[MOMENTS EARLIER]
Matt was out of breath.
He recalled how he had told his friends he had been working out in a bid to explain his slightly well-built body.
Well, he lied.
"Haa… haaa…!"
His body was already numb from running for just a few minutes, and he felt like throwing up. The only thing that kept him going was the underlying fear that something was watching him—and the fact that he was all alone in such a strange new world.
Yes, a literal new world!
Not long ago, he had ventured into the Link, searching for Violet. It had been a foolish move on his part—one which he paid for by accidentally falling into the fountain's pool of water.
Still, despite his initial shock, and the multitude of questions that befuddled him, Matt had to admit two things.
One was the fact that Violet was right!
She was right about the Link, so it therefore follows that everything she had tried to tell him for the past few days was true or had an element of truth within.
No, it was more rational to believe the entire thing was true.
And that led to the second thing he had to admit—the reason he decided to venture into the Link, despite his better instincts screaming at him to flee.
"Everyone is in danger!"
The timer above the Link had clearly displayed a time limit. Was it the time left before the world ended, or for whatever was trapped within to escape? Matt had no idea.
However, Violet had told him—no, warned him—about this.
She also needed his help!
Once those thoughts lined up in Matt's head, he subconsciously made up his mind to venture into the Link and embark on a perilous one-way trip.
'How could I have known that there would be no exit?' Matt thought to himself as he kept sprinting harder.
He had started out in some sort of swampy region, causing his shoes to get all muddy. His body was also freezing due to the excess humidity in the air. His drenched clothing further aggravated the uncomfortable chill.
How long would he have to run? How long did the world have left? He had started the stopwatch on his phone to keep track of time, but his phone wasn't even working at all now.
It wouldn't even switch on!
'I guess that explains why Violet's number wasn't going through.'
Now stuck in this place, with no way out, Matt was left with no choice but to forge ahead.
'Where the hell am I, though?'
The structure resembled some sort of ancient ruin—like a dungeon from the anime he had watched a couple years back. Several skulls hung on the walls, and flaming torches lit the path for him.
The ceiling was high up, and the path seemed to go on forever. Nothing else could be seen beyond this building, so Matt continuously trod the swampy ground until he got to solid—brick-layered—ground.
It was at this point, however, that he rapidly began to get more creeped-out—not that the terrifying skulls didn't frighten him enough already.
Matt saw several pot-holes and debris in the premises. He gazed in shock at the devastated surroundings that clearly depicted a brutal battle. A fight between whom and whom?
He had a good guess, considering the messages Violet sent to him—ah, and a pink wig he found laying on the floor.
'This is Violet's. She had been wearing a wig all along?'
Matt didn't have the luxury of time, so he didn't think too deeply about it. That was probably for the best, as the next thing he saw puzzled him even more.
He noticed a bunch of glowy red rocks littered around. Upon closer inspection, he discovered they were very definitely not 'mere' rocks. They looked like gems really, and a part of him wanted to pick them up for closer examination, but Matt couldn't take his chances.
Considering he didn't know what they were—and he was scared out of his mind—Matt decided to avoid them and continued sprinting.
'Violet, where are you? Violet!'
At some point in his journey, Matt began yelling Violet's name as he ran past more carnage and destruction. His vision was blurry due to exhaustion, and he was parched with thirst.
His legs felt heavy and wooden, but still, he kept going.
And then—he saw her!
She was slumped on the floor, for some reason.
Perhaps, due to his blurry vision and exhaustion, he didn't notice the looming figure in front of her—or the pink teddy bear stuck to the wall. He only saw Violet.
"VIOLET!"
Matt sped towards her, unable to hold himself back, thus finding himself in front of her in no time.
"Martin…" He heard her call him by his old name, causing him to get slightly worked up.
However, the moment he observed her surroundings—taking a good glimpse at the devastated sight—he felt overwhelmed by emotion.
'This place is even more thrashed than the others!' He thought to himself in shock.
However—
"GRRRRRRRRRR…"
—Nothing he had seen thus far could have prepared him for what happened next.
Gazing intently at the sight before him, Matt was finally able to witness the embodiment of terror and despair. Having no other way to process this impossible and utterly frightening sight, he turned to the one with all the answers.
At this point, he had no control over the pitch and tone of his voice.
Only one thing concerned him!
"V-VIOLET... W-W-W-W-WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON HEREEEE?!"
*
*
*
Silence.
Terrifying silence.
Matt was frozen in place. He couldn't move an inch. He feared taking a single step would cause the monster to notice him and attack.
Unfortunately for him, despite how stationary he was, the Minotaur resumed its advance. Its gaze was now fixed on both Matt and Violet as its targets, and its angry growl proved how eager it was to end them.
"GRRRRRRRRRRRR…"
"M-Martin… run." A small, nearly inaudible whisper echoed in Martin's ears.
It came from Violet, and from her expression, it seemed like she had long given up hope. The little glimmer of hope she had when Matt appeared had already been snuffed out by his cowardly scream and pathetic behavior.
He couldn't save them.
No one could!
"GRRRRRRRRRR…" The Minotaur stretched forth its hands, reaching out for one of the two.
Matt realized how slow the monster was moving.
It was intentional. It was the posturing of an unstoppable predator to weak, powerless prey.
Matt knew it quite well. It was the same in the wild.
When an opponent showed no sign of resistance, the superior beast often gloated in its dominance. Oftentimes, this made no difference to the prey, and the ever-powerful predator would succeed.
In other words, this situation was no different.
Matt felt his weak legs give in, and he felt like he would collapse at any minute. His blurry sight returned, and he felt so lightheaded that he was on the verge of fainting.
In such a horrifying situation, his body had given up on him!
He closed his eyes, and as he did so, darkness enveloped him.
What seemed like frames of images suddenly appeared in his mind. Flashes of memories from his childhood, his life in high school, his past; all floated in the darkness.
'Ah, is this what they mean by your life flashing before your eyes?' Matt thought as he sank even further into the darkness.
However, as he sank into the bottomless pit of unconsciousness, he suddenly heard a voice.
~What is your power?~ The voice asked him.
'Huh?'
~What is your power?~ It repeated.
It could have been because his mind had crossed the threshold of rationality and sanity, but Matt's subconscious gave an answer to this strange and confounding voice.
He gave the answer he had always given in the past—the one power he coveted above all else.
It was the reason he used to wear that silly eyepatch of his. The rationale behind his overly edgy personality and fashion choice. The constant that dominated his thoughts back when he had so badly wanted to feel special.
His answer was…
'The Power Of Darkness. The Flames Of Perdition. The All-Consuming Attribute.'
He had invented it back then because he thought it was cool, but the name stuck with him for all of his Chuunibyou days.
Even now, he couldn't forget the power he bestowed upon himself.
"Void Dar'k."