"Where am I?" Gale whispered as she wrapped her arms around her, shivering. She wasn't sure how but she had found herself in the frozen halls winding through this place. The last thing she remembered was the stream of consciousness in the realm of dreams shift dramatically. Change was a common thing in the dreaming world, but one of this magnitude was completely unheard of. The only explanation was that there was something happening in the waking world that caused it. She then tried to find the source by following the change in the stream of consciousness's direction, then woke up here. The cold was painful, something difficult to bear for one accustomed to warmer arid climates. To her the Highlands had been cold, but this felt like the sunless depths of the underworld. Using her power of flame, she tried to keep herself warm as she searched for a place to rest.

The hallways seemed to go on forever, and she soon became lost amidst the bones and ice. She felt so tired but continued to press on, remembering someone once telling her that when the temperatures were freezing to never fall asleep. For if she did, she would never wake up again. Fighting the urge to close her eyes for a moment of repose, she trudged on in search of warmth. 

Step by step, ever moving. Slowly walking for who knew how long, she felt the oppressive chill lift. She grasped for it, drawn like a moth to a candle. Her eyelids and legs heavy as lead. She came upon a great place lit with torches that burnt a blue cold light instead of a comforting orange and red. The banners and broken furniture looked like they had seen better days, neglected and abandoned. At the end was a great roaring fireplace, burning with the same bluish hue as the rest of the fires in the torches. Nevertheless, there was warmth and she could finally sleep. The great hall was quiet, and she found a little alcove within sight of the fireplace, slumping down and tucking herself in. In seconds, she had already drifted into sleep and was in the dreaming world again. 

Instead of the usual vibrancy she was accustomed to, the world of dreams was empty and silent. It was as if she were standing in an endless void, with no color, sound, or sensation. No matter how far she walked, she didn't go anywhere and everything around her looked the same. For the first time in her life she felt true nothingness. Staring at the empty space surrounding her, she was at a loss for words. Why was it like this? Surely even though there were no dreamers nearby there should be something. The world of dreams connected all places, and was the collective sea of the world's thoughts and dreams. But it was like a gaping void, an empty hole in what should be complete. She took a seat, and sat for a long time in silence. In the waking world, she laid on the ground. Her body was still as a statue, in the deepest reaches of slumber.

The halls were quiet…a little bit too quiet…? Nope. Soon there was footsteps, singing and the crashing of items on the ground. Was this some kind of nightmare? No! Nightmares make sense compared to the little water fairy that was coming Gale's way. She was loud, bright and above all: Retarded and as soon as she came into this became quite clear. She had big eyes, messy hair, strange blue skin and fin like limbs on her ears. The first thing she did was run into a wall while screaming the phrase. "DARKNESS IS BAD FOR MY EYE- OW!" And unfortunatly, there was more where that came from. She was quickly amazed by the blue torches and took one. "Ohhh BLUE FIRE! I discovered NEW FIRE COLORS!" She excitedly ran around the room with her blue fire as she started to wonder how to get this blue fire to a place where she could show people of her amazing discovery. 

In the blackness of the dream-void, suddenly a splash of color rippled in the darkness. At first it moved outward, then began to wriggle and swim like a fish beneath the water. It's appearance surprised the dream-walker, as she watched it jump in and out of the emptiness leaving trails of color. The familiar brightness was comforting and soon everything was as it should be. A different kind of warmth, one of emotion and spirit entered the realm and broke the silent heaviness that pressed down upon the soul. Outside of the dream realm, the girl's eyelids fluttered. There was shouting in a loud voice. Was there danger? No, it was joyous and lighthearted. Now fully awake, Gale sat up and wiped the sleep from her eyes to see a stranger running about the hall with an azure torch in hand.

