Between Light and Dark

Tim's legs trembled as he leaned against the cold, unyielding fortress wall, his eyes darting between the chaos and his friend in the middle of it all.

"Harry!" he shouted, his voice cracking with desperation. "Get back here!"

But Harry didn't stop.

Tim's mind spun, caught between panic and disbelief. It was like déjà vu, the scene before him overlapping with a memory he'd buried years ago—a time when Harry had done something equally reckless.

He remembered that day all too well. He'd been cornered by a group of bullies in the schoolyard, their taunts and shoves forcing him into a corner. Just as he thought he'd be left humiliated—or worse—Harry had stepped in, grinning like the fool he always was.

He'd made a joke, something stupid and completely out of place, but it had distracted them just long enough. Then he'd grabbed Tim by the arm and bolted, laughing as if it were all some grand adventure.

Although they were still beaten after being caught up, they paid back as well.

Anyway, now, years later, here he was again. Charging in, reckless and unthinking, to save someone else.

Tim shook his head violently, trying to dispel the memory. This wasn't the schoolyard. This was life or death.

"Damn it, Harry…" he muttered under his breath, his fists clenching as he watched his friend reach the little girl.

Harry scooped her up with a wild, uncoordinated grace that only he could pull off, and for a brief, fleeting moment, Tim felt a surge of relief.

Then the ground shook.

A tendril slammed into the earth not far from Harry, narrowly missing him as he sprinted back toward the wall.

"Lily!" someone called from beside Tim.

A few moments later.

"Catch her!" Harry yelled, thrusting the girl forward.

Tim didn't hesitate.

But the boy was too slow, his trembling hands fumbling as Tim stepped in, grabbing the girl and holding her close. Her tiny hands clutched at his shirt, her sobs muffled against his chest.

"It's okay," Tim said, his voice trembling as he handed her off to her brother. "Take care of her."

Before he could process what was happening, the night erupted in light.

Fireballs rained down from the top of the fortress walls, their blazing trails illuminating the battlefield. Arrows followed, each one glowing with a strange, otherworldly energy—flames, frost, and lightning sparking as they found their marks. The ground beneath the monsters lit up in a brilliant, deadly display.

"Ular Ki?"

"Nima bol yap ti?"

The shouts came from above the walls, unfamiliar voices barking commands in a language Tim didn't understand.

Then, cutting through the chaos, came a voice he did know.

"They are our people, save them, please!"

Tim's heart skipped a beat. His head snapped up toward the wall, his eyes scanning the shadowy figures moving at its edge.

"Is that…?" he muttered, his breath catching. "The student council president?"

Before he could dwell on it, movement above caught his attention. Figures leaped down from the walls with ropes in hand, their forms blurs of agility and speed. They landed lightly, their feet barely touching the ground as they grabbed the nearest people and began scaling the walls again.

The firelight illuminated their faces briefly—men and women clad in armors, their movements precise and calculated. Tim watched in awe as they worked, their voices calm but commanding.

"Kel!" one of them barked, his voice thick as he motioned for a group of survivors to move.

Tim's focus snapped back to Harry.

He was still out there.

"Harry!" Tim shouted again, his voice breaking. He stepped forward, but a firm hand grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

"Don't," Sam, his classmate said sharply, his eyes locked on the battlefield.

"But he—!"

"Look."

Tim's gaze darted back toward Harry, his heart pounding as he saw his friend surrounded. The Grimlings were diving in, their claws glinting in the firelight. The Jonkeys hurled their projectiles with deadly precision, and the massive tendrils twisted and were slamming right at him.

Harry was already on the brink of fainting, unable to move or speak. 

"N-No..." Tim whispered, his nails digging into his palms.

And then, something happened.

A figure appeared.

It moved like a shadow, weaving through the monsters with a speed and grace that didn't seem human. The firelight caught flashes of dark clothing, the gleam of a blade.

Tim's breath caught in his throat as the figure leaped into the air, straight toward Harry.

The tendril lashed out, but the figure twisted midair, narrowly avoiding it. The Grimlings dove, but the figure's blade flashed, cutting through them effortlessly.

Time seemed to slow as the figure landed beside Harry, picking up his limp form just as he lost consciousness.

Tim's eyes widened, his heart pounding as he watched the figure rise, holding Harry securely.

"No way…" he whispered, his voice barely audible.

The figure turned briefly, the firelight illuminating a familiar face.

Tim's legs nearly buckled beneath him.

"I-is that… Max?"

Sam voiced out his exact thoughts.

'Harry...'

'He's saved...'

_____ __ _

'...'

The darkness stretched endlessly around Harry, a vast, oppressive void that seemed to swallow everything.

He wandered aimlessly, his steps soundless, his form weightless. The blackness pressed against him, unyielding and infinite, suffocating in its silence.

His mind was empty, a stark contrast to the usual chaos of thoughts, quips, and worries that constantly filled it. The sharp humor that had always been his shield, his armor, was gone.

His face, once so animated with grins and smirks, was blank. His footsteps lacked purpose. His eyes, usually alight with mischief or curiosity, stared vacantly ahead. As if he has become a puppet.

There was no sound, no sensation, no tether to reality.

Just nothing.

And yet…

Far above, something flickered.

A tiny pinprick of light appeared, faint and distant, like a lone star in an endless night.

Harry's steps faltered. His head tilted upward, his vacant expression shifting ever so slightly, curiosity stirring faintly in the emptiness.

The light grew, slowly but steadily, its glow pushing back the darkness.

It wasn't harsh or blinding. It was warm, gentle—like the first rays of dawn breaking through a cold, endless night.

Harry's steps quickened, though he didn't know why. His chest tightened, an unfamiliar ache blooming in the void where his heart should have been.

The light expanded, illuminating the void in soft hues of gold and white. It reached for him, wrapping around him like an embrace.

He felt…

Alive.

The emptiness in his mind shattered as memories, emotions, and thoughts came rushing back. The chaos, the monsters, the fortress, the girl...

The pain.

His eyes widened, and his lips parted as a sharp gasp broke free.

The void vanished.

"!"

Harry's eyes snapped open.

"Hah-!"

He bolted upright with a loud, ragged inhale, his chest heaving as if he'd been pulled from underwater.

Huf-! Huf-!

His heart hammered in his chest, every beat echoing in his ears. His vision swam for a moment before settling, the world around him coming into focus.

He was lying on something firm but soft, a stark contrast to the cold, hard ground he'd been running on before.

"Where…"

"...am I?"