D1 Turn Back
A walk through the dark is not so bad if you know where you're going, Mira decided. She turned back down the hall that she had used to find this area, and the thought of escaping this darkness to find a comfortable bed sounded encouraging.
Although she tried to walk quietly, Mira felt that her footsteps seemed terribly loud on this stone floor. Her eyes had adjusted enough to the darkness to mostly allow her to see her way. But as she reached what she guessed was about the half way point in the corridor, she heard a crash from the outer hall.
Mira froze as loud grunts and howls succeeded the sound of more things being broken. A statue near the opening of the corridor was thrown down and smashed. And then a monstrous shape blocked the dim light at the end of the corridor as its form filled the opening.
The massive shape heaved in the dark with labored breathing as it staggered through the entrance of the corridor. Its eyes dully glowed white as if it was diseased or blinded by some mist. Mira stepped back as her breath caught in her throat, but the creature focused on her with that single movement, and it suddenly began to barrel towards her.
Mira turned and began running back through the corridor. The darkness seemed to surround her, and she used her hands to find the walls on either side.
A cry of malice echoed from behind as the monster seem to grow more enraged at her attempt to escape. But Mira didn't look back. She just kept trying to move faster as she saw a dim light ahead … perhaps the end of the corridor!
A painfully strong grip seized her arm, and Mira tried to resist, but she felt herself being pulled back towards the monster.
And then suddenly a strange force caught her up and pulled her out of that space. And in that split-second, Mira remembered that this was what it was like to be pulled from Anaheim.
When the light cleared, Mira found she was standing on an empty street in Anaheim at night. She was alone, and the monster… and the castle seemed to be gone. But there across the street from her was an empty looking Pond, the ducks' stadium.
"I'm back, but why aren't they?" she wondered.
Something brushed against her leg, and Mira looked down to see parchment pages resting at her feet. She picked them up and saw images of her time in the castle. The last one was of some dark creature seizing her just before she vanished, and there was writing beneath it.
You are safe, but the ducks are not yet free.
If you would help them, then you must go back in time and choose differently.
You have the power, but what your choice will be,
We shall see.
It is recommended that you go back to the last point in the story where you had to make a choice (D1 Explore), but if you would like to go back to the Introduction, that is certainly an option too.