"Wake Up!" Something commanded, its voice like a guttural roar.
Mr. Valen opened his eyes to a misty forest, filled with tall, distorted trees, some twisted so abnormally that they pointed to the ground.
His first instinct was to look up at the sky, as one might yearn for salvation, but all he saw was a void staring back.
'Where am I?' Mr. Valen thought, and then his eyes narrowed, for he had not intended to think.
'I cannot speak!' he thought as he opened his mouth, but no words emerged, not even a whisper.
"What Am I?" That guttural voice asked, the same voice that woke him, no, it was not just guttural, it also sounded rough, like the sound of stones grinding against each other, sharp like metal against metal.
Mr. Valen did not answer the voice; he remained quiet, watching and waiting.
