The blast from Ral knocked me out; however, I would have much preferred to have been killed. I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it seemed like an eternity in the darkness. I opened my eyes, but I knew I was still in the shadows of my mind. I was still unconscious and was not sure what was becoming of my body. Hopefully, whatever it was, it was painless and quick.

Looking around the blackness of my skull, it was just that, blackness. This world was terrible and something about it panicked me and sent fear deep within my bones. I called out in the blackness, but no sound, other than my echo, filled the void. The same emptiness I felt earlier came rushing back, but this time in uncontrollable waves that sent the panic further and further than I ever anticipated it to be. I could barely stand the pressure and horrible emptiness. Dread, sickening dread, corrupted me and I felt a new form of terror overruling my body, mind and senses. Then, there came the voice.
The voice was deep, a sultry-soothing like tone was about the voice and it allured me so. In the stillness of the darkness, it rang loud and clear. At first, it was a stifled laughter, almost as if it was trying to prevent itself from being heard, but soon rose to a roaring cackle, deafening me; the voice was so sinister with its laugh that it felt like icicles being hammered into my skull, piercing my eardrums.

"Stop, Stop!" I yelled. But it was to no avail, the laughter was too loud or the voice just didn't care, and continued its maniacal laughter.

"STOP! STOP! STOP! LEAVE ME ALONE!" I screamed this time.

The voice cackled twice more and just stopped abruptly. It was quiet again, too quiet. For a moment I wished for the voice to return, or even for the company of Dimir torturers, I was that desperate. However, I wished most for the return of Lili's touch and her gentle caress. No wind or other noises was to be heard in this dark world, and another wave of spastic panic set in, much deeper this time. I pull my knees to my chest and try to get as small and warm as possible. I wanted nothing more than to disappear right now.

Suddenly, a small, almost inaudible giggle sounded back and to my right. The voice had come back.

Mixed terror set in, did I want this voice back or not? "W-who's there?" I said, lifting my head.

"Poor little mind-mage," it said in my right ear.

"Who are you? Identify yourself!" I asked.

"That matters little right now. However, what does, is…your…IDLENESS!" it barked, but this time in my left ear.

"What do you mean?!" I questioned.

"Poor, poor Jace, it was you. This was all your fault this happened to Liliana, the one you LOVE so much. There is no telling what the Dimir torturers are doing right now, is there?" it said, voice now in my right ear.

The voice switching between my ears was a sense of vertigo and rushed my head with a sense of weightlessness and feebleness. The voice, was closer and the sultry tone had returned, "maybe, someone is behind her, hand on neck…" suddenly, immense pressure began to tighten on my neck, choking me and restricting my air flow, filling my lungs with darkness and despair, "squeezing that meaningless spark and pathetic life from her body!" the voice roared.

Deep within the voice I could hear primal rage and fear. There was hate, hurt and anger, everything that human was who had given into rage. Suddenly, the pressure was gone from my throat and the darkness no longer in my lungs and mouth. I fell forward to my knees and coughed, trying to reestablish my breath and level my head. "

Who….are…you?" I managed through gasping breaths and strained voice.

"Just remember," The voice said, and I looked up as the voice spoke, it was obviously directly in front of me, but the darkness hid it well, "I'll always be here."

Suddenly, two icy glowing eyes appeared and matched my stare, looked deep into my soul, winked and disappeared. As the eyes disappeared, a searing pain ripped through my head, I grabbed my head, trying to stop the thoughts from burning, but they continued to course. I began to scream, loud and long. I wanted the terror from my body and gone. As my screaming turned from pointless screaming, I began to scream Liliana's name and my frantic yelling was coupled with a familiar name calling out to me, and shaking my body furiously.

The fervor with which my name was being called increased as well as the shaking of my body, until I was being yelled at to wake up. My eyes snapped open; this time however, I wasn't in my head, but looking at Ral and Gideon. I was coughing up black murky looking water, and panic was prevalent in their voices. I weakly rolled over and coughed the rest of the water up. I hear light thumps as they both sit down and sigh heavily.

