Lilith awoke without opening her eyes. She knew that as soon as she did she would have to get up and face things she didn't want to. The effects of yesterday's shenanigans were pounding away at the inside of her head and she immediately regretted her decisions. She'd never consumed so much alcohol in her life and she certainly felt that truth this morning.

She didn't have to open her eyes to know he was still there. She could feel the depression where he sat on the side of the bed and the heat that radiated off his body as if he were a furnace. She remembered, barely, of what transpired between them. He took off his mask and allowed her to see his face, but she couldn't tell if she were relived or disappointed. She'd imaged something far worse, something obscene and grotesque, but it was nothing of the sort. In fact, it was so not what she imagined that it almost concerned her. He wasn't as…demonic as she had assumed. He looked less like a monster and more like a man. Whether that unnerved her or comforted her she wasn't sure.

"You're awake," he said evenly. Lilith didn't respond or open her eyes in hopes that he would think she wasn't and leave her be for a little while longer. "Lilith, I know you are awake." No I'm not, she thought as if it could be used as some spell to convince him otherwise. "Yes you are. Your breathing and your heart rate changes when you become conscious." Had she said that out loud? Lilith opened one eye and looked over at him. He sat facing away from her. She let her gaze trail up from the base of his spine, over his shoulders and up his neck. He hadn't put that god awful contraption back on yet. She studied the scars that traced around his skull like latticework and wondered if they were supposed to mean anything.

Her outstretched hand lay next to his hip and she noticed a bandage wrapped around her finger but she couldn't remember getting hurt. She looked again across his shoulders and his back. Even as he sat still she could see his muscles wound beneath his skin. He was such a huge guy she wondered if he ever didn't intimidate anyone. She thought about that place he told her about- that place she went where… Lilith felt her insides go cold and a phantom pain all over her body at the memory of the agony. She tried to push it from her mind as she thought about how he knew so much of the place that she realized he had to have been there himself before. She found herself so curious as to how long he'd been there and what all things they had done to him. But, if she couldn't bear to think about her short time there she imagined it wasn't something he wanted to think about either. But he had to have gotten out somehow or he wouldn't be here. She thought of how menacing he was and the thought of him being ripped apart in the pit like she was seemed almost impossible. At the same time, though, she felt so much sympathy for him. It was no wonder he was the way he was. In time, Lilith imagined she would be no better.

Without giving it much thought, Lilith slowly reached out her hand and touched her fingertips to his spine. To her surprise, he flinched. "What are you doing?" his voice was cold. She pulled away and felt much like a child being scolded, "sorry," she told him softly as she brought her hand back close to her chest. He turned his head to look at her, his black eyes seeming to suck out the light from the room. Usually you could always read someone by what their eyes tell you, but that was impossible to do with him. Or Alessa, for that matter. There was no meaning behind them, no soul- just pure darkness. Lilith felt like he was waiting on her to say something more, but she didn't know what to do other than to apologize and hope he didn't rip off her finger. She opened her mouth to say so, but quickly shut it as a feeling rose up from the pit of her stomach. She clamped her hand over her mouth and tried to hold it down. "I'm going to be sick." She jerked the covers off the bed and rolled out the other side, ran into the bathroom and purged the remaining alcohol from her system.

Lilith groaned and slouched to the floor propping her throbbing head up against the bathtub. Pyramid Head stood in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest, looking at her. "You don't have to watch," Lilith snapped, "why don't you-" but before she could get the rest of her sentence out her body convulsed once more and she held her hair back with one hand as her body kept trying to rid itself of all the leftover foreign substance. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and stood up on shaky legs. Pyramid just stood there. He didn't seem disgusted or bothered by her display, but she supposed he wouldn't be. After all the things he'd seen and done a little vomit wasn't going to faze him.

