Originally written for Ninjavember Day 11: Land of Shadows.
When Julian was alone, he remembered the Land of Shadows.
He remembered the murky yellow sky that loomed over the whole dimension. It was a sickening color that gave him nausea at first, but he eventually got used to it. He had to, considering he was stuck with it for months.
He remembered the heavy, musty atmosphere. There had always been an acrid stench in the air, though it never stayed the same. It could smell like spoiled food one day and like a corpse the next. At least, he thought they were days. The shifts in the air's scent ended up being how Julian kept track of time. He had no other option. He had his cellphone, but the battery inevitably died after the first three days. There was no sun, moon, or change in light and darkness. There was only the noxious atmosphere.
He remembered hearing monsters' roars in the distance. He was grateful that they were all far away, unable to get ahold of him. He would see their figures in the distance at times, and they looked like they would not be gentle with him. There were times he thought he saw a woman's figure in the distance as well, but he dismissed her as a mirage.
He remembered Tyler. Sometimes, he swore that stone gargoyle head really was talking to him. Other times, he knew it was his imagination. Or was it? He genuinely couldn't tell by the time he was freed.
He remembered being alone.
Every single second he was in there, he was alone. Sometimes he considered Tyler his companion, but most of the time, he was completely isolated on that floating rock. He longed to see his family and friends again. He hoped that they were okay. He wished they were right next to him, but at the same time, he was glad they weren't. He didn't want them to suffer like this with him.
He remembered giving up.
He thought he would be alone in there forever. An empty world populated only by ferocious creatures would be his eternal prison. He would spend the rest of his life in isolation and there was nothing anyone could-
"Julian?"
He snapped out of his trance. The thoughts of that horrible place ran away in an instant. His attention shifted towards the front doorway of the apartment. Randy was standing there, looking worried.
"Is everything okay?" he asked.
Julian stared at him blankly before forcing a smile. "I'm fine, Randall. I was just…thinking."
Randy didn't look convinced; by now, it seemed like he always knew when something was wrong. He sat next to him on the couch and held him close, lightly kissing his hair. Julian sighed, nuzzling against him.
He remembered the day Randy got him to the portal that led to freedom. That was the part of it all he remembered most clearly, because it was the first time he had felt happy in all those months.
He eventually learned it was Randy's fault that he ended up in the Land of Shadows in the first place. But he was also the one who got him out, and either way, Julian didn't have the heart to hold a grudge against someone who had always worked so hard to protect everyone. Besides, these days, Randy made up for all that happened just by staying with him, and that was more than enough.
Every day that passed since the day of his freedom was special to him. Anything the world had to offer him was better than what the Land of Shadows offered to him, and he appreciated all of it. Everything was better, and there were new things for Julian to remember now.