"Thank the eternities," Gideon said.

"Thank you," I said, in a rough, harsh tone.

"At least we don't have to explain to Lili why you were at the bottom of a lake and not rescuing her," Ral said, breathing out heavily.

Looking at him with a look of confusion on my face, "Lake?"

Ral gave a slight nod behind him, indicating for me to look behind him. He moved out of the way to reveal a midnight black lake, resting, undisturbed behind us. I crawled feebly to the edge of the lake, and peered into the midnight. It was still and undisturbed, but dark as a demon's soul.

"What happened?" I ask, coldly, turning to them. Gideon dropped the rock he had been fiddling with and stood up, and sauntered over, looking slightly ragged.

"After Ral decided to release that spasm, you got knocked back because you were far too close in the blast radius. You got knocked off the edge of the cliff, Ral didn't notice, but I saw you only moments after you went sailing off the edge. But, by the time I got to the shore here, you had already sunk into the murky waters. It took the both of us and some white magic to clear you from the lake," he said.

I looked to the lake once more, and cool wind swirled around my hand as a rod of ice about two feet long formed. Hesitantly, I stuck the rod in. It slipped in no problem, but as I tried to pull it out, it was almost impossible. It's as if the lake's dark clutches wanted to absorb everything that entered beneath its surface. I tugged for a few more seconds, and the ice rod slipped out of the pool, untouched.

"Damn. How'd you managed to get me out? What did the white do differently?" I asked.

Gideon stepped closer and a blast of white hit the pool, causing the black to flee in all directions as the light hit it.

"Ah, so it's a cursed lake. Splendid," I said, standing, and looking out to the lake.

The water seemed to stretch out for at least two miles, across from us, the other shore visible. Approximately seventy-five meters away, to our right, a column rose forty or so meters up, connecting at a bridge. It was strange how the bridge wasn't visible beforehand, but with an ever interminable fog shifting around us, what is. The fog essentially makes finding Lili ten times more difficult. Each column of the bridge was spread about 100 feet apart, and had the black almost completely covering the entirety of the bottom. I looked to the bridge to see how far it stretched, and through the gaps in the fog, it extended well past the other shore. I looked to the lake surface, and the fog had once again shifted, revealing broken columns from the bridge, buildings and other ruins, that broke the surface, spotting it with broken infrastructure. On the other shore, it was almost identical as this one. Broken columns and other rocky structure littered the shores, indicating that maybe there was once more to this place than just death, darkness and secrets. I looked to the ground, and missed the daylight. Beneath our boots was not yellow sand and clear water, but instead dark grey sand and tainted murky water. A degree of sadness washed over me and I swore after I got her out of here, we will visit the water.
I slumped down on a broken column, as the sounds of shrieks and beating wings could now be heard. I really hope that they weren't Liliana's.

"We're getting closer to the heart of the Duskmantle now," I say looking at the ceiling of our dark residence and hoped that this dark and gloomy hell hole would not be our prison, or worse, coffins. We sat around for a moment, then Ral cleared his throat.

"Tell me something; how is it they managed to stay down here for 10,000 years, unnoticed, until only recently, then the whole ordeal with the maze happened? How is it no one knows the true depth of this guild? Couriers, journalists, archivists? We all know that's a facade, but for what? It cannot still be control over Ravnica, you were selected as the guildpact and the attempts for that control is over. But why, this is the most important question, why take Liliana? What purpose does it serve? What could they hope to accomplish with her? Truly?" Ral asked.

The same question had been pulling at me. What purpose does kidnapping her serve? What reason does kidnapping a necromancer, especially considering that they have necromages at their service, serve? What could they possibly hope to accomplish or do, with her power?

"Ral, I've pondered the same question since I read that Dimir letter this morning, While it may come as a shock...I don't know. I don't know what endgame or cog she can possibly fulfill in their machinations," I told him, taking my chin into my hand and stroking it as I thought.

