A hooded figure walked into the distance and approached a new wave of land covered in hills and steep terrain, dirty and hungry he hoped for food in the new territory. The strong winds blew open his thin brown cloak and a swampy green loose shirt under a cross-laced vest was exposed. His brown stitched pants were worn and had questionable dark stains, his knee-high boots were also dusty as they kicked up dirt and grass. His annoyingly long hair, bothered him as he tried to fight the gust of wind, he needed to cut it and soon. He began to look up and saw as the sunny day turned dark, gray clouds formed above him as he dreaded the idea of not having anything to keep him dry. The rain suddenly began to fall, and the weary traveler cursed under his breath but kept walking due to the rain's light nature.  As he went forward into territory unknown to him, a sudden feeling arose in him but then quickly vanished, the rain then suddenly became heavy and annoying. He kept on walking into a nearby valley and he began to notice the water flowing downward in the same direction. As he pulled his hood further down, he quickly ran and followed the water. The direction he was running seemed, somehow, untouched by man, he then stopped as he saw the water start to fall up ahead. 

     He slowly walked to where the ground ended and saw the massive hole where the water fell, he leaned forward and saw the massive thorns tangled like chains covering a nothingness so dark it matched the tangles on his head. As he saw this, he smiled and almost chuckled as he saw what looked like a figure of something long forgotten. The man quickly grabbed a knife out of his pouch and cut what he could, the vines were more stubborn than they looked but he managed to remove a sizable amount with his strength, then without hesitation, he jumped inside.

     The man somehow, showed no fear as he fell and almost invited the unknown path ahead. The anxiety, stress, and adrenaline he experienced at this moment were more than he could bear. Thus, a small smile appeared on his face and his eyes closed to bathe in what seemed like an escape for him.  However, as his fall felt it was beginning to feel a bit too long, he opened his eyes, and what he saw made sure he would never close his eyes for the time he was to be there. 

     As he fell, he could see the magnificent sight of the structure. Pure green marble gleamed with the water, almost making it seem like a fortress made out of emerald. However, as he spotted a nearby window, curtains danced as a snippet of a book page touched the window sill. He stared wide-eyed and due to his unexpected negligence, he failed to safely catch himself and harshly landed on a pile of rose bushes where the thorns scratched, stabbed, and stung his body, however, there was no pain from the actual fall. He could not believe what he had witnessed as rose petals scattered slowly, was someone there? He got on his knees and he touched the soft ground, "Oh, how beautiful", he said as he painfully stood.

    His pain then soon disappeared as he looked up and saw the giant palace of sparkling marble, it was even more beautiful up close with the rain caressing it. The hooded figure quickly gathered his things and limped to a small door he spotted on one of the sides. He began to see more roses, the colors becoming more distinct, with different designs and patterns, many even switching from blue to gold. The hooded man reached for the doorknob and an uneasy feeling started to loom inside. Suddenly a light sprung out and it coiled his hand. The man tried to let go of the knob but became entranced by the event in front of him. The light seemed so familiar to him as if he had seen it before, but before having time to assess the light, it dispersed as quickly as it came. The hooded figure became confused but decided to not pay much attention to it and burst into what he assumed was the main hall.

     The man began to start a fire in the fireplace, he took off his cloak and set it to dry along with his vest and boots. He then looked around with a nearby candle, and in the darkness, there were piles of fruit and vegetables of all kinds attached to their respective plants, his eyes lit up as he began to gorge himself with no signs of stopping. The young man's eyes kept wandering as he kept eating and he found himself staring at a staircase. He was about to dismiss them when a scream was heard echoing through the tower. He dropped what he was holding, got his boots, and quickly went up to the steps.

     The man climbed until he found himself on the fourth floor where an open door caught his eye. His side began to pester him so he decided to rest as he investigated a bit. As he entered, books were thrown and ripped, and as he picked one up it suddenly turned to dust. A single bed then caught his eye, he went near it and saw something under the sheets, he uncovered it and saw a diary surrounded by blood so dried up it was turning black. His eyes widened as he questioned what happened here, then a loud thump was heard higher up, he quickly grabbed the diary and ran up.

     With quick haste, he arrived at the sixty-fourth floor, but all that was there was a painting of a small girl with vibrant red hair, eyes closed. The painting also showed something more but it was too damaged to make out. The man went out to touch it, but as soon as he did, the entire thing collapsed and revealed a door. He slowly opened it and walked up to a few spiral steps and found a final door. 

He knocked. No answer. 

     The man slowly opened the door and in the darkness saw a figure sitting on a windowsill, he slowly crept in but stopped when he stepped on broken glass. He looked down to inspect it and saw a trail of blood leading to a bed. He was shocked and he quickly turned his attention back to the windowsill but, the figure was gone.

