The void shuddered.
Not like an earthquake. Not like the breaking of stone or the collapse of walls.
But like the pull of an inhale.
Like something, somewhere , was drawing in a breath after an impossibly long sleep.
Ezra's body tensed , instincts screaming at him to run , to hide , to do something—
But there was nowhere to go.
Because the world itself had stopped breathing.
His other self remained beside him, hands folded behind his back, watching with that infuriating grin.
"Realizing your mistake?"
Ezra's fingers twitched. "Shut up."
The void split.
A single crack in the nothingness, stretching from the unseen horizon to the unseen sky. It wasn't light or darkness—it was something else.
Something that didn't belong.
Ezra took a step back. "…What the hell did I just let out?"
His other self chuckled. "Something you locked away."
Ezra's stomach dropped.
"I locked away?"
The crack widened .
And from within it, something moved.
Not a creature.
Not a god.
Something older.
A presence, vast and unknowable, like the weight of a forgotten name pressing against reality. It didn't have a shape, because it didn't need one.
It wasn't a thing. It was a concept.
A whisper slithered through the air, brushing against Ezra's thoughts— too many voices speaking at once, yet saying nothing.
His vision blurred. His breath stilled.
He felt small.
Insignificant.
Like a grain of sand watching the tide roll in, knowing it would be swallowed whole.
And then—
It turned its attention to him.
Ezra's knees nearly buckled.
The whisper sharpened, a single voice cutting through the static.
"You left the throne empty."
Ezra swallowed hard. "Yeah. And?"
The presence rippled.
"Then who will hold the chains?"
The realization hit him like a blade to the gut.
The throne hadn't been a seat of power .
It had been a cage.
A lock.
And he had just thrown away the key.
His other self let out a slow, knowing sigh. "Well, you always did have a talent for making things worse."
Ezra clenched his fists. His heart was hammering, but his voice came out steady .
"Alright," he muttered. "New plan."
His other self raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Enlighten me."
Ezra's eyes locked onto the widening crack in reality.
"We kill it. "
For the first time, his other self actually laughed.
And the presence in the void began to reach forward.