The three friends stood in stunned silence, surrounded by the endless darkness of Eldrida. The only sound was the soft crunch of gravel beneath their feet. They had been standing there for what felt like hours, trying to wrap their minds around their situation.
Finally, Ryan broke the silence. "We're really stuck here, aren't we?" he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Gabriel nodded, his eyes scanning the darkness. "I don't see any other option. Our hotel room, the robots... everything's gone."
Alex shook his head. "Annet Lee, the Dreamwalker... she's the least of our concerns now."
Ryan's eyes locked onto the darkness ahead. "We need to keep moving. Standing still won't get us anywhere."
Gabriel nodded in agreement. "But which direction? We have no idea where we are or where we're going."
Alex sighed. "Does it matter? We're in Eldrida. There's no light, no landmarks... just darkness. We might as well just walk."
Ryan took the lead, his footsteps echoing through the void. "Let's move. We'll figure it out as we go."
Gabriel and Alex followed close behind, their footsteps synchronizing with Ryan's as they trudged forward into the unknown.
As they trudged through the darkness, the only sound being the crunch of gravel beneath their feet, the air clung to them like a damp shroud. The dust was suffocating, coating their skin and clothes like a second skin, making every breath feel heavy and labored.
Stumbling and falling became a regular occurrence, their hands and knees scraping against rough stones that seemed to appear out of nowhere. The darkness was absolute, a living entity that wrapped itself around them, making it impossible to see more than a few inches in front of them.
Time lost all meaning as they walked, their sense of hours and minutes distorted by the endless darkness. They could have been walking for hours, or days, or even weeks – they had no way of knowing.
But despite the uncertainty and the danger, they found comfort in each other's presence. The three of them were together, a tiny island of familiarity in a sea of darkness. And for now, that was enough.
As they rounded a bend in the desolate landscape, a faint glow appeared in the distance, nestled at the base of a towering mountain. The light was soft and warm, a beacon of hope in the otherwise bleak surroundings.
"Guys, look!" Ryan exclaimed, his voice barely above a whisper. "Do you see that?"
Gabriel and Alex followed his gaze, their eyes locking onto the light. "What is it?" Gabriel asked, his brow furrowed in curiosity.
"I don't know," Alex replied, "but it looks like... a village or something."
Ryan's eyes sparkled with excitement. "We have to go there. We have to see what it is."
Gabriel nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's our only hope. We can't just keep walking in the dark."
Alex's voice was filled with determination. "Let's go. We'll figure out what it is and see if we can find any help."
Together, the three friends began their descent towards the light, their hearts filled with a mix of hope and trepidation. As they walked, the light grew brighter, illuminating the rugged terrain and casting long shadows behind them.
As they drew closer to the light, their hearts beat with a mix of excitement and desperation. They were hoping against hope that the people in the village would know a way back home, that they could provide a map or a guide to lead them out of this desolate place.
But deeper down, they were all thinking the same thing: that this was all just a terrible dream, a never-ending nightmare that they could wake up from at any moment. They were hoping that if they could just find a way back home, they could wake up in their own beds, surrounded by the familiar comforts of their own world.
Gabriel voiced their collective thoughts, his words barely above a whisper. "Do you guys think... do you think this is all just a dream? That we'll wake up and it'll all be over?"
Ryan and Alex exchanged a hopeful glance, their eyes shining with a desperate longing. "I hope so," Ryan said, his voice trembling. "I really, really hope so."
Alex nodded vigorously. "Me too. Let's just find a way back home and wake up from this crazy dream."
As they entered the village, they were met with an eerie silence. The light they had seen from afar came from a series of torches that lined the main street, casting flickering shadows on the ground. But there was no sign of life, no sound of voices or movement. The village seemed deserted, leaving the three friends to wonder if they were truly alone in this desolate world.
They stood in the center of the village, their voices hoarse from shouting. "Hello! Is anyone here? Can anyone help us?" But their cries were met with silence.
The only response was the creaking of old wooden buildings and the flickering of the torches, casting eerie shadows on the ground. It was as if the village itself was mocking them, taunting them with its emptiness.
And then, without warning, they sensed a presence behind them. Shadows seemed to coalesce into figures, looming over them like specters. The three friends spun around, but it was too late.
A dark, formless mass seemed to envelop them, extinguishing the light and snuffing out their consciousness. They felt themselves being pulled down, down into a deep, dark abyss, with no escape in sight.
And then, everything went black.