Lila's breaths came in short, ragged bursts as she leaned against the cold wall of the abandoned school corridor. The silence around her was deafening, broken only by the faint creaks of the building and the distant rustle of something moving in the shadows. Her hands trembled as she clutched a broken chair leg, her only weapon. The oppressive darkness seemed alive, clawing at her frayed nerves.
"Stay calm," she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible. "Think, Lila. Think."
Her mind drifted, unbidden, to the rules Emrys had drilled into the survivors before everything fell apart. Stay together. Keep moving. Trust the light. She swallowed hard, the memory surfacing like a fragile bubble.
---
The memory unfolded: she had been there for only a few hours, disoriented and frightened. The strange boy had found her sitting in a corner of what had once been the library, clutching a book as if it might anchor her to reality.
"You're new," Emrys had said, his voice light and breezy, as if they were meeting at a park rather than in a place filled with creeping darkness. His blond hair caught the faint glow of light from his ring as he toyed with a small trinket in his hand, his gaze distant.
"Yeah," she had managed, her voice cracking. "What… what is this place?"
He had smiled at her, the expression almost too kind for someone in their circumstances. "The Otherworld," he'd said simply, his tone thoughtful. "It's like… well, think of it as a patchwork quilt. Each piece is someone's worst nightmare, stitched together into something… not quite beautiful, but certainly unique."
She'd blinked at him, his words both oddly poetic and maddeningly cryptic. "And… what am I supposed to do here?"
"Survive," he'd replied, his voice softening. "But not just for yourself. For the others, too." He'd tapped his temple with a grin. "The trick is to keep your head clear. Stay together, keep moving, trust the light. And, uh, don't think too hard about why the shadows are watching you. They don't like that."
At the time, she had thought he was either a genius or completely unhinged. Now, as the memories faded, she wished desperately for his optimism, his calm certainty.
---
Back in the present, Lila forced herself to take a step forward, then another. The corridors stretched endlessly, their familiar shapes warped and twisted by the shadows. "If I can just find Emrys," she muttered, her voice trembling. "He'll know what to do. He always does."
A skittering sound behind her made her whip around, her makeshift weapon raised. Her pulse thundered in her ears as she scanned the darkness. "Stay together," she repeated under her breath, though she was painfully alone. "Keep moving. Trust the light."
But there was no light here. Only the shadow.
It came suddenly—a hulking form lunging from the darkness, its amorphous limbs reaching for her. Lila screamed, her instincts taking over as she bolted down the hall. Her mind raced, fragments of regret surfacing with each pounding step.
I should've listened to him. Aiden was so scared of the war, and I thought he was overreacting. I thought I could pull him out of it. But now… now I don't even know if he's alive.
The shadow howled behind her, its sound an unholy mix of screeching metal and guttural growls. She rounded a corner, spotting a classroom door slightly ajar. Without thinking, she darted inside, slamming it shut and jamming a chair under the handle.
Her heart hammered in her chest as she backed away from the door. The shadow clawed at it, the wood splintering under its relentless assault. "No, no, no," she whispered, her voice cracking. "This can't be it. Not like this."
The door shattered, the shadow spilling into the room like liquid darkness. Lila stumbled, falling backward over a desk. The shadow loomed over her, its form shifting and writhing. She raised her arms instinctively, tears streaming down her face.
Someone save me. Please. Anyone.
A voice answered—not human, but deep and resonant, seeping into her thoughts like ink. Lila…
She froze, the sound filling her mind. It was calm, almost soothing, yet it carried an undeniable weight of malice. You need only reach out. I can save you.
Before she could react, the room exploded with light and shadow as the door burst open. A massive figure strode in, its jagged armor glowing faintly with crimson veins. The Sentinel moved with terrifying precision, his blade cleaving through the shadow in a single, fluid motion. The creature howled as it dissolved, the remnants scattering like ash in the wind.
Lila stared, trembling, as the armored figure turned toward her. His presence was overwhelming, both awe-inspiring and suffocating. The faint glow from his shattered helm cast eerie shadows across his face, obscuring his features.
He extended a hand, his voice low and commanding. "Get up."
Lila hesitated, her fear warring with the instinct to obey. "Who… who are you?"
The Sentinel tilted his head slightly, his crimson eyes narrowing. "Does it matter? You wanted to be saved. I saved you."
Lila reached out, her hand trembling as it touched his gauntlet. A whisper of doubt lingered in her mind, but the promise of survival outweighed everything else.