image [https://i.imgur.com/VWjJwt6.gif]

Blood seeped down my leg, soaking my pants as I stumbled, my hand clutching my side. Before me stood a rift, its edges forming a round hole rather than the typical jagged tear. The edges curved inward, forming a vortex that pulled in the surroundings. Near the opening, everything dissolved into glowing violet sand, swirling into the blackness on the other side that devoured it.

Legs giving out, I collapsed to my knees before falling face-first into the mixture of ash, sand, and gravel, my breathing laboured.

My fingertips, bloodied and scraped to the bone, dragged myself across the ashen soil. Above, purple embers tumbled through the sky painted by a black sun, edges ablaze in a white light that mimicked the flicker of flames. Each cough scattered crimson splashes upon the ground, the ash greedily soaking up the vivid colour, blending it into their sombre grey.

Abble's body was… in one piece, but barely, her plated armour brutally torn from her like it was made from simple cloth. As I crawled closer, her hazel eyes staring unblinkingly at the vast expanse above, devoid of any trace of life. Her bronze skin had relinquished its warmth, fading to a pallid shade.

Upon reaching her, my fingers tenderly brushed against her cold cheek, leaving a trail marked by blood. Tears welled up, blurring my vision, and streamed down my face as I gently closed her vacant eyes.

My hand lingered on her face as throat became tight. "Abble," I managed to choke out, my voice barely above a whisper. "This… this isn't how I wanted things to end. I never intended for it…" My words faltered as I pressed my forehead against hers, my eyes clenched tightly. "Those things I said… I didn’t mean them… Please know that.” Tears streamed down, spilling onto her face. "I am sorry," I cried out, my voice breaking as sorrow morphed into raw, furious yells, my fist pounding the ground next to her head in frustration.

She was really gone… H-how did this happen? We had lost… I am sorry everyone… I… I…

Reluctantly, I lifted my head, gazing upon her face one last time. "This… this wasn't how it was supposed to end—"

"And how was it supposed to end?" Morpheus's voice gravelled, carried by the sandy winds sweeping across the wasteland. "You were never destined for victory. Your expectations were a mere fallacy.”

I sneered back at him. Clad in armour, his ashen-purple skin shimmered under the sinister glow of the dark star above. The surface of his attire throbbed with rigid patterns, resembling passageways for arcane machinery. His ears tapered to fine points, while metallic horns arched boldly from his bald head, tracing steep curves into the air.

"I swear, you will answer for this," I vowed, my voice trembling with anger. "You will not escape justice for what you've done."

Morpheus crouched before me, a smirk playing on his lips. "Escape? I have already won.” His armoured fingers clenching my throat, effortlessly raising me into the air as he stood. Beneath me, my legs dangled and thrashed in vain. "I must confess, the relentless determination to survive displayed by your world was… intriguing. Most simply surrender to their fate when they sense the end."

My hands clawed desperately against his slick, grey gauntlets. "Fuck. You," I rasped, each breath a laborious battle. “I… I will kill you.”

His fingers pressed harder, the metal talons of his armour sinking into my flesh. "Such defiance, even in the face of death. This is usually when I'm met with desperate pleas for mercy," he said, cocking his head slightly, his purple irises staring through me, utterly devoid of emotion. "There is something strange about your data."

As consciousness started to wane, the burning sensation in my lungs intensified. "I… won't… let… it… end like this," I managed, my words forced between clenched teeth.

"This fate is—inevitable."

Suddenly, nothingness swallowed me whole, a realm so devoid of sensation it felt as if existence itself had faded away. If this was death, it bore none of the torment I had imagined. Contrary to what one might expect, the complete absence of light and sound didn't trigger panic. Instead, a deep, unforeseen calm enveloped me, offering an inexplicable sense of weightlessness.

Yet the haunting image of Abble's broken body lingered, seared into my mind as if a punishment for my failure. I harboured a desperate hope that it was all just a horrific illusion, yet the bitter truth was undeniable: she was gone… everyone was gone.

Our last exchange had left our friendship fractured, and she departed from this world with that valley between us. Those words can never be unsaid and I would never forgive myself for that. Perhaps this was my own personal hell—condemned to dwell in a void of emptiness, eternally accompanied by my regrets.

This hurt… so bad.

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Without warning, a lance of radiant light pierced the darkness, momentarily overwhelming my vision. From its centre, a woman, her image wavering like a mirage, rose from the ground as if she was part of it. Drapes of long, grey hair flowed down, the sole veil on her frail, skeletal frame. As the light waned, she vanished, only to appear again an instant later, this time standing right before me. Around us, a swirling of luminescent specks danced in the air, their brightness allowing me to see.

As she drew nearer, the lines etched upon her face wove a visage of death and horror. Her voice, deep and resonant, vibrated through me like an internal quake, compelling my back to straighten… my body felt whole and weighted once more.

