I wish I could ask you how much you remember. I don't know if there will be anything left after I consume this drink.

Optimism is a most hopeless feeling, but I must retain it.

The faint glow escaped my fingers and began to spark brightly and spirit me away. Unlocking alien memories of spiralling towers, endless deserts, and impossible geometry.

One last thing, a shadow is following you. It's a living nightmare – breaking down reality. I have tried everything and there is no way to fight back. You need to escape it as long as you can.

I know this. I've been here already. I know this taste – the taste of Damascus Rose obfuscating the truth in a dim haze. They may sweep the traces from my memory, but my body remembers. These cuts speak volumes, even though my mind remains silent.

They will be back. Oh, they will be back.