Ral dropped to his knee, "Never, in the time I've known you, have those words escaped your lips," he ran a hand through his lightning streaked hair, "Jace Beleren, the mind sculptor, mind mage and thought reader. One of the most astute minds on this plane, and the majority of the multiverse for that matter, doesn't know something."

My gaze met his, shock adorned his face. The same thing that raced through my mind, raced through his. For once, in all my life, I didn't have an answer to something. The final realization, coupled with the tiny thought from earlier, that Gideon went through the painstaking trouble to shroud his mind and hide something from me, tells me that somehow, this is all connected. Somehow, there is a correlation between these two, there is a piece of this puzzle that I'm not seeing, something, I'm not connecting.

We rested for a few more minutes and decided to climb the cliff that rested behind us. It was not the same edge that I was blown off, but it was apart of the same ridge. There was so much to this place that not even I can tell fact from fiction. So much treachery, who knows what the Dimir were planning or the deals that they make in the shadows. We turned and attempted to climb the cliff, but with no footholds or clearly defined way to get up, this soon would turn into a problem. However, Ral already had this figured out. He raised his hands and a rocky platform formed underneath our feet. We braced ourselves and he raised us up, ascending the some forty meters up the cliff to the top, stopping just inches from the edge. We stepped off and he dropped his hands, releasing the rocks into the shore and water below. The rocks clashed and their sounds resounded through the cavern as they splashed the water and made a racket. If we didn't get attacked, it would be a surprise.

"Smooth Ral," I said, sarcastically.

"Piss off, Jace," he said. I dug into my pockets and looked for my lens, but it was nowhere to be found.

"Here ya go," Gideon said, holding out my lens to me.

I eyed it and snatched it away from him. How did he get it?, not really caring for his response.
Gideon sighed and gave an annoyed look, "If you think I swiped it off your body, I didn't. It flew from you after you got knocked off. So you could be a bit more appreciative," he said, standing next to me, as I dusted the lens off and put it to my eye. I took a position behind a rock, not to far off from the bridge and began to scan the area.

"Watch our asses this time," I said, not giving them another look.

Gideon sighed and walked back over to Ral. I didn't need to look at them to know they played a Ravnican hand game to determine who was going to watch our backs.

"Fuck," I heard Ral whisper angrily. "Best two out of three?"

"Nope, get to watching, Sparky," Gideon said, coming back to where I was positioned. I was still crouched behind the rock, observing the infrastructure and the bridge. So far, nothing out of the ordinary, which meant no hidden paths, or false buildings. The path we had to take was curvy until we got to the bridge, then that was a straight shot. However, what lay beyond the bridge was unknown to me. But what was most unsettling about this place was that ever present feeling you are being watched. You didn't have to track mana vapors or aether trails to know you were being watched. What it even more disturbing was the discretion and secrecy with which the Dimir watch us, and the disturbing thought that they knew we knew, we just didn't know where.
Gideon's grieves crunched against rock as he came up behind me and there was a soft clinking of armor as he knelt next to me, breathing in sharply as he did. "Well, what are you looking for? Is there anything in particular that can change the odds in our favor?" he asked.

"Odds? No, however I wish. Even the tiniest, minute detail would help, but nothing," I sighed and stashed the lens away, but continued too look over the rock and towards the bridge. "If there were any more paths hidden, it would be well beyond that bridge. I scanned the entirety of the bridge and around us but nothing. So far it seems to be a straight forward path, far as traveling goes, however, running into creatures or people who would sooner want us dead is entirely possible."

He sighed, and picked up a pebble and swirled it between his fingers and looked over the rock. "Well, that's good as news as any," he said. He looked for a few minutes past the rock and looked around. I didn't have to read his mind to know he knew. "Jace...we are being..."
"I know. I counted at least seven a moment ago, but it sees that they have invited, 'friends'," I told him. Continuing to stay vigilant. "Does Ral know?"
"He mentioned it the second we were over there. I think he's known since we got down here.

