In his dream, Euclid stood in a field much like the one he found himself sleeping in, except there was no growth. The grass was unusually short and the field seemed to expand on for ages, disappearing into the surrounding fog. In front of him was a pedestal, on which laid a book opened to a random page. On the page were scribbles, most of which he couldn't make out, but there was a significant note somewhere in the middle of all the written mess, something Euclid just couldn't deny.
Beware. You are not alone.
He tried to the touch the page, but the book slammed shut. Suddenly, he could feel his throat closing shut, his arms and legs bound to his sides. He attempted to scream, but nothing could be heard, and struggling free from his newfound invisible restraints was not a solution - and then, he awoke.
He found himself wrapped in vines, the source of which was protruding from the beast he had earlier napped upon. Struggling again, he tried to reason as to why this was happening. The Elder Roots were never violent or menacing in any nature, so why would they do this now? Searching for a solution, he thought back to when he watched Atlas Novus as he sat atop the hill. Earlier in the day, he had a thought. This was the very setting from a roleplaying game he had, weeks earlier, thought up and developed with a friend. If this setting were brought to life - if this wasn't some dream he happened to be having - then, surely, he'd be the master of his own domain.
Maybe he could try yelling his commands to the creature? No, his mouth was bound shut, so all he'd be able to produce would be muffled. Was there a weak point? The Elder Root was made of vegetation, designed to be made of shrubbery and wood and somehow imbued with sentience and a soul. Fire could work, but he didn't have a lighter. He wasn't the type. What could he do?
Euclid looked around in the darkness, trying to find something he could use when he spotted a figure not more than ten feet away from him, enveloped in shadow. He tried to scream for help, reaching out a hand toward the silhouette. The shadow replied with a gentle wave of goodbye, followed by a rather large and malicious smile that creeped across what Euclid could only assume was its face. The teeth had shone brilliantly in the moonlight - pearl notes of evil intent.
Euclid tried to scream again as the vines grew taut, starting to pull him into the shrubbery of the Elder Root who, at second glance, had passed away. He didn't understand why this was happening, watching the leaves of the beast turn a beautiful yet ominously deep shade of red. Starting to become submerged in the foliage, Euclid struggled once more, freeing his mouth from the vines and yelling the first word he had spoken since he came into this nightmare before being enshrouded by darkness once more.
"Heeeeeeeellllllp!!!!!"
The glass that held the picture in the teen's locket had broken. Underneath, the photo of Euclid was becoming worn. The teen sighed, placing it back in his pocket and returning to his watch of the sea.
"He's breaking," the teen said, a tear streaking his cheek.
The sound of rushing wind brought Euclid's eyes to open again, and he found himself free of his restraints, but hurtling at a high speed through the atmosphere. He was plummeting quickly. Soon, he thought. I will hit the ground - and that will be the end. As he thought this, he was absentmindedly grasping at the clouds, shamefully hoping that one of them would save him from what looked like the inevitable. He awkwardly shifted his head to look at his target below, but what he found made him more confused than scared.
Coming into view was a large floating collection of buildings. A fortress, he assumed, but the architecture was more proper and less defensive by first glance. It wasn't the fortress like area that caught him off-guard. It was the fact that it was, more or less on its side. It startled him and several thoughts ran through his mind as he came closer to a stained glass window. Then, it occurred to him.
He wasn't falling down. He was falling sideways.
The thought almost came to him a bit too late, but he was able to prepare himself before smashing through the window, sending shards of glass exploding inward towards the interior of the building. His speed had decreased dramatically, though he was unsure how. It didn't matter, anyway, as he slammed into the top of a table, pushing all the breath he had out of his body, before rolling off and crumbling to the floor. His body was motionless.
A few minutes later, he slowly tried to gather himself, rolling over onto his back so that he could survey his new surroundings. There were bookcases everywhere, lined to the brim with various books on a multitude of topics, none of which he could readily recognize in the moment. Chances were that he landed in a library of some sort. Riddled with pain and small shards of glass that pierced just the topmost layers of uncovered skin, he sat up and starting cleaning himself off, clutching his ribs in the process. That impact must have fractured something, he figured.
Eventually, he started to wander around, taking in the surrounding area; noting features, plotting escape routes in case of danger. The image of the shadow crossed his mind again, but he shook it off as he left the library, emerging into a large hall. Down the way there was a tunnel and inside were two silhouettes, slowly growing smaller. He had to ask someone for help, at least in terms of what was going on here, so he mustered as much breath as he could and let out a bellowing yell.
"HEY!"
