Ayla switched on the lamp - suddenly everything felt soft, like slipping into a bath.
She almost believed she was falling - only to float - then hang still in a space that wasn't water or sky. Sounds came dull, shakes of panic barely reached her, each gasp muffled by the odd bright stuff wrapping close.
She wasn't falling.
She wasn't floating.
She got lifted.
The glow held her, soft as something unseen.
Ahead of her, Mira's shape flipped sideways through the air. Then there was Eli, folded tight into his own space. Kade floated nearby, mouth wide but no sound coming out, feet thrashing like he meant to sprint in sleep. Meanwhile, Jalen stayed firm, calm somehow despite it all, stretching into the bright haze to grab hold of anyone within reach.
Ayla's breathing shook - she was stunned. Yet clearly amazed, her eyes widened slowly.
The glow near them throbbed softly, almost breathing. Like it was showing the way.
As if protecting.
Yet the glowing figure didn't show up.
That odd glowing passage pulls them further in.
Jalen spun in the air, spotting her through the smoke. "Ayla - grab my arm!"
She gave it a shot. Yet distance grew, kinda rubbery - now close, then suddenly far, as if light twisted, reshaping the gap, yanking one forward while dragging the other back.
Her fingers grazed his, barely touching; still, he clenched his jaw, set on staying firm.
He reached again.
This moment, their fingers gripped tight - held together by chance or something deeper.
Warm. Firm. Anchoring.
A wave of calm hit her hard, almost making her cry. "Jalen - "
"I've got you."
He yanked her close, drawing her into his calm pull when a harsh shake tore through the glowing passage.
Eli let out a silent scream, eyes wide with fear, while Mira held him close. Kade twisted suddenly, limbs thrashing as if jerked by strings.
"What's going on?" Ayla shouted.
Jalen's teeth tightened. "They're sending us somewhere else."
"Redirected by who?"
Before he had a chance to reply -
The tunnel convulsed.
A loud rip roared - sheets of metal groaned, ground split open, space tore apart - ripping through the glowing room. Ayla's head throbbed. Everything blurred for a second. She almost lost grip of Jalen's fingers.
A sudden pull tugged them downward.
Then—
The light broke.
Ayla dropped fast, yelling.
She fell—
From the light.
From the heat.
From the unthinkable room -
And into—
Cold, sharp, actual air. Dry, fresh, honest breeze. Real, crisp, true wind.
She slammed into the ground, winded, then tumbled across jagged rock. A sharp ache flared along her ribs. Grit choked her next breath.
Ayla hacked a cough, propping up on her arms.
The room twisted with blurring shades before slowly settling down.
She stood inside a cave.
A different one.
Smaller. Cozy now. Light doesn't come from blinding rays or shiny towers, yet glimmers through little stone pieces stuck in the walls - flickering slowly, almost alive.
Jalen dropped next to her, sliding on the tile until he pushed up with a grunt.
"Ayla—are you hurt?"
"Nah, I'm not buying that," she said softly, barely catching her breath.
One after another, they fell through the hole in the glowing roof - Mira holding tight to Eli, Kade flipping down, shouting swear words as soon as he realized he wasn't dead.
Everyone showed up.
All alive.
Ayla exhaled shakily.
After that, the glow overhead snapped closed - shut tight like skin mending fast. Heat from the shine faded out completely.
Just shadows plus a shimmer from the stones.
Silence descended.
They stayed down for what felt like ages, each one stunned they'd made it through.
Finally, Eli jerked upright, trembling like a leaf in heavy wind. "Uh... what spot is this?"
Kade looked around wildly. "Are we still underground? Are we in another dimension?! Did we die and end up in the discount section of the afterlife?!"
Mira smacked him. "You're alive. We're all alive. Try gratitude."
Jalen pulled Ayla up, fingers staying near her arm a beat too long. "Check yourselves - look for hurts, gear, bags."
They obeyed automatically.
Kade moved his sore wrist back and forth. Then Mira pulled her strands up, tied them sloppy old ribbon, snapped at one end. Meanwhile, Eli gulped down water like it was something rare.