She splashed cold water on her face and on her neck and when she was relatively sure she wouldn't get sick again, she rinsed out her mouth and brushed to taste from her teeth. She bent over, putting her elbows on the sink and her head in her cool hands. It was pounding even more now and even though she knew it was from getting so sick, it gave her an anxiety as she recalled how her last major migraine caused her to spontaneously combust. "Go ahead," she said, "laugh. Tell me how stupid I am for bringing this on myself."

"Well, you did bring it on yourself," Pyramid Head responded evenly, still standing in the doorway with his arms crossed, observing her, "but it wasn't out of stupidity."

Lilith took a deep breath and sighed and pushed past him to make her way into the kitchen, grabbing one of the remaining energy bars from the cabinet, not trusting herself to hold down anything bigger. She would run out of food soon, she thought as she chewed the granola. And it was so much harder to feed Ghost since he couldn't exactly eat canned peaches. She'd started skipping meals in hopes that she could make what she had left last until she found more to replace it, but the impact it had on her body was frustrating. She was weaker, her hands would shake, and she'd get light headed. Lilith worried that these things would end up putting her in a compromising position, but what other choice did she have? She had to make her supplies go for as long as they could, considering she might be here for quite some time. "What is it?" Pyramid asked, now standing in her kitchen in the same cross armed stance.

"Nothing," she responded, popping the last bit of granola into her mouth. It had the faintest taste of honey which reminded her of home.

"Come here."

Lilith looked over at him skeptically, "what?"

Pyramid unfolded his arms and beckoned her over, "come," he said again.

Silently, yet hesitantly, Lilith obeyed, sliding out of her chair and stood before him. She felt herself go rigid as he slowly reached out to grab her. Even more so when he placed his hands on either side of her head and she suddenly had a mental image of him squashing her like ripe fruit flash in her mind. But, of course, that didn't happen. He was barely touching her at all, yet she could feel the prickling sensation at the light contact. His black eyes seemed to bore into her causing her to feel vulnerable and exposed, so she shut her eyes. After a few minutes, he released her. "Does it still hurt?"

Lilith opened her eyes and reached up to touch the side of her scalp where she could feel his touch still lingering. She realized then that the throbbing she'd felt moments ago was gone, "no," she told him, "it doesn't. How did you do that?"

"Tricks of the trade," he told her.

"Funny, I thought your trade was explicitly not making people feel better."

"You have to know how to put people together if you want to take them apart."

"Good point," she told him, going into her room and pulling out fresh clothes. She realized she was still wearing the same clothes she was wearing yesterday that still held a faint scent of booze and smoke. It made her feel rather disgusting so she decided to shower before she changed into her usual attire of pants and a t-shirt. She went and sat on the chair in the living room, lacing up her boots while Pyramid Head and Ghost sat on the couch. "So," she started, "what's it going to be like?"

"It won't be painful as it was last time."

"Well that's good to know," she told him a bit sarcastically.

"It is a big dimension. You could fit millions of your worlds inside it and it still wouldn't cover the entire land."

"You mean hell. Right? This is hell?"

"Yes. It is… a part of hell."

"And the other part of hell is the pit?"

"The pit is what humans are generally referring to when they speak of hell. Torment and agony. Where we are going… it is also a dark place, but it is not the same. It is where they live."

"Just how many demons are there?"

"There are many more demons then there are humans."

Lilith paused, trying to comprehend that there was an entire race of demons that existed. She didn't think of them as actually being a type of race and she didn't think of them as having large numbers. "I don't know if that makes me feel better…or worse," she told him honestly.

"Stay close to me and no one will touch you."

"If you say so," she said doubtfully.

"Are you ready?"

Lilith sighed and rubbed her face with her hands, "as I'll ever be, I guess." She stood up and retrieved her sword, strapping it to her back. She wasn't sure how effective it would be against demons, but something was better than nothing. She felt nervous and she couldn't stop twiddling her fingers. She tried burying them in Ghost's scruff, but that wasn't helping as much as she would have hoped.

Pyramid Head put his helmet back on and grabbed his sword, sweeping her up in one of his arms. "Close your eyes and hold your breath."
"Why?"

