I'm gasping for air, my lungs burning as I struggle to open my eyes. The darkness is suffocating, a heavy blanket that's wrapped around my head, squeezing tight. I try to move, but my body feels like lead, weighed down by an invisible force. My mind is a jumble of images, fragmented memories that refuse to coalesce into anything meaningful. The voice, the face, the word - "Brother" - it's all still there, echoing in my mind like a scream. I force myself to focus, to remember what happened before... before everything went black. The stranger's face flashes in my mind, their twisted smile and black eyes burning into my brain. I try to sit up, but a wave of dizziness washes over me, sending me crashing back down. I'm lying on a cold, hard floor, the surface rough against my skin. I can feel the chill of the air, the dampness seeping into my bones. Where am I? How did I get here? The questions swirl in my head, taunting me with their silence. I strain my ears, listening for any sound, but there's nothing. No whisper of footsteps, no creak of doors, no rustle of clothes. Just silence. And then, a faint whisper. "You're awake." The words are barely audible, but they're enough to make my heart skip a beat. I try to respond, to call out, but my voice is trapped in my throat, refusing to budge. The whisper grows louder, more insistent. "You're awake, and you're going to remember." Suddenly, the darkness is illuminated by a faint light, a soft glow that casts eerie shadows on the walls. I blink, my eyes adjusting slowly to the radiance. And that's when I see it. A figure, standing in the corner of the room, watching me with an unblinking gaze. The stranger. My brother. My heart is racing, my mind reeling with questions. But before I can ask any of them, the figure takes a step forward, their eyes glinting with a malevolent light. "It's time to remember," they say, their voice low and menacing. "It's time to remember the promise." And with that, the figure raises their hand, and everything goes white. I feel myself being pulled back, dragged into a vortex of memories and emotions. I'm falling, plummeting into the depths of my own mind. And then, just as I'm about to hit the bottom, everything freezes. I'm suspended in mid-air, my heart pounding in my chest. The figure's voice is the last thing I hear, their words echoing in my mind like a death sentence. "The midnight promise... it's time to pay."