Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap…


click "32 paces, turn to the left." click


Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap…


click "18 paces, and you're not gonna believe this—another stupid right." click


Sarah begrudgingly felt her way through the dark and barren passages of Level 6. The bleak halls had no bearing on her brash disposition.


ᚺ ᛟ ᛞ ᚱ waits.


"Oh Sarah, you should check out this dark, spider-filled room with no lights.


Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap…


"Why are you late, Sarah? We told you to meet us in the blue hallway."


Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap…


click "12 paces, the floor kinda slopes down a few degrees as you make the left—sorta diagonally one or two paces. The terrain, of course, has not felt any different the past thirty thousand fuckin' steps." click


Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap…


"Oh, yeah, sure. A big, spooky level where we can't see anything. Let's get the blind chick to map it… idiots."


Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap…


"Well, I guess this isn't so bad…"


Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap…


"… only thing you'll die of here is boredom."


One hour turned to two, three to four. Every turn was noted in the small recorder in her left hand, her cane gripped in the right—venting half-hearted woes into a muted void.


ᚺ ᛟ ᛞ ᚱ waits.


Tap… Tap… Tap…


"I wonder what everyone else is up to…"


Tap… Tap…


"Probably messing around, like usual."


"Tap…"


click"Five paces, another left… it feels like the turns keep coming sooner. Too many lefts—but it's not a circ— fuc—"



Sarah felt the cane tip pass through the floor, but she would not stop in time.

The whispers of churning waves woke Sarah as the wind whipped water across creaky wooden boards.


"W-why the hell am I wet?"


A bygone sensation bore down on Sarah as she swiftly got to her feet.


"Where am….


"I"…."


"I"…."


"I CAN SEE!"


Tears streamed down her face. With her heart racing and breathing shallow, her fatigue blew away like grains of sand. For the first time in what she could only describe as forever, Sarah could see.


"This island, the waves, the fuckin' moon— I can see it all!"


She was in a small wooden longboat, with dusty oars scattered across a weathered deck; black wind-ravaged sails tattering the night sky. Sarah took in her surroundings.


"I must be dreaming…"


Marooned on the smallest of what one would call an island. The trees were slick, oily, and withered things; limp leaves weeping with the weight. Tangled vines of mistletoe strung taut across the canopy. She stumbled off the side of the old boat, feet sinking gently in the warm sand.


"This is incredible; wait until they—shit, I must've dropped the recorder when I fell through…"


Sarah looked back at the boat and down to her feet, searching needlessly for something simply not there. She turned west. A broken, imperfect moon hung across a never-ending sea. Sarah knew.


"Oh, right. I guess I won't be able to show them what I found."


ᚺ ᛟ ᛞ ᚱ approaches. Her head twitched as its name stung her mind.


She turned and met its hollow gaze, awestruck. A tangled abomination of writhing flesh and flora, a scar on reality itself. Old, older than old, a forgotten thing, no man would dare to call it a god. Not anymore.






Sarah waits.

"ᚹᛟᚱᚱᛁ ᚾᛟᛏ, ᚹᛖᚱᛁᚲ ᚺᛁᛚᛞ"

Worry not, weary child.

"You look like you would know something, why the hell can I see here?!"

"ᚨᛚᛚ ᚹᚺᛟ ᚹᚨᚾᛞᛖᚱ ᚦᛖ ᛞᚨᚱᚲ ᛒᚨᚱᛖ ᚹᛁᛏᚾᛖᛊᛊ ᚺᛖᚱᛖ"

"All who wander the dark bear witness here."

"That… sounds sorta ominous."

"ᚨᛚᛚ ᚹᚺᛟ ᛊᛏᚨᚾᛞ ᚹᛁᚦ ᚦᛖ ᛒᛚᛁᚾᛞ ᚷᛟᛞ ᛗᚨᛁ ᛊᛖᛖ"

"They who stand with the blind god may see."

"You've got a real… 'unique' way of talking. Is there anyone else here with you? I've got some friends back… well, out there, I guess."

"ᚾᛟ. ᛖᛟᚾᛊ ᚨᚷᛟ, ᛟᚾ ᚨ ᛞᚨᛁ ᛁᛖᛏ ᛏᛟ ᚲᛟᛗᛖ. ᛁᛟᚢ ᚨᚱᛖ ᚺᛖᚱᛖ ᚾᛟᚹ, ᚲᚺᛁᛚᛞ."

