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Sharps stepped through the doorway, a half-step behind Imuiel and entered the darkness. She closed her eyes, scrunching up her face as she stepped over the threshold. Suddenly she was alone. She couldn't hear anything, which around Imuiel wasn't a new concept, but this was a different silence. She reached out her arm to where he would have been standing and found nothing but air. Then she heard it. Her ears pricked up as she looked around, seeing the box at the end of the hall.

She was frozen with fear for a moment, feeling utterly and completely alone. She steadied herself with and arm on the wall, feeling her chest heaving though not enough air was entering her lungs. She'd thought that Imuiel would be here to help her. She felt safer with him for some reason but now he was gone and she was alone. Her fingers tightened around the scissors, feeling the overlapping blades dig lightly into her skin. She breathed in deep, holding it in for a moment, before letting it back out in an attempt to calm herself.

Thud.

She took a tentative step forwards towards the nose. Now hearing a faint whispering. Her breath caught in her throat as she froze again. The whispering was the noise of a name repeating over and over again.

"Mosh. Mosh. Mosh. Mosh."

Why did that name hold such resonance with her? She'd never heard that name before but it struck a chord in her for some reason. She continued walking down the hallway the thuds and whispering enveloping her every thought and movement. She felt as if she was swimming through a current that was desperately attempting to shove her in the opposite direction.

Thud.

"Mosh. Mosh. Mosh. Mosh."

She reached the crate, the thudding and whispering louder now than before and saw an arm swinging out of it. She took in a deep breath and grabbed the arm, ceasing its movement, and without warning the sounds all stopped. The silence startled her, nearly causing her to release the arm but she shook it off. She needed to finish this and get the heart. She needed to meet back up with Imuiel, hopefully he would be out there waiting for her when he finished his task as well.

She felt around the box realizing that there was no way around it. She must need to retrieve the heart from whatever entity owned the arm in her grasp. She reached inside, feeling for her goal but only found that something was wedged perfectly inside of the box. It was soft and pliant, it was an unusual texture and firm where she pressed. As she got closer, her head now inside the edge of the box, she heard it.

Thump-thump

It was a heartbeat.

Thump=thump

She gritted her teeth knowing she had found her goal.

Thump-thump

She crawled onto the edges of the box, balancing her shins over the edges and dug the scissors into the shape under her, hacking away at the outer layer until finally the rubbery coating began chipping away under the metal. She readjusted slightly to start cutting away the top layer, revealing a small opening, a hole to the heart.

Thump-thump

She shoved her hand in the hole, feeling an overwhelming sensation of warmth. She removed her hand, and heard something gush out behind it. She shook her head and dug the scissors in deeper, snipping elastic strings that seemed to pulsate in unison. She dug both of her hands in, dropping the scissors into the bottom of the both and pulled at the cavity opening, making access to her prize easier. A terrible shriek came from the thing as it's arm began to claw desperately into Sharps' side.

"Mosh."

A girl around Sharps' height suddenly pops into full clarity as the world around her melts away. She has short white and brown hair with red rounded ears and a long, striped, bushy tail. She smiles and waves as Sharps looks on in confusion before a word slips from her mouth. "Mosh!" She seems excited but her attention is focused on Sharps. The vision faded as quickly as it had appeared.

The sounds and sights chills her to her core but she knows she can't stop now. She winces as the arm continues to dig and scrape at her flesh. But still she continues. Finally she hears a grotesque slosh and a thunk as the heart falls to the bottom of the crate.

Thump-thump

She grabbed the heart, watching curiously as it slowly ceased its constant rhythm and placed it in the bag the Goddess had given her.

The world fades away again. Sharps is now back in the forest she had remembered the day before only now it was much clearer. She could feel her apprehension rising. She was alone in this forest. But this alone felt much more lasting, permanent than the alone she had felt in the hallway leading to the crate. She sat on a log that had materialized placing her head in her hands, being overwhelmed by the silence of the forest. She heard crunching leaves from behind her and turned, seeing a young girl of about 13, looking lost and confused. She stared for a moment, wondering why she looked familiar before realizing she was the girl from moments ago. She smiled slightly, the noise of the leaves a happy alternative to the silence.

