-The Half Elf-

I was overpowered by the Madman despite all of my efforts to fight him off and he forced what was left of me – my intelligence, my mind; my spirit entity - call it what you want - deep into the gem.

I felt like I was sinking into a deep, dark sleep – perhaps one that I would never come out of. I had been expecting a physical death – one that I had used every ounce of courage to bravely but uselessly, fight against. Instead, my spirit had been forced into the in-between and forced to fight again with that Madman! I fought with all my might, spirit vs spirit, but it was nothing compared to the Madman’s ability. I had suffered two losses at his hands. I would avenge myself… I would… I lost consciousness.

Then… pain… pain unlike any I had ever known before suffused my entire entity; ripping apart the remnants of my spirit and my mind. It went on for what seemed like an eternity, dispersing the very fiber of my being and suffusing it with the gem until eventually ...I broke…. my mind, my spirit, everything broke until the being I once was disappeared into nothingness… I was no more and sunk into a dark abyss of never-ending agony.

…

The Madman paused and looked around. He felt as though the air was warping and though he was in spirit form he felt an immense danger threatening his very existence! He must get back to his body. He spun towards the rift in the in-between. It was no longer there. Instead, he could see a crack that seemed to be closing like a zip. He hurled himself towards it, his hands reaching out to tear it apart. His hand gripped an edge. His other hand came up to help. The crack continued to close, ignoring the pull of his hands. He screamed. A mad scream of frustration as he pulled with all his might. The gem slipped out of his hand and fell through the crack. The Madman lost his voice in horror. His gem! His precious gem that he had spent his life to obtain! His feet came up kicking the remaining few inches of the crack along with his tearing hands. “Death! You cheating… you cheating, maggot eating skeleton! I will find you and when I do…” He threw his head back in mad maniacal laughter!

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-Half Elf-

I was conscious. But it was a detached, icy consciousness that one could sometimes experience in nonsensical dreams. In my dream, I forced myself to feel myself slip through the Madman’s grasp. I flew through the air. flying through the air as the castle violently crumbled to pieces in the background. Then I started to fall, then... Nothing. The sweet void of black sleep enveloped me once more.

If the Gem had been conscious just a moment longer it would have seen noticed the walls of the castle dungeon crumbling into dust and heard the shouts of the panicking guards and the screams of the inhabitants of the castle, both human and ghosts.

The Gem would have seen Death rise unhurriedly from his stone throne, cast his scythe over his shoulder in a workman-like manner and simply disappear along with his throne. Leaving a crumbling castle behind him.

Nearby the still-breathing body of the Madman had slid to the floor leaving the corpse of the half-elf lying on the cold stone slab. Stones and dust soon covered them both.