him. Still, the moment he began acting on it, he halted, and Greg wondered why he even wanted to leave in the first place?

There was a knock on the door; Greg was never intentionally impolite and called out, “It’s unlocked, come in!”

Greg was surprised to see his old friend… he couldn’t remember his name, but it was good to see him. The years were kind to him; he hadn’t aged to Greg’s eyes, but the older gentleman kept his salt-and-pepper beard. A small part of Greg’s brain told him he should kill the man where he stood, but the rest of it was just glad they were getting to talk to someone.

“Hello, Gregory,” the older gentleman said with a kind smile, “we were supposed to catch up, remember?”

“Of course I remember,” Greg did not, in fact, remember.” taking a seat on the bed beside his friend.

“Excellent, I can’t wait to hear how Bill is doing.”

“Oh yeah, Bill is doing great,” Greg was delighted to tell him about Bill, “he really started to get out a bit more recently.”

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“Oh my,” the gentleman said, “I wonder what could have brought that recluse out of his hole?”

“Ya know about his apprentice?” Greg’s jaw locked for some reason. Why was his blood pressure rising? “He’s a talented kid who can do it all.”

“This apprentice sounds impressive,” the man gave Greg a smile, “tell me his name.”

Greg could hear his blood pumping in his ears. He felt like something was wrong. He convinced himself he was being irrational, and through clenched teeth spoke.” Milo.”

“So it is Mr. Locke.” a quick glance, he told Greg, “Just calm down; no need to get excited, Gregory.”

“Oh, of course.” he managed, “I’d never dream of killing such an old friend.”

The older gentleman nodded sagely and patted Greg’s knee. Greg felt he was on the verge of remembering something, but it remained out of reach.

“Where is Milo?”

“I don’t know,” Greg said, “it’s been some time since he and Bill started galavanting through the other planes.”

“Where is Bill?” the older man leaned in. To Greg, it seemed a great beast fixed its gaze on him.

“Oh, he’s down south in LA,” Greg smiled, “at least that’s what he’s always told me.”

“Classic Bill,” The older man chuckled, “it’s a shame he never trusted you enough to let you go without manipulating your truth.”

“Haha, yeah.”

“Let’s go for a walk,” the older man stood and grabbed Greg’s hand, and they fell through the universe and the spaces in between. It always made Greg nauseated, as moving between planes was always unpleasant. Greg immediately recognized his surroundings as the part of the market where Oz set up shop.

“Alright, Gregory,” his old friend said, “I want you to wait here for a little while. And after I’ve gone, you can do your business with all your memories in a day.”

“Alright, it was nice to see you again.” Greg shook the man’s hand and watched him go. He still couldn’t help feeling something was wrong and that he should’ve done something. Greg decided it was best to be left alone for later. He would figure it out.