The air around the group is tranquil as they make their way towards a shopping centre. The surrounding street and people seem distant, and Lex can still feel the familiar, uncomfortable, otherworldly sensation. He moves closer to Zen, who is trailing behind, attempting to find some comfort in his presence.
"Hey, Lex, wanna grab something to eat?" Jack asks, turning his head to look at him.
"Yeah, had to rush this morning to meet someone. So, I am pretty hungry," Lex replies, wearing a smile.
"So, who was it?" Maddie asks, grinning, "Already moved on from Everlyn?"
Lex takes a moment. Has he moved on? Is it right to say 'moved on' when Everlyn doesn't really exist anymore? How should he even be reacting? Did he kill her? There are too many unknowns for Lex to be certain, so he just says, "Of course not, that was just her sister, Lilly, she was just checking up on me." Zen nods at Lex's statement, as if in agreement, then checks his phone.
"Anyway, enough with the sad stuff, we're here to enjoy ourselves. Did you hear about..." Eren sticks at the front of the group with Maddie, devolving into their own little conversation as Lex and Zen stay back.
"So, you know, huh?" Zen asks plainly.
Lex responds with an abashed nod and places his hands in his pockets.
"So, a powerless 'Hall space' guest. Intriguing." Zen smiles at the new term. "Got a bit lost in the hype, huh? Shamed to say there are guests in our city who are much more important than you or I."
Lex looks at Eren and Maddie, who still seem to be stuck in their own conversation. "When did you enter?" He asks.
"Only about a month, been to a couple of meetings. I'm one of the first, though." Zen smiles, proud. "I think out of the eight, only Lilly and Rain went in before me."
"Sure," Lex replies as they reach the shopping centre. His mind, contrary to his calm demeanour, is burning with jealousy and anxiety.
A large LED board displays "Hemted shopping centre" In large, cool blue letters. Ocean clear glass separates the shops from the outside world, and even the neatly cleaned and paved tiles contrast with the dingy orange bricks outside. The whole place is packed full of people and shops. The first time Lex entered the place, he was so overwhelmed he had to sit down; now it has just become part of his routine.
"Okay, who's down for a sandwich?" Eren asks, a smile on his face.
A couple of I don't minds come from Lex and Zen as they make their way to the sandwich bar. During their passage, however, Lex's brain begins to fog up.
"You alright?" Maddie asks as Lex puts a hand to his head.
"Yeah, all good," Lex replies. Attempting to change the subject, he asks, "How's the choir going?"
"Fine, haven't had a ton of time though, our teachers are getting real strict with tests at the moment." She replies, trying to sound upbeat but still clearly worried.
"It hasn't exactly been fun, but exams are still in a year, though," Lex replies, and they both sigh at the reminder.
Time seems to run slower as they approach the shop, almost like Lex is wading through water. He looks around and suddenly feels a greater sense of claustrophobia than ever before.
A single look at Eren tells Lex what he wants to know. "Sorry guys, I'm feeling sick, I'm going to head outside for a second."
Zen stares, eyes narrowed at Lex, then loosens up. "You still have a couple of days before you should be due, call me if anything happens, though," Zen say, holding up his phone.
"Ohhh, what's going on here?" Eren asks.
Zen just gives him a sharp glare.
As Lex walks away, he can hear remnants of their conversation. "You think he's okay?", "Hey, is there something wrong with him? He's quite out of it." But soon enough, Lex is out of earshot of the group.
"I've still got time, still got time," Lex repeats as he makes his way to a bench outside the shopping centre. As he sits stroking his temple, trying to clear his mind from the fog that has casually settled around him. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees something. Not Zen's expected saturated yellow. It's Lilly.
Lex's stress lightens, and he feels more relieved now that someone older and more experienced is close by. However, as she reaches him, he sees the distorted look on her face... Fear.
Then everything goes dark. And her figure barrels into him, knocking him to the ground.
"Sorry, I... How did I end up so close to?" Lilly tries to speak, but she seems just as confused as Lex.
Seeing through the daze, he looks around. "What is this?" He exclaims.
All around them are treated wooden pillars and grandiose staircases leading who knows where. Above them, a burnt-out chandelier hangs perfectly still, silently observing the two spots on the blank canvas of the imposing hall. Behind them, a grand hall stretches to infinity, making the empty room feel more like a raft at sea than a simple room. Despite its immensity, not a single thing in the hall seems unique. All of it is just the same repeated, generic carvings and structure.
"Is this…" Lex gasps.
Lilly, not bothering to respond, takes the same device she had outside the hospital from her belt.
