Chapter 55 — The Heart of Darkness

  They kept walking. In silence. As if each of them carried something unspoken within. Mirellis walked slightly ahead, thoughtful, and even Reina, usually lively, didn’t dare break the quiet.

  — So... anyone else want to get attacked by shadows and then find out someone here has an army of obedient monsters? — Stan whispered, shattering the oppressive silence.

  — “Army” is a bit of an exaggeration, — Mirellis replied without turning.

  — I’m not complaining. Just saying — next time you start commanding dragons or raising skeletons, could you do it in the morning, while I still have coffee? — he grumbled.

  Reina couldn’t help but smile.

  — You think there’ll be coffee here?

  — No, but I like to believe in the best.

  Ethan walked beside Reina, occasionally casting sidelong glances at her. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but changed his mind each time. Finally, he spoke:

  — Hey... when you used that wall of light... you didn’t overexert yourself, did you?

  Stolen story; please report.

  Reina turned to him with a half-smile.

  — Worried about me?

  — Well... if you pass out in the middle of battle, who am I supposed to hide behind?

  — Ah, I see, — she snorted. — Don’t worry. I still have plenty of light inside me.

  — Yeah, that’s obvious, — he muttered, looking away. — You’re glowing.

  — What?

  — Nothing! Just saying... you’re glowing. You know, magically.

  — And you look like a—

  — Don’t finish that! — Leonel cut in, stepping closer.

  Ethan raised his hands.

  — I’m quiet! All good!

  Mirellis watched the exchange out of the corner of her eye. A faint warmth rose in her chest — not from magic, but from the realization that, for the first time in a long while... things didn’t feel so hopeless.

  — We’re close, — Reina said quietly. — I can feel it. Something begins here. This is where the heart of the darkness lies.

  Ahead, a passage opened in the cliff, its edges pulsing with familiar dark light. The stones were etched with ancient runes, and the air quivered — as though reality itself here was fragile, stretched tight like a string.

  — This is the true entrance to the Rift, — she whispered.

  Leonel gripped his sword hilt.

  — We go in together. And we come out — together.

  — And if we don’t come out? — Stan asked.

  — Then we stay — together, — Mirellis answered.

  — You speak so beautifully, and I already feel sick, — Stan muttered, but followed the others.

  When they stepped in, the world behind them vanished.

  Inside was... something else. A dreamscape where the usual laws no longer applied. Stone halls and forests hung suspended in the air. Dark rivers flowed upward. Creatures formed from mist, vanishing the moment one blinked.

  — This is... breathtaking, — Reina whispered. — And terrifying.

  — Who builds places like this?! — Stan cried in despair. — Is this some mad god’s theater set?

  Mirellis remained silent. Here, in this strange place, her darkness responded in soft pulses, as though the Rift itself knew her name.

  Ethan stepped closer and murmured:

  — If you ever decide to lead a shadow army and stage a coup, just give me a heads-up, okay?

  She smirked.

  — Alright. I’ll tell you a day in advance.

  — I was joking, — he mumbled.

  — I wasn’t.

  Then the ground shook.

  From the depths of the space came a roar. Piercing and ancient, like the void itself.

  — Whoever that is... — Leonel began.

  — ...they know we’ve arrived, — Reina finished.

  And the Rift responded, unfolding before them a gate into its very heart.