Two weeks had passed since Orbeck and Zoey had bid Velarious farewell. They were now along a road of silver, that lead out of Irithyll. Orbeck lead them up through a nearby mountain pass to the north. Here Zoey caught a glimpse of silver crusted grass and flowers. The frost of the Boreal Valley drifted far across the plains of the world, and within the moonlight they shimmered like starlight. Zoey was enthralled by the beauty of the frosty grounds.

After a few days the two came to the borders of a forest. Up upon the horizon say the high walls of Lothric. It sat under black clouds sending a shiver down Zoey's spine. Orbeck and Zoey rested under a nearby tree and stayed as darkness surrounded them. There upon the cradle of trees Zoey made a fire, with ease of course, and ate a hearty meal. Their rations were getting low and they were relieved to see the city getting closer.

"Orbeck,"

Zoey said after a brief moment of silence. Orbeck took his gaze from the stars and placed it upon her.

"What will you do when we reach the city,"

she asked. She looked at him and continued,

"When I have reached the prince I mean, where will you go?"

"I know not," replied Orbeck, "I have often thought of continuing my search for Scrolls and sorceries. I never considered the amount of time it will take you to reach the prince."

Orbeck pondered a moment, returned his gaze to the sky and lie next to Zoey replying to her question,

"I shall wait. I can find others to teach and study the architecture of the city until you return."

At this Zoey was pleased. She hardly expected this answer, though she hoped for it. She removed her hood and Orbeck looked upon her fair face. A smile crept over her lips and she too laid down, next to Orbeck. She scooted closer to him and together they stared into the night sky. Both were content and happy. Their hands met and embraced. Between them the bond of pyromancy and sorcery was strong and deep. They fell into a slumber of great dreams. Dreams of far off lands and ancient times. As night fell around the two bonded lovers, so did other things.

Zoey felt pain. She felt stretched and various parts of her were wet. Opening her eyes revealed a dim orange light and blurry vision. Above her was a horrible sight. As her vision cleared she discovered her body was stretched out on a table. She was shackled in a torchlit dungeon and hanging above her, stretched out upon a similar table, was Orbeck. His throat was slit and he wore no clothes revealing many gashes. Zoey was appalled and had no words to speak. The horror in front of her had shocked her to the core. She wanted to scream as Orbeck's limp body dangled above. A laugh came into the room. It was raspy and maniacal. Zoey looked around the room, mostly to not look at Orbeck, but saw no one. The maniacal voice then spoke.

"Pretty woman. From the southern dunes I see. A pity you should be here suffering aye?"

The voice let out another laugh and Zoey's heart now felt angry. She spoke with harsh words,

"Show yourself so I may smother you in fire."

There was silence. Minutes later the voice produced a response,

"Oh I see. She has a draw towards him. Too bad he no longer exists within the world. Not that it matters. The world is crumbling and soon the bells will toll. But now my pleasantries will occur. Your suffering is quite amusing my dear and may I say, you are a pretty one."

Another long drawn out laugh came from the shadows along with something Zoey wasn't expecting, a hand. It came from the shadowy void surrounding her. The long fingers stretched out in their bony fashion. The skin was grey and many strange growths protruded from the palm. Zoey squirmed and was reluctant to let this hand get close to her. Her efforts were thwarted as the fingers ran across her stomach and through a small pool of blood before receding into the shadows. She felt sick and closed her eyes.

There came a strange sound and gust of wind. Zoey opened her eyes again and saw that the room was now pitch black. She was in a void upon a table. She looked above her and noticed Orbeck's body was gone along with the blood. Her shackles were removed and a lone torch revealed an open door leading to a long hallway. Standing in the hallway was Orbeck and he held a blue light in one hand and a fire of rage in his eyes. Zoey called out to him,

"You're alive!"

Orbeck turned to her and responded,

"Yes. But at first I thought I wasn't. I was drifting in a void. You were but a distant memory that I could not reclaim. But then a laugh came and I remembered what happened. You fell to slumber and we were put under a spell. We are trapped my dear."

Zoey was shocked.

"A spell," she said winded with surprise, "but this feels so real. How could such power exist?"

"''Tis the work of someone from my past,"

Orbeck stated as he took Zoey's hand,

"Come with me and I'll explain."

The two left the room and began making their way through a labyrinth of dimly lit cobblestone walls. The two had to guess at which direction to go.

"All I can say of this entity, is this. He is a demon of ancient times," Orbek stated, "he has an evil will towards me for some reason. Ever since I was a child I've had repeated visits from whom I call the Illusion Master. But never was it this bad."

Orbeck halted for a moment when both he and Zoey heard something. It was the sound of water, a small stream trickling behind them. They turned around and noticed they were no longer in a deep dungeon. Before Zoey and Orbeck was a large pillar amongst a small field of grass. They were now on top of a mountain within a grassy null. The chilled wind blew swiftly from a black sky with no sun. Yet bright was the null and ground about their feet. The familiar laugh came from the void once more and the shrill voice spoke again.

"My my. Orbeck has grown in power since we last met. How lovely. Now my time has come to take what is mine. You owe me sorcerer and I will destroy all you hold dear in the world until you fulfill your end of the bargain. Until I get what I need you will be stuck here in limbo with me."

At this Orbeck replied angrily,

"My end was fulfilled creature quit your pestering of me and leave me be."

The Illusion Master laughed in anger and near a white stone Zoey noticed a black mist begin to form. It clumped just above the stone and she nudged Orbeck in the side. When he looked at her he caught what she saw. Looking at the mist his fingers emitted a blue and white aura. Zoey was enraged and also frightened. Her fingers began to trickle with fire and she readied herself for the worst. But she was also concerned for Orbeck. When did the Illusion Master strike a deal with Orbeck? What was this 'price' that was owed. For now she put these thoughts aside as the mist began to take shape. Out from the mist came the very same hand that touched her earlier. This was it. These next few moments would reveal their fate along with a lost demon of ancient days.