My head was spinning as took in my surroundings, my stomach wanted to empty out its contents and I was at a complete loss as to what I should do now. Looking at my wrist the once transparent crystal of the pendant had turned black, or at least what remained of it did, as it continued to crumble. Looking at it I understood instantly the predicament I was in. Somehow, those runes had teleported me elsewhere perhaps to a much lower floor. One where the miasma concentration is so high just staying here poses a threat to my life. I instantly remembered everything I had learnt about miasma. It is a subproduct of emotions, specifically bad emotions such as anger, hate, sadness, etc. As such the body expels it since it can cause harm to it. Miasma, as is, can force the living into mutating creating evil beings. These beings are far more powerful than their normal counterparts however they lack any sense of self-preservation and only seek destruction. The only saving grace is that evil beings, for the most part, can't survive for long. This is because their bodies collapse after a while from all the mutations and pressure caused by miasma.

As of now the environment I am currently at is filled to the brim with this malicious substance. It's like being inside a room with poison gas everywhere. Thankfully my body like the body of any other living being won't allow the miasma to enter it, that is as long as I have mana. This sets me into a predicament. I need my mana to keep the miasma from invading my body but at the same time, I will need it to fight whatever is out there. If I run out I am doomed!

I tried to relax and think about a solution, however, things wouldn't go my way. From a large crack in a wall, a slimy substance crawled in. Its colour resembled that of petroleum, however, it looked far more viscous. It also bubbled and sizzled as it crawled through the wall, emitting a horrid rotten smell. I could see some bones still being digested floating around its surface. This had to be for sure an evil slime.

I quickly readied my fists as if I could do anything. In an instant, it spat a piece of itself in my direction at an absurd speed. I dodged it whit the minimum output to my overload as possible, since now my mana was the same as my only lifeline. However, that was a mistake. The substance exploded as it passed by my size bathing the left side of my body with it. I felt a horrible burning pain as the acid melted my body, in an instant I had to use a large amount of mana to regenerate causing me to scream both in pain and frustration. There wasn't anything I could do against this thing. If we where outside I could smash it disregarding my own safety since I could simply heal back up but now that was not an option. I clenched my teeth and began looking around for a solution. Soon another shot came and this time I was prepared. I dodged it with room to spare and soon the bullet exploded where I once was, it reminded me of the anti-air defence back on earth.

As I kept dodging, I grew more and more desperate for a way out of this horrible situation. Soon an idea came by, I lunged towards a rock nearby while dodging another acid shot. In an instant, I flung the rock with all my strength towards the slime. I knew that it would try and move its nucleus around to prevent a direct impact but if I used enough force its gooey body would explode leaving the nucleus exposed. And just like I had predicted the nucleus was flung out of the goo as it exploded everywhere. I sprinted towards the nucleus and smashed it against the ground with a powerful punch. Cracks formed on its surface and a yellow liquid resembling puss began to flow out of them.

I was exhausted and my mana reserve had been cut in half from the battle. If all monsters were as tough as this one I would not live for long. I decided to take a break to catch my breath and think about my next move. After a while, I had made my mind, I needed to get out of here no matter what. My mana was constantly being spent by repelling the miasma in the air and sooner or later I would run out. There was no use in staying here I had to find a way out. I picked myself up and began walking through the dark corridors.

The walls were made of deep purple coloured bricks. The lighting was no different as the moss produced light with a purplish hue. I don't know for how long I had been inside these passages as I did everything I could to avoid or flee from combat. I could feel my mana running out, as of now I had about ten percent or perhaps even less. I tried to keep myself calm, panicking would do me no good, especially in this situation. But I was afraid nonetheless, afraid of becoming a horrid monster, even death was more appealing.

My breathing was ragged my sight blurry, I had to use the wall as a support as my knees were giving up underneath me. I could feel my body squeezing the last of my mana as holes had started appearing on my defence. I could feel the miasma entering my body, like a disease, cold and hostile, making me feel disgusted, it felt like bathing inside a pool of rotting flesh and excrement. I could feel my body try to reject its invasion as I started to convulse. I fell to my knees puking a mouthful of blood. It's colour a combination of red with some black and purple in it, releasing a foul putrid smell. Then I heard a voice, at first, it was but a whisper that I could not understand but soon it was clear.

"give up, you should rest and let me take control. Don't worry I will take care of you and kill, kill a lot, and just for you"

The voice was the same as my own, however, it felt wicked as if something had gone horribly wrong. I could no longer keep my eyes open nor could my arms and keens hold my weight. I collapsed on the floor. The cold sensation of the miasma covering and corrupting my body felt like a blanked that urged me to sleep. I was happy to oblige.

"you came again, it might be rude to say this but I am glad. You have no idea how much I miss our little reunions"

Her voice had traces of excitement, however, her tone was filled with an immense affection towards me. It made me happy, for some reason I felt the same way towards the owner of this voice.

"You know, I wish we could be together. I wish I had been better for you. I wish I still had you. I miss you, I truly do, but I guess this my punishment. I know you would tell me its not my fault, but I know it is, even if it's just a little it still is"

Her tone was now filled with grief. Like she had lost the will to live. I wanted to reassure her, I knew nothing about her circumstances nor I knew what she was talking about. However, her words were tugging at my heart, at my very soul. The happiness she felt a moment prior I felt too, the sadness she felt now I was the same for me.

"Well, I shouldn't ruin our reunion with my regrets. After all, you won't stay here for long, but even if that is the case I am happy, oh so happy to see you again"

Her mood relaxed and so did I. There was no way I could understand why this person had such an effect on me but I didn't care. Her happiness was my own, and that goes for every other emotion too.

"It looks like it's time for you to leave once more, I will be waiting for your next visit. Be it a second, a minute, an hour, a day, a week, a month, a year, a decade, a century, a millennium, or any other extent of time I will wait. Like I have always done, after all, I..."

Her voice trailed off as I lost consciousness once again. I tried to hold my grip on it, I wanted to listen to her, even if it was only one more word, even if it was a single sound. I felt that I would lose everything if I were to fall unconscious. I feared, that perhaps, I would forget once again.

Time, how long has it been. I have been unconscious for too long. I felt my body heavy, just like my mind. Something felt odd, out of place. Almost like I was an intruder in my own body. I tried to move, but couldn't. I tried to open my eyes but the result was the same. The only thing I could hear was my own breathing and the soft beating of my heart. Something was wrong, oh so wrong, but I couldn't understand what it was.

"You still exist, and I do too, this is something that shouldn't be, yet it is, weird, yet interesting"

It was that voice, my voice, that once again spoke to me. It sounded just like me however it has a raspiness my own does not possess. Its manner of speech was a weird one however it intrigued me. I could not understand what it meant or what it wanted but somehow it felt important.

"You may not understand, but I am you, and you are me, to sides of a coin that should not be. Its as if said coin refuses to land on either heads or tails and lets both sides be"

Her words made little sense to me, however, I somehow felt they were filled with the truth. I tried to speak but once again my body refused to listen.

"I shall let you be, however, heed my words. when the time comes, where despair fills you, and you desire nothing but blood. I will be there, and then and there you will no longer be and only I shall remain, perhaps the truest of you from them all"

I was finally able to open my eyes. I tried to move and to my surprise, I could do so without a hitch. I looked around myself. Torn dead skin could be seen alongside dried blood. Whatever had happened to me had changed me one way or another. I could feel it. Even though looking at my hand and any other part of my body that could, there was no difference to my previous self. However, I was sure of it something was different, but I just couldn't tell what.