She moved with an oozing slither, like a bust portrait fading from one canvass to another, and even her breaths were stifled, coming out as shallow gasps that moaned up from her throat. There it was—the window. A world that she could never reach existed beyond those bars, calling out to her, crying in the distance like a mother wailing for her daughter to return from the forest; the echo could be heard, but the person never seen, and she would never find a way to escape. The woods were too dense. Too deceitful. And just like the bars overhead, they were a prison that would perpetually make her run in circles until she was adrift and disoriented. But for Amelia, that was her world. That was all she ever knew. And through that realm she moved with an oozing slither, lost in a coppice of misshapen dreams.

The nightmare had come again when she dozed off inside the carriage. It never failed to haunt her during sleep, and it lingered as she awakened.

Outside, the wooden wheels clunked over pebbles and grinded over dirt, and as her eyes eased open and her mind reset, she blinked her tired eyes, realizing this was the real world—not the dream. She wasn’t held captive anymore.

In the carriage were her friends: Cleo, Misumi, and Kenji. And as she sniffled, she straightened her posture and rearranged the expression on her unsettled face.

“You had the nightmare again, didn’t you?” Kenji asked, sitting across from her.

They were on their way to Mossley, and while the others were sleeping, he was wide awake, watching her. The light of midday spilled in through windows on either side of them, and fields of tall grass rippled in the wind outside.

She gulped. “I did. It always finds me when I sleep.”

“Gotcha,” he nodded in a low voice. “Well don’t worry. We’ll figure this out soon.”

Those words provided little comfort, though Amelia hoped to the farthest reaches of her soul they were true. If there was an answer to be found—she’d chase it.

The remainder of their journey to Mossley was a quiet and discerning ride, as Amelia stared out the window and watched the world passing slowly. There were two villages along the way, thriving communities of cheery, working people, and their thatch-roof homesteads were a quaint blemish on the farmland, practically seeping into the ground with age. Most of those properties had probably been in the families for generations, worked and maintained by weathered men and woman. Oh, to lead a peaceful life. It was far different from the galvanizing routine of an Adventurer, and she felt a quiet longing to try it someday.

But for now, her past was calling. It reached out like an estranged parent from far away, trying to bring her home. What did it have to say? Why was it haunting her each night? And in every dream, why were her sister laughing behind the walls?

They reached the city after six hours of travel, and to her surprise, it was built upon the coast of an landlocked sea. The smell fresh and salty air wiggled into the carriage once they cracked open a window, and Misumi, who had been asleep since they left Duncaster, awakened to the scent of fish on the wind. She rubbed her eyes, wiped her mouth of drool, and asked where the food was at, but Kenji pointed a thumb out the window, causing her to squeak with excitement as they rolled up to the city gates where guards stopped the carriage to inspect it. A quick peek inside was all it took for them to wave the carriage driver onward, though a small fee was paid that was required of all those entering with more carts, horses, or carriages.

For Amelia, it was nice to see everyone excited, but she was afraid as they entered the city; somewhere in Mossley was an underground lair in which she was tortured, and that barred window was still there, waiting for her to gaze upward to the outside world again. Sooner or later, she’d find it.

But for now, under the direction of Flanigan, the carriage driver was bringing them to an inn they could stay at cheaply for several days, and the busy streets of the city were brimming with life, with sea traders and sailors, with Adventurers who took on jobs in the region. There were stalls with cloth rooftops lining the road, burly tradesmen who sold fish and equipment for those braving the waters, and the city itself held a more natural beauty to it than Duncaster, as the buildings were older, made of white stone, and with craftmanship akin to that of the Cathedral. It was not a flat city either, but built many roads were lower than others, built on the wavy, cliff-strewn coastline of the sea, and at the highest point was a valiant castle that overlooked both the population and the water. Magnificent it was. Truly fit for a king.

“It’s beautiful here,” commented Cleo as she peered out a window, trailing the people with her eyes. “It’s a shame the Spire isn’t in Mossley.”

“Mhmm,” hummed Misumi, bouncy and eager. “I wanna take a vacation here! We could go swimming and fishing!”

Cleo stuttered, “S-Swimming? Like in the sea? With less clothes?”

“Of course! You have bathing suits here, right?”

“O-Oh, well…I don’t know what you mean, b-but…you could always try swimming without clothes if you want to. Not that I want you to be naked or anything…”

Cleo poked her two pointer fingers together nervously, practically sweating and steaming from all the heat built up in her face. Meanwhile, Kenji just rolled his eyes and looked back out the window, huffing something unintelligible under his breath as he leaned his chin on one hand. Indeed, Amelia’s friends were their own personalities; they were kind, funny, were always supportive, and in that she found comfort, because she knew the trials ahead would be tolerable with more than one person to bear the weight.

