Disclaimer: I don't own LOK or POP. Elizabeth was a stock sue-type until she lost her grip on reality.

Wow, this one had a big gap. Luckily I re-read it before uploading it.

Though the path through the dungeons was not long, it was difficult. The smell of aged blood hung in the air, reminding Raziel of happier times in Nosgoth. He decided that if he had the opportunity when he reached the top of this air shaft, he would throw Elizabeth into it just to hear her scream.

Raziel had larger concerns, however. He first had to kill another pack of sand creatures, and then the sands gave him visions of Elizabeth's betrayal. Putting business before pleasure, Raziel knocked away her cradling arms and demanded, "What are you not telling me?"

"Um, a little hint here?" Liz prompted, as she only tended to replay favorite sections, and her memory of this part of the game was fairly sketchy.

"Why were you holding the dagger?" Raziel asked firmly.

Eliza still could not remember exactly what Raziel would have seen in the vision, though she could guess just by probability and basic dramatic reasoning. However, she was more familiar with the scene at the hourglass, and figured that it was possible to avoid having to take the dagger from Raziel.

"You'll hand it to me at the end of the game," Elizabeth said. "When you get the dagger to the hourglass, time will rewind to before this mess started. Then you'll find me and we'll stop a key event and it will be as if none of this ever happened."

"That doesn't make any sense," Raziel said.

"This world isn't Nosgoth," Liz insisted. "The paradox is part of the story."

Raziel checked the dagger and then looked to see that there was more sand available. He was feeling extremely irritated with Eliza right now, and he remembered his thoughts while climbing up the air shaft.

Changing the subject, Raziel peered back down into the well and said, "I saw something interesting in those torture chambers. Do you know what that is?"

Elizabeth started to walk over to see what Raziel was pointing at, but then it occurred to her that he had been checking the dagger. "I don't think I'd be able to see all the way down there."

Seeing that Eliza wouldn't fall for it again, Raziel insisted, "Come here. You won't even know what happened."

Elizabeth whimpered and resolutely stayed near the gate.

With a sigh, Raziel sheathed the dagger and approached Elizabeth with empty claws, a sign of peace. "What's next?" he questioned.

"That is the Tower of Dawn," Elizabeth pointed. "It's going to be difficult, so please, don't mess around."

Raziel nodded in resignation as he went to open the gate. "Very well."

At the bridge, Elizabeth put out her arm to stop him. "Thank you."

Raziel wondered why Elizabeth was so serious with her gratitude, but then she turned and shot down the birds that were guarding the tower. He determined that the birds were the reason why she stopped him, and it had nothing to do with what she said.

In the base of the Tower of Dawn, Raziel noticed a crumbling wall. When he knocked it away, the now-familiar scent of a Blood Fountain wafted out. Raziel turned back to Eliza, who waved him on with a dreamlike smile on her face.

When the red haze cleared from Raziel's eyes, he asked, "How did I get back here?"

At Eliza's blank look, Raziel gestured to the solid wall behind him. "I went in there."

"Oh, the fountains," Liz said as recognition dawned on her face. "They're supposed to increase your stamina. I completely forgot about them." She looked at Raziel. "Did you find many?"

"A handful," Raziel commented wryly.

"I hope it's enough," Elizabeth said as she looked to the circular shaft running up the tower. "We're walking right into a trap."