Dead leaves crunched underfoot as a girl walked down a deserted path. Chilling wind whistled through the dark trees, slapping at her cheek. She carried a suitcase. She would have preferred it be a briefcase, but what can you do with materials that you get from the side of the road? She reached the edge of a small town, smells of freshly baked food wafting towards her.

She reached a house, knocking on the door. The door may as well have broken it from how much it shook. It opened, a sleepy looking boy answering the door. He nodded, immediately understanding and stepping out of the doorway for her to come inside. She thanked him, careful not to break anything as she lay the would-be-briefcase down, inputting the code 041. The suitcase seemed to think for a second before it clicked, opening on its own with a creak and a blast of dust.

Instead of what luggage you would expect -clothes, jackets, shoes,- there were stairs leading downwards. The walls were a dark red, shadows dancing upon the bricks. What you could see of the stairs was obscured after a few steps, darkness taking their place. The sleepy boy was the first one down the stairs, then was the girl. Downstairs was a maze twisting with stone archways and dirty floors. A thick blanket of mist hung around the area, giving off a musty scent. There was a cell down one of the halls, holding a person that was sitting in a corner, seemingly counting on her fingers. She muttered to herself before she noticed the presence of the boy and the girl, who had taken a direct route to this room.

The girl leaped towards the two. "Prisma and Nariko," She snarled, grabbing hold of the bars. "Oh, what joy it brings me to know that you haven't forgotten me." She cut herself off with a fit of laughter. "It brings me such pain to know that you two have forgotten your headsets." The girl and the boy, Prisma and Nariko, stole a panicked glance at each other. They had forgotten the most vital piece of armor when facing this girl. Prisma swallowed a lump in her throat.

"Nova, you know-"

"I'll have to place measures against you." Nova cut Prisma off. "Before you-" Nova pointed to Nariko, "can put me to sleep." She cackled, waving a hand at the two. Prisma stood still, waiting for a split second to have the inevitable happen.

Two bodies slumped to the floor, first Nariko then Prisma. Their consciousnesses both awakened at the same time in a mirrored room. They were on the mirrored side, as Prisma could deduce from the backward words that read "Quitter's Room" carved into the wood. Nariko sighed, punching the glass that separated the two halves. His hand bled, but he discarded the pain, closing his eyes and turning to Prisma. "The Fifth Layer," He said, seeming bored. "Closest one t' Ithersta, y'know?"

Prisma shuddered. Ithersta. Even the mention of the place can bring grown men to their knees. Ithersta; A place known for its fiery pits and lakes of lava. Sometimes it's recognized in its river of fire, the only thing that can keep spirits alive. Keep them alive long enough to die again. The place where the air is like acid and the ground is made of glass shards. Where you can die multiple times, only to be resurrected once again to live through the horrors. It takes a day to fall down there, even from the Fifth Layer.

"We're getting out, Nariko," She stated, climbing through the doorway of shattered glass. "We can't stay for too long, what with how the laws of this layer of reality warp you." Prisma elbowed the glass, making it bend in on itself instead of shatter. There was an ear-piercing creak as the points and sharp edges of the glass turned away, leaving a mostly smooth door for Nariko to climb through.

Nariko followed Prisma, shaking his head slowly. "Talkin' 'bout how things warp ya, huh? Y'know, if ya don't take advantage of the laws of this universe, it can't warp ya." Prisma looked at him with a frustrated expression. She fumbled to get words out but eventually just spun with a huff and continued to walk.

The two traveled for a while, occasionally happening on grotesque scenes that will not be described because the fourth wall is breaking and the scenes aren't school appropriate. I'm guessing.

Prisma spotted the stairs before Nariko did, bending the light towards them and taking off. Nariko tried to shout at her to slow down, but keeping pace with her and not allowing the Fifth Layer to contort him was taking his energy. Prisma took the stairs two at a time, dissolving the light that she held in her hands. With the light gone, she failed to notice the translucentness of the group of stairs in front of her. She stumbled, but Nariko caught her hand before she could fall.

Nariko tugged her up, taking all of his strength. At the last second, though, faceless shadows took hold of the girl's ankles and started to drag her down.