Remember, this isn't his first time down here," He told me, dropping the pebble. I nodded and looked at the ground. Little thoughts and voice picked at the back of my head. My vision seemed to dim for a moment, and then begin to blacken. I looked at the rock and saw these little ghost like skeletal snakes crawling about on it, as well as my hands and the ground. Many of them were aimlessly writhing about, while others eat the smaller ones. Others seemed to do an entrancing and bewildering dance that ensnared me.

Several of the inaudible voices began to pick up and could now be understood. Several of the voices seemed to be saying, "Ask him. Kill him. Know all. Wipe their minds. Drink their knowledge. Kill your friends," but while these voices were disturbing, the most was the final one. "Join us."
This had to be some sick and twisted Dimir plot to get at me, but I knew I would overcome this. I shook my head vigorously and whispered a silent, "no," to stave the madness off. A thick and intangible fog formed over the bridge, and I turned to see it form a circle around me, and make everything but the immediate area invisible. Suddenly, a hand clasped on my shoulder. I turned, ever so slightly, to view the hand, I wish I hadn't. I knew the gloved hands oh so very well, the brown gloves were worn and stained with blood. Completely turning, I saw the one person I hoped I never would have to see. My worst nightmare had come to light, and the scared child I was, I crawled frantically from the specter to escape, but the rock trapped my escape from my befallen friend: Kallist Rhoka.

"Jace..." the ghoul managed, and he stepped forward, a clinking of bones and rusted armor.

"Why...did...you let...me...die?" he moaned. He approached me slowly.

"Kallist...you're dead! You're supposed to be dead, I buried you!" I said, trying to further crawl away.

"Why did you let me die? Were...we not friends?" he asked, approaching again and drawing his sword, and began to raise it.

"Kallist! Never, never in a hundred years! I loved you, brother!" I cried, tears streaming down my face, my eyes red and hands raised to try and block him. No mana. No shield. I was defenseless, and to top it off, I was scared. My legs felt like anchors to the rotting earth and my body felt like ice

.
"Please Kallist, I can fix you, restore you to your life," I pleaded with him.

"No brother...allow met...to fix YOU!" and with that, everything seemed to stand still, except of course, the sword.

The final plead never escaped my lips, the begging never came. Only the steel, coming down faster than a drake in flight, point first. The blade pierced my gut and the tearing of flesh, fabric and the squelching of blood and organs could be heard as the sword entered my body. The sword continued to rip through, breaking out of my back, splintering bone and sending a resound thud through my body as the sword collided with the ground, sending a shock of pain through the entirety of my body. This was it, my end. Pain, erupted in my veins and lungs, I did not get to scream, only languish in the misery that brought this. I guess i deserved it, and the irony of my executor sent haunting chills as the blackness began to overtake me.

Tears flowed uncontrollably and Kallist's ghoul said, "I'll see you in hell brother."

However, before the darkness' cold grasp could claim me, a hand grabbed my shoulder and shook me, furiously. My eyes snapped open, the darkness, gone. The fog that consumed everything was gone. Only Gideon crouched next to me, worry in his eyes. I looked to my stomach, no sword, no blood, no Kallist.

"Gideon, what happened?" I said, sitting up.

"You, uh, were sitting there on your knees, looking out of it, then you completely blacked out. You were screaming for Kallist, and then shouting 'no' and 'stop!' Jace, are you ok? You've been acting very strange since earlier this morning," he asked, offering me a drink of water from his canteen. 'None of it was real?' I thought as I took it from him and took several small sips from it.

I cleared my throat after the water passed down my throat, "Uh...yeah. I, um, just blacked out for a bit. I'll be fine," I said, returning the canteen to him.

We sat for a few moments before, and as we did so, I steeled my resolve. There was no other time but now.

"Gideon, how long have you known?" I asked him.