The younger girl approached her, looking nervous. "E-excuse me?" she paused a moment, "Oh, I'm sorry to bother you I've just seemed to lose my way home. I was wondering if you could help me return to town?" She paused again, "O-oh! I'm sorry! My name is Core." Another pause as Sharps watched the girl stare straight at her. "It's really nice to meet you, Mosh!" Another pause and then her face lit up, "That's wonderful! I mean of course if your parents don't mind?" A pause. It was then Sharps realized she was hearing only half of the conversation. She wasn't sure what to do with this information. It was clear that whatever she had just pulled her prize from, well there was a large chance it was this sweet, young girl. Her stomach rolled and she felt nauseous and dizzy. The girl held out her hand and seemed to grab someone elses' and she walked off giggling in response to things said that Sharps could only assume were said by her. Or... not her but someone very much like her.

As her lungs began to burn she recalled the scissors and fumbled for them in the water. It was her or Core and she had to exist for the Blessings and the Goddesses. Perhaps she could make things right if she had the chance when she became Goddess. But for now it was live or die and Sharps had to live. She secured a grip on the scissors and plunged them as hard as she could into an opening. She snarled, swallowing some water as Core shrieked again.

But then, as soon as the shriek had finished Core was gone. Just dissipated. As did the water, sending Sharps a foot down onto her knees coughing and sputtering up the dark wretched substance she had inhaled. She sat there coughing and choking for what seemed like an eternity before she realized she was bathed in a bright light. She stood, swaying on her feet and woozy from the lack of oxygen and realized she had done it. She had made it to the exit. She looked over the room, wondering where all the water had gone and thought she saw, if only for a split second, the image of Core staring balefully in the distance with those horrid, hollow eyes, clutching the scissors in one hand. She blinked once and it was gone. She furrowed her brow and walked out of the damned hallway, squinting and shielding her eyes from the brightness.

She needed to find Ims. She needed to make the Goddess proud for completing her task. But most of all, she felt, she needed to be prepared. She doubted that shadowy remnant of her best friend would take kindly to the damage that was done.

"You can not escape forever."

Sharps approached the Goddess, looking up into her red eyes. The Goddess looked down at her, one hand gently running over the curved blade of her scythe as if it were a favored pet. "You must face your Fears. Eat or be eaten. That is the way of it here. Were it another time... I wonder which one you would be."

Sharps gulped hard at these words. She'd already killed once, she wasn't excited to do it again. But if it was what the Goddess willed... she felt like she had to to gain her favor. She watched the Goddess' fingers running over the scythe and felt a growing apprehension. She wasn't sure why but the way the Goddess caressed the scythe was making her increasingly nervous.

The Goddess dropped from her perch and approached Sharps, circling her and looking her up and down. "I wonder indeed. Perhaps we shall solve the little mystery? Take this." She handed Sharps a small jeweled dagger. It's a simple blade set with a stone, and from it dangles what looks to be a small claw of sorts. Sharps turned the blade over in her hands, admiring the simple beauty. She ran a finger along the edge, hissing as the blade drew blood.

"That should be more than enough," the Godddess continued. "You will need to learn to fend for yourself, to take on your challenges and judge for yourself what it means to sacrifice. That is the only way you will become stronger, else you'll fall prey to someone greater still." As she spoke the blade of the knife began to rust, stained with a dark color reminiscent of Ruin.

"You are ready." She announces gesturing with her scythe. "Go." Her bright glowing eyes were on Sharps until she finally moved towards a thin opening. Sharps could still feel her gaze following her even as she left the Goddess' presence.

Sharps panicked, seeing the figure advance. All at once the white began to swirl onto a mass of greens and browns. It appeared to be the same forest from the first day she was here. She looked around, trapped in the memory and saw at a distance herself. Well, not necessarily herself but perhaps a younger version of herself? She was playing with another girl of around the same age. The darted through trees, occasionally one would yell "TAG, YOU'RE IT!" and the other would giggle and they would change directions and continue running.

For some reason the memory warmed her, as if she were laying in a sunny field.

But then it all faded away and the figure had made a fair headway towards her.

[OOC: Distance- 40-5=35 feet]

She fumbled around, her breath hitching in her throat. In a fit of desperation she threw her body against the door, hoping to open it by sheer force. The doors didn't budge. her shoulder flared in pain and she gritted her teeth.

[OOC: Distance- 30-5=25 feet]

The memory continued, slipping into a different one of the two girls sitting. The younger Sharps seemd so sad now. The other girl seend upset, almost. Like she had to deliver bad news. And then she felt it, as the words fell from the other girls lips she heard it as if she were sitting where her younger self was.

"I'm sorry. I love you, you're my best friend but I... I just don't like girls."

Her world shattered around her, bringing back the stark white of the hallway.

[OOC: Distance- 20-5=15 feet]

She continued staring at the words over and over, almost feeling the figures hot breath on her neck.

[OOC: Distance- 10-5=5 feet]