"No, child. In this cycle, YOU are here.

"Yeah, looks like I am…"




They stood in silence, the waves crashing on the pale beach punctured the peaceful hush.

"ᚾᛃᛟᚱᛞ×ᛊ ᚷᛁᚠᛏ, ᚨᚾ ᛖᚾᛞᛚᛖᛊᛊ ᛊᛖᛖ. ᛖᚢᛖᚱᛁᚦᛁᛜ ᚨᚾᛞ ᚾᛟᚦᛁᛜ. ᚨᛚᚱᛖᛞᛁ ᚺᛖᚱᛖ, ᛒᚢᛏ ᛁᛖᛏ ᛏᛟ ᚲᛟᛗᛖ."

"Njord's gift, an endless sea. Cruel and Kind, Everything and Nothing. Already here, but yet to come."

"It's beautiful."






"If I leave this place, would I still be able to see?"

"ᛏᚺᛁᛊ ᛁᛊ ᚾᛟᛏ ᚨ ᛈᛚᚨᚲᛖ ᛟᚾᛖ ᛊᛟ ᛖᛊᛁᛚᛁ ᚹᚨᚾᛞᛖᚱᛊ ᚨᚹᚨᛁ ᚠᚱᛟᛗ"

"This is not a place one can so easily wander away from on a whim."

"I never said I wanted to leave. I just wish I could show them… I know they're jerks sometimes, but we came so far together. I want—"

"ᚺᚨᚢᛖ ᛁᛟᚢ ᚾᛟ ᚠᛖᚱ ᚲᚺᛁᛚᛞ? ᛗᛁ ᚢᛁᛊᚨᚷᛖ ᛁᛊ ᚾᛟᛏ ᛟᚾᛖ ᛁᛟᚢᚱ ᚲᛁᚾᛞ ᚲᚨᚾ ᚾᛟᛏ ᛖᛊᛁᛚᛁ ᛒᚨᚱᛖ"

"Have you no fear, child? My visage is not one your kind can easily bear."

"I'm not gonna lie… you're probably the most beautiful thing, I have ever fuckin' seen. I've been blind since I was a kid; you're the first person I've seen since. This is honestly amazing."

"ᛁᛟᚢ ᚺᚢᛗᛟᚱ ᛗᛖ ᚲᚺᛁᛚᛞ. ᛁᚾ ᚨ ᛞᛁᚠᚠᛖᚱᛖᚾᛏ ᛚᛁᚠᛖ ᚦᛖ ᚺᚨᛚᛚᛊ ᛟᚠ ᚢᚨᛚᚺᚨᛚᛚᚨ ᚹᛟᚢᛚᛞ ᛊᛁᛜ ᛈᚱᚨᛁᛊᛖ ᛟᚠ ᛁᛟᚢᚱ ᚠᛁᚱᛖ."

"You humor me. In a different cycle, the halls of Valhalla would sing praise of your fire."

"Who are you, anyway? Did you fall down here too?"

"ᛁ ᚨᛗ ᚺᛟᛞᚱ. ᛏᚺᛟᚢᚷᚺ, ᛁᛟᚢᚱ ᚲᛁᚾᛞ ᚺᚨᚢᛖ ᚷᛁᚢᛖᚾ ᛗᛖ ᛗᚨᚾᛁ ᚾᚨᛗᛖᛊ: ᚼᚬᛏᛦ, ᚽᚭᛐᛧ, ᚻᚩᛞᚱ… ᚦᛖ ᚠᛟᛟᛚ."

"I am ᚺ ᛟ ᛞ ᚱ. Though your kind has given me many names: Höðr, Hod, Hoder, the Blind God, the Eyeless Son, Slayer of Baldr… The Fool."

"Sounds pretty impressive… So why are you here?"

"ᛏᚱᛁᚲᚲᛖᛞ, ᛒᛖᛏᚱᚨᛁᛖᛞ, ᚦᛖ ᛚᛟᚱ ᛚᛁᛖᛊ— ᚨᚾᛞ ᚦᛖ ᚠᛟᛟᛚ ᛚᛁᛊᛏᛖᚾᛖᛞ."

"Tricked, betrayed, the Liar lies—and the Fool listens."