Ayla looked at the shining crystals nearby. Her eyes followed their soft throb - matching a rhythm, kind of like breath. One after another, they flickered in quiet waves. Not loud, just steady, as if alive.
"Jalen…" she whispered. "This place is… beautiful."
He stared at the walls - his face changed just a bit. "This ain't right... not completely."
As they heard him, the crystals got brighter.
And then—
A voice echoed.
Still a different tone than the stone pillar's sound.
This time it felt softer. Rougher too - almost tired, you could say.
"You made it."
Ayla stiffened.
Jalen stepped ahead of her right away, tensed from head to toe.
The glow from the crystals sputtered.
A shape appeared by the distant cave wall - outta nowhere.
Not walking.
Not stepping.
Forming.
As if a shadow slowly came into focus.
The being of light -
The very person who rose after the stone tower -
But dimmer. Dying.
It flickered, kind of like a dying spark.
Ayla's breath caught. "Did you... trail behind us?"
"No," the being whispered, voice trembling. "I guided you. But I cannot stay manifested long."
Jalen's voice sharpened. "What do you want with her?"
The creature's eyes grew gentle - kinda like a person.
"To protect her."
Kade choked. "From WHAT exactly?! Because all this running, falling, glowing madness is getting very personal!"
The figure raised a faint arm at Ayla. Yet it came from the beast chasing her.
Ayla's breath stopped.
Mira frowned. "But why her? Why not all of us?"
"Because she is the last," the being said again, more urgently this time. "The last of the one bloodline able to awaken what sleeps beneath. The last of the ones who can open or destroy the Gate."
Ayla's heart hammered. "What Gate? What bloodline?"
The figure wavered - shape flickering, borders fading away.
"Ayla…" It reached out. "…do not fear what you are."
Her voice quivered. "I don't even know what I am."
"That is why you must learn."
A pause.
"The creature knows. It hunts to stop you. To devour you."
Eli whimpered. "Devour—? As in—like—eat?!"
Kade slid behind Mira. "I knew we should've stayed home. I TOLD YOU ALL."
The figure blinked out once more.
It whispered, barely heard.
"Ayla… what wakes will not wait much longer. You must reach the inner chamber before it does."
Ayla stepped closer. "Inner chamber? Where is that?"
The figure glanced upward - beyond the rocky sides - not knowing what was there.
"Beneath you," it whispered. "Through the door only your blood can open."
Ayla's skin prickled.
A door.
A bloodline.
A space no one else could enter.
Jalen grabbed her arm - just enough to steady things. Yet he wasn't holding tight, simply keeping her close. Still, his voice stayed firm. "No way she's walking off by herself." Though it sounded calm, there was no room for argument
The person looked at him.
"You carry great loyalty," it murmured. "And great fear."
Jalen's jaw tightened, yet he stayed silent.
Its voice softened.
"Protect her. She is the only one who can stop what is coming."
Ayla's heart folded inward. "I don't understand any of this—why me? Why am I the only one?"
The creature's glow got weaker - slipping away much like a star burning out.
"Because you were born marked," it whispered. "Born hearing what others cannot. Born holding what others lost."
Ayla swallowed hard. "What did we lose?"
The creature replied with a soft, vanishing murmur.
"Time."
And then—
It vanished.
The shimmering glow held still.
Quiet took over the cave completely.
Ayla's legs wobbled. She held onto Jalen's arm tightly. "Jalen... what if I end up failing?"
His fingers touched her face - soft, sure, heated - all at once she noticed a real look in his gaze, one that hadn't shown up during the long run they'd been through.
Fear.
Yet there's more to it.
Faith.
"You will," he said softly. "Because you're not alone."
Just then - so briefly, so softly - she almost trusted his words.
Yet high up, deep within the rocky twists overhead, a thunderous blast rattled the ground.
The beast kept chasing its prey, though it hadn't caught anything yet.
Still coming.
Still hungry.
It wasn't far off.