A/N: Thank you for the warm reviews! This is what I call a comeback! xD

Honestly, thank you, old and new readers. I've taken note of the suggestions you've throw to me. This is my approximate take on what Hazins offered; though I already have the part when Daniel arrives to Brennenburg (with a much more macabre touch), I haven't done anything regarding the nightmares, so here it is. This is a bit of a recycled fragment from a story that I had gathering dust around in my hard drive, so I decided to tweak it and add more details to construct a chapter.

To Fan of Games: your suggestion is plain awesome but I don't have the intention of including it in this story. What I will do in a near future is prepare that sort of thing: a story comprised of short stories that will deal with Amnesia but not necessarily with Daniel or characters in the game. I'll have to take inspiration from "Justine" for that. Thank you for participating and I hope you stick around for that!^^

Enjoy the read, people! More ideas are coming.

The white brick road he'd been following had no end and, as he found out after turning around, neither did it have a beginning. He'd been walking idly, aimlessly, just going where his feet would take him along the road. There was nothing of notable importance around him, just darkness: raw, unsettling and all-encompassing darkness. He dared not step out into it, fearful that it was not as kind as it seemed to be. Unsettling? Yes. Disturbing? Absolutely.

Where was he anyway?

Just when the thought of stopping crossed his mind, he caught sight of a door not too far away. He approached it as if an automaton with a strange sense of curiosity. It towered over him, two lions engraved on either side of the gates. There was something familiar in that statue, something he could relate it to, and yet he was at loss. He reached out and tentatively brushed the door with his fingertips, only to withdraw with a yelp: the gates were searing hot despite their ivory colour. Shaking his hand, he angrily stared at the gates, causing him to notice something he hadn't before.

Markings- or rather, a sentence in Latin.

Debitum est nondum pensus.

It didn't take him long to piece everything together. Another gut feeling, this time different, which told him what would happen next. He stared at the gates with eyes wide in horror, backing away a few steps, until his ankle touched nothingness. He managed to regain his balance as he desperately flailed his arms and in despair, he looked behind him: the path was there no more. A heavy weight settled in his chest, bringing him to the verge of tears.

Is this really what's meant to happen?

Slowly, very slowly, he faced the gates, his eyes reading the inscription over and over. Tears finally spill from his emerald eyes and after so long, he collapsed to his knees. He stared on as the gates slightly creaked open, but he saw nothing on the other side: he just felt an overwhelming wave of heat hit him square in the face.

He knew what was coming.

"I just want to go home…"

No… No, it can't be…

"I'm innocent!"

He was shaking like a leaf, paralyzed in fear, so taken aback that by the time he wanted to realize, he was already being dragged towards the door by dozens of hands and even more lashed out to grab hold of him. He struggled with as much strength as he could muster to escape their deadly grip, the scorching air that seeped through the crack in the gates, the powerful stench of death it carried. Burnt flesh, blood, insides spilling out of badly-beaten bodies: every possible image assailed his mind as he got closer and closer to the gates.

"I won't tell! I'll never tell you!"

PLEASE!

"HELP ME!"

But it was not them screaming. And they threw him in the fiery pit.

Like Daniel in the lion's den.

He remembered the dream, but not what happened afterwards.

Daniel awoke, confused and disoriented, and then winced due to the throbbing pain in his head. It took him some time to get back his bearings; when he did, he heard Alexander's voice from somewhere around him.

"Daniel?"

"I'm dead, aren't I?"

"Why would you think that?"

Daniel slowly sat up –realizing he was still in his bed-, then buried his face in his hands. "How do I know I'm awake? The nightmare… it-it felt so real. My God…"

"If you were dead, you'd be somewhere else," Alexander said, a light tinge of humor in his voice. "It's alright, boy."

"The nightmares have got worse ever since I arrived here." Daniel angrily looked out the window. "I don't know what's worse: being sleepless for five nights in a row or five simple minutes of rest! This wasn't supposed to happen…"

"Everything takes time."

Alexander was not helping at all. Daniel found him propped against the desk, arms crossed and a sympathetic look on his features. "Apparently, it's going to take over twenty years to get rid of these nightmares!" Daniel exclaimed with a glare. "I'm going insane, Alexander; I can feel it. Every waking moment I just know another part of my sanity is gone."

"That happens with time, Daniel, and not just nightmares," Alexander said in amusement.

Daniel looked away with a scowl. "I'm not in the mood for jokes."

Alexander had spoken the truth; Daniel simply didn't know yet.

A/N: The translation for that phrase is "The debt is not yet paid"; if anybody knows latin and that's wrong, don't hesitate to correct it xD

If it's not what you were expecting, Hazins, I am very sorry. I wanted to give the last fragment a surreal feel, and damn it's come out weird. I kinda like it, though; I hope I delivered.

Reviews are appreciated!^^