   The man was on high alert as he slowly walked to the center and tried to introduce himself, "Um..hello-", however before he could even finish, vines began to crawl from the walls and crept on the floor. He looked all around and began to back up to where the door was as he saw the vines getting closer, as he was about to run, the vines sprinted towards him and coiled him with a tight grip on all limbs. He huffed under his breath. He was panicking as the thorns dug deep, but for a second, they felt loose like they were confused. He tried to rip them but the vines tightened more and threw him near the windowsill. The man was in pain as he tried to redirect himself.  His eyes then shifted as he grabbed the ledge and saw a peculiar sight, the walls were all covered in dried blood, nails, and skin, etched like tally marks. The man then saw glowing eyes in the shadows through the candlelight where the door was and decided to attack first. He pulled out a small dagger and sprung forward, but, the vines pulled him back to the window and tightened around his neck. The vines made him face the glowing eyes and they began to talk.

 "I finally caught you", a feminine voice taunted. 

The man was confused as to what was doing this. "Who are you!?" he blurted out. 

The figure tilted its head," Shhhh. I am done playing games with you, the sooner you die, ... I can finally sleep", she said in an almost sadistic manner.

The man became frightened as the vines squeezed tighter, his complexion began to turn blue and his eyes began to roll back. The figure in the shadows seemed to enjoy the young man's agony until she saw how blood started to pour out from him, creating a small stream. The wound somehow refused to heal itself.  

Her eyes widened and a small gasp escaped her lips as she realized, this man was not a faceless figure, he was just a man and he was inside the tower. 

     The figure quickly let go of the young man and backed away, he coughed as he tried to breathe in and cover his wounds. She still could not believe it, she began to analyze him but was confused by his mere presence, no one was ever able to come inside the tower, and the more she thought about it made her head spin. She wanted him gone. 

"You're not supposed to be here, so please if you would... just disappear, it is all the same even if you are real or not", she lifted her hand and vines pointed at him like daggers, and all together they sprinted towards him. The man had to quickly think on his feet as he regained his composure. Suddenly,  he realized what he was fighting against, the thing he had been searching for was finally in front of him, and thus, he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

 "My name is Demetrius Clovis and I have come to set you free", and with that, the vines stopped.

     She couldn't understand those words, they angered her to the point she now refused to recognize such a sentence. The mere thought of the sentence just brought about a feeling she knew would be taken away again.

 "Do you expect me to believe that? What makes you believe you can grant me such a luxury, what makes you think I even want that? ", she emphasized calmly, but Clovis saw this as an opportunity. He looked directly into her glowing eyes. He was a bit confused but again spoke out what first came to mind, " Then, what do you want ? ". The figure's vines began to lash out in an almost twitching manner as he spoke. She was attempting to understand what he was saying, what was he planning, but the more she thought about this predicament, the more she came to a blank. She was stunned, speechless, no one had ever asked her what she wanted or even taken a moment to listen, she assumed it was a ploy to fulfill a selfish desire, thus the tower never let them in. "You're something I have not come across yet...  Alright, let's say I tell you what I want, what comes next, I assume you want something in return ?" she questioned to further assess him. Clovis smiled, he squinted to see if he could make out what the figure was, but he just gave up and lowered his eyes. Clovis then answered her without hesitation, "I never thought I would get this far, but, there is one thing, but I want to request it when I have already helped you ". She couldn't believe it, the confusion of her assessment was both correct and incorrect. The tower never let anyone in if their heart was brimming with selfish desire, a want that would cloud their judgment, but how could someone's desire not be selfish that the tower let them in? The idea was whirling in her head to the point of frustration, then a thought came to mind; he was able to get in. This person was able to enter, which meant she had a chance to get out.   

      Suddenly, all her rage and sadness halted as his words truly reached her for the first time, and she could think clearly for that second. A devious smile began to form on her face, and her hands began twitching uncontrollably," Fine, then fulfill one request for me and in exchange, I will give you whatever your heart desires in the future, that seems more than fair?". Clovis smiled as the vines retracted and uncoiled from around him," You need only ask me and it will be done". It was strange when she heard those words from him, it was almost nostalgic. "Then I only wish for one simple thing. I want to reunite with someone, can you help me do this?". Clovis kept on smiling and nodded," If that is what you want, I will help in any way I can". She was ecstatic to hear those words and gave a sly smile.  

     Clovis stood for a second in the light and decided to encourage the figure to show itself, " Well, now that we have a deal, could I see with whom I will be traveling?". The young woman then in stunned silence gave a slightly surprised face," Oh my, making such a deal and not even giving a proper introduction, I have seemed to have lost my manners.", Clovis saw as the dim lighting welcomed her as she stepped in it. She glided out ever so elegantly and Clovis could not help but stare at such a radiant sight, his eyes went wide as each part of her seemed to be sculpted by the Celestials. A tall slim figure covered with poreless smooth skin, that was almost glistening, covered in a shapeless long white nightgown. Her long sleek and wavey hair was red as dried blood, her lips seemed as soft as a petal, and her eyes a beautiful jewel-like teal that seemed deprived of sleep. Each part of her had an allure that appeared to draw a person in and made them feel safe which gave birth to a kind of eerie obsession. Clovis couldn't believe such a person existed, how could such a beautiful person be locked in here and have no one find out? 

  She then proceeded to smile so beautifully and gave a full curtsey and a hand over her heart. "Please, excuse me, I am Briar de la Magnolia Fiora, rightful heir to the Kingdom of Roses", she then extended her hand as a sign of non-hostility," It is a pleasure to meet you, Demetrius Clovis, I hope this can be the start of a beautiful friendship."