This time, Lex can see it much more clearly, which reveals how tacky it truly is. There seems to be layers of plastic stuck in a cube-like structure held on top of a wooden pole, almost like a World War One stick grenade. On the handle, a display shows a display, but Lex can't make out what it reads.
"What is that thing?" Lex inquires.
"Something glued together by Runin, she said it was to detect strange photon polarisation in the hall space," Lilly replies, though her eyes look anything but engaged in the conversation.
"Who's Runin?" Lex asks.
"Someone who's also in our group." Lilly responds, then adds, "About your age."
Lex nods and fully takes in their surroundings. A dusty smell wafts throughout the halls, similar to that of a museum. The barely lit halls seem to be swathed in a dim, ethereal light which doesn't have a definitive source. Furthermore, there isn't any sign of technology around, no power outlets or even gas lamps. Just as Lex feels the anxiety of the apparent magnitude of the house, Lilly nods at the stairs.
"I'm sure Zen is here." Lilly comments, "Let's search for him, you follow behind me, ok?"
"Why are you so sure Zen's here?" Lex ponders aloud.
"Just patterns we saw, people who are close in physical space tend to be sent to the same hall spaces." She replies, going up the set of stairs.
"But how do you know which way to go?" Lex asks, reluctant to trail along.
"I don't, but remember this place is shaped by your thoughts, fears and hopes," Lilly responds as if that is an intuitive thought process.
"What? So we just 'believe' we are going the right way, and we will? That's exactly how we end up lost." Lex replies, confused at her apparent incompetence in navigation.
"You're lucky we're not in a volatile zone." Lilly sighs. "Just follow me and stop thinking."
"How-" Lex tries, but Lilly has already moved on, apparently not interested in anymore conversation.
Going up the stairs just reveals a normal-looking corridor, periodic tables and trollies line the walls, which look like they have been laid out by an algorithm. Side door, some open, some locked, lead into the same bedrooms.
As Lex trails behind Lilly, the floor begins to change. Well-kept carpets fade in and out, and windowless rooms branch out from either side of the corridor. Sometimes the occasional corridor leads into the same unending path, but Lilly, unfazed, doesn't stray from the most direct path.
After a while, Lex peers into one of the side rooms to see an atypical medieval guest room. A beautifully carved wooden drawer supports an almost dead candle. The bed is nicely done without a single wrinkle or fold in the sheets. Lex turns his head from the room to see Lilly has continued down the path, apparently focusing so intently on something she didn't notice him stop.
Hurriedly running back to her, Lex asks, "Have you guys tried taking some of the furniture out? It could sell for a lot?"
Lilly shakes her head, "No, even if you're holding it, you'll just be reset to the same state you were in when you entered. Plus, we don't really have monetary problems, the wishes and all that." She waves her hand as if to dispel the idea.
"So, what was your wish?" Lex asks timidly, attempting to start a conversation.
Lilly looks embarrassed at the floor. "Well, I was lagging behind at uni, like, a lot. And my space was showing me failing my finals. So I wished to never fail another one of my medical exams." She turns away. "Of course, as far as we know, it is a subconscious reaction which creates the wishes, so I couldn't have wished for anything else or…" She trails off in deep thought.
"Hey, this is the first time I've seen you embarrassed." Lex smirks, not reading her mood.
"I'm sure you wouldn't have wished for anything more humanitarian." Lilly retorts.
"No, I would've wished for world peace," Lex says.
"Shut it," Lilly says defensively. "Zen's nearby."
Lex, grasping at the serious look in her eyes, crouches low and looks at the endless hallway. The darkness seems to encroach on their little space, but Lilly still looks confident.
"Here. Don't make a sound." Lilly says, putting a finger to her lips.
A large set of double doors stands flush to the wall, it is hard to even notice it as you're walking past, despite its grandeur. Lex looks up, wondering if he would have just walked past it. He feels the urge to ask Lilly how she noticed it, but hesitates, noticing her concentration.
Lilly sits, almost meditating. She looks at the door like she can see through it, yet her eyes are glazed over. Then, putting a hand to the door, she lets the left one open just a crack. The room inside looks dark, but Lex can't make out anything but the cold walls.
Being able to see the cross section of the right door, though, reveals a beautiful purple stone embedded like a pane of glass. To Lex, it looks so lustrous, he wants to reach out and-
Lilly grabs his arm, halfway to touching the stones already. "Keep off", She whispers sternly.
A gust of wind passes by them, and Lilly shuts the door.
