The ground shuddered violently beneath Ava's feet, the abyss cracking wide open before her. The air itself seemed to howl, filled with a strange, malevolent energy. Everything around her rippled, the once-solid earth turning liquid, a violent tremor splitting the very fabric of her reality. Zander stood on the other side, his gaze searing through the chaos like a blade. For a moment, their eyes locked, and Ava felt a desperate surge to reach for him. Her heart raced, pounding in her chest as if it were trying to escape the storm raging around them.
But the earth betrayed her.
Without warning, the ground gave way beneath her, crumbling like ash as Ava's world spun out of control. She reached out, fingers brushing the empty air where Zander had just been. His name was a scream lodged in her throat, a cry that never reached her lips as she plunged into darkness.
