A deafening roar tore through the facility as the very foundations trembled beneath me. The acrid tang of burning circuits stung my nose, mingling with the scent of ruptured metal and something else—something unnatural. Monitors flickered erratically, casting jagged bursts of blue light that reflected the chaos outside. Cracks splintered across the metallic floor, steam hissing violently from the pipes overhead. The blaring alarms sliced through the cacophony, their shrill cries a grim symphony announcing the collapse of everything we had left.
I barely managed to steady myself, gripping the edge of a console as the ground heaved. My heartbeat hammered against my ribs, the panic clawing at my throat. "What's happening?!" I shouted over the noise, my voice trembling. I turned to Daichi, my only anchor in this storm.
He stood at the center of the destruction, unwavering. The artifact in his hand burned with an unnatural radiance, its glow spilling across his face like liquid silver. He didn't flinch as the world crumbled around him—his expression was eerily calm. But I knew him. I knew the weight behind his eyes, the urgency he tried so hard to contain.
"The destabilization…" His voice was steady but heavy, his words slicing through the chaos. "It's worse than we thought. The Vanishing isn't just consuming what's left—it's unraveling reality itself."
A cold dread coiled around my chest, squeezing the breath from my lungs. "No… No, that's not possible!" My voice cracked, desperation creeping into my tone. "We were supposed to have more time!"
Another tremor sent me stumbling forward, and before I could fall, his arm shot out, catching me. His grip was firm, reassuring—but he didn't waste a second pulling me toward the corridor. There was no time to hesitate.
We sprinted through the dimly lit hallway, emergency lights pulsing crimson, painting the walls with streaks of blood-red. The facility's automated warning system droned in a hollow, artificial tone: Catastrophic collapse imminent. The distant sound of metal groaning under pressure sent another spike of terror through me.
I struggled to keep up, my breath coming in ragged gasps. "Daichi—where are we going?!" I demanded, though fear twisted my voice into something small and fragile.
"To the control room." His answer was clipped, his pace unrelenting. "There's only one way to stop this now."
His words sent a chill racing down my spine. "What do you mean 'only one way'?" But even as I asked, my heart already knew the answer.
The corridor opened into a reinforced room, untouched by the destruction outside. It felt like stepping into another world—dusty, still, frozen in time. The monitors lining the walls flickered weakly, remnants of an era long past.
Daichi stepped inside first. And then—something felt wrong.
I hesitated in the doorway, an unexplainable weight pressing down on me. "Why are we here?" I asked, my voice quieter now.
He turned to me, his expression unreadable. But then—then his eyes softened, and I felt the earth crack beneath my feet.
"Stay here." His voice was quiet, gentle, as if he were laying me to rest. "You'll be safe."
My heart lurched. No. No. No.
I grabbed his arm, nails digging into the fabric of his sleeve. "No," I whispered, my voice barely holding together. My hands trembled against his skin. "No, you're not doing this. You're not leaving me."
His hand came to rest over mine, prying my fingers away with heartbreaking tenderness. "I have to, Izumi," he said, sorrow lacing every word. "It's the only way."
Tears burned at my eyes. "There has to be another way!" My voice broke as I clung to him, desperation bleeding into every syllable. "We always find another way! You don't have to do this alone!"
His lips curled into a small, bittersweet smile. His fingers reached up, brushing a tear from my cheek. "Izumi," he murmured, my name a quiet prayer on his lips, "if there were any other way… I would take it."
My knees buckled. I clutched at his jacket, as if holding onto him could keep him here. "I can't lose you again," I sobbed, my voice shattering. "Not again… Please, Daichi…"
He leaned forward, his forehead pressing softly against mine. His warmth enveloped me, grounding me even as I fell apart in his arms. "You've always been stronger than you think," he whispered.
I shook my head, my tears dampening his skin. "I don't want to be strong," I choked out. "Not if it means losing you."
The door behind me groaned, its mechanical locks clicking into place. The sound sent a fresh wave of terror crashing over me.
"Wait—" My voice cracked. "No, no, no—don't do this!"
Daichi gently pulled away, his hands slipping from mine like sand through my fingers.
I felt it then—the finality in his gaze. The unspoken goodbye.
Panic surged through me, raw and all-consuming. My fists pounded against his chest. "You promised me!" I screamed. "You said we'd find another way!"
He caught my hands, holding them firmly. "I promised I'd try," he murmured. "But there's no more time."
"No—!" My cries turned into ragged sobs. I fought against him, against the cruel inevitability of it all. "Don't leave me! Don't you dare leave me!"
He stepped back. The door began to close between us.
I lunged forward, but it was too late.
The heavy steel sealed shut, locking him on the other side.
My screams ripped through the room as I slammed my fists against the cold, unyielding metal. "Daichi! Open the door! Please!" My voice shattered into desperate sobs. "Don't leave me!"
Silence.
And then—a whisper from the other side.
"I'm sorry," his voice cracked. "I'll always love you."
And just like that, he was gone.
Through my tears, through the agony clawing at my chest, I watched as the glow of the artifact surged brighter than ever before. The light consumed him, swallowed him whole. His hair turned silver, his body becoming something more—something ethereal, untouchable.
Power pulsed outward. The walls trembled. The world itself shifted.
I collapsed to my knees, my voice barely a whisper now. "Daichi…"
My fingers trembled against the cold floor. My body felt hollow, like a puppet with its strings cut.
"Come back to me…"
A final, blinding flash of light engulfed everything.
And then—