"Any exit?" She asks.
Lex looks at her, confused "Hey, aren't we going in to help-"
"Me?" Says Zen, smirking from behind Lex.
Lex jumps, "How are you here?"
"Easy for me," Zen says, then turns invisible.
Lex is left shocked, Zen has completely disappeared from view, not even a glint of his signature yellow remains.
"Yeah, he's been wearing that awful colour for training, trying to hide in the real world," Lilly says, shaking her head.
"That doesn't make sense. How come my friends and I can all see him?" Lex asks.
"Well, my power is muted in the real world, but it works by… hijacking sensors to distort or block my presence entirely. Though I can become intangible sometimes, so I guess it's not the perfect analogy." Zen replies.
"That's insane," Lex exclaims. "And you, Lilly?"
"Air manipulation, well, most gases around that density, but mainly air. I was using it to sense the door and hear Zen, though the range isn't as large as I would like. Shame you haven't been gifted anything, though it's always the most exciting part of a new member." Then, realising she amends herself, "Not saying you're not interesting, just that the powers are cool."
Lex, disheartened, sits down, trying not to get in the way as the two begin to chat about the mysterious room.
"Yeah, so it was totally dark, like usually these spaces have ambient glow, but this was pitch black," Zen says, looking excited, not a trace of fear in his eyes.
"I can sense there is something alive in there," Lilly replies, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I saw… or felt a massive slab of metal and a… claw, leg thing?" Zen says, smiling, "You wanna check it out?"
"Sure, thank god Rain can't see us, he would be so mad," Lilly smirks. "Hey Lex, can you grab a torch or something so we can see our way back to the entrance if things get rough?"
"I saw some candles in the other room, You got a lighter?" Lex replies in admission.
"Yeah, I have one", Zen replies.
As Lex walks away, Lilly and Zen talk excitedly about the thing inside the room, "Yeah and the chains-"
Lex hadn't seen either of them as excited for anything. "It's a shame I can't help." He thinks, "I'm just as good as a candlestick." The room next to the great doors seemed to be the same as all the others, copied and pasted down the hallway. A single, half-dead candle lies by the bedside. Picking it up, Lex makes the monotonous walk back to Lilly and Zen, all the while questioning what he is even doing.
"Got the candle", He says, lighting the wick and holding it up. The warm glow bathes the hallway in a cosy light.
"Ok, Zen, you see if you can map out the room. I'll find the shape of the creature and disable its weapons. Is the room volatile?" Lilly asks.
"I'm not sure, to be honest, check your 'gift' from Runin," Zen smirks.
"Hey, she worked hard on that." As Lilly brings the device into the room, her eyes widen. "It's zero."
Even Zen lets out an audible gasp.
"What does that mean exactly?" Lex asks.
"Remember how I told you it detects signature signs of the hall spaces?" Lilly says, Lex nods. "It means there's none, so this is either not in a hall space or is something else entirely. It seems to be actively blocking off signals from the corridor."
"Must be Lex's presence which caused this anomaly," Zen concludes. "Well, thanks to him, we can explore something new."
He runs into the room. Lex furrows his brows, Zen had never been this energetic; it is almost as if he is proving himself or showing off. "But surely not for me," Lex mutters, sighing.
"What was that?" Lilly asks.
"Nothing."
Lilly nods and walks into the darkness, cracking her knuckles.
As Lex sits down, he can hear the sounds of air gushing over an object. Chains creak and metal scrapes, yet no signs of anything alive. The sounds stop just as suddenly as they start. The uncertainty and tension reach a boiling point as Lex stews at the entrance.
The silence starts to grow as Lex stares into the black, an unknown hallway behind him and an immeasurable darkness in front. Why is he even here, just to sit and wait for these people, one he calls his friend, to do everything, to explore and discover. And what is he doing, sitting with a candle? Doubt begins to gnaw at his mind. What if he has been separated? They were taken by a monster or a trap. Or what if his mind had begun to shape the world again?
The sound of movement stirs Lex from his thoughts, and straining chains begin to create a symphony with the sounds of rushing winds and shouting voices. The sounds are too distant and distorted to make out, but they seem calm.
A crash.
Rubble falls from the ceiling, almost blowing out the candle. Lex jumps to his feet and gets ready to sprint out of the room at a moment's notice, like a mouse running from a cat. "It's ok, you don't have the power, you can run." He reassures himself.
The sounds get closer.
The room shakes with the force of a thousand stomps.
"Lex move." A voice shouts from behind him.