"What? Known what Jace..."

"Don't play dumb," I snapped.

"Jace, I honestly have no clue what you are talking about," he told me, trying to keep a cool tone.

"Gideon, do you take me for a fool? An adolescent who has no sense and is blind? Or did you forget who I am?" I retorted.

"Whatever is bothering you, why not just say it? Why are you being so hostile towards me? Ever since we've gotten down here you have been a complete ass to both Ral and I. Ral, I understand, but me? We're best friends! Why treat me as if I'm the enemy?" he asked, very defensive.

"Since you still have 'no idea', what I'm talking about, then allow me to say it plainly: How long have you known that Liliana was pregnant?!" I said, venom and ice to my tone. I met his gaze, and he looked like a puppy who had been caught doing something it shouldn't.

He didn't muster words, only dropped his head. He knew he had been found out. "Jace..it never had been my intention..." he tried to get out, but I didn't let him. I reared back, charged a small shot of mana, and using as much force as I could manage, I swung at him. He didn't see it coming, so it took him completely by surprise as I swung, knocking him to his rear. A look of shock was on his face and a red bruise began to form on his bearded cheek. At this point, I was already standing up, fuming.

"WHAT THE HELL, JACE?!" Ral yelled, obviously hearing the punch, approaching me.

"He knew! He fucking knew she was pregnant and didn't tell me!" I yelled.

"So that gives you the right to punch him? To lay your friend out? All because your selfish pride got in the way!?" Ral retorted.

"It's not about who knew before I did, it's the fact that never in a million years would I expect my friend to hide a crucial piece of information like that from me!"
"How would her being pregnant be crucial? Maybe he wanted to wait and let your wife tell you?!" He said, angrily grabbing my shoulders and shaking me angrily. I shook him off and pushed him away slightly.

"Ral, don't you see? Do you not realize the weight this has? Think about it!"

"Think about what? What do you mean?!" he yelled, still furious about me punching Gideon.

"The reason the Dimir stole Liliana! She's not just one of the most powerful necromancers on the face of Ravnica, but all of the multiverse! She's also a planeswalker! I'm a planeswalker! I have the innate ability to read minds, the child, our child, would be born a planeswalker and there is no telling the scope of the child's abilities. The Dimir wanted Lili to manipulate the child, possibly raise it as one of their own. There is no telling how strong the child could be! Their plan is unfathomable, and the little bit there could even be wrong!" I yelled, tears down my face.

Ral's face revealed that he understand or at least grasped at this information. Gideon's face was like-wise. Shame and guilt overtook him.

"I'm so tired of my personal life and family being a bargaining chip with these selfish fucking guilds!" I screamed, blasting mana, turning a rock into dust. Ral and Gideon both looked at each other for a second, the shock still there. Gideon's face, however, showed the most remorse and regret I have ever known him to have. There was a small shift in Gideon; his barrier on his thoughts was gone. It was like a fire, and I a moth. Greedily, I delved into his mind and read the last two month of thoughts and memories. Immediate regret. I had punched Gideon without allowing him the chance to speak and clear his name. Chandra had unknowingly told Gideon, even after he had sat her down to talk to her, it was just speculation. But, I guess as sometime had passed; Gideon had seen it for himself. How had I been the only one so blind?

Another thought flowed, and this one angered me. I stomped to him, nudging Ral out of the way and crouched before him. I put a hand on his shoulder, and tried to release the stress on my face. "Listen, and please listen carefully," I said as calmly as I could.

He nodded. "I am beyond mad at you Gideon. You hurt me, I would've expect you to tell me, but I know why you didn't tell me, however, that does not constitute me wanting to dispand our friendship. I've lost too many people, and I'm not about to lose you, or Ral," I said, turning to look at Ral.

"Jace...I..." Gideon started.

