Sarah's POV
The glowing platforms beneath our feet hummed faintly as Axel and I ventured deeper into the fractured maze. The air crackled with energy, each step sending shivers up my spine. This place was alive, pulsing with the remnants of the rift's power, and it felt as though it were watching us.
"Stay close," Axel said, his voice low and steady, though I could hear the tension beneath it. He held his sword at the ready, his eyes darting around the shifting landscape.
"I'm not going anywhere," I replied, clutching the dagger tightly. Its blade seemed to resonate with the energy around us, faintly glowing like a shard of the rift itself.
The path ahead split into three. To the left, a narrow bridge stretched into a swirling mist; to the right, jagged platforms floated, rising and falling unpredictably. Straight ahead, a glowing doorway pulsed with an inviting light, but the air around it felt suffocating, heavy with danger.
"Which way?" I asked, glancing at Axel.
He frowned, studying the options. "The doorway looks like a trap," he muttered. "But those platforms…"
His voice trailed off as a sharp, guttural cry echoed through the air. My heart leapt into my throat, and I spun around, searching for the source.
Out of the mist, shadowy figures emerged—humanoid shapes, but wrong. Their forms flickered like they weren't entirely solid, and their eyes burned with the same unnatural light that had consumed Eren.
"Run!" Axel shouted, grabbing my arm.
We bolted toward the jagged platforms, leaping onto the first one as the shadows surged after us. The platform swayed beneath our weight, and I stumbled, barely catching my balance.
Axel turned, slashing his sword at the nearest shadow. His blade sliced through it, but the creature reformed almost instantly, its eyes locking onto him with unrelenting hunger.
"They're not stopping!" I yelled, my voice trembling.
"They're part of this place," Axel growled. "We can't fight them. We have to keep moving."
I nodded, fear clawing at my chest as we leapt from platform to platform. Each jump was a gamble—the platforms shifted and tilted unpredictably, threatening to throw us into the swirling void below. The shadows followed, their movements eerily fluid, as though the maze itself were helping them.
As we reached the next section of the maze, a sharp pulse of energy erupted from the ground, knocking me off balance. I fell to my knees, the dagger slipping from my grasp and skidding across the platform.
"Sarah!" Axel yelled, reaching for me just as one of the shadows lunged.
I rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding its claws. My hand closed around the dagger, and without thinking, I drove it into the shadow's chest.
The creature let out an ear-splitting screech, its form dissolving into wisps of smoke. For a moment, the other shadows hesitated, their movements faltering.
"The dagger," I whispered, realization dawning. "It can destroy them."
"Good to know," Axel said, pulling me to my feet. "But we don't have time to fight them all. Keep moving!"
We sprinted across the platforms, the dagger clutched tightly in my hand. The shadows regrouped, their hesitation replaced by a renewed fury. They surged after us, but I didn't stop, didn't look back.
The maze shifted around us, the platforms rearranging themselves as though trying to trap us. The path ahead led to another glowing doorway, this one smaller and less ominous than the first.
"There!" Axel shouted, pointing to it.
We reached the doorway just as the shadows closed in, their cries echoing like a cacophony of despair. I shoved the dagger into the shimmering barrier, and the doorway burst open with a blinding flash of light.
Axel and I stumbled through, the light swallowing us whole.
When the light faded, we found ourselves in a new part of the maze—a vast, open space filled with floating shards of the Blackwood mansion. Broken furniture, shattered glass, and fragments of walls hovered in the air, slowly circling a massive, glowing sphere at the center.
The sphere pulsed rhythmically, its light dimming and brightening like a heartbeat.
"What is that?" Axel asked, his voice filled with awe and unease.
I stepped closer, the dagger vibrating in my hand as though responding to the sphere's energy. "It's the core," I said, the words coming unbidden. "The rift's heart. This is what's holding this place together."
Axel's gaze hardened. "Then we destroy it."
I hesitated, a deep sense of foreboding washing over me. "Eren said every choice here comes with a price. If we destroy the core, what happens to us? To him?"
Axel placed a hand on my shoulder, his touch grounding me. "Whatever happens, we face it together. We've come too far to stop now."
I nodded, swallowing my fear. Together, we approached the sphere, its light growing brighter with each step. The air around it buzzed with energy, and I could feel the weight of its power pressing down on me.
As I raised the dagger, a familiar voice echoed through the chamber.
"Stop."
Eren appeared before us, his form flickering like a mirage. His expression was calm, almost sorrowful.
"If you destroy the core," he said, "you'll destroy this place—and everyone trapped in it."
I tightened my grip on the dagger. "You mean you. This is just another one of your games, Eren."
"No," he said, shaking his head. "I mean everyone. The rift's remnants have drawn in countless souls—some innocent, some not. If you destroy the core, you'll condemn them all to oblivion."
Axel stepped forward, his sword raised. "And if we don't? What happens then?"
Eren's gaze shifted to me, his eyes filled with a strange mix of emotions. "Then this place remains. A prison, yes, but also a sanctuary. A chance for redemption—for all of us."
His words hung in the air, heavy with implication.
Axel looked at me, his expression unreadable. "It's your call, Sarah."
I stared at the core, my mind racing. Eren's voice echoed in my head, his warnings about choices and consequences ringing louder than ever.
Could I condemn countless souls to save ourselves? Or would leaving the core intact mean letting this nightmare continue forever?
The weight of the decision threatened to crush me, but I knew there was no turning back.
Taking a deep breath, I raised the dagger once more, my hand trembling as I prepared to make the choice that would change everything.