The sound of feasting and talking filled the ears of Sir Maxwell as he opened his eyes, and found himself in the feasting hall of the Castle of Pharae, his home for so many years. He must’ve gotten back somehow, and the people were throwing this feast for his glorious and miraculous return.

Smiling, he began to walk through the groups of people, who never seemed to acknowledge his presence but talked of his great deeds, acquiring exotic treasures and weapons, defeating evil monsters and saving those in need. One particularly popular tale involved him heroically defeating a creature they called a ‘Lich’. The knight had no idea what that was, nor did he remember how he defeated it, but it must’ve been a powerful, horrifying foe, for it captivated the audiences listening to the story.

Maxwell did not stay long to hear those stories however, for he had to greet all the people he met, and make his way to the head of the table, the place of honor, to enjoy the various dishes set upon the feasting table. Roasted meats, fruits that seemed to glow in the flickering torchlight, jugs and cups filled to the brim with malt beer, this was the biggest feast Maxwell had ever seen, and his mouth watered at each food item he spied.

Soon, he found the chair, but a hooded man already occupied it, a clear breach of etiquette! Such an action was grounds for death, especially at a feast as important as this! Despite the man’s rudeness, Maxwell decided that such a thing would not do. It would ruin the good mood of all there. Further, no one seemed to have noticed the hooded man, so perhaps a few words would alleviate the situation without incident.

As Maxwell neared the man though, he noticed something was wrong. The stifling heat of the room from the roaring fireplaces seemed to disappear, replaced by a cold air that the knight could feel in his very bones. The merry chattering and music died down, as if wax was being stuffed in his ears, and the dim room seemed to become dimmer, the torches failing to drive away the advancing darkness.

Nevertheless, he pressed on, laid his hand on the hooded man’s shoulder, and prepared to speak, when the man looked up, revealing a face fit for a corpse. Maxwell’s planned words turned into a frightened shout as he stepped back quickly; it was the creature from the Forbidden Woods! He reached for his sword, but his hand grasped nothing but air. His sword was gone, and so were the rest of his weapons. Even his armor was missing; replaced instead by a simple, loose shirt and pants. He could not even ask for help from the guests, as they had simply vanished in the now almost pitch black room.

The creature, however, did not have those problems. As the hellish being rose from the chair, it drew a wicked blade that seemed to pulsate with dark energy. It moved around the table and began approaching the rapidly retreating, and panicking, Maxwell, who looked about desperately for a weapon of some sort to use against the creature. A nearby chair was deemed good enough, and the knight heaved the wooden projectile at his foe.

With a swipe of its dark blade, the manster shattered Maxwell’s impromptu weapon, and hastened its advance. While looking for another weapon, Maxwell stumbled over an unseen object on the ground, causing him to fall flat on his back. Before he could recover, the creature was over him, looking down with those two empty holes that replaced its eyes. A wicked, almost sadistic grin was evident as its blade was thrust into the knight’s stomach, causing him a burning, almost unbearable pain.

Maxwell screamed in agony, and suddenly awoke from his nightmare, panting with fear and some exhaustion.

It took a minute for the spooked warrior to recover, head held in his hands, reminiscing on his terrible dream. The cold air, the chair he had thrown, the bite of the creature’s blade, it all felt so real… but as he looked up, he confirmed it wasn’t. He was currently on a soft bed with white sheets, in a well-lit white room with one lantern hanging from the top of a darker shade of white ceiling. The opposite wall boasted a door, made of probably oak, with a bright, golden knob. A small black carpet was at the foot of the door, contrasting with the white floor, which mercifully was the same shade as the ceiling. As for furniture, aside from the bed there was only a simple wooden chair and desk.

While the room emitted a sense of calm and comfort, Maxwell was still very nervous. His armor and weapons were nowhere to be seen, and further, he truly had no idea where he or Brom were. As comfortable as the bed was, he wanted to find his equipment and companion as soon as possible, and figure out where to go from there. Of course, leaving now might not be wise, for as said, he didn’t know where he was, and he could get lost and in trouble fairly quickly…

As he debated the matter, there was a trio of knocks on the door, and there was a muffled voice, from the other side that said, “Have you awoken sir?”