Within fifteen minutes, the carriage came to a halt in the rear courtyard of The Ocean Gull Inn, a place with a perfect view of the sea from its second and third floors. It was on an upper layer of the city which overlooked the docks, and after gathering their supplies, the horse was brought to the stables and the carriage was stored away. Three days—that’s how long Flanigan paid the carriage operator for. So unless they wanted to find a different ride home, they had to locate the underground dungeon in that much time or less.

After purchasing a single room with four bunks, they settled in, and Misumi sprawled across the cool sheets of her bed and nuzzled against the pillow. Next, she scurried to the window and gawked at the sea with a gaping mouth, letting her breath murmur out in amazement. Never had she looked so enthralled by a mere setting.

Amelia, on the other hand, stayed quiet and claimed the other bottom bunk while Cleo accepted the top, and she sat down on the edge, lost in thought. Where were they supposed to start? Maybe asking about hospitals or clinics in the city would be a good idea, or they could even go to an Adventurers guild and find help. With the whole of Mossley open to them, it was like being lost in a never-ending dungeon underground, unable to progress or find direction.

“So,” Kenji stated as he stretched and cracked his back. He caught everyone’s attention, even Amelia’s, who he stared at directly and grinned. “I don’t know about you guys, but I didn’t come here to sit on my ass by the water. We’ve got three days. Let’s get to work.”

“I most heartily agree, good sir,” bowed Misumi with a posh voice. “We can vacation another time. Right now, we’ve gotta find that hospital. Right, Amelia?”

Simultaneously, everyone shifted their gaze onto Amelia, who was anxious but prepared to get started, and she was stunned by how quickly they changed focus. They were good friends indeed—all of them.

“Well?” Cleo asked. “We’re waiting.”

And as Amelia nodded her head, she gently smacked both of her own cheeks with her palms and stood up, ready to get started. She stilled all trembling in her worried limbs.

“Right,” she stated, a firm tone giving her courage. “Let us begin immediately.”

 

******

 

Throughout the short time Amelia had spent with her friends at Rat’s Ass, she had learned so much about the world. She discovered genuine friendship, be it in good times or bad, and found herself on adventures with incredible scope. She entered the Spire, fought monsters and ran from those she could not defeat, while every night was spent talking and laughing at the tavern, mulling over the events of each exciting day. But from all of that, there was still one thing she had uncover: her past.

Who was she? Where were her parents? Where did she come from? Why did her older sister put her through so much pain? And why was it important that she become a level 100?

As Amelia roamed the cramped streets of Mossley, she wondered these very questions, feeling assaulted by every passing glance of a stranger, for she was afraid they might have had something to do with the experiments. However, Misumi caught on to her feelings quickly, and purposely walked right next to her, making light conversation as Kenji asked questions to strangers, shopkeepers, and merchants; his talent for brevity and ambiguity was astounding, for not once did he reveal copious or improper information.

But their search wound up fruitless. Yes, they located multiple hospitals and even a coven of healers, but none of the buildings had the barred window Amelia remembered so clearly or a large enough cellar—and they knew this because they were allowed to step inside the basements of every one. It just didn’t make sense. Surely there was as lesser-known hospital out there. Surely there were telltale signs of its existence. Yet as the day winded down to a close and the sun melted on the horizon, plastering the sky with peach-gold and bruise-purple cream, their tired legs carried them back to the inn. Maybe they’d have better luck the next day…or maybe not. Amelia’s anxious gaze chose to believe the latter.

Despite Kenji, Misumi, and Cleo being positive about the whole situation, she felt the opposite and retired to their bedroom early that night as they watched her retreat upstairs with worried looks in their eyes. They remained in the tavern, ordering drinks and food. And though she knew they wanted to help, she also wanted space—but not too much. More than anything, she didn’t want to fall asleep alone that night.

However, she submerged herself beneath the covers upon reaching the bedroom, and when her head was covered, she lay flat on her back, breathing in and out, feeling her breath warm up the blanket’s threads. By hook or by crook, she had to find the hospital. She had to know the truth. For if she left Mossley without learning what happened there, the pain, the memories, the insomnia—all of it—would never go away.

 

******

 

The window. She stared at it for hours, watching with bloodshot, veiny eyes, panting with diseased lungs, listening with deceptive ears. Everything revolved around the window.

Beyond it lay the world. Beyond it lay beauty. There was freedom, peace, friendship. But people would never accept her; in the end, she was just a throwaway, someone to be discarded and used, promised things she’d never receive, and scorned by men and women more powerful than she could ever hope to be. That’s what the room told her, and that’s what the window wouldn’t say. Still, if she could only see what the outside world was like, then maybe—just maybe—it would tell her something different.

In the sluggish blink of an eye, Amelia turned her head as the door opened; like every time before, the world moved in delay, so slowly that all movement appeared as stillness, and even a task like opening the door would drag on for eternity.

There they were. The doctors. They had come again to torture her, to fill her body with chemicals that left her skin soggy and her mind numb. Why did she have to go through this day after day? Why couldn’t they leave her alone? Her breaths were so shallow and drawn out, sputtering from her lungs like a mummy come to life, and she tried to flee into the corner, crawling at speeds so slow even a slug would outpace her.

