Ava's heart pounded, a single rhythmic beat that echoed against the oppressive silence, reverberating through the void like a battle drum. Darkness, thick and consuming, stretched endlessly around her. It was a silence that was alive, smothering. Her eyes fluttered open, and she floated weightlessly in the Abyss, suspended in nothingness. She reached out, desperate, fingers trembling as if they could somehow grasp onto him—onto Leo. But no matter how far she stretched, how much she yearned, he felt farther away than ever, slipping away into the endless shadows.
Her breath hitched. No. Not again. Not now.
"Leo!" Ava's voice pierced the void, sharp and ragged. It was a desperate sound, desperate like the last breath before drowning. But all that answered was the cold, mocking silence, a void that swallowed her words whole. Her chest tightened as she floated aimlessly, the cold seeping deeper into her bones, into her very soul.