Taken momentarily by surprise, Maxwell said cautiously, “Yes, you may enter.”

Swinging open, the door revealed a small, young boy, probably in his early teens, clad in a white, long-sleeved shirt with white pants and white boots. ’Great. More white…’ Maxwell thought to himself as he observed the boy entering and closing the door. He looked lean, nimble, and energetic, much like a new squire to a knight. His expression was strained, as if he was forcing himself to remain serious and emotionless. Clearly he was new to whatever job he had. “I’m Robert. I’ve been sent to check up on you by the medical staff. How are you feeling?” the youth said without a hint of hesitation.

Maxwell paused, considering this question. He could still feel a light throbbing, but it was nowhere near as bad as he was when he had washed up on that riverbank. “Not bad… considering.”

Robert allowed a genuine smile, and nodded. “That’s good. The doctors said internally and externally that you’re fine, only a bit shaken up and bruised, but I wanted to make sure myself, you were in pretty bad shape when I found you.”

’So that’s who that was…’ Maxwell thought to himself as he recalled the blurred figure he saw before he went unconscious. “I’m in your debt Robert, for bringing me to safety. Now tell me, what is this place?”

Robert’s eyes lit up, and he moved for the chair to sit upon. “I’m glad you asked! This is the Dome. It is an academy for all who enter and wish for learning, be they scholars, mages, warriors, and even normal people. You’re currently in the Infirmary, 1,989th room to be precise.”

Maxwell’s eyebrows shot up. At least 2,000 rooms? That was a massive infirmary… his interest was also increased by the mentioning of ’warriors’. If he could further hone his skills here in this place… the Dome, he could become a far better warrior when he got back to Lycia. That made him realize something.

“Wait, why haven’t I heard of the Dome? I’ve poured through every map I could get my hands on for two years during my travels, and I never recalled finding it…”

Robert screwed up his face in concentration, as if trying to remember something he was told, then said, “Well, you’ll never find the Dome on any maps anywhere. It’s… inter-dimensional or something… basically, it can be reached from any place in the world, or any world… if you know where to look that is, or you accidentally stumble on it, like you have apparently.”

Maxwell did not fully understand the explanation, and was noticeably a bit skeptical, but he decided to ask a pressing question in the back of his mind. “I see… so where’s my horse, Brom? Knowing where my armor and weapons are would be good as well…”

“Your horse is in the stables, He’s fine, don’t worry.” Robert quickly added, noting Maxwell’s concerned face. “He, like you, suffered no major injuries. Only got a bit banged up. As for your equipment, it’s in the closet over there.”

Maxwell followed Robert’s pointing finger to a door the knight never noticed before. It was smaller, painted white like the walls, and had a smaller brass knob. ’These people are really overdoing it with the white…’

Turning back to Robert, Maxwell nodded. “I thank you for answering my questions, now if you’ll pardon me…” swinging his legs to the side of the bed, the knight stood, revealing he was clad only in undershorts, “I must check up on Brom. Can you tell me where the stables are?”

As he moved for the closet door and opened it, confirming Robert’s claims, he heard the young teen chuckle and say, “I could, but perhaps it’d be better if you find out for yourself. May impress your future teacher…”

Cocking an eyebrow in puzzlement, Maxwell turned asking, “What do you mean by-“ he stopped in mid-sentence for Robert had suddenly disappeared.

Surprised and with renewed suspicion, the knight looked about the room and at the single door, but there was nothing. The door looked undisturbed, and there seemed to be no other ways out… “Alright then… vanish. See if I care…” Maxwell muttered as he turned back to the closet slowly, still expecting Robert to jump back into vision again without warning.

No further incident occurred as Maxwell pulled on his clothes and mail, refastened his armor, sheathed his sword, fit his shield on his back, grabbed his war lance with one hand, and tucked his helm under the other arm. Looking at the mirror on the inside of the closet door, the knight nodded in approval, and turned to the door, opening it and making his way out of the Infirmary.

His destination, the stables, was clear, but the directions to said stable, were not as clear. It was apparent this was going to take awhile…