His eyes opened, then closed again; opened, then closed. Scenes flashed through his mind's eye in a series of rapidly moving pictures. At first they blurred together in a mix of dulled colors and cacophonous sounds, but quickly familiar pictures began to form before him. There he was, running, frantically, amongst silver inscribed columns stretching endlessly up into the infinite night sky. There they were, watching from the gloom, cold eyes glinting like polished marbles in the pale starlight. There she was, staring blankly into the dark abyss, staring captivated by something that only she could see. His ears strained futilely for a sign, a sound, anything beyond the dampened taps of his footsteps echoing over and over against the slick tiles.

     But nothing came; nothing but the empty howl of the wind as it rushed in sudden bursts into the stone giants standing immovable like soldiers at attention. A sickly moon illuminated the everlasting ruins, casting shadows that twisted and warped as separate entities with minds and wills of their own. They followed him, racing alongside in his haste as he moved against the circles of columns radiating from the epicenter, the empty void in the heart of existence. The black vortex seemed to steal the energy from all surrounding it, leaving behind only an unnatural calm. He stopped just outside the inner circle and stared across the bare expanse to a petite figure perched on the edge of the chasm. Her hair had escaped the ornate ties that had held it in place, and now whipped haphazardly around her pallid face. She didn’t look up—she didn’t even seem to notice his arrival, so intently focused was she on the spiraling patterns within the abyss before her. Her lips moved, but no words came out. The wind blew harder, resonating like a chorus of jarring, alien voices across the assembled pillars.

     He moved closer to the edge, reached out to her, called her name. He went no further, his arms at his side, his words lost. The shadows crept closer, drawn in by the swirling emptiness, swallowing the tiles behind him. The void expanded outwards, towards him, towards her. He called out, desperate to somehow reach past whatever held her, to warn her, wake her. Closer they came, always closer, always inches away from engulfing everything entirely. He moved, they followed; lifeless eyes peering out of the darkness, watching. Waiting.

     Across from him she stirred, looking up from the blackness with vacant eyes. One arm raised as if to reach towards him, hand outstretched, then fell back. A pulse reverberated outwards, shaking the ground. She wavered, slipping over the edge; he rushed forward, launching himself across the rift. The shadows lurched inwards, consuming all in their path. He made contact, reached the other side, but felt the stone give way beneath him. As he fell he looked up, but met only with empty eyes staring blankly into the space beyond him.        
     
     His eyes opened, but he saw no more.