"Save it. We will talk about this later, but for now I need you. Yes, I'm pissed, but that's all. Would I have preferred for you to tell me, yes, but that is the past. Dwelling on it will change nothing, but make us more miserable in the long haul. However, you need to make this up to me later? Got it?" I said, offering my hand. He smirked slightly and I helped him off his feet.

"You guys are so sentimental it's sickening," Ral said.

"Shut up," I said, "I suppose we should cross this bridge."

"Agreed," they both said.

We gather our wits about us, and began the small trek to the bridge. It took us no time at all to get to the bridge, and we decided to cross the structure with myself in the front, Ral offset to my left and back, and Gideon protecting the rear. We began crossing the bridge, being cautious of our little troupe. It was eerily quiet again, not many sounds could be heard. However, something could be heard in the distance, I hope that it wasn't coming for us. We continued walking and days seemed to have passed in this hellhole. We've probably covered well over fifteen miles of terrain, (including the circles we were going in), and the time has dragged on, especially in part too the times we've stopped and were attacked by those zombies. However, we've, in actuality, been down here half a day or so. ***(should be especially thanks in part too the...)

We have the worst luck.

After resting for a few minutes after covering a mile or so on this bridge, Gideon decided to take the lead, myself in the middle. He suddenly stopped, and raised his hand, indicating for us to stop. "What's wrong Gideon?" I asked.

"I hear wing beats, do you hear them?"

"There are no blasted...wings?" Ral began, but soon I knew he heard, because I heard them. Suddenly, the beating of wings pounded and tore through the air. But, it wasn't just one set of wings. The beat was at first four pairs, then six, eight, ten pairs of wings and more and more just kept adding to the swarm. I turn my eyes to the sky to try and pinpoint the sound of the wings. Terror resounded in my body at the mass of horrors. I looked as a giant Nightveil specter, followed by several smaller ones and thousands of tiny horrors swarmed, and rapidly approached us.

But that didn't stop my companions, before I knew it a bright beam of light and several bolts of lightning flew past me on either sides. The blasts knocked several dozen out of the air, but not enough to make a differnce to the entirety of the swarm. They swarm fast approached and released a black cloud from then and it made it's course to us.

"DUCK!" they both yelled, hitting the ground, putting their hands up to defend themselves. "Poison, get back!" I yelled, summoning my mana. It was stronger this time around, pulsating through my veins, and I dispersed a giant blanket of protective fog to protect us from the assault. The poison hit the fog with devastating force, and it absorbed much of the attack. There was, however, much of the poision missiles left on the side, but I summoned several drakes of varying sizes to absorb the rest of the poison. Only one of my drakes fell from that, and the rest took off to destroy the horrors. Soon, the sky above us turned into a battlefield, poison, water and the sounds of screeching and drake roars filled the eerie undercity.

Unfortunately, these weren't our only adversaries. As my wall of fog dispersed, at the far side of the bridge, (the direction we had come from), several hundred zombies, vampires and other horror-creatures filled the bridge. "Guys..." I said, not sure if they saw the forces coming to slaughter us. I pulled on my aether ties to other worlds and the mana, and illusions, wizards and other sea-like creatures began to pour through the entrances and get ready to strike. I turned to see my allies had already taken to their 'armies'.

Ral Zarek was channeling intense amounts of lightning and storm clouds and the flash of lightning and clap of thunder added to the chaos. He apparently had summoned goblin crews to assist from the Izzet, and they had or almost already constructed siege machines on the mile wide bridge. Goblins were chattering and speaking to each other and Ral furiously, sending flaming rocks and even some of themselves into the horrors. Several bursts of fire ad rock hit successfully into the swarm. Screeches of flaming horrors and molten skin flew apart like shrapnel. Ral raised his hand to signal another volley from the goblin crews, and he himself began throwing lightning bolts like there was no tomorrow.