"It helps alleviate some pressure you might feel when crossing over." Lilith did as she was told, shutting her eyes and taking in a deep breath, holding onto him tighter. And for a swift instance she felt a pressure, as if she had suddenly been transported deep into the ocean. There was the sound- a rush of fluttering wind that passed her as if birds had zoomed by her a bit too close. The feeling was so immediate, yet so quick that it was gone no sooner than it had appeared. She took in a deep breath, cautiously she opened her eyes then and looked around to see where she was. "Whoa…" she said, staring out at the sight before her. Everything was red. The rocky ground was a dark burnt orange and the sky was a deep crimson red. Far in the distance she could see the skyline with no interruption where the colors blurred together, making it hard to see where exactly the horizon met. Pyramid sat her on the ground and the rocky soil crunched under her feet, small particles of dust dancing up around her ankles. "The Red Waste," Pyramid told her as she continued to look around. It definitely lived up to the name, for as far as she could see on every side of her there was nothing- absolutely nothing. Just red, rocky soil and the burnt red sky. There wasn't even a sun that she could see that would cause the light to look this way. The air felt thick and stagnant but it wasn't hot. As she moved she could feel the air like a vicious substance that she had to exert more effort to wade through. It wasn't much effort, less than you would need in the water, but it was distinctly different to anything she'd ever felt. She moved her arms and waved them in front of her to get accustomed to the density. "Nothing lives here," he told her, "at least not for long and not so far out. Not anymore… We aren't likely to come across anyone here."

"So what exactly are we even doing?"

"The Darkness will be overtaking Silent Hill any moment now. When it is gone, we can return. By bringing you here before it happened we don't have to worry about…"

"Right," she said, kicking a rock and watching it skip away. They started walking, but Lilith wasn't sure where they were going to go since there was nothing for as far as she could see. "So how big is this desert?"

"The Red Waste," he corrected, "would span about…" he thought for a moment, trying to translate the size into something she could comprehend, "three of your continents."

"Damn."

"It is a relatively small area in comparison to the rest of Nether."

"Nether?"

"Or Hell, if you prefer. It goes by many names."

"I thought it would be…scarier."

"There are many terrifying places that I would not choose to venture to."

"There's just nothing here," she told him, sounding more disappointed than she thought she would be. She heard him chuckle, the sound bouncing off the hollow of his helm. He grabbed her arm quickly and she felt her breath catch in her lungs as he transported them somewhere else. "You could have warned me," she snapped before taking in her new surroundings. The ground was still rocky, but the intense red was gone. The sky had faded into a hue of bluish black and the ground had become a softer color of clay. She noticed that before her, off in the distance where the outlines of jagged mountains and there were holes scattered about the ground where a thick, black liquid boiled and bubbled up around the edges.

"This is the edge of the waste," he told her. "There may be more creatures here so stay close." Lilith sprinted ahead and crouched down next to one of the holes, where the black liquid bubbled and hissed and popped. "Don't get so close to that," he said as he caught up with her.

Lilith sniffed and the smell was awful- like oil and tar. "What is it?" she asked. She picked up a rock and was hoping to scrape a bit of it up for closer inspection when Pyramid Head grabbed her by the wrist and hauled her to her feet.
"Something you don't want to touch," he informed her, "it'll burn through your skin." Lilith huffed and chucked the rock away. She didn't know why, but everything about this place made her curious. Like an inquisitive child just discovering the world for the first time. Which, in a way, was exactly what she was.

As they continued the walk, the dark outline of what appeared to be buildings came upon the horizon. Lilith was about to remark on it when the figure of a woman suddenly appeared before them a few yards away. Her eyes were black, (which Lilith took to mean that she was also a demon) her pale blonde hair lay in waves almost to her waist. She was dressed in all white, without a speck of dust on her, despite the conditions around them. Pyramid Head stopped walking, so Lilith did the same, the hair on the back of her neck suddenly standing on end.

