The Dark World

When Rey came back to herself, she was sleeping in an unfamiliar bed. Panic tried to settle in, but she had been experiencing the unexpected from the moment she left Jakku, and mastered the emotion with little effort.

She sat up to examine her surroundings. The black sheet slipped to her waist, revealing small breasts, nipples hardening in the cool air. Uncertain who might be watching, Rey quickly gathered the sheet to her chest. The small room seemed to have grown naturally out of raw obsidian. The floors and walls were comprised of octagonal pillars forming a nearly perfect geometric square, like a sentient crystal. She looked up, but the ceiling hid high beyond the undulating shadows.

As she stood, she tried taking the sheet with her, but it would not come free of the stone frame.

You cling to your modesty like it will give you strength.

"You're still here?" she tried to convey indifference to Zildrog’s presence, but wasn't sure if she was successful.

No answer. Fine, she thought. I don't need to cling to my modesty. She set her jaw and stood up, fully naked. A nervous search of the room did not turn up her clothes.

The door, which had no handle or hinges that Rey could see, gave way to the barest touch.

Her small room faced down the length of a long corridor. Not from the left or the right, but longitudinally, from its terminus. With only one direction available, she began what she hoped would be a lonely walk. She listened to the faint echo of her bare feet padding on the stone surface. The stone was neither rough, nor smooth, and emanated a peculiar warmth.

For the first time, Rey noticed there were no light sources and wondered at the shadows undulating as if from lamplight. She wondered at how she could see at all, and the moment that thought entered her mind, darkness reigned.

She paused mid stride, keeping the fingertips of one hand on the wall to maintain her orientation. A trick she had learned scavenging the bowels of dead ships.

Fear battled for dominance, but again, she prevailed. Think, Rey. she closed her eyes to concentrate, a small thread of her mind curious at the gesture when encompassed by perfect blackness. You could see before. You can see now. Just... see!

She opened her eyes and darkness retreated. There were limits to her new vision, it seemed. She could not penetrate the deep shadows to find the ceiling, but she could see at least ten meters with reasonable clarity.

She immediately understood the reason for the shifting shadows. The ****, like fire, was wild. Only her will defined its shape, and instinct did not equal discipline. Hours passed as she walked. But the more she used her newly found vision, the more refined it became. The limits of her sight expanded outward, the undulating shadows giving way to crisp and disciplined edges.

Finally, she could see a door at the far end, perhaps a hundred meters from where she stood now. And just like hers, it was at the terminus.

Why build an enormous hallway leading nowhere? she thought.

No answer from Zildrog.

Naked, Rey moved silent as a Tooka, and crossed the distance swiftly.

The door was identical to her own in every way that she could see. She hesitated, but only briefly—there was no where else to go, after all, no other doors in the miles she had covered.

The stone opened silently at her touch, revealing a darkness so complete even her **** enhanced vision failed to penetrate. She glanced over her shoulder, uncertain what she should do next. If Zildrog wanted me dead, she thought, I would be.

True.

She ignored Zildrog and stepped through the doorway with a confidence she didn’t feel.