Sarah's POV
I could still feel the weight of the rift's pull in the pit of my stomach, the lingering sense of darkness that had nearly consumed me. But the silence that followed was more suffocating than anything I had ever known. The air felt stale, thick with the scent of decay and the bitter taste of lost time. Axel was gone, and with him, the sliver of hope that I had clung to.
I slowly stood, the world around me still spinning from the violent surge of energy that had torn through the rift. My mind was fragmented, slipping between moments of clarity and confusion. What had just happened? Was it over? Or had I simply entered another layer of this nightmare?
I glanced around, but there was nothing familiar. Just shadows and void, stretching endlessly in every direction. No signs of life. No traces of the creature that had tried to tear me apart.
I stumbled forward, desperate to find some clue, anything that would point me toward Axel—toward the way out of this madness.
But the silence was unnerving, pressing in on me from all sides. My steps echoed in the emptiness, each sound like a cruel reminder that I was utterly alone. Even the power from the stone had faded, leaving nothing but the cold sensation of its absence.
"Axel…" My voice was a mere breath, swallowed by the void.
I should have been angry. I should have been furious at whatever twisted version of Axel I'd just encountered. But instead, there was only an aching emptiness, like a hole that had been ripped open inside me and left to bleed. The rift, whatever it had become, had stolen him from me. Taken the man I loved and left only a broken reflection behind.
I gripped the stone tighter, willing it to respond, to give me something. But it remained silent, as if it had abandoned me too.
And then I felt it.
A faint ripple in the air, barely noticeable, like a whisper of wind brushing against my skin. It was subtle, but I knew instinctively that it was something—something important. The rift hadn't truly closed. Not completely. There was still a thread of connection, a way forward.
I wasn't alone, after all. There was still something here with me. Someone.
The energy pulsed again, stronger now, more insistent. I turned in its direction, every muscle in my body tensing. There, in the distance, a faint light flickered—weak, almost imperceptible, but undeniably there.
A doorway.
I took a step toward it, then another, my heart beating harder with each movement. Could it be real? Or was it another illusion, another trap meant to lead me astray?
I didn't care. I had no choice. I couldn't stop.
As I neared the threshold, the air thickened, growing heavier with each step. The ground beneath me seemed to ripple, the texture shifting like the surface of water disturbed by unseen forces. I could feel the weight of something watching me, waiting. The hairs on the back of my neck rose, every instinct screaming that I was walking into something dangerous.
But I couldn't turn back.
I reached the doorway, my hand hovering in front of it, hesitating. The soft glow emanating from it was warm, comforting, but I knew better than to trust appearances. The rift was full of tricks, full of deceit. Every moment felt like a gamble.
But I had already lost too much. I couldn't keep running. I needed answers.
With a deep breath, I stepped forward, crossing the threshold.
---
The world shifted violently. One moment, I was standing in the doorway, the next, I was thrown into a new, oppressive space—one that seemed to stretch on for miles, cloaked in an impenetrable mist. The ground beneath me felt like soft earth, cool and unyielding.
For a moment, everything stood still. I could hear my own breath, shallow and quick, as I surveyed my surroundings.
And then I saw him.
Axel.
Not the twisted, fragmented reflection I had encountered earlier. This was the real Axel. He was standing in front of me, his back turned, his face hidden in shadow. His posture was rigid, tense, as though he were waiting for something—or someone.
"Axel?" I whispered, my voice hoarse.
He didn't turn. But I saw the slightest shift in his shoulders, the faintest tremor as if he'd heard me.
"Axel, please, look at me," I pleaded, stepping closer, my heart in my throat.
Finally, he turned. His eyes were empty, hollow—like a man trapped in a nightmare of his own making. His once warm gaze was now cold, distant, like there was no recognition left in him. He looked right through me, as though I were nothing but a ghost.
"Sarah," he said, his voice low and broken, the syllables hanging in the air like the last breath of a dying man.
The sound of his name, coming from his lips, felt like a slap in the face. But it wasn't him—not really.
I reached for him, my hands trembling. "Axel, please, you have to fight this. You can't let the rift control you. I'll help you. We'll find a way."
But Axel stepped back, shaking his head slowly. "I'm not the man you think I am anymore," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I can't fight it. The rift... it's already taken me."
Tears burned my eyes, but I wouldn't let them fall. Not now. Not when I still had a chance. "No, Axel. I won't believe that. I know you're still in there. I know you are."
He looked at me, his face a mask of despair. "I don't even know who I am anymore, Sarah. I've been lost for so long."
The words hit me like a physical blow, stealing my breath away. My mind raced, scrambling for something, anything that would save him.
But as I reached out again, the air around us began to shift—slowly at first, then faster, until the world itself seemed to twist and warp. The mist thickened, swirling like a storm ready to consume everything in its path.
Axel's form flickered, disappearing for a brief moment before reappearing—his eyes wide with fear.
"Sarah, you have to leave!" he shouted, his voice rising with desperation. "This place is collapsing. It won't hold much longer."
I froze, my heart racing. "I'm not leaving you, Axel. We're getting out of here. Together."
But he stepped away from me, his expression one of pure anguish. "I'm not the man you loved anymore. I can't... I can't come with you."
Before I could say another word, the space around us cracked open, the mist swirling into a vortex of dark energy. Axel's figure began to fade, his voice growing more distant.
"Run, Sarah... run..."
And with that, the world went dark.