I lay on the cold, smooth ground of the chamber, the remnants of the searing light still burning behind my eyelids. The silence that followed was thick, oppressive, wrapping around me like a shroud. I struggled to focus, my thoughts disjointed, as I tried to make sense of what had just happened. The heart was gone, the pulsing that had filled the chamber snuffed out like a dying flame. But despite the quiet, a deep unease settled in my chest.
Where was Evelyn?
I forced myself to stand, every muscle in my body screaming in protest. My vision was still hazy, spots of light dancing at the edges, but I could make out the empty chamber around me. The walls, once alive with movement, were now still and cold, the strange organic texture replaced by smooth, lifeless stone. It was as if the chamber itself had died along with the heart.
"Evelyn!" My voice cracked as I called out, the sound echoing back at me, hollow and empty. There was no answer, no sign that she was here, but I refused to give up. She had to be here. She had to be.
Stumbling forward, I searched the chamber, my footsteps echoing in the vast emptiness. The floor was bare, no sign of the dark tendrils that had once held the heart. It was as if they had never existed, wiped away by the intense light that had consumed everything. But Evelyn's voice, faint as it had been, had come from within the heart. I knew it. I felt it.
As I reached the center of the chamber, where the heart had once hovered, I knelt down, pressing my hands against the cold stone. Maybe there was something I had missed, some clue that would lead me to her. But the stone was smooth and unyielding, offering no answers, no hope.
"Evelyn…" I whispered, my voice trembling. "Please…"
And then, just as I was about to give in to despair, I heard it—a faint, almost imperceptible sound. It was so soft that I thought I might have imagined it, but when I strained to listen, it came again, this time clearer. It was a whisper, distant and fragile, like the rustling of leaves in the wind.
I scrambled to my feet, my heart pounding. The sound seemed to be coming from the far end of the chamber, where the walls curved inward, forming a narrow passage that I hadn't noticed before. The light from the heart must have obscured it, but now it stood out clearly against the smooth stone.
Without a second thought, I rushed toward the passage, the whisper growing louder with each step. It was still too faint to make out the words, but the sound was unmistakable—it was Evelyn's voice.
The passage was narrow, the walls pressing in on either side, but I forced myself through, ignoring the sharp edges that scraped against my arms. The air grew colder as I went deeper, the darkness thickening around me. But the whisper continued to guide me, pulling me forward.
After what felt like an eternity, the passage opened up into a small, circular chamber. This one was different from the others—smaller, more intimate, with walls that seemed to pulse with a faint, ethereal light. In the center of the chamber was a figure, curled up on the ground, her back to me.
"Evelyn!" I cried, rushing forward.
The figure stirred, her movements slow and deliberate, as if waking from a deep sleep. As she turned to face me, my heart leaped into my throat. It was Evelyn, but something was wrong—terribly wrong.
Her eyes, once bright and full of life, were now dull and glassy, as if she were staring through me rather than at me. Her skin was pale, almost translucent, and when she spoke, her voice was hollow, devoid of the warmth I remembered.
"Why did you come?" she whispered, her words barely audible.
"Evelyn… I came to save you," I stammered, reaching out to her. But she flinched away from my touch, her expression twisted with something that looked like fear—or was it anger?
"Save me?" She let out a soft, bitter laugh that sent chills down my spine. "You can't save me. You never could."
Her words cut through me like a knife, and I recoiled, my hand dropping to my side. "What do you mean? I—I've been looking for you… all this time…"
But she shook her head, her movements jerky and unnatural. "It's too late. You shouldn't have come."
Before I could respond, the walls of the chamber began to close in, the soft, pulsing light growing brighter, more intense. Evelyn's form flickered, like a candle flame about to be extinguished, and she took a step back, her eyes locking onto mine.
"You have to leave," she whispered urgently, her voice cracking. "Before it takes you too."
"What are you talking about?" I demanded, panic rising in my chest. "I'm not leaving without you!"
She shook her head again, more violently this time, and the chamber shuddered around us. "You don't understand… it's too late for me. But you… you can still escape. Please, go!"
I was rooted to the spot, torn between the instinct to flee and the desperate need to save her. But as the light in the chamber grew blinding, I realized with a sinking dread that I was losing her—again.
"Evelyn, no!" I reached out to her, but she stepped further back, her form fading into the blinding light.
"I'm sorry…" Her voice was barely a whisper now, almost drowned out by the roaring sound of the chamber collapsing in on itself. "I'm so sorry…"
And then she was gone.
The walls of the chamber crashed down around me, the light swallowing everything in its path. As the last echoes of Evelyn's voice faded into the void, I was left alone in the darkness, my mind reeling from the loss. The silence returned, heavier and more suffocating than before, and with it, a terrifying realization—I was trapped. The passage was gone, the walls unyielding, and as I reached out, desperate to find a way out, I felt something cold and slimy wrap around my wrist. A low, guttural growl echoed in the darkness, and I knew with a chilling certainty that I wasn't alone anymore.