"Good, you're awake," a voice says in the void. It comes from everywhere, all at once. Wisps of smoke cross your vision, though there is no light source you can see. You start to speak, but the voice cuts you off. "You are in my personal domain. I like to call it the Abyss. I know, it isn't terribly clever, but you'll soon see where I put my creative energies."

You look around for an exit, or some semblance of a structure, but there's nothing but the smoke. You feel a presence next to you, and your head whips around to see nothing. It's behind you now. You spin, and nothing. It's still behind you! You spin again, and nothing is there, but the presence is still behind! You decide to run this time, any direction, and pray to find an exit. "Don't waste your time, I'm the only one who can hear you here!" the voice calls out playfully.

You run and run, and run some more until you're out of breath. You can't feel the presence anymore, at least. Once again you look around, and it's as though you're still where you started, nothing but smoke and shadow as far as your eyes can see. You ask yourself what's happening right now. A dream? A hallucination? You try to remember before, and you think you just went to bed, nothing unusual. Your dinner was unremarkable, the day was uneventful, and there's no major anxieties you can think of besides the usual bills. Were you drugged somehow? You can't think of anyone who'd be that mad at you they'd poison you. Maybe it-

"I love watching you creatures try to work out what's happening, and why." The presence is back, a chilling breath hits your neck and you whirl around, lose your balance, and hit the ground. Nothing. The presence once more is behind you, and your tilt your head to look.

This time, there's a dark blue dragon there, peering down at you, a cruel grin on his face. You roll over and try to scrabble backward, try to look away, but you can't pull your eyes away from his, scarlet pools holding the promise of blood, as though he hated you personally for some wrong you did him. You've never even seen a dragon before, what could you possibly-

"Oh, nothing," he says, still playful. "You're right, we've never met. You're just today's poor, unfortunate soul. Now, let's see just how loudly you can scream!"

~

Art by
Ahriman is mine