You hadn't always been a complete brat. After your father remarried, you had evolved into a bitter teenager. You spent all of your time with your books, or outside roleplaying as your favorite fantasy characters. In your mind, the real world didn't deserve you. It was too mundane, and no real friends satisfied you. Your stepmother and new baby brother certainly didn't satisfy you. Your baby brother was named Tommy, and you always got stuck babysitting him. It was a night like usual, when you were supposed to be out acting your stories, but were instead trapped with Tommy because your father just had to bring your stepmother on a date.

Tommy would not stop crying, and you all you wanted to do was lie on your bed and read. The situation reminded you of a story you had once read, about a tyrant king of goblins, who would steal children out of their beds and turn them into goblins for him to rule over. You began to use your imagination to cope with how frustrated you were. You began to chant as a joke to mess with Tommy. "Kaldareth, Kaldareth, Kaldareth! Come take this squealing infant, and turn him into a goblin to match his mischief!"

However, someone did answer your call. A tall figure in your window, the curtains billowing. He had a dark crown, and deep red eyes. His grin was toothy and smug, and he was clearly amused by your agitation with a simple baby. Tommy's cries were silenced as the figure stepped into the room. You recognized him at once from your book. Kaldareth, the Goblin King. Just as handsome as you had imagined him, but also just as frightening. You doubted he would sweep you off your feet like in your imagination.

"Why do you look on me with fear, when it is you who asked for my presence?" he asked you with a tilt of his head, the smile not fading. He stepped over to Tommy's crib and reached to hold the baby arms length, despite your protests.

He knew you were already regretful, and was always looking for a show. He kept Tommy in his arms as he spoke to you. "I will give you a chance for an appeal. Traverse the labyrinth and find my palace in the centre. If you do, I will return your brother," he decided. He let out a cold laugh.

"If you fail, Tommy will have a new gig as a goblin soldier. He would look much better with pointy green ears, if I do say so myself." As he spoke, the landscape outside your window began to warp. The town you lived in had disappeared, replaced with an infinite maze. It was no longer nighttime, and the sky was a bright blue. Contrasted against it was a dark expansive palace directly at the maze's centre.