Darkness stretched out in every direction but there was still a definate feeling of falling. He was plummeting downward. Elein twisted in the air to look around him, long hair whipping in every direction. It was no use, he couldn’t see anything.

Lights appeared suddenly. One moment they weren’t there, the next moment they were. They looked like twin moons that moved toward the young prince faster than he was falling. They grew larger and larger until they were became two luminous eyes that seemed to swallow him whole. There was something about those eyes- they looked familiar-

Elein started at a feathery touch on his face. He wasn’t falling anymore. Or moving at all. He was lying on his back, staring up into a cloudless, blue sky. Squatting near his head, Neff dangled her sleeve onto his face, letting the smooth cloth carress his cheek.

“What happened?” Elein croaked out. His throat felt cold and raw.

Neff stood. “I took you into the Deep Dark. Without you, all of this fails. So try to be more careful.”