"How?" she interrogated, her eyes delving into the very essence of my soul. "I did not create you." Each word she uttered was laden with a weight that pressed down on me with pressure.

Create? Who was this? Could she be the devil herself? Her appearance seemed to confirm my darkest suspicions. It had become clear that I was bound for hell, a prospect that, strangely, did not entirely surprise me.

My eyes flickered around, trying to absorb my environment, yet an unseen force seemed to tether my gaze directly to her. "Who are you?" I asked softly.

Her pause was lengthy. “I am Death.”

Death. So this was to be my final chapter.

A lump formed in my throat, the reality of the situation settling in like a heavy stone. “I do not know what you're asking.”

Her grey wilted hand settled upon my shoulder. “Your Data. It's distinct—autonomous. You're entirely detached. Can this connection be severed with others?”

“Data? Connection?” I stammered. “What are you—”

Just then, beside me, a young woman appeared, clothed in a dress that shimmered like moonlight, illuminating the encompassing darkness. Her hair, as pale as the dawn sky, flowed down her back, nearly reaching her waist.

She cast a fleeting glance in my direction, her soft blue gaze alight with an inner luminescence. “Are they some form of malware?” she queried, her eyes settling on Death.

Death remained silent, contemplating for a moment. “No. It's more complex than that. Their code is in some sort of—”

“I think we should purge it before commencing the reboot,” she suggested, extending a palm towards me.

"Wait, Qais," Death interjected. "Your caution against anomalies is valid, but they pose no threat. This program has remained unnoticed by us for quite some time. We were aware of Morpheus's approach long before his arrival in our domain, yet this one has slipped beneath our detection."

Qais' brow furrowed slightly. “Then what are they? They’re not tethered to me. Which breaks the rules of the Overseer. Protocol would be to erase them.”

“They’re neither anchored to the temporal flow nor the universal equilibrium,” Death explained, her touch leaving my shoulder. “Their code isn’t… binary. These symbols are unfamiliar to me and adhere to the console as though I should comprehend their purpose. Is this a breakthrough anomaly, or have they been intentionally placed here?”

Qais' eyes darted around my body like she was looking for something. "The overseer remains in abeyance. Who, if not them, could create this program?"

"I am uncertain," Death replied, her tone steeped in an impassive calm. "The program seeks authorisation rather than attempting to bypass or disrupt. It does not exhibit aggressive intentions. I am convinced they pose no threat."

“Will they survive the reboot? Without a link, they’ll simply dissipate,” Qais pondered, her tone laced with intrigue. “This is… perplexing.”

Death stared at me for what felt like an eternity before she spoke. "If we quarantine his code during the operation, treating it as we would a virus, we might then be able to reintegrate him. This approach might prove advantageous."

Qais countered, “Neither the human matrix nor this rogue program will rectify the perimeter breach on its own. We need to find another way. We must fight fire with fire."

Death and Qais's eyes locked with a startling quickness. “Are you still capable of forging those—beings?” Death asked as a streak of orange lightning illuminated the black sky above.

“The Valkyries? If I limit their creation and derive them from my residual data, the balance remains intact.”

Death's brow furrowed slightly, her disapproval barely noticeable. “Splitting yourself with me was dangerous. Should your computational resources run short, it could lead to the very fabric of our reality falling apart."

Qais smirked. “To divide my partition was a significant split, yes. But this? It's nothing more than a tiny grain of sand in comparison. You fret too much.”

Their dialogue wove through labyrinths of complexity beyond my understanding, anchoring my voice. Who was this Qais? Was she a god? If she was the architect of… Death, then my mortal concerns seemed trivial—I was unmistakably dead.

It seems that the divine’s presence was distant in our times of suffering. Why would she remain silent as we found ourselves on the losing side against Morpheus?

Death's face remained emotionless. "The Valkyries, too, shall not escape equilibrium. This may well prove insignificant."

Qais exhaled deeply. "Then why mention it at all? Our paths are narrowing. The Valkyries' capacity to connect with the core network might just be the leverage we need. We have to adapt, evolve, or risk being consumed by Morpheus."

Amid their cryptic exchange, I ventured, my voice hoarse, "Am I… dead?"

Their eyes met mine simultaneously. "Yes," they responded in eerie unison.

Qais clasped my arm firmly. "Demonstrate your usefulness."

"Kade."

"Kade!"

My eyes drifted from the glow of the twin moons, landing on Belle. "Are you alright? You suddenly stood and wandered outside."

I held Belle's gaze, my confusion clear. "I did?"—my hand came to my forehead—“My head feels… odd.”

"You seemed lost in a trance, staring at the moons," she said, her blue eyes worried. "You were mumbling in your sleep. I only managed to catch something about Abble before you suddenly leaped up."

I stared at Belle, my thoughts muddled. "It was such… a strange dream."