In spite of the flames all around him, the path grew darker the higher Rein climbed...as if the ebon sky slowly swallowed the mountain.
He'd been climbing for...he didn't know how long. His legs ached. His lungs burned from exertion and the acrid stench of smoke. He was desperate for water to soothe his throat, but there'd been none for hours. When he'd swallowed the last few precious drops, he'd barely been able to feel them going down.
Over the past weeks the once gray sky of the dream world had gone dark. Where once scraggly trees had jutted up from the mountain ridges and ravines, now only dead, charred sticks remained. And instead of angry rainstorms and ankle deep mud, the hot dry air made his skin c***k.
Today--or was it yesterday?--or maybe both, he'd watched everyone he care