The woman smiled- a huge, Cheshire smile with teeth as white as her dress. She came closer to them and to Lilith it looked as if she glided across the ground. As the woman came closer Lily could see her sharp features that looked as if they may break through her porcelain skin. Pyramid Head slid his sword around, cutting through the dirt, holding it out by his side as if he would make a wide swing at a moment's notice. His other arm was placed in front of Lily, as if to create a barrier between her and the woman. The woman followed his arm and took in the sight of Lilith, as if she didn't notice her until then. She didn't seemed concerned by her in the least, however, and turned her attention back to Pyramid. "Haven't seen you in a while," her voice was smooth and seemed to glide past her lips as easily as she glided over the ground, "Executioner." Pyramid tightened his grip on the hilt of his blade. The woman's smile shrunk to a smirk.

"What do you want," he asked her sternly.

"I just came to say hello," she responded in a tone that suggested she had far more mischievous motives. "I've been hoping you'd show back up." Suddenly, with a burst of speed she came to stand a foot away. Lily jumped at her sudden surge, but Pyramid remained firm and unmoving. She definitely had chill bumps at that point and automatically moved a little closer to Pyramid Head. At that point, the woman took notice and turned her gaze to Lily. "Mmm, a new pet?" she asked. "A bit pathetic, isn't she?" She chuckled, "Your tastes have certainly become…less refined. She reeks of fear." Lilith remained silent and still. The woman's words didn't particularly faze her because they felt empty. And it also seemed very unwise. Lilith might be able to knock the blocks off a few unseemly monsters, but this was in a different league entirely. She wasn't about to run onto the field without knowing the rules.

"What do you want?" Pyramid asked again, a little more forcibly this time.

The woman turned her attention back to Pyramid, looking up at him, her head cocked slightly to the side in a manner that felt arrogant. "Your mistress has been hanging around some seedy places lately. My ghouls have been reporting seeing her all over Nether. I found her in my sector, but when I inquired her business, she eluded my questions. There's been a lot of speculation about what you two have been up to."

"And?"

"And I'm curious," she said simply.

"I could care less of your curiosities. Leave us."

"Us," she repeated, raising her brow, "that's an interesting choice of words," she looked back at Lily again, not bothering to disguise her interest. Lily felt like she was being analyzed and it made her feel uncomfortable under the woman's black eyed gaze. "Where are you two going, exactly, Executioner?"

With a quick movement, Pyramid took his arm that shielded Lilith and reached out to wrap his fingers around the woman's throat, his grip tight. Lilith watched, wide eyed worried about what might unfold. Despite Pyramid's grip, the woman looked unfazed and continued to smirk and stare dead at him. "Stay. Out. Of. My. Way." He flung her to the side, but with an unnatural grace, she remained on her feet.

"Mmm, been a while since you put your hands on me," she stated with an amused tone. Her voice suddenly became very serious, "very well. Carry on with," she glared over at Lily with a disgusted expression, "whatever it is that you're doing. I'll figure it out. I always do." And with that, the woman disappeared and all was quiet once more.

Pyramid Head visibly relaxed and Lily heard him release a long, drawn out breath, "whore," he muttered.

"Okay, what just happened?" Lily asked, "Who was that?"

"No one," he said.

"She didn't seem like no one. And she didn't seem very happy either."

"Don't worry. She won't bother us. She just has a habit of trying to meddle in affairs of which she has no business."

He started walking again and Lilith followed. In silence for a while before a thought came to her mind and she grinned at it, "you were a thing."

"What?"

Lilith changed the tone of her voice to a high sing song tenor, "it's been a long time since you put your hands," Lilith couldn't keep her voice or her expression straight at she tried to suppresses the laughter, "on me."

"Are you sure you puked all the alcohol up?"

"…No." She responded and he groaned in annoyance.

As they walked, the world around them grew subtly darker. They came upon the edge of what Lily thought resembled a western ghost town. Some of the buildings still stood, but only barely. Others were less fortunate and nothing remained but their wooden beam skeletons and brick dust. "What is this place?"

