Ava stood on the edge of nothingness, her breath shallow, the precipice below pulling at her with an invisible force, promising power, freedom, oblivion—all in one seductive whisper. The Abyss stretched before her, swirling with shadows that shifted like a living thing, alive with its own twisted hunger. The cold wind lashed against her face, but it was the voice inside her head that made her shiver.
"Embrace me," the childlike entity purred, its voice slithering through her mind. "All your pain, all your confusion... it can end. All you have to do is step forward."
Ava's heart thudded violently in her chest, the sound echoing in her ears. Somewhere in the distance, Lucas's voice called out, muffled, desperate, begging her to step back. His words, though familiar, felt like a distant memory—faint, like a half-forgotten dream.
"Stay with me, Ava," Lucas's voice pleaded. "Don't give in to it. This isn't who you are!"