Yet as Amelia cried, as the tears dripped like rain cascading in slow motion to the ground, they did not grab her. Instead, they placed two wooden boxes by the window, then crept out like phantoms lost in a nearly-paused time.

Are those…for me?

When the doctors were gone and the door was shut, Amelia faded from one position to the next, stepping toward the boxes which sat beneath the window. She stopped before them.

They are gifts…

Drifting forward, she used all her strength to heave herself onto the boxes, climbing like a sloth trapped in tar, and when she managed to stand upon the top, she used both her hands to grab the window ledge and pull herself up. What her eyes took caused Amelia to cry even more than the fear of suffering and torture.

There were passing sandals, boots, and just plain bare feet on occasion. The wheels of carts rumbled by, the clogging of horses. Buildings were made of sandstone, and for just one second, Amelia noticed a young boy sitting on the balcony of a house across the street, swaying his legs back and forth over the edge. The sunlight was so pure there, so warm, and her breath fogged the glass so much that she was forced to wipe it; as her hands trudged in a circular motion like an ice sculpture attempting to wave, she noticed something else.

The people were all moving at normal speed, living outside stasis, unaware of the girl trapped meters away from them. They didn’t ooze like swamp creatures with each step, or breathe like skeletons just waking up from their coffins. All of them looked so alive, happy, and unrestrained. And then she saw it: in a shop window across the street—a white bird inside a cage. That store had exotic animals of all kinds behind the glass, but that one in particular looked as if it were not for sale, like it was a pet. A plaything.

And as Amelia stared at it from isolation, she heard the laughter once more echoing from down the hall. Allister. She was the master of every slave inside that underground tomb, and her sister, broken as she was, was the most amusing toy of all.

Would that ever change?

 

******

 

She awoke to the inn bedroom, engulfed in darkness and quieter than a coffin underground. The nightmare would never go away. With sniffles, exhausted breathing, and a terrified sweat built up from all the stress, Amelia sat up in her bed to find all her friends asleep, curled up under the blankets of their beds. Good. At least she wasn’t alone.

But as she recalled the nightmare, she remembered something key that stirred her to her feet, and she rushed to the ladder at Kenji’s bunk, climbed it, and started to nudge him until he woke up.

“Kenji,” she whispered, jostling his shoulder. “Please wake up. I learned something.”

He rolled over and mumbled like a zombie.

“It is most imperative you awaken,” she insisted. “There are undead in the streets and we must flee at once.”

Like a soldier who had just heard the rallying cry of his comrades, Kenji flung up into a wide-eyed sitting position. “Undead? Seriously? Damn it, can’t this place ever give us a break!”

However, after a few seconds of staring, Amelia told him the truth. “Sorry, that was a joke. But I assure you I have awakened you with good reason.”

“For real?” he sighed. “Okay—what’s up? You alright?”

“Yes, I am fine. But I had another nightmare.”

A pause.

“Okay…” Kenji uttered, a drag to his voice. “Wait…are you trying to say you wanna sleep here? I’m not sure that’s appropriate!”

“No, I am saying I saw something that might help us locate the hospital. And I wish to search for it right now. I am sorry, but I can’t wait until morning. I must find it as soon as possible and I simply cannot wait any longer.”

Though he was tired and hesitant to leave the inn, Kenji took a deep breath and willed away his desire to sleep, proceeding to scooch her down the ladder as he climbed down himself. And together, they woke up both Misumi and Cleo, the latter of which was grumpy to the extreme, but still willing to help once the situation was explained. Then finally, once everyone was awake, Amelia bowed and apologized for being so selfish, but all three of them insisted she had nothing to apologize for; well, at least Kenji and Misumi did—Cleo just crossed her arms and grumbled something nobody could understand.

When everybody got dressed, they ventured into the city with a starry night above them, and it was Amelia who led the away. Somewhere out there was the white bird, living in a store that sold exotic animals just waiting to be found, and after a three-hour search of the streets, her face lit up and her exhaustion was replaced by a nervous burning in her chest as she stumbled upon that shop window. Near the sea, the waves poured over the sand and echoed up the shore, and when Amelia turned around, her eyes finally saw that which haunted her endlessly for many nights: the window.

Level with the ground, it stared back at her and whispered from the past, pulling her in. The bars were like fangs, dulled by thousands of bones which they had chewed to oblivion, and the glass was like a portal to another, much viler world. It wanted her to return. No, it needed her. For behind that window lay a realm cut off from the standard pacing of time, a room where everything moved in slow motion, and now that Amelia had escaped, the window longed for what she had gained, and it would do anything to steal her life again. This time, however, she wouldn’t be controlled. She wouldn’t be tortured day and night by the experiments. And as her stare shifted to the rest of that abandoned, dilapidating hospital, she calmed herself down with deep breaths and walked forward. Whatever she found inside, it could only help her remember.