"Just a place. A nameless place. There are many of those." Lilith stopped at the edge of the town and glanced around. It was small. She could see the other side clearly. It was so scare, she hardly felt it could even be referred to as a town. She looked up into the side of one of the buildings, at a square black space where a window had once been. It was so dark, as if there was an absolute lack of light inside the structure. But looking at it, she felt captivated, unable to look away. "Is there anyone here?" she asked, without tearing her gaze.

"Unlikely, but not impossible."

Lilith felt a prickling sensation crawl up her back until it reached the base of her neck and goose pebbles spread across her shoulders. And the darkness moved and suddenly she could see through the window the back wall of a room and a faint blue light from inside.

Her heart dropped and she quickly stepped next to him, pointing in the window, "there's definitely something here," she said, slightly shaken. Pyramid Head reflexively wrapped an arm protectively around her waist to keep her close and held his sword tighter as he scanned the wasteland.

Suddenly, the door to the building Lilith had seen the shadow in, opened- slowly, a soft light pouring out onto the dusty ground. Pyramid Head readied himself and held onto the girl tighter. Until he knew what the threat was, he would assume it was dangerous.

The thick air felt hard to swallow as Lilith watched to see what came out of the house. She expected to see the shadow pour out and slither its way toward them like some dark cloud of terrible. So, when a men stepped out and looked over their way with a smile, it took her by surprise. She couldn't see his face, but she didn't think it was what Pyramid had been expected either. The man looked over in their direction, with bright blue eyes she could see clearly from here, and waved, "hello!" he called before making his way over. He stopped a few feet away. He wore a deep blue suit with a white shirt underneath. His blonde hair was cut neatly and his teeth were extraordinarily white. Lilith couldn't help make notice the similar appearance to the woman they had previously encountered. But, his eyes were such a bright, crystal blue. "I have been eagerly anticipating your arrival," he said, before bending at the waste, bowing, in an outdated gesture of courtesy, "the lady and her companion."

"Who are you?" Lilith asked hesitantly.

He stood up straight, "I am Ezeraiem. Though, you may refer to me as Ez or Ezra, if you find it easier." Lilith heard Pyramid Head huff in annoyance under his helmet and let up his hold on her waist. "Ah! So you already know who I am."

"Yeah, I know who you are," he responded, in a displeased tone.

"Who is he?" Lilith asked a bit softer.

"You know the Old Ones we've mentioned- the ones who are responsible for your situation? He's their lackey. The only connection Nether has with the Old Ones. The only one who goes between them to pass down orders or deliver messages." Pyramid Head's tone told her that he didn't like or trust Ezra, which made her certainly not want much to do with him. But, if he knew the Old Ones then he likely knew what they wanted with her. He probably knew everything she yearned to.

"What do you want?" She asked him firmly, holding her heard up, trying to appear as impressively authoritative as she could.

"I seek audience with you, Miss Lilith. We have much to discuss."

"Okay," she agreed, a little too eagerly. She walked toward him and he held his arm out for her and hesitantly, she wrapped hers around it. She could feel her pulse race and she willed it to slow, hoping he wouldn't take notice. She took solace in the fact that Pyramid remained vigilant only feet away.

Ezra escorted her to the doorway, where she could see an inviting atmosphere inside. The image of the dark shadow crossed her mind once more and she bit the inside of her lip to keep herself focused. Before entering, Ezra turned to Pyramid Head, "you will wait outside."

"No," he responded sternly.

"This business is between Miss Lilith and myself, it does not concern you."

"He can come," Lily urged.

"No, he cannot," Ezra said evenly, with a tone that said it was a final decision. If she pressed it anymore, he may leave and then she'd get nothing.

"Where she goes, I go."

Ezra untangled his arm from hers, "then I am afraid-"

"It's fine," she interjected before her could get any further. "It's fine," she looked at Pyramid, trying to reassure him though she knew that did little considering she, herself, was not very reassured. "It's okay, wait here. I'll be back…" she paused and looked at Ezra, "right?"

