She walked alone into the dim cave. It was filled with a crowd of people standing statue-still, looks of blank apathy frozen on their faces. An immense grey stone that seemed heavier than the world squatted in the heart of the room.

Each step into the cave was more and more tiring. She felt a crushing weight pressing in on her from all sides. She wanted to scream but couldn’t move her lips. All she could do is press onward, step by painful step.

She felt she could hear the stone speak to her. What’s the point? Great heroes from many worlds came here, hoping to defeat me. They stand here neither living nor dead. What makes you think you’re any different? And even if you win, that’s just one little victory. There’s so much evil in the many worlds, and there’s so little you can do about it. Your work can never be complete.

Its words seemed painfully true. But she struggled in her heart to find an answer, and thought: I reject your reality and stubstitue my own!

A small crack began to appear in the stone.