“Why would you—” Ellie stopped abruptly, nearly losing her balance as she stared ahead with her mouth hanging open.

“This town…” She saw an abyss before her, crumbling rocks breaking away slowly before tumbling into the depths below. In the distance, she could make out what looked like mountain peaks, and slowly the pieces clicked into place. The peaks weren’t in front of her, but below—nothing but clear air stretched for miles between them and the cliff that had suddenly appeared before her feet. “The city is flying.” Her mouth went dry, a sudden sense of impending doom flooding her thoughts. “WHY IS THIS CITY FLOATING?”

“Welcome to Lacrimosa.” Before Ellie could find her voice, the Layan stepped dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. “Explanations later. Right now, we have to get out of here. Just jump—”

“… Jump?” Ellie was still staring at the abyss with wide eyes. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Trust me—”

“Trust you? I don’t even know you!”

“But you’d rather trust me than those things behind us!” Glancing over her shoulder, Ellie had to admit that he had a point. The monsters were closing in, their burning eyes piercing the darkness like demonic spotlights, and the weight of desperation in her chest grew with every slow step they took. “Don’t worry, I’m amazing. You won’t regret it.”

It was just a dream. Nothing could happen to her.

One heartbeat, one blink of her eye—the stranger grabbed Ellie’s hand and yanked her down into the depths.