Gideon, on the other hand, had dropped to one knee and appeared to be saying a silent prayer of sorts. Suddenly, there was a burst of bright white light and the symbol of the Boros began to burn above Gideon's head momentarily, then a reddish-white aura swirled around him and he stood up. The aura kept growing and Gideon began to rise, two giant red and white spectral wings extending from the aura. A fiery burst of light ignited in his shield arm hand as a long gold curved spectral sword formed in it. He cracked his whip, and several emblazoned Boros troops appeared from the aether trails. There were soldiers from all the races and sizes, standing at attention. Gideon looked at me, eyes afire with divine power, "It's a blessing from Aurelia. I called to her for assistance, and it appears that she has decided to fully accept me as an equal among her commanders and angels."

He flew up higher and raised his sword, the spirit troops of his did the same. "Give them no mercy! Make them regret their dissension into corruption!" Gideon roared, his troops responded to the roar and drew their swords, taking a full double time to the enemy. The red-white spirits of war was truly impressive and inspired me. I turned towards the battle and was about to give the command for my troops to advance, attempting to join the lightning, light, fire and darkness swirling on the air and ground, but Gideon flew in front of me.

"No, Jace, you must continue, we can handle this," he said, his voice echoing with divine might.

"No, I'm helping you," I told him and began to rush towards the battle, taking in a full on sprint. However, I didn't get very far, as Gideon had flew way ahead of me, turned around and yanked me up by my cloak, flying at incredible speeds with me.

"NO! DAMN YOU GIDEON!" I yelled.

"No Jace," he said, as he flew me to a building that resided just beyond the fog, not too far from where we were originally attacked. We had almost reached the end and didn't even know it. He accelerated, dodging poison missiles and the snapping of horrors, and threw me into the open door of the building. I landed with a hard thud, rolling on the broken floor. I didn't let that stop me; I got up and tried running back through the doorway, but I was stopped dead in my tracks. Gideon had already erected a barrier. I pounded on the barrier, watching the carnage from the other side, tears streaming down my face.

"Let me out now! I'm not going to abandon you guys!" I screamed, now punching the barrier.

"Jace, I have once destroyed an entire plan and fought several armies on my own. This is nothing," he said, divine voice echoing, his spectral wings flapping.

"So! What if you..."

"Go rescue Liliana." He said, cutting me off. He turned, and accelerated with unbelievable speed and blasted several horrors and other vampires into dust.

There was nothing I could but watch him fly away. The tears flowed, would I ever see my friends again? Will I get to joke with them and laugh and cut the fool with them? My head and hands dropped, and I backed away from the barrier. I had no choice, I had to continue down this path and find her.

Just as I turned around, the sound of stone colliding with stone could be heard. I turned, startled, to see that a stone door had replaced the entrance, completely blocking my path now. I looked at the stone, and the Dimir spider formed, the eye snapping open and staring at me. Of course, Lazav. Somehow, I could picture him, laughing his ass off at my patheticness. The image of him laughing, set a deep anger in me. I furiously summoned the sword from the aether, and made several slashes at the Dimir spide, defacing it. Three long slashes now were etched in the rock.

"Hope you're enjoying yourself, bastard," I said as I walked away.

I continued walking down the hallway, which opened to a rotunda of sorts, pictures on the wall depicting several of the guild's symbols. These must be from old Ravnica, the early days. I didn't care to stop at this point, I had one job, and that was to save Liliana.

Walking down the remainder of the dark hallway, I tried to ignore the madness picking at the back of my head. I almost blacked out a couple of times, but I would summon small little bits of water or other sealike illusions to help keep my head straight. The hallway didn't continue for much longer. Soon, I entered into a lit area. I wish I hadn't.

The lit area extended to an edge, and the edge overlooked a structure of sorts that was blanketed by fog. It seemed to stretch for miles due to the fog, but I could see a tower not to far from now. The heart of the Duskmantle. Where Lazav himself and the higher ups of the Dimir reside. With that little bit in mind, I knew that this was maybe a mile or two long, maybe. However, I didn't to see it all to know what lay in front of me.

It was a giant maze, and I was to traverse it.