At the cliff's edge, Selene stared down into the swirling vortex of crimson energy as she adjusted her glasses. It pulsed like a living thing, a wound carved into the world itself. The air crackled, static lacing the wind, and a strange pull made her fingers twitch at her sides.
"Finally… I found the source of our problems!"
She turned, heart pounding, eyes shining with exhilaration.
"This is it, guys!"
Footsteps crunched against stone. Alexander Qin led the group, his silver hair reflecting the ominous glow of the vortex. His golden eyes locked onto it, expression unreadable. Behind him, Julia Lian studied the scene, her dark green hair barely shifting in the wind, her gray eyes calculating. Isabella Han's crimson locks framed a face of quiet amusement, her sun-colored gaze flickering with something unreadable.
Tristan Ma, usually relaxed, had a tense set to his shoulders. Beside him, Lucian Wu's black hair shadowed his face, his green eyes narrowed as he took in the scene.
But no one stepped closer.
Selene frowned. Something was wrong.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
Alexander's boots ground against the rock as he stepped forward.
"Good job, Selene."
She startled at the praise, warmth blooming in her chest. Finally. He saw her. He recognized her worth.
But then—his gaze shifted to the vortex. His expression cooled.
"You're sure a sacrifice to the Demon King will end this?"
Selene blinked, caught off guard by the change in tone. "...Yes. It's the only way." She glanced at the others for confirmation, but their expressions remained unreadable.
"Then," she asked, voice hesitant, "where's the sacrifice?"
A heavy silence loomed in the air.
Then Isabella scoffed, folding her arms. "Isn't it obvious? We're looking at it."
Selene froze her eyes widened.
"Me?" The word barely made it past her lips. Her chest tightened, lungs refusing to draw in air. She searched their faces, expecting shock, denial—anything. But none of them spoke. None of them moved.
"We're a team," she whispered. "We— we're a family."
A bitter chuckle. Isabella stepped closer, her sun-colored eyes glinting. "We? Selene, you don't even have an ability. You're the weakest among us. A liability."
Selene flinched as if struck. Her stomach twisted.
Isabella… the same Isabella who had once dragged her out of harm's way, who had smiled and told her she was part of something bigger.
The same Isabella who now stood before her, dismissing her existence as if it had never mattered.
Her gaze darted to the others. Tristan shifted his weight. Lucian stared at the ground. Julia remained impassive.
But the worst was Alexander.
He stood at the front, arms crossed, silent. His golden eyes unreadable.
"Alexander," she breathed, pleading. "Tell me this isn't real. Tell me you're not actually doing this."
"This isn't betrayal," he said at last, voice measured, detached. "This is what must be done."
Her breath shuddered. Her hands curled into fists.
"You think I'll just accept this?"
Isabella sighed, almost pitying. "Selene, don't fight it. This is fate, your fate."
A memory flickered in Selene's mind—Alexander standing in front of her, a rare smile on his lips. "We'll watch each other's backs. No one gets left behind."
A painful, bitter laugh escaped her lips.
"You're wrong." Her voice was steady now, steel beneath the hurt. **"This is not my fate."**
Isabella's smile faltered.
"Selene—" Isabella reached out.
"Don't—" Selene's voice sharpened, instincts screaming.
Too late.
Isabella had pushed her.
The force of the push came swift, merciless.
Selene's world tilted.
The sky spun. The cliff edge disappeared from beneath her feet.
She gasped, arms flailing, fingers clawing at empty air.
The vortex yawned open, its tendrils reaching, wrapping around her like hungry claws.
Above, the figures of her former friends stood at the cliff's edge.
Not reaching for her.
Not trying to save her.
Just watching.
Her heart pounded, but it wasn't fear—it was fury.
"You'll regret this," she whispered, the wind stealing the words.
And then—
Darkness.
The vortex swallowed her whole.
Selene's heart pounded, her mind a chaotic storm of emotions—fear, anger, grief. Why?
She had been willing to die for them in battle. She had been willing to stand by them, even as the world turned against them.
But this?
This wasn't sacrifice. This was execution.
Tears blurred her vision, but even through the haze.
---
A while later, her eyes snapped open, and a sharp ache bloomed at the back of her head. She was lying on something rough and uneven, the cold seeping through her clothes.
But—she couldn't see.
A wave of panic surged through her. Her vision was blurred, hazy shapes swimming in the darkness.
"My glasses… where are they?"
Her fingers trembled as she patted the ground around her, feeling only dirt, jagged stone, and the unsettling warmth of something damp. Her breath hitched. Blood? No. She couldn't think about that now. Focus.
She pushed herself up, blinking rapidly, trying to make sense of the distorted shadows around her. The air felt heavy, thick with something she couldn't quite name.
She needed to find her glasses. Now.
Her fingers finally brushed against something familiar—thin metal frames, cool against her skin. Relief flooded her as she grabbed her glasses, quickly slipping them on.
But the moment they settled on her face, her heart sank.
A long, jagged crack ran across the left lens, distorting her vision. The right lens was smudged with dirt, barely letting her see clearly.
She exhaled sharply, steadying herself. Broken—but still usable.
For now.
Pushing up from the ground, she took a shaky breath, forcing her eyes to adjust despite the fractured view. The darkness around her seemed to shift, and an eerie silence pressed against her ears.
Something wasn't right.
Before she could fully process her surroundings, something cold and slimy coiled around her ankle.
Her breath hitched.
A sudden yank—sharp, forceful—nearly sent her sprawling back to the ground. Panic surged through her as she kicked instinctively, but the grip only tightened, rough tendrils slithering up her calf like a living vice.
Her hands scrambled against the dirt, her cracked glasses slipping down her nose as she twisted to look—
But the darkness was too thick.
She couldn't see what had grabbed her.
"Shit—!" The word barely left her lips before a scream tore from her throat.
It didn't just pull. It dragged her deeper into the suffocating dark.
---