He is jolted forwards and out of the room as a giant, blue, leathery hand reaches out from the darkness. Lex, like a deer on a highway, is thrown out of its grasp, through the door. Though it tries to grasp him, it cannot get through the doorway. It strains and stretches as the sounds and rubble and dust overwhelm Lex's vision as he sees the hand retreat.
Then everything stops.
A snap.
And another.
A huge, grotesque face peers at Lex through the doorway. A smile filled with needle-like teeth pairs well with its sunken, yellow eyes. Its sea blue skin makes it more liken to an ancient painting come to life rather than a living creature. And they just continue to stare at each other.
After what feels like an eternity, the creature opens its mouth and out of it comes a purple haze which wraps around Lex. The mist funnels through his mouth and pores, searching for any route into him.
"Hey Lex, are you alright?" Lilly's familiar voice pokes through the haze.
"Don't you see this?" He asks, panicking, trying to reach her with flailing arms.
"No, what is it?" She asks worried, "We've already killed the creature."
Then the haze dissipates as if on command.
Zen comes out from behind the creature's head.
"You sure you're alright, dude?" He asks.
To Lex, Zen might as well be miles away. His voice sounds like he is speaking through layers of concrete. Even as Lex looks down at the creature it seems to wither and Lex feels a rage. Not at that thing, but at Lilly and Zen. This is not an anger born of surface-level emotions but one born of seeing ones own kin be killed. Yet as soon as that thought crosses Lex's mind it vanishes.
"Yeah, I'm alright. What was that thing anyway?" Lex asks, trying to scrub away any thoughts of kinship with a beast.
"Not something from our world on this one," Lilly says. "Looks like it was chained here in the dark."
"Should we go look at it?" Lex inquires.
"I'm not, it drained my energy, I could barely even keep invisible," Zen says, clearly peeved. Lilly nods in agreement.
As Lex walks further into the room, the light of the candle seems to glow dimmer. Yet it still illuminates the corpse. It definitely isn't natural, the blue skin, the sunken eyes. Now Lex can see its whole body, he feels even more dwarfed. In life, it would stand at 3 stories. It has a bulbous stomach, but its skin feels turgid. It has six enormous legs with blade-like claws on each end. Its arms long and spindly reach for a large slab of steel stuck in the ground, a giant's sword. To Lex, however, Lilly and Zen seemed like the greater monsters, to fell this creature by themselves must've taken immense strength and skill. Lex shivers at the thought of them ditching him. "But that wouldn't happen." He decides.
As Lex moves around, he can see a hole in its stomach, as he peers inside, a head floats by in a strange liquid. Lex feels bile building up in his throat and moves away from the creature.
"Had enough?" Zen chuckles.
"Yeah, let's get out of this place," Lex replies.
"Who said anything about getting out? we've still got to find the source of the hall space and face it head on." Lilly replies curtly and directly to Lex.
As Lex makes it to the door, Zen lets out a cry.
"What is it now?" Lilly starts but her eyes narrow as soon as she sees what is in front of her, "Can't catch a break can we?"
In front of them, a mass of fog stands, like a human without legs, smiling at them. The space where the eyes should be are covered in a blindfold inscribed with strange symbols. And Zen, is on the floor with a metal thorn in his shoulder.
"Argg", He moans trying to tear it out. Lilly stops him.
"Stop, we can't treat an open wound right now." She says.
"That guy can, he's just stood around, come on, let's go," Zen shouts trying to turn invisible yet failing. "I can't concentrate."
Lilly attempts to use a compressed gust of wind to separate its form but it passes harmlessly through it.
More spikes begin to form around the creature.
"There!" Lilly shouts, using a gust of air to push the thorns away from her yet some swerve around almost like they have a life of their own. They fly towards Zen.
"Damn," Zen mutters and turns intangible. "Hey, Lex, go."
Lex stands there staring at Zen, no emotion on his face. All of a sudden, he is hit with a wave of apathy, like all feelings have been reduced to nothing, no fear, no anger, just a directive. The fatigue and fear all morph into a smile mirrored by the creature lying dead in the other room, only a few paces from them.
Lex runs forwards, taking advantage of Lillie's power and staying close to her protective reach he charges at the apparition his fist clenched. As he does its smile falters.
"Stop!" Zen and Lilly scream, but it is too late.
Then his fist hits the creature, and it turns black, then fades away.
"I thought you didn't have a power?" Lilly says, staring in disbelief.
Zen doesn't look so happy either. Lex attempts to feel it again, but suddenly he's drained, like he is tired of feeling and the state of apathy ends.
"I can't."