"I don't think I understand."

ᚾᛟ, ᛁᛟᚢ ᚹᛟᚢᛚᛞᚾ×ᛏ ᚲᚺᛁᛚᛞ. ᚾᛟᛏ ᛁᚾ ᚦᛁᛊ ᚲᛁᚲᛚᛖ, ᚨᚾᛞ ᚾᛟᛏ ᛁᚾ ᚦᛖ ᚾᛖᚲᛊᛏ.

"No, you wouldn't, child. Not in this cycle, and not in the next."

"Well, if you don't like it, why don't we try to leave? There's usually a way out somewhe—"

"ᚾᛟ. ᛏᚺᛁᛊ ᛈᛚᚨᚲᛖ ᛁᛊ ᚨ ᛈᚱᛁᛊᛟᚾ. ᚨ ᛈᛚᚨᚲᛖ ᛟᚠ ᛈᛖᚾ-ᚨᚾᚲᛖ. ᚠᛟᚱ ᚨ ᚲᚱᛁᛗᛖ ᛁ ᛞᛁᛞ ᚾᛟᛏ ᚹᚨᚾᛏ ᛏᛟ ᚲᛟᛗᛗᛁᛏ ᚨᚾᛞ ᛁᛖᛏ ᚹᛁᛚᛚ ᚲᛟᛗᛗᛁᛏ ᚨᚷᚨᛁᚾ. ᚹᛖ ᚹᛁᛚᛚ ᚾᛟᛏ ᚺᚢᛜᛖᚱ ᛟᚱ ᛏᚺᛁᚱᛊᛏ, ᛏᛁᛗᛖ ᚺᛟᛚᛞ ᚾᛟ ᚨᚢᚦᛟᚱᛁᛏᛁ ᚺᛖᚱᛖ. ᚹᛖ ᚹᛁᛚᛚ ᛊᛁᛗᛈᛚᛁ ᛖᚲᛊᛁᛊᛏ"

"No, not for me. This is prison in-between, a place of penance. For a crime I did not want to commit and yet will commit again. We will not hunger nor thirst, and time holds no authority here… We will simply exist."

They stood in silence, two derelict droplets in an uncaring sea, an experience ever so close to eternity passing by.












Maybe it was.












"Hey, Hods… Is there any way I could send something back? I just… I at least want them to know I'm okay."


ᚺ ᛟ ᛞ ᚱ unravels in ways no living being should. Reaching out a quivering tendril, it presented Sarah with a small glass bottle, her recorder already waiting inside.

"ᛏᚺᚨᛏ ᛁᛊ ᛗᛁ ᛚᚨᛊᛏ ᛟᚾᛖ ᚲᚺᛁᛚᛞ. ᛊᛖᚾᛞ ᛁᛏ ᛏᛟ ᚦᛖ ᛊᛖ ᚨᚾᛞ ᛁᛏ ᛏᛟᛟ ᚹᛁᛚᛚ ᚠᛁᚾᛞ ᛁᛏ×ᛊ ᚹᚨᛁ."

"This is my last one, child. Deliver it unto the sea, and it too will find its way back."

"Thanks, I guess. My name is Sarah, by the way."

"ᛊᚨᚱᚨᚺ, ᛊᚺᛖ ᚹᚺᛟ ᚠᛟᚢᚾᛞ ᚦᛖ ᚹᚨᛁ. ᛁᛏ ᛁᛊ ᚨᚾ ᚺᛟᚾᛟᚱ ᛏᛟ ᛗᛖᛖᛏ ᛁᛟᚢ."

"Sarah, who found the way, it is an honor to meet you again."

"Thanks, Hods."






"So, what now?"

"ᚹᛖ ᚹᚨᛁᛏ."

"We Wait."

"Yeah, but then what?"

"ᚹᛖ ᚱᛖᛈᛖᛏ ᚦᛖ ᚲᛁᚲᛚᛖ."

"We repeat the cycle."

Description:

This note and an audio recording device, were found in a small glass bottle near the entrance to Level 6.

Level 406 has been described by only a single account, a letter written by a wanderer named Sarah McLean. On the back of the letter was a hand-drawn image of Level 406. Due to the fact that she was blind, it is unclear if the information provided was accurate.

"Level 406 is a beautiful island in an infinite Sea"