She seemed happy, whoever she was. The woman was dressed like the female dancers who entertained men of status back home in Karkhata, but her skin was a light blue like the color reflected from the torches onto the ice. Gale stayed where she was, crossing her legs while listening the woman's exclamations of pure happiness. It was pleasant to watch the other's delight in the simple things of life. Having warmed up in the temperature of the foyer, her spirits were lifted and she felt better. The furniture and banners were still run-down, but the bookshelves with dusty tomes caught her attention. Rising to her feet, she wandered over and took one out of curiosity. Flipping the pages open she coughed and fanned away the dust before attempting to read its contents. She found the text to be indecipherable, so she put it back. Looking around she wondered what she should do now. There were stairs going up and down, but she was reluctant to leave the relative warmth for the other parts of the icy labyrinth. 

Soon though, Vicyeth got bored of her new discovery as evident by the way she held it in her hand. Her long fish tail was dragged over the ground wich of course brushed dust off the ground and left behind a humid trail of what seemed to be water, by the smell it was probaply just that. It was an interesting species and certainly an uncommon one. She didnt have regular ears like other elves but fins and specifically the tail she dragged along was a distinct feature. She was audibly searching for something as she ran into a hallway closely followed by a loud thud. Upon investigation it seemed she ran into a closed door…

Gale was content where she was, however the other woman was not. Soon the blue-skinned woman grew disinterested with the strangely-colored fire and dashed this way and that seeking something else. Disappearing into a hall leading out, the dream-walker was taken by surprise when she heard a loud thud. She looked around, seeing no obvious cause in the immediate area. Curiosity took hold, and she rose from her seat to see what had happened in the direction of the noise. Peering through the doorway, she saw the fish-like woman standing before a closed door. Was it sealed? It was colder here than the foyer, making an involuntary shiver run through her body. Nevertheless, the woman's antics had piqued her interest. She sought to understand why she was here and what she was looking for.

"…It is closed?" The young girl with fiery hair asked aloud. "Maybe it will open if you push it?" Doors typically opened two ways, forward or backward. She couldn't see if the door had any other tricks or mechanisms on it from where she was standing. Also the fish-woman happened to be blocking part of her view by standing in front of it.

She was sitting on the ground in front of the door and didnt even notice Gale until she said something. As soon as she did, Vicyeth turned her head to face Gale. "HI!  Are you native to this ruin? I didnt see here before! OH! Good idea!" She began pushing against the door and obviously she wasnt strong enough to push it open on her own, even if she made somewhat creative use of her muscled tail to get an extra strength boost.

Gale shook her head. "…I am not from here. I too came inside, as you have." Seeing pushing did not make it budge, she entered the hallway with the fish-woman and inspected the door closer. "Hm….then what if we try to pull it? Perhaps we are moving it in the wrong direction." The door looked heavy, but it was worth a try. Focusing her inner power, she charged up her body with the essence of strength and took hold of the door to pull backward. Whether or not they were taking the right approach was unknown to her, as she saw no hinges to imply the door's orientation. Should this fail, she would then leave it be and seek another solution. It was just as likely that the door itself was not meant to be opened, at least at this time. The way she had come into the foyer had no door, for that matter. The coldness was starting to get to her again, but she willed herself to continue. The area of warmth was only a few meters' distance.   

Soon though she didnt have alot of strength anymore and she fell backwards with the door still in her hands, so when she fell backwards, the door opened with her. "Is it open?" She asked happily before getting up. "YAY! IT IS OPEN!" She said before rushing in deeper into the ruin to find her treasure. 

"…Oh." Gale apparently had managed to help the girl to open the door with their combined efforts, and watched as she then dashed away. Looking around, she could not hold back her curiosity and decided to follow deeper into the ruin. Where did it lead? Where were they going? What would they find here? These were all important questions that the dream-walker had, which would be answered in due time. She followed after the strange fish-girl wondering all the while. The air was unfortunately colder, but that would have to be taken in stride. "Please, wait!" She called, trying to keep up the pace. This fish-woman was very fast even in this cold. Gale resolved to train herself in mind and body more so that she could live up to her example.

Vicyeth left behind a trail of water, wich made it easy for Gale to follow her into the ruin. She dissapeared into the depths of the vault. Her cheerfull noises could be heard from deep inside the vault, it sounded like she found something as she was sounding even more cheerfull.