Inside: The Castle of Unfeeling

Really old.

He looks up at the Sun without blinking, feeling neither warmth nor comfort.
There is just the Cold.
The Numb.
He’s alone.
He’s not safe out here.

Harsh winds echo through his battlements and the cracks in his walls.
Cloaked figures flit between the dust and grime covered ruins of Perception, watching him.
Twisted, malicious, and deformed by Spite, Ignorance, and Convention.
Debating his every move. Pondering his every thought.

The pestilent thoughts of these carrion vultures grow into a deafening roar.
It’s maddening Outside.
“God, I hate this place,” he thinks to himself.
He turns on his heel and returns to the Inside, where it’s safe, warm and Free.
There are no shackles there. No vultures or robed figures with ill intentions.
There’s only one problem, though:

It’s dark, and barren here, too:

That’s why he ventures Outside in the first place.
He brings what’s suitable with him Inside. He internalizes it.
It becomes part of him. He builds his own world within these walls.
Gathering resources is paramount to survival.

What happens if he runs out?

He can only go so far from safety to gather without fear of attack or getting lost.

God it’s cold.