He nodded, "of course. Our meeting should not take too much of your time."

"Right. So, it's okay."

Pyramid Head was silent for a long moment before finally responding, "Fine. I'll be right here. Yell if you need me and I will come."

"I will," she told him. Ezra motioned for her to walk in first and she did. She turned around and watched as Ezra shut the door. As she heard it click, she felt as if she had been cut off from Pyramid. As if shutting a door put her beyond his reach entirely and eternally. It felt off. But, then again, everything in this world felt off.

"If you would follow me through here, to the dining room," Lilith did as he asked, but was taken aback as she rounded the corner and saw a table covered with the most marvelous display of food she'd ever seen. There was so much of it, she couldn't even make out the color of the table cloth. Hams, turkeys, chickens, fruit bowls, bread baskets, wine bottles, tea pots, water glasses, bowls of soup and so much more. Lily recalled rationing her granola bars for the past week and her hunger made itself known. Her mouth watered, her knees felt weak and her stomach (much to her annoyance) began growling. "Please," Ezra said, pulling out the seat at the head of the table. Slowly she made her way over and sat down, staring at all the food before her. Her stomach told her she should try some of everything, but her brain told her not to touch a bite of it. "Feel free to indulge in anything you like. I've had this put together for you. I know you haven't had much of a meal since residing in Silent Hill."

"How do you know that?" She asked, watching as he sat a glass down in front of her.
"Well, we've been watching you, of course."

"Whose 'we'?"

"My superiors and myself," he told her conversationally, "do you prefer water or wine?"

"Your superiors?" she asked, ignoring his question, "those are these so-called Old Ones."

"That is right."

"Who exactly are they and what do they want with me?"
"All you need to know," he said, pouring a glass of what looked like water in front of her, "is that their word is law. They run things and their wishes are our commands… Would you like to remove your weapon? You might find it more comfortable without it strapped to you."

"No, thank you, I prefer to keep it where I can reach it."

Ezra shrugged, "as you wish. I pose no threat to you, Miss Lilith. In fact, I may be your greatest ally."

"How so?"

"Because I know all that you wish to and I want to help you. I want to get you out of that wretched town," he told her. "Also, I do promise the food is not poisoned. Please, do eat. You are weak from hunger." Lilith turned her attention to the spread before her and picked up a bread roll, bringing it to her mouth and taking the smallest of bites. She chewed it slowly, decided it tasted alright, and swallowed. She could feel the bit of food travel down and nestle at the bottom of her empty stomach. After a moment of no ill effect, she took a bigger bite, which caused her hunger to really awaken and in no time at all she devoured the roll with no regards to table manners. "There, isn't that much better? Have as much as you like. I will be sure to stock your home with more sustenance so you will not have to worry of famine. You have far more important matters to dwell on."

Lilith was chewing on a piece of ham as she looked around the table, "What about Ghost?"

"I will leave some for him as well, Miss Lilith. I am not able to aid you much while you are still in Silent Hill, but this is something I can do." Ezra took a seat next to her and folded his hands on the table. Now that he was closer to her and she could make out more of his features, Lily was hit with an unexpected feeling of recognition- as if she had seen him before, but could not remember where from.

"Why can't you let me out? Why do I have to stay there?"

"You will be able to leave, I promise. But, in order for that to happen certain…conditions have to be met."

Lily wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, "what sort of conditions?"

"Silent Hill was never meant to exist. It's a disease. It has caused a…tear, if you will, in the conjoining dimensions. And that has caused some issues and has the potential to cause even more."
"So, what do you want to do about it?"
"What has been done can never be undone. Silent Hill will now, unfortunately, be a fixed point in the universe. However, there is a way to contain it."

"What would containing it do? And what does that mean?"

"Right now, Silent Hill is constantly feeding. Feeding off energy that does not belong to it. Relatively speaking, it has one foot in our puddle and one foot in the human puddle and we want to give it its own. It will become its own dimension- given it its own puddle. Do you understand?"
"I think so…"

"Good. Please stop me at any point with questions… Now. As I know you are well aware, Silent Hill was formed by Alaisylia- better known to you as Alessa. She entered a contract with the mortal girl for revenge. Not an uncommon practice. However, Alaisylia- Alessa- decided to attempt to split the girl's soul and sent the pure half back into the human world. Doing so bound Silent Hill to the human world. And Alaisylia herself is what binds Silent Hill to our world." Ezra paused to make sure Lilith had no questions and when she presented none, he continued. "By bringing the two halves of the girl's soul back together, Silent Hill will no longer be tied to the human realm. And when this happens, the contract Alaisylia made shall be considered fulfilled, severing Silent Hill from Nether. Do you follow me, Miss Lilith?"

Lilith nodded, running back everything he just said in her mind, "Yeah," she told him a little too uncertainly. "But…what does that have to do with me?"

"Simple. We need you to bring the halves back together again."

"Okay, but, why do I have to do it. I don't know anything about any of this."

"I cannot give you precise detail. You were brought to us for a reason. Brought to Silent Hill for a reason. To discover that, the soul must be rejoined and the contract fulfilled."

"And if it's not?"

"Then you will simply remain in Silent Hill forever."

Lilith clenched her fists. Remaining in Silent Hill forever did not sound like anything she wanted. "So I don't really have a choice."

"It would appear so."

"How am I supposed to do it? What am I supposed to do?"

"That is for you to figure out."
"You aren't exactly giving me much to go on," she snapped. He gave her a sideways look and she made a mental note to watch her mouth.

Ezra stood up and crossed the room, picking up a small velvet box from atop a wooden dresser. He traced his fingers over the green velvet for a moment before turning towards her, "I have a gift for you." He stood before her and she looked up with curiosity. He stared back at her for an instant, as if studying her. As he held her gaze, she couldn't deny the feeling that she had known him from somewhere. His eyes were strikingly familiar, but she couldn't place them. Something in the back of her mind screamed at her to remember, but it was pointless. Perhaps she had simply known someone who looked similar in her old life.

He set the box onto the table and cautiously, Lily ran her fingers over the soft velvet before slowly opening the box. There, inside, on a pillow of red satin, was a necklace. It didn't look very extraordinary. It appeared to be some sort of an amethyst attached to a black cord. She lifted it from its position and turned it over in her hand. The rock felt smooth and cold in her palm. She continued to examine it, but still wasn't able to conclude what exactly made it special. Sensing her confusion, Ezra spoke up, "this gem will keep you from unwillingly being transported into Nether. Or the pit." At the mention of the horrible place, Lilith reflexively glared up at him. "It was never our intention for that to happen. We were just as surprised about the ordeal as I'm sure you were-"

"I doubt that," she hissed.

"On behalf of myself and my superiors, please accept our deepest condolences for such a traumatic ordeal. It was never meant to happen and we will do all within our power to be sure it never happens again," he paused. "It may also bring you comfort to know that those who were responsible for the terror and the pain bestowed upon you are being dealt with. Severely." It didn't exactly make Lilith feel better. At the thought of the psychotic "doctor" and his monstrous companion, Lily lost any appetite she harbored minutes ago. In fact, the food she'd consumed suddenly felt too heavy in the pit of her stomach. Regardless, she took one of the bottles of wine and poured it into a glass and downed it quicker than she ought to have. It wasn't good for her, especially just getting over a hangover, but if it could help keep the memories at bay (or at least, her feelings from them) then she could suffer another one. "As long as you wear this necklace, you will not cross realms." Lilith slid the necklace over her head and stood up, beginning to feel a little too antsy after sitting so calmly. "Do you have further questions for me?" Ezra asked.

"No," she responded, without much thought.

"Then please, allow me to escort you out, Miss Lilith."